Maybe instead of a new reading challenge for 2018, Goodreads could implement a “yay for yFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Maybe instead of a new reading challenge for 2018, Goodreads could implement a “yay for you, you finally finished writing all of your 2017 reviews in March” award because at this point that’s probably how long it will be until I catch up. My apologies. At least this one was read at the end of the year instead of October or November.
I’m sure The Hookup would have hit my radar at some point, but the fast-forward button of me neeeeeeeeding to read it was pressed after seeing Val’s review. It wasn’t the amount of Starzzzzz she offered up because she is most definitely more able to enjoy things than I am a lot of the time. However, the comparison to Motorcycle Man made me say . . . .
Except, you know, not GENTLEMAN since Val isn’t a dude. Or gentle. But I digress. I read this on New Year’s Eve since I am old and have no life and let me tell you, it was the perfect piece of fluff to read on what is most everyone else’s drunken stumbly holiday . . . . .
K.A. has been a hit or miss author with me, but this one hit all of the right buttons right from the jump . . . .
“I woke up to the sound of a ceiling fan. I did not have a ceiling fan.”
That right there is what I call a “you had me at hello moment.” If the first line of a book has my lip quirking up to a grin, things might work out okay. Then I got to meet the leading man who was very much . . . . .
And that sure as heck didn’t hurt anything. Especially after learning his name. Johnny. Now, if you are of a certain age and your old horndog radar doesn’t instantly go beep with a leading man named Johnny, you might want to go see your gynecologist because your vagine is probably broken. All you other old grannies know what’s up, don’t you????
Yeah. That’s right. Good luck not wanting to make all the sexuals at the mere mention of the name “Johnny.” Fair warning: Johnny is (what I assume, since I've read but a blip on her billion novel playlist) a stereotypical Ashley leading male – he’s “that guy” which means he has a bit of an alpha streak. Good news this time around he’s more of “that guy” in the form of chipping in and lending a hand rather than being a bossy buttface. Even better news is the leading lady isn’t someone you’ll want to punch in the face. She goes into this “relationship” with Johnny with realistic expectations . . . .
“It was two breakfasts, two dinners, one phone conversation, one text exchange and lots of sex. Get over yourself.”
Best news yet??? These two actually talk when there’s an issue . . . .
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m not stupid. I’m not going to mess that up by being upset about something and letting it fester and get twisted before I talk to you about it. I mean . . . . yeesh.”
If you read a lot of romance novels you’ll know that never happens and this thing is like a mother effing unicorn. It also has what may go down as my favorite romance quote of all time . . . .
“Scarlett wanted Ashley. He went for Melanie. And Melanie was the finest being in that book. Even Rhett adored Melanie. Scarlett gets all the attention because the woman is the diva to end all divas. But there ain’t nothing wrong with being Melanie. Far from it. She was just as strong as Scarlett but a whole lot quieter about it, which is strength in itself.”
Boom. That right there is gospel. And dare I forget the reason we all really pick up stories like this. The sex??????
I’ve been putting ice cubes in my underwears ever since I finished trying to cool things down so I don’t spontaneously combust.
4 Stars rather than 5 because there’s only so many times I need to hear about “curlicue ironwork” on shabby chic furniture or about a “beautifully crocheted throw” and because Val told a bit of a white lie and there are more “honeys” than she remembered and also because there was a little extra drama thrown in at the end that was stoopid.
As always, my undying gratitude goes to the pornbrarian for being the dealer of smut - my drug of choice. Name the time and place and I'll deliver my firstborn over to you. Warning: he ain't as sweet as he used to be but he's still aiiiight....more
If so, this one kinda actually fits the comparison since it’s about a man who wakes up only to discover his wife is not in bed. Turns out she isn’t in the kitchen dutifully making his breakfast either, which in my house would probably earn him a . . . .
Okay, so Lie To Me definitely wasn’t terrible. I enjoyed Gone Girl so this one having a bit of the same vibe was A-okay for me. It was quite the page turner and I can’t say I ever lost interest despite it being a bit lengthier than most domestic thrillers. The thing that lost me? All the “twists and turns.” Unfortunately I saw all of them coming from about a block and a half away, excluding the one on the very last page and that one left me feeling . . . . .
It was just too much. And I’m still not positive it makes sense when it comes to all the other things that happened in the book. But I probably just read it wrong.
