Showing posts with label Gallery Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gallery Books. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Book Review - Do No Harm; Christina McDonald


                                                                                                      

TITLE/AUTHOR  Do No Harm; Christina McDonald

PUBLISHER:  Gallery

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction /  Domestic Thriller

FORMAT:  eGalley /LENGTH:  pp 368 pp

SOURCE:  Edelweiss

SETTING(s):  WA


ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A doctor desperate to raise cash uses the opioid crisis to her advantage.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Emma Sweeney is a doctor in Washington state who is grateful for her happy life, even if she still has lots of student loans to pay off.  She has a great husband, Nate is a police detective and an adorable 5 year old son Josh.   So when her young son is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer,  she's determined to do what it takes to cure him.  When they learn that their cost to begin the treatment required for Josh will cost them over $100,000 and, that figure will definitely increase, she sees an opportunity to raise some fast cash.  Emma starts writing forged prescriptions for Oxycontin.  She uses the names of other doctors from the clinic where she works and because of her complicated past, she knows who can help her to set her dangerous plan in motion.

There is a good amount action in this fast paced thriller and, given the moral dilemma the story poses this might make for a good book group discussion choice.  Personally, I had a hard time envisioning the way this story played out.  I understand that desperate people do desperate things but given that her husband Nate's law enforcement job involved investigating overdose deaths just didn't ring true for me.  The idea of jeopardizing everything the meant so much to her made this story feel over the top for me.  

RATING:  2/5 stars

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Do No Harm; Christina McDonald

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

                                                          Do No Harm; Christina McDonald

                                                                 Gallery Books - 2021


Prologue

THE KNIFE BURROWED INTO my side with a moist thwump.

I looked down, confused. The blade was buried so deep that the hand holding it was pressed almost flat against my stomach. My pulse hammered against the steel.

And then I felt fire.  My mouth dropped open. The blood was rushing out of me too fast, I knew, soaking my shirt, turning it from white to red in seconds.  It was too late. Too late to save myself.

I looked into those familiar eyes, mouthed a single word.

You."                                                                 

 What do you think? Read more or pass?

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

The Ones We Choose; Julie Clark


The Ones We Choose; Julie Clark
Gallery Books - 2018

The Ones We Choose is a debut novel that packs a punch.  The author uses fiction and fascinating science tidbits about the DNA that shapes each of us. 

Paige Robson is a successful genetic research scientist in a small California town. Busy with her career, she soon realizes that her only chance at motherhood might be through the use of a sperm donor. 

Fast forward, Paige's son Miles is a lonely 8 year old who has issues fitting in. He also resents his mother's, kind, patient boyfriend Liam, and longs to know why he is the only child who doesn't know who his father is.  (Paige, has also had a childhood with an absent father who reappears later in the story.)

As the story progresses secrets to the identity of Miles father begin to unravel and are revealed. 

This is an amazing debut novel that blends literary fiction with science. At the beginning of each chapter are interesting genetic facts. I really enjoyed this book, a tender, heartwarming and informational read, reminding me of author, Lisa Genova.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Month in Review _ Goodbye June


June was a busy month in general and yet, still a good month for reading. I finished (9) books in June, making this (49) books for the first half of 2018. 

Books Read in June (reviews coming soon - I hope)
  1. The Great Alone; Kristin Hannah (audio) 4.5/5 - June/June 2018
  2. The Little Clan; Iris Martin Cohen (ARC) 3.5/5 - June/2018
  3. Saving Cee Cee Honeycut; Beth Hoffman - 4/5 - June 2018 (reread-book group)
  4. The Banker's Wife; Christina Alger - (eGalley) 3.5/5 June 2018
  5. Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI; David Grann - 4/5 (audio) June/2018
  6. Right Behind You; Lisa Gardner - 4.5/5 (audio) - June/2018
  7. The Outsider; Stephen King (print/library) - 4/5 June 2018
  8. The Chalk Man; C.J. Tudor (audio) 4/5 June/2018
  9. The Waiting Room; Emily Bleeker (eGalley) 3.5/5
New Book Arrivals
  1. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock; Imogen Hermes Gowar (sent by Penguin UK)
  2. The Great Believers; Rebecca Makkai (sent by Viking)
  3. Sweet Little Lies; Caz Frear (Zaffre Publishing)
  4. Putney; Zafka Zinoieff (sent by Harper)
  5. Go Ask Fannie; Elisabeth Hyde (sent by Amazon Vine - GP Putnam)
  6. Safe Houses;Dan Fesperman (sent by Knopf)
  7. The Myth of Perpetual Summer; Susan Crandall (sent by Gallery Books)
  8. The Long Path to WisdomJan Philipp Sender (sent by Other Press)


