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I Will Find You
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
I found it pretty cheesy...a quick penciled out plot by a good writer but not much of good writing in this one...felt like reading a tv show. No depth, characters bland and bah-humbug....it felt like it was written quickly just for money and to put yet another book out there. I have enjoyed some of the others.
The Widow (BPD-FBI, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
Seven years ago, Abigail Browning's husband Chris was murdered after only four days of marriage. No arrests were ever made. Abigail quit her job and joined the police academy. Now a cop with the Boston Police Department, she receives an anonymous tip about her husband's death. Abigail decides to take time off from her job and return to Mount Desert Island, Maine, to see if she can solve her husband's murder. Owen Garrison still lives on the island. He heads the local search and rescue team. Owen was Chris' best friend and the person who found Chris' body. Now he teams up with Abigail to find the killer.
This story didn't work for me. The first half of the story we were introduced to many characters, all of whom were on the Island when Chris was murdered. We flashed back to Abigail and Chris' honeymoon and the mysterious things that were happening during that time. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Carol Monda. I had a hard time figuring out if we were flashing back to the past or if we were in the present. There were also two characters that I thought were fourteen-year-old teenagers. Turns out they were adults who just talked and acted like teenagers. The romance between Owen and Abigail seemed to come out of nowhere. They've known each other for years, but suddenly they are in love. I will not be continuing this series. My rating: 2 Stars.
This story didn't work for me. The first half of the story we were introduced to many characters, all of whom were on the Island when Chris was murdered. We flashed back to Abigail and Chris' honeymoon and the mysterious things that were happening during that time. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Carol Monda. I had a hard time figuring out if we were flashing back to the past or if we were in the present. There were also two characters that I thought were fourteen-year-old teenagers. Turns out they were adults who just talked and acted like teenagers. The romance between Owen and Abigail seemed to come out of nowhere. They've known each other for years, but suddenly they are in love. I will not be continuing this series. My rating: 2 Stars.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
A very interesting and thoughtful story.
Reminded me of the Twilight Zone somewhat with the outlines of the cafe, the rules and how a certain moment can be pivotal in your life.
Each person wanting to learn, fix or experience something just one more time is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Does it make it better or worse to have that chance and to take it or not?
Intriguing and a bit sad. A book to keep you thinking for days after finishing.
Reminded me of the Twilight Zone somewhat with the outlines of the cafe, the rules and how a certain moment can be pivotal in your life.
Each person wanting to learn, fix or experience something just one more time is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Does it make it better or worse to have that chance and to take it or not?
Intriguing and a bit sad. A book to keep you thinking for days after finishing.
Where All Light Tends to Go
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
A gritty, beautiful story that surrounds a son whose father is a drug dealer and his mother a drug user. It is a heartbreaking tale that brings you closer to the main character. I did enjoy most of the book but at times it became overly descriptive and I found myself skimming pages. The ending was crazy and not what I had expected. Look forward to reading more by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting biography of the Churchill family, including personal tidbits not usually found in histories. For example, Winston's father died of syphilis, after which his mother remarried twice, both times to men younger than Winston. Winston and his brother were rare in the family as men who married once, remained faithful to their wives, and raised families. Other family members were eccentric, to say the least. A good read; more interesting than I expected.
Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, Bk 11)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Frank F. reviewed on + 386 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
So, so. Reacher and others of his retired team of MP's seek out and destroy the bad guys.
Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Parenting & Relationships
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Parenting & Relationships
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
This book was not what I thought it would be. From the description I expected this memoir to be focused on the crimes committed against the author when she was young and her eventual meeting with the criminal who victimized her. Instead, it was about 20% about the crime and mostly about the psychological and physical abuse she and her siblings endured from their mother and how that affected the author's relationship with her father and the famiy dynamic.
Initially I didn't think the format of each chapter beginning with "In which" would work, but it did. All of the sections except for the final few were brief and jumped between time and topic, but the brevity kept the pages turning.
Readers looking for a true crime memoir may be disappointed, but I found this to be a compelling read despite not being what was advertised.
Initially I didn't think the format of each chapter beginning with "In which" would work, but it did. All of the sections except for the final few were brief and jumped between time and topic, but the brevity kept the pages turning.
Readers looking for a true crime memoir may be disappointed, but I found this to be a compelling read despite not being what was advertised.
