Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Review: Here and Now and Then

Here and Now and Then Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I pretty much love time travel books, particularly ones that are well done and have rules and constraints. This is one of them.

Kin is a secret agent time traveling enforcer. He gets his orders and carries them out. His assignments have to do with people who have changed events through a time traveling blip. The most often offenders are trying to play with the stock market or some other monetary gain. The book opens with Kin taking out a target but not before the target shoots him where his beacon is imbedded, purposely cutting him off from his own timeline, 150 years in the future. The quandary is that he is to not have contact or interfere with others or events in order to keep the timeline pure. Yet as the years drag on, he forgets his other life (it’s a time traveling truism that you can’t comprehend too Times at once for long. Horrible headaches). By the time his retriever finally comes, Kin has spent 20 years living a life in his past.

With all the rules and regulations, how will the agency view his years in the past? His life lived? The lives he changed? On the other hand, how does he settle into his old life in the future after spending decades in the past? Hint: time in the future did not pass at the same rate.

I can’t remember what the book description included so I want to be very careful about what I say but the conflict was quietly engaging and resolution very satisfying. Actually, quite clever and heart warming. I think that is the problem I’ve had with time traveling books in the past is that the ending leaves me feeling sad. Not this one.

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Monday, December 10, 2018

Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is not the story that is particularly exciting but more of the atmosphere that is painted as well as the simple life of living where the crawdads sing. Of course, there is a plot and a mystery. There is even a court case yet the most compelling reason to continue reading is the protagonist and her sharp, intelligent mind yet her simple life that she enjoys. The love story didn't hurt, either.

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Review: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Somehow I believed I had an understanding of discrimination. My dad was a freedom rider. He started Head Start in Mississippi and Detroit. He got beat up by the sheriff we saw in Mississippi Burning. He was out on the night that MLK Jr. died and feared for his life. He told us all of these stories and more and taught is about civil rights. And all this happened when I was a little girl so it was a long time ago.

BUZZ!

The events covered in this book did not happen a long time ago. There may be more discrimination in southern states but it’s happening now all the time, all around me, to people I know. For all my talk and even action to champion the underdog, at the end of the day I come home to my middle class home, mortgaged against my husband’s and my underpaid but highly educated jobs, where my kids have plenty of food but “nothing to eat,” and my reflection in the mirror is of a white, middle aged woman.

To Bryan Stevenson - I am in awe of his perseverance and rabid optimism in his cause. He has made a huge dent in a societal problem that MLK Jr. died for. The issues persist in much more sneaky manner which makes this problem harder to fight and so insidious. But there innocent are men and women who are living life because of this man and his vision. I honestly can’t celebrate him enough.

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Review: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent book! Multifaceted that gave me a new appreciation to the soldiers of this war and the horrors they saw and experienced. The Winter Soldier also gave a satisfying ending. Not necessarily a happy ending but one that, when I read the last word, closed the book, I felt satisfied.

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Review: Library of Souls

Library of Souls Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue

Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue by Marc Aronson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is, in and of itself, an amazing story of survival and a world that united to save a soccer team from Thailand from an impossible flooded cave. The facts are well written and the characters are well represented. It didn't grab my attention, probably because I already knew the story. For someone who didn't know the story it might be a much more interesting read. For me, it was just rehashing the news that I followed intently during the crisis.

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Friday, December 7, 2018

Review: An Invisible Thread: The True Story Adapted for Young Readers

An Invisible Thread: The True Story Adapted for Young Readers An Invisible Thread: The True Story Adapted for Young Readers by Laura Schroff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This truly is an amazing story of two people who just happen to meet on the streets of New York. Yet is it really coincidence or were they meant to strike up a friendship that changed them forever? The author posits that there is an invisible thread that connects certain people - that they are to be in one another's lives.
This is the true story of Laura and Maurice. Laura is a success story from a humble background. She lives and works in New York where she passes 11 year old Maurice, an African American boy who asks her for some change because he's hungry. She passes him by then stops and walks back to him. She takes him to eat at McDonald's. So begins their weekly dinner dates and unlikely friendship that spans decades.
What struck me as incredible is that Laura recognizes and honors the boundaries that must stay in place. She crosses them on occasion, but she realizes that she is not to be the rich, white lady that gives Maurce everything he needs. They are to be friends. In the beginning, she shows him a world where there is another alternative to what he has been exposed to. A place where people get jobs and work every day, earning a paycheck. They eat three meals and use silverware. The best part is that they eat at a family table, like the one at Laura's sister's house, and stay after the meal is finished and enjoy each other's company.

Maurice is practically and then truly homeless and always hungry. He lives with his grandmother, mother, and sisters in section 8 housing. Different grownups sleep in the one bedroom apartment. He is inured to the adults being on drugs in the "zone," drug deals, even murders occurring right in the apartment. You eat when you can find food. He didn't know about tissues being used for blowing your nose. How to use utensils or how to set a table.

Maurice and Laura spend years together in their friendship. They count on one another even as their circumstances change. Their commonality is their love for their family but also abusive childhoods. What they each gain is something that can't be quantified.

The reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I also read the unadapted version of An Invisible Thread and found the depth to be much more satisfying. I believe this book should be required reading in junior highs and middle schools.