In case you missed my post with my summer reading plans, here are the books I hope to complete.
  1. Baby Teeth; Zoje Stage - We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen...a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.”―Entertainment Weekly
  2. 84, Charing Cross Road; Helene Haniff - "84, Charing Cross Road will beguile and put you in tune with mankind... It will provide an emollient for the spirit and sheath for the exposed nerve." -- The New York Times
  3. Clock Dance; Anne Tyler - "A bittersweet, hope-filled look at two quirky families that have broken apart and are trying to find their way back to one another . . . The cast of sharply drawn characters dominates in ways both reflective and raucous across a series of emotional events.”
    Publishers Weekly
  4. The Dry; Jane Harper - A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
  5. The Outsider; Stephen King - An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories. (completed 4/5)
  6. The Other Mother; Carol Goodman -“An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review)
  7. Made for Love; Alissa Nutting - From the exciting and provocative writer of Tampa, a poignant, riotously funny story of how far some will go for love—and how far some will go to escape it. 
  8. The House Swap; Rebecca Fleet -" She may not know exactly who is in her house. But she knows why they are there.  A house swap becomes the eerie backdrop to a chilling look inside a broken marriage filled with tantalizing secrets."
  9. Something in the Water; Catherine Steadman - “With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. . . . A darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch.”Kirk's Reviews (starred review)
  10. Moonglow; Michael Chabon - “A wondrous book that celebrates the power of family bonds and the slipperiness of memory….A thoroughly enchanting story about the circuitous path that a life follows, about the accidents that redirect it, and about the secrets that can be felt but never seen, like the dark matter at the center of every family’s cosmos.” (Ron Charles, The Washington Post)
Somebody had a birthday ---

Our youngest granddaughter is now 4
(Where did the time go?)


Sunday, April 29, 2018

Week in Review and a mini book review - Let Me Lie; Clare Mackintosh

I'm always a bit hesitant to say this but, I think spring might just be here. The birds are nesting and singing and although there aren't any flowers blooming this week, they will be, very soon. I'm also out there walking more and more as well. Our cat is enjoying having the windows open for a few hours each day as well.  Last week was 3 days of yoga, book group meeting, lunches out and time with my daughter. We also took a ride to the casino (something we do about twice a year) and, I won $387.00, so I picked out some spring clothes which was fun. I also managed to find some reading time and some min review catch up time, and finally...

It's been a while since I posted my new book acquisitions, sent to me thanks to various publishers. So many sound good that I haven't yet decided where I shall begin.




Let Me Lie; Clare Mackintosh
Penguin Audio and Berkley - 2018

I finished Let Me Lie this week, a combination of audio download and eGalley and thought it was fairly well done. Here's a mini review:

Annie is a young woman and mother who has struggled to get on with her life after both of her parents committed suicide seven months apart.  Both deaths occurred in a similar manner, falling to their deaths off a cliff into the waters deep.  When a suspicious note arrives on the anniversary of her mother's death, Anna has reason to question whether murder versus suicide might have been the cause of death.  Murray, a semi-retired police officer agrees to help Anna piece together the mystery behind her parents deaths.

This is a twisty, psychological thriller, told from several POVs that held my interest both in audio and in print.  The story wasn't perfect, but enjoyable all the same.

Rating - 4/5 stars

Hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday!

Friday, June 24, 2016

What Was Mine; Helen Klein Ross

What Was Mine; Helen Klein Ross
Gallery Books - 2016

Lucy Wakefield was a good person with a good job. She was also a woman who desperately wanted to be a mother.  When she and her husband were not able to have a child of their own, he divorced her, remarried and had a family with his new wife.  So immediately, I felt bad for Lucy and her situation.

