Goodbye September - October Reading Plans

 

September was not the best of months for me for a number of reasons and, although I managed to read or listen to (9) books, September was also my slowest reading month of 2022.  I did enjoy several of the books I read though so let's look at those.

                                                        Favorite Books of SEPTEMBER

QUICK REVIEW

Forsaken Country; Allen Eskens

Mulholland Books - Macmillan Audio - 2022

(audio purchase and NetGalley (eBook)

(11 hours 10 min - Brian Troxell - narrator - very good 

Allen Eskens is one of my favorite authors and, I've read everything he has written since his first book, The Life We Bury (2013).  Forsaken Country is his latest release and, the story held me captive even though at times I had wished for a different outcome.  I thought it was truly deserving of a 5 star rating.

Max Rupert is a former homicide detective in Minneapolis, MN. He is mourning the loss of his wife and, he is also haunted by an incident triggered by her loss.  Lyle Voight is the former sheriff who is desperate to find his daughter, Sandy, and his six year old grandson, Pip, who have gone missing. Lyle believes his former son-in-law, Reed, is responsible  for their disappearance and, he pleads with Max to help him investigate and locate them.  What follows is an intense thrill ride with both nail-biting and tender moments.  

Esken's characters have so much depth and, even some of the bad guys, men  who have done terrible things show us that they have a soft side in this story.  I love the way the author has a way of drawing you in and making you feel invested in the characters and their outcomes.  While reading this one, I quickly. forgot everything I had planned to do as I just had to keeping reading/listening.  

BTW - For readers new to Allen Eskens, Max Rupert is a character that has appeared in other novels yet this book can be easily read as a standalone.

Rating - 5/5 stars

We Spread; Iain Reid

Simon ^ Schuster Audio - 2022

(5 hours 58 minutes)

Narrator - Robin Miles - very good)

(audio download sent by publisher)

Penny is an elderly artist who has lived in the same apartment with her long term partner for years and years.  After her partner passed away, she felt comfort in the sameness of her days, surrounded by the things she loved and which brought her comfort. She felt happy and at peace despite the fact her partner had died.

After a few incidents at the apartment, she finds herself uprooted from her apartment and the things that she loves to a strange but beautiful home occupied by several elderly residents her age and some kind staff.  The group dines together, continues with hobbies and socializes. They are supervised by a caring staff who monitors their daily activities but, for Penny it is not the same as her apartment.

This was quick, well-written novel that I very much enjoyed.  It was one of those stories that as a senior myself, made me pause and reflect. It was hard to see many of Penny's prized possessions of her former life packed away as she was moved to her new residence.  Her new life was often clouded by confusion yet it felt quite realistic.

RATING - 4.5/5 stars

                                                            SEPTEMBER Reads

1. The Left-Handed Twin; Thomas Perry - 4/5 stars -  (September)
2. The Woman in the Library; Sulari Gentill - 2.5/5 stars
3. Killers of a Certain Age; Deanna Raybourn - 3/5 stars
4. Dark Tales: Stories; Shirley Jackson - 4/5 stars
5. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook; Ellen Marie Wiseman - 4/5 stars
6. We Spread; Iain Reid - 4.5/5 stars
7. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six; Lisa Unger  - 3.5/5 stars
8. Forsaken Country; Allen Eskens - 5/5 stars
9. Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship  (NF) ; Nina Totenberg - 3/5 stars (no review yet)

 (YTD - 127)

September Book Group - I was able to make my book group lunch and meeting which was fun as always. We had several new members thia month who offered some interesting perspective on Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.  You can read my review here. While more than half of us were non-SF fans, we enjoyed the story anyways.  Others, a few with a physics background enjoyed the SF aspects yet wanted more depth. 

Current Reads

1. Fellowship Point;  Alice Elliot Dark - almost done
2. Quartet in Autumn; Barbara Pym - almost done - Bucket List Book

October Reading Plans

1. The Old Place; Bobby Finger
2. The Maze; Nelson DeMille
3. The Last Chairlift; John Irving
4. The Good Sister; Sally Hepworth (book group read)
5. Demon Copperfield; Barbara Kingsolver
6. Because I Could Not Stop for Death; Amanda Flower

                                             How was your month? Any exciting plans for October?

