Category: Book Reviews

Hello, Fellow Readers!

At this time I have read 20 books. Most people ask me how do I ever have time to read?  Well, I take my book everywhere I go…

At times I will read when….
Jack is at drums (30 minutes!)
I’m waiting to pick up Jack from activities (track, basketball, AI, school…)
Jack is getting ready for school in the morning
odd times during the day
in the car wash
while drying my hair (I have a bookmark that is weighted!!)
in the bathroom (keeping it real)
while eating lunch or breakfast
and many more….

The one time I MUST read is before I go to bed!! I stay up late reading and just one more page…

Here are the books I have read so far this year.
1. The Banker’s Wife (Christima Alger) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
2. An American Marriage (Tayari Jones) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. An Anonymous Girl (Hendricks and Pekkanen) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Verity (Colleen Hoover) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. My Sister the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. No Exit (Taylor Adams) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
7. The Eyeshot (Taylor Adams) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
8. The Silent Patient (Alex Michaelides) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
9. The Lies We Told (Camilla Way) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10. Watching Edie (Camilla Way) B. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
11. Snap (Belinda Bauer) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
12. Vicious (V.E. Schwab) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
13. Elevation (Stephen King) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
14. Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. Daisy Jones and the Six (Jenkins Reid) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️
16. People Who Eat Darkness (Richard Lloyd Parry) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
17. Where Are the Children (Mary Higgins Clark) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
18. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (Michelle McNamara) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
19. A Woman is No Man (Etaf Rum) B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
20.The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B (Teresa Toten) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(The “B” means there is a blog post about this book.)

Hello!

A bonus of Sam’s college visits, is that I get to go to local bookstores! I found this PACKED second hand bookstore right across the street of Northwestern and it was wonderful!! It had the best young adult and fiction section of used books that I have yet to find. Some books were 99 cents, some were 50% off and you paid for your books by the pound. Loved it!! My friend, who is also a avid reader, and I  spent over an hour in wandering bliss.

On the campus, we looked at all the amazing things that have been invented, created and started at Northwestern. But we were SO excited about this find…authors that graduated from Northwestern…
George R. R. Martin…Game of Thrones
Gillian Flynn…Gone Girl
Veronica Roth…Divergent

These are signed first editions of the books!!   LOVELY!!

Northwestern has something for everyone!

 

Welcome Back Fellow Readers!

I just finished the book People Who Eat Darkness
by Richard Lloyd Parry

Lucie Blackman―tall, blond, twenty-one years old―stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, and disappeared forever. Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, covered Lucie’s disappearance and followed the massive search for her, the long investigation, and the even longer trial. Over ten years, he earned the trust of her family and friends, won unique access to the Japanese detectives and Japan’s convoluted legal system, and delved deep into the mind of the man accused of the crime, Joji Obara, described by the judge as “unprecedented and extremely evil.”

I haven’t read a true crime novel since college, but picked this one up at a cute little book store in San Fran after reading a staff member’s review. Not only where the reviews intriguing, but one staff member illustrated his recommendation cards! Creepy cool.

Anyway, I found the book “People Who Eat Darkness” written in such a manner where I wanted to know what happened next and I read almost all the words!! Granted, there are a few pages I skimmed, but overall I wanted to know everything about these people. There are so many different stories: the mom, the dad, the roommate, the brother, the mother’s friend, other victims, the victim…all who have their own story, their own relationship with Lucie  AND their own way of handling grief (right or wrong…but is there a wrong way to handle grief?)

The author does an amazing job of explaining Japan’s hostess bars and the gentlemen that frequent these establishments. (no sex involved in being a hostess.) Parry also shows how Japan has little crime so when faced with a homicide, the detectives and police don’t know how to investigate and may or may not have missed obvious clues. The Japanese police department is inept to say the least. When the trial begins, it last 10 years due to court only convening once a month. (what??) The entire court system is intriguing while frustrating at the same time.

The book reads as fiction and at times I had to remind myself it was a true crime novel…it’s easy to read and understand.  There are times where I thought…that guy HAS to be the guy, nope, this guy has to be the one, nope back to the other guy!! The book is very well written and I would recommend it to those who enjoy crime stories.

I give this 4 out of 5 stars!