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Review: The Last Romantics

The Last Romantics The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a story that spans nearly a hundred years and follows siblings throughout their lives. I enjoyed reading the book and the character development. Perhaps I was looking for more closure. I can't say I was disappointed, just left a little wanting.

On the positive side, the story follows the siblings and their mother and their different loves. Spoiler alert - family love is still strong throughout their lives.

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Review: Ready Player One

Ready Player One Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Review: The Huntress

The Huntress The Huntress by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been reading over the book description just to make sure my review doesn't give spoilers. This is a comprehensive book that covers a lot of historical events that are not well known. The main premise of the book is one I'm familiar with - many Nazi perpretrators were never punished for their crimes. The big fish were tried in Nuremburg shortly after the war. Most were men. What I did not know but the author thoroughly researched, is that there were many who did not flee to Argentina (like Eichman) but somehow finagled a way to enter the United States and begin a new life. Or maybe Canada or England.

The Huntress is based on a real person who brought 6 children into her warm home, fed them a warm meal, treated them kindly, then took them outside and shot them in cold blood. She enjoyed the sport of hunting in the forests around her home. She wasn't hunting animals.

One character in the book is also a new one for me. A female pilot from a Russian regiment of all female pilots. They were treated as inferior by the government and by male pilots so they had to prove what they could do. They were issued old and slow airplanes while their male counterparts had the faster and more nimble machines. Their success and determination was a large reason the Germans retreated west. Adding to this story is the communist political situation which Nina eventually must face.

The other characters are interesting but the book really revolves around these two women plus an American woman who wants to be a professional photographer but has concerns closer to home. She worries about her dad, his store, and her little sister. She has mixed feelings about her stepmother. The development of these three characters is particularly well done. The events highlighted in this book are very well researched.

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Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

A Very Large Expanse of Sea A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A surprising fresh read. Okay, I didn’t enjoy the awkward, angry moments of denial, but I found myself truly engrossed in a book I didn’t expect to find much interest in reading. My preface is that I have read two books in the past year by Muslim women; one was from Sudan and the other from Saudi Arabia. One broke from Islam while the other broke from tradition but remained committed to Islam. Both received death threats that were very serious.

In this book, a 16 year old American girl of Persian descent chooses to wear a hijab because she loves the way it makes her feel, gives her a modicum of control - she gets to choose who sees more than her face and hands and who gets to see her hair. She is Muslim. She is American. People say stupid stuff to her but nobody really sees her. Until someone finally does. He’s authentic, handsome and prepared to face criticism for loving a Muslim girl. A girl who has lived with bigotry and racism and even violence. The real beauty of the novel (a sort of autobiography of the author) comes at the end as she truly recognizes how fickle high school really is. Also how she is also guilty of categorizing people without getting to know them. It is a sweet and tender high school love story wrought with challenges I hadn’t considered. But it made me think.

I belong to a Christian church that is prominent in Utah. It was not difficult to live my life with the standards I chose and wear my conservative clothes. Correction: Conservative but still mostly socially acceptable. On the other hand, what people caught the attention of the nation? Those on the more extreme end of off shoots of my church. We are not the same church yet we began with the same foundation. What if I was judged against the standard of the families on Sister Wives? Or the gingham dress wearing woman with the intricately braided long hair now famous for tax evasion, misusing food stamps, and child brides? There are many individuals in both sects that are very good people yet they are saddled with some extremists.

I am part of the mainstream church but, outside my community my ways would seem weird. I don’t wear a hijab but I do wear other clothing items that provide a cushion for me. I have attended a cousin’s alcoholic infused pool party in another country, garnering the attention of the most beautiful guy I had met that summer. Our story did not end harmoniously. He got drunker, I stayed 100% sober and assumed that he would surmise my adherence to my standards that I wouldn’t slip with my big one. At the end of the evening, the people at the party paired up and prepared to move the party to a quieter venue. I only realized then that he had been grooming me and was looking forward to activities I did not do as an unmarried woman. It was excruciating to spell out, in detail, that I was, in fact, a virgin by choice and that would not change just because he had wasted all those hours under another assumption.

Hijab or not, stupid assumptions have been made and voiced. You don’t dance then? Uh, yes, I do. I’m not a breakdancer but I’m pretty good dancer.

Regardless of my own experiences, I simply had never imagined a hijab wearing Muslim directly after the 9/11 attacks. This story gives a taste of bigotry, ignorance, fear, and the general lack of simply getting to know another human being despite perceived differences. Truth be known, we would find much more in our commonalities than our differences.

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Review: The Mother-in-Law

The Mother-in-Law The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What I really enjoyed about this book was the way the author provided a plausible different POV. Lucy is a daughter-in-law who finds her mother-in-law to be cold and difficult. Diana is the other half of this relationship and, with experience and wisdom, provides a different perspective that is equally compelling. Both narratives make perfect sense and the reader (at least I did) understood both of them perfectly. This, I think was the real objective of the novel. Through the turmoils of life, Diana and Lucy, very different in backgrounds and personalities, find they are not so different in essential ways.