The part that I absolutely read right (and the reason this gets a full 3 Stars rather than 2.5) was the “Badly Behaving Author” subplot. Ripped straight out of the pages of Goodreads (or True Reads or some such that I can’t remember because I forgot to highlight the name used in this book and I have old lady brain and now the library copy has expired), many of you will recognize the similarities to an actual event that took place here around four years ago when an author not only responded to a 1 Star review, but ended up at the reviewer’s doorstep. In my fantasy world J.T. Ellison is a pen name for that author – especially when I got to the part that (view spoiler)[theorized the entire thing was a stunt which I always had niggling at the back of my head during the real event when it came out that both the author was potentially cray as well as the reviewer being a possible Catfish. (hide spoiler)] It doesn’t appear that’s the case, but it didn’t make that part of the story less enjoyable. ...more
Amelia’s life changed when a severe head trauma left her without hearing. Caught in a downward spiral of alcohol, Amelia lost her job, her husband and her stepdaughter. Now she’s trying to get her life back on track. With the help of her therapy dog, Stitch, a new job and a new addiction to kayaking rather than the bottle, things are looking up for Amelia. When Amelia and Stitch discover the dead body of someone she used to be friends with, she can’t help but try and figure out the “whodunit” herself.
As I said above, if you don’t mind an amateur sleuth who potentially puts herself in harm’s way time and again and you have a family who doesn’t take your book away from you due to all of your yelling of things like “DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR!” or . . . .
You’ll find a well-written, fast paced thriller that doesn’t require a lot of twists and turns in order to be a real page turner. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – I dig this Harlequin mystery line of books. I don’t think I’ve picked up a bad one yet....more
“This story you’re reading once started out as a perfectly ordinary, everyday tale. UnFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“This story you’re reading once started out as a perfectly ordinary, everyday tale. Until, very suddenly, it wasn’t. This is how it went.”
Grist Mill Road should have been included in my “Best Of” yearly wrap up for 2017. EDIT: Fuck it. I’m adding it. The part that sucks is, this is one of those tales where the less said, the better. I’ll let the book do the talking and you can see if it might be something that would tickle your fancy . . . .
“There is more to this story than meets the eye.”
That’s for sure. In case you aren’t my friend here, I did something I rarely do and posted a status update while I was reading this. That update happened at the 4% mark and I looked like this . . . .
To sum things up in the most basic manner possible, Grist Mill Road is . . . .
“a tale that begins with a toy gun and ends with the real thing.”
I didn’t really know anything before I tried to get my hands on a copy of this book other than my friend Michelle gave it all the stars. I figured the worst that would happen was I would be told no (per usual) and I’d add it to both the mountain which is my TBR list and also to one of my nuisance emails to the local bibliotech where I beg them to order things for my poor ass. To say it blew me away is an understatement. The blurb references an Atonement-esque quality to the story. I’ll take it a step further. If Mystic River and Atonement had a baby it would be pretty near effing perfect. It might be this book. Shelved frequently on GR as a “mystery/thriller,” that is a moniker that really sells Grist Mill Road short. If you “read it right” (hehehe like I always do) the mystery will become ancillary and your focus will be on the people themselves and their stories rather than that surrounding the superbadawful. Once again, the book says it perfectly all on its own . . . .
“Labels are for soup cans.”
6 Stars. I mean 5. Whatever.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!...more
I grabbed this from the library after seeing my friend HFK's review a week or so ago when I was looking for something new to listen to on the drive to and from work. This fit perfectly into my 15-20 commute window and I was able to finish it in just a couple of days. While there's nothing real deep about this selection, if you like Betty White - you should like it just fine. And if you don't like Betty White?????
A book hangover, that is. It appears a handful of my friends read Rabbit Cake this past Spring, but GR must have been glitchy (or maybe I was sleep-scrolling then) because I don’t remember hearing anything about it until just last week when my real-life friend (hard to believe, but yes I do have like two of them) said she thought it might be right up my alley. If you’re reading this, let me say THANK YOU REGINA!
Things have been a little rough ever since Eva (the Babbitt wife and mother) died. Now, Elvis spends her time trying to figure out what really happened to her mother, Livvie is a potential danger to herself (and sometimes the entire family) every night when she sleep-eats and their Dad walks around wearing their mom’s robe and lipstick while caring for the new love of his life – a parrot named Earnest whose voice sounds exactly like their dearly departed loved one. Rabbit Cake is a story about the grieving process, told by a family who is just . . . .
“trying to be good.”
Warning to all readers: If you plan on enjoying a slice of Rabbit Cake the first thing you’re going to have to do is resign yourself to the fact that Elvis is a 10-year old trapped in a 147 year old’s body. Not literally, of course, but there has never been a human born who has the wisdom and insight and humor as our young heroine, here. If you can allow yourself to let go and enjoy and the ride, you’ll find one of the most delightful dysfunctional families since the Bluths or Belchers.