PS – don’t let the orange foil cover stop you from reading the book. It only shines bright if caught by the sun or your overhead reading light in the airplane while everyone else has their lights off!

 

 

Welcome Back!

Book stores are one of my favorite place to pass time. I love to go to the Half Prince Book Store where books are more reasonably priced. So imagine my excitement when there is a HUGE book sale…at the State Fairgrounds…in a LARGE fair building…where a hardback book cost four to nine dollars!!!!

That’s where you could have found me on Friday night! I Took Jason with me and lost tack of time for about 2 hours. (Jason was very patient and he found a few good reads, too!)

The books are divided into categories and I see that this category was stocked with a previous best seller.

Did I get any new reads? Silly question!

My entire pile cost me $27!! That’s the cost of one book at some book stores.

While browsing, there was a group of 5 gals that were in the same book club and talking about books they enjoyed. So I stalked listened to them and picked up a few they suggested! 😊

 Hello, Fellow Readers!

While On vacation, I read the book
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.  The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is also the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which is one of my favorite books, so I knew I had to read Daisy Jones. This book has gotten amazing reviews and is also Reese’s Book of the Month pick. I admit, I liked this book, but I didn’t love this book.

The book is told from  the perspective of each person in and involved with the band.  I enjoyed t, it he way it was written, very different and you instantly knew what others where thinking and how they were reacting to the events being discussed. But, I found it somewhat of an even read…nothing twisty and nothing startling. At times I thought it was a typical rock band story…sex, drugs and rock and roll.

The character I really enjoyed wasn’t even part of the band, Camilla. Camilla was the wife of the lead singer, Billy. She is a strong person with a heart and an understanding of the rock band life and accepted her situation/life. At times her life wasn’t easy, but it was her life.

She helped others in the band with their life situations and had the wisest advice. She and Billy have two little girls and Karen, the piano player in the band, shares she has never wanted to have children or a family. Camila tells Karen she wished she would want kids, because they make her so happy and fulfill her life. But, she makes sure to share that Camilla realizes that is what makes her happy and other things, not children, will make Karen happy. I loved that!! So wise and accepting of people and who they are, what they need and what makes them happy.

I would give this book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5, but anxious for another readers input on how they liked the book!

 

Welcome Back, Fellow Readers!

The last book  I read was out of my usual comfort zone for reading. It came highly recommended by a reader I follow on instagram.

Vicious
By V.E.Schwab

From Good Reads:
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

 It starts with a question: Are super heroes made or are they born with their abilities?  Victor and Eli set out to test the theories for their college thesis and in turn, they both become EOs (ExtraOrdinary = Super Heroes.) Each has their own ability, but soon turn on each other and become arch rivals with their own group of EOs supporting then. Which one will be seen as the hero and which one will be seen as the villain. But, is there really a difference.

Would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
My first fantasy genre since Harry Potter!

Hello, Fellow  Bookworms!

Since it’s been so cold out, I have had a lot of time to read.  Unfortunately  other things have been put on the back burner, because the books I have been reading have been SOOOOO good and can’t put them down! I’ve been staying up WAY to late some nights, so Jason has told me no more reading in bed after 10:30…if I read after that, I have to move to the couch so the light doesn’t keep him up. (heehee)

Keep in mind, the books are all physiological thrillers with lots of twists and turns! My favorite!!

No Exit
by Taylor Adams

Darby Thorne is a college student stranded by a blizzard at a highway rest stop in the middle of nowhere. She’s on the way home to see her sick mother. She’ll have to spend the night in the rest stop with four complete strangers. Then she stumbles across a little girl locked inside one of their parked cars.

There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, no way out because of the snow, and she doesn’t know which one of the other travelers is the kidnapper.

This book was intense and never stopped. It had great twists which I always love!! And with the winter weather you can get the feel of what the characters were up against.  ( FYI…a bit gory at time.)

I give this book 4.5 stars!

Eyeshot
by Taylor Adams

James and Elle Eversman are a young couple traveling through the Mojave desert on their way to a new life. When their car mysteriously breaks down they are stranded in the middle of nowhere without much water and no cell-phone reception.

A mile away a deadly sniper has them in his cross-hairs. They are pinned down behind their broken-down car, surrounded by open ground in all directions. There’s nowhere to run and no one to help them. How can they possibly survive?

