It's NOT the Books, It's Me

I have realised or am hoping, it is me,my life, not my love of books letting me down.

I love to read, love to blog, enjoy writing the reviews, reading the comments and networking with you and others around the blogosphere.

BUT

To be straight to the point, life has been an emotional roller coaster.  I will try not to be too emotional and have this be to long.

My partner's mom passed in March, she had been in my life for 12 years.  Some of you may remember, my brother had a massive stroke last year February, he started getting a little better but was told he will never walk again this year February.  I believe he stopped fighting at that point and he passed in May.  My 5 year old daughter started asking if I'm going to die, heartbreaking.

So dealing with grief has been hard and the usual escape of reading a book obviously hasn't happened.

It's not the books, it's me............

The diamond in the rough was us buying the house. (See a picture here) We bid in February but had to walk away due to the family tragic moments that were both sudden.  We received a call to say the house was up for rent also, we wanted to do anything to get the house, was told they accepted our offer.  An hour later was told the renters signed on the contract and we will have to buy with the 2 year rent, BIG ASS SIGH.

There was lots of tears from me, my partner had lost him mom by this time and couldn't concentrate but thought 2 years getting income would be great.  Yes great BUT not my goal.  I was already emotional invested in the house and wanted to make it my own, so now I own a beautiful home, receiving rent but cannot move into it until April 2012.

So yes.

It's not the books, it's me............

I haven't had an amazing read in months, honestly only 1-2 are memorable.  I do still try to come and comment but it is hard.  I read maybe 20 pages a day.  I'm sorry, I think I am slightly depressed, stressed and now officially in a reading and blogging slump.

It's not the books, it's me............

So real life has taken over, I have high hopes though, the cup is always half full with me so I'm not going anywhere.

Now you have an answer to why I'm not posting or networking like normal.

HUGS

Mysterious Feature - Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler

PROMOTION (Kindle) DEAL UNTIL SUNDAY, JUNE 28TH

Go Here

Book Summary

World renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world.  His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions.  But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt.  Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same.

Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter turns to his long-time colleague, corporate biotech CEO Richard Stillman, for help.  Together, they conspire to conduct a clandestine clinical trial in Seoul, Korea.  But the danger is more determined, and more lethal, than Ritter could have imagined.

After successful surgical trials, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario:  The trial patients have been murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, now the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin named Fiest.

Dead End Deal is a fast paced, heart-pounding, and sophisticated thriller. Penned by master neurosurgeon, Allen Wyler—who often draws from experience, actual events and hotbutton issues when writing—Dead End Deal is unmatched as a technical procedural. Its medical and scientific details can impress even the most seasoned medical practitioners. And yet, the technical expertise is seamlessly woven into a riveting plot, with enough action and surprises to engross even the most well-read thriller enthusiast.

A smart, unique, page-turner, Dead End Deal delivers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity.  He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.

In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.

Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.

He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.

www.allenwyler.com

Review - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Book Summary from Goodreads

"'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'"

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the qu...more"'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'"

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war...

My Review - 2 (Initially gave a 3 as I completed it but really is a 2 for me)

I have figured out a style of writing that does not impress me but wows many others, the clever style.  I am always reading thinking this is total BS and either laughing at the characters, not in a good way or totally pissed off, and I was both while reading this one.

This was my first try by Gillian Flynn, I am open to trying one of her earlier books as I do enjoy dark reads but I personally didn't enjoy this.  I will recommend it to all that loved Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson.  I also gave those two 3 stars, they all made me mad for different reasons but I have the same complaint, the authors, in my opinion, play the reader for fools.

I actually found the first half of the story, 52% on Kindle, torture to get through, so slow, I was waiting for that WHAM moment and when it came, I knew that was coming so it was a roll my eyes moment.  I should have stopped reading then.  That was the beginning of the 2nd section, then the 3rd section came and the author just ended it to soon, it was all summarised and just so ridiculous.  I really am not happy I spent $12 on Kindle for this one.  It was my most anticipated read this year and I am totally disappointed. I am unsure how to pick up on the 'clever' scenarios that many others seem to enjoy, I would stay away from those reads in the future, have to figure that out for myself.  I do love the play with my mind reads but this and the other two were unbelievable and categorized as BS for me, sigh.