We’re talking people who will make you laugh out loud . . . .
“How is she doing?”
“She’s dead.”
“Oh my God,” he said.
“Thanks for the help.”
And, as much as I hate admit, maybe look like this before you’re finished . . . .
(SPOILER ALERT: (view spoiler)[Their dog dies and yes I did the full out ugly cry during my lunch break. (hide spoiler)])
As you come to the conclusion with the Babbitts that . . .
“Death never makes sense, no matter how someone dies: murder, accident, old age, cancer, suicide, you’re never ready to lose someone you love. I decided death will always feel unexplained; we will never be ready for it, and you just have to do the best you can with what you have left.”
Rabbit Cake is going down as one of my favorites this year (which should serve as Exhibit A on why GR shouldn't push its users into sharing their 2017 wrap-ups so early) and this family is one I won’t ever forget. All the Stars. ...more
WARNING: After take one last peek at what I had written before posting, I realize you have to reaFind all of my reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/
WARNING: After take one last peek at what I had written before posting, I realize you have to read about 117 pages before I actually get to anything about the book. #sorry.
I’m going to begin by saying that (in MY opinion) middle-grade has to be the hardest (fictional) genre to write. There’s just soooooo much that can be going on in this age range. Maybe they’ve already hit puberty, maybe they haven’t – maybe they have parents who let them watch R-rated movies, maybe they are still only allowed to watch Pixar flicks because they haven’t reached that magical number “13” (or ten-plus-three as young Matthew in our story here would say). I mean, there’s just no middle-ground when it comes to this in-between age. Even we parents are often lost thinking stuff like: “Am I really going to let this kid play GTA??? Isn’t that the one where he can earn money by being a pixelated drug dealer or pimp????” Only to find out that yes, that is the right game, but he and his buddies spend all their allowance buying these cards that give them fake money so they don’t have to do anything nefarious in order to drive DeLoreans. #ihavenoideawhatimdoingasaparent
This no idea what I’m doing state of child rearing is what led me to dabbling in more middle-grade books. It’s also what made me realize how hard it must be to write something that isn’t too babyish or too adult or too benign or too offensive. Mad props to the authors who can pull it off. Authors like Lisa Thompson here.
I’ll admit I was an insta-sell on wanting to read this as soon as I saw the comparison to . . . .
Rear Window is hands down my favorite movie of all time. Like I love it so much I am pretty sure I was able to channel all of my brain power and make it be on television one time when we just had switched over to satellite and I lost my DVR of it and I needed to get it re-recorded stat for my insomniac viewing pleasure. I used to fantasize about living in a place like L.B. Jefferies’ apartment . . . .
That didn’t end up happening, but I do have a sick fascination of driving around as the passenger in the dark during the holiday season and crossing my fingers for open doors and curtains so I can peep into people’s houses and see their Christmas decorations. #notsorry #arentyougladyoudontlivenearme
All that being said, a comparison to Rear Window is a major double-edged sword because if I hate it, I will hate it exponentially. Luckily for Ms. Thompson she had nothing to worry about.
The story here is of a young boy named Matthew who stopped going to school or outside or almost anywhere other than his room and the “office” of his family’s home. Matthew is no longer able to be around things he can’t guarantee are germ free – including things like Nigel the cat. Well, okay, Nigel the cat was probably always disgusting and hard to be around, but even that relationship has become more strained. Now - when he’s not cleaning, that is – Matthew passes the time watching the neighborhood from his two upstairs vantage points. It’s from there that he takes note of something very important . . . .
“12:55 p.m. That time was important. I don’t know why it stuck in my mind but it did, even without writing it down. At some point after 12:55 p.m. on that bright, scorching day, Teddy Dawson went missing.”
It’s now up to Matthew (and an unlikely assistant or two) to decipher all of Matthew’s observations in order to help the police solve the case of the missing toddler.
As I said before, Lisa Thompson really hit this one out of the park. Matthew’s OCD was soooooo believable and I never felt like I was being hit over the head about him being a little “different” for lack of a better term (I’m looking at YOU here Ginny Moon). His sleuthing was also realistic. Although he was playing a bit of amateur detective he wasn’t allowed to get in the way of the police, for obvious reasons, but he also had a compulsion to not let something happen to this little boy on his watch (and his reasoning makes sense, is hinted at/eventually explained throughout the book). Goldfish Boy is a book for kids and parents both to enjoy. It gets all the stars....more
“Surfers live by the rules of the wind and moon, because the wind controls how big theFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“Surfers live by the rules of the wind and moon, because the wind controls how big the waves are, while the moon pulls the tide back and forth like a puppet on a string.”