I liked this book, but I didn’t love this book. Not saying it wasn’t an enjoyable ride, but parts of me where like, How can they be so smart to think to do that…and that…and what about that bullet wound?  I would still recommend it and it’s a quick read, but I think No Exit, which is by the same author is much more intense.

I give this book 3.5 stars.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

Oh Golly!! This is a good one! Can’t say anything more, because I might give something away! At one point I said, out loud, “NO WAY!!” and then got sent to the couch.  Probably one of my top reads this year.

5 out of 5 stars!!!

The Lies We Told by Camilla Way

A daughter
Beth has always known there was something strange about her daughter, Hannah. The lack of emotion, the disturbing behavior, the apparent delight in hurting others…Sometimes Beth is scared of her and what she could be capable of.

A son
Luke comes from the perfect family, with the perfect parents. But one day, he disappears without a trace, and his girlfriend, Clara, is desperate to discover what has happened to him.

A life built on lies
As Clara digs into the past, she realizes that no family is truly perfect, and uncovers a link between Luke’s long-lost sister and a strange girl named Hannah. Now Luke’s life is in danger because of the lies once told and the secrets once kept.

I knew when I started this book that the twists were amazing. I tried to figure it out and thought I had it. Nope. Not even close. This is one that you just need to go with and enjoy the ride. This book made me wonder how an author’s mind work. How do they come up with such a web and explain it all too? Everything is tied up nicely in the end…and maybe a sequal!  Loved this book! Another top thriller of my year.

5 out of 5 stars

Hello, Fellow Readers!

I Just finished the book…An Anonymous Girl
By Hendricks and Pekkanen.

Amazon:
Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. 

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.

But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding.

As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

I liked this book much better then the first book the authors published: The Wife Between Us. I just could not figure this story out, which is a good thing! At first I thought the book was going to bea little task after task that Jessica is asked to do for Dr. Shields to check on her husband. (Boring!) But, soon you realize that Dr. Shields is one if not two steps ahead of Jessica and boy is she good at staying ahead!! You, as the reader, start to wonder who to trust and who not to trust and what is real and what is a set up. It’s a mystery thriller that is well worth the read and will keep you guessing!

Definitely a 4 out of 5 stars!!

Hello, Fellow Readers!

I just finished the book An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

This was actually one of Oprah’s Book Club reads in 2018…I started it three times and just could not get into it. So Friday night I decided to give it one more try and I was HOOKED! Finished it in three days.

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. While visiting Roy’s parents in their small Louisiana town, Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

This book is NOT a who-done-it or a what-really-happened the night of Roy’s arrest. The “court scene” is brief due to it not being the focus of the book. The book is focused on the couple’s relationship and when faced with being 12 years apart…how does a couple to stay together? How do you continue to love each other from afar (500 miles and one in prison)? As a wife are you expected to stay with a husband until “death do us part?” As a husband, should you expect your wife to put things on pause or slow down life while you are away or do you let her go and support/encourage her from behind bars? 

Once Celestial’s and Roy’s relationship is somewhat “decided” (without being said directly but more with actions) Roy surprisingly is released from jail in 5 years. So the questions becomes…now what…

The character development is amazing. You understand the point of view of Celestial and why she is doing what she is doing to keep her life going. You also understand why Roy has hope. Then you get mad at Celestial for her actions and not understanding. Then you get mad at Roy for his actions and not understanding. It’s all the emotions.

It’s not an action book, but definitely a great story.

5 out of 5 stars

 

Hello, Fellow Book Readers!

I haven’t done a review for some time! Imagine that!
The last book I read was the Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist tells the story of Lali Sakolov, who would tattoo new arrivals at the Nazi camp with numbers on their wrist, and his eventual wife Gita Furman, who he met while retracing her numbers when she entered Auschwitz.

I was hesitant to read this book due to the subject matter, but was intrigued by the story being told from the perspective of the tattooist, Lale. It is based on his memories and experiences  of being in the camp 60 years ago.  I must say the book felt as if it skims the surface of the horrible events that constantly occurred in these camps, but maybe due to Lale’s “job”, he wasn’t as aware of the atrocities happening around the camp.

I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

I must share, the epilogue of the book would have made a great book too!