I enjoyed Nick's character until the ending, what a wet towel, walk over guy, who wants a man like that.  I never liked Amy and she was a total sociopath, never figuring out who she was or who she should live for.  This is the ultimate dysfunctional couple that deserved each other.

An annoying contributor I couldn't get passed this - his sister is named Margo and they called her Go, every time I was reading Go as a word instead of nickname, it was frustrating and totally took away from the flow of reading for me. This was huge and I never got passed it.  Also, instead of her, Go could be used five times in a paragraph, so frustrating.

It gets a 3 because I actually completed it.  There is so much that goes on in this book that no one would be able to review without spoiling, very intricate, again 'playing us for stupid' or maybe it was playing the characters for stupid.

Some quotes

It's a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters.

"People want to believe they know other people. Parents want to believe they know their kids.  Wives want to believe they know their husbands."

An assertive knock at the door.  The kind a parent give right before swinging the door wide: I won this place.  I stand in the middle of my room and debate not answering.  Bang bang bang.  I understand now why so many horror movies use that device - because it has the weight of a nightmare.  You don't know what's out there, yet you know you'll open it.  You'll think what I think:  No one bad ever knocks.

Review - Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

Book Summary from Amazon



Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness -- sexual pleasure for its own sake -- or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

My Review - 3 1/2 More Sugar Please

I have had Eleven Minutes on my bookshelf for 2 years, one of the first books I brought after blogging.  The main thing I can say about this book is that it was thought provoking.  It was hard to decide what to rate this book, the beginning I was fascinated and as it went on I began losing interest but I enjoyed the ending of the journey and how it all came together with the understanding of the clever title Eleven Minutes. This book will not be for everyone, it is exploring sexuality with spirituality undertones and may make some feel uncomfortable.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it was like reading a thesis/dissertation paper, very literal with artfully contrived meanings but easy enough for you to understand and have your own opinion on.  Maria was looking for adventure, to become a star, find a husband and be happy, we went on the journey along with her.  I thought she gambled with her life, she took risks that many do when they are young but some of hers could have caused her her life.

Now that I have experienced reading a memoir when I read different novels I realise if it was a memoir I would have enjoyed it more, this is in that category.   The character was inspired by someone but Paulo Coelho still put his own interpretation on the choices and consequences.

If you want a thought provoking but easy read I say go for it.  This is the first book I have read that I can understand every rating, if someone DNF or rated it a 1 to 5 star, I get it but it has its place in the writing world for sure.  It seems like Paulo Coelho very much has a style of writing, that may seem formula like but I think it is more like a personal research paper that he allows the reader to experience and think about also.

Another favourite was the opening, I would like to share.

Once upon a time, there was a prostitute called Maria.  Wait as minute.  "Once upon a time" is how all the best children's stories begin and "prostitute" is a word for adults.  How can I start a book with this apparent contradiction?  But since, at every moment of our lives, we all have on foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss, let's keep that beginning........


More favourite "thought provoking" quotes

A writer once said that it is not time that changes man, nor knowledge; the only thing that can change someone's mind is love.  Page 53

"Does a soldier go to war in order to kill the enemy?  No, he goes in order to die for his country.  Does a wife want to show her husband how happy she is?  No, she wants him to see how devoted she is, how she suffers in order to make him happy.  Does the husband go to work thinking he will find personal fulfillment there?  No, he is giving his seat and tears for the good of the family.  And so it goes on:  sons give up their dreams to please their parents, parents give up their lives in order to please their children; pain and suffering are used to justify the one thing that should bring only joy: love."

It's Monday, where did the week go.......

Sheila over at Book Journey has an incentive for networking so go over and have fun while continuing to add to your 2012 Wishlist.


