WWW Wednesday – October 31, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are:

What did you recently (not) finish reading?

The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. 

At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. 

The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

 

I got about 50 pages into the Bridge of Clay when I decided to stop reading. The novel will be perfect for a certain kind of reader, but sadly I am not that reader. I couldn’t get into the writing style of the novel and didn’t understand what was going on.

What are you currently reading?

 Irene Steele’s idyllic life-house, husband, family-is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life.

Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s. 

Another Elin Hilderbrand novel! I’m addicted! I love the change of scenery and how the novel is set in the beautiful island of St. John!

What do you think you’ll read next?

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back. 

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby’s heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline’s part. And all for the love of her unborn child.

I’ve read some amazing reviews for this one! Can’t wait to start it!

What are your WWW? Have you read Bridge of Clay, Winter in Paradise or The Dream Daughter?

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Top Ten Tuesday – Halloween!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Halloween! I’m going to list out my top 5 creepiest books!

1. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

2. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle-aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more unbelievable it seems.

3. You by Caroline Kepnes

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

4. Behind Her Eyes by  Sarah Pinborough

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.

When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?

As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

5. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town.

Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

What is your creepiest read?

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The Party by Robyn Harding

One invitation. A lifetime of regrets.

Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah, is exposed.

π π π π

The Party was our in person book club choice for October. Out of 6 women, the average rating was about a 2.5 out of 5, where no one loved it, but no one completely hated it. I rated it on the higher end because it was a book that I couldn’t put down. It was a super easy read, which I flew through in 2 sittings.

The novel takes place during and after a sweet sixteen party goes horribly wrong. All of the characters are very unlikable, especially 16 year old birthday girl Hannah and her mother, Kim. You get both the thoughts of Hannah and Kim and oh boy you just wanted to shake some sense into them. You also get the thoughts of Jeff (Kim’s husband) and Lisa (a mother of one of Hannah’s friends) and they weren’t much better. A lot of selfish characters who just wanted to defend themselves.

I was super disappointed with the ending of the novel. It just ended. I wanted so much more. It’s hard to explain without getting into spoilers, but it seemed like the author didn’t want to choose a side and just kind of threw her hands up and boom the novel is done.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. I liked that the novel told both sides of the story and had you wanting to pick a side. Unfortunately, with the unlikable characters and failure of an ending, it was a let down.

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Things You Won’t Say by Sarah Pekkanen

Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There’s been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn’t hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband’s insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.

But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie’s world. It’s about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike’s flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie’s younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.

π π π π

I’m trying to find a novel of Pekkanen’s that I enjoyed as much as her other novels –  The Perfect Neighbors and The Wife Between Us, but sadly no luck so far. This novel was similar to her latest The Ever After, but not in a good way. An event happens and then not much happens after that.

Things You Won’t Say follow 3 women – Jamie (Mike’s wife), Lou (Jamie’s sister) and Christie (Mike’s ex and his son’s mother). Jamie has just found out that Mike shot and killed a teenage boy during the line of duty, which then impacts Lou and Christie. I didn’t like Jamie, Lou was unnecessary and I really liked Christie, but she was also not needed.

It was interesting seeing how Mike’s actions impacted all 3 women in different ways and how they handled it in their own ways. I found it refreshing that Christie and Mike had such a good relationship and arrangement when it came to their son. They put him above everything else and you don’t see that with many novels or real life situations. It was an ideal custody arrangement!

There were some minor storylines that I found weren’t necessary. There were a lot of pages dedicated to Lou’s profession as a zookeeper as one of her elephants gives birth and Christie’s new career as a decoy for a private investigator. These storylines (as refreshing as they were) weren’t needed and it seemed like they were to add more pages to the novel.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. I liked it because it was a quick read, but it’s not very memorable. Would be good for as a beach read!

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WWW Wednesday – October 24, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are:

What did you recently finish reading?

Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There’s been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn’t hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband’s insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.

But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie’s world. It’s about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike’s flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie’s younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.

I like Sarah Pekkanen’s novels, but this one didn’t have the mystery or drama that I was expecting.

What are you currently reading?

In San Francisco’s seamy Tenderloin district, a teenage street hustler has been murdered in a shelter for boys. And the dedicated priest who runs the struggling home stands accused. But despite damning evidence that he’s a killer—and worse—Father Thomas Martin stands by his innocence. And attorney Peter Donley stands with him.

For three years Donley has cut his legal teeth in his uncle’s tiny, no-frills firm, where people come before profits. Just as Donley is poised to move on to a lucrative dream job, the shocking case lands in his lap, and he must put his future on hold while putting his courtroom skills to the test. But a ruthless DA seeking headlines and a brutal homicide cop bent on vengeance have their own agendas. Now, as he unearths the dirty secrets surrounding the case, Donley must risk his neck to save his client’s life…and expose the face of true evil.

I love Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series, so I’m curious on how a standalone will be!

What do you think you’ll read next?

The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance. 

At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle. 

The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

 

This is Zusak’s first novel since The Book Thief (which I loved!!). I’m going in with a bit of hesitance, but I’m hoping it will be just as good!

What are your WWW? Have you read Things You Won’t Say, The 7th Canon or Bridge of Clay?

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