1.31.2016 - The Girl From Home

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader's copy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's classified as a thriller and it does have those twists and turns in it, but to me it was a bit lighter fare, if murder can be considered light?

The book is divided into succinct parts - it begins with Jonathan. A self-made multi-millionaire in the hedge fund world. Has the Bentley, the trophy wife, the penthouse and wants an ocean-front summer home in the Hamptons. In his words...he wants what he wants. Then his world and job come crashing down.

Enter Jackie - the high school homecoming queen that he lusted after in high school when he was a nerd and she dated the quarterback. They meet up at their 25-year class reunion and sparks fly. However, Jackie is married to an abusive, horrid man.

Without giving away any of the fun, these worlds collide and end in murder.

Definitely a fun read and one that I read way too late into the night. I've never read any of this author's works before but am definitely going to go back and see what I've missed!

1.25.2016 - Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Wow - this is one that will be compared to All the Light We Cannot See - takes place in the late 30s, early 40s during the war, this time from London's vantage point

Mary is the daughter of a wealthy, political family who is supposed to do nothing to embarrass the family name. Yet she feels pulled to do the right thing. She signs on with the war effort and is put in a school to teach right before all the children are evacuated from London. She is forced to come back to London instead of staying with her students - most of whom are either black or disabled. She is appalled at the way society treats the black children. Her chapters are contrasted with those of Alistair - the best friend of her boyfriend, Tom, who volunteers to be a soldier.

The writing of this Little Bee author is nothing short of beautiful. You feel, taste, smell all the atrocities of war. But it is a book of such hope in the light of such horror - that people stand up for their beliefs and that hopefully everyone brave is forgiven their missteps

Don't miss this book!

1.27.2016 - No One Knows

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance reader's copy!

I read a lot of psychological thriller fiction - one of my favorite genres. However, when I start carrying my Kindle around, reading obsessively for even a moment that pops up or during commercials while watching a tv program - I've found a winner!

This story revolves around Aubrey and Josh - childhood friends who married. Josh disappears the night of his friend's bachelor party and has finally been declared dead after 5 years. The story is doled out in pieces - we learn of Aubrey and Josh's childhoods - and in different voices and time periods.

Aubrey was accused of murdering Josh, was in a psychiatric facility, and is just getting her life back when strange events start happening. I'm saying nothing more because there are so many twists and turns in this book that you don't want to miss one by a slight spoiler.<br><br>Just clear some room in your schedule and curl up with this one!

"https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8316750-sharon">View all my reviews</a>

1.21.2016

Okay...I've been wanting to do this for awhile...a blog about books!  What could be better?  I meant to start it at the beginning of the year, but you know, life happens (like building a house!).

I do keep track of my books on Goodreads but this is just a bit more...more for me.

Since I'm behind already this year, I'd better catch up with what I have read so far.



1.4.2016
I love these books by JK Rowling - even when they are maybe a tad too long and use words that I had to look up quite frequently! (But love the English vernacular - zebra crossing is my new favorite way to think about crosswalks!)

Another chapter in the Strike/Robin detective world. I really liked learning more about Robin and having her take a central role in this book. Be warned that parts of this book are grisly! And the ending of this one left me in a crisis - I can't wait for the next book in this series to see what happens!

 

I wasn't real sure about this book at first - within the first few pages there is a list of 182 names for the male sex organ! But this was a fun read. The main character of the book is Julius Roebuck - the owner of an out-of-the-box advertising agency. Julius majored in women's studies at college and has very interesting thoughts on the male/female relationship, especially as it applies to advertising. Although Julius might not be an admirable guy with regard to his own relationships, reading ab   1.7.2016 - Netgalley I wasn't real sure about this book at first - within the first few pages there is a list of 182 names for the male sex organ! But this was a fun read. The main character of the book is Julius Roebuck - the owner of an out-of-the-box advertising agency. Julius majored in women's studies at college and has very interesting thoughts on the male/female relationship, especially as it applies to advertising. Although Julius might not be an admirable guy with regard to his own relationships, reading about his exploits is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. The ending of the book was well worth the read! Plus, he did have some interesting ideas and facts about advertising and mainly the battle between the sexes. 1.11.2016 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! I'm so glad I was able to read this - and you shouldn't miss it when it's available! This is the story of Anna - a woman in her thirties diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Her family wants to do what is best for her so they find a residential home that has another young dementia patient. Their story is told alongside the story of Eve, a young mother whose husband was running a Ponzi-type scheme unbeknownst to her. They have a precocious 7 year old named Clementine. Eve becomes the cook/cleaner at the residential facility where Anna lives. This type of story could be depressing - what's more depressing than 2 young people with dementia? But it is anything but. The story is spooled out and told in different voices and different time frames until we finally understand the whole story. But what you are left with is all the positives - making the most of the time we have, how love transcends all, and how even if we forget our own name, as long as someone else remembers it's all worth it. I raced through this book and fell in love with the characters. Anna will stay with me for a long time. 1.18.2016 I couldn't wait to read this book - it was at the top of all the Best of 2015 book lists. The story of a marriage told in two parts - first, from the husband's view (Fates) and then from the wife's (Furies). Great premise. But in reality, or at least my reality, it was a tough read and reminds me why I usually don't always like the highly-acclaimed literary works or movies. A lot of the time, they leave me feeling not smart enough to get what apparently everyone else gets. And I needed help with this book - so many times I wished I was reading it on my Kindle where I could easily look up words and remember characters mentioned earlier. Plus, there were only a small, very small, handful of characters that I didn't dislike. Mostly it was a book filled with those secrets that we keep from each other and even ourselves. It was interesting to see two different sides to the same story. My favorite voice of the book came from a few little asides written from an all-knowing voice (God?). 1.21.2016 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book! This was a fun, quick read. The story involves Lila and her food critic husband, Sam. They recently moved from New Orleans to Philadelphia for Sam's job with the paper. He's really a caricature - totally paranoid that people will find out who he is and blow his anonymity with the restaurant world. Meanwhile, Lila left her high-pressure job as a hotel chain crisis manager to become a stay-home mom to Hazel and newborn Henry and is having trouble adjusting. It's fun to read the adventures that ensue and warning - don't read this book hungry because there's a lot of food descriptions! Hard to know how to rate this short ghost story by Gone Girls author. I love all the twists even in this little story and want more! I want to know what happens! Just a tease and then lots of questions.