Tag: book-reviews

Brain Damage by Freida McFadden

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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

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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

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

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Holy shnikies…… ~Sheila

Sarah Morgan is a named partner of her law firm. At 33 years old, she is proud of her accomplishments and good at what she does, even though, admittedly, she misses out on events with her husband and time alone together in their newly acquired vacation home.

Sarah’s husband, Adam, has not done as well in his career as a writer… he spends many weekends at the vacation home as a chance to dig into his writing, but honestly, he spends more time staring at the ceiling than putting words to paper. Most often, Sarah has too much to do to go with him.

Then one weekend everything changes. Adam comes home early from his weekend writing retreat, missing his wife. A few short hours later, he is arrested when a woman is found murdered in the bed of their second home….
Sarah suddenly finds herself reeling as she gets not only the news of her husband’s arrest for murder, but also the fact that he has been having an affair with the victim. The odds are stacked against Adam, and Sarah knows she is the only Lawyer who can give Adam a fighting chance of getting out of a life sentence ….
But can she? Can she defend him all the while looking the other way to Adams’ self-confessed infidelity to save him from going down for a murder she is pretty sure he did not commit?

Holy smokes, this was good. A fast-paced read that left me with a big WOW at the end. This is one of those books I want to say so much but feel I can say nothing, as I want you to read it and pull all the amazing gems out of this one all on your own.

There are many twists are turns, and if you are trying to keep track – there are so many suspects but in a believable way where you can see why they would have done it… and still, at least in my case…. You have no idea.

With a little essence of Caroline Kepness (author of YOU) and definitely a little McFadden (but dare I say better than McFadden)…. absolutely worth your time to dig on in.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: oh yeah!
Possible Triggers: a little sex, murder (but not graphic)
Where Read: listened to at home and in the car

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

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Fantastic revisit to a favorite author ~ Sheila

When college student Sami Kierce is backpacking in Spain with friends, he meets Anna, a girl who takes his breath away. When he wakes up one morning with a bloody knife in his hand and her body lying next to him, he panics, and he runs.

Twenty-two years later, Sami is happily married with a young son. He works as a Private Investigator and teaches night school to a group of want-to-be sleuths in New York City.
One evening while teaching his class, a girl hovers in the back of the room, and Sami’s blood runs cold. There is no doubt that this is Anna. When they make eye contact, she bolts out the door and out of sight in a matter of seconds.
Sami has no choice but to open the door to the past. Is this girl really Anna, and if so, what happened all those years ago…. Sami soon discovers that this particular door holds way more secrets and darkness than even he could have imagined.

A little history here…. in my twenties, Harlan Coben was one of a small handful of go-to authors for me. This was pre-book club, my boys were young, and I enjoyed reading in the evenings. This photo is from one of the years at the Book Expo in New York…. I would guess 2010, 2011…

I have been so excited to see that a series of Harlan’s books has been made to movies on Netflix.

How crazy cool is that?
So – in recent searching for that next read/audio… I came across his newest release, Nobody’s Fool and dug into a blast from the past.

Remember when mystery/thrillers were just that? A good storyline, a solid protagonist, and popcorn worthy? That is what Coebn feels like. No offense to the newer popular twisty unreliable narrator, psychological thrillers of today that can feel more like a jerky rollercoaster ride that is traveling through a haunted fun house… I like those too, but ya know what I mean.

Digging into this book, it felt wonderful to meet up with Coben again. I forgot how funny he is. There are MANY great one-liners throughout the book that made me laugh out loud. I wish I had written them down, but meh… also cool that you can discover them for yourself.

Great storyline that flowed well, kept me wondering what was going on, and came out the other side finishing well. I enjoy this read and can honestly say Coben still has that great touch – a solid thriller, and worth your time.

Here are some of my other Harlan Coben reviews (I have read more than this – but remember I started pre-book club, which was also pre-reviewing.

Don’t Let Go
Fool Me Once
Missing You
Six Years
Seconds Away
Deal Breaker
One False Move
Caught
Hold Tight

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

Beautifully and painfully written – I loved this book. Sheila

It starts when Beth’s brother-in-law kills a dog and goes after their sheep.
But – did it?
The dog belongs to Gabriel Wolfe, Beth’s one love when she was a teenager, until circumstances broke her heart and separated them for what she felt would be forever. Gabriel has recently returned to the area where he grew up, a now well-known author, recently divorced, and with custody of his young son Leo.
Beth is happily married to Frank and lives on the family farm, but Leo reminds Beth of the son she lost to a terrible accident around the same age as Leo is now. As Beth finds time to spend with Leo, she also finds it soothes her heartache to be near this boy, despite Frank’s warnings that this may not be the best idea for more reasons than one.
As the past colides with the present, Beth has to choose between he woman she was and the woman she has become.



