I really wanted to love this book, but it was just kind of okay for me. I decided to giThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just kind of okay for me. I decided to give it a try after seeing quite a few positive reviews and the fact that it has been named Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year and Amazon’s Best Book of 2023. I saw the book described as a murder mystery and I expected a murder mystery. It would be a stretch to call this book any kind of mystery so my expectations were a bit off.
The story is very well-written. The bulk of the book is set in a small area of Pennsylvania called Chicken Hill during the 1930’s. This area is home to a quirky cast of Black and Jewish residents. Throughout this novel, we meet many characters and learn their backstory. It was interesting to see how interconnected this community was. I liked some characters more than others but I found something interesting in each of their stories.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Dominic Hoffman did a fabulous job with this story. I believe that this is the first time that I have had a chance to listen to this narrator’s work and I was very impressed. He handled the vast cast of characters quite well which helped maintain my interest. I am certain that his performance is a big reason why I liked this book as much as I did, and I hate to admit that I am not sure that I would have finished without his narration.
This book is going to work a lot better for many readers than it did for me. I spent most of the book waiting for someone to die so we could explain the bones found at the very beginning. Unfortunatly, the author doesn’t circle back to those bones until the very end of the story and by then I didn’t care anymore.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Riverhead Books and Penguin Random House Audio....more
I enjoyed this book! This is only the second book written by Steven Rowley that I have This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I enjoyed this book! This is only the second book written by Steven Rowley that I have read and I have really liked both of them. This book focuses on a group of college friends that make a pact to host each other’s funerals while they are alive to appreciate it after losing one of their friends. They get together at various points in their lives, usually when one is experiencing a crisis, to do just that. I loved the focus on friendship and mortality.
I really liked the idea of this group’s living funerals. I don’t remember everything from the time around my dad’s sudden death at a young age but I do remember thinking how much he would have liked to be there to talk to everyone. We get to see these characters at different points in time and I loved how they were there for each other even after spending years apart.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Mr. Rowley did a fantastic job of reading his novel. I have to admit that I am always a bit worried when I see that an author has made the choice to narrate their own book. Not all authors are good narrators but I thought that this author was able to bring the story to life with ease. I do believe that his narration only added to my overall enjoyment.
I would recommend this book to others. I found it to be a compelling story driven by a colorful cast of characters and the bond between them. I hope to read more of this author’s work very soon.
I received a review copy of this book from G.P Putnam’s Sons and Penguin Random House Audio....more
I ended up liking this book but I have to admit that it took me a bit to really get intThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I ended up liking this book but I have to admit that it took me a bit to really get into the story. I knew that this book was going to be about someone who plays tennis but I was a little surprised by just how much tennis is in the book. I have never really watched tennis so it took me a minute to adjust to this sport that I don’t know a lot about taking center stage in the story. Once Carrie grew up a little bit, she grew on me and I did come to appreciate the story.
Carrie has always played tennis and she is determined to be the best and refused to accept anything less. I loved seeing just how much she put into the game during her eventual rise to the top. Carrie grew a lot over the course of the story and I loved the woman that she became as the story drew to a close. Carrie’s relationship with her father is a huge part of the story. He not only is her father but also her coach and they do go through some ups and downs. I found their relationship to be very realistic and I thought it added a lot to the story.
I thought that the narration of this book was very well done. Stacy Gonzales narrated the bulk of the book but there was a full cast of characters that added all of the sports media segments which was a really nice addition to the audiobook. I thought that the narrators did a wonderful job in bringing the book to life and I loved the various character voices that were used. I do believe that the narration of this book added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that it was a well-told story of one woman’s determination to become the best at all costs. I think that I will remember Carrie Soto for a very long time.
