First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - A Little Bit of Grace; Phoebe Fox

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. . Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon.

A Littler Bit of Grace; Phoebe Fox

Berkley - 2020

One

"My mother used to say that when she read me bedtime stories, my favorite time of the evening because I finally had her all to myself, I would stop her midway through and tell her what was going to happen to the characters whose lives she was spinning for me.  The stories I guessed correctly I had her read to me over and over.  The few that I couldn't I put in the back of the bookshelf never to come off it again."

I've been in a bit of a reading slump for about a week now, reading a chapter here and there but nothing has thrilled me. I liked the sound of this intro and so I hope it will be a winner.

What do you think. Read more or pass?

Book Reviews - Nothing to See Here; Kevin Wilson and Tomorrow There Will Be Sun; Dana Reinhardt

TITLE:  Nothing To See Here

AUTHOR:  Kevin Wilson

PUBLISHER:  Harper Audio

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: TN and GA

Format: audio

Rating - 4/5

Lilian and Madison first met as unlikely roommates at an exclusive boarding school. Lilian was an over achiever and scholarship student while Madison came from a wealthy family and a bit of a party girl.  Despite their differences, the two girls became fast friends.  However, when an incident that resulted in expulsion occurs, and Madison was the guilty one, it is Lilian that takes the fall for her friend, and is forced to leave school in light of the scandal.

While Madison's life moves along onward and upward, now a wealthy heiress with an older husband in line to be the next Secretary of State, Lilian is stuck. So when Lilian receives a surprise letter from Madison with an urgent offer for employment as a governess to her husband's twin 10 year old children Bessie and Roland, Lilian is more than surprised.

The mother of the children has died and the children are a bit of a challenge. When the kids are stressed, upset or angry, they heat up and can burst into flames.  Of course, their father wants to keep this information quiet so that it won't have a negative affect on his political agenda. So Lilian is in for a big challenge after having accepted the job.

I felt badly for these two children who had been treated as an after thought during their young life. When Lilian steps in you can tell early on that this is going to be a win-win for her and the children.

Funny and tender, and so many themes like: social classes, loneliness and the power of love. I enjoyed this story even though it was a bit predictable. A creative plot line, I loved how it combined humor and tenderness and that the children finally began to feel love and security. 

TITLE:  Tomorrow There Will Be Sun
AUTHOR:  Dana Reinhardt
PUBLISHER:  Pamela Dorman Books
PUB. YEAR: 2019
Setting: Mexico
Format: print
Rating - 2.5/5

Two families complete with teenagers decide to vacation together at a 5-star resort in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. What could possibly go wrong?

Peter is celebrating his 50th birthday and he and Solly are also business partners. Before too long it seems like the two families have very little in common as they quickly begin to get on each others nerves.

The story covers a lot of people issues: marriage, children, aging and friendship. The writing is ofter both cynical and funny but, the lack of likable characters spoiled this one for me. Moral of the story for me: don't vacation with friends!  I actually read this one over a month ago but, felt uninspired to write anything about it until now.  Although I do like vacation themed books, this one wasn't a favorite.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Father Melancholy's Daughter; Gail Godwin

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. . Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon.

Father Melancholy's Daughter; Gail Godwin

William Morrow - 1971

Sept 13: Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage, 258

--The Calendar of the Church Year

1 - MORNING

"Although I did not know it then, my life of unpremeditated childhood ended on Wednesday, September 13, 1972.  The weather that day in Romulus, Virginia was warm and sunny; the sky an unclouded Shenandoah blue.  I had been in first grade for three weeks.  The schoolwork I found easy, insultingly so.  It was the social side of things, the winning over of other children that was going to demand my subtler energies. I was, and was destined to remain, an only child, and was more practiced in the management of adults."

I've had this 1971, first edition on my shelf for many years and recall purchasing it used more than 10 years ago because it sounded good and I've enjoyed other books by this author. Finally, when looking for my next book, this one spoke to me. I like the first person narrator, a child already.

Read more of pass?

Book Review - This Little Family; Ines Bayard

TITLE:  This Little Family

AUTHOR:  Ines Bayard

PUBLISHER:  Other Press

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: Paris

Format: ARC

Rating - 4.5/5

Did you ever read a book that gets darker and horrific with each new page yet, for some reason you just can't stop yourself from turning reading more? This is that kind of book.

The reader knows from that very first paragraph that this is not going to be a pleasant read:

"Little Thomas didn't have time to finish his stewed apple. His mother hadn't given him the slightest chance.  The speed at which the poison circulated through his blood simply meant he didn't suffer when he died.  Only Marie's body was still upright, securely wedged against the back of her chair, her head tipped back.  She must have struggled to ensure this was noticed.  Laurent had been served first.  Few people stumbling across these three ashen bodies could have imagined the warm laughter filling the room just moments before the tragedy occurred."

