tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494779523229738962024-03-14T02:11:44.556-07:00The Book Musejust a sarcastic speed reader who loves books and dogs, reviewing my latest findsoffthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-86258623809028189462020-02-10T21:51:00.003-08:002020-02-10T21:51:47.903-08:00Seasons<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My life has been in a bit of an upheaval for the past few months, so I have not written anything. I have missed blog tour dates and for that I am very sorry. Sometimes the blanket of life just gets far too heavy, and the smallest of tasks seem insurmountable. As a child and young adult, I feared change. Not just feared it - it terrified me to the point of inertia. I wouldn't make even necessary changes that were vital to my happiness. Bad boyfriend, bad job, bad living situation? Better than facing the mountain of doubt and worry ahead of me in order to have something better. Then there are the constant what-if's...what if it's worse? What if I regret the decisions and changes I have made? Conversely, even worse than fear for me is hope. Hope is terrifying, because it can be squashed. Opening yourself up to possibilities and hope also means opening yourself up to possible rejection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After facing so many tumultuous changes that I both could and could not control, I will try my hardest to no longer fear change. Change is what the world is, what keeps us moving. Seasons change, we all grow up and then grow old, fruit turns to rot, love is lost and broken. These changes also mean fresh beginnings, and chance for your life to be clean and new, like your notebook on the first day of class. Instead of fearing change, I will embrace it. I will dig my toes in the sand whenever I can, I will eat any good food that is handed to me, I will open my heart to new beginnings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In that vein, my reading material has been slightly different these past few weeks. I may be feeling a little tender, a little emotionally sunburnt, and a bit weepy. Of course, there's still been my murder books too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMzpQ9-y5chfk5fl5wzLLE8CijPqAlHhxgi3wU314ton-WQJpaTCk1CK5ytL80oNuf80EvwP7HbnS8KRqiAvZE4Ls00dG5E0QqsBBoi5-Ysq6wP0OuIJUqI2sqMRw15X9yJkHrsQzwxRA/s1600/creatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMzpQ9-y5chfk5fl5wzLLE8CijPqAlHhxgi3wU314ton-WQJpaTCk1CK5ytL80oNuf80EvwP7HbnS8KRqiAvZE4Ls00dG5E0QqsBBoi5-Ysq6wP0OuIJUqI2sqMRw15X9yJkHrsQzwxRA/s1600/creatures.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.powells.com/book/creatures-9781616208592/62-0">"Creatures" by Crissy Van Meter</a> - ❤❤❤❤❤</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After reading a <a href="https://www.powells.com/post/original-essays/the-green-flash">beautiful original essay for Powell's</a> by Crissy Van Meter, I immediately added her debut novel, <a href="https://www.powells.com/book/creatures-9781616208592/62-0">Creatures</a>, to my library hold list. I am not even completely finished with this book yet, and I am reviewing it at 5 stars. This is a testament to what a beautiful, heart-wrenching read this is. It's written in a fresh, absorbing style and touches on family, love, and loss. The setting is beautiful, and the facts about marine life that are interspersed throughout the book are thought-provoking and relate directly to the story. I gather from the above-mentioned essay that this book was based, however loosely, on the author's own experiences growing up. That shines through in the authenticity of the story, the likability of even the broken, flawed characters, and the familiarity with the remote lifestyle of an island dweller. I can't even think of a book to compare this to, but I absolutely love it. Read it if you're a person, you'll love it too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcmj9Z1hMUgg8_jXLhvBOQaEmdY3sPGhs_iD-oV2n2EO5p4el3uZ-FpWr2HtN0agmtLkol3ZUDFa1kZ6c9HXcyiIa8OOlWuCkAohswTVLm6r_iZak18pssCFOcvuu-Q84vIRTXycr8IfV/s1600/no+bad+deed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcmj9Z1hMUgg8_jXLhvBOQaEmdY3sPGhs_iD-oV2n2EO5p4el3uZ-FpWr2HtN0agmtLkol3ZUDFa1kZ6c9HXcyiIa8OOlWuCkAohswTVLm6r_iZak18pssCFOcvuu-Q84vIRTXycr8IfV/s1600/no+bad+deed.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.powells.com/book/-9780062978905">"No Bad Deed" by Heather Chavez</a> - ❤❤❤❤❤<br />
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Wow! Two five-star reviews in one entry. I am pretty stingy with my 5's, so this is a rarity. As is finding another debut author<span style="font-family: inherit;"> that absolutely knocked my socks off. However, Heather Chavez has done just that. I am sockless. She wove such an intense, twisty tale that I couldn't put it down. Very evocative of Lisa Gardner and her ilk, this was a "make you hide in the bathroom for one more chapter" book. I wanted to lay down and devour it, but work had to be done. Even so, I flew through it in 2 days (slow for me, but needs must). I never wanted it to end, but I couldn't wait to find out what was really going on. I immediately took to Goodreads and posted the following review:</span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">I received an ARC of this title from William Morrow and Netgalley. My thoughts are my own.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">HOLY COW. My heart is still pounding so hard after finishing this I wonder if I need to wait to write my review. I might need to calm down a little bit. But no - I need to tell everyone right this instant how explosively amazing this book was. First of all, when Lisa Gardner says to read a book, I read that book. No questions asked. I would be very surprised if all your friends aren't talking about this one soon. Easily one of the best books I have read in a long time, this was one of those that has you sneaking off to read just one more chapter. Heck, just one more paragraph.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">A little synopsis...on a dark night, Cassie is driving home and sees a man assaulting a woman. Despite her better judgment, she gets out of the car and intervenes, saving the woman's life but earning a threat from the man that her life is going to fall apart as a result. Shortly after, Cassie's husband Sam disappears, and she wonders if he's having an affair. The reality of the situation is so much deeper and more complex than that, as you'll learn as the story unwinds. There's SO much going on here, and it could have been messy and disjointed in a less skilled writer's hands. Chavez manages to tie every piece together in an engaging, engrossing way that makes it impossible to put down. I was not bored for a second, and this was not a predictable, boilerplate thriller. 5 stars!!!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, in short, PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK!!! You won't be sorry. I feel so honored that I was able to read it pre-release, and even more honored that the author herself responded to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7otLJhpfRm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">bookstagram</a> I posted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Publication date - February 18, 2020. Pre-order now at <a href="https://www.powells.com/book/-9780062978905">Powell's</a>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Some galleys I can't wait to read!</b></span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uLFPcmixxNKp5Vvyv3oxLu2xxME78cHgEx_nzewBguoAJQtG28xEB0bJQAeOXe4cRxouWHIu1lcMdsXHwfOxMLi79mvbQ_YriMxO1dKh5JiU14RobmOKI5P7Va0UUEgjK_RRAcJHqCf9/s1600/little.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uLFPcmixxNKp5Vvyv3oxLu2xxME78cHgEx_nzewBguoAJQtG28xEB0bJQAeOXe4cRxouWHIu1lcMdsXHwfOxMLi79mvbQ_YriMxO1dKh5JiU14RobmOKI5P7Va0UUEgjK_RRAcJHqCf9/s200/little.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiXJn4ULiZ01eEQ7ZLBmef4s2nwJhmuR051zPvagHGPHzJbs__4ukketAQ_VixZ7lNGOIuQtXtCY77mDYe8gctDFyxtxjOG_6fTtcVY25ghtyQANXpbeiEYHRaH9lfXo37sKGzK_ijqhN/s1600/remainsilent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiXJn4ULiZ01eEQ7ZLBmef4s2nwJhmuR051zPvagHGPHzJbs__4ukketAQ_VixZ7lNGOIuQtXtCY77mDYe8gctDFyxtxjOG_6fTtcVY25ghtyQANXpbeiEYHRaH9lfXo37sKGzK_ijqhN/s200/remainsilent.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjYiS1q7YJ2dDb8TArtAnFGqc6t-cQTtQKpuTR-RvCTFJm4nu-nWt8ULWhhnpBjDn445MtYxm8E5kSDwcSWkIPTQZTZUTvUVtnPF_eHIkkksjUwTkODI7_UR2IztqT8WgHwi8LKvHTrNc/s1600/pretty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjYiS1q7YJ2dDb8TArtAnFGqc6t-cQTtQKpuTR-RvCTFJm4nu-nWt8ULWhhnpBjDn445MtYxm8E5kSDwcSWkIPTQZTZUTvUVtnPF_eHIkkksjUwTkODI7_UR2IztqT8WgHwi8LKvHTrNc/s200/pretty.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkcqxTJfgdohefPV839DrDLRj3-rU_J3BEFNR6t2HXc8kkmq-jySY__RO_du-2UqyzU46XecdAAfqxGsVi2ERQDoFr7EZtiYsy8Y8lQAWNtyZq8_M-OFFKH1JL6A4UAN4IVF26zWNanf0/s1600/50151338._SX318_SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkcqxTJfgdohefPV839DrDLRj3-rU_J3BEFNR6t2HXc8kkmq-jySY__RO_du-2UqyzU46XecdAAfqxGsVi2ERQDoFr7EZtiYsy8Y8lQAWNtyZq8_M-OFFKH1JL6A4UAN4IVF26zWNanf0/s200/50151338._SX318_SY475_.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.powells.com/book/-9781250154224">"Little Secrets" by Jennifer Hillier</a> - Release date 4/21/2020</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the author of <i>Jar of Hearts</i>, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four hundred and eighty seconds. That's how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student--Instagram famous--and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him--and that was never part of the plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a <i>face</i>, which means this is a problem Marin can <i>fix</i>. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Remain-Silent-Manon-Bradshaw-Novel-ebook/dp/B07XND4PHS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=remain+silent+susie&qid=1581399490&sr=8-1">"Remain Silent" by Susie Steiner (DS Manon Bradshaw #3)</a> - Release date 6/2/2020</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">An immigrant’s mysterious death sets off a chilling hunt for the truth in this gripping crime novel from the author of <i>Missing, Presumed,</i> featuring a “delightful protagonist who deserves a place alongside other beloved literary detectives” (<i>Kirkus Reviews</i>, starred review).</b><br style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Newly married and navigating life with a preschooler as well as her adopted adolescent son, Manon Bradshaw is happy to be working part-time in the cold cases department of the Cambridgeshire police force, a job that allows her to potter in, coffee in hand, and log on for a spot of Internet shopping—precisely what she had in mind when she thought of work-life balance. But beneath the surface Manon is struggling with the day-to-day realities of what she’d assumed would be domestic bliss: fights about whose turn it is to clean the kitchen, the bewildering fatigue of having a young child while in her forties, and the fact that she is going to couples counseling alone because her husband feels it would just be her complaining.</span><br style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">But when Manon is on a walk with her four-year-old son in a peaceful suburban neighborhood and discovers the body of a Lithuanian immigrant hanging from a tree with a mysterious note attached, she knows her life is about to change. Suddenly, she is back on the job full-force, trying to solve the suicide—or is it a murder—in what may be the most dangerous and demanding case of her life.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.powells.com/book/-9780525479123">"Pretty Things: A Novel" by Janelle Brown</a> - Release date 4/21/2020</span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">Two wildly different women--one a grifter, the other an heiress--are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Watch Me Disappear.</i></b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;"><i></i></b><br style="background-color: white;" /><b style="background-color: white;">"<i>Pretty Things</i> is awesome. Simple as that. I loved every page. Janelle Brown is your new must-read author."--Harlan Coben, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Run Away</i></b><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer--traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable facade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family's sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: a mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa's past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nina's, Vanessa's, and Lachlan's paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This dazzling, twisty, mesmerizing novel showcases acclaimed author Janelle Brown at her best, as two brilliant, damaged women try to survive the greatest game of deceit and destruction they will ever play.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.powells.com/book/-9780062953933">"Something She's Not Telling Us" by Darcey Bell</a> - Release date 4/7/2020</span></b><br />