I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
Initial Thoughts It took me a bit to really get into this one but once I did, I really liked it. I know next to nothing about tennis but it was interesting to get in Carrie's head as she played the game. Carrie grew so much over the course of this story. The narration was wonderful....more
I thought that this book was really well done! It is a shorter book at 240 pages but I This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I thought that this book was really well done! It is a shorter book at 240 pages but I felt that it told a big story. I was very curious about what might be causing the disappearances of the mothers in this strange little town. Vera was a great character and I enjoyed seeing her experiences as she navigated life in her community. I am glad that I gave this one a try.
In the town that Vera has always lived in many of the mothers have a mysterious affliction in which they disappear. This doesn’t happen to all the mothers and nobody knows why it happens at all. Did they love their children too much? not enough? After they are gone, the townspeople gather up all of their belongings to be passed on to other community members, and all of their photos will be burned leaving no sign of them after they are gone. Vera’s own mother disappeared when she was a child and she fears that it will happen to her as she becomes a mother.
This story grabbed my attention quickly. The story took a few turns that I did not expect which is always a plus. The story covers a lot of years and I enjoyed seeing Vera change and grow over the years. Vera was a great character and I really wanted to see good things happen in her life. I thought that the story was well written and I liked the dystopian setting. I will definitely be recommending this one to others and look forward to reading more of this author’s work.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from Celadon Books.
Initial Thoughts This was really well done. I was drawn into the story almost immediately and was soon captivated by Vera's story. This strange little town with its disappearing mothers proved to be very interesting. I must say that I was quite taken by Vera's story. ...more
This was really good! I read and enjoyed The Wolf Road by the same author so I was eageThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was really good! I read and enjoyed The Wolf Road by the same author so I was eager to give this book a try. This is a very different book than that one was and I love that this author’s work is so varied. This is a thriller that paints a picture of life within an abusive relationship for Iris and her wife, Claude. This is a story about finding yourself, quite literally. I am so glad that I was able to pick up this book!
The story is told from Iris’s point of view during two different alternating points in time: before and after. Since we know where Iris ended up, it is really eye-opening to learn about her past and how she got to the place she was at. All of the events and choices in her life have made her the person she is today. Imagine her surprise when she is put face to face with another version of herself whose life looks a little different due to the different choices she has made in life.
I thought that this book was really well-done. I really liked the fact that it was really unique and different than anything else I have read before. I grew to really like Iris. She has been through a lot and I really felt for her with many of the events in her life leaving her feeling very alone. I thought that the abusive relationship was expertly illustrated in this book. I liked Iris more and more as I worked my way through this book. She had a lot to figure out so that she could move on with her life.
I would recommend this book to others. This book deals with some pretty important topics and it does it well. I found this to be a very thought-provoking book and had a hard time putting it down.
I received a digital review copy from Mobius Books via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts This was really good! I really enjoyed The Wolf Road by this author and was eager to check out her newest book. I found this book to be quite the page-turner and couldn't wait to see how things would work out for Iris in the end....more
This was a really good book. I actually didn’t plan to read this book when I did but whThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was a really good book. I actually didn’t plan to read this book when I did but when I had it off the shelf and my eyes landed on the first page, I didn’t want to put it down. This book starts out incredibly strong and kept me turning pages as quickly as I could until the very end. I am so glad that I picked this book up when I did.
If you are looking for a book that will leave you with a smile on your face, this isn’t that book. This book is dark, gritty, and full of violence. It is the story of two men who are shaped by things that are outside of their control and just how far they can be pushed. As the book opens, we see Aiden’s father kill his mother and then himself. He eventually comes to live with his friend Thad, a boy that nobody ever really wanted. Jobs are scarce and options are limited so Aiden and Thad do what they need to in order to have enough money to get by and secure their next high. When Aiden and Thad find themselves in a situation to get a step up, they jump on it but things go wrong almost immediately. It was rough watching these two men navigate the things that were thrown at them and I wondered just how far they were willing to go.
The writing was superb. I was taken by this story and thought that the descriptions really helped to bring the story to life. Even when the characters were making poor choices, I understood what brought them to the decisions that they made. I felt their desperation to find a way to a better life. There were many moments in this book that made me think.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a violent, dark book that explored just how far the bonds of friendship can be stretched. I would mention that there is an animal death that may bother some readers. I cannot wait to read more of David Joy’s work.