Helpful Score: 1
You Belong to the "Others"
Coming of age is all about getting a grip on your identity, a tough challenge for anyone. Now picture yourself growing up in Berlin as the daughter of Afghan refugees. Nilab Haddadi tells people she is Greek. She tells people she is Egyptian. She is Italian or Israeli. She is Nila-- not Nilab-- that "b" is suspect. Her whole Afghan background in Berlin is denied. In a post-9/11 world of Islamophobia, one needs to put up one's shields.
In many novels, the city, the sense of place, is a character. Nila's Berlin is a disease. She is dying to break out; to reject the ghetto her family was trapped in. She throws herself headlong into the club scene, a mishmash of drugs, and "... I was ravished by a hunger to ruin my life." * She finds Marlowe, a thirty-six-year-old American writer "with a square jaw and dimpled chin, the nose of an emperor," * He not only tells her she is beautiful, he encourages her artistic aspirations in photography, and dazzles her with a different side of the city. This is what Nila latches onto, before she sees the true nature of their relationship and what they provide for one another.
Her parents came from an upper-middle class medical background in Kabul. Now her father alternates between driving taxis, flipping burgers at McDonalds, and drawing unemployment. In the aftermath of 9/11, her family had to fade into a background, lest their skin tone suggest a terrorist threat. Swastika graffiti from skinheads and neo-Nazis is commonplace and violent attacks could happen at any time. "You watch the news; everything you feared is true: They hate us. You belong, you understand, to the others."
Identity. Nila is searching for her worth and direction, when she is coming from deep-seated self-loathing, shame, and paranoia. She wants to be the "Good Girl"; -- "Whenever I harbored guilt, I prayed to the angels and God to cut out my heart and wash it too... Please, I would pray, I want to be good, though in the mornings, the yearning for God, like every true thing I had ever felt, embarrassed me." *
I just loved this book. With as much as Nila is put through, she shows an undeniable spirit to persevere. The author, Aria Aber, is a celebrated poet and this is her first novel-- a surprising triumph.
*Book quotes are from the unfinished e-book file, not necessarily the final copy, being published on 1/14/25.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Coming of age is all about getting a grip on your identity, a tough challenge for anyone. Now picture yourself growing up in Berlin as the daughter of Afghan refugees. Nilab Haddadi tells people she is Greek. She tells people she is Egyptian. She is Italian or Israeli. She is Nila-- not Nilab-- that "b" is suspect. Her whole Afghan background in Berlin is denied. In a post-9/11 world of Islamophobia, one needs to put up one's shields.
In many novels, the city, the sense of place, is a character. Nila's Berlin is a disease. She is dying to break out; to reject the ghetto her family was trapped in. She throws herself headlong into the club scene, a mishmash of drugs, and "... I was ravished by a hunger to ruin my life." * She finds Marlowe, a thirty-six-year-old American writer "with a square jaw and dimpled chin, the nose of an emperor," * He not only tells her she is beautiful, he encourages her artistic aspirations in photography, and dazzles her with a different side of the city. This is what Nila latches onto, before she sees the true nature of their relationship and what they provide for one another.
Her parents came from an upper-middle class medical background in Kabul. Now her father alternates between driving taxis, flipping burgers at McDonalds, and drawing unemployment. In the aftermath of 9/11, her family had to fade into a background, lest their skin tone suggest a terrorist threat. Swastika graffiti from skinheads and neo-Nazis is commonplace and violent attacks could happen at any time. "You watch the news; everything you feared is true: They hate us. You belong, you understand, to the others."
Identity. Nila is searching for her worth and direction, when she is coming from deep-seated self-loathing, shame, and paranoia. She wants to be the "Good Girl"; -- "Whenever I harbored guilt, I prayed to the angels and God to cut out my heart and wash it too... Please, I would pray, I want to be good, though in the mornings, the yearning for God, like every true thing I had ever felt, embarrassed me." *
I just loved this book. With as much as Nila is put through, she shows an undeniable spirit to persevere. The author, Aria Aber, is a celebrated poet and this is her first novel-- a surprising triumph.
*Book quotes are from the unfinished e-book file, not necessarily the final copy, being published on 1/14/25.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Good Knight (Gareth and Gwen, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
I've been stretching my comfort zone to include a different time period from my usual reading. This book takes place in the early Middle Ages. I enjoy history but don't know much about the Danes and their activities with the Irish and Welsh during this time frame. At the end of the book, the author explains that much of this book is factual.
