Nonfiction by Mary Norris
So... this is a book about English grammar that's meant to be funny.
Obviously it's not for everyone; however, I thought it was kind of fun.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Famous
Fiction by Blake Crouch.
Lance is a loser who still lives with his parents at 38 years old, but he happens to have the same face as a certain movie star. He's saving his money and has studied how to act just like a famous person, and so when he gets fired from his job he decides to put his plan into action.
What happens next is a real surprise!
I also read recently by this author: Pines
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Ghostsitter: a Crazy Inheritance
An Audible Original
I also read recently from Audible Originals: Andrea Vernon and the Center for Ultra Human Protection
Fiction by Tommy Krappenweis
The story is about a boy who inherits an old amusement park filled with bunch of ghosts and monsters from his crazy great uncle or something. But the ghosts and monsters are all nice and friendly. Sort of...
This is a scripted audio performance with several voice actors, and is supposed to be meant for family listening. My son (12) and I listened to it together. I'd say it was okay, but not great. It was mildly interesting to the kid and super weird to the adult.
Monday, July 20, 2020
The Friend Zone
Fiction by Abby Jiminez
This was fun romance story with some really funny moments as well as some drama.
The focus is on Kristen and Josh, a meant-for-each-other pair who feel like they can't be together because of circumstances. The story suffers a bit from "I-Can't-Tell-The-Truth-Or-The-Story-Will-End -Here Syndrome,"** however, the writing style is fun and readable enough for me to overlook it.
**I-Can't-Tell-The -Truth-Or-The-Story-Will-End-Here Syndrome
(See After the Lie by Kerry Fisher)
This shows up in romances quite a bit, in which a main character withholds some vital piece of information from his/her love interest for flimsy reasons, making it obvious that the author is using the device to further complicate the plot and lengthen the story.
(See After the Lie by Kerry Fisher)
This shows up in romances quite a bit, in which a main character withholds some vital piece of information from his/her love interest for flimsy reasons, making it obvious that the author is using the device to further complicate the plot and lengthen the story.
Friday, July 17, 2020
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Fiction by Kim Michele Richardson
I heard about this book because of its supposed similarity to Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes, which was published around the same time.
Apparently there were allegations of plagiarism because this book (by a lesser-known author) was released in May of last year, and Giver of Stars, released in November and written by a big-name author, are both based on the "Packhorse Librarian" project in 1930's Kentucky.
I will say that I don't think there was any real plagiarism involved, although there are similarities between the books. Still, the characters are so very different that I don't think this is more than coincidence.
Cussy Mary, the librarian in this story, is a rare Kentucky Blue Person, which apparently is a real genetic condition that cropped up in the hills of Kentucky. These folks had skin that actually appeared blue, due to some blood deficiency they inherited, but were otherwise quite healthy. The problem for them, as you can imagine, is the reactions they encountered from others due to their "oddity."
For Cussy Mary, being a Blue pretty much defines her. The Packhorse Library project gives her a way to help other people see past her color, as well as a way to make a living. This character and her story are completely unlike the English girl Alice in the JoJo Moyes book, who struggles with an unhappy marriage and sees the library job as an escape.
This was a good book, and one I probably wouldn't have heard about if it hadn't been for the controversy. I'm not the only one who read it because of that, either, so I'd say this author came out ahead here.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
The Boy from the Woods
Fiction by Harlan Coben
Thirty years ago, a boy of about six was discovered living in the woods with no memory of having ever been anywhere else. Papers called him a "Real-Life Mowgli," and the case received a lot of attention. Still, no one came forward to claim the child, and his origin remained a mystery. Soon everyone forgot about the boy called Wilde.
Fast forward to the present and we have Naomi and Matthew, a girl who is picked on and bullied every day at the high school and a boy who feels guilty about not intervening. Then when Naomi disappears, Matthew is determined to find out what happened to her.
Can Matthew make amends for ignoring Naomi's plight? Where has she gone? And what does this all have to do with the boy --who is now a grown man-- from the woods? All will be reveled in time!
This was a great thriller!
I also read recently by this author: Darkest Fear
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
After Long Silence
Nonfiction by Helen Fremont
Helen was born in the US in 1958 to Polish immigrants. She and her older sister Lara were raised Catholic and strongly discouraged from asking their parents about the past, the war, or the old country. Only as adults were the sisters able to discover the family's true history: their parents were Jews, and they were the only survivors of their respective families (except for an aunt in Italy.)
The story explores what happened to the family during tehwar, and why they felt it was necessary to keep up the deception so long.
This was a very good memoir. It gives you a lot to think about.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Safe With Me
Fiction by K. L. Slater
Anna has been extremely reclusive since the tragedy thirteen years ago. But one day she happens to see the one woman who caused it all. As far as Anna can tell, the woman has suffered no ill effects from what happened so long ago. In fact, she seems to be continuing to harm others and get away with it! Anna vows to stop her at all costs.
This was a pretty good book. It definitely had a surprising ending.
Friday, July 10, 2020
What Hurts the Most
Fiction by Willow Rose
I got this book free on Kindle from Amazon Prime when I was stranded at the car repair shop with nothing to read. It definitely made the over two hours I spent sitting there in the poorly air-conditioned waiting room less horrible.
The story is about a young woman called Mary Mills who has been avoiding her Florida hometown for many years, since something terrible happened there when she was a teenager. But when her dad asks her to come back and help her younger brother Blake, she agrees. She finds a murder mystery and bunch of her old high school friends, and Mary discovers that sometimes the past won’t be avoided.
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
The Dutch House
Fiction by Ann Patchett
Danny Conroy loves his childhood home, called the Dutch House because it had originally been built by Dutch people who emigrated to America. This is the story of that house and Danny’s family, and the way a house can be so important.
This was a great book! The audiobook read by Tom Hanks was recommended to me by several sources and they were right!! Let Tom read this one to you.
I also read by this author: The Magician's Assistant
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Pines
Fiction by Blake Crouch
https://www.barnesandnoble.com
Secret Service agent Ethan Blake wakes up in the small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho, with no ID, no money, and no memory of having gotten there. All he knows for sure is that he’s severely injured, but for some reason he doesn’t want to go to the hospital. He soon learns that his instinctive aversion to the place was correct, and that there’s something wrong with the whole town, not just the hospital.
This was a really exciting thriller with an ending I did not expect.
I also read recently by this author: Snowbound
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Blind Hope
Subtitled: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued
Nonfiction by Kim Meeder
The idea behind this book was nice; it’s about a young woman called Laurie who adopted a dog with special needs and found purpose in life. I did not really like the way it was written, however. I can’t explain it, except that the author didn’t really make it interesting to read. I think she was more interested in imparting life lessons than telling a good story. Which is fine, except that I prefer stories to lessons.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
In an Instant
Fiction by Suzanne Redfearn
https://www.barnesandnoble.com
At the beginning if this story there are the Millers and the Golds, a pair of families whose mothers are longtime best friends. Finn Miller and her siblings even call Mr. and Mrs. Gold “Uncle Bob” and “Aunt Karen.” And there is also Maureen Kaminski, Finn’s best friend who is just like a sister to her. All of these people who feel like a family go on a weekend ski trip together, and something happens that shows them who is really part of the family and who is an outsider.
This was an exciting thriller but it was also very thought-provoking. I very much recommend it.
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