The unraveling of the possible homicide or suicide is interesting and provides a perfect backdrop for a well written novel. The reason the book held my interest was, at times, to find out why or if a crime had been committed, but in reality I was smitten by the evolution of the main narrators. Also fascinated by the stubborn stasis of other characters. Very well written book.

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Review: The Winter Sister

The Winter Sister The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sylvie lives with her regrets that holds her hostage in her own life. She lives a life devoid of color and happiness and punishes herself daily for the part she played in the night her sister, Persephone, didn't come home. Sixteen years pass before her aunt calls her home to care for her mother who is undergoing cancer treatment.

As Sylvie lives with her mother once again, takes her to her appointments, and finds unusual allies, more details fall into place. There were many secrets during her childhood that slowly come to light. The story is well paced and the characters are complex. The heart of this book is figuring out who killed Persephone but, in order to reveal the killer, the motive also has to be established which unfolds throughout the story.

I liked the book a lot. It was a shocking conclusion but it also left me a little unsatisfied without full closure. My preference would have been to have the story continue a year or two after the big reveal. I grew to care about the characters and wanted to know what they did next.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Review: Before She Knew Him

Before She Knew Him Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder . . .

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.

Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?

The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect with this book. It is established very early on that 1) Hen has had psychological issues so may not be a reliable witness and 2) Matthew has something to do with the disappearance/murder of someone. I didn't expect the ending. I also didn't expect the very ending. Both surprised me. In fact, more than a few moments in the book surprised me. I liked it.

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Review: Hunting Annabelle

Hunting Annabelle Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book had a very interesting aspect to it - the narrator is presented as mentally ill. He takes antipsychotic drugs and spent time in a mental institution after committing a murder. Therefore, his narration is not necessarily one we can trust.

The story progresses and the reader becomes more and more uncertain of the facts presented. Ultimately, not all the characters are who we think they are at the outset. This book is dark. Much darker by the end. I thought the book was interesting enough to keep reading but I was unsatisfied by the end.

If you like a dark book, this is for you.

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Review: Watching You

Watching You Watching You by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never know what I’m going to get with this author. Always a well written novel but sometimes too weird or disturbing. This one is just right. We begin with a murder. Mrs. Kavanaugh is dead, stabbed multiple times in her kitchen. Who and why? The author takes the reader back a few weeks and begins the story, dropping in facts from each characters’ life. I honestly didn’t know who or why until the last bit. Very well written.

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Review: The Perfect Liar

The Perfect Liar The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.75 stars.

It is difficult to write a good thriller with a protagonist the reader doesn’t like. The protagonist is not completely unlikable, just lacks a conscience. Very well paced.

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Review: Daughter of Moloka'i

Daughter of Moloka'i Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a wonderful book to follow the first book. It is not necessary to read the first book to follow the second. The first book is about Rachel, a Hawaiian girl sent to the island due to leprosy. Wonderful book with a rich history I knew very little about. Rachel marries and they have a daughter. They name her Ruth. In order to save her from a life of leprosy, they give Ruth to an orphanage where she is adopted and raised by a Japanese family. This is Ruth’s story. Ruth has a strong personality and is well developed. This book gives a good history of being Japanese American in a very difficult time. Difficult to read at times, but historically accurate. Wonderful ending.

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Review: Lifeboat 12

Lifeboat 12 Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a simple read, sparsely worded but weighty. Told from the POV of Ken Sparks, a real 13 year old boy, and using historically correct sources, the author tells the true story of a ship bound for Canada with 90 children escaping the war. A U Boat torpedoes the ship and Ken misses his lifeboat, number 8, and ends up on Lifeboat 12. The story is far too incredible to believe thus the author provides a very long list of sources used. It is an amazing experience that is well corroborated. One I’d never heard.

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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Review: The Line Between

The Line Between The Line Between by Tosca Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How does an author so seamlessly and relevantly write a story about a cult and the apocalypse? Somehow, Tosca Lee did so.

Working on two timelines, the story unfolds. It begins with Wynter being excommunicated from the cult environment she had been part of since the age of 6. Her mother brought her and her older sister to this "haven" to escape her abusive husband. At the age of 23, Wynter finds herself outside the gates and shunned.

The second storyline begins with Wynter, her mother, and sister entering the cult and joining. It continues, alternating between present time as Wynter grows older and ties the stories together very well. While the backstory is building, Wynter finds herself in a world where people are suddenly getting sick, losing their minds, and quickly dying. She joins forces with a stranger, who I would have liked to know more about his story, but it is up to them to solve this mystery. The backstory and the current story catch up to one another and Wynter finds herself in possession of something that could be very helpful.

I couldn't put it down. Really well written and paced.

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Review: Before She Knew Him

Before She Knew Him Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder . . .

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.

Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?

The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect with this book. It is established very early on that 1) Hen has had psychological issues so may not be a reliable witness and 2) Matthew has something to do with the disappearance/murder of someone. I didn't expect the ending. I also didn't expect the very ending. Both surprised me. In fact, more than a few moments in the book surprised me. I liked it.

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Review: Hunting Annabelle

Hunting Annabelle Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This book had a very interesting aspect to it - the narrator is presented as mentally ill. He takes antipsychotic drugs and spent time in a mental institution after committing a murder. Therefore, his narration is not necessarily one we can trust.