Initial Thoughts If you are looking for a book that will leave you with a smile on your face, this isn't that book. This book is dark, gritty, and full of violence. It is the story of two men whose lives are shaped by things out of their control and just how far they can be pushed. This is a very well written story with many moments that made me think.
This book was okay for me. I tend to enjoy books that deal with grief so I was eager toThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This book was okay for me. I tend to enjoy books that deal with grief so I was eager to give the book a try and there were a lot of things that I really liked about it. There were some things that I didn’t like quite as much and I kind of felt that the book fizzled out before it was over. I am glad that I decided to pick this book up.
This book tells Conrad Burrell’s story. We see Conrad as a young up-and-coming lawyer entering his first marriage through his more advanced years as he tries to move on after the death of his second wife. I think that anyone who has been married for some time has thought about what their life might be like if something happened to their spouse. While we do see a bit of Conrad moving on, I would say that the majority of the book is the story of his marriage. I wish that I could have related to the characters in this book a bit more. I didn’t dislike any of the characters but they didn’t click with me for some reason. I was a little surprised by how little of the book actually dealt with grief. I think that an equal amount of the story was spent dealing with aging and growing older.
This is a book that I am glad that I read. It was a fairly quick read and it held my interest even though I had some trouble connecting with the characters. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more of Keith McWalter’s work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from Spark Press.
Initial Thoughts This book was okay for me. I felt like the story was really promising at the start but things kind of fizzled out by the end. ...more
This was very good. I haven’t read a ton of books written by Nora Roberts but I have haThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was very good. I haven’t read a ton of books written by Nora Roberts but I have had good luck with those that I have read so I went into this book rather hopeful. The story does start off with a bang and drew me in immediately and before I knew it I was invested in the characters. I am so glad that I decided to pick up this incredibly entertaining book.
We meet Adrian as a 7-year-old child as the father she has never met assaults her family. When the book draws to a close, we see her as a responsible adult. This book doesn’t nicely fit into any single genre since it is part coming of age, part romance, and part suspense. Adrian grows up to follow in her mother’s footsteps by creating her own line of yoga workout videos. Unfortunately, she has captured the attention of a stalker who sends her threatening poetry on a regular basis.
I liked Adrian a lot. She was a really well-adjusted individual and I thought that she was genuinely kind to those around her. She was incredibly close to her grandparents and her core group of friends and I really liked what they added to the story. The romance was later in the book than I would have expected but I really liked the way that it developed and I thought that it felt very real. The mystery doesn’t really pick up speed until the later parts of the book but I did appreciate the excitement it brought to the book.
January LaVoy did an amazing job with the narration of this book. I thought that she handled a large cast of varied characters with ease and I loved the emotion that she added to the story. I really felt that she brought this story to life and I believe that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that the characters in this book were incredibly well done and I enjoyed the time that I spent with them. I will definitely be reading more from this talented author soon.
I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library....more
Another winner from Tiffany McDaniel! I read her first book The Summer That Melted EverThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
Another winner from Tiffany McDaniel! I read her first book The Summer That Melted Everything when it was released four years ago and was blown away so I was pretty eager to get my hands on her newest novel. Both books are set in the same town of Breathed, Ohio and there were a few quick glimpses of some familiar characters but otherwise, these were two very different stories. I ended up loving this book just as much as I loved her previous novel.
It did take me a long time to read this book. One reason is that my life has been absolutely crazy for the past few months and time to read has been hard to come by. Another reason, and probably a bigger one, was the fact that I really needed to process some of the scenes in this book. This book is based on the life of the author's mother which made it even more heart-wrenching. This was a book that I wanted to savor every moment of and I am glad that I took my time and really gave Betty the time that she deserved.
