Sunday, June 26, 2016

I teased myself, NOT released yet



I have seen this on many blogs and couldn't wait to read it.  I saw a FREE 5 chapters of this on so I downloaded it as I usually just start with a sample of Kindle books.  Well......... I was hooked ready to go on and guess what, it releases on August 9, 2016.  I have to wait almost 6 weeks, ugggh, I totally teased myself.  I can't wait to figure what the heck happens Behind Closed Doors.


Book Summary

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.
You’d like to get to know Grace better. But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.
Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Review - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín





Book Summary

Colm Tóibín’s New York Times bestselling novel—now an acclaimed film starring Saoirse Ronan and Jim Broadbent nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture—is “a moving, deeply satisfying read” (Entertainment Weekly) about a young Irish immigrant in Brooklyn in the early 1950s.

“One of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary literature” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America, she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.

Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

My Review - 3 1/2

This was a book club read for me and I think a great one for book clubs that are willing to be open and personal with each other. The journey of Eilis will make you think 'how would I respond, what would I decide, do I make decisions for myself or others', where is home and what does it mean to me and I believe the response to some of these questions would represent your feel and rating of the book.

I enjoyed the character development in Brooklyn and the different parts of the book.

Part 1, we get an intro of Eilis life in Ireland and her journey of sea sickness to Brooklyn. I enjoyed the intro, it showed what immigrants will go through for the betterment of their selves and for family.

Part 2, she arrives and the priest that helped to confirm her living in Brooklyn introduces her to her landlady and helps to settle her in a job.  I enjoyed seeing who Eilis was, a loner that everyone likes in my opinion.  She respects everyone and it shows through her actions.  The only thing I think she did for herself is her accounting studies, this fueled a spark in her.

Part 3 was the longest.  We see Eilis, the Ireland young lady settle in at Brooklyn.  She is past the phase of being homesick and becomes a part.  She meets a young man and they fall in love.  She gains respect over all the other ladies at the house she resides without trying, but being true to herself.  She treats customers with the utmost respect, including the coloured ladies when this change took place in Brooklyn.  The store moments were my favourites, back in Ireland and Brooklyn.  People watching can be so interesting and reading was mesmerizing at times. Tragedy back in Ireland takes place and the decision to go back and visit occurs.

....she felt almost guilty that she had handed some of her grief to him, and then she felt close to him for his willingness to take it and hold it, in all its rawness, all its dark confusion.  Kindle 68%

Part 4 is touching and confusing at the same time.  I was disappointed that she hadn't found herself and was unable to be true to herself.  I was engaged and couldn't wait to see what happened.  You know you are near the ending and BAM, it ends, just like that, the story is over.  It was one of the worst endings ever for me, so much so I immediately hated reading the book and considered giving it a 2 1/2.

It made her feel strangely as though she were two people, one who had battled against two cold winters and many hard days in Brooklyn and fallen in love there, and the other who was her mother's daughter, the Eilis whom everyone knew, or thought they knew. Kindle 79%

I have set with the thought for a few days and I am on the fence with 3 1/2 or 4.  I decided on 3 1/2 because I believe it depends on the reader but I wouldn't know who to recommend to.  The fact that I can see discussion helps, I think it is a great book club read.  I enjoy when authors allow the ending to be open, allowing the reader to make a decision, I truly detested this ending though, I really felt like 'where the hell is the rest'.  The ending was a shock to my system.


I didn't realize this was also a movie.  Here is the trailer. 





Monday, June 13, 2016

It's Monday - lots of reading for me/sick



Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.

Personal

Well, I went out with my book club on Monday night, great but left work early on Tuesday not feeling well.  I thought I had picked up the stomach bug but nope food poisoning, eek.  That was 500% worst then the stomach bug and today was my first day feeling better.   Being sick though allowed lots of reading.  I finished 2 books, whooooah


I'm currently reading - I have read all of Mary Kubica's books, all solid reads so far.



Summer Book Club Choices

Just finished this one, review will be up this week.  Have you read it?



I have never heard of this one, have you?



I enjoyed this one, very glad it wasn't romance, in my opinion anyways.  My Review




What do I think will be next?  A favourite author and favourite series I believe.



Have an amazing week.



Thursday, June 9, 2016

Review - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes




Published - December 2012
Movie Release - June 3, 2016

Book Summary

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our StarsMe Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?


My Review - 4 1 /2

Me Before You was the perfect title.  Louisa (Lou) was hired to change Will's mind about living.  She thought of everything to make him happy but really Will only agreed to make Lou happy and to give her the chance to experience life.  They both were from a small town, Will is wealthy and Lou is from the other side of town from an 'ordinary' family.  Will made Lou feel he was doing for him but really he was doing for her.

