Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Bookies Book Club Pick)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Based on a true story, this retelling of another remarkable woman pulled from history is well worth your time and attention. We have come a long, long way. ~Sheila

It is Maine, 1789, and Martha Ballard, a Midwife, is requested to examine a body found in the icy waters of the Kennebec River. As a Midwife, she knows much about her community and what goes on behind closed doors, recording in her diary every birth, every stillborn, as well as deaths and debacles, and every detail surrounding the circumstances.
Now, as Martha examines the dead man, she recognises him to be one of two respected gentlemen that had been allegedly involved in a rape a few months back. She also sees this death as not an accidental drowning, but murder.
As Martha lives in a time when women should know their place, and their voice is not always respected, when you could instead get an opinion from a man, her battle for justice is an uphill one When her son, Cyrus, is identified as having been in a fight with this man the same night as his death, Cyrus is accused of the murder. Martha knows she has to find a way to justice, no matter what the cost.

My Book Club, The Bookies, chose this as our read for June. I had this book already downloaded and for the life of me, was under the impression I had never finished it and wasn’t sure why… turns out – I just have a poor memory- not only did I read it, I also reviewed it here, as well as on Goodreads in March of 2024 – both I discovered this morning when I went to write this review. Good grief… I think that is a new one for me.

That all said – without reading what I previously wrote – here are my 2025 thoughts (and yes while listening to this one over the past week, I did recognize that I had some knowledge of this book, so there is hope for me yet… ;P
Martha’s story is compelling – not only is the book well written, it is based on an actual person and facts (historical fiction – the author admittedly fills in blanks and takes liberty to make the story flow). The book and the struggles of women having a voice are timely. I recently finished the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, while certainly not apples to apples – this book gave me some of that same vibe of women struggling for respect and rights.
Often I find some of the more recent books are going for the big shocking “WOW” with nothing to stand behind it but poor writing, loose ends, and a confused reader – this is not one of those books… everything flows well, every storyline comes full circle.
It’s definitely worth the hype surrounding it, and I would absolutely recommend you give this a read.

Bookies Book Club:
The Bookies enjoyed this book very much – there was much to discuss, and women’s rights were definitely part of the discussion. Overall, the rating was a solid 4.5 out of 5. One of our members even stated that when she read this last year, it was her favorite book of the year.
If you are reading this as a book discussion, here are some fun things to include:

Food suggestions – there is not a lot of food talked about in the book, but if you look at the times, here are some thoughts:
Hearty Crusty Bread
A Chowder or Stew (think things you can get from a garden or from animals you raise, like cows, chickens, pigs)
Whole chicken (I went with the rotisserie style I could get from Walmart – already cooked)
Small potatoes, Carrots, Rosemary
Salad
Fruits
And an add-on for us with the Frozen River title – I made frozen Margaritas

Topics to pull for discussion –
Women’s rights ( we had a list of when laws were passed – see below), actually frightening to see how much of this has happened in our lifetime.
Midwifery
Relationships

Rated: 4.25 out of 5
Read Author Before: well, the same book so yes 🙂
Read Author Again: I would- she has a certain style I enjoy
Where Read: Listened on audio between house, car and yard work 🙂

The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

“Short with a message” ~Sheila

Lucas loves his small world. It consists of working from home, playing video games, drinking evening wine, and his favorite delivery, Pad Thai. In Luke’s opinion, the outside world and all the noise and people were overrated.

Then things change. One day, the Apartment Board knocked at his door, demanding to see his frying pan.
Yes, frying pan.

A frying pan had shown up next to the apartment’s garbage and was not properly recycled, as the apartment contract states. The Board felt that by seeing each tenant’s frying pan, they would be able to determine who did this, by seeing who did not have a frying pan.
Lucas offers two radical thoughts –

  1. Wouldn’t someone who throws away a frying pan have a new one? Therefore, be a suspect as well?
  2. And offered to pick up the frying pan himself, and be sure it is recycled properly

These two thoughts seal Lucas’s future, and his quiet life of gaming and pad Thai is quickly a thing of the past.

I had just finished Backman’s My Friends, and a friend had mentioned reading this short story. Coming off the warm, fuzzy feelings of that book and not quite ready to move on – another Backman, and a short one at that. For the most part, I do not read short stories – I like more character development, and short stories feel hurried or undeveloped – short reads make me feel like I don’t even get past the dating phase, let alone build any kind of commitment to the setting and those within.

