3 and a half stars
The Bird Eater, by Ania Ahlborn
This was quite an interesting read to say the least. If you are looking for creepy, then just like the cover implies, you get creepy.
Positives:
–Easy read. I read this within a 48 hour period, even while juggling a couple of other books. The pages just flew by.
–Vivid. The fact that the pages just flew by is a testament of how well the story was told. It read just as a movie might. I really could visualize the entire story as well as the characters within.
–It sucked me in. Once I started this read, I just didn’t want to put it down. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Negatives:
–It was heavy. I did anticipate that this story would be dark but I didn’t realize how dark. As the book progresses is gets darker and darker.
–It was depressing. It seems that all of the characters never seem to get a break. Even when reading dark novels, I do hope to see someone, even if just one person, conquer evil. Not here. Not by a long shot.
–It left me feeling yucky. Toward the last few pages I just wanted it to end. Not because it wasn’t a good book or that it wasn’t written well, no, because I couldn’t bear anymore negativity. I know that horror is horror, but books such as “It” or any other horror novel, there is a sense of some excitement or fun. No fun here what-so-ever. You have to prepare yourself for this type of read, or at least I do.
So all-in-all, it was a very well written and engaging book. I am a bit torn because I was sucked in but I was left feeling drained…completely drained. If you are looking for a truly dark read then this is the one for you. I liked this book but I don’t think that I was quite prepared by how heavy it was.
The End of Eve, by Ariel Gore
It’s getting to be that time of year when I start searching the web for the best books of 2014. I know that it is a bit early for that, but I just want to make sure that I am not missing any quality reading before the year is up or at least weigh in on all the hype when the time comes.
In my search, I came across this book. I tend to go into reading books blind because I don’t like to read about them before hand. I like the element of surprise, which is why I loathe movie previews. Anyway, I decided to read the synopsis because I wanted to know what was so great about a book with a crow on the front. I was instantly intrigued to find out that it was a memoir of a woman who’s narcissistic mother was dying of cancer.
I don’t know what it is about crazy mother’s such as Joan Crawford (illegidally) was that stirs my interest. Maybe it is because I am baffled that a mother can be so self-absorbed and cruel to the worst degree and I always want the daughter to come back at the end and make her feel so horrible, but I am always disappointed in the end when this doesn’t happen because, duh, the mother is a narcissist.
I liked this book on a number of levels. I could see how the daughter was affected by her mother and just couldn’t get away from her power. I was a bit dissapointed though that she was the only one in her familly who seemed to bare the responsibility of her mother without any anger toward her sister for not being there very often. I wanted to shake up the author a bit and tell her to give in to her emotions because to me she sometimes came across as passive and as a pushover at times. I listened to the audiobook on this one (the author narrated) and to me she just often seemed a bit bored and indifferent.
I did, however, find the author to be quite amusing at other times and I chuckled several times. I could also relate to some of the helplessness that she went through. In the end, I hope that she is finding some peace in her life for once and I wonder if she ever really misses her mother or if she finally feels free.
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The Fracking King, by James Browning (Book Review)
I am honest when I say that I am a bit torn with this book review. I have seen other reviews that weren’t so pleasant and I don’t think that this book was horrible at all…I have read bad books and they didn’t keep my interest in the least, unlike this one.
Basically this book is about a teenager, Winston Crwth (rhymes with truth), who is attending a boarding school on a scholarship provided to him by a gas company that is responsible for local hydraulic fracturing also known as “fracking”. Luckily I knew what fracking was, otherwise, I would think that it could be a bit confusing as it isn’t entirely explained in this book. Maybe that is why I didn’t understand the very low ratings and reviews. I am sure that this book could be a bit confusing without some prior knowledge of fracking and its consequences on someone’s health when the chemicals released from fracking mix in with the local water supply.
In some ways, Winston reminded me a little of Holden Caufield from “The Catcher in the Rye” but I am not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the whole coming-of-age and trying to fit in although he wasn’t cocky like Caufield and definitely wasn’t sure of himself.