One day while Lucy is shopping in IKEA Lucy sees a young infant slumped over in a shopping cart and no adult is in site.  She gently props the baby up straight and notices the baby smile at her. She decides to push the cart up to the customer service desk but as she approaches the desk, pushes the cart outside the store to her car and off they go.  For the next 21 years she raises the girl she names, Mia, as her own.

The story is told from the POV of Lucy, Mia and Marilyn, the birth mother as well as a few minor characters.  Both Lucy and Marilyn came across as sympathetic characters. One lonely and desperate for a child, the other distracted by an important work call on her cell phone.

The first half of the book was very compelling and had me anxiously turning the pages.  As the story progressed I thought things happened a bit too conveniently but, I still enjoyed the story very much.  There aren't a lot of surprises in this novel but, I loved how the author rationalized Lucy's decision to take the infant and raise her as her own.  This is one of those stories that will leave readers torn. Definitely, a good choice for book club conversation.

4/5 stars
(library)

Monday, June 20, 2016

Where did the Weekend Go? and New Books!


Yesterday was a long tiring day as we headed to New York City for Father's Day (just for the day). My husband's sons live in Manhattan and Philadelphia so they invited us to the city for brunch.  It was a fun day with perfect weather but, it made for a very long 12 hour day. I hope you all had a nice weekend as well.


The publishers were very generous last week, several new books arrived in my mailbox.  They all look really good but, I am especially looking forward to the new Allen Esken's book, The Heavens May Fall. (I've read his first two books, The Life We Bury and The Guise of Another. I  enjoyed them both.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - What Was Mine; Helen Klein Ross


Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where I share the first paragraph sometimes two, of a book that I'm reading or plan to read soon.  



What Was Mine; Helen Klein Ross
Gallery Books - 2016

Lucy


"Kidnap. Parse the word.  It ought to mean lying down with baby goats. Words can be misleading.

I can't tell my story straight.  I have to tell it in circles, like rings of a tree that signify the passage of time.

Shall I start with how badly I wanted a child?"



What do you think -- keep reading or pass? 
(Feel free to join in this week by posting your intro below?




Wednesday, May 18, 2016

My New Books

Except for a few reviews here and there blogging has been taking a back seat to life, family and nice weather.  I have received some wonderful books over the last few weeks that I really want to try. Are any of these on your "hope to read" list?



Thursday, April 28, 2016

Coming Soon to a Book Store Near You


On my TBR List for summer - what do you think?


Don't Believe a Word; Patricia MacDonald
Severn House - June-2016
(Description)

A daughter sets out to discover the truth about her mother’s death in this absorbing novel of psychological suspense.

Eden Radley had a strained relationship with her mother ever since Tara deserted the family nine years before to run off with her much younger lover. But when she’s told that her mother has killed herself and her severely disabled young son, Eden’s half-brother, Eden is ridden with guilt. For her mother had tried to get in touch with her on the night she died, and Eden had ignored her text. Was Tara calling for help?

Heading to Cleveland, Ohio, for the funeral, Eden discovers there was so much she didn’t know about her mother, nor about her enigmatic, troubled stepfather Flynn Darby. And the more she learns, the more convinced she becomes that Tara’s death was no suicide. Could Flynn really be guilty of murder …?

Gallery - June 2016

(Description)

You will be scared. But you won’t know why…

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about KevinI’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.

The Captive Condition - Kevin Keating
July - Pantheon

(Description)

From a thrilling new voice in fiction comes a chilling and deliciously dark novel about an idyllic Midwestern college town that turns out to be a panorama of depravity and a nexus of horror.

For years Normandy Falls has been haunted by its strange history and the aggrieved spirits said to roam its graveyards. Despite warnings, Edmund Campion is determined to go there and pursue an advanced degree in literature. At first things proceed wonderfully, but Edmund soon learns he isn't immune to the impersonal trappings of fate: his girlfriend Morgan Fey smashes his heart, his advisor Professor Martin Kingsley crushes him with frivolous assignments, and his dead end job begins to take a toll on his physical and mental health.