In a word – it’s strange. Probably not something I would have stuck with if I was reading it – however, since I was listening to it on audio, AND at the same time I was mowing my lawn… it worked.
My yard takes me about 2 1/5 hours to mow. The audio is one hour and 49 minutes. It passed the time.

The book is quirky and funny, and I do not know what to compare it to. While I found it to be a bit too out there, Backman had a plan, and in the end, how it all comes together made it worth it.
I think.

My Friends by Fredrik Bachman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

I have always known I have been blessed with great friendships. This book is a telling of just how important those connections are. ~Sheila

When Louisa meets him, he is older, sick, and of all places, in an alleyway. But – she would know him anywhere – after all, he is The Artist.
If timing could be called perfect, perhaps this would be just that… or not… depending on how you look at.
But suddenly, 18-year-old Luisa is thrust into an adventure of a lifetime, as she goes from having nothing to having everything – is she wants it or not… and from going friendless to possibly having a friend… or two… and learning about what its like to have people that know you inside and out and support you – the real you – even the dark stuff – even the smelly stuff, and absolutely the stuff that you lock in your heart for all the years to come and beyond.

It’s funny because this is an author that I have really enjoyed (Beartown) – which sadly I see I never reviewed, but do discuss in an oddly titled post many years ago. And there were books that other people loved and I did for whatever reason did not – A Man Called Ove, and My Grandmother Todl Me To Tell You She’s Sorry (read but also sadly, no reviewed so I can not even tell you what it was that I did not enjoy).

But – that was then and this is now and I just finished listening to My Friends. I enjoyed Bear Town… I liked this one even better.
My Friends covers what not all of us had growing up – that amazing friend group… the getting together pretty much daily to ride bikes, and laugh, to get into trouble, to become a part of each other’s stories. My Friends tells of such a group – all with their own demons – but they had each other.
When we enter this story, the friends are adults now – time and situations have for the most part separated them… but a chance encounter with a young girl in an alleyway who has a fiery spirit that feels somewhat familiar, and a painting worth millions… well, this may be a story worth sharing.
I loved the narration, I loved the subtle and funny moments, the memories as well as the present time and honestly this book felt like a reminder to me how lucky I was to have close friends all my life – that I had the cousins down the road that I biked with and got in trouble with almost every weekend… and how lucky I am now to have another group of friends, not the same I gre up with, but just as wild…. and a plethera of solid memories because of all the crazy awesome we have done together…. (traveling, dressing up, costumes, inflatables, 5ks and mud runs, rooftops, concerts, haunted spaces, stories that are shared often and stories that we have pinky sworn stay between us, weddings… and yeah, funerals too.

Amazing amazing writing – this would be a great discussion book as there is so much to talk about, including your own stories of growing up and who were the people that create your stories…

If you have time for one book this season, let this be the book.

Rated: 4.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I would
Where Read: Listened on audio – mowing the lawn

The Ex by Freida McFadden

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment
Version 1.0.0

Can a book be too twisty? I think so. ~Sheila

Cassie is so excited about her new relationship with Joel. How can she be so lucky? Cassie’s life as a bookstore owner is simple, and Joel – well, Joel is a handsome, kind guy, and a doctor. What could he possibly want with a bookish girl like Cassie?

But Joel appears smitten. He takes Cassie to meet his friends, who are not very welcoming. One in particular continues to throw how wonderful and beautiful Joel’s ex was in Cassie’s face.

As the relationship continues… Cassie begins to get calls calling her names – and then the bookstore appears to be broken into…. strange things are happening, and Cassie has to wonder… who is after her? Is it Joel’s ex?

While this book had the elements of what I love about Freida McFadden’s books…. good character development and a catchy storyline… I think I have finally come to terms with the fact that maybe I need to take a break from McFadden’s books.. I am feeling a bit caught in the spider web of McFadden books and looking for that next thriller fix.

I want to say this was better than the last book I read by McFadden, but.. no. Confusing and a whole lot of extra stuff that went… nowhere. Like being led down the wrong rabbit hole but this one for some reason didn’t flow a=or have the delicious shock value of discovering you were wrong and it sufdetly makes sense…. yes, I was wrong on what I was thinking … but it wasn’t the delicious WOW I was hoping for… if anything… I was annoyed and a little lost.
The ending…. hmmm.
I did like the book…. but think perhaps I am getting too critical of this very good author and raising my bar too high.
That said, Freida and I are on a break.

