Sunday, August 16, 2015

A love story spanning decades.

I received an advanced reader copy of The Japanese Lover from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Japanese Lover tells the decades long love story of Alma, a young Jewish girl who escaped Nazi Germany, and Ichi, the son of her aunt and uncle's Japanese gardener.  Told through flashbacks and letters between Alma and Ichi as well as through fact finding done by her grandson, Seth, and Irina, her care worker, I was drawn into the story right from page one.

This is the first Isabel Allende novel that I have read and I really enjoyed it, up to a point.  Allende's writing is warm and inviting. The main characters were well developed and relatable. I really wanted to love this book, but the ending just left me disappointed.  I liked the author's writing style enough that I will try another of her books to see if it is just this story that left me flat.

The expected release date for The Japanese Lover is November 3, 2015.

Thanks for reading.


Monday, August 10, 2015

Books I am looking forward to

There are several books that are coming out in the near future that I am really excited about.  One of them I actually have had the pleasure of reading because I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley.  Here is a short list of books I am dying to get my hands on.

1.  All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani - I have read and LOVED all of Adriana Trigiani's books.  When I find out that she has a new title coming out, it goes onto my calendar and most of the time, I pre-order the book to arrive on the day that it comes out. I don't want to wait on a list at the library. I don't want to wait for it to come out in paperback.  I want to read it NOW.  All the Stars in the Heavens delves into the golden age of Hollywood when Loretta Young met Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. The book is set to be released on October 13, 2015.  As a side note, the movie version of Big Stone Gap,  is set to be released in theaters on October 9, 2015.

2.  Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast Series Book 15) - I have been a fan of Preston and Child's Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast from the beginning of this series - Relic. No one does "weird and creepy crime" like Preston and Child.  This book sticks with the characters Pendergast and his niece Constance. I can't wait to see how Pendergast figures out "who done it and why". The book is set to be released November 10, 2015.

3. Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County by Amy Hill Hearth - I received an advanced reader copy of the latest Miss Dreamsville book by Amy Hill Hearth. You may recognize the author's name from the beloved book "Having Our Say - The Delany Sisters First 100 Years".  The author has a knack for telling a story, whether truth or fiction, in such a way that draws you in and makes you feel like you are a part of it.  Before I read Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County, I had to quickly read the first book Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society. I quickly fell in love with all of the quirky characters.  I have reviewed the book here:  Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society.  The new book is set to be released on September 8, 2015.  Read these books. You won't be sorry.

4. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson - The Bloggess is back.  I have followed The Bloggess (aka Jenny Lawson) ever since I was forwarded a link the the story of the giant metal chicken. From her collection of stuffed "varmints" to her totally human stories of life with her family, Jenny Lawson never ceases to make me laugh.  I read her first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, in between bouts of hysterical laughter.  I am really looking forward to more laughter and insight in the new book.  Furiously Happy is set to be released on September 22, 2015.

Let me know what books you are looking forward to.

Thanks for reading.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train pulled me in hooked me from page one.


When reviewers said that this was the next Gone Girl I was almost reluctant to read The Girl on the Train. In a previous review, I commented that I didn't love Gone Girl because the characters in the book were such horrible people. I was afraid that this book would be the same but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rachel is struggling to bounce back from her divorce and not doing a very good job. She is drinking heavily, which had caused her to lose her job. While pretending to go to work each morning, Rachel fantasizes about the lives of "Jess" and "Jason", a couple who live down the road from where she used to live with her ex-husband.Tom. He still lives there with his new wife and their daughter.

Very quickly, the lives of Rachel, Tom, his wife Anna, and the neighbors down the road, who are really named Megan and Scott, become mysteriously intertwined. When the dust settles, the surprise ending with leave you shocked. The ending had me so rattled that I actually had to step away and think about the book before writing my review. Very good writing, well written characters, and a surprise ending kept me interested and entertained.

Run to your local library or bookstore and check out this book

Thanks for reading.



Retiring this blog

I am retiring my Blogger blogs.  Starting today, June 16, 2018 my blog posts will be found at  https://thislife225879410.wordpress.com