"The first thought that came to me was that I had to tell my mother about it. I had even started formulatinThis was a 4.5 out of 5 stars read for me!
"The first thought that came to me was that I had to tell my mother about it. I had even started formulating a description, in my mind I was describing the bomber's last few moments in the air. And less than a minutes later I realized that I had been living like that for a long time, everything just happened to me in my life, on my way to school, at school, on my way home, I had always shaped it right away into a story I would tell when I got home. To my mother, sometimes to my father, but mostly to my mother. The drowned bomber was the first story that I had experienced all on my own, that I didn't have to tell anyone, that didn't even have to become a story".
Page after page there are brilliant and thought-provoking paragraphs about the most basic situations. Herman Koch is a no holds barred, in your face kind of author, and who could ask for more? This killer novel is a book within a book. A mystery to be solved, yet savored. Koch slips into your head and soon you too will be scouring the pages looking for more gems to place in your mine. Go ahead, slip into your comfy PJ's, pull up your favorite soft blanket. Pair all this with a great glass of wine and Dear Mr. M, and you will be a happy human being! Enjoy! ...more
Cass seems to have it all—a loving husband, a great job (go ahead girl, a plus in this day and age), and good friends. One night in the middle of a raCass seems to have it all—a loving husband, a great job (go ahead girl, a plus in this day and age), and good friends. One night in the middle of a rainstorm, she takes a shortcut home through the woods (I am seeing Little Red Riding Hood here) despite her husband's warnings not to. When she's nearly home she spots a woman sitting in a car on the side of the road.
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You would think that being a woman herself she would stop and make sure everything is on the up and up, but does she? Heck no! She assumes the woman must already be waiting for help, (and well all know what the word assume says to you) and Cass decides it would be better to go straight home and call the police from there. GREAT plan... IF she remembered to follow through!
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The next morning, Cass is devastated to find out that the woman she saw in the car was murdered. (She must be rationalizing that the woman HAD to be ok when she drove by, right? And maybe this was all a clever plot for the killer to kill Cass as well, so she really SHOULDN'T have stopped, right?) Cass is so distraught that she can't even admit to her husband that she took the shortcut against his request. She becomes consumed by thoughts of a killer laying in wait for her.
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Cass becomes convinced she's being watched. She starts getting strange phone calls. She starts falling apart and forgetting things. She starts taking anxiety pills to calm her down, but they leave her in a drugged stupor, much to her husband's dismay.
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Why has she become so fixated on the murder of a woman she didn't know? Is she doomed to be a paranoid recluse all from a path she shouldn't have taken? Is she going to become an unreliable pill-popping woman, destined to lose her husband as well?
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The Breakdown took a while to build up its tension, but when it does, hang on to your hat! The plot takes a huge twist and you can't help but hang on for the wild mouse ride to the end.
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This is the second book I have read by B.A. Paris, and I would not hesitate to pick up another novel written by him in the future! Go ahead, jump in the car and see what happens when you read The Breakdown.
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This was a 4.5 out of 5 stars read for me!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and B.A. Paris for the opportunity to read and review this thrilling novel!
Four cousins summoned back by their grandfather...
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The death of a family patriarch...
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An old, mysterious house...
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A painting by GoyaFour cousins summoned back by their grandfather...
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The death of a family patriarch...
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An old, mysterious house...
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A painting by Goya that has a demon lurking inside it...
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And a family with dark secrets...
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This is what you can expect when you read The Black Painting by Neil Olson, scheduled to be released in January of 2018.
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The mystery surrounding who took the painting from the parsimonious, rapacious grandfather (after he has quite possibly obtained it from the black market) remains mysterious throughout the novel. The main character, Teresa, is charged with the unraveling of the Goya painting disappearance.
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There was a myriad of characters, and it was quite easy to get lost when reading along. Some of the characters, I felt, were very forgettable, and possibly even excessive, however, Olson spins a mystery reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel.
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Overall, I rated this novel 3 out of 5 stars for the creativity and suspense created within this gripping novel by Olson.
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I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, Hanover Square Press, and the talented author Neil Olson for the opportunity to read and review The Black Painting.
From the nine months it takes to create that perfect little life until the eighteen years and beyond it takes to raise them, children are by far the gFrom the nine months it takes to create that perfect little life until the eighteen years and beyond it takes to raise them, children are by far the greatest gift we ever receive.
