Recipe - Broccoli Stuffing Bake

2 pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 can cream soup (I use cream of mushroom)
1 pkg. stovetop stuffing
salt & pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together all but the cheese.
Put into a 2-quart greased cassserole dish

Sprinkls with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Recipe - Bacon in the Oven

I've found the best way to bake crispy delicious bacon.

Turn the oven on to 360 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Usually about a half pound of bacon covers my sheet without touching each other.  The hardest part is pulling apart the strips apart!

I put the sheet into the middle of the oven as soon as I've got it ready.  Usually the oven is still getting hot.

I put the timer on for 20 minutes.  Depending on the thickness of the bacon, when the timer dings it's perfect.

I drain on paper towels.

Streamed Movies

*6*  Awesome

5  Loved it

4  Liked it a lot

3  Liked it

2  It was okay

                                                                          1  Nope

During the Quarantine of 2020 I've decided to watch a movie or two, starting out by looking for "feel good" and "stupid but humorous" titles.  So I've decided to start a list (alphebeitacl list at the bottom):

6 Awesome  
Marriage Story (Netflix) 2019 Drama - Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansen blow it out of the water

5 Loved It
The Yellow Handkerchief  (Hulu) 2008 Drama - William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart,  Eddie Redmayne - bittersweet road trip right-up-my-alley movie

4:  Interesting/Liked it a Lot
Big Time Adolescence (Hulu) 2019 Teenager grows up with an older best friend (Pete Davidson) who's not a great influence...5/2020
No Strings Attached (Amazon Prime) 2011 Comedy - Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman hook up, really fun!
One of Us - 2017 Documentary (Netflix) about leaving Hasidic Judaism and its difficulties
She's Out of My League (Amazon Prime) 2010 Comedy #10 Female becomes interested in a #5 guy

3:  Liked it/ Cute
Ali's Wedding  (Netflix)- 2017 Comedy about a Muslim cleric's son and his love life in a family that believes in arranged marriages.
The Escort (Hulu) 2016 "Desperate for a good story, a sex-addidcted journalist throws himself into the world of high-class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute." 5/22/20
Good Sam (Netflix) Female reporter fo,mows a Good Samaritan that leaves bags of money at doorsteps
The Half of It (Netflix) 2020 Coming of Age. Small town Chinese American nerdy girl writes term papers for 20 bucks a pup, ends up writing love letters for smitten boy when she herself really likes the girl the letters are written for. 5/8/2020
Little Italy (Amazon Prime) 2018 Comedy about two kids from a close-knit neighborhood (and rival pizza families) reuniting after five years of going their own ways mazon Prime) Comedy about two kids from a close-knit neighborhood (and rival pizza families) reuniting after five years of going their own ways
Love the Coopers (Netflix) 2005 Comedy about a large dysfunctional family at Christmas (Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde, Timothee Chalamet (5/10/2020)
The Matchbreaker (Prime) 2016 Young man begins breaking up couples for disgruntled parents. 
Runaway Romance (Prime) 2018 Really crappy movie where a reality star runs away to an Amish farm in Kentucky to hide from her tv boyfriend.
Spencer Confidential (Netflix)  Based on Wonderland, love Mark Wahlberg, but he's no Spenser, and they've taken LOTS of Spenser liberties! (3/14/2020)