This book tells the story of Betty and the rest of the Carpenter family. We see Betty's mother and father meet, marry, and bring their children into the world. Betty's father is Cherokee and she is darker like him which makes life difficult for her in 1960's Ohio. Her family was poor but they made things work. Her father had a garden that helped to feed the family and used his knowledge of plants and herbs to make medicines for the local community. We see the challenges that all of her family members face through Betty's eyes and hear their stories through Betty's ears. I was often just as horrified as Betty was.
The writing was just as fantastic as the story. I love the way that the author was able to share an event in such brilliant detail that I felt like I could actually see what was happening. Betty's family was quite large but I felt like I knew her brothers and sisters almost as well as Betty. The story had a wonderful and I found myself wanting to go over certain passages more than once just because I felt the power and beauty of the words.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a wonderful story of resilience and strength even when things were at the lowest point. Tiffany McDaniel has cemented her position as an author I plan to follow.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts Ummm, wow! I am blown away by this fantastic novel. It did take me a very long time to read it and while I blame most of that on my life right now, there were some parts in this book that I needed time to process before I was ready to move on. I felt for Betty and grew to love most of the Carpenter family. The fact that this story is based on the life of the author's mother makes the story even more moving. The writing was beautiful and the story knocked my socks off. ...more
This was really good! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of this book around This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was really good! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of this book around the time that it was being published. Then I didn’t get around to reading it. It happens. I have thought about picking it up several times over the years and usually ended up grabbing something shorter. I shouldn’t have let the length of this book deter me because it was really such an engrossing story that it didn’t feel long at all. I am so glad that I finally took the time to experience this book!
The characters in this book were fantastic! This story is told from three points of view and I really liked each of them equally which is a rare thing. Nina was quite the character. She was fierce, bold, and determined. We get to see her in the past working as a pilot in the Russian army during WWII. We also see her in the 1950s but those scenes are usually told from her husband, Ian’s point of view. Ian worked as a journalist but is now focused on bringing war criminals to justice. The third point of view comes from Jordan. Jordan lives in Boston with her father and eventually her stepmother and sister. She is smart and never gives up. I loved seeing their stories come together over the course of this book.
This was a pretty exciting story. Learning the things that Nina and others went through during the war was eye-opening. It was interesting to see how far Ian and his team would go to bring their target to justice. Jordan only knew life after the war and I loved how ambitious she was. There were some things that I did figure out in the story but there were also plenty of surprises along the way. This was a really captivating story that had me glued to the pages.
Saskia Maarleveld did an amazing job with the narration of this book. I loved the way that she was able to create different voices and use various accents for the key characters. I really felt like she brought the story to life and added a lot of emotion and excitement t the story. I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. I found this to be an incredibly well-written and thoroughly researched story filled with characters that were easy to fall for. I definitely plan to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from William Morrow via Edelweiss and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
Initial Thoughts
This was really good! Nina, Jordan, Ian, and Tony were all great characters. It was really interesting to see just how everything in this story would play out. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a fabulous job with this book.
And...After I review this book, I will only have 3 more books to review to be completely caught up on Edelweiss!...more
This book was a little different than the books that I usually pick up. I like differenThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book was a little different than the books that I usually pick up. I like different so I was eager to give this one a try. I found that I enjoyed this book the most when I read just a little bit at a time so I spent over a month with this one working it around other books. It was a book that I found fairly easy to set aside but I always seemed to circle back to it before long. While I didn't love the book, I did like it and am glad that I decided to give it a try.
I knew that this was a book about trees before I started reading and it was. Kind of. Trees do play a very large role in the story but I really saw this as a book about people. The book was told through the stories of several people whose lives were shaped or touched by the trees and nature around them. Each of the characters had a unique and special relationship with the world around them and I was inspired by the measures that they took to protect their world.
The book initially reads like a collection of short stories. We meet each of the characters in their younger years, usually as either children or teens, and see how trees have impacted their lives. Then the book shifts gears and the lives of these characters start to converge and they start to have an impact on each other. As the book drew closer to the end, the characters untangled themselves from each other and went back to a separate existence.