It took me about one hundred pages to get into this book. I'd read all the Brother Cadfael series years ago and thought these would be similar. Both occurred in the Middle Ages but are different otherwise. In this book, Gareth and Gwen have a history together but haven't seen each other for years. Gareth wanted to marry Gwen, but her father would disagree because Gareth had nothing at that point. Now, Gareth is a knight and has some property.
The couple meets again on their way to celebrate the marriage of Elen and King Anarawd of Deheubarth. The king is killed, and the Welsh kingdom is embroiled in finding the murderer.
I won't be reading any more of this series because it traveled at the speed of water melting on a snowy day. Neither Gareth nor Gwen were all that interesting. Score = G.
It took me about one hundred pages to get into this book. I'd read all the Brother Cadfael series years ago and thought these would be similar. Both occurred in the Middle Ages but are different otherwise. In this book, Gareth and Gwen have a history together but haven't seen each other for years. Gareth wanted to marry Gwen, but her father would disagree because Gareth had nothing at that point. Now, Gareth is a knight and has some property.
The couple meets again on their way to celebrate the marriage of Elen and King Anarawd of Deheubarth. The king is killed, and the Welsh kingdom is embroiled in finding the murderer.
I won't be reading any more of this series because it traveled at the speed of water melting on a snowy day. Neither Gareth nor Gwen were all that interesting. Score = G.
The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy
Author:
Genres: Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
Fred G. (fr3edy) reviewed on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Worth reading in anticipation of the new Trump regime. The new powers grea Ted by scotus to executive branch increases the risks outlined in this well researched work severafold
Helpful Score: 1
I feel cheated by the publisher notes and the hyper buzz surrounding this book. This was nothing more than a 300 page pity party that I would have declined attending had I known what I was getting myself into. The author is just a super spoiled whiney ungrateful hypocritical brat throwing endless strings of temper-tantrums. She is a "Karen" in (and out of) a hospital gown. While openly admitting flirting with the unsuspecting doctor trying to help her. She is more vain then Greek God Narcissus, (self described as more beautiful hen Roman goddess). While slamming her early physicians for missing the correct diagnosis, she fails to give proper credence to her failure to discuss all her symptoms, and follow up when new issues rise. Kinda hard to diagnose without a complete picture being drawn, which only she had the information and could do. It sounds to me that her physicians, while not perfect, were able to move toward a diagnosis as she shared more of her real symptoms. From my viewpoint, they seemed to realize when they were in over their heads and referred her to appropriate specialists: hard to fault them for that. No Doctor is infallible, but the majority does the best they can. Im not saying all Dr are perfect in most cases, as in her own, they seem to have done all the correct steps to identify and correct her problems. Her doctor's office tantrum told us volumes about her character. Her chart identifying her as "emotional fragile, noncompliaient" is very short form of the harpy from hell attitude lets loose where ever she goes. Shrieking at your cardiologist at first meeting that u will absolutely not take the only drug that he has to save your life because it will (maybe) make you fat, turn your neck thick and make your face heart shaped. And that the Dr shout take it and become a fatso him self! ... is not the best way to communicate with anyone, much less with a specialist that is trying to keep you from DEATH.
It's so much easier to point fingers and absolve yourself of any personal responsibility for your own life. She is ungrateful to the whole establishment for saving her. She wants everyone to pat her on the back at congratulate her for believing in her victimhood status. Not as a patient w transplant. But as a person whose life was ruined by the gift of another persons death. Not once has she considered that someone had to die so she can live. She resents that, and every Dr that had pushed this hell on her. She wants her before life back. Which is not possible. So she rages against her husband, Dr and everyone. Resentful bitter on top of all her other unpleasant Karen attributes. So she starts emotional and self harm black mail, I will stop medicating and kill this heart, and then you people will appreciate how hard my life is then. WOW
Hopefully the one lesson readers of this worthless book will come away with is the need to self educate and learn everything you possibly can while maneuvering through the quagmire of the healthcare system. Because it is a maze and not everyone is privileged enough to afford all that she has. Getting transplant and all this extra stuff cost a lot of $$. And dont get me started on Chemo. And if you assume I am being unfair and judging the author from a position of good health, be assured that isn't the case. I have multitude of serious issues. Close family have or died of cancer. Illness and death is ever more prevalent and the author wrongly assumes that she is alone and that her suffering is unique. But what Karens like her accomplish is that Dr get burnt out syndrome and they leave the profession, because they are tired of being treated like shit and on top dealing with hospital paperwork and insurance nonsense.