I'm currently reading Gone Girl, my most highly anticipated so far for the year and I am not impressed, sigh

I completed this one but still need to do the review.  I am 3 reviews behind :-(  I'm never behind. 

I think I am going to read a review book next, sounds so good and my Serial Killer Challenge has not impressed me yet, where are the crazies, lol

I participated in the Introductions of Armchair bea but just didn't feel the connection as much this year.  The introductions were fantastic but the rest of the week just didn't pull me in, definitely was the year to go I guess. 


I really want the year to change with my reading, it has been appalling but I will remain optimistic. 


Hope you have a great week.

Armchair bea Introductions.........

 Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Design credit: Sarah of Puss Reboots

Welcome to Tea Time with Marce 

1)  Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

I am an international blogger.  I was born and raised in Bermuda.  I'm 36 years old and have a 5 year old daughter.

My genres of choice are Thrillers, specifically Psychological mess with your mind thrillers, Suspense, Mystery, Adult Fiction and since blogging I have enjoyed some Memoirs.  My simple pleasure are Verse Novels.

This year September will make 3 years blogging for me. I joined the amazing blogosphere when I came across Booking Through Thursday, I immediately wanted to join in the meme and network with others. That was before I even realised the amazing extent of what blogging is and can be. I feel honoured to be a part of this community.

2) What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?

My current read is on my sidebar, my first experience with Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes.  My favourite book this year is Department Thirteen, an espionage thriller, I highly recommend, I am sure the main character and book will be in my top ten this year.  My review.

3)  Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I am busting at the seams to truly announce this, I am about to be a 1st time home owner.  Bermudians say 'owning a piece of the rock'. We are officially signing all the last papers this week.  It is called Amethyst.......   I'm so happy.  I can't wait to design my bookshelf.

4)  Where do you see your blog in five years?

I would love to still be actively blogging 'at my own pace' but be known as the blog to come to for Thriller, Mystery and Suspense recommendations, to have a true community of those genres.  I started the Thrill Week event last year, look forward to this year, September and hope it is still around in 5 years with possibly 50 plus participants. Email at marceblogspot(at)hotmail(dot)com for more information.

5)  Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

My reading taste and number of books read a year has changed drastically.  The only must read book for me was always Mary Higgins Clark's newest in Hardcover.    When traveling I may have picked up 1 or 2 mysteries in the airport or bookstore.  Even when I didn't have a Wishlist or TBR list "that I will never actually get to" I still read 1 book a week on average, that hasn't changed but now I read approximately 50 books a year, love that.  I just never knew or considered researching how to find so many amazing books and authors.

I have also became an eclectic reader, Memoirs and a little YA or Classic with my favourite genres as discussed above.

The #1 change, I got a Kindle 2 1/2 years ago and LOVE it, prefer reading on it.  The highlighting and built in dictionary are superior features.


Thank you so much for visiting during BEA, I look forward to visiting you and possibly becoming a full time commenter/follower and fan of your blog.

For those that are there or check in later, jealous :-)  Can't wait to see your 'after bea' posts.

Marce

Review - The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Book Summary from Goodreads

First published in 1892, The Yellow Wall-Paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest cure. Though she longs to write, her husband and doctor forbid it, prescribing instead complete passivity. In the involuntary confinement of her bedroom, the hero creates a reality of her own beyond the hypnotic pattern of the faded yellow wallpaper – a pattern that has come to symbolize her own imprisonment. Narrated with superb psychological and dramatic precision, The Yellow Wall-Paper stands out not only for the imaginative authenticity with which it depicts one woman’s descent into insanity, but also for the power of its testimony to the importance of freedom and self-empowerment for women.
My Review - 4 Great to the Last drop

This is more of an essay, short story but such an amazing one to discuss mental illness.  I slightly remember reading this in school but as it is mentioned in numerous works I wanted to read again.

My favourite  parts were the way the main character described the Wallpaper, so many different ways, intricate patterns, nightmarish, claustrophobic, creepy but through the descriptions beautifully crafted by words in a weird way.

My favourite - The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.  You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are.  It slaps you in the face, knocks you down and tramples upon you.  It is like a bad dream.