This might have possibly earned its fifth star for being a “right place at the right time” kind of read, but I can’t imagine a universe where it would have scored less than four from me. If you know me (and Mitchell), you are aware that we enjoy a little . . . okay a lot of despair when it comes to some of our fave reads. What can I say????
The Tribes of Palos Verdes first appeared on my radar on one of those “books that will soon be a movie” lists that I am addicted to. I immediately wanted to read it simply for the cover . . .
But alas, the library didn’t have it. When the movie trailer popped up as an advertisement over on the Faceplace, I went looking to the library once again. I even gave up one of my seemingly endless porny book requests in order to beg them to buy this one. (I’m pretty sure they bought it simply to encourage me to not be such a perv all the time.)
The Tribes of Palos Verdes delivered misery in spades. Told from 15-year old Medina’s perspective, this is the story of what happens when her family transplants itself from the Midwest to an exclusive Palos Verdes neighborhood. A place filled with humble abodes such as the following and Average Joe types of neighbors like Donald Trump and the missus . . . . .
From a philandering father to a mentally unstable mother to a brother who attempts to fade into the woodwork via drugs to her own sad tale of being used (and abused), this story pulled no punches. I am always appreciative of authors who don’t feel the need to waste words, and Joy Nicholson delivers a real wallop here in barely over 200 pages. I also appreciate genre benders and The Tribes of Palos Verdes fits that bill as well as it appears it was originally released as an adult novel, but will definitely find its own tribe with older teens who like their fiction a little gritty.
Sidenote about the film: If Jennifer Garner can pull off this role I will eat my hat. ...more
Today sucks and there are only two of us at work to do everything that normally 5 people Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Today sucks and there are only two of us at work to do everything that normally 5 people do and some bitch has already tried to throw me under the bus for SOMETHING I DIDN’T EVEN FUCKING DO!!!! and my computer just SHUT DOWN without me even touching the G.D. thing so why don’t we not talk about this book for a minute in order for me to calm myself down before I pull an Office Space on this mah fah . . . .
Okay, so it was a Christmas miracle and the pornbrarian™ (new word) decided to give me the best present ever in the form of buying this entire series. Up to this point I had scored the first for free from Amazon and got the third from the porny library. My experience proves that (1) you can totally read these out of order and it will matter zero and (2) beards are guuuuuuuud.
Grin and Beard It is the second book in the Winston Brothers series and focuses on brother Jethro . . . .
“Oh, Ranger Jethro. You are so adorable. I just want to take you home and put you in my pocket.”
I want to take him home and put him somewhere too. And it’s near my pocket . . . .
I’m sure all of these books follow the same script – boy meets girl/boy and girl shouldn’t be together for whatever reason/slow roller of a romance/big shebang. This one had the bonus of Jethro not liking Jennifer Sylvester and her stupid fucking banana cakes so I was on his team all the way. That might be partially to blame on my oldest’s newly acquired taste in “country” music (country in quotes, because as much as he would never admit it, this new stuff is like straight up boy band music with a little twang – there’s no Waylan or Johnny in the mix, fo sho!). Anyway, don’t hate ‘cause I ain’t knocking it. I’ve found myself turning the ol’ Pandora over to the Florida Georgia Line plenty and that’s where I met a young'un named Sam Hunt who sings songs that make me wanna sploosh my pants and who could have easily fit the role of Jethro here . . . .
Come to Momma! I mean, assuming you’re old enough for me to want you to come to momma, that is.
This second book ended up being a fine time for me. Jethro was hawt and I didn’t want to punch Sadie in the throat so that was a bonus. The only teensie gripe I have are authors who promise “fat” girls who wind up being described as looking exactly like this . . . .
But until authors stop making their “fat” leading ladies top out at a 12 or 14, the cycle isn’t going to be broken. Penny Reid had the perfect opportunity here to go bigger. I mean, does Ashley Graham really come to mind when you think of “everyone’s favorite funny ‘fat’ lady????” The correct answer is no, because THIS LADY does . . . .
Anyway, that’s a seriously minor quibble so I will zip it and hope my turn comes around for all of the other brothers in the Winston household fairly quickly while I wait with baited breath along with all the other horny housewives for Billy’s story . . . .