One night he stumbles upon the body of Emily Ryan, a proud and unapologetic "townie," drowned in her family pool. Was it suicide, Edmund wonders, or murder? In the days following the tragedy, Emily's husband Charlie, crippled by self-loathing and ultimately frozen with fear, attempts to flee his disastrous life and sends their twin daughters to stay with the Kingsleys. Possessed with an unnamed, preternatural power, the twins know the professor seduced their mother and may have had a hand in her death. With their piercing stares, the girls fill Martin with the remorse and dread he so desperately tries to hide from his wife.

Elsewhere, a low-level criminal named The Gonk takes over a remote cottage, complete with a burial ground and moonshine still, and devises plans for both; Xavier D'Avignon, the eccentric chef of a failing French restaurant, supplies customers with a hallucinogenic cocktail he makes in his kitchen; and Colette Collins, an elderly local artist of the surreal and psychedelic, attends a New Year's Eve retrospective that is destined to set the whole town on fire.

Delving into the deepest recesses of the human capacity for evil, Kevin P. Keating's masterful novel will hold readers captive from first to last.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You ~ Did You Ever Have a Family; Bill Clegg


I've read a lot of great reviews on this new release, but honestly it was the sad-sounding title that made me want to read this one even before I knew what it was about.  Does this one appeal to you?

Gallery - September - 2015

(Description)

LONG LISTED FOR THE 2015 MAN BOOKER PRIZE

The stunning debut novel from bestselling author Bill Clegg is a magnificently powerful story about a circle of people who find solace in the least likely of places as they cope with a horrific tragedy.

On the eve of her daughter’s wedding, June Reid’s life is completely devastated when a shocking disaster takes the lives of her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend, Luke—her entire family, all gone in a moment. And June is the only survivor.

Alone and directionless, June drives across the country, away from her small Connecticut town. In her wake, a community emerges, weaving a beautiful and surprising web of connections through shared heartbreak.

From the couple running a motel on the Pacific Ocean where June eventually settles into a quiet half-life, to the wedding’s caterer whose bill has been forgotten, to Luke’s mother, the shattered outcast of the town—everyone touched by the tragedy is changed as truths about their near and far histories finally come to light.

Elegant and heartrending, and one of the most accomplished fiction debuts of the year, Did You Ever Have a Family is an absorbing, unforgettable tale that reveals humanity at its best through forgiveness and hope. At its core is a celebration of family—the ones we are born with and the ones we create.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Memorial Day Weekend Kicks Off My Summer Reading Plans


My reading choices always seem to change a bit when summer approaches. Instead of chunky, more intense reads, I tend to choose, shorter books, novels with fewer characters, and other stories that require less concentration -- mostly because in summer, I find myself busier, more easily distracted and yes, when I'm on the beach or in a park with a book, I'm a people watcher --plain and simple.

Here are some of the books that will likely take center stage on my beach blanket this summer.


 Irvin Yalom - Basic Books - 2015

Finders Keepers; Stephen King
Scribner - June 2


Summerlong; Dean Bakopoulos
Ecco - June 16th


Fredrik Backman - Atria - June 16th

Language Arts; Stephanie Kallos
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt- June 9th


Liar's Bench; Kim Michelle Richardson
Kensington - April 2015

House Breaking; Dan Pope
SImon & Schuster - May 12th


The Undertaker's Daughter: a Memoir; Kate Mayfield
Gallery - January 2015

Find the Good; Heather Lende
Algonquin - April 2015

How about you, any summer reading plans?

Monday, April 13, 2015

I Don't Have a Happy Place: Cheerful Stories of Despondency and Gloom Kim Korson


Kim Korson - Gallery Books - 2015


I Don't Have a Happy Place is a collection of autobiographical stories of what life was like growing up in a non religious, Jewish family in the 1970's in Montreal.

After reading the first story about Kim as a child, vacationing with her rich friend's family and the friend's babysitter Pauline drowned, I wasn't sure what to expect with the rest of the collection.  It was a bit unsettling, one minute I'm chuckling as I read and then wham the babysitter is being pulled out of the water and dead.

The other stories which I read over a period of a few weeks were more easily imagined, stories about summer escapades, being a "latchkey kid", difficulties making friends as a child, career, pregnancy, and even a story about her Nana.