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Their first smile. Their first laugh. Their first words. Their first steps. All are such monumental milestones. As parents, we smile and encourage them and are their biggest fans.
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Sacrifice. That is what parents do, and they do it with grace. Putting children first for millions of year... yup, that pretty much wraps up parenting... but what if you could REALLY say what you wanted to say to your children? What if for once you could say, "Just stop being selfish and whiny! Have YOU had to wear the same underwear for 18 years?"
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What if you could write it all down, all the funny, crazy, angry, OH MY GOODNESS I WANT TO KILL YOU moments that you would NEVER admit to in real life, and hand it to your kids and walk away?
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This is my side of the story. One day when you tell your future significant others, children, or therapists what horrible parents your mother and I were and how we ruined your lives, this book might help to exonerate us.
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What if your kids really knew how you felt about getting that new puppy when you already had a dog, and how that puppy ruined your dog's life, therefore, causing you interminable amounts of grief?
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Every time I came home, I expected to see a message spelled out in kibble: "Couldn't take it anymore. Had to leave. Love always, Steve. PS: I shit on her side of the bed."
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Have you ever turned to your loving spouse and said:
"Honey, I want to use my 'Get Out of Parenting Free' card."
It's ok. You can admit it. The author Alex Shahla sure let it all fly loose in his comical and heart-warming (and yes, completely identifiable) book Lying to Children. Rarely do I laugh out loud when reading a book (smile, yes...laugh, no) but Shahla managed not only to make me laugh out loud, but also laugh until I had tears as I identified with all of the "letters" he wrote to his children.
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One chapter on Christmas and Santa brought me giggles and left fantastic images in my head! I never did understand why at Christmas we don't just tell our children that we have worked and slaved all year long to purchase them the overpriced toys that we know they will either play with five minutes or abandon in pursuit of happily playing with the boxes said toys arrived in. But hey, we all play the Santa game, right?
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Hold on; give me a moment while I put on my Mr. Rogers sweater. Okay, here goes. If you ever wake up in the middle of the night and there's a large man with a sack standing in front of your fireplace, realize that he is not there to bring you presents; he's there to steal your presents. There is no such selfless figure. Aim for the chest and fire in rapid succession.
Shahla managed to take everyday parenting and turn all of the struggles and giggles in raising children to a poignant and entertaining read. His humor may not be for all and there are many places where the punchline is a bit repetitive, but for me, he presented a great tribute to parenthood and all of the daily struggles, joys, and fake (as well as real) smiles that come along with it.
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I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for the laughter it provided me. I think you should go now and read it too. Take a journey and think about all those times you also wanted to scream and pull your hair out when your kids "knew better than you." Smile as the reach adulthood and congratulate them...
But seriously. Congratulations. You've reached the end of the Yellow Brick Road and what awaits is the joy of partying your way towards massive amounts of educational debt, followed by the misery of adulthood, where you'll discover there are repercussions for your actions beyond being grounded.
Have you ever loved someone so much that their absence leaves a gaping hole in your heart?
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Where the This was a 4.5 out of 5 stars read for me!
Have you ever loved someone so much that their absence leaves a gaping hole in your heart?
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Where the tears silently leak from your eyes whether you mean for them to or not?
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Where the pain as your heart tears is physical...
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And the despair you feel is guttural...
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The pain feels like it will never end...
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For May, watching her dad slowly succumb to the devastating effects of cancer is almost unbearable. He was always her coach, her mentor, her savior, her friend, and the most important person in her life. To see such a strong and forcible man reduced to a frail and helpless figure desecrates May in ways she never thought possible. To watch him die, unbearable. For her, it was unthinkable for the world to exist without her father in it.
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Candace Robinson paints a compelling portrait of what it means to be rescued, both literally and figuratively, by hope, ingenuity, and love in her beautifully written second novel Hearts Are Like Balloons.
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I found myself crying, laughing, thinking, and grateful to Robinson for creating such a sublimely crafted tale. This novel spoke to my heart. The loss of my father and all the feelings I have surrounding it seemed to be written on the pages of this delightful contemporary.
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May does not always get things right, (but seriously, isn't making mistakes how we learn?) but she hangs in there despite the twisted hand of fate she is dealt.
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Robinson has created a treasure that she has graciously shared with the world. Hearts Are Like Balloons will lift spirits and break hearts. I did not want it to end!
