Backlist Mini-Reviews

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas (2013)

This book sounds like it could be ripped straight from the headlines - high schoolers on spring break in Aruba; one of them is murdered; and another faces a trial and jail in a foreign country.  Anna is the main character, and when her best friend Elise is murdered in their vacation house, Anna is brought in almost immediately as a suspect.

I liked the way the author played with the timeline in the book.  It bounced around between the spring break trip, Anna's trial, and the lives of the friends before it all went to hell.  Different secrets were revealed and we got to know Anna and Elise bit by bit.  I kept going back and forth on whether or not Anna had actually killed Elise.  Sometimes I thought maybe she did, but other times I was convinced that she was a victim, too, of a biased investigation.

It was interesting to see how the investigation and trial played out and also how the media portrayed Anna - how everyone took snippets of conversations or pictures and tried to prove Anna was dangerous, uncaring, even a psychopath.  I did think the story was a tad predictable in some parts, but overall, it was a fast-paced mystery.  4 stars

 

 Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino (2016)

A woman realizes a childhood friend has written a best-selling novel based on her own early life.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this one.  The relationship between the main character and her boyfriend was off-putting; they seemed so unhappy and it was bringing me down.  Even in just the first couple chapters, it was all feeling a bit too melodramatic for me.  The book-within-the-book was another low point.  I thought the writing was kind of pedestrian.  I didn't understand why all the characters were raving about it.  I had to stop after about 50 pages.  This book has great reviews on Goodreads, so it's probably a matter of "it's me, not you."

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Nine Perfect Strangers

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Nine Perfect Strangers
Liane Moriarty
Expected publication date: November 6, 2018

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?

It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.

This book sounds awesome, but honestly, I didn't even need to read the synopsis - it's Liane Moriarty, so of course I'm going to read it!

Month in Review: August 2018

Even though some of the crappy stuff from July spilled over into August, overall it was a much better month!  I had a fun girls' night out with my sister and two of my sisters-in-law doing a crafting project.  We saw The Meg and it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be!  August is another big month for birthdays around here, including my husband's.  For Tom's birthday, I took him up to Beacon, New York, where there is a Doctor Who-themed restaurant called The Pandorica!  It was a really cute place and he loved all the little touches!

 

 

I was the lucky winner of a birthday giveaway from Lindsi at Do You Dog-ear?.  I was so excited to receive a copy of Starry Eyes, a beautiful book sleeve, and a mug that says "Life is the adventure" - totally perfect for Tom and me!

The Books

Dangerous Girls (review to come) //  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children // The End We Start From // The Summer Wives

Murder on the Orient Express (audio) // This Could Change Everything (review to come) // This Shattered World // Something in the Water

Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give (review to come) // Shiver (audio) // How To Be Married (review to come) // The Other Side of Lost (review to come)

Six of Crows

The Posts and Reviews

Review: The Husband Hour 

The Coffee Book Tag

Six Mile Run

Sweet Fiction/Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: Everything is Better with Ice Cream 

Summer TBR Wipeout 2018 Wrap-Up 

Science Fiction Mini-Reviews: 

5 Things I Would Tell Myself as a New Blogger 

TV Shows I'm Obsessed With Lately #6 

Nonfiction Mini-Reviews 
Quotables #10 
Top Ten Tuesday: Not Your Typical History Lesson 
Historical Fiction Mini-Reviews

The Posts I Loved

Greg from Book Haven gives some thoughts on book blogging

Sam from We Live and Breathe Books discusses negativity in book reviews

Tressa from Wishful Endings looks for feedback on branching out from book blogging

Genni from Ready, Set, Read! talks about what she values in a book-to-movie adaptation

Tracy at Cornerfolds dissects trends in YA

How was your August?  Are you as excited as I am that fall is almost here?

Historical Fiction Mini-Reviews

Boardwalk Summer by Meredith Jaeger (2018)

In 1940, housewife Violet Harcourt is named Miss California, but her life isn't as perfect as it seems.  In 2007, single mother Marisol Cruz wants to preserve a historic landmark in her Santa Cruz community, and in her research she comes across Violet's story.

