9.9.2017 - Friend Request

Great big thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Laura Marshall for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful debut novel!

This psychological thriller is ripped out of today's headlines and is very relatable to most of us. The story is told in two different timeframes - 1989, when Louise is trying desperately to fit into the "it" group of girls at school, letting go of those friends that felt more like a right fit but definitely weren't popular. Maria was the new girl to school, with a questionable past, who felt like a fast friend to Louise but she let herself go down a path led by her popular friends. 2016 - Louise is a single mother to 4-year-old Henry, building her own design company. She has tried to put her past behind her but one day gets a Facebook message from Maria asking to be Facebook friends. But Maria is dead. Or is she?

Buckle up for a wild ride - this was a great book that will keep you guessing. With the subjects of bullying and being bullied so prevalent in the news as well as how our ever-increasing publicizing of our lives on social media can lead to bad consequences, this book wraps all that into a great thriller.

Kudos for a great debut novel - can't wait to read more from her!

9.7.2017 - The Best of Us

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bloomsbury, and Joyce Maynard for the opportunity to read this book.

Giving 5 stars to a book about someone dying from cancer always seems wrong, but this is an amazing book by such a powerful writer. I've always loved Maynard's books and really loved the honesty and clarity with which this book was written.

Joyce and Jim found each other later in their lives, after accumulating all the baggage that we do when we are in our 50s. There's was a true love story - the finding Prince Charming after all the frogs, the happy ever after. Until cancer.

This is a long book - almost 450 pages - but it is so worth the read. Besides Maynard's wonderful writing, this book, although so incredibly sad, is also uplifting and gives us all yet another reminder how we should cherish each other and every moment we are given. I loved Maynard's honesty - writing about how hard it is to be the caretaker and how hard it is to voice those feelings.

Highly recommended - but keep the Kleenex nearby.

9.5. - Sing, Unburied, Sing

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a beautifully written tale of a very sad story of a family in Mississippi - one that is far too prevalent and full of poverty, racism, and drug abuse. It's the story of one family - Mam and Pop are the grandparents, raising JoJo and Kayla, while their drug-addicted mom, Leonie, flits in and out of their life. Pop tries his best to raise JoJo to be a good man, telling him stories of his time in Parchman prison. Mam is dying of cancer and her death permeates sadness through the house. The kids' dad, Michael, is just being released from Parchman, and Leonie, a friend and the kids take a road trip to pick him up. The book is separated into chapters written from the viewpoints of JoJo and Leonie, interwoven with chapters about Richie, a ghost from Pop's time in Parchman.

It's so hard to see how drug abuse or maybe just her nature allows Leonie to be such a horrid, selfish mother to JoJo and Kayla. The ghost appearances, while strange, allow more of the story to be told.

9.3.2017 - Lie to Me

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books, and JT Ellison for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book. I loved this twisty psychological thriller and it should definitely be on your must read list!

Ethan and Sutton are both writers and not-so-happily married. Ethan comes down to breakfast one morning and discovers Sutton gone and a note left which basically said she needed time and not to look for her. Ethan called her friends, her mother, and his lawyer before involving the police. We discover much about their marriage, the death of their child, and the lies between them. Holly Graham is the police detective charged with finding out the truth.

This book is divided into sections - Ethan, Sutton, and Everyone - with an added narrative voice thrown in. The chapters are short with interesting titles. Trust me - you will not be able to stop reading until you are finished with this book. It's just that good. I don't want to give anything else away because you need to take this ride on your own!

9.1.2017 - Something Like Happy

Big thanks to NetGalley, Graydon House and Eva Woods for the opportunity to read and review this book - wonderful!

This is one of those books that will plug into every emotion that you have. It may leave you a bit breathless at the end but it will definitely remind you of how grateful we need to be in the present.

Annie is sad. She hates her job, her London flat, her husband left her for her best friend, her mother has dementia - so she has reason to be sad, right? Along comes Polly - a young woman Annie meets while visiting her mom at the hospital. Polly has cancer and only 3 months to live. She drags Annie along on a mission - 100 days of happy.

This all may sound cliché but it's a wonderful ride along with Annie and Polly and their group of friends and family. In the world of nothing but bad news, this book truly gives you pause and makes you think about how you use each of the moments we are blessed with.

8.27.2017 - Close to Home

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Robert Dugoni for the opportunity to read and review the latest Tracy Crosswhite novel - it was fabulous!

I love reading the next book in a series that I love - it's like sitting down and getting reacquainted with old friends! If you haven't read any of these books, start from the beginning - you will not be disappointed with any of them. In fact, they get even better as you go along!

Tracy's latest case involves a hit-and-run fatality of a young boy. During the investigation, it's discovered that the driver was a serviceman at the Navy base nearby, which means that prosecution gets turned over to the Navy judicial system. Tied into subplots, this book also explores the heroin epidemic that is rampant in this country. This book also introduces us to some new characters that I hope will be in future books.

I don't want to give too much away - this is definitely a book you need to pick up and read for full enjoyment! Lots of great plot twists and continued character exploration.

8.25.2017 - Sourdough

Immense thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Robin Sloan for the opportunity to read his latest work - I loved it!

I was a huge fan of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - I bought it for presents because other people just needed to read it! Then along comes Sourdough - I know that I will be buying this for people also. It's like Sloan knows me - first, a book about books and then a book about baking bread!

Lois is a brilliant young computer coder, wooed to San Francisco from Detroit to work on robotic arms. She finds herself in the company of people just like her, working all the time, even sleeping at work, eating Slurry (a nutritive gel) just for sustenance. When Lois tries a new restaurant, offering spicy soup and sourdough bread, she feels herself becoming a bit more human. When the restaurant owners have to leave, they gift Lois with their magical sourdough starter. Lois feeds it, learns about baking bread and it changes her life.

A magical story (Sloan is the king of putting the touch of magic in his books) that really stresses what it is to be passionate, human, and in touch with all that makes us so, including food and taking the time to make it yourself. In this fast food world, this is a love story to farmers, farm markets, and all of us who love to create food with our own hands. Sourdough bread is the perfect analogy - it's alive, it needs nurturing and love.

I didn't want this book to end - unless it was to hop online and order my King Arthur Sourdough Starter! Very highly recommended!