Alphabetical List
Ali's Wedding  (Netflix)- 2017 Comedy about a Muslim cleric's son and his love life in a family that believes in arranged marriages. (3)
Big Time Adolescence (Hulu) 2019 Teenager grows up with an older best friend (Pete Davidson) who's not a great influence... (4) 5/2020
The Escort (Hulu) 2016 "Desperate for a good story, a sex-addidcted journalist throws himself into the world of high-class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute." (3.5) 5/22/20
Good Sam (Netflix) Female reporter follows a Good Samaritan that leaves bags of money at doorsteps (3)
The Half of It (Netflix) 2020 Coming of Age. Small town Chinese American nerdy girl writes term papers for 20 bucks a pup, ends up writing love letters for smitten boy when she herself really likes the girl the letters are written for. (3) 5/8/2020
Little Italy (Amazon Prime) 2018 Comedy about two kids from a close-knit neighborhood (and rival pizza families) reuniting after five years of going their own ways. (3)
Love the Coopers (Netflix) 2005 Comedy about a large dysfunctional family at Christmas (Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde, Timothee Chalamet (3) (5/10/2020)
Marriage Story (Netflix) 2019 Drama - Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansen blow it out of the water! (6)
The Matchbreaker (Prime) 2016 Young man begins breaking up couples for disgruntled parents.  (3)
No Strings Attached (Amazon Prime) 2011 Comedy - Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman hook up, really fun! (4)
One of Us - 2017 Documentary (Netflix) about leaving Hasidic Judaism and its difficulties (4)
Runaway Romance (Prime) 2018 Really crappy movie where a reality star runs away to an Amish farm in Kentucky to hide from her tv boyfriend. (1)
She's Out of My League (Amazon Prime) 2010 Comedy #10 Female becomes interested in a #5 guy (4)
Spencer Confidential (Netflix)  Based on Wonderland, love Mark Wahlberg, but he's no Spenser, and they've taken LOTS of Spenser liberties! (3/14/2020) (3)
Yellow Handkerchief, The  (Hulu) 2008 Drama - William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart,  Eddie Redmayne - bittersweet road trip right-up-my-alley movie (5)

TV Show - The Politician

Just finished watching Season 1
Premiered:  9/27/2019 on Netflix
Season 1
Number of Episodes: 8
Length of Episode:
IMBd: 7.5
RT Critic's Consensus: While The Politician can't uphold all of its tantalizing promises, it delivers just enough soapy satire in a sumptuous setting to keep Ryan Murphy fans invested -- though its unlikely to win him many new votes.
RT Audience Score: 86 (57 Critics)
cag: Liked it a lot
Wikipedia information

Characters:
Payton Hobart - Ben Platt, adopted rich boy
Georgina Hobart - Payton's loving mom (Gwyneth Paltrow)
River Barkley - Payton's Mandarin coach and friend (who commits suicide in Episode one or two, but conitinues as his "conscience" throughout the season)
Infinity Jackson - The girl who becomes his running mate, whose grandmother is poisoning her and who thinks she has cancer
Dusty Jackson  - Infinity's nana (Jessica Lange)
Ricardo - Infinity's boyfriend
Astrid Sloan - River's girlfriend and Payton's ultimate rival
McAfee and James - Payton's close friends and "advisors"
Alice Charles - Payton's girlfriend
Skye Leighton - Black LBGTQ chick who keeps showing up and is nasty, goes from opponent to running partner to almost-assassin

My comments:  Per Ashley's suggestion, I started watching this today and ended up binge-watching all eight episodes in one sitting.  It was funny, sad, eyeball-rolling, irreverent, goofy, well acted, and wonderfully enjoyable.  It also had an incredible cast of characters from Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow to Dermot Mulroney and Jessica Lange, with Judith Light and Bette Midler tossed into episode eight (to be full timers on season two, I hope!) Episodes one through seven are set in Santa Barbara, California in the homes of the exceedingly rich, while episode 8 is set in NYc.  I liked it a lot.  Season two is supposed to come out somewhere in 2020, being about Payton's New York State Senate  run against the current popular senator played by Judith Light (who happen to be in a three-way marriage, lol!)

Storyline from IMDb: Payton Hobart, a student from Santa Barbara, has known since age seven that he's going to be President of the United States. But first he'll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape of all: Saint Sebastian High School.

From Wikipedia:  The first season is set at the fictional Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, California. Payton Hobart is running for student body president against the popular and athletic River Barkley. Payton, under the direction of his ambitious friends McAfee Westbrook, James Sullivan, and Alice Charles, chooses Infinity Jackson, a cancer patient and victim of Munchausen by Proxy disorder, to be his vice-president. Meanwhile, River, under the direction of his girlfriend Astrid Sloan, chooses Skye Leighton, a gender-nonconforming black classmate, to be his vice-president.

66. Impossible by Komal Kant

listened to audio via Audible Escape
narrated by Lidia Dornet and Graham Halstead
Unabridged audio (7:21)
2012 Createspace
254 pgs.
YA Romance - and not a good one....
Finished 4/17/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.70- 6538 ratings
My rating:  2
Setting:  contemporary usa

First line/s:  " 'I bet a hundred dollars he smells like a rat-infested sewer,' my best friend, Kance said from beside me, her voice thick with disgust."