I haven’t been able to break the “10 reviews behind” mark these last couple of mFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
I haven’t been able to break the “10 reviews behind” mark these last couple of months and since this one already has 10,000 it probably doesn’t need whatever idiocy I can spew out about it to help sell more copies, so I’m going to barf out something real quick here in order to (hopefully) not spend the first half of 2018 trying to play catch up.
In A Dark Dark Wood is a book that I spent the better part of the year waiting for my turn to come around at the library. Miracle of all miracles, somehow I managed to remember that I wanted to read this simply due to the title/cover, but also managed to not spoil myself about anything regarding the story. That’s probably a good thing, because even though in the back of my brain I knew this was a mystery, when I settled down to read it one dreary Saturday morning I got lost in the story and gave zero farts about trying to figure out all of the whos/whens/whats/whys/hows. I was just kind of digging the goings on at the Hen Weekend.
If you’re looking for a real thrill-ride of a book, you might find yourself disappointed. The actual “whodunit” and other reveals were exactly what I thought they would be having watched Lifetime Television for Women for a bigly amount of years. What made this one work was all in the storytelling. ...more
Althea & Oliver is a different take on the best friends-to-lovers trope. A very different take. IFind all of my reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/
Althea & Oliver is a different take on the best friends-to-lovers trope. A very different take. I’m not going to waste any time or words on dealing with anything other than . . . .
The story here is that Althea and Oliver have been best friends since their first game of Candyland when they were six years old. When Oliver develops a strange illness . . . .
Bottom line is: Althea rapes Oliver. There’s no other way to say it. Oliver has a (so far) undiagnosed case of Kleine-Levin Syndrome (a/k/a Sleeping Beauty Syndrome) where he suddenly falls asleep and stays that way for an indefinite period of time. Sometimes he “wakes up” to use the bathroom, or to eat, but he’s never really conscious. Althea has been duped by Oliver before – accompanying him to the Waffle House when she thought he was back, only to have him eat his weight in breakfast and throw an absolute fit before falling asleep again. When Oliver and Althea attend a party which leads to their first make-out session where Oliver says he isn’t ready to take things further, only to once again succumb to one of his spells in short order, Althea knows the hypersexual Oliver she meets when he “wakes up” is simply a doppelganger of sorts. But that doesn’t stop her from having sex with him : (
Upon Oliver’s actual awakening, he can feel something is wrong, and when Althea is forced to confess he doesn’t want anything to do with her. And that is the part where a story that was well on its way to being 5 Stars simply for being such a THINKER of a tale dropped to a mediocre 3 because . . . . .
It got boring. And super unrealistic. I’m not going to even bother talking about it – let’s just say Althea’s time in New York? Ugh.
Since I’m not the target audience for this story, that may strictly be my issue, though. As I said before this still really was a real thinker of a book that should serve to open up the lines of communication regarding grey areas (for lack of a better term) of sexual encounters. At best, Althea taking Oliver’s virginity could be called dubious consent (I don’t even think you could call it that, but I’m willing to play devil’s advocate). But there’s also a question of “what if?” What if Althea said no or tried to stop Oliver because he wasn’t really Oliver and he couldn’t be stopped because he wasn’t really Oliver. She couldn’t do anything to stop him at a restaurant, would she be able to stop him in his bedroom? Obviously we’ll never know the answer since it wasn’t written that way, but it’s a pretty creepy thing to think about that would have changed the story 100%. Would readers be more sympathetic to Althea as a female being raped than they are of Oliver who (even in the book) receives “atta boys” rather than an OHMYGODGOTOTHEPOLICEIMMEDIATELY reaction? And what about Althea’s case of “buyer’s remorse” (again, for lack of a better term) when she decides to have sex with the über creeper Coby only to beat the shit out of him the next day? Althea appeared to be a willing participant – but she was also intoxicated so could she consent? These are topics parents need to be discussing with their children – especially in the current environment today. If it takes something fictional to be a jumping off point for your family’s discussions, this might be a winner. ...more
I’ve made it very clear I’m not a big fan of fictional shorts in general, and I really stFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I’ve made it very clear I’m not a big fan of fictional shorts in general, and I really struggle with collections of them. That being said, now that I’m attempting to dabble in audiobooks they really are the perfect fit for my short commute so I probably need to suck it up and start enjoying them more. All I can really say about Uncommon Type is it was completely adequate for my 15 minute, twice a day listening pleasure. I have been a fan of Tom Hank since I was knee-high to a grasshopper and he starred in (what I now realize was really freaking edgy) my favorite sitcom Bosom Buddies. I’ve loved him ever since and had zero doubt that he would be able to spin a yarn. And that he did. Seventeen of them to be exact. Each very distinct (excluding reference to a typewriter) and perfectly pleasant, just like “America’s Dad” . . . .