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<strong style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>A Simple Favor</em> comes an electrifying domestic thriller of how one woman’s life is turned upside down when her brother brings his new girlfriend to visit—and no one is telling the truth about who they really are.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">She’s on the verge of having it all…</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">But one woman stands in her way.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlotte has everything in life that she ever could have hoped for: a doting, artistic husband, a small-but-thriving flower shop, and her sweet, smart five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Her relationship with her mother might be strained, but the distance between them helps. And her younger brother Rocco may have horrible taste in women, but when he introduces his new girlfriend to Charlotte and her family, they are cautiously optimistic that she could be The One. Daisy seems to love Ruth, and she can’t be any worse than the klepto Rocco brought home the last time. At least, that’s what Charlotte keeps telling herself. But as Rocco and Ruth’s relationship becomes more serious, Ruth’s apparent obsession with Daisy grows more obvious. Then Daisy is kidnapped, and Charlotte is convinced there’s only one person who could have taken her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruth has never had much, but now she’s finally on the verge of having everything she’s ever dreamed of. A stable job at a start-up company, a rakish, handsome boyfriend with whom she falls more in love with every day—and a chance at the happy family she’s always wanted, adorable niece included. The only obstacle standing in her way is her boyfriend’s sister Charlotte, whose attitude swerves between politely cold and outright hostile. Rebuffing Ruth’s every attempt to build a friendship with her and Daisy, Charlotte watches over her daughter with a desperate protectiveness that sends chills down Ruth’s spine. Ruth knows that Charlotte has a deeply-buried secret, the only question is: what? A surprise outing with Daisy could be the key to finding out, and Ruth knows she must take the chance while she has it—for everyone’s sake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the two women follow each other down a chilling rabbit hole, unearthing winding paths of deceit, lies, and trauma, a family and a future will be completely—and irrevocably—shattered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From its very first page, <em>Something She’s Not Telling Us </em>takes hold of readers’ imagination in a harrowing, unforgettable thriller that dives deep into the domestic psyche and asks the question:</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is anyone ever really who they say they are…?</span></em></div>
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🖤 Until next time - Lesley xo</div>
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offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-4184250729736280802019-09-12T10:51:00.002-07:002019-09-12T10:51:57.568-07:00Overdrawn<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Overdrawn-Nj-Crosskey/dp/178955022X#customerReviews" target="_blank"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11I0fa1NKYwEDgKICKDeNsXZ1KHdPIhpS_mlvn1m0olqi0hHV1MYmAC-q6K5MWkH0KiZ8HGGtTcR7l9SgPFKg-lunmNYQVSqBhNUhtphf29CCQj6q1A7I-1HK70CKKwI60ssWL4iCT02A/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11I0fa1NKYwEDgKICKDeNsXZ1KHdPIhpS_mlvn1m0olqi0hHV1MYmAC-q6K5MWkH0KiZ8HGGtTcR7l9SgPFKg-lunmNYQVSqBhNUhtphf29CCQj6q1A7I-1HK70CKKwI60ssWL4iCT02A/s320/Cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<b>"Overdrawn: Hard Hitting Portrait of an Ableist Dystopia" by Nj Crosskey</b> - ❤❤❤❤ </div>
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I was very happy to be included in Legend Press's Blog Tour for this book! As someone who is distraught about the seeming future of healthcare in our country, this dystopian novel really hit home. Not only was the writing style beautiful and easy to read, it really made me think. What would happen if our society decided that only the young and able-bodied deserved to live, or have medical care? We do already feel like we are heading towards care being stretched too thin and being unattainable for most.</div>
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As an emotional person who cries easily anyway, this book really touched my heart. Needless to say, I cried a lot. There is something about when a story is woven together to bring unlikely people together - gets to me every time. Very heartwarming despite the sad subject matter, this book was a bittersweet delight to read.</div>
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-59703510805500716602019-08-29T23:38:00.000-07:002019-08-29T23:38:50.919-07:00The good, the bad, and the unreadable<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let me preface this entry by saying that I HATE writing negative reviews. I know what it must take to put your writing out there to be critiqued (I have never had the courage to do so), and I would like to be able to say at least one positive thing about a book. However, sometimes that is just not feasible. Such was the case with a library book I checked out this week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMgt3-cgmMfjI_Mu4JsSO-DLhh2Npy_k5NRlzI-74sQxOy7Akb0lSFzmJhSOtUuyC4ly7wTd0LkVyoxZf_rdqakzYiY3yjnSZu2RCYlH8x-gNSTzzV3Cl9LfalK75Gzj7IrV9SdcB8MWL/s1600/412YPs7-S2L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMgt3-cgmMfjI_Mu4JsSO-DLhh2Npy_k5NRlzI-74sQxOy7Akb0lSFzmJhSOtUuyC4ly7wTd0LkVyoxZf_rdqakzYiY3yjnSZu2RCYlH8x-gNSTzzV3Cl9LfalK75Gzj7IrV9SdcB8MWL/s320/412YPs7-S2L.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cabin-End-World-Novel-ebook/dp/B074DTFY26/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N20K1WJA05S4&keywords=the+cabin+at+the+end+of+the+world+by+paul+tremblay&qid=1554160570&s=gateway&sprefix=the+cabin+at%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1">"The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay</a> - ❤❤<br />
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This book has incredibly high ratings, and often makes appearances on book lists across the web. Since I love horror, I decided to check it out. My local library had it, so that made the choice even easier.<br />
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I really did not like it. At all. It was a struggle to keep reading, and I found it to be sort of half-baked and ludicrous. The plot is that a bunch of strangers take a couple and their child hostage within their cabin, claiming that if they don't choose someone within their party as a sacrifice, the world will end. Pretty unbelievable, if you ask me. At times, it felt like it was trying really hard to be a horror movie script (definitely reminded me of The Strangers). At other times, I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and for there to be some incredible twist that would justify the time and energy spent during the rest of the story. I don't want to spoil anything for you if you haven't read the book, but that never happens. The ending (if you could even call it that) was intensely dissatisfying. </div>
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-8862146999528428942019-05-14T08:43:00.001-07:002019-05-14T08:43:28.350-07:00Sun...or shade?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am so honored to be part of the blog tour for Jason Allen's debut novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/East-End-Novel-Jason-Allen/dp/0778308391/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1557775634&sr=8-1-fkmrnull">The East End</a>! Thank you, Park Row Books, for the ARC! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx8iQZj9mBI38Kb5KjCi8uw_KRd8CZTL23pHZ4GofdwNaJAT5uRln5OjthO9MNMvpR94lC79bwnfEnFAw78xbwdp4R3F0N9dSbO02aqnoBDCblRo7LEXdqsf6cR8iqQJs83vK0p5EEnEM/s1600/Blog+Tour+Banner+-640x247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="649" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx8iQZj9mBI38Kb5KjCi8uw_KRd8CZTL23pHZ4GofdwNaJAT5uRln5OjthO9MNMvpR94lC79bwnfEnFAw78xbwdp4R3F0N9dSbO02aqnoBDCblRo7LEXdqsf6cR8iqQJs83vK0p5EEnEM/s1600/Blog+Tour+Banner+-640x247.jpg" /></a></div>
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Right off the bat, I noticed that Jason Allen has an easy, relaxed writing style that I quite enjoy. The story begins in the Hamptons, right before the tourist season begins. Before any of the rich vacationers come to roost along the beach, townie boy Corey Halpern decides to snoop around and possibly rob a mansion that his mother cleans for a living. What could go wrong, right?</div>
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Unbeknownst to Corey, this family has SECRETS. Big ones. Damaging ones. In a classic "wrong place, wrong time" turn of events, he ends up witnessing something he shouldn't while sneaking around the house. And he isn't alone - the owners' daughter Tiffany and her best friend Angelique had also snuck up there for the evening, unbeknownst to everyone.<br />
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When Corey and Angelique both bear witness to what may have been a murder, it turns everyone's world upside down and sets off a chain of events that weaves everyone together in such an interesting way. It also forces the reader to answer questions about themself - what would you do if you saw a crime being committed? What would you do if you accidentally found yourself at the center of an impossible situation? What if you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? It could change everything for you and the ones you love in a second.<br />
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During the last 25% of the book, my heart was pounding and I couldn't put it down. The suspense is constructed perfectly, and the pace is great. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next! The ending wrapped up in a perfect, stunning conclusion - the culmination of everyone's stories and misunderstandings colliding with each other. Great read, and I am looking forward to more books by Jason Allen!<br />
Buy the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/East-End-Novel-Jason-Allen/dp/0778308391/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1557775634&sr=8-1-fkmrnull">here</a>.
