Recommended

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Book Review: 4 out of 5 star rating

Diana O’Toole has it all – a great job at Sotheby’s in NYC and a wonderful boyfriend ready to propose.  She and Finn made plans for a romantic vacation on the Galapagos Islands where they’ll celebrate Diana’s birthday and she’s sure the proposal will happen there.  But when the COVID pandemic hits, Finn, who is a surgical resident, is needed at the hospital and is unable to leave.  He convinces Diana to go on her own, which she reluctantly does.  But as soon as she arrives, the island is quarantined and she is unable to get back to NYC.  The people Diana meets on the islands and the events happening there cause Diana to examine her own choices and desires.

Until this novel, I’ve stayed clear of books that take place during the COVID pandemic.  I want to escape from that experience when I read and put it all behind me.  But this is Jodi Picoult and I couldn’t pass it up.  I have to say that I began to feel disappointed through the first half of the book and felt that it was going in a predictable way but then, BAM, it blew my mind away.  The twist is completely unexpected and unique.  The author does a great job detailing the heartbreak of COVID and the guilt and confusion Diana felt while quarantining on an island in paradise.  Ms. Picoult knows how to touch your heart in so many ways.  I felt the novel to be a healing one and really made me think about my own reality and choices.  And I must say – that ending was perfection!

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Thought-provoking and unique

Proof the Sequel: Rise of the Watchers By Ted D. Berner

Book Review: 4 out of 5 star rating

Rudolf Himmler, an illegitimate son of Heinrich Himmler, has an all-consuming desire to make his father’s dream come true – to create a super-soldier.  But Rudolf has an even better idea.  He wants to clone a Watcher, one of the Biblical fallen angels.  He would then have all of the power he needed to avenge his father’s death.  But to let one or more of these evil Watchers loose on the world could have devastating consequences.

Just like Mr. Berner’s first book, “Proof the Novel”, his sequel is a very interesting fictional book that is based on facts, Biblical studies and myths and fables that many people believe are actually true.  Both of his books are quite thought provoking and take you off on your own research journeys to find out more.  That in and of itself is reason enough to read these books; but on top of that, they’re really are quite suspenseful adventure stories.

I’ve enjoyed reading the further adventures of Ty Larson and finding even more myths and theories to explore online in the days ahead. 

This book was given to me by the author in return for an honest review.

Recommended.

Revenge is not always sweet

Because of You I Am by Sandy Hogarth

Book Review:  5 out of 5 star rating

Alice hasn’t had an easy life.  But when she meets Jake, the world becomes a wonderful place for her.  And with the addition of their beloved son, Adam, she now knows complete happiness.  When that happiness is abruptly torn from her, her life spirals out of control.

I first was introduced to this author with her first book, “The Glass Girl”.  That was about six years ago and now her new book is available to her fans.  I described “The Glass Girl” as gorgeous writing and the same description applies even more so to her newest book.  Ms. Hogarth has a deep understanding of the human psyche and its frailty and brings that understanding to life through her words.   This story is a very dark one.  It fiercely gripped my heart and captured my full attention.  The effect of grief on this woman’s sanity is sometimes hard to read, especially since I cared so much about Alice and her family as if I knew them personally.  I wish I had this author’s talent with words so I could give this review the merit it deserves.  Ms. Hogarth’s talent deserves recognition.

Most highly recommended.

Excellent literary achievement digging deep into human morals

The Glass Kingdom by Lawrence Osborne

Book Reivew:  5 out of 5 star review

American Sarah Mullins has come to Bangkok, Thailand looking to hide away.  She rents an apartment in the high-end complex called The Kingdom.  She soon meets three other mysterious women there:  the married Nat, who is a British hotelier; Ximena, the Chilean chef; and Mali, the most mysterious of them all.  But political unrest causes upheavals and violence in the streets surrounding The Kingdom that begin to work their way inside the complex, causing feelings of insecurity for the residents and revealing its inhabitants’ secrets.