My comments:  Over-the-top mean girl becomes nice girl in a bizarrely too-impossible ridiculous way.  Emo boy becomes super-hunk overnight.  High school kids flit from hooking up to being part of a ocouple back=and=forth, back-and-forth... A pair of moms that are ridiculously permissive.  If you want to read a story that keeps your eyes rolling from beginning to end, this is the perfect book for you!  I am being really kind giving this a "2" rating.

Goodreads synopsis:  Ashton Summers is on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school and nothing—or no one—is going to stand in her way. Especially not Luca Byron, her freak neighbor, with his tattoos, loud music, and distracting green eyes.
          Luca Byron has three goals in life: get through high school with a low profile, make sure his garage band becomes something more than a hobby, and try to forget about his insufferable ex-best friend, Ashton, who he can’t get out of his mind.
          The last thing Ashton and Luca want to do is rekindle their friendship, but when Ashton takes a tumble down the social ladder, Luca—with his new makeover—is the only one who can help her rise up again by pretending to be her boyfriend. At first, being together is unbearable and annoying, but things start to change as Ashton and Luca discover the real reasons they drifted apart seven years ago.
          Now, keeping their hands off each other seems impossible.

TV Show - The Stranger

Just finished watching Season 1, which wrapped up the story completely, I don't think there'll be another season
Premiered:  1/30/2020
Season: 1 (and only)
Number of Episodes: 8
Length of Episode: 42 minutes
IMBd: 7.4
RT Critic's Consensus: If not quite as addicting as its source material, The Stranger has a strong cast and enough tension to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
RT Audience Score:  83%
cag: Liked it a lot, binge watched in one day....
Produced by: Netflix

Characters: The Price family:  Father Adam, Mother Corinne, Sons Thomas and Brian
The cops:  Johanna Griffin and her inept (for the most part) sidekick, Wesley Ross
The bad guy:  Cop & father, John Katz
The neighbors:  Tripp and his son, Michael
The ex-cop who wouldn't sell or leave his condemned property:  Martin Killaine (Stephen Rea)
Adam Price's unscrupulous father
Johanna Griffin's best friend and first to be murdered, Heidi

My comments:  Harlan Coben never disappoints!  This interesting story, with a multitude of side-events and happenings, kept me interested and enthralled.  A few of the premises didn't quite work (why was Corinne so reluctant to inform Adam of what was going on, and her intense reaction didn't fit) and (why would Adam go so willingly with Tripp at the end AND why would Tripp tell all with Adam standing there with a gun) to mention just a couple. It's certainly the type of show that I enjoy, and I look forward to more of Coben's work, this one set in England.

Storyline from IMBd:  Based on Harlan Coben's novel of the same name, the series will follow Adam Price, who seems to be living the perfect life - two great sons, a watertight marriage - until a stranger approaches him at a bar and reveals a shocking secret about Price's wife, Corinne.

TV Show - Bonding

Just finished watching Season 1
Premiered: 4/24/2019
Season: 1, Season 2 has begun filming(apparently Jan. 2020)
Number of Episodes: 7
Length of Episode: 12 - 18 minutes each (VERY short_
IMBd:  7.2
RT Critic's Consensus:  Though Bonding's juicy spin on friendship and sexuality boldly treads into uncharted territory, the show's writing too often teeters uncomfortably between bewitchingly funny and bewilderingly underwhelming to make it a truly satisfying experience.
RT Audience Score:  71%
cag:  5/Loved it
Produced by: Netflix

Characters:  Tiff/Mistress May: Zoe Levin
                       Pete/  : Brendan Scannell
                       Josh (Pete's boyfriend) Theo Stockman
                       Doug (Tiff's possible boyfriend):  Micah Stock

My comments:  What a hoot!  Loved it....great actors, funny as hell, and it portrayed some really interesting relationships.

Storyline from IMBd: A New York City grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix enlists her gay BFF from high school to be her assistant.

65. Fire in His Blood - Ruby Dixon

Listened to on Audible Escape
narrated by  Noelle Bridges and Jeremy York
Unabridged audio (11:28)
2017
331 pgs.
Adult Steamy SciFi Dystopia
Finished 4/15/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.80 - 7928 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting:  Dystopian Dallas TX

First line/s:  "As far as jail cells go, this one's pretty decent."