My friend Jilly gets the credit (blame???) for this one after posting a review for Matchpoint, the second in this series, that she had picked up in order to “decompress” from some stabbier selections. I thought that sounded like a good idea and it became an instantly better idea when I found out this first one was available on the ol’ Kindle for free. That is perfect for me because . . . .
Then I took a gander at her review for An Affair To Dismember and saw a comparison was made to the Stephanie Plum books, which is the equivalent for me to this . . . .
Jilly wasn’t lying. From a quirky grandma to a “love triangle” (term used EXTREMELY loosely since it is not the dark ages and women are allowed to date more than one man at a time until they D.T.R.), this truly does fall into the “if you like Stephanie, you’ll probably like Gladie” category.
Much like Stephanie, poor Gladie is just trying to make a dollah outta fiteen cent. She sucks at jobs, though, so she’s ended up back at her Grandma’s house in order to learn the family business of matchmaking. (I know, I know, you’re just gonna have to kind of go with it and create some alternate reality in your head that makes this a viable career – like the entire town is in a black hole with no WiFi so they don’t have access to Tinder or match.com.) When the neighbor dies, Gladie doesn’t think much of it – until she goes and pays her respects on the family and gets a little more info . . . .
“I don’t think Randy Terns slipped and hit his head on the table. I think he was murdered. I think someone hit him over the head.”
After that it’s on like bing bong as Stephanie I mean Gladie becomes an amateur supersleuth while finding herself in various over-the-top predicaments . . . .
If you’re looking for something that’s light and funny and could easily be turned into a Hallmark Mystery Channel movie-of-the-week to veg out on while still in your PJs at 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon and while eating your weight in chocolate-drizzled kettlecorn (not that I know anyone who would do something like that), this might be a winner. (Don’t let the 3 Stars fool ya – 3 Stars is about as high as I go when it comes to these types of books. I really did have fun reading it.) Get it for free RIGHT HERE. ...more
This is yet another book with a fairly high rating that I found to be “meh” so I’m going Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
This is yet another book with a fairly high rating that I found to be “meh” so I’m going to channel my inner Old Man Potter before I even start . . . . .
In the land of Goodreads 2 Stars means “it was okay” and that’s exactly what this was to me. I didn’t hate it, so I can’t give it 1 Star, and I started reading with my morning coffee on Sunday and was finished before lunch (while also doing all of the chores I hate and cooking muffins for my growly children) so, if nothing else, it was a quick read. It’s also one that if I say too much I will spoil, so I’m simply going to say when it comes to the storyline . . . .
There was also ZERO character development or feeling in the writing. It was like listening to a record at the wrong speed – it went too fast and had no depth. YMMV, obviously. This was my first experience with Renee Carlino. It appears I might have better luck Swear On This Life so I’ve put that one on hold and will get to it whenever my turn comes around. ...more
Caitlin Hendrix’s childhood was almost ruined by a serial killer. Her father was the lead detective on the case that featured . . . .
“Eleven murders, all unsolved. An UNSUB: the unknown subject who would come to be called the Prophet. He made women stay home instead of going out alone. He made parents bring their children in before it got dark, and keep them inside. For five years, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country lived in fear, dreading the next news bulletin. Waiting for the Prophet’s next victim. Until he disappeared.”
Caitlin’s father nearly lost his sanity as he was consumed by it. Now it’s twenty-five years later and Caitlin has followed in her father’s footsteps when it comes to her choice of career. Maybe more than even she bargained for . . . .
“All these years you thought I was gone. But hell and heaven turn and turn again. Angels fall, the messenger descends, your insolence is harrowed, defiance ends. You wail in fury, but the Equinox delivers pain. It batters like a hurricane. Tremble now—you cannot hide.”
This was a mixed bag when it came to friends' ratings so it kept getting pushed to the backburner. As you can see from my placeholder "review," the only thing that forced me into it was the library message which was the equivalent of a triple-dog dare. When it comes to mysteries, there are two types that I enjoy. These . . . .
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(So much so that I call it the “S7ven Scale”)
I will say I was a bit leery at the start when an “amateur sleuth” of sorts was introduced since this story obviously wasn’t trying to go in the Hallmark Mystery Channel direction. Luckily said sleuth wasn’t immediately deputized, but she did provide believable info that many people with too much spare time on their hands might find themselves trying to obtain so I quickly accepted her character. UNSUB lands at a solid 4 on the S7ven scale and was well on the way to a full 5 until the ending. Those endings – they can be tricky. You can either do a “WHAT’S IN THE BOX” last minute twist that makes everything oh so much better or you can do one like this . . . .