Brain Damage by Freida McFadden

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Not this one…. Sheila

Charly McKenna has a wonderful career as a well-respected dermatologist. With a gorgeous apartment that looks over Central Park, and a handsome Lawyer husband… Charly feels like she has it all.
Or so she thought…

Arriving home one evening, Charly encounters someone waiting for her in the dark, and a bullet that goes through her skull leaves her hospitalized, but alive.

But is being alive all it’s cracked up to be? Charly is no longer certain…


Charly has a long road ahead of her. Her speech and memory are infected. She can not walk, and with the brain injury, she also has no sensation or feeling in her left side and can not see anything on the left; this is known as left-neglect. She needs help with everything from washing to getting dressed, to using the bathroom.

With much physical therapy for many months, some things are slowly improving, but Charly still only has fractions of memory of what happened the night she was shot – was it a break-in? Or something much more sinister… and very much premeditated….

It’s no secret that I have enjoyed MANY of McFadden’s books. The twisty good thrillers that are enjoyable to read/listen to, and usually have a twisty surprise as well. But as in all things, they can’t all be winners.

This is the second of her books that I have found the repetition to be grating. Almost like word count filler – the description of left neglected told over and over and over again… pulled me out of the story. The fact that her husband was handsome…yes, you’ve said this. Many times. We get it.
And – Charly felt weak to me… and this gripe, I will own, as admittedly, I do not enjoy books where the protagonist is weak – and I’m not talking weak because of the injury -as Charly’s story unfolds in flash backs of her past as the story builds – there is a weakness in how she handles situations that would have sent me running.

I could rant on – but I’m not going to. There were some likable qualities to the book. I liked the supporting characters more than those who held the front row seats. Jamie was awesome… even when he was a jerk. And some of the staff at the hospital? Loved them.
I finished the book because I did want to know… unlike McFadden’s usual tactic of surprising me when it all comes together… this one did not.

If you want to read a really good book on this subject, read Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.

If you have read this book, I would love to hear what you think. If you are a reader of McFadden, are you also finding good McFadden as well as the not-so-much?

Rated: 2.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I am right now (I can’t help myself lol)
Where Read: Listened on audio – bouncing around the house and cleaning out the garage

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

“While very different from The Handmaid’s Tale, an important continuum to the story that I, for one, am better for reading it. ~Sheila

Fifteen years have passed since Offred stepped into the unknown.

Aunt Lydia is still Aunt Lydia… sharing her narration of the state of Gilead, her perspective has changed somewhat over the years …

Gilead continues – Agnes (Hannah), now a young lady, learns that the people who raised her were not her real parents and in fact her mother was a Handmaid. Disturbed by this information, she seeks to learn more.

Meanwhile, Daisy (Baby Nicole), an ambitious and strong girl of 16, raised by a kind couple, has recently found out about her true heritage as well as the shocking fact that she is the Baby Nicole – the girl, the girl in the poster. As she learns about who she is, she is empowered to find a way back to Gilead, which is a dangerous idea. What she discovers is beyond her wildest imagination, and what ensues, well, that dear readers, is what great stories are made of.

So… when I read The Handmaid’s Tale a couple of years ago with my book club, I downloaded the audio for The Testaments and for whatever reason, never read/listened to this book. It wasn’t until last weekend when I was at a Local Author Event, and talking with the booksellers about the Hulu Series of The Handmaid’s Tale, that I learned that the narrator of Aunt Lydia in the book is no other than the actress who plays Lydia in the series. (SUPER COOL!) Fully engaged in this TV series and having now watched it for a second time, so I could be fresh for the final season, I was all in.

The Testaments was as good as I had hoped. I love the dystopian style read and really enjoyed the two girls, Hannah/Agnes and Daisy/Baby Nicole’s very different narration. Their upbringing is obviously worlds apart, and the book does a great job of showing the differences between the half sisters.

And then there is Aunt Lydia – she is evil and also kind… making her extremely dangerous indeed – yet how great to revisit her and see how she has changed and what steps she takes that lead to well… I guess you will have to read to find out.