The story progresses and the reader becomes more and more uncertain of the facts presented. Ultimately, not all the characters are who we think they are at the outset. This book is dark. Much darker by the end. I thought the book was interesting enough to keep reading but I was unsatisfied by the end.

If you like a dark book, this is for you.

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve wanted to read this for a few years. In fact, I started reading it once and thought I wasn’t interested. It turns out that this is the right time in my life to read this book. Before, when I started it, I wondered what hiking the PCT had to do with the death of Strayed’s mother. What I wouldn’t have truly understood until now is that this is a story of profound grief and loss. A young woman was unmoored and untethered when her mother died of cancer at the age of 21 and her siblings drifted apart. Without her mother to ground her, she buried her grief in rage and slowly began her downward spiral to self destruction. Without the shared grief of siblings and a father, she destroyed her marriage with casual sex, slipped onto the path of alcohol and hard drugs, and nowhere to safely grieve or begin healing.

Her reasoning for hiking the PCT alone were nebulous and poorly planned. She was ill prepared but she knew enough to start. She sold everything and bought only what she wore on her back (what she referred to as “monster”), and off she went on her 100 day excursion through 3 states, hiking through rain, snow, cold, heat, rocks, cliffs, meeting new characters, parting ways, meeting up again, and hiking, and hiking and hiking.

The real heart of the story is Strayed’s leaving all of her vices behind and discovering herself in relation to her grief and to her mom. It is so very raw and honest. I had to put it down a few times to process and cry. There are no empty platitudes. There is just a girl who is hiking, struggling physically, and with every step, going through stages of grief, learning, raging, growing, healing, crying, processing, and everything in between.

The reason I didn’t like the book two years ago when I began it is because it begins with her mother’s cancer diagnosis and the days leading up to her young death. I was already living that. I didn’t need to read about someone else’s experience. Except I was 37 when my 67 year old mother learned she had metastatic cancer. I can’t go back there. Even now. My mind still freezes in shock and helplessness. My mother died last September. She was 81 and I’m still too young to be without my mother. This is why this book worked this time around.

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Friday, August 24, 2018

Review: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Somehow I believed I had an understanding of discrimination. My dad was a freedom rider. He started Head Start in Mississippi and Detroit. He got beat up by the sheriff we saw in Mississippi Burning. He was out on the night that MLK Jr. died and feared for his life. He told us all of these stories and more and taught is about civil rights. And all this happened when I was a little girl so it was a long time ago.

BUZZ!

The events covered in this book did not happen a long time ago. There may be more discrimination in southern states but it’s happening now all the time, all around me, to people I know. For all my talk and even action to champion the underdog, at the end of the day I come home to my middle class home, mortgaged against my husband’s and my underpaid but highly educated jobs, where my kids have plenty of food but “nothing to eat,” and my reflection in the mirror is of a white, middle aged woman.

To Bryan Stevenson - I am in awe of his perseverance and rabid optimism in his cause. He has made a huge dent in a societal problem that MLK Jr. died for. The issues persist in much more sneaky manner which makes this problem harder to fight and so insidious. But there innocent are men and women who are living life because of this man and his vision. I honestly can’t celebrate him enough.

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Review: Another Woman's Husband

Another Woman's Husband Another Woman's Husband by Gill Paul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wondered if this book would be redundant of another book I read a couple of decades ago about the king who abdicated for an American divorcee. In some ways, it was but only to the extent to establish Wallis’ character. What previous accounts left blank that this one covers wonderfully are the supporting characters of Wallis Simpson’s climb into the history books. In fact, the POV is written as a very old friend of Wallis who plays an important part in her story.

Since I read the earlier book, letters have been released by an anonymous person from Wallis to her ex-husband, Ernest Simpson. They are quite telling of the former Mrs. Simpson and her unrealistic understanding and comprehension of how her own actions created her gilded cage. My previous opinion of Wallis remains unchanged, although there is more depth to my understanding of her. There is a little pity but a more comprehensive understanding of the carnage she left in her wake. She was not the only person who made poor choices and suffered the consequences.

The book also peripherally covers Diana as a parallel storyline covers the time period of her untimely death. Like my parents who could recall where they were and what they were doing when JFK was shot, my generation remembers the shock and horror when Diana died. We felt like we knew her even though we didn’t. She bucked the royal norms and we saw her doing what we were doing; being a mother, playing with her sons, and wearing slacks.

Both of these woman changed the monarchy in some way. Wallis brought down a king. Diana divorced a prince and went on to do charitable work while raising her sons. Prince Charles married his divorced mistress. Can he ascend to throne as king?

Excellent research skills were used to portray the characters of this book.

Thank you to Edelweiss for a digital ARC for review.

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Review: Whisper

Whisper Whisper by Lynette Noni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. A really good YA fantasy. I had expectations and I loved every minute of this book. Looking forward to next book!