She was suffering from Postpartum Depression but her husband John is a Physician and doesn't think she is sick just thinks she needs time to relax during her temporary 'illness'. 

I do like that she used a diary to express herself, this is how we hear the story so of course we don't know the true journey.  Is she really crazy?  Was getting away and being put in a room you hated with yellow wall paper a mistake.  She is happy her baby doesn't have deal with the horrid wall paper, some how I found this ironic.

I would have preferred if the diary had dates in it to know how many entries she actually did, at times it was confusing, the same day entry, next day, few days or a week later, I was unsure.

This was a story that made me smile which is sad because of course we are talking about someone not well but I  enjoyed the light hearted tragedy told like this.  It did make me question the decision to treat her illness the way they did, the ending with the husband's reaction was priceless.

I can see this being a great debatable book during an English class.

Review - The Sadness of the Samurai by Victor Del Arbol

Book Summary from Amazon

A betrayal and a murder in pro-Nazi Spain spark a struggle for power that grips a family for generations in this sweeping historical thriller.

When Isabel, a Spanish aristocrat living in the pro-Nazi Spain of 1941, becomes involved in a plot to kill her Fascist husband, she finds herself betrayed by her mysterious lover. The effects of her betrayal play out in a violent struggle for power in both family and government over three generations, intertwining her story with that of a young lawyer named Maria forty years later. During the attempted Fascist coup of 1981, Maria is accused of plotting the prison escape of a man she successfully prosecuted for murder. As Maria's and Isabel's narratives unfold they encircle each other, creating a page-turning literary thriller firmly rooted in history.

Show More

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My Review - 3 More Sugar Please

I was intrigued as I started reading, each chapter taking on a different generation which you know will all come together toward the end.  Historical fiction isn't a genre that I read so I was happy to read this for a challenge and while reading realised it was full of suspense.

I appreciated when the story included meanings of the Samurai, the art work of the sword, the meaning, what it means to wound someone and when, its mandate, this was very well done, keeping you in tuned to the title of the novel.

I do think for those that love suspense would think this thriller was a bit convoluted, the execution of it was done in a way to make it more complicated and throw it off but it actually turned me off, it became a touch boring for me.  Instead of feeling the excitement of getting to the end to see how it all comes together, I just couldn't wait for it to end.

There are numerous killings and betrayal which kept the story exciting, in the end it just didn't fully work for me.  A 40 year tragedy, all the heartache, the murders, the family history and how the finale ended, I expected more of a explosive ending, some readers may feel it was.  A great story about hate and revenge and being patient enough to win, if it is to cover up actions or to reveal them.

I thought this was good, not completely my cup of tea but I can see many others enjoying the intricate weaving of the stories. If you are intrigued I say go for it.

Some favourite quotes - this book definitely has some amazing quotes

"You read the novel.  If you don't like it, burn it... And if you do like it, burn it anyway.  But that won't change things.  I know who you are, and I know what's inside you, waiting to awaken."

Waiting is the only thing you have left when you are unwilling to give up.  Hatred needs patience to become a useful emotion.

This weapon represents the best values of the warrior: bravery, loyalty, fierceness, elegance, precision, and power, but at the same time the worst as well:  death, pain, suffering, murderous insanity.

"All my life I wanted to be honest.  I thought that if I armed myself with principles, if I made an effort and put order into my actions, I would manage to live a good life.  But everything that forms the basis of my existence is false.  It's like finding out that you yourself are a lied.  I failed, and I don't even know who I am, or who I wanted to be.  I feel lost, filled with confusion and pain.  And I have no answers."

Thank you to the Publicist for sending me this one for my honest review.  I am putting this towards my Eclectic Reading Challenge.

Crime Fiction Alphabet (A) Andrea Kane

Go to Kerrie's blog, Mysteries in Paradise for more information on how to participate in this meme.

Your post MUST be related to either the first letter of a book's title, the first letter of an author's first name, or the first letter of the author's surname, or even maybe a crime fiction "topic". But above all, it has to be crime fiction.