While there are definitely mixed thoughts on this book, some feel that Atwood should have never written this book and left well enough alone with The Handmaid’s Tale. I disagree. I applaud Atwood for bringing unanswered questions from the first book to a satisfying conclusion with The Testaments.

The series on Hulu, while starting out with Atwood’s books, continues beyond the books which I actually enjoyed seeing this story expand; however, if you only read the book, there would be many things left to our imagination, many questions that we as readers would need to draw our own conclusion to which in many cases can be fun to decide for yourself what happens – however, as dark as The Handmaids Tale can be – being able to be lead through the darkness for me was welcome.

I have to mention the cover, which I think is brilliant. While The Handmaid’s tale focuses much on June and the Handmaid’s with the cover reflecting as much, I love that this cover features the Martha’s colors.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I hope to
Where Read: Listened on audio – mostly while doing housework 🙂

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Lisa Genova should be on everyone’s TBR list. ~Sheila

As an accomplished concert pianist, Richard Evans is a connoisseur of music. He knows every note and how to hit each key just right to bring his audiences to their feet. But at this particular concert, something was wrong, and Richard could feel it in his soul. His left hand is not cooperating, and while the audience may not hear it in the flow of the music, Richard can.

When Richard’s ex-wife Karina hears of Richard’s diagnosis of ALS, she is shocked and decides to pay him a visit. While she didn’t care if she ever seen this man again, she is not without compassion, and seeing Richard trying to navigate his apartment as the disease took hold, she does what she would have never dreamed in a million years she would do – she invites him as well as his caregivers into the home they used to share together.

Setting pain and betrayal aside, Richard and Karina try to find a way to reconcile from years of hurt in the face of a disease that shows no mercy.



Well… I cried.
How this one escaped my attention all those years ago when it was released, I do not know. I guess we can chalk this one to timing. It was recently brought up at Book Club and in recent years, I have become associated with ALS when a couple of people I know had been diagnosed with this. Knowing very little, I did a little research, and my dear friend who has this now has been very open about the disease as well as educating our community on ALS.
Still…
Reading (yes, reading – not audio) was a close-up look at the progression of ALS. As Richard goes from sheer disbelief and believing that he will be the one that the disease will not slowly take away everything, Lisa Genova does an incredible job with her writing that gives us this same hope that there will be a different outcome than the one ALS almost consistently delivers.

This book had me fully engrossed, and I picked it up every chance I had.
I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Not only is this an in-depth look at ALS, but it is also a true-to-life storyline. Life for any of us can change in a single moment. What we think is our path can easily be re-routed, and what we feel we are capable of in times of great stress… may only be the tip of the mountain.
Read. This. Book.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: Absolutely
Where Read: At home in the evenings on the deck

The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Eleven years ago, Attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, from the murder charges of his mistress – unsuccessfully. To Sarah, that was another life as she has moved on from that dreadful past and has started a family with her second husband, Bob Miller. If there is a sense of normalcy, this is it.
Right?

But when Bob has a one-night stand, Sarah immediately files for divorce. Amid this news and navigating the end of a relationship when a child is involved, Sarag also learns that new evidence has been uncovered in the case against Adam and maybe – things were not so cut and dried after all – in fact, new evidence shows that that there was tampering of evidence and the fingers were definitely pointed in the wrong direction, and the wrong person. Unfortunately, this places Sarah back in the spotlight – exactly where she doesn’t want to be during this time of turbulence in her personal life.

Now the woman that Bob had slept with is missing – and Sarah is fearful that life… does indeed seem to be repeating itself…

When I read The Perfect Marriage, I was impressed with this new author (to me). When I learned that the Perfect Divorce was being released shortly after I finished the first book, I was momentarily excited, followed quickly by cautiously making a decision if I wished to read it. How often have we LOVE LOVED a first book only to find the second to be a close repeat of the first and while fun to try to continue the story…. often we find it is not as strong and well-loved as we had hoped…

Have we learned nothing from Frieda McFadden’s Housemaid, the series slowly went from my 5-star rating, to a 3.5 for The Housemaid’s Secret, to my 3 average for The Housemaid Is Watching.

I get it – it’s hard if you have a winning story to not try again, but sadly, I am trying to remember the last time in a book like this that the sequel lived up to its potential.