Lastly I want to say shame on Mehmet Oz, MD...the latest to attach himself to Oprah like lost baby...for tagging this book as "spectacular". His credibility is now in the toilet as far as I'm concerned. Its 500min of listening to a self entitled brat I wish I could get back.
It's so much easier to point fingers and absolve yourself of any personal responsibility for your own life. She is ungrateful to the whole establishment for saving her. She wants everyone to pat her on the back at congratulate her for believing in her victimhood status. Not as a patient w transplant. But as a person whose life was ruined by the gift of another persons death. Not once has she considered that someone had to die so she can live. She resents that, and every Dr that had pushed this hell on her. She wants her before life back. Which is not possible. So she rages against her husband, Dr and everyone. Resentful bitter on top of all her other unpleasant Karen attributes. So she starts emotional and self harm black mail, I will stop medicating and kill this heart, and then you people will appreciate how hard my life is then. WOW
Hopefully the one lesson readers of this worthless book will come away with is the need to self educate and learn everything you possibly can while maneuvering through the quagmire of the healthcare system. Because it is a maze and not everyone is privileged enough to afford all that she has. Getting transplant and all this extra stuff cost a lot of $$. And dont get me started on Chemo. And if you assume I am being unfair and judging the author from a position of good health, be assured that isn't the case. I have multitude of serious issues. Close family have or died of cancer. Illness and death is ever more prevalent and the author wrongly assumes that she is alone and that her suffering is unique. But what Karens like her accomplish is that Dr get burnt out syndrome and they leave the profession, because they are tired of being treated like shit and on top dealing with hospital paperwork and insurance nonsense.
Lastly I want to say shame on Mehmet Oz, MD...the latest to attach himself to Oprah like lost baby...for tagging this book as "spectacular". His credibility is now in the toilet as far as I'm concerned. Its 500min of listening to a self entitled brat I wish I could get back.
Helpful Score: 1
I DNR'd it after the first couple chapters. It was just not for me. Very silly set-up (and I love an absurd set up!) and it was just to teeny-bopper for my taste.
Helpful Score: 1
Eddie: "Suddenly, it seems so huge. ... Looking for love. What am I doing?"
Bella: "It's not as big as it seems.... Love is really just two people who can't keep away from each other."
Happy Pub Day to Marianne Cronin and her new novel Eddie Winston is Looking for Love! I adored this bittersweet story and hope it's adapted for the screen - I'd love to see Eddie's wardrobe brought to life.
Told in two timelines, the plot features the eponymous Eddie Winston when he's 90 as well as when he's a much younger man. In current time, he works at a British charity shop and becomes the unofficial archivist of other people's memories - donated items that have no monetary value but immense sentimental value.
In this way, he meets Bella, a young woman with pink hair, and the two form a sweet intergenerational friendship. Bella learns that Eddie hasn't had his first kiss and makes it her mission to help him find love.
The story includes heartbreaking loss and moments of pure joy, and it gave me a big goofy smile on several occasions. The cast of characters is small so I got to know them well and felt their range of emotions. My only criticism is that I'm skeptical of Eddie's ability to engage in his activities so well at age 90; I just reframed his age to 80 in my mind.
I definitely plan to read The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Ms. Cronin's debut, as I've seen glowing reviews for it.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial for the review copy of this wonderful novel.
Bella: "It's not as big as it seems.... Love is really just two people who can't keep away from each other."
Happy Pub Day to Marianne Cronin and her new novel Eddie Winston is Looking for Love! I adored this bittersweet story and hope it's adapted for the screen - I'd love to see Eddie's wardrobe brought to life.
Told in two timelines, the plot features the eponymous Eddie Winston when he's 90 as well as when he's a much younger man. In current time, he works at a British charity shop and becomes the unofficial archivist of other people's memories - donated items that have no monetary value but immense sentimental value.
In this way, he meets Bella, a young woman with pink hair, and the two form a sweet intergenerational friendship. Bella learns that Eddie hasn't had his first kiss and makes it her mission to help him find love.