I enjoyed each of the characters' stories but the strongest part of the book for me was when the majority of the characters were together worked towards a shared cause. I really felt their passion as they worked to save the trees and the environment as a whole. The book lost a lot of momentum for me as it drew to a close. I found that the characters were not nearly as interesting apart as they had been together and the story became quite depressing.
I did find the writing to be quite beautiful. The descriptions used really brought nature to life and made me want to see it preserved. I felt the impact of its destruction and understood why the characters were willing to sacrifice so much to protect what they could. I do think that this book could have been trimmed a bit. It did feel overly long at times. There was one character that had a story that was really very separate from the other characters and could have been completely omitted in my opinion.
I am glad that I read this book. It made me really think about our environment and the impact of our behaviors on the world around us. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from Richard Powers in the future.
I received a copy of this book from W.W. Norton.
Initial Thoughts I did enjoy this book. It started out as a collection of short stories with characters that were drawn together in different ways throughout the book. I read the book a little at a time and found it rather easy to set aside although I did always find myself circling back to make just a little more progress. The last parts of the book did lose a lot of momentum for me and I thought it felt rather depressing at times. I did find this book to be beautifully written which added a lot to my enjoyment.
Oh my heart! There is just something about books about dogs that gives them the abilityThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
Oh my heart! There is just something about books about dogs that gives them the ability to touch on every single one of my emotions. I am going to let you in on a little secret. I love dogs. A lot. I like my three dogs more than I like most people and would love a chance to spend one moment in their heads so this story really appealed to me on every level. I loved this book when I read it years ago and I loved it just as much when I listened to the audio for a re-read. It was a lot of fun to spend a few hours in Enzo's mind.
I was really kind of surprised by how much of the book I actually remembered from my initial read years ago but it seems that this story had really stayed with me over the years. I loved Enzo's voice. Did he sound like a dog all of the time? Probably not. I mean I think if I were to hear one of my dog's internal monologues there would be a lot of requests for snacks and ball playing and not a lot else. Who knows maybe I am wrong and my dogs are pondering the meaning of life but I honestly doubt it. Enzo is a bit of a philosopher and hopes to eventually get his chance as a human. Nothing really gets past Enzo and he seems to figure what is going on in his house before the humans do.
This isn't just a book about a dog. It is really a book about a family that is told by the dog. Denny is Enzo's human and he has some really high points in the book and some really low one. With everything that Denny has to deal with in this book, it is amazing that he is able to stay so positive through it all. The one constant in the story is the bond between these two. We get to see Denny adopt Enzo as a puppy and then go through a lot of milestones together.
This was the first time that I have listened to Christopher Evan Welch narrate a book and I thought he did a great job with this one. This was a rather emotional story at times and I thought that he really was able to pack a lot of feeling into his reading. He used a very pleasant reading voice and read the story with perfect pacing. I would definitely listen to his work again in the future.
I would recommend this book to others. I probably felt just about every emotion while listening to this one. The only part of the book that I wasn't a huge fan of was the epilogue because it was just a little too much for me and didn't feel necessary. I do love the book and will probably read it again in a few years.
Initial Thoughts Oh my heart. This was a re-read for me and I think it might have broken my heart just a little bit more this time around. I may bump my rating up to 5 stars after I have some time to fully process everything. I actually remember more of the story than I thought I did. This isn't just a story about a dog. This is a story about a man and his family told from the dog's point of view. There were people that I hated in this story and others that I loved. I thought that the narrator did a terrific job with this story.
I liked this one. This book was a bit different from what I would normally pick up. I hThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I liked this one. This book was a bit different from what I would normally pick up. I heard a few good things about it so I took a closer look once I noticed that it was available to borrow from Amazon through Prime Reading. I loved the idea of a main character who is living with Asperger's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder, so I decided to give it a try and I am really glad that I did.