This is one of my favorite modern authors and he has not disappointed with this gem of a book.  Mr. Osborne is a master at subtly creating uncomfortable, unsettling atmospheres that will send chills up your spine as you are pulled into his stories.  He also is a master at describing settings that will pluck you right out of your easy chair and place you directly in the heart of the location, where you can clearly see each and every detail, smell each and every scent and odor, hear each and every sound.  I lived in Bangkok every time I picked up this book.  This authors’ books are completely unpredictable and I find them fascinating.

Do know that the book starts out slowly but don’t give up – there is much more here than there first appears.  Excellent literary achievement digging deep into human morals.

Most highly recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

 

An emotional read

Book Review:  The Silence by Susan Allott

Rating:  5 out of 5 star

Isla Green has received a middle of the night call from her father.  He has been questioned by the police about the disappearance of a woman thirty years ago.  Apparently, her father was the last person to have seen his neighbor, Mandy, and there has been no trace of her since then.  Isla returns to Australia to support her father and secrets of the past begin to unfold.

I absolutely loved this book and it held my attention like nothing else has been able to.  I kept being pulled deeper and deeper into this unforgettable tale.  The book fluctuates between 1967 and 1997 and the transition between these time frames flows along beautifully.  This is a debut novel by Ms. Allott and she obviously will be a powerful force in the literary world.  I loved each of these characters and found the book to be both very moving and very suspenseful.

There is a very sad true history running throughout this book.   In Australia between 1905 and 1967, Aboriginal children were taken from their homes by the government, supposedly to give them a better life but in fact were taken to institutions where many of them were mistreated.  I first learned of these children when I saw the movie “Rabbit-Proof Fence” many years ago.

I most highly recommend this book.

This book was won by me on LibraryThing in a contest where an unbiased review was requested.

Powerful look at what our future may hold

The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde

Book Review:  5 out of 5 star rating

This book is set in two different timelines.  In 2019, 70-year-old Signe has spent her life as an activist on environmental issues.  A majestic glacier is now being mined for its ice to be sent to the rich to put in their drinks.  Signe performs an act of courage and takes off to the sea, on her way to confront the love of her life whom she hasn’t seen since she was a young girl.  She has precious cargo on board.

In 2041, David and his little girl, Lou, have fled a terrible fire.  They’ve been separated from David’s wife and baby son and are trying to find them.  Europe is in the midst of a terrible drought and there is little water to be found.  David and Lou find an old sailboat and dream of setting off to sea.  However, their connection to the past doesn’t end with the finding of the boat.

I was held in this novel’s grip from the first word to the last.  I cared deeply about each of these characters and the different worlds they found themselves living in.  The book is very well written and the story is profound and heart wrenching.  I well remember this author’s first novel, “The History of Bees”, and knew I would also love her newest.  I pray that Ms.  Lunde’s words will reach the hearts of its readers and will make a difference in our future.  This is the second book in a quartet of novels that Ms. Lunde is writing about the environment and I’m very much looking forward to the next one.

Most highly recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

 

Languid like a warm Caribbean beach

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

Book Review:  5 out of 5 star review

7-year-old Claire and her older sister, Alison, are on vacation with their parents on the Caribbean island of Saint X.  On their last evening there, Alison disappears.  Days later, her body is found and the police arrest two local men, Clive and Edwin.  Clive and Edwin are soon released as there is not enough evidence to hold them.  So the family comes home.  Years later when Claire is an adult and living in New York City, she runs into Clive.  Claire becomes obsessed with learning the truth of what happened to Alison and she starts to follow Clive around the city.  She’s sure that someday he’ll make a mistake and the truth will be known.

This is the type of book that, while it tells a very interesting story, it’s not the story itself that makes it special but rather the telling of the story.  The author has a wonderful way of bringing her reader right into the hearts and minds of her characters.  Each of the characters has their own tale to tell and even the characters who only make a brief appearance have their chance to share their views.  There are a lot of layers to this intelligent book and I absolutely loved it.  It’s a slow moving, beauty of a book, languid like a warm Caribbean beach, but keeps lovingly pulling you along.

Keep an eye on this debut author.  She’ll be going far for sure!

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Implausible but lots of fun!