My comments:  This 12-hour book could've easily been told in six, there was so much repetition of the same old anxieties and worries and passionate scenes.  The story itself was quite fascinating: shape shifting dragons who have come through a crack in the world, and in that span unable to return to their world, have more or less gone mad.  Therefore they attack with mighty fire everything in their path.  The world as humans know it is now forever changed and that's where the story starts, in the desolate poverty-stricken area that is left of Dallas.  The story is mostly told by Claudia, with a few chapters in the dragon-man's voice.  Not a bad story all-in-all, jut too much of it!

Goodreads synopsis:  Years ago, the skies ripped open and the world was destroyed in fire and ash. Dragons - once creatures of legend - are the enemy. Vicious and unpredictable, they rule the skies of the ruined cities, forcing humanity to huddle behind barricades for safety.
          Claudia's a survivor. She scrapes by as best as she can in a hard, dangerous world. When she runs afoul of the law, she's left as bait in dragon territory. She only has one chance to survive - to somehow 'tame' a dragon and get it to obey her.
          Except the dragon that finds her is as wild and brutal as any other...and he's not interested in obeying.
          What he is interested in is a mate. 

63. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

#1 Veronica Speedwell
listened via Audible
narrated by Angele Masters
Unabridged audio (10:51)
2016 Berkley Books
339 pgs.
Adult Historical Fiction Mystery
Finished 4/13/2020
Goodreads rating: 3.97 - 20,224 ratings
My rating:  5
Setting:  1887 England

First line/s:  "I stared down into the open grave and wished I could have summoned a tear."

My comments:  When I first began reading this book, I thought our protagonist, Veronica Stillwell, was going to be a prudish snob.  Oh my goodness, was I mistaken.  It is around 1890, and she is a strong, opinionated, extremely smart feminist.  And once she teams up with Stoker, following them from one far-fetched adventure to the next is an absolute  blast.  These include pretending they are married so that they can join a traveling circus where he can throw knives at her, trying to solve the murder of his very dear friend, sharing their interests in the  natural world, and eluding the bad guys who even throw them into the Thames River.  The entire story was totally satisfying, incredibly funny,and completely endearing.  It was read beautifully by Angele Masters...and there are four more to go, yippee!

Goodreads synopsis:  London, 1887.
          After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.
          But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth

Ella's Flower Garden Hexie Quilt

Let's watch this sucker grow!

4/13/2020 This is where I left off a couple of years ago - 66 flowers joined.

4/14/2020  77 flowers

4/15/2020 84 flowers

4/17/2020 100 flowers and now a rectangle!

4/22/2020  130 flowers, my fingers are sore, but it's looking GOOD!  When I compare where I was and what it looked like nine days ago, I'm ecstatic!

4/27/2020 148 flowers, another row increasing width to 11 rows wide.

5/1/2020 160 flowers, adding a double row to the length, making it 15 flowers for the longest outside strip.... It's getting harder to photograph.

5/15/20 I think I finished the top...Ella, layed down with it and said it's perfect...let's hope so!  190 flowers total.

Now, how to finish it?

63. Lauren's Barbarian by Ruby Dixon

#1 Icehome
listened on Audible Escape
narrated by Felicity Monroe & Sean Crisden
Unabridged audio (8:24)
2017 Independently published
280 pgs.
SciFi Steamy Romance
Finished 4/12/2020
Goodreads rating:  4.08 - 5045 ratings
My rating:  3.5/4

First line/s:  "A lush, tropical island on an icy planet makes no sense."

My comments:  A new group of ladies has landed on the ice planet.  Lauren is one of 20, and somehow gets set adrift, with her friend Marisol, while unconscious, in a pod for an unknown amount of time.  She is found by one of the planet's blue aliens, a four-armed guy with camouflaging abilities of a different, although related, clan to the blue aliens she's (and we) have come to know.  And they resonate.  She has drifted to a volcanic island which is very, very different from the "other side" of the ice planet, full of trees, and very warm.  However, she soon realizes that the volcano isn't dormant, and that the next time it blows it will exterminate everything and anyone left on the island. One of the best part of this book was that they couldn't understand a word each other said until nearly the very end.  Fun.
           There's lots of story in this interesting addition to the good old Barbarians' tales.  But of course Ms Dixon feels the need for the occasional XXX rated steamy scene.  As far as I'm concerned they are unnecessary, I think this book stands on its own as pretty decent storytelling without that aspect.
           There are two different readers in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, and this had different readers.  Although the male reader's voice is just as deep as the previous reader, I actually like the way he narrates better.