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Monday, August 20, 2018

Another Woman's Husband: A Novel by Gill Paul

Another Woman's Husband: A NovelAnother Woman's Husband: A Novel by Gill Paul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wondered if this book would be redundant of another book I read a couple of decades ago about the king who abdicated for an American divorcee. In some ways, it was but only to the extent to establish Wallis’ character. What previous accounts left blank that this one covers wonderfully are the supporting characters of Wallis Simpson’s climb into the history books. In fact, the POV is written as a very old friend of Wallis who plays an important part in her story.

Since I read the earlier book, letters have been released by an anonymous person from Wallis to her ex-husband, Ernest Simpson. They are quite telling of the former Mrs. Simpson and her unrealistic understanding and comprehension of how her own actions created her gilded cage. My previous opinion of Wallis remains unchanged, although there is more depth to my understanding of her. There is a little pity but a more comprehensive understanding of the carnage she left in her wake. She was not the only person who made poor choices and suffered the consequences.

The book also peripherally covers Diana as a parallel storyline covers the time period of her untimely death. Like my parents who could recall where they were and what they were doing when JFK was shot, my generation remembers the shock and horror when Diana died. We felt like we knew her even though we didn’t. She bucked the royal norms and we saw her doing what we were doing; being a mother, playing with her sons, and wearing slacks.

Both of these woman changed the monarchy in some way. Wallis brought down a king. Diana divorced a prince and went on to do charitable work while raising her sons. Prince Charles married his divorced mistress. Can he ascend to throne as king?

Excellent research skills were used to portray the characters of this book.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a beautiful and heartbreaking book. Written as a novel but clearly the story was picked from the brain of the man who worked as a tattooist in Auschwitz, the author weaves together a difficult story of human cruelty, survival, and somehow, a beautiful live story.

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Review: The Secret of the Irish Castle

The Secret of the Irish Castle The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Deverill series but it was my first. I didn’t find it necessary to read the previous book to follow the storyline although there is clearly greater depth and history to the characters in the previous books. The story is more of a family saga which is great for those who like those. I found it mildly entertaining but am underwhelmed. Perhaps had I read the previous books I would have been more invested. It was convoluted but shallow. A lot of tawdry affairs that reminded me of bad romance novels. Not for me.

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Review: The Au Pair

The Au Pair The Au Pair by Emma Rous
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very well developed twists and turns in this thrilling family drama. As clues are revealed, the reader follows the reasoning and thought process of one of the protagonists only to be wrong and then deduce another theory. Eventually, enough of the truth is revealed to solve the main mystery but it is definitely a roller coaster. Great thriller.

ARC from publisher

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Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a beautiful and heartbreaking book. Written as a novel but clearly the story was picked from the brain of the man who worked as a tattooist in Auschwitz, the author weaves together a difficult story of human cruelty, survival, and somehow, a beautiful live story.

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Sunday, July 1, 2018

Review: This Heart of Mine

This Heart of Mine This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

Very clever. Written with a lot of heart. No pun intended.

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Review: Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession, and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger

Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession, and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession, and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger by Sooyong Park
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel a little blind sided by this book. I have an interest in tigers so I thought I would read just a bit and see how I liked this guy’s research. turns out that “this guy” immersed himself in the study of this nearly extinct tiger. By the time I was interrupted, I’d become captivated by Bloody Mary and her cubs and was terrorized by her destruction of Park’s bunker. I tried to explain the book to my husband but realized I knew too many details that were important and gave up trying to explain it to him.

With a mere 350 Siberian tigers in the world, Sooyong concentrated his research on one family and her progeny. The reality is that they are highly elusive and it is highly unlikely one will ever actually see the animal. To increase his chances, Park spent the summer studying the land, the trees with food for ungulates, watching for pug marks or tiger trails, measuring the pads and strides, then carefully constructing very small bunkers within the earth then staying very still, very solitary, and very dark and watched with his cameras going.

Tiger activity was few and far between but what he captured and experienced is far more than any other researcher. He found relationships, nurturing, independence, and personalities of the tigers. There is far too much to express about what I loved about this book but the narrative naturally led to poachers. It was heart breaking. The tigers are faced with the natural enemy of the unforgiving landscape but then the encroaching civilization takes up the territory they used to claim. Then poachers illegally hunt the magnificent animal which has brought it nearly to extinction.

I loved the book. I am in awe of the Siberian tiger and also what the author sacrificed to capture so much knowledge and footage to share.

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Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Death of Mrs. Westaway The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Absolutely delightful spine chiller! Clues dropped sparingly with a few red herrings and an excellent resolution for the ending. I felt the chill throughout as Hal, alone and far too young to be alone, was trapped in Brighton until the letter from the solicitor. Her options so grim, her decision to pursue a possible inheritance looked to be the best choice of action.

Chilling is the best word to describe this book; not only spine chilling, but the setting is also chilly. The large house is always cold. The snow is cold. The characters are somewhat cold. Hal, the protagonist, trapped as she may be, finds options, anyway.

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Review: Jar of Hearts

Jar of Hearts Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twisty and unpredictable ending. We may not know the characters as well as I think we do.

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Review: The Ones We Choose

The Ones We Choose The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well written book that questions ethical duty when faced with possibly knowing something about your DNA or your child's DNA that might impact others. Interesting.

