1.26.2018 - I'll Stay

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Karen Day for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

The book is told from the perspective of Clare Michaels, one of a group of 4 sorority sisters in they early 1980s, including her best friend Lee.  They are on spring break in NC when they decide to make an ill-fated trip to Daytona.  Clare and Lee find themselves in a horrible situation and Lee changes the nature of their friendship.  Clare has always been the one to take care of everyone and when Lee sacrifices herself for Clare's sake, neither can get past it.  The book goes forward in various times in the future where this one episode continues to haunt them all.

This would be a great book club selection because there is a lot going on with these characters.  Relationships between friends and mothers play a key role as does forgiving ourselves and each other.

1.24.2018 - The Night Child

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Anna Quinn for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel.  I read it in one sitting!

This is the story of Nora, a married high school English teacher with a 6-year-old child.  One day at school, she sees an illusion of a young girl.  She begins to think she is crazy and can't share her vision with anyone.  When things get worse for her, she ends up seeing a therapist who helps uncover buried secrets.

This is a powerful book of strength on the other side of trauma.  Well written - the author takes good care of the subject of this book.  Certainly not an easy subject matter but so important and such a wonderful way of unspooling this story. 

1.23.2018 - Walking the Bones

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Randall Silvis for the opportunity to read and review the second Ryan DeMarco mystery - another winner!

I read the first book and while it's not a must read to enjoy, you certainly learn the backstory of DeMarco's grieving and resultant issues due to the death of his best friend.  Ryan DeMarco, a Sergeant with the Pennsylvania State Patrol, is burned out and contemplating retirement.  His first bright spot is his new relationship with fellow trooper, Jayme.  In order to persuade Ryan to stay on the force, Jayme convinces her boss to try and let her get him away and reconsider.  They buy a used RV and head out.

When Jayme's grandmother dies, they make a detour to Kentucky to be with her family.  There, they find themselves drawn into helping to solve a mystery of 7 dead girls found entombed in a church.  The case brings to light Ryan's past and issues about commitment and anger.

I really enjoy these books.  They may be a tad too long and the author tends to sprinkle the book with words that I have to look up, but they are intriguing mysteries along with lots of character introspection.  Can't wait to read the next book in this series!

1.21.2018 - Happiness is a Choice You Make

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Sarah Crichton Books, and John Leland for the opportunity to read and review this book - should be a must read!

John Leland, a journalist for the New York Times, spent a year with a select group of "elders" - those oldest of the old in our society to see what lessons they could impart on the rest of us.  What followed is this book - we get a glimpse at our society, the government and families treat this segment of the population and how we can all do better.

What is most to be gained by reading this book is the lesson that we all need to live like we are dying - since we all are.  Easier said than done but the small lessons in this book - be grateful, look at what you can do and not what you can't, help others and let others help you - can make big impact in our relationships.  Since I have a mother who falls into this demographic, I learned lots of things that I hope will stick and improve my relationship with my mother going forward (although it's great, we're starting to navigate issues foreign to both of us).

Highly recommended!

1.19.2018 - Our Lady of the Prairie

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Thisbe Nissen for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

This is the story of Phillipa - a middle-aged woman who works with her husband in the theater department at the University of Iowa.  They raised a troubled daughter, Ginny, who finally after some electric shock treatments is beginning to move on with her own life.  They have had to deal with a crotchety mother-in-law, whom Phillipa thinks may be a Nazi collaborator.  When Phillipa goes to Ohio for a semester to teach, she falls in love with Lucius.  She goes back to Iowa and basically blows up her life.  How she picks up the pieces of that life and forms it into something new is the premise of this book. 

Set in the time before the 2004 presidential election, there are a lot of strong left-leaning political and religious themes.  But no matter which side of the aisle you vote, this is a book about finally claiming your life the way you want it.

Told with wit, this is a thought-provoking read with great characters.

1.17.2018 - Watch Me

Thanks so much to NetGalley, St Martins Griffin, and Jody Gehrman for the opportunity to read and review this twisty thriller!

This book is all about obsession - both the good and the bad forms.  Kate is a middle-aged college professor, teaching creative writing at a college somewhere in Ohio.  She's divorced, struggling to write something worthy again after her first modest-success novel, and desperate to be seen and loved.  Enter Sam, a student in her class - the most promising student she's taught.  And he is obsessed with her.  She feels alive for the first time under his intense watch and she both cherishes and fears those feelings.

I raced through this book told in alternating chapters between Kate and Sam, letting us glimpse the happenings from both of their points of view as well as getting some background information. 

1.15.2018 - This Love Story will Self-Destruct

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Leslie Cohen for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - loved it!

This is just an easy-to-read, sweet love story.  Boy meets girl, life interferes story.  Told in alternating voices of Eve, a damaged young woman trying to cope with her dad's desertion and her mom's death, and Ben, a logical, engineer type.  They meet at Columbia University and continue to cross paths while each are moving on with their lives and other people.  This story follows each of their paths and their eventual coming together.

I upgraded this to 5 stars because of how much I loved the characters, especially Ben.  Eve was a funny, quirky character even while she was so insecure and untrusting.  Ben is a structural engineer - and I'm married to one so I loved his own quirks and mannerisms, although so different from Eve's.

A great read - highly recommended!.