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<b>Intrigued</b>? The publisher has included an excerpt just for you! </div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>After sunset, Corey Halpern sat parked at a dead end in Southampton with his headlights off and the dome light on, killing time before the break-in. As far as he knew, about a quarter mile up the beach the owners of the summerhouse he’d been casing for the past two weeks were busy playing host, buzzed from cocktails and jabbering beside the pool on their oceanfront deck, oblivious that a townie kid was about to invite himself into their mansion while they and their guests partied into the night.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Smoke trailed up from the joint pinched between Corey’s thumb and forefinger as he leaned forward and picked up a wrinkled sheet of paper from the truck floor. He smoothed out his final high school essay, squinting through the smoke-filled haze to read his opening lines:</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>In the Hamptons, we’re invaded every summer. The mansions belong to the invaders, and aren’t actual homes—not as far as the locals are concerned. For one thing, they’re empty most of the year.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The dome light flicked off and he exhaled in semidarkness, thinking about what he’d written. If he didn’t leave this place soon, he might never get out. Now that he’d graduated he could make his escape by taking a stab at college in the fall, but that would mean leaving his mother and brother behind, which for many reasons felt impossible, too abstract, the world outside this cluster of towns on the East End so unimaginably far away….</i></span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-a02d97df-7fff-2606-1f30-806d10423ef4" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>If only he could write as he saw things, maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad, though each time he’d put pen to paper and tried to describe these solo hours at the ocean, or anything else, the words remained trapped behind locked doors deep inside his head. Sitting on his heels, he reached up and pressed the faint bruise below his right eye, recalling the fight last weekend with that kid from North Sea and how each of them had been so quick to throw punches…</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>_________________________________________________________________________</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>A few miles later, with Iggy Pop and The Stooges blaring from his door panel, it made perfect sense to take the night to a whole new level and rob his mother’s bosses before they came out from the city; before Gina came home crying after one of the longer, more grueling workdays; before he joined her for the summer as the Sheffields’ servant boy. Iggy reinforced the necessity of the much higher risk mission—the need to do it now—as he belted out one of his early-seventies punk anthems, the lyrics to “Search and Destroy” entering Corey’s brain and seeping much deeper inside his chest as a truth he’d never been able to articulate for himself. His fingers tapped steadily on the wheel when he turned off Main.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>He drove slowly for another block or two, his pulse beating in his neck as he turned left at the pyramid of cannonballs and the antique cannon on the edge of town. A couple blocks later, he downshifted around the bend, rolled to a stop and parked beside a wooded section of Gin Lane. From there he didn’t hesitate at all. He hustled along the grass bordering the roadside, past hedgerows and closed gates and dark driveways, until the Sheffields’ driveway came into view. A life-size pair of stone lions sat atop wide stone bases and bookended the entrance, two males with full manes and the house number chiseled onto their chests. Corey knew the lions held a double meaning. His mom’s boss put these statues out here partly because they looked imposing, the type of decorations kings used to choose, but also because they stood as symbols of August birthdays, the same astrological sign as Mr. Sheffield’s first name—Leo.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>He stood still for a moment, looking between the bars of the tall iron gates crowned with spikes. Beginning tomorrow morning, and then all throughout Memorial Day weekend— just as he had the past few summers—he’d spend long days working there. Gina would be so pissed if she could see him now. She’d at least threaten to disown him if she ever found out he’d broken in, but that would be a hollow threat anyway, and he’d already convinced himself that she’d never know. The Sheffields should have paid her more to begin with, even if she didn’t have a deadbeat husband like Ray pissing her meager savings away on his court fees and gambling debts. But the memory that sealed Corey’s decision tonight had been replaying in his mind for almost a year—the dinner party last summer, when Sheila Sheffield yelled at his mom right in front of him and about ten guests, berating her for accidentally dropping a crystal chalice that she said cost more than Gina’s yearly salary. While Leo and the grown Sheffield kids looked on dumbly and didn’t bother to make a peep, Corey had followed Gina into the kitchen and stood a few feet away from her, unable to think of what to say to console her while she cried. Ever since then, he’d wanted to get back at them all.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fuck these people</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he thought.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>He would rob them, and smash some windows on his way out so they wouldn’t suspect anyone who worked there. All he had to do was make sure not to leave any evidence behind, definitely no fingerprints, and he’d take the extra precaution of scaling the gates rather than punching in the code.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>He wriggled his fingers into his gloves. Crickets chirped away in the shadows, his only witnesses as he looked over each shoulder and back through the bars. He let out a long breath. Then he gripped the wrought iron and started to climb.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Moonlight splintered between the old oak branches and cut across his body like blades. It took only a few seconds to grapple up the bars, though a bit longer to ease over the spear-like tips while he tried to shut out a nightmare image of one of them skewering his crotch. Relieved when his legs reached the other side unharmed, he shimmied down the bars like a monkey and dropped, suddenly hidden from the outside world by the thick hedge wall. Poised on one knee, he turned to his left and scanned the distant mansion’s dark windows, the eaves and gables. The perfectly manicured lawn stretched for acres in all directions, a few giant oaks with thick limbs and gnarled trunks the only natural features between the faraway pines along the property line and a constellation of sculptures. A scattered squad of bronze chess pieces stood as tall as real-life soldiers, with two much larger pieces towering behind them—a three-ton slab of quartz sitting atop a steel column and a bright yellow Keith Haring dog in mid stomp on its hind legs, each the size of an upended school bus or the wing of a 747, all the sculptures throwing sharp shadows across the lawn when Corey rose to his feet, leapt forward and ran toward the Sheffields’ sprawling vacation home.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>His sneakers crunched along the pebble driveway, his steps way too loud against the quiet until he made it across the deeper bed of beach stones in the wide parking area and passed through an ivy-covered archway, still at top speed while he followed the curved path of slate down a gentle slope, and then pulled up at the corner of the porch. Breathing heavily, he grappled up the post and high-stepped onto the railing, wiping sweat from his forehead when he turned to face Agawam Lake. The moon’s light came ladling down onto the water like milk and trailed into the darkness of the far shore, while in the reeds beside the nearest willow tree a pair of swans sat still as porcelain, sleeping with their bills tucked at their breasts.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>No one will know, he thought. The crickets kept making a soft racket in the shadows. The swans seemed like another good omen. But then a light went on inside one of the mansions directly across the water, and Corey pulled his body up from the railing, thinking he should get inside before someone saw him. He quickly scaled the corner porch beam and trellis while trying to avoid the roses’ thorns, even as they snagged his sleeves and pant legs. Then, like a practiced rock climber, in one fluid motion he hoisted himself from the second-story roof up to the third-floor gable. He crouched there, looking, listening. The house across the water with the light on was too far away to know for sure, but he didn’t see any obvious signs of anyone watching from the picture windows. Probably just some insomniac millionaire sipping whiskey and checking the numbers of a stock exchange on the other side of the world.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Confident that he should press on, Corey half stood from his crouch and took the putty knife from his back pocket to pry open the third-story bathroom window, the one he’d left unlatched the previous day when he’d come there with his mother. The old window sash fought him with a friction of wood on wood, but after straining for a few seconds he managed to shove the bottom section flush with the top, and was struck immediately by the smells of Gina’s recent cleaning— ammonia, lemon and jasmine, the chemical blend of a freshly scoured hospital room. Balanced at the angle of the roof, he stared down at the neighboring properties once more. Still no sounds, no lights, no signs that anyone had called the cops, so he turned and stretched his arms through the window and shimmied down until he felt the toilet lid with both gloved hands and his sneakers left the shingles, all his weight sliding against the sill as he wriggled in.</i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Although he hadn’t been sure whether he’d ever go through with it, he’d plotted this burglary for weeks, the original iteration coming to him during Labor Day weekend last year. The first step had been to ask Gina if he could clean the Sheffield house with her for a few extra bucks before the summer season began. She’d raised an eyebrow but agreed, approving at least of her teenager’s out-of-character desire to work, and throughout the past week, whenever she’d left him to dust and vacuum the third floor, he’d had his chance to run recon and plan the point of entry. He knew she wouldn’t bother to check the latch on a closed window three stories off the ground, not after she’d scrubbed and ironed and Pledged all day. And more important, by then he knew those upper-floor windows had no seal-break sensors. He knew this because a few days earlier he’d left this very same window open before Gina armed the alarm, and afterward nothing happened—no blaring sounds before they pulled away, no call or drive-by from a security officer. So tonight, again, the security company wouldn’t see any flashing red lights on their computer screens. Not yet anyway, not until he smashed a window downstairs and staged a sloppy burglary scene on his way out.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Despite knowing that nobody would be out till Friday, his footsteps were all toe as he crept from the dark bathroom and into the hazy bluish hall, and yet, even with all this effort to tread lightly, the old floorboards still strained and creaked each time his sneakers pressed down. Trailing away from him, a black-and-white series of Ansel Adams photos hung in perfect rows, one on either side of the hall, hundreds of birch trees encased in glass coverings that Corey had just recently Windexed and wiped. Every table surface and light fixture and the entire length of the floor gleamed, immaculate, too clean to imagine the Sheffields had ever even set foot in here, let alone lived here for part of the year. He’d always felt the house had a certain coldness to it, and thought so again now, even though it had to be damn near eighty degrees inside with all the windows closed.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>After slowly stepping down one set of stairs, Corey skulked along the second-floor hall, past the doorway to Mr. and Mrs. Sheffields’ master bedroom and then past Andy’s and Clay’s rooms, deciding to browse Tiffany’s bedroom first, his favorite room in the house. The Sheffields’ only daughter had a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf full of hardcover novels, stage plays and poetry collections, a Super 8 projector, stacked film reels and three antique cameras. He’d spent as much time as possible in this room during his previous workdays, mainly staring at the paintings mounted on three of the walls, and now lingered once more looking at each textured image, surprised all over again that a rich girl had painted these shades of pain, these somber expressions on the faces of dirty figures in shabby clothes, compositions of suffering he’d have expected from a city artist teetering between a rat-hole apartment and a cardboard box in an alley. They all had something, that’s for sure, but one portrait had always spoken to him much more than any of the others. He stood before it and freed it from its hook.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>At the window he noticed the light had gone off at the mansion across the lake and figured the insomniac must have drunk enough for sleep. Although he knew he shouldn’t, he flicked on Tiffany’s bedside table light to get a better look at the girl in the painting, her brown eyes, full lips, caramel skin, her black hair flowing down to divots between her collarbone and chest. He knew Tiffany had painted it, but also that it wasn’t a self-portrait. She looked nothing like the girl she’d painted. Anorexically skinny, Tiffany had dyed-blond hair and usually wore too much makeup. In one photo with her parents and two older brothers, while the rest of the family had dressed in country club attire, she had on a tank top and frayed jean shorts, dark sunglasses, the only one of them with any tattoos, the only one barefoot on the grass.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Corey searched her shelves until he found the photo of Tiffany’s best friend, the girl from the painting, Angelique. He’d seen her at the estate plenty during the previous summers, and last Labor Day weekend they’d talked many times, their conversations lasting longer and seeming to have more depth until finally he summoned the courage to ask her out. Her long pause had made him wish he could disappear, and then those four awful words, I have a boyfriend, had knocked the wind out of him just before he nodded with his eyes to the ground and walked away. Reliving the disappointment, he killed the lamplight and lay on the bed with her photo on his chest, and then, stupidly, closed his eyes…</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "quattrocento sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Excerpted from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "quattrocento sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The East End</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "quattrocento sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> by Jason Allen, Copyright © 2019 by Jason Allen. Published by Park Row Books. </span></div>
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<br />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-20226987534751968162019-04-01T16:15:00.000-07:002019-04-01T16:15:00.675-07:00Snow days<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since the fires in my town last summer didn't seem to be enough, we got a freak snowstorm that knocked my power out for a week, crushed the hood of my car and some of my roof, and blocked me into my driveway with huge fallen trees. It was very cold, but the handy LED camping lanterns I ordered off Amazon (plus utilization of natural light during the day) allowed me to get caught up on some reading. The dreary mood put me in the mind of someone long ago, perhaps before modern conveniences were readily available. My book choices were guided by that, and I had the pleasure of reading two books that were similar in tone and mood, and I loved them both.</div>
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<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345540027">"The Golden Tresses of the Dead" (Flavia de Luce #10) by Alan Bradley</a> - ❤❤❤❤❤<br />
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Flavia de Luce is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I am so grateful to Random House - Ballantine and Delacorte Press for giving me an ARC. I was delighted to return to Bishop's Lacey for Ophelia's wedding. However, there is a damper put on the celebration when a severed finger is found inside the wedding cake during cutting. This sends 12 year old Flavia and her investigative partner, Dogger, on a hunt for who the finger belonged to and why it had landed in the cake. Was it a threat? A clue? This was a very fun read, as are all Flavia de Luce books. As usual, the mystery unravels in a satisfying way, and I consider this series to be a real standout in the cozy mystery genre. They read great as standalones, so don't worry if you haven't read the nine books preceding this.<br />
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<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250311368">"The Vanishing Man" - A Prequel to the Charles Lenox Series (Charles Lenox Mysteries #12) by Charles Finch</a> - ❤❤❤❤<br />
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Oof, I meant to write this review ages ago. However, things got a little nutty with the storm, and I found this in my drafts folder. I loved this book so much it would be remiss of me to not publish this, even if it's a bit archival! Especially since the publisher was nice enough to send me a paper ARC. I love Victorian mysteries, and the mood fit the storm, so I dove right in! I finished it within 2 days, and would have done so sooner, but I could only read by natural light when my power was out, so it cut my viable hours shorter than I would have liked.</div>
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This was my first read in the Charles Lenox series, but as it's a prequel I find that almost appropriate. Now when I start the series from Book 1, I will have a better idea of the characters and what shaped them. Charles has a lovely way with words, and you can almost see and smell your surroundings when you're reading this book. I was walking the cobblestone streets of London at night, I was sleuthing right along with Lenox, and I was laughing at Lancelot's antics. </div>
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I absolutely loved the mood of this book, and the mystery it contained. I hope I am not remiss in saying this, as I would never want to offend either author, but it was very reminiscent of Alan Bradley's books to me (which is why I reviewed them in the same post). I could see Flavia de Luce teaming up effortlessly with Charles Lenox, even if they are from different time periods. It was quaint in the very best way. I will be hungrily reading the rest of the series now, as if I don't have a towering TBR pile!</div>
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<br />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-49629203492744933622019-03-11T14:09:00.002-07:002019-03-11T14:15:51.760-07:00Summertime already?<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-Novel-Kerry-Lonsdale-ebook/dp/B07HNSYCGG/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?crid=1H8JIMF8EOUPQ&keywords=last+summer+kerry+lonsdale&qid=1552338202&s=digital-text&sprefix=last+summer%2Caps%2C212&sr=1-2-fkmrnull">"Last Summer" by Kerry Lonsdale</a> - ❤❤❤❤<br />
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YOU GUYS. One of my
favorite authors, Kerry Lonsdale, was nice enough to let me have an ARC of her
upcoming release, “Last Summer”.