This story was great in how it was able to grab my interest and hold it until the end. I will admit that at times during the end I didn’t know really what direction this story was headed toward or the message that it was conveying. Was it about fracking, anti-fracking, or about a kid trying to find his voice? I don’t know and I can see how that can be frustrating for readers. Although in the end I am still not sure where the book was heading or its seemingly arbitrary message (although I am pretty sure it isn’t meant to appear arbitrary), and I didn’t find the other character’s in the book to be very developed, I found it interesting enough to really not care. I felt mainly like I was learning about Winston and following him through his journey of ups and downs.
Winston is consumed with Scrabble and has been playing it since he was about 4-years-old. He sees everything in terms of tiles and scrabble boards. He cannot even read an article without first viewing it as he would a Scrabble board. I found this important in Winston’s development in the story but it did become a bit redundant to me in various parts of the story and this was my personal hangup but it was minor really.
I would recommend this book if only to be curious of various opinions and to help me piece it together, but if you do and don’t know much about fracking, then I would highly recommend polishing up on this term. I actually would recommend getting to understand this term regardless of whether you choose to read this book or not!
To start reading this book today, click on the book cover below:
One Plus One, by Jojo Moyes
I am such a fan of “Me Before You” that I naturally started this book with pretty high expectations. So the question is, ‘Did this book live up to my expectations?’ I have struggled with this question not only while I was reading but for some time after I finished this book.
Up until around the 15% mark of this book, I kind of had trouble following the story. It seemed to jump around to different character’s POV before I could grasp an understanding of what was going on. This became a bit distracting for me. But once I did, I was definitely hooked.
I feel that once I was pulled into the story that the author did a fantastic job of building up the characters and making them come to life. Once I finished the book, I felt a bit nostalgic and disappointed that this quirky family was no longer going to be a part of my life. (One of those silly nuances of being a book nerd!) I honestly felt close to them all. So that answers part of the ‘yes’ in the initial question if this book could live up to the prior one that I read.
I struggled a bit during certain aspects of the story and these moments pulled me out of the story and I found that to be a disappointment at times. For instance, one of the main characters (Jess) teaches her children proper morals and how honesty is important in life, yet she vandalizes another woman’s property (because of a man) out of anger but never seems to apologize to the woman for her actions or the damage that she caused and I didin’t feel that went along with her character that was so well established up until that point in the story. I also couldn’t help but think if this story were true that it isn’t something that people just ignore but there are usually financial consequences and angry people when these instances happen so it drew out of the story a bit.
I also struggled with the ensuing drunken mishap that later took place between the two main characters (Jess and Ed). It just seems to me that if a drunk woman were to do the things that she did to and around a man whom she had only really gotten to know in the span of a couple of days, any man would have bolted straight out of there. So, it was confusing that he calmed her when she acted insane and yet was upset by something that happened later in the book that wasn’t quite as crazy, but more desperate. It just didn’t blend very well for me during this part of the book for me. I also found Ed’s sisters reaction to their breakup to be unbelievable.
Those were my biggest hangups an dthey were minor compared to the rest of the book. There always seemed to be some action going on in the plot which I loved because I not once became bored. I was totally hooked into the story and was always curious of what would happen next and I love books that pull this interest from me.
I have become a true fan on Jojo Moyes and I very much look forward to her next one! I think that this is a fun read and I highly recommend it to those out there who love a quirky love story. This is a perfect summer read.
Click on the book cover below to start reading this book today!
Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger
I don’t like so much when I am in the minority of rating a book, but I suppose that I am this time. Ordinary Grace is a coming of age book about a twelve-year-old boy named Frank who’s curiosity for life and the happenings around him exposes the nastiness in the world to him a little too soon.
Because I just made a big move and have had my head in boxes for the past two weeks, I unfortunately have not been able to enjoy reading a book as I usually do. Due to these circumstances, I bought the audiobook.
I was very pleased with the audiobook and thought that the narrator was amazing. I have been known to stop an audiobook within the first chapter if the narrator didn’t pull me in, but I will say that I was hooked from the first sentence.