Edward was a great character. I liked him from the start and as the story progressed, I liked him more and more. Edward's life revolves around routines. With few exceptions, each day looks largely like the previous one. Things do shake up his life quite a bit by the end of the book and there is definitely some character growth for Edward during the course of the story. I thought that his character felt very authentic in the way that he dealt with other people and handled his emotions.
This book is repetitive because Edward's life is repetitive. There are certain events and phrases that happen over and over throughout the book. Each day of Edward's life would bring a new cycle of the book. I think that the decision to take the reader through each day with Edward helped to really show how much the events in the story changed his life. Edward's life at the end of the book looks very different than it does at the start and it was great to take the journey with him.
Luke Daniels does a fantastic job with the narration of this book. One of the reasons that I decided to listen to this book was because I have enjoyed his work in the past. I thought that he was able to bring Edward to life in way that really added to the story. He did a great job with all of the character voices and adding emotion to the reading. I listened to this book for hours at a time and finished it within a few days and thought that he was a perfect match for the story.
I would recommend this book to others. I really enjoyed going along with Edward as he navigated the changes and his life and made new connections. I did notice that this book is listed as the first in a series but it tells a very complete story so I am not sure if I will read the other installments. I would not hesitate to read more from Craig Lancaster in the future.
Initial Thoughts This isn't the kind of book that I pick up often. I noticed this one being offered in the Amazon Prime lending program. I love have enjoyed the narrator's work before so I decided to look closer at the book. When I saw that the main character of this story is living with Asperger's syndrome and OCD, I knew that I had to listen to this one. It was a really good story. It could be repetitive at times but that was just a reflection of Edward's life.
Book Source: Borrowed from Amazon Prime Lending ...more
I enjoyed this book. I really thought that this was going to be a book about a dog baseThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I enjoyed this book. I really thought that this was going to be a book about a dog based on the cover. I obviously did not read the book's summary prior to starting this audiobook. There is a dog in the book but that dog is really not the main focus of the story. This was a story about race, love, and what really makes up a family. I am so glad that I stumbled upon this wonderful story.
This book is told from two points of view. Dr. Lucy takes care of animals and the occasional human that comes to her for help. She lives a rather isolated life on her ranch and likes it that way. Pete is a 12 year old boy that happens upon a wounded dog laying on the side of the road and feels compelled to help. Pete finds help for the dog in Dr. Lucy and so much more.
The characters in this book were wonderful and they all had their own complex story to tell. Dr. Lucy has been through a lot. The book is set in a time where people do not want to take a female doctor seriously so Lucy uses her skills to help animals. Pete has had a lot to deal with in his short life. Despite the way he is treated, he is still such a good kid and works hard to do what he feels is right. Justin and his father, Calvin, are new in town. The town has not been welcoming to them and has treated them poorly because of the fact that they are African American.
I loved the way that the relationships between these characters developed. If the rest of the world would simply go away, these four people would be very happy. Pete and Justin have so much in common and I loved watching their friendship progress. Lucy goes from being alone most of the time to have a real connection to Pete, Justin, and Calvin. Everything about their interactions seemed natural and it made me very angry that the local citizens did everything they could to not allow any of the connections to exist.
The narrators both did a great job with this story. I really do enjoy it when audiobooks utilize multiple narrators. Nick Podehl did a great job with Pete's point of view which was no small task since the character is a 12 year old boy. Teri Schnaubelt voices the parts that were told from Dr. Lucy's point of view. Both narrators were able to bring a lot of emotion into the story telling and were very pleasant to listen to for long periods of time. I would not hesitate to listen to either of these narrators again in the future.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a very well told story that really care about the characters. This was the first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I have read but I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her work in the future.
Initial Thoughts I thought that this was going to be a book about a dog. I obviously didn't read the blurb about the book before reading it probably because I was distracted by the pretty dog on the cover. There is a dog in the book. A wolf-dog but the dog isn't the main point of the book. This book is about race, love, and what makes a family. The narrators did a good job with the story.
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