So you see you have lots of choice.

You could write a review, or a bio of an author, so long as it fits the rules somehow.
(It is ok too to skip a week.)

You probably won't have to do a lot of extra reading in order to participate, but I warn you that your TBR may grow as a result of the suggestions other participants make.

My choice this week is Andrea Kane. Her newest will be published June 26, 2012

Summary and Bio from NetGalley

THE MAN SHE LOVED IS GONE FOREVER.

THE CHILD SHE LIVES FOR COULD BE NEXT.

Each day is a struggle for Amanda Gleason’s newborn son as he battles a rare immune deficiency. Justin’s best chance for a cure lies with his father, who was brutally murdered before Amanda even realized she carried his child.

Or was he?

One emailed photo changes everything, planting a seed of doubt that Amanda latches on to for dear life: a recent photo of a man who looks exactly like Paul. Could Justin’s father be alive? The mother in her is desperate to find out. But tracking down a ghost when every second counts is not for amateurs.

Forensic Instincts is the one team up for the challenge.

A behaviorist. A former navy SEAL. A technowizard. An intuitive. A retired FBI agent. A human scent-evidence dog. Together they achieve the impossible, pushing ethical and legal boundaries whenever the ends justify the means.

The manhunt is on for the elusive father. Yet the further FI digs into his past, the more questions are raised about whether the man Amanda fell in love with ever really existed at all.

Dark secrets. Carefully crafted lies. From the congressional halls of Washington, D.C., to exclusive Hamptons manors, there are ruthless people who would stop at nothing to make Forensic Instincts forget about the man Amanda desperately needs to find.

Little do they realize that once Forensic Instincts takes the case, nothing will stop them from uncovering the shocking truth that transcends The Line Between Here and Gone.

About the author:

ANDREA KANE’s psychological thriller The Girl Who Disappeared Twice became an instant New York Times bestseller, the latest in a long string of smash hits. It introduced Forensic Instincts, an eclectic team of maverick investigators, each with different personalities and talents, all with one common bond: a blatant disregard for authority. The Line Between Here and Gone is the next exhilarating installment in the Forensic Instincts series. Armed with skills and talents honed by years in the FBI and Special Forces and training in behavioral and forensic psychology, the team solves seemingly impossible cases while walking a fine line between assisting and enraging law enforcement.

With a worldwide following and novels published in more than twenty languages, Kane is also the author of eight romantic thrillers and fourteen historical romances. She lives in New Jersey with her family, where she is plotting new ways for Forensic Instincts to challenge the status quo.

My review of The Girl who Disappeared Twice  - We meet the Forensic Instincts team and her newest book is about them, fantastic.......

Reading - It's Monday........

Sheila over at Book Journey has an incentive for networking so go over and have fun while continuing to add to your 2012 Wishlist.

I'm currently reading a Historical Fiction/Mystery - a requested review.  I'm enjoying so far.

Set across three generations, this gripping page-turner brings explosive force to the traditional historical novel. When Isabel, a Spanish aristocrat living in Pro-Nazi Spain becomes involved in a plot to kill her Fascist husband, she finds herself betrayed by her mysterious lover, setting off a power struggle that grips a family for generations.

I completed the classic Rebecca, and loved it.  My review

I have also completed but still need to do mini reviews for.......

No idea what is next.  Look forward to networking with you, enjoy your week.

Review - Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Book Summary from Amazon

With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

My Review - 5 Tea Time Perfection

I am glad I chose this as my classic read for the year, a masterpiece, I understand why this is many readers favourite book of all time.  Daphne Du Maurier was a true artist of her time. 

The whole book had this mysterious eerie feel to it which keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Flow is important to me and I think this may be one of the best executed books I have read.  There is no doubt I prefer modern reads but DDMaurier took you back without the unnecessary description, the wording and sentence structure was enough to put you in the time and atmosphere of the Manderley home.   When I got to the revealing of the true secret in the book I was shocked but also pleasantly surprised, it all made sense and then I couldn't put the book down, amazing.