Brief Book Reviews - Playing Catch Up - Little Souls; Sandra Dallas -- Marrying the Ketchups; Jennifer Close and Xstabeth; David Keenan

 

Little Souls; Sandra Dallas

Macmillan Audio - 2022

(audio narrator - Carly Robins - very good)

As I've mentioned previously, I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this premise appealed to me when I first read about it.  Set in Colorado, 1918, WWI is happening and the flu pandemic is raging on.  Little Souls is story about (2) sisters: Helen, a nurse and her husband to be, Gil, is a medical student.  Luttie, Helen's 24 year old younger sister, lives with her. Luttie is a bit of a dreamer who has an interest in fashion design and works for a high end department store. Luttie's boyfriend joined the Army to do his part with the war effort.  The sisters are very close. Dorothy is a 10 year old girl who lived with her parents in a small apartment located in the same house the sisters had shared.  When both parents die, under very different circumstances, the sisters take the girl in wanting to make sure that Dorothy is loved and cared for after learning how she had been abused.

Once I started this story I found it hard to put down and it was very easy book to listen to on audio. Not only is this a story about sisters but, it is also a story about helping those in need and righting past injustices that occurred. I found the story kind of comforting even though there were some sad moments, tragic events, but,  there was also a happier ending and a satisfying epilogue as well. Highly recommended to historical fiction fans.

Rating - 4.5/5stars

(NOTE: I received an audio download from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review)

Marrying the Ketchups; Jennifer Close

Knopf - 2022

Marrying the Ketchups was a book I became curious about by the unusual title and Jennifer Close being an author I enjoyed years ago but one that I hadn't read in a while.

It's a story of (3) generations of a large Irish Catholic family who run an Oak Park (Chicago) restaurant called JP Sullivans.  The founders, Bud and Rose, opened the restaurant in the 1970s and in 2016 a few strange things had happened:  the Chicago Cubs win a World Series, their first in 108 years, poor Bud dies unexpectedly and Trump wins the presidential election  This complicated family must pick up the pieces and get their acts together and, they also must decide what is now best for mother Rose after Bud's death.

There are sisters: Gretchen - mid 30s, a bit on the wild side, lead singer in a band called the Donna Martin Graduates:) and Jane, a mother of two, successful, married to a wealthy man who just might be cheating on her.  Then Teddy, a cousin who manages the restaurant. He's a people-pleaser with issues of his own and then we have Reilly, Teddy's teenaged half-sister.

This is a story about complicated families and the author does a great job helping the reader to get to know and understand these unhappy people and their issues.  Well written, character driven, lots of funny moments even though most everyone is pretty miserable.  I liked this book but, think I might have appreciated it even more if I were younger.  The 2016 political aspects of the story were not overdone - thank goodness.  Worth considering for readers who enjoy a character driven story about complicated families.

Rating - 4/5 stars

(Note:  I received an eGalley download from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

Xstabeth; David Keenan

Europa Editions - 2022

I loved Europa Editions and Xstabeth intrigued me when I read about it. I thought it seemed a bit unusual but worth trying especially because it was also a novella with fewer than 140 pages.

I'm really not sure how to classify this or even what to write about it as it was a bit too far out there for me. It's a story about a daughter, a father and the father's his best friend.  The father is singer/songwriter, but not a very good one. His daughter, Aneliya, loves her father but, begins seeing her father's best friend Jaco, who is a better musician than the girl's father.

When I have to skim a novella, it's because the book is not a good fit for me and that was the case here.  There were some explicit sex and, I just didn't get the whole point of the story unfortunately.

Rating - 1.5/5 stars

(Note: I received an eGalley of this novella from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

What Else I'm Reading

The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Penner

Park Row - 2021

Book Group Read -  finished - no review yet

3.5/5 stars

Healing:  When a Nurse Becomes a Patient; Theresa Brown

Algonquin Books - 2022 (library book - hardcover)

(just started - page 57)

The Shore; Katie Runde

Simon & Schuster - 2022

(reading now - 27% mark)

Klara and the Sun; Kazuo Ishiguro

Random House Audio - 2021

(starting soon)

What are you reading?