Right up until 3/4 of the book, I was going to give this read a definite 4 stars. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t come together for me toward the end. One reason is because when a certain person dies, there are suddenly suspicions from a couple of people in town and this lead me to believe that there was a bit of mystery to the book, but it totally didn’t play out that way. In the end, it is just delivered in a way as in, by the way the killer was… So I didn’t really get any joy out of knowing who it was.
I also didn’t like how the main character set up early in the book what was about to happen, such as when he said the next death was going to be the hardest. I kind of like for things to unfold naturally so that way I can concentrate on the story and not what’s ahead. I know this may seem paradoxical to what I stated about finding out who did it in the previous paragraph, but I mean this in the sense that I don’t like to know of tragedies ahead of time. I like to be surprised.
The third thing that kind of ruined it for me was that I figured out early on who was responsible for what happened to this murdered person before they were killed (I’m trying to say this without having to hide for spoilers). It just seemed so obvious to me for some reason and the tough part for me was that it seemed that there were distractions to try to keep the reader from seeing this but it didn’t work for me.
Because of these three incidents, it just made the last bit of the book just drag for me and it suddenly came across as having a mediocre plot. I just didn’t get a feeling of suspense and found it easy to figure out the behind the scenes. Maybe this is purely by chance for me and I ruined it for myself.
I do, however, want to say that I thought that the writing was great. I liked how the author would set up a scene and I could sense actually being in the scenes myself. He was able to bring things to life by talking about the cracking of a pipe or a heavy rainfall. To say that I struggled the last 1/4 of the book doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it, because I enjoyed the majority of it completely. I guess what my review is stating is why I didn’t give it 4 or 5 stars. It does seem that this book was fantastic to the majority so I definitely think everyone should read it.
Click on the book cover below, if you are interested in reading this book:
The Day She Died, by Catriona McPherson
3.5 Stars
Jessie Constable is in her 30’s, childless, loveless, and has a mother who is completely off her rocker and pretty much evil. Due to experiences in her past she has Pteronophobia, a fear of feathers. Yes, a fear of feathers. She happens to be somewhat minding her own business one afternoon at the grocery store, well no, she went out of her way to spy on a guy that she has crossed paths with a few times here and there. He confesses to her that his wife, Becky, has left him, and once Jessie offers to buy some items for the daughter by his side, he suddenly realizes that his son may be left alone at his house and he urgently needs a ride.
Being the ever desperate helpful person that she is, Jessie piles them in her car and she is really taken for a ride herself. They soon learn that his wife ran her car off of the road in an apparent suicide and she somehow takes over the role of being a care-giver for his children.
Okay, I was torn with this book. There were so many reasons why I enjoyed this read and so many reasons why I thought the main character was a bit naive perhaps, but I did like her. For instance, she just takes off with this guy (Gus King) and his daughter and although he acts bizarre and very rude at times toward her, she puts up with it and starts taking over the role of the children’s mother, yes, the one who just died. His wife just died and he starts coming on to Jessie and I just can’t understand why she didn’t find that odd in the beginning. So many strange and quite suspicious scenarios surround her and yet she convinces herself that it isn’t what it seems and is always making excuses for him. I feel that if you just met someone and don’t know them, these suspensions would be huge red flags and a reason to get out of there, but when she overlooks them or falls for a man who yells at her quite a bit, it comes across as Jessie is desperate and has no self-respect.
Jessie does, however, have a likability to her and therefore I kept reading. The novel is very well-written and contains the level of suspense that keeps you hanging on for more. I feel that this book is very original in every sense of the word and the various subplots weave together effortlessly.
I would recommend this one for those of you who enjoy suspense and a well constructed novel. Although I struggled and shouted at the main character when she would do things to disappoint me, it only made me realize that I was completely invested in her story.
I received this book from Netgalley
Psychos: A White Girl’s Problems Book
I’ve been bombarded lately with books on war and horror novels that are extremely long, therefore it was refreshing to dive into a comedy with just the right amount of pages so as to not overwhelm. Having lived in Los Angeles at one time, I could relate to the truth underneath all the satire and this, at times, created very hearty laughs from me.