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Review: The Mermaid

The Mermaid The Mermaid by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little afraid to read this book simply because I loved "The Greatest Showman" so much. Of course, I read a little more about Barnum and so I wasn't expecting a saint. On the other hand, I didn't want my version of him to be sullied. I have absolutely no doubt that Christina Henry began this book long before "The Greatest Showman." In fact, she admits that she spent a great deal of time researching P.T. Barnum and eventually created a man that fit her purpose which, incidentally, is very near the kind of man my mind created. Human, fallible, complicated, interested in making money, and a very good showman.

"...the trick, really - making sure nobody could prove what Barnum wasn't true."

"A bird in a cage still knows it's in a cage, even if the bars are made of gold."

The author creates a story of the "Fee Jee Mermaid." The book begins by telling the story of a lonely fisherman who catches a mermaid and cuts her loose. The mermaid recognizes the loneliness in the fisherman and chooses to come ashore and be his wife. For the years of the fisherman's life, Amelia, the mermaid, lives as a human woman, Jack's wife, weathering the wagging tongues of where she came from and why she never ages, and also returns to the sea at night to swim and be who she is. But Jack grows old and eventually dies. Amelia continues to be a young woman and she waits for Jack. For decades.

Enter P.T. Barnum, or rather, Levi, his lawyer. Little is known of Levi hence the author takes creative license to create him perfectly for the story. He is sent to offer the alleged mermaid a place in his museum. The story navigates this beautiful, terrifying, and honest creature through the constructs of P.T. Barnum's belief system of acquiring interesting objects of curiosities including animals, creatures, and different human beings. Barnum is not the main character, by any means, yet he makes decisions that drive the story.

The author brings depth to characters both real and fictional. Amelia is an interesting and complex character who sees things honestly and simply without all the political tainting of modern(ish) society. There is a lovely interchange she has with Levi as he tries to explain to her what "savages" are on the Cook Islands. Her reasoning is so innocent and beautiful and his is so entrenched in society. Additionally, and relevant to this point, Amelia has grown close to Charity and Caroline, Barnum's wife and oldest daughter.

"Amelia finally realized it was because he himself did not understand what it meant to be different and to have people expect you to change for their sake. She realized that no man could understand this, really, though they expected their wives to do so every day."

Really wonderful book. Great for a book club.


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Review: Slayer

Slayer Slayer by Kiersten White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nina is the underdog. She's Artemis' twin who is strong and quick. Her father was a Watcher who died in the line of duty to save a Slayer.

The story, as it is now written, begins after a big epic battle occurred and a whole lot of stuff happened. I don't know if this happened in the "Buffy" series or not so I guess I can't be critical that I was confused and felt like I walked into the middle of a movie. Truthfully, White does a good job catching the reader up on the main points of the battle and what happened.

I feel a little disappointed, as I often do with first books in series, however. I don't like all the hanging threads and I don't like where the characters are at the end of this book. I do, however, LOVE the last little twist at the end. That twist will make the remainder of the books in the series much, much more fun.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher via Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Incendiaries

The Incendiaries The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating story/book. On a college campus, Will, with a troubled childhood behind him and secrets of his own, meets Phoebe, a Korean born immigrant, daughter of an estranged Christian Reverend and strong, supportive mother, recently deceased. Will spent his childhood trying to "save" souls and save his mother.

A third character sneaks into the life of Phoebe, feeling out the hole she has from her survivor's guilt, her anger at her father, her aimless life. He fills it with religion which quickly turns dangerously cult.

So many aspects to explore. So many ideas to inspect. Will is the skeptic yet has a huge hole where God used to reside within him. He is such a complex character, as is Phoebe. Most of the book is narrated by Will with only a few snippets from Phoebe and John Leal. But Will provides the most meat with his POV. He wants to please Phoebe yet he wants to be true to himself. He looked to God, loved God, burned of God and then burned out. I got the feeling that Will hasn't stopped yearning for God, he has simply been completely disappointed and can find no reason to believe in God. Which leaves him empty.

Phoebe is empty in another way with the added layer of the estranged father who is a leader in a Christian church. Then enter John Leal, a mystery character. Charismatic and well studied in human behavior, he weaves stories of his time in North Korea as a prisoner being tortured, giving details that seem to change yet those who are devoted to him will do whatever he asks. Sacrifice everything.

Very fascinating book.

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Review: Under a Dark Sky

Under a Dark Sky Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the kind of thriller that kept me guessing until the end. First impression is completely different from how the novel developed. The intriguing part is the way the friends are willing to throw one another under the bus then suddenly be best friends again. The POV is told by Eden, the outsider.

Very difficult to put down.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Review: The Boy at the Door

The Boy at the Door The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a thinker. It didn't grip me but kept me reading as facts became more evident. In the end, the book left me with something to think about. There is a comparison, however loosely connected, one can't help but wonder if different choices could have been made. Could they have changed?

I liked the twist at the end. I think that, in and of itself, provides the most starkest of contrasts.

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Friday, June 8, 2018

Review: The Clockmaker's Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Kate Morton’s writing style. She writes beautifully and paints a picture. She ties stories of different ages together. This one seemed more loosely tied and there were unresolved story lines that had me scratching my head. However, I really do enjoy a little ghost story with great writing.