What was most brilliant to me was that we never know the new wife's name, she is called Mrs. de Winter throughout, I wanted her to say just call me "    ", I will not live in the shadow of Rebecca or the latest Mrs. de Winter.  This alone made the book mysterious and creepy.

My favourite character was Mrs. Danvers, she was brilliantly done and I loved to hate her, I couldn't wait for the new Mrs. de Winter to stand up to her or fire her, the thrill of the wait was great.   What a cruel controlling woman.  I would read more about her character.

For those that are struggling with choosing a classic read for a challenge or just intrigued, I highly recommend. 

For those that love audio I have read that a Anna Massey performs it amazingly.  I can see this as a great book club read also.  There is so much more I would love to say but don't want to take anything away from someone's first experience with this one.

Since blogging, I have read To Kill a Mockingbird, And Then there Were None and now Rebecca, I was able to appreciate the others but this one is by far the best in my opinion, I will try more of her works now when I am in the mood for a delightful classic.

A favourite quote that I think represents the story well....

Frank did not have to sit at her place in the dining-room hold the knife and fork that she had held, drink from her glass. He did not throw a coat over his shoulders which had been hers, nor find her handkerchief in the pocket.  He did not notice, every day, as I did, the blind gaze of the old dog in its basket in the library, who lifted its head when it heard my footstep, the footstep of a woman, and sniffing the air drooped its head again, because I was not the one it sought. 

Waiting on Wednesday, Gillian Flynn

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event spotlighting upcoming releases we are highly anticipating. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This is a total WOW for me, I can't wait to read it, I have it in my calendar to download on release date, June 5, 2012.

Michelle over red headed book child has a current giveaway for US bloggers, go become a follower, she is one of my top blogging friends and another fan of Mystery, Thrillers, etc.

Here is Michelle's ARC review.


Summary from Goodreads:

"'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'"

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war...

What are we reading.....

Sheila over at Book Journey  has an incentive for networking so go over and have fun while continuing to add to your 2012 Wishlist.

Currently reading the classsic.......

Completed a not so great mystery - My review here. 2 1/2 stars

Also, completed a great YA read - My review here.  4 1/2 stars

What is next, I have no idea.  Maybe i'll go for another genre, last week was a great mix.



Review - Live to Tell by Wendi Corsi Staub

Book Summary from Amazon

Secrets can scandalize . .
In a lovely suburban town just north of New York City, the gossip mill runs more efficiently than the commuter-train line. And in every impeccably decorated house, they're talking about Lauren Walsh. They say that nothing could be worse than being abandoned by your husband for another woman. They're wrong . . .

Secrets can shock . . .

All Lauren wants is to protect her children from the pain of her messy divorce. But when their father goes missing, a case of mistaken identity puts all their lives in danger, and a stealthy predator lurks in the shadows, watching . . . waiting . . .

Secrets can kill . . .

Lauren is about to uncover an unfathomable truth—a truth this cold-blooded mastermind would never let her live to tell . . .


My Review - 2 1/2 Not my Cup of Tea

I had high hopes for this one, Wendy Corsi Staub was recommended as an author similar to Mary Higgins Clark, what an amazing honour in my opinion but hardly should be received.  I found this story to be completely disjointed, to many characters and side story lines trying to create this great big mystery which for mystery lovers they would have already figured out so even though it all came together in the end, it felt like what was the point.

I read until approx 25%, thought it was my mood, came back a couple of weeks later, considered it a DNF but decided to complete it.  There is family drama, lots of it, the story almost read like an adult fiction instead of a mystery which in the end took away from the book overall in my opinion, I continued thinking, just get to the point already.

I usually enjoy the style of hearing what characters are saying in their head.  I think one character is fine, it becomes a part of that character, but all the characters was way overdone.

I do think the last 30% of the book was done well, bought it all together but nothing about the book was dynamic or enough of a mystery to be entertaining.

Unfortunately another let done in the reading department this year for me, sigh.

If you are a fan of Wendy Corsi Staub, please recommend your favourite, I will be willing to try another by her........