Share your week by posting a link on Deb's Blog HERE

Book Reviews - To Paradise; Hanya Yanagihara and The End of Getting Lost; Robin Kirman

How was your week? I've had better for sure. I had a couple routine annual appointments and (1) turned into anything but routine - a call back, an ultrasound and now a biopsy tomorrow....positive vibes sent this way are appreciated.  So happy I read Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times last week - it has helped.  It's snowing here today - very lightly with less than an inch right now - yesterday it was near 60 degrees and sunny; I'm happy warmer weather is around the corner.  Super Bowl tonight and the hub always loves that. I am not a huge football fan unless our teen is in it LOL but, it's alway fun to watch the commercials. Good luck to your team if they are competing this year.

On the reading front, except for Wintering, my reading week wasn't very satisfying.  I was so looking forward to Hanya Yanagihara's new book, To Paradise, after a (5) year wait since I read, A Little Life.  I loved that book and still think about it even though it left me feeling gutted at times and took me forever to find another quality read.  Her new book is 700 pp and after investing about 8 days, I was left scratching my head after I finished - the writing was really good but the story just wasn't for me.   I had another so so read as well, The End of Getting Lost, Robin Kirman and then a DNF called Valdimir by Julia May Jonas.  Here's a few thoughts on (2) of these.  I also have a review in the works (maybe tomorrow) for The Elephant of Belfast which  I liked.  Hoping this week is a better week.

To Paradise; Hanya Yanagihara

Doubleday and Penguin Random House Audio - 2022

To Paradise, is an unusual story which spans a period of 200 years!  At 700+ pages, it is divided into (3) books: Book 1 (1893), Book 2 in (2) parts (1993) and Book 3 in (5) parts 2093-2094. I enjoyed Book 1 and 2 but, Book 3 not so much.

In Book 1, it is (1893) New York and New York is a free state where same sex couples are free to marry.  David Bingham is a 28 year old man who lives with his wealthy grandfather Nathaniel and the servants in the Washington Square area of the city where he has led a life of privilege in this prominent banking family. His other siblings have already established their own lives so David spends most of his time with his grandfather and, part time teaching an art class at an orphanage.  It is here that David meets Edward Bishop. Edward is a music teacher at the orphanage/school and, David falls fast in love with Edward.  Edward is not a man of social status and David's grandfather has other plans for him. He plans an arranged marriage for David to Charles Griffith, a once married much older man with a respectable background whose same sexed husband died of cancer.  Then we get a vibe of a possible yet undisclosed illness?

In Book 2 (1993) David is working as a paralegal in Hawaii and, he is involved with a senior partner named Charles.....yes same names as book 1 -- hmm. The two move into a mansion and we learn that David's origins seem to stem from Hawaiian royalty. We also learn that David's father (Wika) is ill and it is the height of the AIDS epidemic. There is also another Edward in this part - why did the author choose to use the same names?  Perhaps making us think that history does repeat itself. This part takes a darker turn where we see the injustice of America's past. 

Book 3 (2093) is divided into (5) parts - Autumn 2093, Autumn (50 years earlier), Winter 2094, Winter 40 years earlier and Spring 2094. The story here moves into a full blown dystopian totalitarian world. Back in New York where districts are divided into zones and illness and plague is rampant. Charlie appears here as well but, this time she is a female and she works in a laboratory. It's all somewhat complicated and at times just a bit too much for me.  It was not the satisfying wrap up or the kind of story I was hoping and I was disappointed I didn't enjoy it more.

This author is no doubt talented and a deep thinker and while the story itself is expansive in scope, IMO, Too Paradise, is more likely the kind of book that may appeal to fewer readers than all who enjoyed, A Little Life so much. 

This was a combo read/listen for me. The eGalley was provided by Doubleday and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The audio download was provided by PRH Audio and was excellent with a full cast:  Feodor Chin, Edoardo Ballerini, Bd Wong, Catherine Ho, Kurt Kanazawa .

Rating - 3.5/5

The End of Getting Lost; Robin Kirman

Simon & Schuster Audio - 2022

Gina is a young woman who was a professional dancer. She had suffered a head injury after a fall outside a hotel in Berlin and her memory of what happened then as well as months before is an issue.  She and Duncan, a composer, seem very much in love. He wants to take her away to Vienna to begin enjoying life once again but, something about his secretiveness and the way he has been acting seems off.  They are soon all over Europe - Vienna, Prague, Rome  almost as if Duncan is trying to run from something of someone. The truth is both Gina and Duncan have secrets.  