I had to just live in the moment and try to encourage Will to do the same.  I had to be happy, in the hope that will would be too.   Kindle 83%

This book had great characterization.  I thought this was adult fiction, I'm glad I didn't go into thinking romance which for me it wasn't.  I do think Lou fell for Will but Will didn't love Lou, I think he was grateful and cherished his time with her but not love. I wonder if this would have met the romance fans expectation.

Nathan, the caregiver was great, I enjoyed Will's' father but I didn't enjoy the sister and mother.  And I enjoyed Lou's family.  Hearing the story from Lou's perspective was a nice touch but we then got one chapter from the other characters but not Will's perspective, this was miss.  My least favourite was Lou and her boyfriend Patrick storyline, far to much of their story but I loved when they all came together for dinner.  Will has dark English humor and it cracked me up.  Patrick definitely wasn't deserving of Lou.

I thought the ending was exactly what we should have expected but with the label romance, maybe not.  The story was heartbreaking but I understood Will's decision.  The debate on assisted suicide I think is like the debate on abortion.  I read a few other reviews, WOW on the anger.  Will is a quadriplegic, this is HIS story.  I thought Jojo Moyes did an amazing job capturing the essence of Will.

I loved being able to picture Lou with her wild, eccentric way of dressing, colourful to say the least.  She knew she was different but not worthy of discussion or how to create a life for herself.  Also, the use of social media to assist Lou with her plans was the perfect modern touch.  The amazing plans had me thinking about a true bucket list, taking the time to cherish life outside of the normalcy of day to day living.

I would have to fill those little white rectangles with a lifetime of things that could generate happiness, contentment satisfaction, or pleasure.  I would have to fill them with every good experience I could summon up for a man whose powerless arms and legs meant he could no longer make them happen by himself.  Kindle 37%

I do love my intense thrillers but this was the perfect mood book for me, I really enjoyed it.  I will wait for it to come out and watch at home though.

Another movie recommendation for those that enjoyed this.

The Intouchables














Monday, June 6, 2016

It's Monday - what are you reading?



Book Date now hosts It's Monday What Are Your Reading?  The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week.  It's a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read List.


I'm currently reading - this came 2nd on my poll.




Anyone that loved Me Before You, I recommend the movie Intouchables, amazing, I absolutely loved it, which is also what intrigued me with Me Before You.




I reviewed - this was 1st from my poll - My Review




What I may read next. Prequel to Pretty Girls




Friday, June 3, 2016

Review - Brother by Ania Ahlborn




Book Summary

From the bestselling horror author of Within These Walls and The Bird Eater comes a brand-new novel of terror that follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions.

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…



My Review - 4

The title, cover and summary really gripped me, I'm glad I was able to read this one before seeing it all over the blogs.  I find I appreciate most books more this way.

We meet the Morrow's, a made up family of mother and father, two daughters and two sons but are any their blood children, you question this during the story.  It baffles me on the stories when children are abducted and brainwashed to believe they were not wanted by their family and to embrace their new.  It is hard to believe we have some crazy sick people in our world but with the news we know it is an unfortunate pat of our world.

The continuous buildup to the climatic ending is perfection.  You know it will end badly and just wonder how but the additional jaw dropping, emotional ending, just wow.   Ray, known as Rebel is the King of manipulation and patience.  As children, Michael does something that Rebel thinks requires retaliation.  He takes this to the ultimate horrific level.

It took awhile to understand at first but I did enjoy the present day story vs the story building from when Michael joined the family.  It helped you to understand the disturbing intent of Rebel.

What I love about horrors is they have you talking to the characters "No Michael, don't go, Michael look out, Michael don't believe him, etc."  It makes you become more engaged in the story and I felt emotionally charged.  How can I be rooting for a murderer but that is not his natural way, Michael was made into a monster and didn't know how to get out.

This story is worth the read just for the horrific manipulation.  Michael hands down is my favourite character but the build up for Rebel to get what he wanted, brilliantly crazy. I feel like it could have been more character development for the mother and father but it didn't take away from the story.  They are sick demonic family.  Michael with the right upbringing definitely could have been a Physician.  There is so much I want to say but will give away the brilliance of Ania Ahlborn story 'Brother'

There is blood and lots of it.  This is not for the reader that won't be able to sleep at night without visions because it is graphic.  Nothing is for shock value in my opinion.  This family is related to the serial killer from Silence of the Lambs that had the women in the whole, that is all I will say.

I will definitely be read more from Ania Ahlborn.  I didn't realize it but I have read The Neighbors, my review here.

My Review 3 1/2 stars