10.29.2018 - The Coordinates of Loss

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for the opportunity to read her latest work - have the Kleenex ready while you soak up this book.

Rachel and James Croft are living in paradise - a beautiful home in Bermuda that they share with their 7-year-old, Oscar.  Life is perfect.  Until they go out onto their boat and wake up in the morning to find Oscar gone and presumed dead.  Rachel loses herself in grief and can't share it even with James.  Their housekeeper/nanny, Cee Cee, provides healing words and actions as they navigate this road.

A wonderful book and teaches much about the power of grief and how to live through it. 

10.27.2018 - Closer

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and KL Slater for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - another great one!  4.5 stars for this easy to read, hard to put down book.

Emma and Shaun's marriage isn't working out but they are both committed to keeping life stable for their 10-year-old daughter, Maisie.  They develop a plan to keep their lives separate yet live in the same house, developing schedules. split time with Maisie and do household chores.  It's all fine until Shaun falls in love with Joanne, Emma's boss, and mother to 10-year-old, Piper.  Suddenly, Maisie drastically changes and Emma is concerned.  But is Emma paranoid and falling back into issues she had stemming from a work incident years ago? 

The ending will surprise you and won't tie everything up in a neat bow.  Great read!

10.25.2018 - Alaskan Holiday

Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Debbie Macomber for the opportunity to read her latest work.  As with all her books, this is a sweet tale and enjoyable read.

While waiting for her dream job as a chef in Seattle, Josie takes a job cooking at a lodge in a very remote Alaskan town.  She enjoys the town and people more than she thought she would, especially Jack, a sort of father figure who loves Josie's cooking, and Palmer, a quiet swordmaker who falls quickly in love with Josie.  When Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter, she is devastated that she may lose her job opportunity but still conflicted about her feelings for Palmer.

Just a quick, enjoyable read from the master of these type stories - descriptions of the hearty souls who live in remote Alaska are pretty amazing too!

10.24.2018 - The Rain Watcher

 

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Tatiana de Rosnay for the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  Tatiana de Rosnay is a wonderful writer - Sarah's Key is one of my all time favorite books - so I was very excited to read her latest.  4 stars for a good read!

The Malegarde family (father Paul, mother Lauren, son Linden, and daughter Tilia) have made plans to meet in Paris for a celebration of Paul's 70th birthday as well as the parents' anniversary.  Unfortunately, their trip coincides with the Seine River flooding to unprecedented levels.  Each of the family members has a secret that they have held close.  When Paul suffers a stroke and Lauren gets pneumonia, the family is faced with their demons.  Told entirely from photographer Linden's point of view.

The descriptions of the weather, the flooding and the devastation are amazing - you will feel like you are there.  I just never felt quite as connected to the characters as I wanted to. 

10.21.2018 - One Day in December

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown, and Josie Silver for the opportunity to read and review this book - 5 glowing stars, addictive read!

My taste generally runs to the psychological thriller genre so when I started this book, I thought I was in for 400 pages of fluff.  Not that there's anything wrong with fluff - sometimes you need it to clear your mind from all the other dark stuff!  But I couldn't have been more wrong about this book - I loved it.  This is the book that will bring to mind your favorite Christmas movies - the ones that just make you feel good and that you feel vested in.

Laurie had a tough day - her job situation was rather bleak and life after university wasn't turning out quite as planned.  She was on the bus home when she glanced out the window and magic struck.  A man was waiting for a bus, reading a book, and they both shared a glance.  But what a glance - can you fall in love instantly?  As fate would have it, they didn't connect that day and Laurie spent the next year looking for "bus boy" with no success.  Until the party when her best friend in the world introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend, Jack, who of course is "bus boy."  The story of the next ten years is told in the viewpoints of both Jack and Laurie, giving us a back stage look into their lives.

Silver's story grips you and you won't be able to put this book down until you get to the end to see how it all works out.  I loved the characters, the writing, this book!

10.19.2018 - The Library Book

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon Schuster, and Susan Orlean for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book - anyone who grew up in libraries and loves books will treasure this book!

At its base, this book is about the Los Angeles Public Library and the fire that threatened to consume it in 1986 as well as the story of the main suspect in the fire.  But it goes far beyond that - we learn not only the history for the LA Library but of libraries in general, here and around the world.  While we learn about the fire and its devastation on the library itself, we also learn about the people who made the library what it is and those who continue that tradition into the current day.  We learn what libraries mean to nations, communities, the homeless, and how libraries remain relevant in this internet age.

But most of all, this is a love story of books and what they mean to us.  It will bring back childhood memories of being taken to the library and taking your children to the library.  My dad is gone now, but some of my fondest memories where when he would take me to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base library where we would sit for hours reading and researching.  Pre-google days, if I had a question he couldn't answer he would say, "Let's go to the library." 

5 glowing stars to this book - don't miss it!

10.16.2018 - Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners

Many thanks to NetGalley, Park Row and Gretchen Anthony for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it!  4.5 stars for a very entertaining read - hard to believe it is a debut novel!

Every year, Violet starts out her holiday letter with Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners.  And what letters they are!  She's already started writing this year's letter as she is in the process of planning a big retirement party for her husband, Edward.  However, at the party, a secret is announced about Cerise, their daughter, that literally fells Violet.  Violet has always been in control - of her family, her volunteer events at church, even her friends.  She tries desperately to delve into Cerise's secrets and keep that control. 

Meanwhile, Violet's neighbor and her husband, Eldris and Richard, who are parents to Kyle, Cerise's best friend, are having difficulties too.  Richard has lost his corporate job and is now disappearing for stretches without telling Eldris.  And Kyle's charity seems to be getting him in trouble with the Feds.