29 Seconds by T.M. Logan

Book Review:  4 out of 5 star rating

It has not been an easy road for Sarah.  Her boss, Alan Hawthorne, has been sexually harassing her, threatening that she’ll lose her job if she doesn’t sleep with him.  She’s worked long and hard and is deserving of an upcoming promotion.  Plus she’s not sure if her husband is ever going to come home to her and she has two children to support.  Sarah is not only up against Hawthorne but also his old boy network and Hawthorne’s advances have become more and more threatening.    One night she witnesses an attempted kidnapping of a little girl and takes steps to prevent it.  The little girl’s father turns out to be quite influential with some dangerous connections and believes he is now in Sarah’s debt.  He makes her an offer that’s hard for her to refuse.  A 29-second phone call is all that it will take to make all of her problems disappear.

I seriously could not stop turning the pages of this addictive thriller and flew through it in a day.  The position that Sarah found herself in with her boss was very believable and horrifying.  When it came to the attempted kidnapping and the little girl’s father’s offer, it did become quite implausible, at least to me, but I was still glued to the pages.   The author had me a bit fooled at the end and I thought, oh, no, don’t let it end like that!  The end twist is an ingenious one.  This is a well-constructed, suspenseful thriller.

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

An unbelievable foray into the mind of a serial killer

The Only Child by Mi-Ae Seo

Book Review:  3 out of 5 star rating

Yi Byeongdo is a serial killer sitting on death row.  He hasn’t said much to anyone about the murders he’s committed and the police are anxious to learn just how many murders there were.  Unexpectedly, Yi Byeongdo has asked to be interviewed by a criminal psychologist by the name of Seonkyeong.  Seonkyeong has no idea why Yi Byeongdo has singled her out as she does not know him.

Seonkyeong has just been surprised by her husband with the arrival of his eleven-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Hayeong.  There has been a fire and Hayeong’s grandparents with whom she was living have died.  Seonkyeong is anxious to help Hayeong feel at home but soon starts to feel out of her depth.  Seonkyeong starts to see quite a few similarities in the histories of both Yi Byeongdo and Hayeong.

I must say that I was disappointed with this one.  I have enjoyed the writing of other Korean authors and apparently Mi-ae Seo is a bestselling thriller author and screenwriter in Korea.  I just could not get into this story and found it to be written in quite a lackluster way.  There were moments when I thought, OK, here we go, but then nothing much happened.  For being a criminal psychologist, Seonkyeong’s thinking and decisions were disconcerting.  She should have known better in so many instances and that leant the book a feeling of unreality.  There were quite a few unbelievable incidents in the book.  While the author did a good job of weaving the separate storylines together, all I could think at the ending of the book was “You have to be kidding”.

Hopefully this book will find an audience that will love it but it’s not one that I can honestly recommend, even though it did have its moments.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

 

A powerful, mesmerizingly sad book about a pedophile and his victim

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Book Review:  5 out of 5 star rating

Vanessa Wye is 15 years old in 2000.  She’s insecure and naïve and oh so young.  She’s an easy target for her teacher, Jacob Strane, who is 42 years old and a pedophile.  While Strane carefully grooms Vanessa towards his ultimate goals, Vanessa is convinced that her actions are consensual and that this is what she wants.

Switch to 2017.  The “Me Too” movement is in full swing.  A former student has accused Strane of abuse.  He’s counting on Vanessa to back him up.  Vanessa assures him that she will since she has always believed that she was the instigator of their affair.  As she reaches back into her memory and reads of the new allegations against Strane, her perceptions and beliefs of the past subtly start to shift.

Wow, just wow.  What a powerful, mesmerizingly sad book this is.  My heart bled for Vanessa as I watched her heart and soul open itself to this abusive man.  She just wanted to feel special, to feel beautiful, to feel loved.  Strane took advantage of that desire and brought such devastation and confusion into Vanessa’s life.  I’ve read reviews saying that this book looks at whether this situation should be considered abuse if it’s consensual, but I truly don’t see how anyone could believe that this was consensual on Vanessa’s part.  Strane wouldn’t stop even as she lay there crying.  She was manipulated into believing this was what she wanted.  Every word that Strane said to her, every look he gave her, every caress he risked was to bring this young girl around to his thinking.  He even used the books he was teaching to convince her of how “special” she was.

Most highly recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.