Title: The Dead Will Tell
Author: Linda Castillo
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Many years ago a terrible tragedy happened at the Hochstetler farm. The deaths that happened went unsolved for many years. One night years later Police Chief Kate Burkholder is called to an apparent suicide in her small town in Amish country. The suicide turns out to be murder and when more people start dying, Kate has to figure out the link between all of them and go back to that tragedy so many nights ago before somebody else dies.
Review: As you know, I get backlogged on these reviews. When I came upon this one, I couldn't remember what this book was about. At all. I suppose that I could have dropped my rating down to two stars, but it's not that it was bad, it just wasn't memorable. But not all books can be memorable. This is a good beach or vacation read. It was your typical murder mystery story. I liked that the main character was a woman and a Chief of Police at that. She has relationship issues (what Chief of Police doesn't?). Her boyfriend has his own baggage (what boyfriend of a Chief of Police who's also a state agent doesn't?). The story was suspenseful and I didn't quite know where it was going. It certainly painted an interesting image of the Amish.
Time to write: 5:40
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Book Review: Station Eleven
Title: Station Eleven
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary: Twenty years ago, a flu pandemic decimated the world's population. A troupe of musicians and actors known as The Traveling Symphony have dedicated themselves to keeping art and culture alive by touring around the area formerly known as Michigan. This book bounces between the pre- and post-pandemic worlds and paints a vivid picture of both.
Review: I do love a good post-apocalypse book. However, when I think of my own survival in a post-apocalypse world, I have concerns, mainly pharmaceutical related (real drugs, people, not recreational). Forget any aromatase inhibitors. I also have hypothyroidism. I'm more worried about running out of my levothyroixine than my AIs. So I know in the event of an apocalypse, I need to stockpile meds. I was tempted to give this book five stars but didn't for a few reasons:
- Time lapses: There are no cars so people have to walk everywhere or take horses. I get that. But can we have a clearer distinction about time passed when you're walking in a large circle around Michigan?
- Antagonist: There's a preacher that has formed a cult and is feared. I thought he was going to play a larger role than he did. I understand why he was mentioned but it felt a little anti-climatic.
- More character development: Some characters were well developed, others not so much. And yet the others that weren't that developed had large pre-apocalypse parts but very small post-apocalypse parts. So why introduce these characters at all?
I guess that was it.
Time to write: 7:31
Book review: Friendship
Title: Friendship
Author: Emily Gould
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Bev and Amy have been best friends for years but as they approach 30, they're approaching a crossroads in their lives. Amy's skated by with her luck, charm and family money. Bev roams from one temp job to another, drowning in student debt. When Bev finds out she's pregnant, their friendship is put to the test.
Review: There's no way I'd ever buy all of these books that I read. I LOVE THE LIBRARY. The downside of the library is I often have to return the book before I actually review it. So I almost always have to look the book up on Amazon to help me in compiling the summary (or characters' names or plot or whatever). When I was looking up this book I noticed it had all sorts of accolades, even from the New York Times(!). And yet I only gave it three stars. Dearest blog readers: if you want NY Times-quality reviews, read the New York Times. The book's fine fine, but I wouldn't say this was the top 10 book I've read this year. Unless you're a 29 YO living in New York, in which case you'll probably like this book more than me.
Time to write: 5:22
Author: Emily Gould
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Bev and Amy have been best friends for years but as they approach 30, they're approaching a crossroads in their lives. Amy's skated by with her luck, charm and family money. Bev roams from one temp job to another, drowning in student debt. When Bev finds out she's pregnant, their friendship is put to the test.
Review: There's no way I'd ever buy all of these books that I read. I LOVE THE LIBRARY. The downside of the library is I often have to return the book before I actually review it. So I almost always have to look the book up on Amazon to help me in compiling the summary (or characters' names or plot or whatever). When I was looking up this book I noticed it had all sorts of accolades, even from the New York Times(!). And yet I only gave it three stars. Dearest blog readers: if you want NY Times-quality reviews, read the New York Times. The book's fine fine, but I wouldn't say this was the top 10 book I've read this year. Unless you're a 29 YO living in New York, in which case you'll probably like this book more than me.
Time to write: 5:22
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Book review: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Cynthia Hand
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Lex and her family have been a mess since her younger brother Tyler committed suicide. Lex's mom spends a lot of time in bed and/or drinking and Lex has pushed her boyfriend and friends out of her life. Lex is in therapy somewhat against her will and rolls her eyes at her therapist. Lex starts to feel haunted by her brother's ghost, which forces her to face her own guilt and unresolved issues. Heading to college next year, Lex needs to decide if she can leave her mom, who is now truly alone since her parents' divorce.
Review: I am lucky enough that I've never had somebody close to me commit suicide. So I can't imagine the feelings that this would bring up and I hope that I never have to. I read this more through the lens of a parent rather than Lex's point of view. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to deal with losing a child or a sibling to suicide. This was a pretty raw book. I could appreciate Lex's reaction as well as her mom's reaction. Why didn't I give it more stars? Because it wasn't one of those books that I couldn't wait to pick up when I finally found time to read.
Time to write: way too long
Time to write: way too long
Book Review: Dark Places
Title: Dark Places
Author: Gillian Flynn
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary: To say that Libby Day's had a rough life would be an understatement. Her two sisters and mom were killed in the famous "Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." Libby's brother was convicted for the murders, largely because of Libby's testimony. Twenty-five years later Libby is broke and running out of ways to to profit from her infamous family and her troubled upbringing. When Libby is approached by The Kill Club (a group obsessed with notorious crimes), she sees a way to continue to profit from her family's demise. Her investigation uncovers long buried secrets that force her to face what really happened that day.
Review: For those that don't know, Gillian Flynn is the author of Gone Girl. Dark Places is one of her earlier books. If you read Gone Girl, you know how dark it is, and I'd been told that her other books were also dark. I listened to this book on CD and I kept thinking, "huh, I don't find this book that dark. I wonder what that says about me." This was a great book. It doesn't go into it specifically, but the amateur psychologist in me would say that Libby's trauma stunted her emotional development at the age of seven, when her family was killed. You can feel sorry for her early losses, but trust me, she's no saint. There's great buildup in this book to find out what really happened that night.
The main reason I didn't give this book the full five stars is I just didn't buy the explanation for the killing. I couldn't suspend disbelief, it was all too..coincidental. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just leave it at that.
Time to write: 6:46
Author: Gillian Flynn
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary: To say that Libby Day's had a rough life would be an understatement. Her two sisters and mom were killed in the famous "Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." Libby's brother was convicted for the murders, largely because of Libby's testimony. Twenty-five years later Libby is broke and running out of ways to to profit from her infamous family and her troubled upbringing. When Libby is approached by The Kill Club (a group obsessed with notorious crimes), she sees a way to continue to profit from her family's demise. Her investigation uncovers long buried secrets that force her to face what really happened that day.
Review: For those that don't know, Gillian Flynn is the author of Gone Girl. Dark Places is one of her earlier books. If you read Gone Girl, you know how dark it is, and I'd been told that her other books were also dark. I listened to this book on CD and I kept thinking, "huh, I don't find this book that dark. I wonder what that says about me." This was a great book. It doesn't go into it specifically, but the amateur psychologist in me would say that Libby's trauma stunted her emotional development at the age of seven, when her family was killed. You can feel sorry for her early losses, but trust me, she's no saint. There's great buildup in this book to find out what really happened that night.
The main reason I didn't give this book the full five stars is I just didn't buy the explanation for the killing. I couldn't suspend disbelief, it was all too..coincidental. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just leave it at that.
Time to write: 6:46
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