Goodreads synopsis:  A lush, tropical island on an icy planet makes no sense.
          Then again, not much makes sense anymore after waking up and finding myself not in bed but on a strange world populated by aliens. Since that moment, I’ve learned that nothing is normal anymore and I’ve got to roll with the punches. I can handle this, though. I’m strong and capable.

          So… washed up on a tropical island? Got it handled.
          Separated from the others in my group? Handled.
          Stranded alone with a brutal but delicious alien man that can’t speak English but has great… ahem… body language? Yup, handled.
          Add in the fact that my cootie – a symbiont I need to survive – has chosen my big, hulking alien friend as my fated mate? Let’s just say that the situation isn’t the only thing that’s going to be handled.
          But it isn’t long before I learn that the tropical island paradise is a death trap and we’re all in grave danger, aliens and humans alike. To survive this, I'll need my tempting guy to give me a hand with the situation… good thing he's got four of them.
          This romance features all of the adventure, humor and community you’ve come to expect in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, but it stands on its own. You do not need to read the other series (or be caught up) in order to read LAUREN'S BARBARIAN.

62. The Other Family by Loretta Nyhan

Listened on Audible
narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal  (who is excellent, does different voices really well)
Unabridged audio (8:56)
2020 Lake Union Publishing
285 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 4/9/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.71 - 3802 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Chicago suburb

My comments:  An intense look at a family that hits you from all different directions.  Solid setting in a Chicago suburb.  Excellent reader (she does different voices really well).  Two parents nearing the end of divorce proceedings.  A sweet 10-year-old daughter who has spent her life dealing with a debilitating series of food allergies.  A grandmother who fiercely protects her adopted daughter.  A just-discovered aunt, full of love and family history and her own extended family including Indian husband, black foster daughter, and 90-year-old best friend.  Throw in a bridal boutique for older women, a school board election, a woo-woo hippie doctor, and even a tiny bit of online dating and ....voila....you've set the scene for a very interesting story.  Quite memorable.

Goodreads synopsis:  From the bestselling author of Digging In comes a witty and moving novel about motherhood, courage, and finding true family.
          With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve seen has a different theory. Then comes hope for some clarity.
          It’s possible that Kylie’s illness is genetic, but Ally is adopted. A DNA test opens up an entirely new path. And where it leads is a surprise: to an aunt Ally never knew existed. She’s a little wild, very welcoming, and ready to share more of the family history than Ally ever imagined.
          Coping with a skeptical soon-to-be-ex husband, weathering the cautions of her own resistant mother, and getting maddeningly close to the healing Kylie needs, Ally is determined to regain control of her life. This is her chance to embrace uncertainty and the beauty of family—both the one she was born into and the one she chose.

61. Water World Warrior by Lisa Lace

#1 TerraMates
Listened on Audible Escape (I think)
narrated by Addison Spear and Terrance Bayes
Unabridged audio (5:28)
2015 Toppings Publishing
267 pgs.
Adult Sci Fi Romance/Alien Mail Order Bride
Finished 4/8/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.53 - 854 ratings
My rating: 3.5 (not quite a 4)

First line/s:  "The wind whipped the sails of our ship, and we barely held our course."

My comments:  Well, for a sci-fi mail order bride romance, this wasn't bad at all.  It takes place on a water planet where only a few of the physical characteristics of the aliens are different - they have film that goes over their eyes so they can swim underwater with their eyes open for great distances, and they have underwater breathing "gills" so they can swim for indefinite amounts of time.  It was pretty decent world*building and this one had characters that had a bit of depth.  Oh yes, the usual misunderstandings and incorrect second-guessing, but not the  steamy XXX-rated crapola that so many of these mail order bride romances contain.  Just a little, and in the right places, and not until at least 2/3 of the book is behind you.  Quite entertaining, actually.  Not a four, but a good, solid three and a half.