I cannot even tell you how excited this made me, as I have read (and
loved) all of Kerry’s other books. If
you haven’t read them, please go do so immediately. I’ll wait.
And since we are still in the full swing of winter doldrums, this steamy
beach read is a welcome distraction from the temperatures. The fact that a personalized, signed postcard was included really added to my excitement. Kerry is so nice, and that makes me like her books even more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Last Summer is a hard book to categorize. There’s a mystery element, a romance
component, and a whole lot of fun. The
story begins with Ella waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got
there, and her husband Damien refuses to tell her anything about the car
accident that put her there or the events in their life leading up to it. Since Ella writes for a prominent magazine,
she’s assigned an exclusive to cover a reclusive adventurer who previously had
his own wilderness reality shows and is something of a celebrity. According to her boss, she had started the
story the previous summer, but it was pulled at the last minute. Ella has no memory of this, nor any notes or
transcripts from that time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hoping Nathan (the burly outdoors guy) will help her regain
some of her memories, she accepts the story and tries to delve deeper with
him. Since he was unaware of her memory
loss, they have to start at square one.
Nathan has recently lost his wife and young son, one to estrangement and
one to death. He is struggling with his
own issues, but it quickly becomes clear to Ella that something happened
between them the summer before. She follows him to Alaska for answers, for her article, and for closure. However, a lot of what seems to be one way is actually the other. Kerry played a lot with perception in this one, and I really liked that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The fun thing about this book is it has multiple
twists. Just when you think you have
things figured out, you’re thrown for another loop and you’re left grasping for
real answers. Who is telling the
truth? Who is covering up the past for
their own benefit? Who does Ella really
love? How did she find herself in this
situation?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-Novel-Kerry-Lonsdale-ebook/dp/B07HNSYCGG/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?crid=LI9KZWLHDC8J&keywords=last+summer+kerry+lonsdale&qid=1552338418&s=digital-text&sprefix=last+summer%2Caps%2C535&sr=1-2-fkmrnull">Pre-order the book now</a>, and on July 9 you will find out for
yourself! The book will also be free to read on Kindle Unlimited, but believe me when I tell you that Kerry's books are worth paying for and owning.<br />
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Also, be prepared for the very
last sentence to leave you stunned, a little shaken, and incredibly curious as
to whether this will remain a standalone novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-29939749763904865412019-03-06T09:09:00.000-08:002019-03-06T09:29:06.902-08:00Deep waters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe0fmsfA2yJ7Dk0zPx-6mJLXZ58c_ho7vvM94feHB_7hN8xn-6XnbpVPhDKHTV6wH2ZW5Re31Sjr0Xa7DWb244sxfHIImyoN7zb05Maci6i8t0zvlVgxp5uuzNTDyeQUJh4u3Rr0oBIdu/s1600/9781789550122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe0fmsfA2yJ7Dk0zPx-6mJLXZ58c_ho7vvM94feHB_7hN8xn-6XnbpVPhDKHTV6wH2ZW5Re31Sjr0Xa7DWb244sxfHIImyoN7zb05Maci6i8t0zvlVgxp5uuzNTDyeQUJh4u3Rr0oBIdu/s320/9781789550122.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781789550122">Into the River by Mark Brandi</a> - ❤❤❤<br />
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I have read a lot of buzz about Mark Brandi’s debut novel,
Wimmera, but have not had the chance to read it yet. However, being a fan of Australian crime and
drama writers such as Liane Moriarty and Jane Harper, I was excited when Legend
Press offered me the chance to read Mark Brandi’s upcoming crime fiction, Into
the River. I don’t often read synopses of books, and therefore did not read
this one before diving in. After I was
finished, I went back online and found some, because I was so shaken by the
subject matter and found it wasn’t really touched upon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ben and Fab are just typical young boys, fishing and
pilfering beers and talking about girls.
Something as simple and everyday as a silky stocking can arouse Ben to
the point of public embarrassment, so it’s immediately clear that this story is
as much about coming to age as it is about the mystery. The book opens on one of the neighborhood
girls hanging herself from her family’s clothesline, so I was instantly drawn
into that mystery. The family soon moved
away, and a new tenant named Ronnie took their place. As soon as Ronnie appeared on the scene, my
skin was tingling with a sick warning sensation. The way Brandi writes is so languorous and
immersive that it drew me in immediately (even though I have to admit that, as
an American, I had to look up quite a few slang terms and words I hadn’t
encountered before). The story builds
slowly, but pleasurably slow, taking us on a journey of friendship and boyhood
into the future, when they’re grown and a body is found in the river and the real mystery begins. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The writing was so much more focused on the characters than
the mystery itself, and I enjoyed how Brandi took seemingly minute details
about a person and spun them into a complete picture, almost so you felt as if
you knew the characters yourself. At
times, I was so scared I felt my heart pounding. He masterfully built the uneasy feeling and
fear of what might be happening, or about to happen, to the point where I was at
the edge of my seat as a reader. <o:p></o:p><br />
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It’s hard to say you “enjoy” a book about tough subject
matters, but I did thoroughly enjoy the writing style. And, as with T. Greenwood’s Rust &
Stardust, the feelings it evoked were well worth the discomfort. Maybe the discomfort even adds to the
all-consuming experience of getting lost in a book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you again, <a href="http://www.legendtimesgroup.co.uk/legend-press">Legend Press</a> and <a href="http://www.legendtimesgroup.co.uk/legend-press/books/1963-into-the-river-">Mark Brandi</a>, for allowing
me to read #IntoTheRiver before release. Please
visit the other great bloggers who participated in this blog tour!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-19787164796705859222019-02-14T13:28:00.000-08:002019-02-14T13:28:15.783-08:00Seasonal slump<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know if it speaks to my mood lately, or the gloomy winter weather (which I love), but I have been reading more heartfelt and sad novels lately. Of course, murder mysteries are always interspersed, as I generally read at least 3 books simultaneously. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Camille Pagan's "I'm Fine and Neither Are You" from <a href="https://tallpoppies.org/" target="_blank">Tall Poppy Writers</a> (if you don't know them, you should!) and it was a beautiful read. If you've never read anything by Camille, you definitely should. She has a special way of weaving a heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking, tale even with the grimmest of subject material. Her books touch on real life, and loss, and the issues most of us face even when we live a semi-privileged existence.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781542042550" target="_blank">"I'm Fine and Neither Are You" by Camille Pagan</a> - ♥♥♥♥</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
Penelope is a relatable character, even when you're not a mom. She's doing her absolute best to juggle all the pieces of her life, and she feels like she's doing it alone and that she's never doing a good enough job. In contrast, her best friend Jenny seems to be doing everything right. Jenny is a massive success, her online lifestyle blog making her appear as though she has the perfect life and family. When Jenny is unexpectedly found dead, secrets about her life and her demise start to rise to the surface, just as Penelope and her husband Sanjay have agreed to attempt to fix their marriage by committing to extreme, complete honesty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading Camille's books is always an emotional experience, but this one will likely hit home for a lot of people as it touches on a very prevalent issue, opioid addiction and abuse. She writes about the sensitive topic with such a gentle tone, it helps to show the unseen side of this epidemic. That it's not just junkies or "lowlifes" that struggle with this, that sometimes it's the woman who seems to have it all together on the outside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I found myself rooting for Penelope's marriage all while asking myself - could I personally handle complete and utter honesty in a relationship? Especially if my best friend had just died? Reading this was a thoughtful, introspective journey that stuck with me long after the last chapter (which required tissues for me). I reached out to Camille to let her know how much the book meant to me, and she responded with the same kindness and thoughtfulness that shines through in her novels. I highly recommend this one!</span><br />
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<b>Publication date - April 1, 2019. Pre-order now at <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781542042550" target="_blank">Indiebound</a>.</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Some galleys I am super excited to read!</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxghLeHnpN3qJRyfDJCUhiHBe5BWbzOhf6G_sm4CXEetlBbZbz_Cv23TnyKTccKid-Xc8txlN7mgGUl1d-FYYJuM0ATp_G-DeOHnrbaSgRkbgNn3WlaPzxDO0kDMKeHy0G_KrFdaKQgiG/s1600/fragments+cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxghLeHnpN3qJRyfDJCUhiHBe5BWbzOhf6G_sm4CXEetlBbZbz_Cv23TnyKTccKid-Xc8txlN7mgGUl1d-FYYJuM0ATp_G-DeOHnrbaSgRkbgNn3WlaPzxDO0kDMKeHy0G_KrFdaKQgiG/s200/fragments+cover.png" width="130" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HXBO19XqS0vcp93n0eTSoOK3YHcVgBRUpRkXKvJn_mlr0Fj75zdbxXc37_sJEqAlxx2zhNszGsqO58Bqu-Bo6dRrzcKNhnh__X_Zxaig0tfO_EvrBEo4QMRGDNYcSVyMKnArZq-hjpjC/s1600/cover158898-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HXBO19XqS0vcp93n0eTSoOK3YHcVgBRUpRkXKvJn_mlr0Fj75zdbxXc37_sJEqAlxx2zhNszGsqO58Bqu-Bo6dRrzcKNhnh__X_Zxaig0tfO_EvrBEo4QMRGDNYcSVyMKnArZq-hjpjC/s200/cover158898-medium.png" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmcGGYp310SqYRBq5vaqb5jLTKeLYRb-cHlH08AS-lJ8WCsaWO3Fs2AJocEPA1fynEdZBi68cy33SFDrwLa1K5EyGi16suA3M9QH5rMgcU5_pd-b8ugWIqvqU2eDDHcBATf1VMoD2wMNM/s1600/war.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmcGGYp310SqYRBq5vaqb5jLTKeLYRb-cHlH08AS-lJ8WCsaWO3Fs2AJocEPA1fynEdZBi68cy33SFDrwLa1K5EyGi16suA3M9QH5rMgcU5_pd-b8ugWIqvqU2eDDHcBATf1VMoD2wMNM/s200/war.png" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJAvtvFI4JXjSwJy5YsidUKm-uszVewie1oRjuBceJVznWD5VJnQaCBV4rS3vqMh1NcppXHndBdynqDHxytEv0LFdpKyxjBjGACc6BFxRGVokTMU-NisBITawjmo9hbwxnBR0gVt_Y9yb/s1600/cover154500-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJAvtvFI4JXjSwJy5YsidUKm-uszVewie1oRjuBceJVznWD5VJnQaCBV4rS3vqMh1NcppXHndBdynqDHxytEv0LFdpKyxjBjGACc6BFxRGVokTMU-NisBITawjmo9hbwxnBR0gVt_Y9yb/s200/cover154500-medium.png" width="131" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781542040457" target="_blank"><b>"Tell No One" by Barbara Taylor Sissel</b></a> - Release date 3/14/19</span></div>
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Their desperate secret. Her desperate search. A shattering truth exposed.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Caroline Corbett wants nothing to do with her father, Hoff, a man who abandoned her as a young girl and then vanished from her life almost thirty years ago. But when her beloved aunt expresses a dying wish to see him once more, Caroline, despite her failing marriage and other personal troubles, drops everything to look for him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Harris Fenton found the father figure he'd dreamed of when he turned eight and his mother married Hoff--but his disappearance four years later left Harris with scars he carries even now that he is a father himself. While he has a beautiful family and a great job, he's hiding a shameful secret and a nightmare from his childhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Caroline's search for Hoff soon uncovers a host of disturbing clues and draws a threat of violence. Her mind churns with memories of her troubled history, while Harris is losing the battle against his own demons. But for both of them, dredging up the past will be dangerous, and confronting the truth could prove life shattering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780451492159" target="_blank">"The Last Year of the War" by Susan Meissner</a> </b>- Release date 3/19/19</span></div>