The story includes heartbreaking loss and moments of pure joy, and it gave me a big goofy smile on several occasions. The cast of characters is small so I got to know them well and felt their range of emotions. My only criticism is that I'm skeptical of Eddie's ability to engage in his activities so well at age 90; I just reframed his age to 80 in my mind.
I definitely plan to read The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Ms. Cronin's debut, as I've seen glowing reviews for it.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial for the review copy of this wonderful novel.
The Lady in the Lake (Phillip Marlowe)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
Another good one in the Marlowe series. Marlowe is hired to find the missing wife of a Los Angeles business man. The wife has left him but he wants to make sure she is safe from harm. The trail leads to the businessman's cabin in the mountains near San Bernardino on a small lake called Little Fawn Lake. The caretaker there is also missing his wife but she is soon discovered when Marlowe goes out on a small dock; the lady's arms are seen deep in the water. How was she drowned? Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? And what happened to the businessman's wife? She was last heard from in El Paso on her way to get a divorce in Mexico. But the man she was supposedly with, denies this story and he later ends up dead. So Marlowe has some detective work to do and all is definitely not as it seems.
As usual, I really enjoyed this ride with Marlowe in his noir world of the 1940s. The novel has some hints of WWII going on but this is not a focal point of the novel (It was published in 1944). I enjoyed the leisurely world of the San Bernardino mountains as well as the seamier side of Chandler's Bay City where a lot of this takes place. The plot was somewhat convoluted as most of Chandler's novels tend to be but this really adds to the story. This one was also made into a movie in 1946 with Robert Montgomery playing Marlowe. Another one to look out for!
As usual, I really enjoyed this ride with Marlowe in his noir world of the 1940s. The novel has some hints of WWII going on but this is not a focal point of the novel (It was published in 1944). I enjoyed the leisurely world of the San Bernardino mountains as well as the seamier side of Chandler's Bay City where a lot of this takes place. The plot was somewhat convoluted as most of Chandler's novels tend to be but this really adds to the story. This one was also made into a movie in 1946 with Robert Montgomery playing Marlowe. Another one to look out for!
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy is a powerful memoir by Tia Levings, and its cover and title are so poignant. As the subtitle states, it documents her immersion into, life within, and exit from Christian patriarchy. The depth of physical, mental, and emotional abuse she endured is horrifying, but her inner drive to protect herself and her children is inspiring.
Raised in a conservative Christian family, her husband showed abusive and controlling behavior before marriage, but Tia attributed it to God's will for her life. As he solely made radical decisions for their growing family in the pursuit of more and more fundamental religious beliefs, she strove to be a "better" (more compliant) wife to minimize his explosive behavior. But deep down, she knew these repressive beliefs weren't right, and she slowly and secretly gained her own agency through connections with people outside their extremely conservative circles.
I admire Tia's bravery in telling her story, so others can understand her emotional and psychological journey. As a church nerd, I really appreciated her tracing the denominations of religion her family experienced.
It hurts my soul to read about painful experiences at the hands of people who weaponize religion. It's so good Tia and her family escaped, my heart aches for the women and children who continue to be immersed in abuse under the guise of the church.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for access to the audiobook narrated by Ms. Levings.
Raised in a conservative Christian family, her husband showed abusive and controlling behavior before marriage, but Tia attributed it to God's will for her life. As he solely made radical decisions for their growing family in the pursuit of more and more fundamental religious beliefs, she strove to be a "better" (more compliant) wife to minimize his explosive behavior. But deep down, she knew these repressive beliefs weren't right, and she slowly and secretly gained her own agency through connections with people outside their extremely conservative circles.
I admire Tia's bravery in telling her story, so others can understand her emotional and psychological journey. As a church nerd, I really appreciated her tracing the denominations of religion her family experienced.
It hurts my soul to read about painful experiences at the hands of people who weaponize religion. It's so good Tia and her family escaped, my heart aches for the women and children who continue to be immersed in abuse under the guise of the church.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for access to the audiobook narrated by Ms. Levings.
Missing Witness: David Brunelle Legal Thriller #9
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
David Brunelle is an antihero to me. He has few positive characteristics and few friends, and I wouldn't want him as a friend. This book talked and talked without much action. Finally, the end came about, and it was very unrealistic. Will I read another? Probably not. There just wasn't enough of a story there.