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Brilliant, clever, riveting - pick your adjective; they all apply. But do pick up Hearts Are Like Balloons. Just be careful when you pick it up because you won't be able to put it down.
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I received an ARC from the amazing author, Candace Robinson, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you, Candace, for allowing me to experience May's journey (and thus allowing me to relive and re-feel those powerful emotions with the loss of my dad) in Hearts Are Like Balloons.
An expedition led up the mountain in search of answers.
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A demon that has been lying in wait for just the right time to make its presence known to the world.
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A group of people with more secrets and lies than a presidential election.
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A breeding ground for terror.
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I have never read anything by Christopher Golden before, but this will not be the last novel I read that he has penned. From the beginning, I was hooked. The pages racing by like the rapid descent of snow in a churning avalanche. The characters wanting to reach off the page and drag me into oblivion with them. The complex plot weaving and accelerating until the very last page... which left me breathless and sated.
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Golden pulled off a masterful, suspenseful thriller that also incorporated the coming together of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, as well as scientific research and a hodge -podge of intermingled relationships with beauty and grace.
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If you love Lovecraftian type horror, philosophical, biblical, part supernatural, and part psychological horror, this book is for you! This book is like a sweet, slow melting terror candy that you just can't get enough of. This was a 4.5 out of 5 stars read for me and I recommend you not read this novel before you go to bed! Happy reading!
In our current everyday life, war has become the "normal." We have been at war for years with no end in sight. Every day thousands of troops are beingIn our current everyday life, war has become the "normal." We have been at war for years with no end in sight. Every day thousands of troops are being shuffled around the globe in the hope of preventing aggressive escalation.
Having our troops out and about defending us from those who seek to do harm means that families are torn apart. Women lose their husbands. Men lose their wives. Most importantly, children lose a parent.
Children don't understand the concept and reasoning for war. What children understand is that they no longer have the same house and family that they did before. Children suffer without being able to talk to that missing parent. That parent suffers at being ripped away from their home and loved ones, and there is great stress and worry on both ends.
Postcards From A War by Vanita Oelschlager is a heart-warming tale of a young boy whose mother has been deployed overseas, causing him worry, sadness and heartbreak without complete understanding as to why his mother has been sent into a dangerous place away from home.
His grandfather sees his grandson's fear and decides to show him postcards that he himself received from his father during WWII. Such a touching tribute.
Illustrator Mike Blanc does a fantastic job of creating a beautiful and heart-warming tone to complement the delicate issues tackled within.
This 4 out of 5 stars book for me was the second children's book I have had the pleasure to review for this author. Her grasp of children's fears and worries is phenomenal. I highly recommend reading ANY children's book that she pens.
I received and ARC for and honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, and the talented author Vanita Oelschlager for the opportunity to read and review this poignant children's book.
June is LGBTQIA awareness month and a month full of pride it is!
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Something that you may not know about me is that I have a special affinity forJune is LGBTQIA awareness month and a month full of pride it is!
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Something that you may not know about me is that I have a special affinity for children. I am a bit of a "kid magnet." Teaching children to be kind, caring, and tolerant members of society is something we ALL should be invested in.
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In the hopes of making families about FAMILY and not what kind they are, I reviewed an amazing children's book called A Tale Of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager.
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This well-written children's book shows how family, through a child's eyes, is completely unaffected and unburdened by societal or cultural discomforts. It features innocent questions and honest answers between two friends when talking about having two dads.
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The artwork, by Kristin Blackwood and Mike Blanc, is both colorful and engaging. The artwork was produced in a four step process and is described in detail at the back of the book.
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Along with the lesson that family IS just that... family, I found on the back of the book where all profits are to be donated to charitable donations, with preference given to organizations supporting the author's husband's disease, multiple sclerosis. Talk about giving back to the community in multiple ways!
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How could you NOT love a children's book that speaks to kindness, giving, equality, and love?
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I found this book to be a fantastic addition to LGBTQIA awareness, as well as to HUMAN awareness and the importance of family... no matter what the make-up is. This was a 4 out of 5 stars children's book for me, and I hope you too will take the time to read it as well as support one love.
The brain, the beauty, the criminal, the athlete and the outcast.
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Five students walk into detention... but only four walk out.
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Detention wThe brain, the beauty, the criminal, the athlete and the outcast.
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Five students walk into detention... but only four walk out.