The story takes place in 1996, a time before cellphones and social media so the set up for this story works well.  I liked that the story is told from the POV of both characters who I didn't develop a connection to. The writing style seemed different with looks back and then present but, with not a lot of insight into what was going on until around the halfway point.  This book was compared to Patricia Highsmith but, I just never saw a similarity. For me it did not feel like a psychological thriller but, more like a romantic suspense.  This was a rather quick read/listen at under 300 pp and 8+ hours on audio. The audio version was read by dual narrators - Alex Allwine and Michael David Axtell  both very good but,  it wasn't the kind of psych thriller I had hoped for .

Rating - 3.5/5

Print edition and Audio download provided by the publisher: Simon & Schuster in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - Swimming Back to Trout River; Linda Rui Feng

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: Swimming Back to Trout River; Linda Rui Feng

PUBLISHER:   Simon & Schuster Audio

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Family Saga / Asian Americans

FORMAT: 272 pages - audio download / LENGTH: 8 hours 15 min.

SOURCE:  Publisher / audio download

SETTING(s):  China and a fictional US college town called Chimney Bluffs

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A beautiful story of family that takes place around China's Cultural Revolution.

BRIEF REVIEW:  1986 - Ten year old Junie who was born without lower legs has been living with her loving grandparents near Trout River since the age of five. Her father Momo was an engineering student in Beijing but, in 1981 left for grad school in the US. Cassia stayed behind but,  she left for the US two years later.  Now in 1986 after Junie hasn't seen her parents in five years she receives a letter from her father telling her that he plans to come for her by the time she turns twelve.  Junie is determined to stay right where she is with her grandfather, her biggest advocate. He has even built her a prosthetic leg which has helped her to thrive.  One thing that Junie was not aware of was that her parents led separate lives in the US and each parent has failed to communicate separate pasts and tragedies which led to their estrangement. Momo is determined to reunite with Cassia so that their family can be together again.

I loved reading a little of China's history from 1960 through the Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao. I loved that classical music and the violin played a role in the story and also reading about how superstitious the Chinese people in this story were.  Most of all, I loved Junie's special relationship with her grandfather even though Junie's story is not as in depth as the stories of Momo, Cassia and Dawn, a musician Momo had been involved with. The story was quite poignant at times and, I was not prepared for the way this story ended but, I found it satisfying and thought provoking.  If you are looking for something a little different: culture, immigration, the arts and love, I highly recommend this debut novel.  I'll definitely be looking for future books by the talented new author.

RATING:  4.5/5

This was a combo read/listen for me. Thanks go to Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to these books: eGalley (Edelweiss) and Simon & Schuster (audio) in exchange for my unbiased review. The audiobook was read by Nancy Wu who did a great job.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Malibu Rising; Taylor Jenkins Reid and Swimming Back to Trout River; Linda Rui-Feng

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. 

Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read.  This week I have (2) very different books in progress (from my Summer Reading List) and both are ones I'm enjoying very much. Let me know what you think of the intros.

Malibu Rising; Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Ballantine - 2021

Saturday, August 27, 1983

Part One 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m.

Nina Riva woke up without even opening her eyes.

Consciousness seeped into her slowly, as if breaking the morning to her gently.  She lay in bed dreaming of her surfboard beneath her chest in the water, before she began remembering reality--that hundreds of people were going to descend on her house in just over twelve hours.  As she came to, it dawned on her once again that every single person who would show up tonight would know the indignity of what had happened to her.

What do you think - read more of pass?

Swimming Back to Trout River; Linda Rui-Feng

Simon and Schuster - 2021

Two Children of Trout River

THE TRAIN THAT WAS DELIVERING JUNIE TO TROUT RIVER WAS just pulling out of the station and gathering speed, and already the compartment was filling up with cigarette smoke and the gregarious sound of sunflower seeds being cracked open.  This was 1981, when trips traversing the length of China took days, and the passengers, having waited for that first lurch of the train, now sprang into action.  They poured each other hot water for tea from a communal thermos stabilized inside a metal ring beneath the window where Junie sat on the lap of her mother, Cassia.