Helpful Score: 1
Well, I've certainly never read anything like this before! It is such a strange tale. Shakespeare, the English bard, wrote that life is, "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
So it is with this novel tale. The narrator is himself lost in his head, where he contemplates his life and those of the people around him. While he contemplates, he speaks of himself in third person singular, yet he also speaks to himself. It is jarring, at first, because it takes a long time, both to understand what is going on, and to sort out what is real and what is not. This is a tale full of sound and fury, indeed. There is war. The narrator is Polish, during the invasion and occupation by Germany. That alone is enough to shatter minds. But our narrator and main character, Oskar, was already living in another world. Despite that, he manages to survive where so many die. He is the character who plays the titular drum, a drum he plays to the beat of life around him, for that is how he deals with his own mental incongruity, his place in life, and war. And, although he is intelligent and well read, he pretends to have a mental age of three, which allows him to do things most people would not be allowed to do. He knows well that he is faking, but so do we all. He rarely speaks, and never of his true thoughts. He allows his drum to speak for him. As he is also the narrator, he translates his drumming for us. Would that I had his genius to understand the insensate drumming in my own head.
So it is with this novel tale. The narrator is himself lost in his head, where he contemplates his life and those of the people around him. While he contemplates, he speaks of himself in third person singular, yet he also speaks to himself. It is jarring, at first, because it takes a long time, both to understand what is going on, and to sort out what is real and what is not. This is a tale full of sound and fury, indeed. There is war. The narrator is Polish, during the invasion and occupation by Germany. That alone is enough to shatter minds. But our narrator and main character, Oskar, was already living in another world. Despite that, he manages to survive where so many die. He is the character who plays the titular drum, a drum he plays to the beat of life around him, for that is how he deals with his own mental incongruity, his place in life, and war. And, although he is intelligent and well read, he pretends to have a mental age of three, which allows him to do things most people would not be allowed to do. He knows well that he is faking, but so do we all. He rarely speaks, and never of his true thoughts. He allows his drum to speak for him. As he is also the narrator, he translates his drumming for us. Would that I had his genius to understand the insensate drumming in my own head.
A Sea of Unspoken Things
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
I greatly anticipated A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young since The Unmaking of June Farrow was in my top 12 of 2024 and earned a surprising and rare 5-star rating. In this contemporary story, James returns to her home town after her brother's mysterious death. Set in rural California, the author creates a strong sense of place.
Sadly, this didn't meet my expectations. I appreciated the writing and the slightly unsettling supernatural elements, but the plot was very slow. I often enjoy character-driven books and novels about grief, but I just didn't connect with it. I kept waiting to be swept away as I was in June Farrow, but sadly it never happened.
I'm interested in Adrienne Young's next book, but I'll approach it with tempered expectations. Thank you to Delacorte Press for the advance review copy.
Sadly, this didn't meet my expectations. I appreciated the writing and the slightly unsettling supernatural elements, but the plot was very slow. I often enjoy character-driven books and novels about grief, but I just didn't connect with it. I kept waiting to be swept away as I was in June Farrow, but sadly it never happened.
I'm interested in Adrienne Young's next book, but I'll approach it with tempered expectations. Thank you to Delacorte Press for the advance review copy.
Helpful Score: 1
A nice distraction from my 'normal' life. A good glimpse of the nightmare that sudden fame brings you. Enough name dropping to make you feel like you're reading People magazine. The end was a little disappointing, but otherwise a quick and mindless read.
The Velikovsky Heresies: Worlds in Collision and Ancient Catastrophes Revisited
Author:
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Book Type: Paperback
Thomas A. reviewed on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An amazing follow-up to Velikovsky's astonishing Worlds in Collision. The author gives citations from myriad sources showing how V's theories and predictions have been proven true for the past 70 years. Scranton restricts his factual references to non-religion related theories. He shows how "authorities" condemned V for challenging their opinions and delusions.
When Albert Einstein died, he had already apologized to Velikovsky for denying his assertions. His copy of Worlds in Collision was lying open on his desk. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the truth about Earth geology, ancient knowledge about our planets and changes in the Earth's rotation and changes in its axis and the existence of electro-magnetic influence on the universe.
When Albert Einstein died, he had already apologized to Velikovsky for denying his assertions. His copy of Worlds in Collision was lying open on his desk. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the truth about Earth geology, ancient knowledge about our planets and changes in the Earth's rotation and changes in its axis and the existence of electro-magnetic influence on the universe.
