Currently reading
Summer House with Swimming Pool
Remember Me Like This: A Novel
The Lincoln Myth
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour: A Novel
Young God: A Novel
Bird Box
Bedbugs
Elizabeth Is Missing
The Book of You: A Novel
Hollow World
The Farm
The Farm is one of those exceptional books that will make you nervous , drive you to finish, and at the end, realize you haven't taken a breath for a long time. Yeah, it's that good. Every chapter challenges you to decide if the mother is telling the truth. You ask yourself if you even want her to be telling the truth. But the truth is a fog to be driven through, afraid of what's ahead but knowing you must keep driving to reach the other side. The ending was satisfying, but rushed. Otherwise I would have given this 5 stars.
Eleanor
A family begets a family that begets another family. And so it is written...or is it? The water runs, drips, pours, and rages, never stopping...or does it? These two themes weave a lyrical, hypnotic dream of a story, the story of Eleanor. I have always enjoyed Jason Gurley's short stories, but this book has surpassed their scope. He gives us light and dark, love and hate, in realistic surrealism . Eleanor will make you feel deeply, whether you want to or not. Kudos.
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The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death
I don't read non-fiction at all ,but this book intrigued me enough to cut loose and gamble that I'd like it. I loved it. I admit to being an ex-amateur poker player ,have lived in Vegas, and still like to play and watch for fun. The author's experiences and musings about going to the WSOP are droll and delightful. I finished this book in record time. Entertaining, informative and well written, I highly recommend it.
Afterparty
The premise of a near future world where designer drugs are printed on a 3-D chemjet printer is truly original . Now imagine if a drug gave you your own personal deity. With breakneck speed, this novel takes you through a looking-glass to characters rendered with exquisite skill. Crossing genres, I would have to call this future noir. I would have given this 5 stars, but the ending was too pat. Otherwise, I enjoyed every marvelous display of this author's creativity .
Field of Prey
A stunning knockout, this has to be Sandford's best Lucas Davenport novel to date. This book also has one of his best villains. Take a pinch of Norman Bates, add a dash of Hannibal Lector , and finish off with Sandford's driving style. Mix together, and you have a recipe to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.
The Bees: A Novel
I sit here stunned. What a glorious book with a perfect ending. I am allergic to bees and thought it would be hard to read this. I was so wrong. Somehow the author has evoked politics, cultures, and class war in this delightful story of Flora, a worker bee. The author's description of the inside of a hive make me think of Renaissance churches and fairyland castles. This book should be required reading in any school.
Astonish Me
A little bit of The Turning Point mixed in with a delicious karmic ending ,this book somehow kept me engaged even though I knew nothing about ballet. The characters are all fascinating and the writing smooth. I am usually only into thrillers and science fiction, so kudos to the author. I really enjoyed this book.
A Better World
I didn't think it was possible to write a better book than Brilliance . I was wrong. I hate to use this cliche, but A Better World is gripping. It really is! I had to read this through in two days because I had to find out what was going to happen . The final chapter was so exciting, I found myself hyperventilating.This book presents an all too possible America. Add in people born more gifted than normal, the Abnorms, and you get one helluva scenario. The twists and plot turns make you wonder who are the bad guys and who are the good.
One of the great things about the book is that you can read it as a standalone . But if you want full satisfaction, I suggest reading Brilliance eventually.
I cannot wait for the finale in this series. If Sakey can please hurry it up, that'd be great.
Synchronic: 13 Tales of Time Travel
I like time travel stories. This collection of thirteen short stories exceeded my expectations. I usually read anthologies a little at a time, but I read this book straight through. Each of these authors approached the subject from a completely different angle and their imaginations surprised and delighted. Some of these stories resonated with me more than others. In any collection, one is likely to have personal favorites. Mine were written by Jason Gurley, Ann Christy, Michael Bunker, MeiLin Miranda, Nick Cole, Eric Tozzi, Samuel Peralta, and Susan Kaye Quinn. That said, there is not a bad story in it.
And last but not least, a shout out to David Gatewood for a beautifully edited book and to Jason Gurley for the exquisite cover art.
Ghostman
2013 Edgar Award Finalist for Best New BookPerusing the Edgar nominees, I found this listed. Good enough for me, I started it yesterday and finished it today. This novel was compulsively readable. The story of a man with no name who is excellent at what he does: stealing a lot of money. I hope for another book with this fascinating character.
The Target
I think this is enough of Robie and Reel. This time, I got the same formulaic plot, without discovering anything new about its heroes . The ending was foretold long before I got close to finishing the book. That said, the reason I gave it even three stars was the young, female, North Korean assassin. Her story and her actions kept me reading. Her history in a concentration camp made her the only interesting part of this novel.
The perfect ending
I won this ARC through Booklikes and wanted to say thank you with this review.
"...and the world can't end with the crime unsolved. " So says Detective Palace, the fascinating protagonist in this, the third in the trilogy of The Last Policeman. I was so desperate to get to the end of this fascinating blend of mystery, thriller and end-times novel that I finished it in one sitting. One of the reasons I loved this novel was the author's sense of place. Without switching to jarring descriptive paragraphs, we are allowed to experience this world through the eyes of the characters. Everywhere the story goes, I am with them, like a shadow. As for the characters, each one is fleshed out and entirely essential to the story. There is not a single part of this book that is out of place. The ending was a warm exclamation point and masterfully done.
If you like mysteries that are impossible to predict and a plot that is completely original , you will devour this book.
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Pennsylvania Omnibus
Smoothly written with an interesting back story about Amish life. The science fiction concepts were sound and the action is non-stop. Just enough hook to keep me reading, but I could not really engage with the main character as we have little in common. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars. I still think Wick is the author's best work, but Pennsylvania is ultimately warm and satisfying. Worth the read!
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Deep Breath Hold Tight: Stories About the End of Everything
Deep Breath Hold Tight shows why Jason Gurley is a master of short stories. The Winter Lands and Onyx truly touched me. With smooth writing and dark unexpected twists ,the author lures you into his imagination. If you like speculative fiction with a heart, you will love this book.
What Alice Forgot
Once I started this book, I had to finish it in one marathon sitting. The author's characters gripped me, evoking feelings I had forgotten over the years. This book even had me wrapped up with the children, very much a composite of my own childhood. One simple event when Maddie had studied so hard for a test the next day, but circumstances canceled the test .Maddie was disheartened and surly. I remembered incidents like that had happened to me too in middle-school. I had studied so hard and long , and then wham, the test is canceled . My sense of fairness and justice took a beating that day. I knew the test and could have beaten any who challenged me. But test didn't happen, and I was furious . That was the first time I realized that life will not always be fair. The author's ease with characters and relationships are so universal ,anyone could get something out of this book. Recommended.
Sleep Donation
I am so sorry I bought this book. First, the formatting and editing were terrible. I've read ebooks that had some typos, but this one had duplicate paragraphs throughout. Tops of pages were cut off. Next, it seemed like the author was slinging words around like darts, but never coming close to the bullseye. Also, there was no reason to like or particularly care what Trish was doing. She did not engage me at all. Altogether, it read like a word salad in a sad cafeteria.