Babe Walker is a rich and narcissistic socialite-type who really has nothing better to do with her time but complain about how life is so cruel to her. Just released from Cirque, a rehab facility, she is absolutely sure of one thing and that is living a life of complete Zen (or at least her interpretation of it, which I found rather hilarious).
Babe is aware that she has an alter ego who is completely nuts and goes by the name of Babette. She realizes that when she is in the presence of the love of her life, Robert, Babette always makes an unwelcomed appearance. She believes that she could never have a true relationship with Robert like she so desperately wants because she cannot control the other entity that becomes overcommitted and basically psycho.
Not long after Babe’s return home from her rehab stint, she starts receiving stalker-type messages written in black lipstick on various items. Naturally she is disturbed by this and decides to take a trip to Europe to escape her threatened demise. Unfortunately for Babe, this stalker doesn’t give up so easy and seems to always be lurking around the corner. But who could it be?? Well, of course, you have to read the book to find out.
This is a book that follows another and I am guessing the previous one included her whole rehab fiasco, but all-in-all this was perfectly fine as a stand alone since most of her past that relates to the present time is recapped.
Being satire in nature, of course there were times when I thought, Oh my God, give me a break! and then there were times that I nearly chocked from laughter. There was a balance of both for me so the good and the bad didn’t lean one way more than the other really, well until the end, but I will get to that.
If you are easily offended by vulgar language or sex related issues told in all bluntness then you will have to steer clear of this one. I am not sensitive to either of those things and at times I would even think, Did she really just say that? I wanted to quote a particularly funny piece where she discovers the size of a man’s penis while working up to sex that is less than favorable, but I have an advance, uncorrected proof so I can’t do that yet.
Throughout the book, I seriously kept envisioning the MC as being either Paris Hilton or Cher Holowitz from the movie “Clueless”. I would compare this book’s type of satire to “Clueless” just to give you an idea of what type of characters that you would read about in this book. Actually I feel that the main character has a little Bridgette Jones naivety to her as well (although it would be the X-rated version).
I nearly gave this one a strong 4 stars, merely because it generated so much laughter and shock from me, but there is a part at the end that I was not too keen about. Unfortunately since it is the end and this does have that bit of “who done it” involved, I can’t deluge too much information. But I will say that I don’t like tricky scenarios.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book very much for exactly what it was. The over-the-top situations were a nice change from the serious novels I have been reading lately. If you are in need of a good laugh and are not easily offended then this is a must read for you.
Past the Shallows, by Favel Parrett
As some adults later do, sometimes I wish that my parents would have done something different or I feel deprived in some way. That is, until I read books on children with abusive and bitter parents that could care less if they existed or not. Once I read them, I think, ‘you should be kissing your parents feet’ or ‘why am I such an ungrateful little runt?’
This is the case with Past the Shallows. This story is told by two brothers, Harry and Miles. Harry is the baby of the family and is still innocent and uneffected. Miles is older and a bit weary and is in the process of becoming resentful of the man that they call their father. Unfortunately for these two brothers, their mother is dead and the man who cares for them basically doesn’t want them. There is a third brother, but he doesn’t make enough of an appearance to know much about, just that he left once the abuse toward him had hit its peak.
This book was well-written and dark, dark, dark. I think that the only happy moments in the book are when Harry finds twenty bucks and when he befriends a dog. I think this is an important forewarning before diving into this one. There is true symbolism to be found if you are looking for it. All in all, it’s a great read if you are prepared for it.
Much thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the advanced copy to review
Deadliest of Sins, by Sallie Bissell
Special Prosecuter for NC’s Governor, Mary Crow is basically being used as a pawn to bring in more votes and jobs by investigating a recent hate crime against a gay man and its connection to an anti-gay preacher at a local church in Campbell County, North Carolina.
While uncovering new leads, she discovers that the term “74’ed” is more than it appears and may simply refer to a state highway, where bodies have either turned up dead or disappeared.
