The Whisper Man by Alex North, available August 20, 2019
Thanks to Alex North, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance copy of The Whisper Man. This is an excellent thriller — a multi-generational story of a small town trying to catch a serial killer, but also a study of father-son relationships and the ways in which those relationships dictate the future of both the parents and the children. Well done, engaging read. Highly recommend!
I got lucky at the library last week and scooped up a couple of books that had been on my to-read list (love it when that happens!). My summer reading is off to a great start!
The River, by Peter Heller (available now)
I did not enjoy Heller’s previous novel (Celine), so I approached this one with skepticism, despite its good reviews. The River is the gripping adventure of two college-aged boys on a long-distance and isolated canoeing trip that goes horribly wrong when they are caught between a ferocious forest fire and potentially dangerous men in their path. Beautifully written, I loved this book from start to finish! This one will stay with me for awhile. Some of the very detailed descriptions of fishing/canoeing, etc. became tedious but I was so drawn into the saga of the boys’ survival that it didn’t bother me much. Highly recommend!
Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid (available now)
Thanks to Michele Grace for the heads-up on this novel, which follows the complicated story of a late 1970’s rock band. It’s formatted like a book-length interview of all the relevant characters, which takes a bit of getting used to, but provides interesting insight into how different characters view the same events. I just loved this book, and was sad when it ended. Side note: I know this was fiction but how do these rocker types do SO MANY drugs and survive? If I have 2 margaritas I pay for it for days! Anyway, highly recommend!
The Nowhere Child, by Christian White (available now)
I’m not sure what’s in the water in Australia lately, but Australian authors are turning out some really fine mysteries! In this debut novel, Australian Kim Leamy discovers that she may actually be Sammy Went – a child who was abducted from rural Kentucky over 20 years earlier. Her journey to discover the truth is expertly juxtaposed with the story of Sammy’s disappearance. Extremely well done. Highly recommend!
Only Killers and Thieves, by Paul Howarth (available now)
Another Australian book (I seem to be reading a lot of those lately!). This book is really hard to review. The writing is exceptional and the story is interesting (two young brothers searching for justice in the 1880s Australian frontier) and I was interested in it because it reminded me of Philip Meyer’s The Son (historical Texas family saga). But I struggled to get through it because it was so graphic and so violent — I had to keep putting it down and reading other books in between. In the end, I’m glad I finished it, but I have reservations about recommending it. You might read some other reviews and decide if it’s for you.
Just no:
Neon Prey (Lucas Davenport #29) by John Sanford (available now)
What is it lately with usually reliable series going off the rails? There’s no need to summarize this one. It was so bad that I have a sneaky suspicion that it was ghost-written. Pass.
(Available July 2)
Thanks to Chuck Wendig, Random House Ballantine, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance copy of this novel. I am a big fan of well-written dystopian fiction — Station Eleven, The Stand, and The Passage are among my all-time favorite novels — so I had high hopes for Wanderers. Wendig has written a novel sweeping in scope (and massive in length – 800+ pages!), with engaging characters and a plot that seems all too possible. Terrifying yet heartwarming, this book was almost impossible to put down, and I was actually sad to see it come to an end (I might add that I didn’t love the ending). It did not have the lyrical hope of Station Eleven, nor the literary depth of The Passage, and nothing reaches the heights of The Stand, but if you are longing for a good story in this genre, give this one a try. Highly recommend.
(Available August 6, 2019)
Thanks to Ruth Ware, Gallery/Pocket Books, and Netgalley, for providing me with a digital advance copy of The Turn of the Key. Rowan Caine takes a job as a nanny in an isolated Scottish house, which is rumored to be haunted. Will she be scared off like all of the previous nannies? Can she figure out what is really happening? I loved this book and devoured it in less than 24 hours. A Gothic Scottish setting, an old mysterious house, a secret garden, the possibility of ghosts in the attic – what more could one want? This book kept me guessing, and the writing was excellent. Highly recommend.
Welcome to my book review blog! Do people read blogs anymore? I guess we’ll find out! This is not my first blog – it’s actually my fourth or maybe even my fifth: I had a family-related blog before Facebook really took off for that sort of thing, I have a blog related to my Etsy shop, which I haven’t posted on in several years, and I had a couple of short-term blogs when I was doing some crafting projects. So, I’m not new to blogging, but I am new to WordPress, and so I’ve got a bit of a learning curve to navigate.
Thanks for visiting, and I hope you’ll check back for book reviews and book-related content. I always love hearing what other people are reading, so feel free to leave comments!
Happy reading!
Alison