Category: Book Reviews

Hello!

I just finished a really good non-fiction book…

American Fire
by Monica Hesse

On November 12, 2012, in a rural county called Accomack on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, an abandoned house blazed. While no one was hurt, it was a long night for the firefighters — not because that particular fire proved a challenge, but because they were called to put out two more that night. Over the next five months, they’d be called out again and again, sometimes several times a night, often several nights in a row. “The county went about its business,” Hesse writes. “The county burned down.”

The culprit, and the path that led to these crimes, is a story of twenty-first century America. Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse first drove down to the reeling county to cover a hearing for Charlie Smith, a struggling mechanic who upon his capture had promptly pleaded guilty to sixty-seven counts of arson. But as Charlie’s confession unspooled, it got deeper and weirder. He wasn’t lighting fires alone; his crimes were galvanized by a surprising love story. Over a year of investigating, Hesse uncovered the motives of Charlie and his accomplice, girlfriend Tonya Bundick, a woman of steel-like strength and an inscrutable past. Theirs was a love built on impossibly tight budgets and simple pleasures. They were each other’s inspiration and escape…until they weren’t.

As a reader who enjoys fiction over non-fiction, I must admit this NF book ranks as one of my favorite books I have read this year.  It reads like a fiction book, it’s suspenseful, a page turner, focuses on the characters, I mean “real” people, and the effect of the fires that rage every night in their county for six months. The biggest question isn’t Who is doing the fires, but ends up being Why.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Welcome Back!

I just finished the book The Girl Before by JP Delaney.
(don’t confuse with the Iowa author of the book with the same title)

Oh. Boy. I liked this one!

EMMA
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

JANE
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

One “chapter,” anywhere from 2-4 pages, is told by Emma who lived in One Folgate first. She was looking for a new place to live because she was burglarized at her old house, loves the idea of the minimalist house and being controlled. The next chapter (2-4 pages) is told by Jane, who is currently living at One Folgate. With the chapters switching each time, you follow the women’s lives in the same order as they happened to each girl. (Make sense?) I loved how this was written…no trying to remember what happened to whom and when it happened, because it’s answered in the next chapter. I can’t say much more without telling too much. It’s a great mystery and does some twisting, which is always a bonus!

I would give this 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this one!

 

Hello!

I just finished my 20th book of the year, Final Girls by Riley Sager.

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls.

A Final Girl is the last girl left alive in a horror movie. Quincy is a final girl as well as two other gals from different massacres.

This book kept my interest, wanting to know what happened on Quincy’s horrible night at Pine Cottage, where five other friends were killed. The last third of the book starts to twist and turn and I really didn’t see any of it coming…which I loved. But after finishing, I would love to know more of those “back stories” that developed in the last part of the book.  To get to to this part,  there’s a lot of build up and looking back, some of it not necessary.

This is a fun summer read that will keep your interest and twist at the end which is always enjoyable!

I would give this 3.5-4 out of 5 stars.

Hello!

I have finished several books lately and need to share those reviews! The latest book I finished was Find Her by Lisa Gardner. It was the first book I have read by this author and have another book by her in my “to read” pile.

Flora Dane is a victim.
Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.
Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall, covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless.
…Or is she? When Boston Detective D.D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime– a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him– she learns that Flora has taken on three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim, or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a page turner and kept me guessing, but let me warn you, it is very dark. One chapter is from the detectives point of view, the next is present day Flora’s view and the next is told by Flora as she is held captive by her capture. I must share I would give this book 4 stars, except the end got wrapped up pretty quickly and had some typical wrap up events…the cops suddenly hearing a gun shoot and just being in the right place at the right time. So I will give this three stars. Its a fun read and will keep you guessing…almost until the end.

Welcome Back!

This month I also read the book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

From Good Reads:
Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Filled with emotional insight and written with Reid’s signature talent, this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it takes—to face the truth.

I really liked this book! I can’t say for sure what drew me to this book. It’s not the kind of thing I usually pick up, and I haven’t read anything by Reid before. I was hooked in the first three chapters!

It’s perfect, easy beach read material. It’s not particularly deep, it does not take the genre to new levels or make you think about something new, and yet it DID feel different. Evelyn Hugo’s story was so delicious and compelling that it stood out, and kept me turning pages in a desperate need to discover the stories behind her seven husbands, and the answer to the one question everyone wants to know: who was her greatest love?

I give this book 4.5 stars!!

Hello!

I just finished the book Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson.

Amazon: In this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

This book was recommended by a friend. After reading, I told her as I was reading it, I was wondering why in the world would she tell me to read this? It is pretty predictable! Oh. boy. I was wrong! And that is all I can say about this book. After reading, you need to soak it in for a bit to realize how good it actually is.

I would give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Hello, Fellow Readers!

I just finished the book Beartown by Fredrik Backman and it is now one of my top 5 favorite books.