Mary is approached by a teenage boy who claims he is being abused by his ex-cop stepdad and he believes that his stepdad is also responsible for his sister’s disappearance. Out of curiosity, Mary begins asking around to see if this story holds any merit. Unfortunately for the boy, his stepdad has everyone on the force believing that the kid is basically off of his rocker and nothing more happens at that point.
It seems that even though Mary has a sneaking suspicion that there is something to the kid’s story, it isn’t until she finds herself in trouble that she takes any kind of action.
When I requested this book, I didn’t realize that it was the sixth book in a series. Did it make a difference? Yes and no. No in the sense that I forgot after I started reading it that it was a series, but when it was over I was left with the feeling that this book barely tapped into the whole anti-gay preacher and the hate crimes in the area. It seemed in the beginning to be an integral piece of the story, but then it lies in waiting in the background while another crime is exposed, but then it basically fades away without any more on the subject. So, I am assuming/hoping that is because I joined in the middle of a series.
As a whole, with the anti-gay preacher put completely to the side, the book was a good read. It had its share of suspense and action. I guess that I was left with a sense of asking the question “why?” a little more than I wanted. Such as why wouldn’t anyone believe the boy as he was clearly being abused?…Why was a prosecuter staying in a cheap motel (there are nice hotels in NC)?…When did Raleigh start having an intolerance of gay people?…How could the character, especially living there, not know ONE gay person in Asheville or how to find one?? Asheville has a HUGE gay community. They even have their own website (gayashevillenc.com). Yes, I know this is fiction, but I live in NC (a very liberal part of the state, yes), but I think a book should be believable as well.
Overall, I found the story to be interesting and would recommend it, but I would advise to perhaps read a book or two in the series first, although it could also be a stand alone if you overlook some areas. I would definitely be interested in reading the next installment as it peaked enough of my interest to see where the next piece is headed.
A huge thanks to Net Galley and the publisher/author for an advanced copy for review!
Strongwood, by Larry Millett
Thank you Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for the advanced copy.
I was torn whether to rate this book with 3 or 4 stars, so I will give it a strong 3.5 rating.
“Strongwood” is strictly based on the true life of Adelaide Strongwood. Addie, as she preferred to be acknowledged as, was a young and highly intelligent woman who stemmed from poverty. Both of her parents were deceased and she was left to fend for herself. After trying unsuccessfully to provide a lucrative life for herself in Chicago, she soon returned to her origins in Minneapolis where trouble awaited her or perhaps the other way around.
She becomes acquainted with Michael Masterson, a local young man whose family is quite prestigious and wealthy. He lives the life of a playboy who is known, by the local brothels, to abuse women during his coital quests. Unfortunately for him, he slaps around the wrong woman and soon finds his fate with two bullets in the heart.
Was he shot in self-defense by Addie, as she confesses,, or was he shot in cold-blood?
I am a fanatic of true crime such as this and nevertheless found the story of Adelaide Strongwood to be quite fascinating. The reason for the fewer stars is because I wasn’t a fan of the layout of the story.
In the beginning, the author states that his original intention was to convey this story in the form of historical fiction but ultimately he believed that the court documents, newspaper articles, and journal entries from the defense attorney were enough to speak for themselves; therefore, he turned the book into a collage of documents in order for it to read as a mystery. I agree that it is true that the documents spoke for themselves, but I prefer something that flows from beginning to end. I found the layout of the book to be too choppy and confusing at times.
There is an introduction of Sherlock Holmes who seems fascinated with the case and does a little investigating in the background, but doesn’t offer up his conclusion until after the case is settled. I found this to be interesting but from the beginning it became confusing what his part was because I didn’t believe that he was introduced in ways that made much sense to me until nearly the end of the book.
I enjoyed learning about Ms. Strongwood, but ultimately would have preferred it to have been written as historical fiction and I more than likely would have rated it much higher. Altogether, I would recommend this book. It is so interesting and the ending was quite exciting to me.
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