What do you think - read more or pass?

Book Review - The Last Thing He Told Me; Laura Dave

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Last Thing He Told Me; Laura Dave

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Domestic Suspense

FORMAT:  eGalley / LENGTH: 320 pp

SOURCE:  Edelweiss

SETTING(s):  CA and TX

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A suspenseful family drama that kept me quickly turning the pages.

BRIEF REVIEW:   Hannah Hall has been married to Owen Michaels for one year. She loves her husband and is trying to be the best possible step-mom to his sixteen year old daughter Bailey, whose mother has died.  Hannah knows the pain of growing up without a mother - hers didn't die but,  she wasn't interested in mothering.  Fortunately, Hannah had an amazing grandfather who showed her plenty of love. He also taught her the fine art of woodturning, which results in unique pieces of very expensive furniture that she now creates and sells to wealthy clientele.  The couple along with Bailey live on a lovely houseboat in Sausalito, CA.

One day Hannah is given a note which says: "protect her."  Little does she realize it just might be the last communication from Owen.  The same day Bailey comes home from school with a duffle bag and $600,000 cash that she claims she found in her locker.  Calls to Owen's cellphone go unanswered and the FBI has arrested the head of the big software start up company where Owen worked as a coder.  Where is Owen and why has he seemed to disappear off the face of the earth?

As Hannah tries to "protect" Bailey she also determined not to sit and just wait for Owen to surface. She needs answers and soon begins to get some tips which lead her to believe Owen has not been completely honest with her and that she and Bailey may be in danger.

The story is told from the POV of Hannah past and present. I loved her character and the way tried to gain Bailey's trust. She stepped up to the plate and did everything to protect her even though Bailey proved challenging at times.  I also liked that even though Owen disappears from the story early on, you really felt like you knew him and what his past was all about.  A tender, suspenseful character driven novel with some tense moments. I found the ending satisfying even though I was hoping for a bit more.  I love the way Laura Dave writes and I've enjoyed several of her earlier books as well.  BTW - I read Julia Roberts will be starring and producing a limited series by the same title for Apple TV. 

RATING:  4/5 stars

Book Review - White Ivy; Susie Yang

 

White Ivy; Susie Yang

Simon & Schuster - 2020

Ivy Lin is a Chinese immigrant toddler, left in China to be raised by her grandmother when her parents came to the US in the 1980s. At age 5, Ivy boarded a plane from China to Boston, flying solo to join the parents she didn't even remember.  Fortunately for Ivy she has her grandmother, Meifeng who helps assimilate her to the American ways. She teaches her to shoplift at yard sales, telling her that the people have plenty and don't even care about the things there are trying to get rid of.  As Ivy get's older she carries her thievery from yard sales to store theft.

Sent to Grove Prep Academy on scholarship, it's here that Ivy, a poor girl among wealthy, white kids  gets her determination to fit in among the wealthy.  She sets her sights on Gideon Speyer, the wealthy son of a US Senator.  When her grades slide and her mother discovers her stash of new items in her room, she sends Ivy back to China to live with a relative over the summer, in the hopes that she will change her ways.  The only one the age that seems to understand Ivy is her next door neighbor Roux, a poor boy her age with a single mother that is rarely home.

As an adult Ivy becomes an elementary school teacher but she's restless. A chance meeting with Gideon Speyer's sister reconnects her with Gideon. She becomes even more determined to find her way into the inner circle of private clubs, parties and vacation homes. Ivy will do whatever it takes to get the life that she thinks she wants. 

This was a very hard book for me to review but, let me say that I really liked it a lot. It's so well-written, a story about ones Chinese heritage while aspiring to become someone else entirely.  It was a bit of a slow burn but turning into an unexpected thriller by the end. I thought it was also a terrific character study with insight into Chinese-American child-rearing.  Ivy's grandmother Meileng, was one of my favorite characters, she and Roux seemed to be the two people who really understood the real Ivy.  The ending was satisfying enough but, it made me wonder whether we might hear more about Ivy in a sequel. I hope so. An impressive debut novel.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - White Ivy; Susie Yang

 

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.