Still, a great story that I never once wanted to put down.
And now for a couple of public service announcements rants since I’m suffering a severe Case of the Mondays:
#1 Dear Goodreads: NO ONE wants a book automatically marked as “read” as soon as they turn the last page or the library takes it back. NO ONE. Stop the effing madness. Especially when it said I finished reading this THIS MORNING and the entire point of me even getting motivated to read the dang blasted thing was I only had Saturday, the 2nd, in which to start AND finish it . . . .
#2 Random Strangers on Social Media: It is December and several different “bookish” places are posting statuses (statii????) about Yearly Reading Challenges along with the magical goal of 100 books. NO ONE forces you to participate in them or that 100 books is a mandatory challenge goal, so take your “but I have a life” or “but I work all day and then am superparent to my minivan full of children and don’t have time to sit around doing nothing but read” and . . . .
Just because YOU don’t want to spend your spare time reading or participate in a challenge for fun doesn’t mean you need to put others who do on blast. You’re probably the first to rant about being “bullied” on social media too. Hypocrites. And on that note, this is my 200th book of the year. Challenge complete . . . .
The only reason I’m not giving this 5 Stars is because I (unfairly) compare every motorcyFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
The only reason I’m not giving this 5 Stars is because I (unfairly) compare every motorcycle book to Hades Hangmen and Motorcycle Man. Don’t let the missing star fool ya, though, ‘cause as soon as I met Liam?????
Number eleventy-seven in my motorbike porn readings, Devil’s Game had a wee different spin on things. The first clue this one was maybe not going to be exactly like the others was the title. While everything else in the series has been Reaper’s This and Reaper’s That, Devil’s Game lets you know immediately that it is, in fact, the “one of these things that is not like the others.” The style wasn’t quite the same (the author flat out says she wrote more of a New Adult vibe rather than straight-up erotica intentionally) and the “Reaper” is lacking in the title since the leading male is not one. Nope, our boy this go ‘round was a real Devil. Devil Jack, that is.
A bigly chunk of the story also covers the same timeline as Reaper’s Legacy when ACTUAL SPOILER AND NOT JUST A TRICK LIKE MY USUAL M.O. COMING UP IN CASE PEOPLE PLAN ON READING THESE IN ORDER AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW ALL OF THE STUFF AND THINGS(view spoiler)[Em and Sophie were kidnapped by the Liam and the Jacks (hide spoiler)]. I’m not sure how many people that will annoy, but I figured it’s worth mentioning. It probably just depends on how much you want to bang Liam. And trust me when I say I want to do allllllll the bang with Liam . . . .
So without spoiling things as per above, the leading lady Em (club President Picnic’s daughter for any other weirdos who like to know all the deets) and Liam have an unusual meet-cute and a real . . . .
“Shitty, shitty first date.”
That results in quite the enjoyable relationship between the two . . . .
“I’m gonna buy a bright red dress to wear to your funeral, Liam.”
“Yeah? Make sure it’s short and shows off your tits.”
That continued to be amusing throughout pretty much the entire story . . . .
“Don’t shoot me by accident, please.”
“I promise. I will never shoot you by accident.”
Even after things got all lovey dovey . . . .
“Love is a word that doesn’t mean a damned thing to me. Em, though? That’s a word that means everything. I’d die for you babe. Kill for you, too.”
It was a breath of fresh air to have a female lead who kicked ass and didn’t take any shit and the NA spin kept things interesting when it came to the zoom zoom parts. There’s little to no chance at this point I’ll be able to avoid Wylde’s other series about the Silver Bastards. She’s got me in her web.
Well, minus the crying. This was rough, but it takes more than a brutal storyline to get me to squirt some tears (more specifically, my period). Living Dead Girl is about – here I’ll just let the book tell you . . . .
“Once upon a time, I did not live in Shady Pines. Once upon a time, my name was not Alice. Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.”
When Alice was 10 years old, her class took a field trip to the local aquarium. Alice got separated from everyone after being disappointed in the lack of dolphins and opting to go see the penguins on her own. It was there that she met a gentlemen who informed her that her class was now watching a movie and he would show her to the theater. Five years have passed since that day. Five years since Alice has seen her mother and father. Five years since she last saw her house at 623 Daisy Lane. Five years of living with Ray . . . .