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Detention will never be the same... who in the wild world of sports had the opportunity, means, and motive to kill Simon?
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Who put those cell phones in all the backpacks?
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Was that nasty social site the trigger for Simon's death?
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What secret was so bad that they killed someone to keep it hidden?
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What happens when the media decides to hold court... in the news?
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Reading this amazing novel was like watching a train wreck. I had to know which one of those seemingly innocent kids was a pathologic liar as well as a stone cold killer.
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Who did it? The rich kid? The smart kid? The drug dealer? Who had the biggest problem with Simon? I could tell you in a note, but...
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Everyone has secrets, right? Would you kill to protect them?
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And who do you believe? After all... One Of Us Is Lying!
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Did this novel remind me of The Breakfast Club? Why yes, yes it did! In my head, I could see the dancing in the library scene while reading the beginning of this incredible novel.
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I have to be honest and say I was blown away by this well-crafted YA novel, penned by the talented Karen McManus. This is an all in kind of novel. The suspense builds even when you think it just can't get any more suspenseful.
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I gave this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars for being a fun, thrilling, whodunnit novel, that kept me on my toes and kept me guessing all the way to the explosive conclusion. This was a fast read and I highly recommend you spend the day with "The Bayview Murder Club."
This was a 5 out of 5 stars novel for me; as near a perfect emotional ride as you can take.
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How do you review something that ble
This was a 5 out of 5 stars novel for me; as near a perfect emotional ride as you can take.
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How do you review something that blew you away? How do you add words to someone's creation that has prose that should be considered illegal? So beautiful that it drips like honey- thick and sweet- teasing and tempting all at once. A beatific message that you want to rush into and away from all at once, like a whitecap on a tortuous sea. One that sends your emotions simultaneously soaring with the eagles and careening over a cliff.
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This was Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge for me. Not my usual read, but one that was well worth the journey. From the opening lines until the end, this novel provides a wild mouse ride on a wooden roller coaster at 100 miles an hour for your poor strapped in emotions. The WILL dip and they WILL soar, so be ready.
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The castaway theme is one that you think runs in the predictable family, and in some ways it is, but only if you enter this world with blinders on. The subtle messages about life, humanity, and love are the real buried treasures in this repository of wisdom.
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"...not subtracting from the great sum of humanity but quietly adding to it? Love, hope, renewal- such things all spring eternal...."
"Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump . . .
And so on and so on goes the cardiac beat in this polka called life."
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It is the story of Barry and Sophie, both victims of the poor choices of a rum-loving pilot and a well-placed lightning strike. Washed ashore on an island that didn't even exist on a map. A French and American forced alliance.
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"Surely an unremarkable moment for most, but for the man, it is a parting tinged with a tender sadness- he has noticed over the years that even the briefest and most incidental interactions can, with the appreciation of time, take on a far richer meaning."
Castaways on the same island. Forgotten. Days turn into months, that turn into years. that turn into disappointments and saving graces.
"...a place where ships did not pass in the night but actually took heed of your lonesome flares."
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Hucklebridge creates a tale so wondrous that it is truly a gift. Don't be marooned on the island of "I let this pass me by." Grab Castle of Water and ride the rising and ebbing tides of this heart-wrenching read. You won't be sorry you did.
I must say that one of the best experiences when reading a book is the sensory aspects. The quiet promise in the bookstore. The smell of a new book. TI must say that one of the best experiences when reading a book is the sensory aspects. The quiet promise in the bookstore. The smell of a new book. The graphic artistry on the cover. The feel of the page as it turns in your hand. This book has AMAZING artistry on the cover and the page stock is that perfect stiff thickness, just below a cardstock that makes reading and holding the book a treat! This was definitely a total sensory experience and for me, that makes book reading and reviewing all the more magnificent. Now... on to your regularly scheduled reviewing (The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve) already in progress. :-)
Wet.
Have you ever just wished it would stop raining? You know, from one of those week long rains that feel like it will never go away? Grace, the main character knows all about that. Her life feels like rain. Wet. Unending chores. No end in sight.
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Dry.
What about those times in your life when you just wished it would rain? When things feel heavy...stagnant...brittle.
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Fire.
Cleansing. For Grace, when fire comes to her small coastal town in Maine, it destroys everything in its path. She must flee to the comfort of the sea and pray to save her two small children, and her unborn baby. Does the fire really destroy all?