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Review: The Water Cure

The Water Cure The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don’t even know what to say about this book except I think I might find new nuggets the second time around. The basis is a family living on an island, secluded and parents strict with obedient daughters. They are taught weird, cleansing rituals. Love is about sacrifice and pain.

As I was reading this book, the picture of the Father (King) that kept flashing in my mind was the father of the 13 children in California who, with his vacant eyed and smiling wife, created a skewed reality of torture and extreme abuse. The guy with the really stupid haircut. Mother in this story is someone different in my mind than that guy’s wife. But the cruelty by both couples can be equated, although different.

Most of the story is narrated by Lia, the daughter who is unloved and shunned. The ages of the girls are kept ambiguous until later in the book but the reader understands they are grown. Particularly through Lia, as she is the main narrator, the skewed beliefs are revealed. The undeveloped social skills. Lia is very innocent and very hungry for validation. The three strange men showing up reveal much about what they do and don’t know.

I found myself uncertain if I was reading about a post apocalyptic world or mentally unbalanced parents. Were men more dangerous in the outside world? Was the air more toxic? Through the voice of Grace, I think I found the answers at the end, but the journey, through the POV of these two very different sisters, gave me a lot to think about.

3.5 stars

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Saturday, May 26, 2018

Review: Infidel

Infidel Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a two part book. The first half is the author’s history beginning in her home country of Somalia. She educates the reader on how Somalia became a place of political unrest and eventually civil war particularly between clans Somalia and how the tribes or clans protect one another. It is chronological as Ayaan and her family live hungrily but with the help of the black market. Her father has been imprisoned for opposition of the current president. The life of a Muslim girl in Somalia includes female genital mutilation, a primitive and invasive operation performed without anesthesia or clean instruments. Ayaan barely survives.

The story follows the author to Mecca, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and back to Kenya where she is given to a man to be his wife against her will. By this time she has been fully indoctrinated in Islam.

The second part of the book begins with a stopover in Europe that was supposed to put her in Canada. She runs off to Holland and asks for asylum. It is in Holland that she finds a well run government where the police force are friendly and helpful. It is a welfare state run like a Republic. She is shocked to see that, when she removes her Islamic coverings, men do not suddenly go crazy with lust as she has been taught. There is order, there are laws, and most of the laws make sense. It is here that learns about something called the Holocaust. It is also here that finds friendships with Christians who do not lead her down to Hell. She begins to question her faith and what it is built upon which is a book, a man, and intense fear. She becomes atheist. She is now an Infidel. According to the Quran, she must be put to death.

It is fascinating to read about her indoctrination and her beliefs then the evolution of her beliefs. She is currently a political activist for The rights of Muslim woman. As with the refugee crisis of the past few years, those seeking asylum are often Muslim. The problem with Islam, she states, is that it is way of life that is incompatible with modern life. Muslims do not adapt to their society.

When brave men like Martin Luther or Calvin began questioning the Roman Catholic Church’s interpretation of the Bible, reformations took place and Christian churches evolved with society. Islam in and of itself is radical and needs to go through the same process. However, to make interpretations or to modernize it will put a target on your chest. To question Mohammad and his personal life is to choose death.

It is a very eye opening book.

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Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Review: Brave

Brave Brave by Rose McGowan
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I just can’t finish this book. The author has a story to tell but she lacks perspective and introspection as well as a good editor and writing coach. I really don’t mean to demean her memoir. It is very real and her childhood was nothing short of bizarre. Yet in the same paragraph she would often paint herself as a victim then tell the reader that she was insulated because she was intelligent and pragmatic.

I’m halfway through the book and haven’t seen her courage. I’m sure it comes but the overwhelming message is Rage with a capital R and denial. Her rage is directed at any and all white males. They victimized her, trapped her, took away her voice. The Rage is overstated and globalized. Yet from the snippets I gathered and the way presented her mother, father, and the holes in her grandparents’ stories, I’m leaning toward a more Freudian take on her Rage. It was easy to hate her father. It was easy to hate the men in the cult. It is easy to blame all the men that kept women oppressed and my mind keeps wandering back to her mother. I can’t help but wonder that, if Rose pushed aside the Rage she expresses over the obvious culprits, that she might find the child Rosa who is actually very confused and angry that her mother didn’t save her.

I am not discounting the author’s anger and at whom she is directing it. I am pointing out that she doth protest too much which is a strong indicator that she needs to dig deeper, move the Rage against white, powerful men aside for a moment and see what is behind it. The Rage has served its purpose well in protecting her but there is something else she needs to find; a vulnerable, scared child? I don’t know but until she accepts that piece of her, she will continue to be angry.

** UPDATE **

I did finish the book. My opinion above stands but with a very conflicted addendum. Actually, I’m not conflicted, I’m deeply disturbed that this book went to publication. The Rage the author portrayed in the first half turned to RAGE where she seemed to believe that respect and dignity are not a two way street. The author seemed to have a superiority complex to nearly everybody she crossed paths with. And she covers herself in her role as a victim, glossing over that, in many instances, she has far more power and choice than she believed. Which might also account for her RAGE. She had choices but didn’t like the alternative so she pretended that she was victimized by other people. “They” boxed her in. “They” hurt her. “They” caused her to do this or that.