Helpful Score: 1
I wanted to like this book and give it a high rating but I can't. I love the premise: an everyman who loses everything as a result of being wronged by the woke crowd. He in turn takes his vengeance against them. The writing is just okay. It's obvious to me that the authors haven't even watched forensic files, never mind done any real research into crime scene forensics. To think that he could shoot, poison, and blow up his adversaries without any repercussions is unbelievable. I was hoping for a story where the protagonist somehow obtained his revenge in a way that repaid his enemies in an equitable way. Instead, he becomes a serial killer because "they deserved it". Sorry, I won't be reading any sequels.
Eleanor and the Cold War (An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery)
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 1
Dollycas's Thoughts
Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) is a champion of human rights. Kay Thompson is a young woman who has been fired for calling out workplace violations. Kay has landed a new job as Eleanor's secretary. She handles the former First Lady's daily columns and correspondence while helping her stay on top of all the dinners, ribbon cuttings, and meetings for the United Nations. She learns there is much more to working for Eleanor Roosevelt when the body of a young woman is found on the Royal Blue train when it pulled into Washington D.C.
Susie Taylor was a young woman full of dreams. She left Sweden for America hoping to get her big break on Broadway. Her mother was a friend of Eleanor's and asked for help finding her daughter who had disappeared. Susie Taylor was the young woman found dead on the train. One of the first detectives to arrive on the scene quickly made assumptions and theories. Detective O'Malley was more circumspect and listened to Kay and Eleanor who had their own theories. But the women knew if they didn't embark on a journey to find the killer and the real motive for her death the wrong person would be accused or the case would go cold.
I love that this mystery series features Eleanor Roosevelt. I knew she was a strong and feisty woman and I hope the fictional Eleanor is close to how the real Eleanor was. I wish there was an Eleanor Roosevelt around today to shake up the world of politics to fight the injustices that are happening every day. I know she would be floored by what is happening after she fought so hard. Aside from her political good works, the woman is a fine amateur sleuth with drive knowing when to attack and when to have patience.
Kay Thompson is ER's longtime secretary and friend Malvina âTommyâ Thompson's niece. She has her own talents to bring to the investigation while taking on her normal tasks. She makes an excellent Watson to Eleanor's Sherlock. She may also learn a lot about herself along the way.
Susie Taylor had some interesting connections that put her death very much in Eleanor's wheelhouse. She believes there is much more to Susie's story and that she had been keeping secrets and her mother was holding things back as well. I enjoyed the way Eleanor and Kay dug into the Soviet connection. A second murder opened up more questions than answers. I was surprised that Bobby and Jack Kennedy, and by extension, Ethel and Jackie ran in similar circles with Eleanor. The Kennedy brothers were part of some of Eleanor's meetings with interesting input. ER was very interested in the details and we all know the devil is in the details. So even when the case appears wrapped she goes to Detective O'Malley with a new theory. I loved all the twists and turns Ms. Yardley penned in this mystery. I was kept guessing right up to the very end.
This first Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery has set this series off wonderfully. I appreciated how history was blended into this fictional account. The inclusion of prominent real people in the story pulled me in even more. I had to stop at one moment and check myself and remember it was a fictional story. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the book. She explains how her imagination â interweavesâ with history.
Eleanor and the Cold War will appeal to anyone who enjoys history mixed with mystery and fans of the woman herself. Well-plotted and well-written â the book was A Perfect Escape! I can't wait for the next book in this series and Eleanor and Kay's next adventure.
Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) is a champion of human rights. Kay Thompson is a young woman who has been fired for calling out workplace violations. Kay has landed a new job as Eleanor's secretary. She handles the former First Lady's daily columns and correspondence while helping her stay on top of all the dinners, ribbon cuttings, and meetings for the United Nations. She learns there is much more to working for Eleanor Roosevelt when the body of a young woman is found on the Royal Blue train when it pulled into Washington D.C.
Susie Taylor was a young woman full of dreams. She left Sweden for America hoping to get her big break on Broadway. Her mother was a friend of Eleanor's and asked for help finding her daughter who had disappeared. Susie Taylor was the young woman found dead on the train. One of the first detectives to arrive on the scene quickly made assumptions and theories. Detective O'Malley was more circumspect and listened to Kay and Eleanor who had their own theories. But the women knew if they didn't embark on a journey to find the killer and the real motive for her death the wrong person would be accused or the case would go cold.