“You can get used to anything. You think you can’t, you want to die, but you don’t. You won’t. You just are.”
I had never even heard of this book until over the weekend and I’ll be damned if I can remember what “if you liked this, you should try THIS” list it popped up on over at the Faceplace, but I am completely blown away I haven’t seen it over and over again on the Banned Books Week suggestions. To whoever decided to market this as a Young Adult selection, I give you mad props because you must have balls the size of watermelons. I can only assume the pitch was something of a “think of this like a modernized after school special.”
Living Dead Girl is definitely a story each parent will have to decide for themselves if they think their child should read (and I encourage parents to read this first before allowing your kid to check it out). While there are not necessarily specific details given regarding the abuse Alice suffers, that does not make the story less graphic and two-and-two is easily put together regarding all of the goings on. As the story progresses there’s a solid chance questions will arise about some of Alice’s behaviors and what she is willing to do in order to no longer be the focus of Ray’s attention. Not to mention that, much like in real life, a tale like this cannot have a happy ending. Assuming my children would actually read on their own voluntarily, I would probably attempt to keep this one off their TBR until high school. Highly recommended to anyone who thinks they can handle it and zero judgment for anyone who knows they can't....more
Yep. My Christmas situation has escalated to the point where every year when the clocks strikes 12:01 on November 1st I channel my inner Linda Belcher and am ready to get my freak tree-trim on. Along with the dragging, carrying, yanking, pulling, swearing and crying that goes with getting my hoard from the basement to the various areas of my house also comes the annual re-listen to my Darling David telling me tales of Christmases past. The opinions written in my original review below still stand, but I can't imagine a time when I won't have this on audio while I decorate . . . .
If you follow my reading, you’re probably wondering what the hell could have happened to make me rate a Sedaris selection less than every Star. Well, lemma tell ya.
Although I was aware that this is a collection of items pulled from other Sedaris books, many may not so it will appear to be a money grab . . . which it totally is. I don’t really care, though, since (1) I got it from the library so it cost me zero dollars and (2) David Sedaris could take a dump on paper, bind it up, and I’d still buy a copy so I could really give a rip whether this was material I was already familiar with.
I put a hold on the audio version of Holidays On Ice in order to hopefully keep me in the Christmas spirit. You see, usually around the week before Thanksgiving I look a little something like this . . . . .
I want to put Christmas trees in every room of the house and bake and place myself firmly on The Good List. But then December rolls around and I am faced with the daunting task of shopping combined with the busiest time of year at work and I completely lose my mojo and just want to hibernate until the new year. I thought listening to David would at least help me fake it ‘til I make it à la Clark Griswold . . . .
And for the most part it did. David’s tales of his experiences as a “Little Elf” in the “Santaland Diaries” are not to be missed, and the ever present “Six to Eight Black Men” never gets less funny. The problem this time was the inclusion of some fictional shorts in addition to the riotous autobiographical entries. To be fair, even some of them started out funny. Sadly, it seems David doesn’t know when to stop when it comes to fictional works and takes the joke to the point of it being the literary equivalent of a beaten dead horse. Still, those “meh” selections can easily be skipped so you can get to the real gems like those mentioned above, or another favorite of mine: Jesus Shaves. You can read that essay for free HERE or take a listen/look HERE....more
“I don’t find the idea of people or children hurting and killing each other upsetting.Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“I don’t find the idea of people or children hurting and killing each other upsetting. I find it familiar. I find it is home.”
Allow me to share Millie’s mother’s CV:
“Forty-eight-year-old Ruth Thompson was a popular member of staff at the women’s refuge where she worked. Employed as a nurse counselor, she was the main point of contact for the scores of frightened women and their children who were in hiding … Following her arrest, the bodies of eight children were discovered in the cellar of the house and a ninth found in the so-called playground.”
When I found out this was about a girl whose mother was a serial killer I was like . . . .
And when Millie was removed from her mother’s home and placed into foster care only to find herself faced with a real mean girl of a foster sibling I was like . . . .
The only gripe I have? After recently finishing the very "skillet to the face" type of Young Adult novel which was Living Dead Girl, I would have marketed this as YA as well. It earns 4 Stars because I’m pretending it was (it would probably be 3.5 otherwise). Be warned if you are an avid thriller reader that this one may not have all chills and thrills you need to satisfy your stabby side, but it definitely has a lil’ summin’ summin’ . . . . .
“You’re the spit of your mother, they used to say at the women’s refuge you worked at. That’s what I’m afraid of.”...more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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