Goodreads synopsis:  Why would I want to be married to an alien?
          I should not have applied to TerraMates. The idea was crazy. I'm a young woman, in the prime of my life.
          But I was desperate.
          When I landed on another world, his appearance intrigued me. He dripped sexuality and moved like an animal. We have three days together before he sets sail without me. Am I going to escape or submit to my desires?

60. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Listened to audio on Libby borrowed from Bosler Library
narrated by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune
Unabridged audio (9:35)
2019 Quercus
400 pgs.
Adult RomCom
Finished April 7, 2020
Goodreads rating:  4.13 - 66,701 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting:  Contemporary England, small city....

First line/s:  "You've got to say this for desperation: It makes you much more open-minded."

My comments: This has been on hold for many months with a long waiting list and I was greatly anticipating it.  It didn't disappoint.  Yes, it was humorous and well written, it had fantastic protagonists with their own silly quirks, one an extrovert and one an introvert.  But it also had some serious themes as well.  An ex-boyfriend with serious issues, an innocent brother in prison, and patients in Hospice, where Leon worked as a nurse.  For at least half of the book the two protagonists shared a flat without ever seeing each other, never knowing what each other looked like, but getting to know each other almost intimately by leaving lots and lots of post-it notes back-and-forth.  Very cleverly and satisfyingly done.  Not a steamy romance , but with its own kind of tension and build-up.  Of course it has the prerequisite friends, in this case three of them -  one being a lawyer and one being a psychologist.  It does not hurt the plot, LOL, or take away from me giving it five stars, but it probably should (snort, snort).  I enjoyed the book greatly in the midst of this quarantined pandemic as I EPPed my fingers raw.

Goodreads synopsis:  Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.
          After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.
          Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.
          Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.
          But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you've never met.
          What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.

59. Lost Girls: The Maine Murders by Jon Mills

Ben Forrester series, but I don't see any more yet
Listened on Audible
narrated by Peter Kenyon
Unabridged audio (6:18)
2018
391 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery
Finished 4/5/2020
Goodreads rating:  4.23 - 1133 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting:  Contemporary Mount Desert Island, Maine

First line/s:  "For the last two years, Ben Forrester had lived in a small beach house on Mt. Desert Island."

My comments:  I was delighted to begin this murder mystery knowing that it took place in Maine, but was more-than-pleasantly surprised when I discovered it was set on my own Mount Desert Island.  However, the author did some really weird things with some of the facts and locations.  He changed the name of Bar Harbor to Eden Falls, keeping Mount Desert, Southwest Harbor, and Tremont the other three towns, correctly.  Unfortunately, the narrator was never told how to correctly say Tremont.  Oh well, he did nail Bangor, thankfully, which is a huge pet peeve of mine though it shouldn't be.  But Mr. Mills added and changed other things that disconcerted me.  He kept saying Acadia Park (leaving out the National, which isn't done) and added Acadia National Forest, WTF?  He put Blackwoods Campground in Bar Harbor/Eden Falls jurisdiction, when it's in Otter Creek (never mentioned) which is part of the town of Mount Desert and in their jurisdiction.  He gave huge, crazy numbers to the amounts of park rangers at Acadia.  Had cabins and log homes dotted here and there throughout the "forest," which, because it's largely in Acadia National Park is definitely not allowed and therefore nonexistent.  All of this bothered me quite a bit     why change some insignificant details when sticking to the truth would probably garner more positive reception?  It definitely put me off.  The story was okay, to be sure.  I usually, as a rule, dislike stories when the protagonist's family are kidnapped, and this was one of those.  It was also incredibly grizzly - and I can usually take some grizzly, but, spoiler alert!!! I think I've got to draw a line with taxidermy being done on human bodies.  I'll give this one a three, although I will certainly try out any others if Mr. Mills decides to continue this as a series.

Goodreads synopsis:  A serial killer is terrorizing a coastal town…
          When renowned FBI agent Benjamin Forrester suffers a devastating loss while trying to catch an elusive serial killer, he quits the bureau. Years later, after a similar series of gruesome murders trigger an investigation in the coastal town of Eden Falls, Maine, Ben is called upon to assist the rookie police detective, Dakota Woods.
          He soon learns he's being lured into a deadly game of cat and mouse where the only way to stop the murders is to confront his past and face his worst fear.