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An unhappy marriage, a missing husband, the loss of her home and all her belongings, combined with the loss of an unborn child to the raving effects of a fire may just be the cleansing that Grace needed. Can she rebuild after so much chaos?
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For the first time, Grace must stand on her own and face the music...HEAR the music even.
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For the first time, maybe even experience love.
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Until something threatens to take Grace back into the fire.
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I am not one for an overly romantic book. The Stars Are Fire was such a refreshing novel for me. Emotional, creative, but not over the top sappy. I devoured this book in less than a day. The writing is amazing, the plot believable and the characters I expected to pop off the page and sit with me awhile. This was a 4.5 out of 5 stars read for me. I truly hope that you, too, enjoy The Stars Are Fire by the talented Anita Shreve. This was the first of her novels I have ever read, and it won't be the last!
Avery Foster has grown up in a life of wealth and privilege. Her father is a senator and she is an accomplished attorney. As her father (a well respecAvery Foster has grown up in a life of wealth and privilege. Her father is a senator and she is an accomplished attorney. As her father (a well respected Senator) is set to go through chemotherapy, she leaves her job as a U.S. District Attorney to work alongside him while he goes through treatment. While at a publicity engagement at a nursing home, Avery has a chance encounter with a mysterious woman who mistakes her for family. This encounter leads her to speak with her grandmother, (suffering from memory loss due to dementia) who provides cryptic remarks that set in motion an investigation into the Stafford family past.
In 1939, Rill and her siblings live a bohemian lifestyle with their parents on a shanty boat in the river. Her family is close-knit, and happy on their When their mother is taken to the hospital during a difficult birth, Rill and the others are taken to a children's home with the promises of seeing their parents again. This sets in motion years of danger and cruelty for all of them.
The children have unknowingly become part of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, run by notorious child trafficker Georgia Tann who kidnapped children and sold them to wealthy families. From Rill’s story, we learn about the children, many of whom were living in river shanty boats or other very low-income type housing who were stolen away from their parents. The children were treated terribly and families were ripped apart. The children lived in terrible conditions and most were malnourished. Some of the children were both emotionally and physically abused.
The story is both heartbreaking and soul-affirming. It is about family-both those you are born with, and those who love you like family. The story is written from two points of view, that of Rill, later named May by her adoptive parents and Avery, the daughter of a senator whose grandmother is now in a nursing home. The writing is exceptional and the two story lines keep the reader puzzled as to how they will connect, which makes this a very engaging read. I recommend this book to everyone who likes to read a well-written character driven novel with a suspenseful atmosphere and historical details.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the talented author Lisa Wingate for the opportunity to read this amazing, emotionally satisfying tale.
This Silent Corner, by Dean Koontz, is the start of a new thriller series - featuring Jane Hawk- and is an interesting departure from his typical horrThis Silent Corner, by Dean Koontz, is the start of a new thriller series - featuring Jane Hawk- and is an interesting departure from his typical horror/supernatural genre. This was a 4 out of 5 stars read for me.
Jane Hawk is a strong female character, and Koontz outdid himself in her character. Staying true to most of Koontz’s good guys, Jane does the right thing regardless of the personal cost. She’s smart, courageous, and determined. She's a real badass, but with a heart. She won’t hesitate to kill but will do so only if unavoidable and completely necessary.
After Jane’s husband unexpectedly dies by suicide, she discovers a sharp increase in unexplained death by suicide across the country. (What a terrible thing to discover!) In true thriller style, as Jane probes into why there is this sudden increase, she finds her life in danger from people who will stop at nothing to prevent her from discovering the truth. She decides to take a leave from the FBI and invest her time in the quest for answers. There is lots of edge-of-your-seat action while she attempts to evade the bad guys.
The book starts off with a bang but does get slightly wordy and bogged down. Some of the book I just wanted to skip ahead and find the next action scene (which there is plenty of action to read.) This is an extremely well-written novel! (It is Dean Koontz, what more would you expect?) The book does leave you cliff hanging and waiting for the next installment to be written. This is an excellent book for those who like a good chase, thrill ride, or just love Dean Koontz.
I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Many thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley as well as Dean Koontz for allowing me the opportunity to read this new side of an author that I dearly love.
Being in the medical field for most of my adult life, I have seen, handled and been around more dead bodies I rated this a 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5.