I love dual timeline stories - wondering how they will come together is one of my favorite parts.  Almost right from the start, we know the stories are tied together through Mari's grandfather, but as the story goes on, more links show up.  I admired Violet's courage, and I really identified with Mari's love of history.  She had so many ideas to help bring awareness to her community.

Although I thought there were too many coincidences and predictable storylines, I enjoyed this one.  Part of Violet's story takes place in Hollywood, and I felt all the old glamour as well as the seediness.  In Mari's story, I felt immersed in the setting of Santa Cruz, with its history and charm.  The writing was engaging, and the dialogue was much-improved from Jaeger's previous book, The Dressmaker's Dowry.  3.5 stars

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams (2018)

Miranda Schuyler returns to Winthrop Island, where 18 years earlier she spent a summer marked by tragedy with the murder of her stepfather.

I love Beatriz Williams' books - I feel like I read them more slowly than other books because the writing is just so lush and immersive that I don't want to miss a single word.  In her newest book, Williams explores the life of Miranda Schuyler in the 1950s and 1960s as she visits Winthrop Island, a haven for the wealthy in New York.  I actually enjoyed both timelines equally.  In 1951, Miranda doesn't quite fit in on Winthrop Island; although her mother is marrying one of the island's elite, Miranda feels more drawn to the working class people.  When she returns in 1969, she is basically an outcast.  I figured out the truth to the murder mystery quite early on in the book, but that didn't hamper my experience. 

I think Williams relied a bit too much on cliché tropes in this one and the ending dragged a bit, but I enjoyed her exploration of class dynamics and as always, I felt completely swept up in the setting and time period.  4 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Clockmaker's Daughter

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Clockmaker's Daughter
Kate Morton
Expected publication date: October 9, 2018

My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing, and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing a drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?

Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love, and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter. - from Goodreads

Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors EVER, so of course I can't wait for this one - I've already pre-ordered it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Not Your Typical History Lesson

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is a Back to School/Learning freebie.  I've always been a history buff - it was one of my majors in college, and for a few years I worked as a historian.  When I saw that this week's topic was all about school, learning, required reading, etc., I thought it would be fun to put together a list of books that put a unique spin on the historical events and people we've all learned about in school.  While they are all based somewhat in reality, these alternate history books take a look at all the "what ifs..."

  

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith: What if the 16th President of the United States led a secret double life as a vampire hunter?

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland: Zombies rise during the Civil War.

 

 

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: What if the Underground Railroad was an actual working railroad?

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove: The outcome of the Civil War is changed by time travelers from the future who bring modern weapons to the Confederate Army.

 

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick: How the United States would be changed had the Axis powers won World War II.

11/22/63 by Stephen King: A man goes back in time to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

   

Making History by Stephen Fry: What if Hitler had never been born? 

Deck Z: The Titanic. Unsinkable. Undead. by Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon: A zombie virus is unleashed on the doomed ocean liner.

 

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson: An epic imagining of what it would have been like if the Black Plague had killed 99% of the population of Europe.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows: A fun and light-hearted spin on the 9-day reign of Lady Jane Grey in England.

What are some of your favorite alternate history books?

Quotables #10

Why it speaks to me:  Sometimes those life-changing moments are obvious, and even in the moment you can recognize, wow, it's happening.  But I think a lot of times you don't realize how important a moment is until you get the benefit of hindsight. 

Why it speaks to me:  This quote has so much truth in it.  It's easy to love someone when things are going great and everyone's happy.  It can be hard to love someone when they've made a mistake, or done something to upset you, or they're just not being a very nice person.  But that's what love is, being by someone's side through all of life's ups and downs.

Why it speaks to me:  I feel like I could relate a lot to this when I was in high school.  Sure, my life wasn't perfect, but really, nothing absolutely terrible happened to me; at the same time, not too many truly amazing things did, either.  I was just a regular, run-of-the-mill teenager.  But who doesn't dream of finally doing something great?

Which of these is your favorite?