I love that this mystery series features Eleanor Roosevelt. I knew she was a strong and feisty woman and I hope the fictional Eleanor is close to how the real Eleanor was. I wish there was an Eleanor Roosevelt around today to shake up the world of politics to fight the injustices that are happening every day. I know she would be floored by what is happening after she fought so hard. Aside from her political good works, the woman is a fine amateur sleuth with drive knowing when to attack and when to have patience.
Kay Thompson is ER's longtime secretary and friend Malvina âTommyâ Thompson's niece. She has her own talents to bring to the investigation while taking on her normal tasks. She makes an excellent Watson to Eleanor's Sherlock. She may also learn a lot about herself along the way.
Susie Taylor had some interesting connections that put her death very much in Eleanor's wheelhouse. She believes there is much more to Susie's story and that she had been keeping secrets and her mother was holding things back as well. I enjoyed the way Eleanor and Kay dug into the Soviet connection. A second murder opened up more questions than answers. I was surprised that Bobby and Jack Kennedy, and by extension, Ethel and Jackie ran in similar circles with Eleanor. The Kennedy brothers were part of some of Eleanor's meetings with interesting input. ER was very interested in the details and we all know the devil is in the details. So even when the case appears wrapped she goes to Detective O'Malley with a new theory. I loved all the twists and turns Ms. Yardley penned in this mystery. I was kept guessing right up to the very end.
This first Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery has set this series off wonderfully. I appreciated how history was blended into this fictional account. The inclusion of prominent real people in the story pulled me in even more. I had to stop at one moment and check myself and remember it was a fictional story. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the book. She explains how her imagination â interweavesâ with history.
Eleanor and the Cold War will appeal to anyone who enjoys history mixed with mystery and fans of the woman herself. Well-plotted and well-written â the book was A Perfect Escape! I can't wait for the next book in this series and Eleanor and Kay's next adventure.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
When I read the synopsis of The Secret History of the Rape Kit, I knew I had to read it. Call me more than a little disgruntled when I learn of all the work done by women that men have stolen the credit for.
Martha "Marty" Goddard's work is outstanding because she pushed it through the most corrupt police department in America at the time: the Chicago Police Department. This woman did not like public speaking and often found someone else to do it for her, but when she had to, she would. That is how dedicated she was to her project. It's hard for me to believe that Goddard sank almost without a trace. How can someone do something so important and then disappear? I congratulate Kennedy for bringing Goddard back into the spotlight where she belongs.
The history the author provides is fascinating. I'll share a couple of examples. Would it surprise you to learn that Hugh Hefner and Playboy played a very important part in getting Goddard's rape kits accepted? They did. Would it also surprise you to learn that the infrastructure we use every day is constantly feeding us messages about who is important and who is not? It does. The designer of the bridges and underpasses leading into Long Island purposely had them built with low clearances so buses couldn't get through. You see, he didn't want poor people to have easy access to the area.
Kennedy shows us how the rape kits and forensics have changed over time and shares her own experience of sexual assault. While I didn't really find the author's personal experience all that necessary to the book as a whole, it does shed light on a survivor's thoughts and feelings.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit is a valuable addition to not only the history of forensics but women's history as well.
Martha "Marty" Goddard's work is outstanding because she pushed it through the most corrupt police department in America at the time: the Chicago Police Department. This woman did not like public speaking and often found someone else to do it for her, but when she had to, she would. That is how dedicated she was to her project. It's hard for me to believe that Goddard sank almost without a trace. How can someone do something so important and then disappear? I congratulate Kennedy for bringing Goddard back into the spotlight where she belongs.
The history the author provides is fascinating. I'll share a couple of examples. Would it surprise you to learn that Hugh Hefner and Playboy played a very important part in getting Goddard's rape kits accepted? They did. Would it also surprise you to learn that the infrastructure we use every day is constantly feeding us messages about who is important and who is not? It does. The designer of the bridges and underpasses leading into Long Island purposely had them built with low clearances so buses couldn't get through. You see, he didn't want poor people to have easy access to the area.
Kennedy shows us how the rape kits and forensics have changed over time and shares her own experience of sexual assault. While I didn't really find the author's personal experience all that necessary to the book as a whole, it does shed light on a survivor's thoughts and feelings.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit is a valuable addition to not only the history of forensics but women's history as well.
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