I’m struggling with which examples to use, there are so many. One is early in the book when she is homeless and hungry which inflicts her with a deep fear of ever being homeless and hungry again, driving her to take work that was beneath her. This is a great argument except that her street days were her choice. Not that she had a living home to return to, but she had options. She just didn’t like them. She ran away from a drug rehab. She chose the street over returning to rehab which she treated like a joke.

The author whines about the hardship of being a bombshell in Hollywood. She’s treated like a sexualized object but she has a brain, she laments. She then shows up for an awards show with her boyfriend, Marilyn Manson, in what she called a “nude dress.” I looked it up. Oh. My. Gosh. Naturally, media were upset. People were offended. She explains in her book that Americans are too Puritanical about bodies to understand the irony. We are not enlightened like she is. 1) It is not socially acceptable in any first world country to walk around naked in public, 2) our roots are Puritanical. Welcome to America! 3) yes, she did just insult the reader. She is victimized by us, Her neighbors and fans, because we didn’t understand her self absorbed ways. I admit that I did not understand her irony, 4) she continues to bash Hollywood for selling sex.

She has a relationship with the singer, Marilyn Manson, who she describes as shy, deep, sensitive, and thoughtful. He is different and respects her for who she really is. In the end, they break up. Much to her disappointment, she hears an interview on the Howard Stern show where her ex boyfriend bashes her. She surmises that Manson ended up being a “typical cisgendered male, that is, harassing the defenseless woman because his man ego is hurt. Waaaaah. Poor wittle baby.” I found that incredibly insensitive and categorically misandrist. Did it occur to her that he lashed out with anger in order to mask his own pain?

Bottom line, I believe MG was raped. I believe she was sexually assaulted. I also believe that she has thinking errors of globalizing and is very self absorbed yet not terribly self aware. Definitely not “other” aware. She was absolutely right to expose the accepted Hollywood norm that is criminal and misogynistic, at best. It is degrading and reflects poorly on society.

That said, being treated poorly does not give one license to disrespect everybody else or subject others to lashing for not being like you. MG is big on encouraging critical and creative thought and being an individual but it is clear from her writing that she only believes this if we are like her. She shames those who lack or have not yet discovered their creative passion. She sneers at those who choose to dress according to our own comforts (jeans, shirt, shoes, underwear). Even if that is our authentic selves. No, really. That is my uniform of choice. Jean shorts in the summer and maybe ditch the shoes.

I found the book had one good, strong message but was riddled with hypocrisy beyond that.

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Saturday, April 28, 2018

Review: The Great Alone

The Great Alone The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found the book very descriptive of primitive Alaska and the dangers and beauties of our most northern state. I also enjoyed the history that was interspersed within the pages. Excellent writing by Kristin Hannah, as usual. Never really grew to love to characters aside from Large Marge. Yet the dynamic of love and violence was very well written.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Then She Was GoneThen She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorites by this author. I’ve read a few books by her and two elements have been consistent for me; she is an excellent writer with perfect timing and character development while using language that fascinates me. The other is that her books make me squirm. I don’t like the squirminess but they are typically innuendo and definitely not completely weird. Just uncomfortable.

This book was excellent. Very well paced and I love her writing. The story is very engaging. A beautiful 15 year old with everything going for her disappears without a trace. Ten years later, with no leads, the family fractured and broken, Laurel, Ellie’s mother, meets enigmatic Floyd, who coincidentally, is single parenting a 9 year old child who bears a striking resemblance to missing Ellie.

What is striking about the story is that the author must untangle for the reader the relationship or non relationship between Floyd and Ellie (that is the mystery, after all), but also concentrated on healing of relationships between Laurel and her ex-husband and children. There are different peripheral stories that don’t seem relevant but, in the end, make the book much more satisfying. Threaded throughout the main story is hints of the way each family member dealt with the grief and loss and Laurel’s judgment of each. Rather psychologically insightful. I think I enjoyed that aspect as much as the main story.

This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review


Saturday, April 14, 2018

Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Death of Mrs. Westaway The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Absolutely delightful spine chiller! Clues dropped sparingly with a few red herrings and an excellent resolution for the ending. I felt the chill throughout as Hal, alone and far too young to be alone, was trapped in Brighton until the letter from the solicitor. Her options so grim, her decision to pursue a possible inheritance looked to be the best choice of action.

Chilling is the best word to describe this book; not only spine chilling, but the setting is also chilly. The large house is always cold. The snow is cold. The characters are somewhat cold. Hal, the protagonist, trapped as she may be, finds options, anyway.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Review: The Broken Girls

The Broken Girls The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty much one of my favorite thrillers I've read in a long time. Combines different elements that I enjoy without being completely off the wall. The stories of today and before are tied together without an obvious bow. The book includes a solid storyline, character development without over or undergoing it, a little bit of supernatural. Really liked it.

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Review: What Should Be Wild

What Should Be Wild What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great concept yet I felt a little unsatisfied. Excellent writing. Perhaps it was a little too abstract for my tastes. I didn’t really feel a strong connection to the characters.

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