Review: People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground, but down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.

The books starts a little slow,which is needed to introduce and to get to know the characters. Stay with it. The development of the characters is fabulous, the way the books goes back and forth between characters and their feelings is done in a manner that I have never read before.

The book is not a feel good book, it is dark. I got angry at the characters, then I understood them, I teared up and cheered for certain characters. It really is a story about people and how they deal with a situation that they know is wrong, but try to make it right or okay in their mind…

Hello!

Just finished the bok The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian.

“From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room comes a spine-tingling novel of lies, loss, and buried desire the mesmerizing story of a wife and mother who vanishes from her bed late one night. When Annalee Ahlberg goes missing, her children fear the worst. Annalee is a sleepwalker whose affliction manifests in ways both bizarre and devastating. Once, she merely destroyed the hydrangeas in front of her Vermont home. More terrifying was the night her older daughter, Lianna, pulled her back from the precipice of the Gale River bridge. The morning of Annalee’s disappearance, a search party combs the nearby woods. Annalee’s husband, Warren, flies home from a business trip. Lianna is questioned by a young, hazel-eyed detective. And her little sister, Paige, takes to swimming the Gale to look for clues. When the police discover a small swatch of fabric, a nightshirt, ripped and hanging from a tree branch, it seems certain Annalee is dead, but Gavin Rikert, the hazel-eyed detective, continues to call, continues to stop by the Ahlbergs’ Victorian home. As Lianna peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Annalee’s disappearance, she finds herself drawn to Gavin, but she must ask herself: Why does the detective know so much about her mother? Why did Annalee leave her bed only when her father was away? And if she really died while sleepwalking, where was the body? Conjuring the strange and mysterious world of parasomnia, a place somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness, The Sleepwalker is a masterful novel from one of our most treasured storytellers.”

The first 2/3 of this book was a bit slow, but you you start to think everyone could have “done it.” The dad…the neighbor…the detective…just when you think you have it figured out, then Lianna talks to another person and you start all over again.

Some one needs to read this so I can discuss something that bothers me about the conclusion…let me know if you read it so I can ask.

Also, if you mom disappeared, wouldn’t you be a big sloppy, crying mess? I just felt as if this family was pretty laid back about their mom missing and possibly dead. No tears or breakdown. Like as usual. That I found strange.

Overall though, I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 starts. You won’t be disappointed, but might have a few Hmmms at the end.

Hello!

I just finished reading the young adult book Allegedly
by first time author Tiffany Jackson.

From Amazon:

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly.

She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

I enjoyed this book! It was one that I looked forward to reading at night. (That’s how I know I like a book…do I look forward to reading it at night or carry it with me during the day.)

We follow Mary as she slowly confronts her Momma, the girls she lives with in the rehab house, the mother of the baby who dies, Mary’s story of that terrible night finally is revealed. You don’t realize the twists and turns until it all comes to a shocking conclusion at the end.

I wold give this one 3.5 stars out of 5.

PS…this book became even better after I thought about it for a couple days. One of those, that I had to let sink in for a bit.
Wow…was my conclusion.

Hello!

I was getting pretty bummed about my reading lately. Out of the ten books I h ave read this year, only two or three have been ones that I have looked forward to reading in the evening.

So when I read the book, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson, I was so excited! I loved loved loved this book!

From Amazon:
The wealthy enclaves north of San Francisco are not the paradise they appear to be, and nobody knows this better than the students of a local high school. Despite being raised with all the opportunities money can buy, these vulnerable kids are navigating a treacherous adolescence in which every action, every rumor, every feeling, is potentially postable, shareable, viral.

Lindsey Lee Johnson’s kaleidoscopic narrative exposes at every turn the real human beings beneath the high school stereotypes. Abigail Cress is ticking off the boxes toward the Ivy League when she makes the first impulsive decision of her life: entering into an inappropriate relationship with a teacher. Dave Chu, who knows himself at heart to be a typical B student, takes desperate measures to live up to his parents’ crushing expectations. Emma Fleed, a gifted dancer, balances rigorous rehearsals with wild weekends. Damon Flintov returns from a stint at rehab looking to prove that he’s not an irredeemable screwup. And Calista Broderick, once part of the popular crowd, chooses, for reasons of her own, to become a hippie outcast.

Into this complicated web, an idealistic young English teacher arrives from a poorer, scruffier part of California. Molly Nicoll strives to connect with her students—without understanding the middle school tragedy that played out online and has continued to reverberate in different ways for all of them.

This book is a harsh reminder that you really do not know what is going on in other peoples lives, you should follow your gut and do what YOU think is right, not what someone else tells you to do and many more lessons. It shows the nastiness of high school, the unrelenting parents that really aren’t that involved, trying to fit in and brought back memories of my own high school years. I read this one in three days…so good!

I would give this book 5 stars!!