White Ivy; Susie Yang

Simon & Schuster - 2020

PART ONE

"IVY LIN WAS A THIEF BUT YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW IT TO LOOK at her.  Maybe that was the problem.  No one ever suspected--and that made her reckless. Her features were so average and nondescript that the brain only needed a split second to develop a complete understanding of her: skinny Asian girl, quiet, overly docile around adults in uniforms. She had a way of walking, shoulders forward, chin tucked under, arms barely swinging, that rendered her invisible the way of pigeons and janitors."

What do you think, read more or pass?  I've been eyeing this one for several months, it releases on Election Day. I hope to start it this week.

book Review - Animalkind; Gretchen Newkirk and Gene Stone

TITLE: Animalkind

AUTHOR:  Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster

PUB. YEAR: 2019
SETTING: n/a
FORMAT: print/library
RATING: - 4.5/5

Animalkind, written by the founder of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is a remarkable book that I found engaging and informative.

The first part of the book gives insight into animal intelligence, discoveries about their loyalty, how they navigate and how they bond and play. There were stories about cats who found their way back home from distances over 100 miles. Stories of canines who understood over 200 human words and would respond. (I laughed when I read that dogs will only respond to praise is spoken in an upbeat tone though.) There are dolphins who can recognize the whistle of a companion they hadn't seen in decades and, that orangutans have the strongest mother and infant bonding in the animal kingdom - inseparable for years and some offspring nurse for as long as nine years. 

Did you know that 60% of dogs and 63% of cats show grief after losing a human companion?  Most will eat much less and sleep much more.  Cats are more in tune to their predatory instincts than dogs since their hunting skills are rooted in evolution.

The second part of this book deals with animal welfare issues and how humans can learn to be more respectful and compassionate to animals.

As an animal lover, I was really happy I read this book. It is written in an easy, engaging manner. It's a book that gave me hope that humans an animals can coexist and how easy it is for humans to show respect for the vulnerable animals among us.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Animalkind; Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone

Each Tuesday, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be At The Beach hosts First Chapter 

First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where readers post the opening paragraph(s)

 of a book that they are reading or plan to read. Here's my pick for this week:

Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries about Animals & 

RevolutionaryNew Ways to Show Them Compassion

Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone 

Simon & Schuster - 2020

Introduction

The dog who jumps for joy when you come home. The emperor penguin guarding his child through a subzero blizzard. The dolphin smiling at us from the water. The sleepy  cat's purr of contentment. The manta's rays intricate underwater ballets. The lark's exquisite song. Animals delight, fascinate, and enrich human lives and thoughts everyday of the year.

I'm a sucker for books about animals. How about you, read more or pass?

Three Women; Lisa Taddeo

TITLE: Three Women

AUTHOR:  Lisa Taddeo

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster

PUB. YEAR: 2019

SETTING: n/a
FORMAT: print/library

RATING - 3.5/5

After so much buzz about this book, I decided to try it for myself; I'm glad I read it but, I didn't love it. Actually, I wasn't sure what to expect when I began this NF title except the author's intent was to write about female desire.

Profiled are stories of (3) very different women from different backgrounds and social classes.  There's 23 year old Maggie from North Dakota who was involved in a sexual relationship with her married high school English teacher when she was just 17.  A resulting criminal trial rocks their quiet community.  Lina, a mid-western housewife whose loveless marriage has her reconnecting with an old flame.  Finally there is Sloane, a gorgeous woman from a wealthy family in New York City. She moves to Newport, Rhode Island to become a successful restauranteur.  Sloane's husband is also in the same business with her. He enjoys watching her have sex with men and women.

While it's clear that each woman was craving something more, something missing in their lives, they often came across as both self abusers and victims.  Almost every story is a combination of raw, emotional and sexually explicit. All of the women have baggage or issues they were dealing with from alcoholic parents to eating disorders.

I thought the author captured the complex emotions of the women she writes about, but, I didn't really care for the way the stories seemed to jump back and forth between the women. I also thought a wrap up was needed as the ending seemed rather abrupt. It's clear the author did her homework, spending more than 8 years gathering data on these very different women. Each woman, in some way, felt like a victim to me.