Yet, what drives a woman to this level of despair that she felt she had no choice but to poison herself, her husband and her young son?   Will any survive?

As the story unfolds, you learn what has happened to Marie. I can't say much more without giving spoilers, but, Marie has suffered in silence pretending all was well until she just couldn't go on another day.

I read this book, fewer than 275 pages, in just one sitting, I couldn't look away. The translation from the French was excellent.  The story drew me in and was such a compulsive read, however, it was so graphic that even someone like me who is not easily shocked found myself cringing at times. This is definitely not a book for everyone.

BEWARE: Dark, graphic, shocking and potential triggers for some readers.

Book Review - Home Before Dark; Riley Sager

TITLE:  Home Before Dark

AUTHOR:  Riley Sager

PUBLISHER:  Dutton

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: Vermont

Format: eGalley

Rating - 5/5

It there was ever was ever a twisty, edge of your seat thrill ride that even made me bite my nails a bit, this was it.

Baneberry Hall, a huge victorian estate with a dark past is located deep in the woods of Vermont.  Twenty five years earlier when Maggie was just 5 years old, her parents Ewan and Jess purchased the house and after just spending three weeks living in it, they fled in the middle of the night never to return.

The parents separated and Ewan subsequently wrote a hugely successful tell all book about Baneberry Hall. The non fiction book was called, The House of Horrors. Maggie believed the book was largely fabricated as she didn't recall any of the unearthly happenings reported in the book, many of which had involved her.  The house which she believed her father had sold years earlier remained vacant but, Maggie learns she has inherited the house as part of her deceased father's estate.

Maggie, now 30, renovates houses for a living, her plan is to return to Baneberry to renovate the Vermont "house of horrors" and list it for sale.  As Maggie settles in, almost immediately, strange and frightening things begin to occur and, the more that happens, the more she begins to realize what her father wrote about the house is now true.

I really loved this book; it's so well crafted. The style alternates between chapters written by her father in "The House of Horrors" and the present day as Maggie works on restoring the house and tries to uncover its dark past.  Home Before Dark is a creepy, page-turning delight. Read it!

Book Review - Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family; Robert Kolker

TITLE:  Hidden Valley Road

AUTHOR:  Robert Kolker

PUBLISHER:  Doubleday

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: Colorado

Format: eGalley 

Rating - 3.5/5

Hidden Valley Road is a well-written, yet often upsetting, story about one family devastated by mental illness.

Mimi and Don Galvin were married in 1945 and had (12) children. The first (10) were boys and the last (2) were girls. The family, at least in the 50s and 60s seemed to be an all American family. Don a driven man,  military service and then a successful businessman. He was a womanizer and rarely home but, wife Mimi, held down the fort overseeing things on the home front. Things changed in the 1970s when (6) of the couple's boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia. As the sons behavior and violence grew more out of control, they boys spent time in hospitals as their diagnosis was not well understood.  Their story became the subject of research by the National Institute of Health.

The author does a great job with research and interviews from medical professionals to family members. Everyone from Mimi to all of the adult siblings spoken often had different stories to report.  I was fascinated by the more technical aspects of this book regarding mental illness advances and breakthroughs.  I found it difficult to get through some of the details in which the young sisters were sexually abused by older brothers when they were as young as 5 years of age.  Some of the abuse was pretty specific.

I couldn't help from being a bit judgmental as I read. I didn't understand Mini's mindset. She had a husband who was rarely home, he was a womanizer and yet she bore (12) children with him. How do you fail to protect your other younger or more vulnerable children from the violent ones suffering from mental illness.  I definitely can't say that I'm happy I read this book. Not only was it upsetting at times it also felt repetitive as well.  Again, while the medical component was deep and informative, I would have preferred more editing and less detail about the harsh reality of the family dysfunction.

 

Book Review - The Sea of Lost Girls; Carol Goodman

TITLE:  The Sea of Lost Girls

AUTHOR:  Carol Goodman

PUBLISHER:  Harper Audo

PUB. YEAR: 2020

Setting: Maine

Format: audio/library download

Rating - 3.5/5

Tess Henshaw is a woman with secrets. She's married to Harmon, a professor at The Haywood Academy, an elite boarding school in Maine. Tess also works at the school.

As the story begins Tess receives a middle of the night call from her 17 year old troubled son from a previous marriage. Rudy is scared and asks his mother to meet him at their secret "safe space."  When the two connect, Rudy is soaking wet and has a dark stain on his sweatshirt.  Several hours later they learn that Lila, Rudy's girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach.

This is a story with more than one suspect and an unreliable narrator. Although the story kept me guessing, I thought there were too many characters, many women who had been taken advantage of by powerful men. As psychological thrillers go, this one was just okay. The audio version was narrated by Natalie Naudus, who did a good job.