Being in the medical field for most of my adult life, I have seen, handled and been around more dead bodies than I would ever care to try to count up. Mind you, I have never been “grave robbing,” or as this novel is titled “Digging In The Dark,” but being in an emergency and trauma setting in the hospital lends itself to a lot of undesirable outcomes, with the most common being death.
In the medical field, there is always a need for cadavers and cadaver labs to educate those doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. in the most current and relevant way of caring for the patients as they need treatment. I am sure that in an everyday household, one does not think about where these cadavers might come from.
Ben Johnson does an amazing job of walking us through history and how the procurement of cadavers for medical school has evolved throughout time. He explores how times changed from taking the bodies of convicts that died to sell as cadavers to medical school to how this led to the unfortunate crime of murder for money. This is not his only focus, for his book is deeply rooted in the macabre activity of grave robbing, and he has quite a few detailed tales to tell.
While you may be thinking OH NO NOT ANOTHER HISTORY BOOK, I’ve FINISHED school!! Who could NOT love a book that includes fun facts about what kinds of crimes were punishable by hanging? I had two personal favorites.
The first being, “being in the company of gypsies for a month or more.” So… you could hang out with them for three weeks but for heaven sake, DON’T LOSE TRACK OF TIME! If you do, you will hang from your neck by a “short jump” (one not intended to break your neck, but rather to allow you to die by suffocation) until you are dead.
The second being, “strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7-14 years of age.” WHOA!! Calm down all you parents out there!!! This was back in the 1800’s, and you can’t hang your children for being pains in the ass anymore!
He does recount another tale of John Bartendale, who was hung for 45 minutes from his neck, buried, and then found still alive and banging around in his buried casket. Talk about the walking dead! I am thinking that good for this gentleman that the judge saw things his way and chose NOT to rehang him from the neck, stating that his sentence of “hung from the neck until dead” was carried out, and they pardoned him from all his crimes. (I hope that Bartendale decided that a redo meant to walk the straight and narrow path. Can you imagine being hung twice?)
Johnson also includes the famous case of Burke and Hare who made killing a profitable business by selling their recent victims to Dr. Knox, who promptly used the bodies in his cadaver lab, not asking, nor caring where the recently departed had come from. In total, Burke and Hare produced 16 bodies to Dr. Knox, and only one of these souls died from natural causes. The most interesting part of this story for me is how once convicted, Burke was sentenced to death by hanging (Europe loved their hangings), and then his body ordered to be used in the same cadaver labs he had taken his victims to. There, the surgeon dipped his pen in the blood from Burke's head and wrote with it on parchment paper as if writing with ink, and they tanned his skin and made a book from it, as well as they made a death mask of his face. (Um, and they were mad at Burke for smothering victims?)
This is a fascinating compendium containing many rich tales of grave robbers and their victims (including children) that comes with first-hand accountings by newspapers and journals dated from the time of the robbing. I did not, however, find a source page, however, I was reading an ARC, and the print copy may have had one included. If you enjoy a good macabre story and like it even better if it’s true, then this novel is for you!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, Pen & Sword Publishers, and the thorough and grizzly author Ben Johnson for an opportunity to read about the dark activity of grave robbing. ...more
Mormama, by Kit Reed, is a Southern Gothic haunting set in Jacksonville, Florida. This tale starts ouI rated this between a 2.5 and 3 stars out of 5.
Mormama, by Kit Reed, is a Southern Gothic haunting set in Jacksonville, Florida. This tale starts out with Dale, (who knows what his real name is, as he has just chosen one when he can’t remember his own), a down on his luck drifter that has been in an accident that has taken his memories. When he receives his clothes from the hospital, he finds a USB drive in his jacket pocket, and an address printed on a notecard in his pocket. (How ominous, right?)
Dale shows up at the address hoping that something, or someone, will spark his memories. So he does what every person would do, and sneaks into the basement of this house he knows nothing about. (I mean, I do that kind of thing every day, don’t you?) There, he is discovered by young Theo, who DOES live in this house, and Theo does what every 13-year-old boy who finds a stranger in the dark, in the basement, would do… he tells him a grizzly story of a three-year-old burning to death in the same spot Dell is setting up camp in. (And Dell decides he is going to stay here because burned up toddlers are just run of the mill these days, I guess.)