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the acclaimed author of <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Secrets of a Charmed Life</i> and <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">As Bright as Heaven</i> comes a novel about a German American teenager whose life changes forever when her immigrant family is sent to an internment camp during World War II.</span></b></div>
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Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.</div>
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The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences.</div>
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But when the Sontag family is exchanged for American prisoners behind enemy lines in Germany, Elise will face head-on the person the war desires to make of her. In that devastating crucible she must discover if she has the will to rise above prejudice and hatred and re-claim her own destiny, or disappear into the image others have cast upon her.</div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Year of the War </i>tells a little-known story of World War II with great resonance for our own times and challenges the very notion of who we are when who we’ve always been is called into question.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501138225" target="_blank">"The Last Second" by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison</a> </b>- Release date 3/26/19</span></div>
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">New York Times</i> bestselling authors Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison comes a riveting thriller pitting special agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine against a private French space agency that has the power to end the world as we know it.</span></b></div>
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Galactus, France’s answer to SpaceX, has just launched a communications satellite into orbit, but the payload actually harbors a frightening weapon: a nuclear-triggered electromagnetic pulse.</div>
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When the satellite is in position, Galactus’s second-in-command, Dr. Nevaeh Patel, will have the power to lay waste to the world with an EMP. A former astronaut, Patel believes she is following the directions of the Numen, aliens who saved her life when she space-walked outside the International Space Station. She is convinced that with the Holy Grail, just discovered by the owner of Galactus—eccentric treasure hunter Jean-Pierre Broussard—she can be reunited with the Numen, change the world’s destiny, and become immortal with them.</div>
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The countdown has begun when Special Agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine are thrown into the pending disaster. They must stop the EMP that would wreak havoc on communication and electronic systems on Earth, resulting in chaos and anarchy.</div>
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With their signature “nonstop action with enough realism to keep you thinking and scare the daylights out of you at the same time” (<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Suspense Magazine</i>), Coulter and Ellison have created a thriller to take you on a breakneck and breathtaking journey.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781925773132" target="_blank"><b>"The Fragments" by Toni Jordan</b></a> - Release date 9/10/19</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Inga Karlson died in a fire in New York in the 1930s, leaving behind three things: a phenomenally successful first novel, the scorched fragments of a second book--and a literary mystery that has captivated generations of readers. Nearly fifty years later, Brisbane bookseller Caddie Walker is waiting in line to see a Karlson exhibition, featuring the famous fragments. A charismatic older woman quotes a phrase from the Karlson fragments that Caddie knows does not exist. Caddie is jolted from her sleepy life in 1980s Brisbane, and driven to uncover the truth about this fascinating literary mystery.</span></div>
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offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-5882506103039018912019-02-07T18:06:00.001-08:002019-02-07T18:06:24.945-08:00No atlas needed<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am so honored to be part of the blog tour for Sally Piper's "The Geography of Friendship"! Thank you, Legend Press, for including me. Please visit the other blogs on the list for more reviews! Purchase the book from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NGNZ2ZZ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1549589476&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or your local bookseller.</div>
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As most people know, my primary reading consists of intense thrillers and murder mysteries. Sally Piper has managed to create something very unique with this title. It's got the framework of a thriller, and a mystery, but she has built the suspense in such a way that it's incredibly slow-burning and satisfying. </div>
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Schoolyard friends Lisa, Nicole, and Samantha reunite after decades apart to revisit a hiking trail that contains ominous memories for all of them. Although life has changed for all of them, they share an intense bonding experience. For most of the book, we don't know exactly what that experience is, as the story is told in alternating timelines (then and now, in the same mountain setting). As intriguing as that aspect of the book is, the most enjoyable part for me was how Piper has depicted the incomparable bonds of friendship that women form. Our lives are often so overburdened with expectations and responsibilities that we often lose our grip on the friendships we formed when we were young and free, but the tensile strength of these friendships can be restored almost instantly once we reconnect. Throughout the book, Piper's haunting, descriptive prose proves that no matter where life takes us, shared tragedy and love are strong enough to bring us back together again when the time is right.</div>
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If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, this one might not be for you. For me, the slow building of suspense is what made it compulsively readable. Not knowing what really happened that fateful day when they were younger is unfurled so slowly and satisfyingly, while lined up against the present day events, that it left me with my heart in my throat waiting to see how the timelines and events would eventually coalesce. The attention to detail and the thoughtful descriptions of nature were also very endearing to me, and managed to paint a complete picture so that I felt like I had stepped into the woods with these women. What will we find? I suppose you'll have to read it yourself to find out.</div>
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-50037231100203115012019-01-23T11:05:00.000-08:002019-01-23T11:06:52.096-08:00Blog tour!<span style="background-color: ; color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So excited to be part of the </span><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="55204633" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/Legend_Press" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: ; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">@legend_press</a><span style="background-color: ; color: ; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="345166418" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/SallyPiper" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #1da1f2; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">@SallyPiper</a><span style="background-color: ; color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Geography of Friendship blog tour! Keep a lookout for my upcoming review.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-90301056194753573052018-12-20T11:22:00.000-08:002018-12-20T11:24:16.089-08:00Judging a book by its cover<div style="text-align: justify;">
The old adage "Never judge a book by its cover" does not apply to Lisa Jewell books. The covers are each gorgeous and inviting, and the writing inside is beautiful to match. After loving the <a href="http://bookwormrage.blogspot.com/2018/09/all-aboard.html">last few titles by her</a>, I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of her newest release, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501190075/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501190075&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=80a14c95317774d8c88bc1ed8b945c62" target="_blank">Watching You: A Novel</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501190075" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />! Despite my ever-growing TBR list, and a lot of other galleys I needed to review, I dropped everything and dove into this one. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501190075/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501190075&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=3d682f8e6ad2a455f9f9575183730be4" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1501190075&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501190075" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <br />
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<b style="font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><b>“Watching You" by Lisa Jewell</b></b><br />
<b style="font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 300;">Thank you, Atria Books, for the ARC of Watching You! I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's writing, and I was so excited to read this title. As usual, she did not disappoint! Hugely page-turning, skillfully written. I was so thrown off the path that even when I started to suspect the real culprit, there turned out to be so much more to the story than I expected. I had a great time reading this, and I loved the way the characters were developed and how they wove together throughout the plot. Great cozy fireside read!</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374279489/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0374279489&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=c4f0015efc988c800492183d0fe865c4" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0374279489&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0374279489" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1335652922/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1335652922&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=36440e013b335768700daa75d7f340b7" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1335652922&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1335652922" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994167/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994167&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=4f34d5da24f57e1b36fa6320fffaaaa6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0812994167&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0812994167" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743298071/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743298071&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=6b57d07463d379b31b0ffa55678660a6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0743298071&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0743298071" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-42625552596042606332018-12-06T09:41:00.004-08:002018-12-06T09:41:34.466-08:00Winter is coming<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the holidays fast approaching and the swift pace that I am chopping down my TBR pile, I haven’t been updating my blog. However, I have read some really excellent books lately that I definitely feel need some reviews.
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, the public library was one of my favorite places. As I have always been a very fast reader, the weekly Sunday trips to the bookstore didn’t quite fill my needs. I was generally allowed to pick one or two books, and most of the time we arrived home from the bookstore I would go straight to my room and start reading, only to finish the book later that evening. Recently, as an adult, I have rediscovered the joy of the library. And, true to form, I found myself feeling like a kid in a candy store. Arriving to pick up 2 holds I had placed online, my eye was quickly drawn to the new releases shelf, where I grabbed 3 more. Upon returning a book the next day, I saw more. When I perused the online catalog, my list grew to epic proportions. At this juncture, my bookshelf has a towering stack of checked-out books that I am determined to read and return in time. Some have been ho-hum, making me grateful that I did not put forth my own money to read them. Others were so hauntingly good that I will be purchasing my own copies for my shelves.