Although as an adult Kim, was diagnosed with a low grade form of chronic depression, I'm guessing Kim got her downer personality, at least in part, from her feminist, mother whocomes across as opinionated and who Kim described as "crabby".  I'm not sure who left a more lasting impression on me, Kim or her mother.

I loved the catchy title and, I admit it was fun to read in small doses. A little dry wit and snark goes a long way with me. I think much of what she writes about will be most appreciated by readers in their late 40's or older who will be able to relate to the nostalgia of days gone by.

4/5 stars
(eGalley)

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Inside the O'Briens; Lisa Genova

Inside the O'Briens; Lisa Genova

Gallery Books - 2015

Inside the O'Briens is a powerful story about Huntington's Disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure.  It's a disease that is inherited, and whereby the offspring of someone with Huntington's has a 50% chance of getting the disease as well.

Joe O'Brien is a 44 year old Boston cop. A proud Irish Catholic, husband of Rosie and father to their (4) - 20-something children: JJ, a firefighter, married to Colleen, Patrick, a bartender, and daughters Meghan, a ballerina with the Boston Ballet and Katie who teaches yoga.  Life has been good for the O'Brien's thus far.

When Joe begins acting a bit strange, almost like someone who has had too much to drink, with unexplained fits of anger, disorganized thoughts and unexpected falls, his family and closest friends are naturally a bit concerned. He reluctantly agrees to see a neurologist, his visit and related testing confirms, Huntington's Disease.

The story is written from the third person POV by Joe and daughter Katie. The pace of the story starts off slow, giving the reader insight into the O'Brien family dynamics, and Joe's family history.  The slow roll out of the story meshed well with the way Huntington's disease systems actually manifests in real life,  gradual and then progressing until the victim loses all control and eventually dies over a period of 10-20 years.

Joe's character is extremely well developed. He's a tough guy cop who is trying to remain strong for those he loves the most. He is naturally embarassed about the public shame he feels for his uncontrolled outbursts and gestures. He is also worried about having to stop work too soon, so as not to impact the financial security of Rosie.

Katie's character and POV comes across as sympathetic. Through her readers can easily gauge just how paralizing the future prospect of having HD can be for the off spring. How the fear of the unknown effects present relationships and future life plans.  Just reading about it will make most readers question what they might do if they face the possibility of a future with Huntington's Disease. Whether it is better to be tested or to proceed with life not knowing [only 10 % of potential HD carriers choose to have testing].

Lisa Genova's medical expertise shines through and through in this novel, painting a vivid and realistic picture of the physical and emotional toll Huntington's has on the victim and family. I have worked in (3) different healthcare facilities that specialized in caring for Huntington's patients from all over the US. It's a horrible situation all around.

Inside the O'Briens is not a happy story, but the O'Briens were a wonderful, close-knit family that I grew to care about and love.  In the vein of Still Alice, if you loved that book and the mood was not too sad for you, this one will not disappoint.

4.5/5 stars
(eGalley)

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Coming Soon to a Book Store Near You - I Don't Have a Happy Place; Kim Korson


I'm looking forward to this book which releases later this month.



Gallery Books - April - 2015
(Description)
When a trip to the therapist ends with the question “Can’t Kim be happy?” Kim Korson responds the way any normal person would—she makes fun of it. Because really, does everyone have to be happy?

Aside from her father wearing makeup and her mother not feeling well (a lot), Kim Korson’s 1970s suburban upbringing was typical. Sometimes she wished her brother were an arsonist just so she’d have a valid excuse to be unhappy. And when life moves along pretty decently--she breaks into show business, gets engaged in the secluded jungles of Mexico, and moves her family from Brooklyn to dreamy rural Vermont—the real despondency sets in. It’s a skill to find something wrong in just about every situation, but Kim has an exquisite talent for negativity. It is only after half a lifetime of finding kernels of unhappiness where others find joy that she begins to wonder if she is even capable of experiencing happiness.

In I Don’t Have a Happy Place, Kim Korson untangles what it means to be a true malcontent. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic realism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don’t Have a Happy Place is told in humorous, autobiographical stories. This fresh-yet-dark voice is sure to make you laugh, nod your head in recognition, and ultimately understand what it truly means to be unhappy. Always.