Catching Up with a (4) Mini Reviews - The Dearly Beloved; Cara Wall - The First Mistake; Sandie Jones - The Institute; Stephen King - The Whisper Man; Alex North

I've been on a bit of an audio book binge lately while walking, driving, cooking, cleaning - you name it.  (3) of the (4) books were audios and thrillers which helped me to finish RIP Challenge as well.

The Dearly Beloved; Cara Wall

Simon & Schuster - 2019

The Dearly Beloved is a debut novel about love, faith, friendship and community. It's set in the 1950s -1960s New York City and follows two couples  (Charles and Lily and James and Nan) from college to marriage and beyond. The men become co-ministers of a Presbyterian church in NYC. We witness the couple's struggles within their marriage, the community and their struggles with faith.  Although religion and faith played a major theme in this novel, it didn't feel overly preachy or in your face.  This book started out strong for me, but then the characters started to come across as rather flat. This was one of those stories that I found it harder and harder to get back to once I took a little break.  I'm on the fence about a rating but, for me, I decided on 3/5 stars. I'm not sure whether I would have felt differently about the novel if I was a person of faith.

The First Mistake; Sandie Jones

MacMillan Audio - 2019

I was looking forward to The First Mistake by Sandie Jones after totally enjoying The Other Woman, her previous book. Best classified as a domestic thriller it's full of twists and a surprise shocking ending as well.

Set in the U.K. we meet Alice, who lost her first husband, Tom, in an accident. She still misses Tom even though she's now married to Nathan. Alice and her new husband run a successful international company founded by her first husband.  Despite Alice's success and having two great daughters, she begins to have her doubts about her new husband and wonders whether he's been completely honest with her. She also suspects he might be having an affair. Alice confides in her best friend Beth about her suspensions but, before long her anxiety working overtime makes her wonder whether Beth has her best interests at heart.

Without giving too much info, this thriller that took the reader in directions I never expected.  Everyone has secrets in this one -- who can you trust? The ending was a shocker as well. 4/5 stars

The Institute; Stephen King

Simon & Schuster Audio 

The Institute was an 18+ hour audio book production that begins with a drifter named Tim Jamieson who takes a night beat job with a small town South Carolina sheriff's department and then jumps to main focus of the story, the exploitation and kidnapping of exceptional kids (younger than 16).  Luke Ellis, is one of these children, kidnapped from his home in Minnesota and ending up in a strange place in Maine (The Institute).  It's a tight knit operation kind of place with strict rules. Luke's not the only child, there are other gifted children who have suffered a similar fate and ended up like Luke-- kidnapped in the middle of the night and their parents murdered.  The Institute is a place you enter, get promoted, as one progress through some cruel experimentation but, they don't get to leave. I liked that the Tim Jamieson character resurfaces once again before the end.

For me this story had more of a SF feel at times than horror. There is a good deal of physical and certainly mental abuse in this novel and you'll yes, you will be able to tell that Stephen King is no fan of our President as well. This novel felt like it could be a standalone but, by the end I found myself wondering whether there might be a sequel as the ending was a little loose and ambiguous. The audio narration  (Santino Fontana) was very good (this story just way too long for me).  I didn't feel it was scary and overall, I enjoyed this one. 4/5 stars.

 

The Whisper Man; Alex North

MacMillan Audio - 2019

I do love a good old intense thriller and many of the reviews I read called this "creepy, chilling etc".  I listened to this one every evening, before bed for about a week and although the audio was excellent, and, the whispers - atmospheric, I never found this serial killer preying on a small town story too scary or felt the need to put it down. I did think it was an addictive story.

After Tom's wife dies unexpectedly, he tries for a fresh start in a new town with young son Jake.  The town has a dark past, a serial killer Frank Carter, "The Whisper Man" was, however,  finally caught. Soon after they settle down in their new town and house, which has a haunted feel,  a young boy goes missing. Is this a copy-cat killer or were the rumors true, maybe Frank did have had a partner, who has now taken up where he left off?  It isn't long before young Jake begins acting weird and hearing things.

This was an addictive story, perfect for those cooler fall nights.  The character development was very good, the troubled characters, added to the intense feeling of dread at times. I heard was optioned for a movie, which could be great on a big screen production. The audio version was terrific and kept me in suspense and eager to find out how it would all turn out.  4.5/5 stars