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735219346/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0735219346&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=c084f483088eae4d6f8de5bd4676f685" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0735219346&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0735219346" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<b><b>“Dracul” by Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker</b></b></div>
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I am sure I must have read Dracula in school, but it didn’t make much of an impression on me. I am not a fan of vampires, and in fact find them a little hokey. But this book kept popping up on all sorts of “best of 2018” lists, and when I saw that the library had it, I grabbed the 500 page hefty tome and gave it a shot. I was absolutely spellbound by the storytelling, which alternated between Bram Stoker in a vague room trying to ward off enemies and a timeline that started in his sickly childhood and brings you right up to the current situation in the room. Beautifully written, truly scary, and an absolute must-read (even if you’re not into vampires. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250151333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250151333&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=4708bade4130a12bedbf5e008ccc9966" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250151333&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250151333" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b>“Bring me Back” by B.A. Paris </b></div>
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This book had a lot of hype building up to the release, and then the reviews weren’t very good. However, the allure of reading something for free that I have been curious about was too strong, and I checked it out. The flashy cover didn’t hurt its chances for being chosen either. I, for one, really enjoyed this book. I can’t give an entirely accurate review of my feelings without giving away the plot twist, but trust me when I say it’s fairly hard to trick me and this one pulled the wool over my eyes for its entirety. The way it was written, and the subject matters it dealt with, left me feeling unsettled and haunted for days. If you’re tired of the predictable twists so often present in this type of story, you’ll enjoy this one. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735219095/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0735219095&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=e8523d07fde523e8597ed66b30c0d07e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0735219095&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0735219095" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b>“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens </b></div>
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I fell deeply in love with the main character, Kya, almost immediately upon opening this book. By chapter 3, my eyes were starting to well up at the beautiful, haunting way her loneliness in the marshes of North Carolina is described. Throughout this beautiful, sprawling novel, there is a murder mystery in play, but you don’t notice it as much as the intricately woven tale of a young girl left to raise herself all alone in a secluded shack. As she grows, the story follows her trials and triumphs. I cannot say I have recently read any other books with this level of genuine humanity and beauty. Apparently, it took the author 10 years to write this book. It shows in every chapter. Haunting, lyrical, and lovely, this book made me cry so hard that I had to sit with my feelings for a while after reading the last word. I didn’t want it to end, and it affected me deeply when it did. I will be purchasing a copy of this one for my shelf, as it was one of the best books I can recall reading and I will absolutely be reading it again.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052552004X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=052552004X&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=93da1ffa3110fe97161bd6131cfc5c24" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=052552004X&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=052552004X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525557628/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525557628&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=57dc9448dfd751f0336b1bce571e296a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0525557628&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0525557628" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FLX3YGJ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07FLX3YGJ&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=aa17f2c35d6162ae64d220d973009268" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07FLX3YGJ&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07FLX3YGJ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-22797087212428749102018-09-30T20:27:00.001-07:002018-09-30T20:28:57.177-07:00All Aboard<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I used to be one of those annoying people who thought that being interested in something popular was lame. While my scope of view has broadened greatly, I will admit there are exceptions to this statement. I do try now to judge a book (or a show, or a movie, or a food) by how much I genuinely enjoy it instead of worrying about how "mainstream" it is. This narrow, reluctant view has unfortunately kept me from so many great authors over the years. Had I not altered this bad habit, I would have forever missed out on Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson, and more. Some of these names are seen on a multitude of bookshelves and bestseller lists for a very valid reason - they're genuinely skilled at their craft. They are able to transport you to another world, whether it be one of fear or suspense or disbelief. I am simultaneously proud and ashamed to admit that I have a new entry to add to this list - Mary Higgins Clark. As a murder mystery enthusiast, it is simply unthinkable that I have never read any of her books. She just seemed like the kind of author who reigned supreme on Grandmothers dusty bookshelves everywhere. Well that may be true, but clearly Granny had kickass taste in reading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides, I don't know what I am complaining about. I may be 35, but I love a good cardigan, shush people for talking too loudly, and adore curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. So that really tracks with this weeks reading material.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501171682/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501171682&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=73f0f74c9f5b4e4db864794296539f52" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1501171682&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501171682" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>I've Got My Eyes on You - Mary Higgins Clark</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After seeing a lot of buzz about this online, I decided to finally break my lifelong resistance to Mary Higgins Clark books and dove right in. I was instantly entranced, not only by the intriguing writing style, but by the storyline. Told in alternating viewpoints throughout the book, the story opens on a party thrown by a popular high schooler, Kerry. She didn't invite her next-door neighbor, Jamie, who is special needs and is a bit upset that he wasn't invited, since Kerry always invites him over to swim with her and treats him with kindness. As he watches her clean up the yard from his bedroom window, he sees someone hit her over the head and her lifeless body falling into the pool. Not understanding the situation, he comes over to see if he can swim with her. The next day, his mom finds his soaking wet pants and shoes in his closet and is paralyzed with fear that he was somehow involved in Kerry's murder. Her older sister Aline was already planning to return home and accept a job as a guidance counselor at the local high school, but her mission is even more important now as it puts her in proximity of the very people who are the most likely suspects in Kerry's murder - her boyfriend, her visibly agitated best friend, her lacrosse teammates, and her best friends. As Aline tries to find out the truth about her sisters killer, she uncovers secrets that build to a surprising and satisfying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and plowed through it in 2 days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476792224/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1476792224&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=89bf66063068668cc484b0894fec9edf" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1476792224&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1476792224" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>The Girls in the Garden - Lisa Jewell</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I read Jewell's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501154648/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501154648&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=7438d19851bba982bb3f1feb8d92436c" target="_blank">Then She Was Gone: A Novel</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501154648" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />" and found it to be a really fun, twisty read. This one was very similar in that way. There were, admittedly, a lot of characters to keep track of. The story revolves around the residents of apartments that surround a private park, therefore creating a sequestered area for relationships to go sour and dark events to occur. Since the characters tend to be lifelong residents of the apartments, some with multiple generations, there are many ghosts within the confines of the hedges. A young girl was murdered some 20 years ago, and the case was closed as suicide. However, not everyone believes that to be the whole story. When Clare moves into the neighborhood with her precocious young girls, Grace and Pip, they each find themselves being drawn into the dark webs of secrets and lies amongst different residents within the park. When Grace is found attacked in the garden, the mysteries go even deeper. A super fast-paced story, this one will keep you up late turning pages. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One Sentence Reviews</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1510720677/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1510720677&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=38813892f8a5e13462a8be0227fdc377" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1510720677&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1510720677" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <span style="color: #535353; font-size: 13.52400016784668px;"><b>The Last to See Me by M Dressle</b><span style="background-color:none;"><b>r - </b>Spooky and atmospheric, it was everything I wanted </span></span><span style="color: #535353; font-size: 13.52400016784668px;">We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson to be.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544962532/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0544962532&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=b3eeb9a7b5d1e6a9f4adb96d1aa28783" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0544962532&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0544962532" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> L<b style="color: #535353; font-size: 13.52400016784668px;">ast Woman Standing by Amy Gentry (ARC) - </b><span style="color: #535353; font-size: 13.52400016784668px;">Suspenseful and intriguing, you will be on the edge of your seat!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GYVBZJV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07GYVBZJV&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=020b355225748ad45fd37c2bd9a7ad1d" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07GYVBZJV&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07GYVBZJV" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>Little Honour by Penny Freedman - </b>A woman helps investigate the death of a young Indian woman that may be an honour killing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802127746/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802127746&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=3a87680cef74be8f6dbf8fd960430ffa" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0802127746&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0802127746" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>Snap by Belinda Bauer - </b>A<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"> gripping novel about a teenage boy’s hunt for his mother’s killer.</span></span>offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-70863386700343341122018-09-25T11:26:00.003-07:002018-09-25T11:31:47.737-07:00Book Binge<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been super slacking on updating the blog, but I have certainly not been slacking on reading. I have read a few more books in the past month than these, but these are the ones that I felt warranted some words and reviews. Only one of them was a galley, because I also spend an inordinate sum on titles that interest me so I feel it’s necessary to read those too. And since I am always reading multiple books simultaneously, I try to always be reading an ARC and a book I’ve spent my own cash on.</div>
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Now that fall has…fallen, I will most likely be trending towards cozier reads, ghost stories, and some historical fiction with a romantic slant (I am a sucker for love during WWII). There’s nothing I love more than curling up under a blanket with a cup of tea and reading during this season. In other news, I am 75 years old. These selections were perfect for the cusp of seasons, easing me into my new mood. We have a horror book about an unidentified object in the basement, a heartfelt coming-of-age tale during the confusing height of the AIDS epidemic, a memoir about living with anxiety that reads like a novel, and a (possible?) murder mystery set in seemingly idyllic suburbia, a charming tale of an 11-year old sleuth, and a novelization of a True Crime tragedy.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078X1SBWN/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B078X1SBWN&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=17a74d89ad7d45bf3ddd7e927169cddf" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B078X1SBWN&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078X1SBWN" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<b>The Chrysalis by Brendan Deneen</b><br />
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This was one of those books that I kept seeing everywhere – everyone was all abuzz about this horr-or release. The tagline, “Stay out of the basement”, was appealing because it played on fears almost everyone has. The basement holds a lot of creepy connotations for most people; whether it’s the darkness or the fact that it’s underground, it instantly conjures up our deepest unsettling insecurities. I was naturally quite excited when I was granted an ARC from MacMillan publishing, so I could check it out pre-pub.
Jenny and Tom can’t believe their luck when they manage to score a huge, beautiful Victorian home for a song. However, nobody (including their realtor) bothers to tell them that the huge stain on the linoleum in the kitchen is a result of the brutal murder of a previous resident. Almost immediately, Tom finds a pulsing, oozing chrysalis stuck to the wall in the basement behind an old fridge (yeah, what?) and decides to touch it. It seems to get him existentially high, and consumes his every waking thought. All he wants is to be near it, to touch it. Jenny gets pregnant, and starts trying to branch out in her career, but everything is unraveling due to Tom’s secret obsession with the chrysalis. Soon, he begins testing the limits and desires of this…thing – to disastrous, destructive results.
The premise could have worked. But for me, it didn’t with this one. First of all, as many Goodreads reviewers have pointed out, it leans more towards sci-fi than horror. Also, I felt very unsatisfied with the ending. There was no clear resolution, and I felt like Deneen had created this intricate story and then not finished it. Basically, as much as I appreciated the ARC, I am glad I didn’t plunk down $25 on the hardcover copy like I would have if I had not been able to read it first.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812982851/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812982851&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=7865e3942f9042ffd5c6716fb172de99" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0812982851&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0812982851" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt</b><br />
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It’s 1987, and 14-year-old June is in love with her uncle. Not in a CW way, not in a Lolita way, just in a confused teenager way. Nobody has ever understood her except her gay uncle Finn, who delights her with his quirky bohemian ways and personalized attention. When Finn contracts AIDS and passes away, June feels like her life has shattered. Without the lazy afternoons at Finn’s, drinking tea from his colorful Russian teapot, listening to Mozart, and talking about life, she feels utterly adrift. That is until Finn’s longtime partner, Toby, comes to June and attempts to fill the hole that Finn’s death has left in both of them. Being so young, and confused, and knowing nothing about AIDS, June enters into a cautious, reluctant friendship with the only other person in the world who knew and loved Finn the way she did. They form an unconventional, tender friendship that looks inappropriate to everyone who sees them. Through getting to know Toby, she sees that many of her favorite characteristics that Finn possessed actually came from Toby, and he was actually the love of Finn’s life. I cried several times while reading this book, and there are so many fun little elements that tie the book together. I recommend this for a cozy read when you’re feeling sentimental or a little alone or misunderstood.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1538711923/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1538711923&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=5a7937f4c6cb5ac6e736b7278b60262c" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1538711923&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1538711923" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b> Little Panic by Amanda Stern</b><br />
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This is one of the best books I have read in 2018. Having lived with severe anxiety and panic disorders my whole life, I have somewhat learned to deal with them. If not deal with them effectively, at least I have learned how to identify them. As a child, these thoughts and feelings and fears were incredibly confusing and frightening. Reading Stern’s account of what it feels like to live with these crushing conditions was somehow an absolute joy.