This is a hilarious book - I laughed at the hilarious antics Violet took with her family.  But it all boils down to the fact that every family is dysfunctional in their own way - you just have to figure it all out with love.  A thoroughly fun read - kudos to all involved in this debut novel!

10.14.2018 - The Craftsman

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Sharon Bolton for the opportunity to read and review this book.  I've never read any of Bolton's books before but this definitely won't be my last.  4.5 creepy stars for this read!

The book opens in 1999, as Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady comes back to town to attend the funeral of a convicted murderer, Larry Glassbrook.  Florence has ties with this man who was a master craftsman at building caskets and coffins and was convicted of burying teenagers alive.

The next part of the book takes us back to the summer of 1969, when Florence lived with the Glassbrook family while she worked as a police constable fresh out of university.  Florence is part of the team investigating the disappearance of the teenagers.  It's a different time, and Florence struggles with the sexism of the department and community and is desperate to fit it and be accepted for her skills as an investigator.

Back in 1999, Florence and her son go back to the Glassbrook home after the funeral and make a startling discovery - one that is a bit too close to home.

This was a perfect Halloween season read because it is full of witches and ghosts - wonderfully creepy and hard to put down!

10.11.2018 - The Warning

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kathryn Croft for the opportunity to read her latest thriller - 5 stars!  I couldn't put it down and had no clue how it was going to all turn out!

Zoe and her husband, Jake, have survived the unthinkable - the loss of their teenage son, Ethan, and his friend, Josh, in a drowning accident.  While their marriage is still a bit shaky and Jake's relationship with their older son, Harley, is not the best, they moved to a new town and are moving forward with their lives.  Until Zoe receives an email stating that her son's death may not have been an accident.  Zoe then becomes obsessed with looking into Ethan's death above what Jake is comfortable with and the police are doing in their investigation.

Enough said - this is a wild ride and I could not put down this book.  It went places I never would have dreamed and you'll never be able to figure out all the twists!  Highly recommended - another winner by Kathryn Croft!

10.8.2018 - Our Little Lies

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Sue Watson for the opportunity to read and review this book - I really enjoyed this one!  I have never read any of Watson's books before, but apparently this is her first venture into the psychological thriller genre and it was quite successful! 

Marianne is living her dream - she had a traumatic childhood and was raised in foster homes but now she is married to a handsome, successful surgeon with 3 children.  Everything seems perfect but of course it's not.  Marianne struggles with some mental health issues and Simon is very controlling.  Simon starts talking about a new surgeon, Caroline, and Marianne can tell that this is someone Simon is involved with.  Or is it all in her imagination? 

There are so many twists and turns in this book that the less said the better.  At first, I was so irritated with Marianne but you learn so much about her as the book goes on.  And the twist at the end took me completely by surprise!

10.7.2018 - The Lies We Told

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and Camilla Way for the opportunity to read and review this thriller - 5 stars for a great read that I couldn't put down!

This book is told mostly from two different voices in two different timelines.  In the past, Beth is a mother struggling to love and connect with her daughter, Hannah.  Hannah expresses no emotion and seems happy when she inflicts hurt or pain on others.  In the present, Clara is happily living with her boyfriend, Luke, when he doesn't come home one night and no one can find him.  Her search leads her to discover more about Luke and his family than she was aware.

Both story lines are compelling and the collision of them will cause you to put life on hold while you navigate all the various twists and turns.  Highly recommended for a great read!

10.5.2018 - In Her Shadow

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Mark Edwards for the opportunity to read and review his latest thriller - does not disappoint!  4.5 stars!

As I started reading this book, I thought how appropriate to read a ghost story as we head into the Halloween season.  Then this book took twists and turns right out of today's headlines to make it even more  relevant.

Jessica and Will are busy raising their two children.  Jessica is still mourning the loss of her older sister, Izzy, five years previously.  Izzy's death was ruled an accident but the sisters' mom was never convinced of that.  Then Olivia, Jessica's 5-year-old daughter, starts channeling Izzy and somehow knows things that only Izzy could know.  Is Izzy working through Olivia somehow to avenge her death?

This one was hard to put down and there are so many twists and turns that will have you questioning everyone.  A great read!

10.3.2018 - Virgil Wander

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Press, and Leif Enger for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.  I love a book filled with quirky characters - add to that a small town charm and beautiful writing and you have this book.  5 stars for a great read!

Virgil owns an old theater in a dying town in Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior, which is where he found himself one night after his car crashed through the guard rails in a snowstorm.  Luckily someone was there to pull him out and he survived, with some reduced memory and language skills.  But he awakens to a slightly different version of himself.  He opens his heart and mind to those who want to help him and who he, in turn, helps.

The best part of this book is the writing and the feeling we get turning back in time to those small towns that have moved past their glory days but for the people who still inhabit them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - bravo!

10.1.2018 - Under My Skin

Many thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books, and Lisa Unger for the opportunity to read this book.  Be forewarned - this is a complicated, twisty tale that will leave you questioning what is reality and what is a dream - and you'll be taking that ride along with the main character, Poppy.  But it's definitely a ride worth taking!

Poppy is grieving the murder of her husband, Jack, whose killer has never been found.  To add to the puzzle, after Jack's funeral, Poppy disappeared for a couple of days resulting in a mental breakdown.  Even with the help of a therapist, she can't recall any events of that time period.  She is medicating with way too many pills and alcohol to try and dull the pain but is experiencing vivid dreams and nightmares, along with hallucinations.  Are they the result of the medications, are they flashbacks or just dreams?  Poppy's best friend, Layla and her husband, Mac, try and help her through this crisis as does her therapist and the detective on Jack's case.  But Poppy can't seem to lay low and puts herself in compromising situations.

Very addictive - had trouble putting this one down!  Another great book by Lisa Unger.