That all said, The Perfect Divorce was interesting, I love the narration in both books, but in the end… I could have done without this one. The whole time I am making guesses at how and who is involved based on what happened in the first book. And while I did not have all the details, I was correct in my initial guesses.

IMO – read The Perfect Marriage. Skip the Perfect Divorce.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: yes – in fact, I have another book waiting, and I am excited to see what else she writes
Where Read: Listened to on audio – mostly at home

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

In the middle… a beautiful place to be. ~Sheila

Rocky is looking forward to the Annual Cape Cod beach vacation. Going back two decades, this has been the tradition. Rent the beach house, bring the kids, bring the parents, one week… one week that starts out hectic and hurried and so much to pack –

And then suddenly…just like clockwork work Rocky will be wondering out loud, “How is it Friday? Where did the week go?

This year, is different. The kids are older…. Rocky’s parents are older. And of course, simple math will tell Rocky they are older, too.
As Rocky remembers the past, and deals with the present, she can’t help but wonder what the future holds…. all of its secrets, both the good… and the hard.


Sandwich is such a great title for this book. Rocky and her husband are between their now-grown children and their elderly parents. I am finding it hard to describe this book. As I think about it this morning, over a cup of coffee and the light of the day slowly peaking in the windows, I think it is because it is a much calmer (can I say that?) book than I have read recently.
Sandwich has no big twist. There is no massive lurking plot that will cause your jaw to drop and your heart to race. This is a story of a family and a week, an exploration of family dynamics with a sprinkle (or cup) of midlife crisis.
And it’s funny. Our protagonist, Rocky, is snarky and witty, and that trait has carried over to her children. Seriously, some laugh out loud moments even when it was a bit raunchy…. Rocky is her own person, and it shows.

The book was what I thought it was going to be, and it wasn’t – does that make sense? I understood the storyline going in, but I guess I expected more. At the same time, I don’t think it needed more, and that is the pretty cool thing about Sandwich. It’s different. Our Author did not go for the big shiny BANG that we so often find in a lot of today’s reads…. It’s a story of a family… it’s real and raw with a few hot buttons. It’s small and beachy.

In the end, I am glad I read it.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would like to read something else by this author to get a feel of what they write
Book Club Worthy: Maybe. There are many topics to unpack and you can certainly spend a lot of time in a group talking about agism, the kids and the parents, and the changes of seasons.
Triggers: Yup. Occasionally vulgar, and Abortion.
Where Listened: Mostly at home

The Extrordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

It is said that God has a plan…even if we can not see it until it’s in the rearview window. ~Sheila

Sam Hill was born with red eyes, a condition called ocular albinism, but his mother called it God’s will. As Sam grows and takes his hard-earned spot at Lady Of Mercy School, he wonders if it is also God’s will that he is bullied and beaten and called “Devil Eyes.” And was it also God’s Will that one of his teachers is unusually cruel to him, and his friends are few and hard to find.

But Sam’s two misfit friends are perfect for him. Ernie Cantwell is the only African American student in the school and has battles of a different kind. Mickie Kennedy is a strong-willed girl with a horrific past of abuse and has no trust for anyone beyond her friendship with both Sam and Ernie.

And – as Sam grows into a man, his extraordinary life leads him in extraordinary ways and learning that running through life with your eyes closed – serves little purpose… in fact, opening them might just allow him to see more clearly.

This is one of those books that has been on my radar (and on my shelf) for a long time. I can’t even tell you why, other than the only stand by of, So many books, so little time…. and – sometimes, it seems like certain books wait for the time to be right to be picked up and read.


I want to tell you that this book was an easy read, but that is not right. It’s definitely a good read, but a hard one. The topics of physical abuse at the hands of another student are hard to read, but do not let that discourage you from picking this book up. TELOSH feels real. I could see it all clearly and not once felt that it was far-fetched. I loved everything about this book, including his two misfit friends, because in all honesty, when you get right down to it, having one really good ride or die friend is more than most have… having two… well, that’s amazing in itself. And sometimes, we just need to open our eyes to see what is right before us.

This book was published in 2018. If you have not read it, I highly recommend that you do. TELOSH reminds us that why things happen is not always crystal clear – yet when you look back, you can most times see how you changed in ways that are significant because of it, albeit it can be the most painful thing you will ever do.

Read this book.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would
Book Club Worthy: Yes. Ther is so much to unpack here
Where Listened: Home/Traveling for work