Let me be clear – this is NOT a self-help book. It’s a memoir, but it reads like a thoroughly enjoyable novel. It’s funny, endearing, and incredibly accurate. Even if you don’t suffer from anxiety, it’s a neat window into the lives of those who do. I will re-read this again, I guarantee it. It feels amazing to know that I am not alone, and that life’s “little things” don’t feel so little to a lot of us. A great gift for the anxious person in your life.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250107881/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250107881&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=4a7ebcf37ed41744991ea2c52acf087f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250107881&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250107881" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser</b><br />
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A group of neighborhood moms finally gets the night to themselves and decides to have a relaxed, backyard get-together and drink some wine by the new fire pit. This is all pretty standard, until they wake up in the morning and discover that one of their newly single neighbors, and her children, have disappeared. There aren’t many clues to go by, except a broken window and missing heirlooms and personal items from the house. As her soon-to-be ex-husband is put under the microscope, the close-knit neighborhood tries in vain to figure out what really happened. One of the focal points of the story for me was Izzy, who has moved into the neighborhood by herself after her sister married her best friend that she was (not-so-secretly) in love with. While she tries to get her life back together, she forms a strong kinship with the missing woman’s estranged husband and the scales tip towards romance. She cannot decide whether he is innocent in Kristin’s disappearance, and there are just too many conflicting signs in the case to put anyone’s mind at ease. With a fun, surprising ending, this one is a quick read that will leave you in suspense until the end.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027G6XDS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0027G6XDS&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=794d4aba64cec72c64856a553f7c7ab0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B0027G6XDS&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B0027G6XDS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley</b><br />
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I am really late to the party with this one, but after just the first book I absolutely adore Flavia de Luce. A fiercely intelligent, sarcastic child with a penchant for poisons and science living in 1950’s England, she will charm you and make you laugh all at once. This is the ultimate cozy mystery, which begins when her philatelist father appears to be being blackmailed for a murder committed back at school. After finding a dead bird on the doorstep with an incredibly rare stamp stuck to its beak, and then a dead man in their garden, Flavia decides to try and solve the mystery on her own. Full of heart and humor, this series is sure to quickly become one of your favorites. Intelligently written, sharply funny, and full of whimsy. If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace, you’ll want to read this one in front of a roaring fire. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250164192/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250164192&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=f0e8097db0870de75b28a82d00218a0f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250164192&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250164192" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood</b><br />
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This book is an absolute must-read for True Crime fans. This is a reimagined version of the true story of the kidnapping of Sally Horner that inspired Nabokov to write Lolita. When a young girl is caught shoplifting at Woolworth’s, she is taken away by a man claiming to be with the FBI. He takes her on the run, always leading her to believe that he’s doing it for her, trying to protect her. In reality, he has taken her as his sex slave. The content is very disturbing, and hard to read at times, but Greenwood did a beautiful job of telling the story in a way that honors Horner’s memory and evokes tenderness. The most endearing part of this book for me was how many women tried to help Sally, and how close they came to doing so. In a very unusual fashion, this book has a happy ending and THEN a sad ending. I definitely needed about a half a box of tissues to read this book. If you love In Cold Blood, or True Crime as a genre, definitely don’t miss this one. Thank you to St. Martin’s press for the very much appreciated physical ARC copy – it holds pride of place on my shelf.<br />
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<b>One Sentence Reviews </b><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078JMZHXF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B078JMZHXF&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=aba027098c00b27ef59e2d6b625e488e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B078JMZHXF&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078JMZHXF" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>What I’ve Done by Melinda Leigh (Morgan Dane #4 - ARC) </b>– The Morgan Dane series is one of my favorites, and this one upheld the high bar the other entries have set.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143039970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143039970&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=78ece238ca10da9f753475e57ceab862" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0143039970&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0143039970" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson</b> – This is supposedly a classic, but the story seemed quite pointless to me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1683318587/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1683318587&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=34d0f5d459787a5b1e3998acaeeadf8a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1683318587&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1683318587" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>The Guilty Dead by P.J. Tracy (Monkeewrench #9 - ARC) </b>– Fun, easy read even if you haven’t read any of the other Monkeewrench mysteries.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D5CL32J/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07D5CL32J&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=ea1fe5d204260ebf4f38abb097d947db" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07D5CL32J&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07D5CL32J" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> T<b>he Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton (ARC) </b>– If you’ve ever felt crazy for loving someone too fiercely, this will make you feel much saner.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062667580/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062667580&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=ddad53f162a94330b22a9c2f14e02a10" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0062667580&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062667580" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine</b> – A little too flashy for me, this is a good one for fans of reality TV and opulence.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062852000/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062852000&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=7b17a095f04d01b701edbbc311dae42f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0062852000&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062852000" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman (ARC)</b> – Sort of a ghost story, cozy read.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319768/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319768&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=dadba3b02705633fe2ad05ea672403ee" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778319768&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778319768" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle</b> – SUPER fun, plane crashes and mistaken identities abound.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250081831/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250081831&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=14871af92fdbd47d3cc07a472881603f" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250081831&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250081831" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <b>She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell (ARC)</b> – Prep school murder mystery with a surprising ending.<br />
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<b> Currently Reading</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1510720677/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1510720677&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=f12fd27a623c612f32cb0bca1cd1d8e9" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1510720677&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1510720677" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>The Last to See Me by M Dressler</b> - A fun ghost story on the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the California coast.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07897773M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07897773M&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=3cac99a0d362169089468e8af699c109" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07897773M&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07897773M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>Last Woman Standing by Amy Gentry (ARC) </b>- I loved the last Amy Gentry book, Good as Gone, so I was so excited to get this ARC. It's clearly written for the #MeToo generation, about a stand-up comedian and her newfound friend harming the men who have hurt them along the way.
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-20552909826870758382018-08-07T21:33:00.002-07:002018-08-07T21:37:23.227-07:00Watch your mouth <div style="text-align: justify;">
I got into a really interesting conversation in one of my bookworm Facebook groups about Netgalley and book reviews, and eventually the discourse turned to what happens when writers don't like the reviews their book is getting. Turns out, some people can get <a href="http://michellewittebooks.com/2012/01/authors-bloggers-and-the-goodreads-war/">really heated</a>. So, with great trepidation, I am back to share some thoughts on this week's reads.</div>
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I muscled through <a href="https://bookwormrage.blogspot.com/2018/07/on-netgalley-over-caffienation-and-my.html">In The Vines</a> by Shannon Kirk, and it never got any better for me. Despite a glowing review on Goodreads, claiming it was a perfect gothic noir thriller, I found the writing style to be nearly intolerable. I skimmed huge chunks of text, simply unable to connect with the characters or the flowery, irritating prose. I was not shocked by the purported "twists", and the confusion I felt through the first 75% of the book wasn't the fun, suspense-building experience that most books with an unreliable narrator tend to provide. I got it over with, I sent my feedback to Netgalley, and I moved on. They can't all be winners, and this only reinforces my usual opinion that life is too short to force yourself to read books that you don't enjoy. Notice I didn't say "bad books", because there's no such thing. Books are pathways, each dictated by tastes and experiences and reliability. I know there are others who will love the book!</div>
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Moving right along. My beloved Tracy Crosswhite is back for book #6, A Steep Price. Every time Robert Dugoni releases a new book in this series, I feel like I get to see old friends again. Kins, Vic, Faz, Dan, Dan's DOGS!, and of course Tracy herself. I love this series because it feels authentic, manages to remain heartwarming in the face of grim subject matters, and really makes you care about the characters. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1503954188/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1503954188&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=b7ff4ef1ad85124091843336099495e8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1503954188&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1503954188" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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This time around, Tracy and Kins are investigating the death of a young Indian woman whose best friend has reported her missing after delivering some life-changing news. Unfortunately, when she is found murdered in a shallow grave in the park, it creates more questions than answers. As they delve deeper into her life, they find a lot of ambition that was hampered by her familys societal expectations, her grim determination to raise money for medical school at any cost despite her parents wishes to return home and accept an arranged marriage, and the seedy underworld of "Sugar Dating", which has enough loopholes to escape being classified as prostitution, despite being dangerous and borderline sex work. Tracy is feeling threatened and on edge due to their newest team member, another female who seems to be snooping in private files and isn't honest about the circumstances of an officer-involved shooting in the case that Vic and Faz are tackling currently. A young activist woman who spoke out against gangs and the drug trade in her underprivileged area gets shot and killed. The guys think it's connected to a local gang leader whose father they put in prison years earlier. The hotter the trail gets, the more in danger they are. Little Jimmy blames them for putting his dad away, and for his subsequent death in prison when a rival gang member stabbed him. Just as things are reaching a boiling point, Tracy and Kins figure out exactly who their killer is and they're hot on the trail. The book, like the others in the series, was a fun, fast-paced read with heart and a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend starting this series! <br />
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I have to assume that I am being rewarded for struggling through a book that I really disliked, because A Double Life by Flynn Berry absolutely blew me out of the water. Not only was the writing beautiful, but the story was haunting and touching at the same time. I loved the alternating timelines of the narrators story (now, as a woman in her mid-30's, still hunting for the father who disappeared from her life after a gruesome attack on her family; and then, as a child who witnessed the horrifying scene and never truly understood what happened and why) and the rich, descriptive writing. I felt like I was sitting right next to her, and the delicious tension that was built through the story progression made it nearly impossible to put down. This one is a must-read! I am off to purchase her first novel, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Msv8W1">Under the Harrow</a>. I will be on the lookout for more of her works!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073522496X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=073522496X&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=467585a42afd842284c291a1c1d048d8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=073522496X&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=073522496X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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All in all, this is what I love so much about receiving ARC's. I get to experience an author's style with no financial risk, and it often opens me up to new writers that I may not have heard of otherwise. It also drives me to purchase their other books, which is great for the writers too. I am happy to be part of the reading and reviewing community, even when I have to give a heavy-hearted one star review.<br />