We then are introduced to the trio of evil Aunts that reside in the house, (Ivy, Iris, and Rosemary) who rule the house with tyrannical might. Iris and Rosemary are the twins, and Ivy is the “cripple” that is shunned and treated badly by “General” Aunt Iris and “Warden” Aunt Rosemary. These women have taken in Lane (Little Elena) and her son Theo (who the Aunt’s call Teddy after their burned nephew) after Lane’s husband abandons them and leaves them penniless. They have returned to the house on May Street- (and the Aunt’s)- hoping to recover Lane’s inheritance and move away from the awful house on May Street. Little does Lane know that the aunts have taken her inheritance and fed it to the all-consuming house.
We also get introduced to Mormama, the main attraction for the book. Mormama is referred to as “one more Mama than we need.” She begins whispering to Theo and telling him that evil and bad things happen to the men in the house, and to “get out while you still can.”
“Some of us are trapped here blood of my blood.”
She goes on to tell him how her daughter and her mother have brought something “evil” into the house and that she is meant to keep everyone safe.
“I am either subject to undercroft or fixed in place to oppose it, but there is nobody living or dead who can tell me which.”
All of this was such a wonderful premise. It drew me in like sweet southern tea being sipped on a rocker on a slow Southern night. I was excited! Then, I was determined. Finally, I knew that my tea had gone bitter, the air was too thick and humid, and there were spiders in my rocking chair. (EEK!)
The book was told from alternating points of view and in alternating character chapters. I found that I REALLY disliked Theo and all of his use of the *F* word. For a thirteen-year-old boy, he dropped that word like he owed it child support. It was so overused, that I found it VERY distracting from the story line. Some of the writing was choppy and hard to read. Even Mormama’s character (who should have been the star) started to drive me crazy. There are some plot twists and some really good moments in this book, but what I thought I was getting to read, and what I did read were such different animals that it was jarring. This novel had such great potential. The characters (including using the house as a character… totally could have been incredible) had such great potential. My only thought is that the house, like everything else that came across it, must have eaten the brilliant writing.
I received an ARC for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and Kit Reed for the opportunity to read Mormama.
A soldier. A doctor. How do you reconcile the two? Especially in a war-torn country when doctors are to "do noThis was a 4 out of 5 stars read for me.
A soldier. A doctor. How do you reconcile the two? Especially in a war-torn country when doctors are to "do no harm," but a soldier must "shoot to kill." This was an interesting read from a man that had to experience both. How do you ever live with yourself once you have had to live on both sides of the battle lines? What do you do once you have suffered a catastrophic medical condition and can no longer do either? How do you define yourself then? Where do you put your memories, your anger, your frustration and even your grief and loss when you CAN'T leave it on a battlefield? When your LIFE becomes the battlefield? Join Jon Kerstetter on his journey to hell and back in his emotional novel Crossings and bear witness to his struggles once released on September 5, 2017.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, Crown Publishing Group, and Jon Kerstetter for the opportunity to visit both sides of this difficult encounter. ...more
This was a 3.5 to 4 stars read for me, so I rounded up!
The tragedy of bullying. One day. From the start of the school day until the last bell rings. OsThis was a 3.5 to 4 stars read for me, so I rounded up!
The tragedy of bullying. One day. From the start of the school day until the last bell rings. Osei was changing schools and not for the first time. This was Osei first day at another new school. His diplomat father had moved them, again. Osei was respectful and extremely intelligent. He was in 6th grade. He was also the only black student in a school where race was an issue. Dee was assigned to escort Osei around the school.
Dee was one of the most popular girls at her school. She and Osei hit it off. (Why wouldn’t they?) Not everyone was happy that the two got along so well. Jealousy causes many a dangerous rift, and Ian, the school troublemaker, had his eyes on this new friendship. This was the start of the bullying.
As is sometimes the case, the adults did not see correctly what was going on in the school, and those to blame refuse to take responsibility. Reputations become injured, children and their feelings are seriously hurt, and it appears that someone’s death will be unavoidable.
This was an exquisitely written and emotionally charged read. It is a reminder of how young children see and perceive events. How important friendship and belonging is to a young person. How easily they can be swayed and made to believe the worst in others. Most importantly, how young children don’t see beyond the “now” and think that these feelings will last “forever.” Such a wonderful novel on the important issue of bullying.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I would like to thank Netgalley, Hogarth Publishers, and the talented author Tracy Chevalier for the opportunity to read and review such a poignant novel. ...more
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