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250164192/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250164192&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=c2fb6743773af36f6f6448c6e4c7ac11"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250164192&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" ></a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250164192" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078JMZHXF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B078JMZHXF&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=aa4aba72c5782993b0883acb9107f764"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B078JMZHXF&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" ></a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078JMZHXF" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-44963299962946097712018-07-29T18:59:00.000-07:002018-08-04T15:28:48.154-07:00I don't want to set the world on fire<div style="text-align: justify;">
This week, my hometown of Redding, CA was hit with a devestating forest fire. The past few days have shown the true character, good and bad, of many local businesses and individuals. As of today, the Carr Fire has displaced over 30,000 residents, burned over 80,000 acres, and destroyed at least 500 structures in our small rural town. We have banded together as a community, and I am lucky enough that my home is safe and so are the homes of my families and friends. My heart goes out to the thousands who weren't as lucky as my loved ones. </div>
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In times of high tension and stress, it's so hard for me to relax. Watching TV is out of the question, and focusing on reading is quite difficult. Since I couldn't sit still on Friday night, and following the fire updates was compounding my anxiety, I decided to pick up a paper book in case the predicted rolling blackouts happened, since I wanted to maintain my charge on my iPad and phone. I have a shelf of unread hardcover books that were just waiting for me, so I selected Laura Lippman's "Sunburn", a book I have been wanting to read for a while. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006238998X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=006238998X&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=fbdf64330d2dfc71e2f7639dc8cfc7ba" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=006238998X&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&tag=1302e-20" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=006238998X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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If you're not familiar with Lippman's works, do yourself a favor and get thee to Amazon immediately. The blurbs on the back of her books hail her as an observant crime writer with a strong noir feel - and that is a very accurate description. She has an incredible writing style that makes it so hard to put her books down. Some of my favorites are linked below.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OI0F6W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000OI0F6W&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=54a3a94407f254b2508c4d1a04d1eb21" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B000OI0F6W&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000OI0F6W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062083414/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062083414&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=fb7bba4816d42de9c0245c51d3c1b101" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0062083414&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062083414" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006193836X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=006193836X&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=d003cd0f40a904fb2e6aacb9c5daf66a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=006193836X&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL110_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=006193836X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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So far, Sunburn is not disappointing me, even though I had built my expectations far too high (which sometimes results in me being very let down). I will openly admit that I am still not sure where the story is headed, but I truly enjoy that feeling. I don't like predictability in anything in my life - books, food, men. So far, we've met "Polly", who has landed in the small town of Belleville, Delaware with no possessions and no plan. This is because, as Pauline, she has abandoned her no-good husband with their young daughter while on a seaside vacation. She is written as an opportunist who has the ability to compartmentalize her emotions and manipulate men in order to get what she wants, but I get a different sense of her in the chapters that are written from her point of view. The other chapters are written from the points of view of her husband, Gregg, who already had a dim view of his wife before she abandoned him with a toddler; Sue, a lesbian PI that Gregg has hired to find Pauline; and Adam, a PI who is tracking Pauline but we don't yet know why, or for whom. However, Adam has started an ill-advised affair with Pauline as Polly, though she has not shown any indication that she knows he's following her. I am on Chapter 13 and cannot wait until the death happens, as I cannot even predict who it will be at this point!</div>
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I am going to spend my evening unwinding and delving further into the story, stay tuned for my full review! </div>
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-37054865502175026802018-07-26T01:44:00.004-07:002018-07-26T01:48:28.174-07:00On Netgalley, over-caffeination, and my ever-growing TBR pile<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been slacking on everything this week. Slacking on reading, slacking on writing, slacking on reviewing. Don't worry though, I have been super active when it comes to stressing out about things I cannot change or control, so I've got that one covered.</div>
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Like most people, I don't sleep very well when I am feeling anxious or I am under more stress than usual. This has definitely been the case this past week, so maybe I am not slacking on reading as badly as I thought. Maybe the 112 degree weather is sapping my energy and fuzzing my brain when it comes to reality. Luckily for me, as a reader, I much prefer to be entrenched in a fictionalized setting anyhow. </div>
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One peaceful night, I happened to notice that some really great titles had landed themselves on a Kindle sale and I just couldn't resist. Never mind the hundreds of unread books on my Kindle, iBooks, Play Books, Glose, Libby, and (unheard on) Audible. Turn away from the stacks on the bookshelf, the nightstand, and the end tables. Shhhh, I needed these. One of them was "Lying in Wait" by Liz Nugent, which I was seeing EVERYWHERE. I had requested an ARC, but sadly did not get approved, so I was anxiously awaiting the release. Needless to say, finding it on a flash sale for under $5 really tickled my peach. I figured since I couldn't even begin to feel the first inklings of sleep, I might as well make the most of it and get immersed in a story. I was not at all expecting the immediate fascination and horror that ensued.</div>
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This is absolutely a book about murder. It's not a mystery, because the murder (and the perpetrators of said murder) are revealed right away in the very first chapter. Instead of a whodunit, it's a whydunit. It was a very effective storytelling device, as I was holding my breath the entire time waiting for the twist, or the reveal that the narrator had been unreliable all along. Instead, the story slowly unspools from alternating viewpoints after the event has taken place. We slowly get to know Lydia and Andrew, who have killed Annie in the opening scene. We get to know their son Laurence as he grows up under the shadow of a secret he doesn't even know lives within his own home but consumes him just the same. Lydia's relationship with, and dependence upon, Laurence is one of the most subtly insidious facets of this story. It crept under my skin in a way that I cannot explain, and left me feeling haunted and slightly sick during certain chapters and long after finishing the book. As Laurence comes of age, so does his obsession with the old murder case of Annie Doyle. As his life intertwines with those closest to her, the lines become so blurry you aren't even sure who you're rooting for anymore. There is a lot of manipulation present in this story, and if you're anything like me, it will leave you shaken. Even at the higher price point, I would say this book is well worth the cost. It was a really fun read, and there is a nice little twist at the end. Let's say a soft twist. For me, the book had a very vintage V.C. Andrews feel to it. You could almost pretend you were in the grand mansion Avalon, with its once-glorious furniture and curios worn down to a soft scuff and the multitude of rooms feeling far emptier now that they're occupied by ghosts. I look forward to reading it again in a year or so when the details become foggy to me. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501167774/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501167774&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=9612aeed24b59d1e10f074841b68fd51" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1501167774&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=1302e-20" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501167774" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Scrolling through Facebook the other day, I saw an ad for Shannon Kirk's "In the Vines". The synopsis sounded quite intriguing...</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"<span style="color: #333333;">Mary Olivia Pentecost, known as Mop, was born into one of the wealthiest families in the country—and one of the most guarded. Now, two years after her mother’s mysterious death, Mop is seeking closure on the disquieting tragedy by returning to the New England seaside estate of her cloistered Aunty Liv—once her closest relative and confidante.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>But behind the walls of the isolated estate, the shadows of the past are darker than Mop imagined. The puzzles of the family history are not to be shared, but unearthed. With each revelation comes a new, foreboding threat—and for Mop, the grave suspicion that to discover Aunty Liv’s secrets is to become a prisoner of them.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How well do we know the people we love? How well do we <i>want</i> to know them? The answers are as twisted as a tangle of vines in this throat-clutching novel of psychological suspense."</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1503901947/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1503901947&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=7bfc269922fc29dbc8a066f858751ea2" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1503901947&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=1302e-20" width="133" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1503901947" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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I saw that it was free on Kindle Unlimited, so I was about to grab it, when I noticed that I already had it in my Kindle app, as an ARC from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/publisher/81286">Thomas & Mercer</a> (love them!). Since my Netgalley feedback ratio is nowhere NEAR where it should be, I figured I should get this one read so I could review it more quickly. If you don't have Kindle Unlimited and would like to buy the Kindle edition, it's $4.99 (just click the cover image above).</div>
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My first impression is that the writing is slightly overwrought, and just not cohesive. There's also a bit of overuse of strange words, like "consumptions". The storyline bounces back and forth between narrators and timelines, and is quite confusing. There is an outlandish murder by peanut dust scene very early on. I am having a hard time plowing through - it's like trying to force the heel of a baguette to be soft enough to masticate without endangering your dental work. The writing is too verbose, too flowery, not cohesive at all. The meandering descriptions that don't seem important are a little annoying. I want to know what is actually going on, but not in a fun, traditional unreliable narrator way. More like your narrator is some flighty hippie chick who is so overly emotive that you can't stand to be around her on her best day, and today she chugged an entire magnum of dandelion wine and you want to strangle her with her hemp choker. I will continue to push through, if only to see what is actually happening. But this one is not wrapping me up in it like the last few I have plowed through. A quick glance at the Amazon reviews reveals that I am not even close to being alone in my opinion of this being confusing and strange. An honest review is what they wanted - better late than never. They're gonna get one when I am finished powering my way through this crusty, confusing loaf of bread.</div>
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offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-449477952322973896.post-81181310113319095292018-07-15T00:16:00.000-07:002018-07-15T00:55:05.500-07:00"Lies" by T.M. Logan - best surprise I've gotten in the mail for a while!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hello, and welcome to my very first blog post! I am a lifelong reader, and it's become one of my very few true passions. A lot of my friends ask me for advice on what to read or what I thought of certain books, so I thought I would start reviewing them on a blog people could actually visit if they're so inclined. Fair warning - I can be sarcastic and I swear often. If you don't fucking like that, please do find another book review blog. They're everywhere. So without further ado...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I received an ARC of this novel in the mail, I was so excited! As much as I love a digital ARC, holding a real book in my hands pre-publication was next level. I was delighted. Anyhow...SOFT spoilers ahead. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CRMVZZ3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07CRMVZZ3&linkCode=as2&tag=1302e-20&linkId=179825720eebedf3573c10908d53e034" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07CRMVZZ3&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=1302e-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=1302e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07CRMVZZ3" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">What a fun read! I was hooked within the first few pages. The premise seems so simple - Joe is driving in London traffic when his son, in the backseat, spots mommy's car across the road. They decide to surprise her and Joe sees her with another man...her best friends husband, Ben. Sounds so predictable, right? Joe decides to confront the man, since he already knows him after all, and he doesn't want to believe his wife would be unfaithful. We all want to hear the simple explanation that clears up what we genuinely hope is a misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this particular conversation becomes a physical altercation when Ben becomes aggressive, and he ends up unconscious and bleeding on the ground in the parking structure. Joe's son begins to have an asthma attack, so he leaves him there. From there - the book gets really good. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">What happened to Ben? Wherever he ended up, he decides that the battle against Joe has begun. As Joe slowly finds himself the main suspect in a murder investigation, even without a body, the lies of his life begin to unravel all around him. You're so busy engrossed in figuring out the mystery that you miss the obvious truth right in front of you - much like Joe. The twist blindsided me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the clever way it was written and the way it tricks and leads your mind as you read. It's been a long time since I stayed up reading until 2 AM, telling myself "just one more chapter" over and over as my eyelids droop. This book did that to me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Thank you <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/" target="_blank">MacMillan Publishers</a>! I am loaning it to friends and family next to spread the word! The book will be <a href="https://amzn.to/2NOsAT8" target="_blank">published</a> in the US on September 11, 2018, but you can read the first 8 chapters for free through Amazon Kindle <a href="https://amzn.to/2uoTpFj" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
offthebookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04183508111256143355noreply@blogger.com0