So – first up. I am not a romance reader. So believe me when I tell you that this book does have elements of romance, of course, but it is written in a way that is also a thriller. The combination works, and I flew through this read wanting to know what would happen, wanting to know how it all would end, but also not wanting it to end.

Beautifully and painfully written, a hard subject for me yet written in a way that also held me captive to the accuracies of losing a child, the feelings of isolation that can come with this, and the pain and struggle of trying to live when not wanting to move forward. Absolutely, I cried.
There is so much to this book that I do not want to share because this is one of those reads that as best left to the reader to go in with no guidance and come out the other side with their own full and personal impact.

This is a wonderful read and would make a great discussion with a reading group – there is much to unpack.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Triggers: Child Loss, Immense Grief, Some Sexual Content
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Absolutely
Where Read: at home, over a weekend

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments


Charlie Reade has not had it easy. He lost his mom when he was seven, and lost his father for a long time as well to the bottle.
Things have been looking better, though. His dad got the help that he needed. And Charlie, at 17, is over 6 feet tall and enjoys sports.
When he has a chance encounter with a crotchety elderly neighbor who winds up in the hospital, Charlie feels like this is his calling from a long-ago promise, and he steps in to help take care of the neighbor’s dog, Radar.
Yet something changes in Charlie as he begins to help this man, even when he returns home. With no other relatives, Charlie becomes the one who checks in and helps with meals and medications… having no idea where this change in his life’s direction will take him… even beyond the world as we know it.

When I first read about the description of this book, I had little flashback memories of 11-22-63 (if you have not read it – I suggest you immediately do so!) While two very separate books, the similarity in finding a sort of porthole into another world was just too tempting to pass up.

Honestly, there was a lot I enjoyed about this book – the first part being about Charlie and his family, as well as the encounter with Howard Bowditch (the neighbor). The storyline leading up to the mysterious thing in the shed (I’m not telling you any more than you will see on the back cover of the book) was definitely intriguing, as well as going into the next world and the why (I loved the why so so much).
The dog… loved the dog.
The movie references… YES!!!! It gave me the essence of Ready Player One – even the narration which was FANTASTIC.

What I did not enjoy was the excessive swearing and vulgarity as the book proceeded. I am no prude by any means and believe me there are times when it is perfectly executed… IE – NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!” ~ Mrs. Weasly/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In this case, it was frequent to the point I really picked up on it(taking me out of the moment of what I was reading) and, sadly, not necessary. There are many ways to express that the bad guys are bad without all of that… and yeah, they were BAD.

I recommended this to my book club, and it is what we picked as a group for our April read. I was only at the beginning of the read when I suggested it, and I am hopeful that the book club gives it a chance as it is a good read and a different style of book than I think we have ever read as a group before. I am glad that I read it, and I feel it will make for good discussion; however, if I had been further in the book, I am not sure I would have recommended it to my book club.

Rated: 2.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: oh yeah 🙂
Read Author Again: most likely
Where I read: At home

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene

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It’s been 24 years since Lindsay Fadley’s sister Jessica disappeared without a trace. Making it worse, Lindsey, who was a young girl at the time, was the last one to see Jessica as she was getting something out of her car.

Now, Lindsay, a young adult, is still haunted by the last memories she has of her sister and is determined to find answers where the police did not.
When a body is found in a nearby lake, Lindsay and her parents are thrust back into the awfulness that surrounded them all those years ago. Will this be the closure the family needs? Or a reopening of a door to the past that someone is desperately trying to keep shut.

We read this book for Book Club, and I listened to it on audio ( recommended to do so by a friend). This is one of those books that I would recommend to my friends who have yet to try audio because it is fantastic! The narration flows flawlessly, and the podcasts pop (I loved this addition to the book!)
The storyline was good – I didn’t want to stop listening. I was all in and engaged and felt it flowed well. Here is what it came down to:

Loved –
I thought the alternating chapters between the sisters and then and now was well done. Each storyline was well defined, and I never felt lost on who was speaking or where it was going.

The college setting and the pieces entwined that brought even parts of the past story to current were also well done

Charter development was good, I like it when I can “see” each person and have an idea of what they look like and who they are.

When a new narrator comes in at the end, it is also brilliant. I thought was a nice touch.

Liked:

This was a good keep you going suspense read, and while I had guessed correctly (sort of – I didn’t see the twist coming), it made sense (I’m a stickler for things making sense 🙂 )

Disliked:

When it is wrapping up… the “where Jess was” all this time didn’t fly with me. Too disbelievable, and IMO the author could have done so much better with this and made it more believable.

Honestly, it was the almost-end. It turned darker than I expected and made me uncomfortable, which is probably a weird way to describe this .. but it was accurate.
Redeemed (a bit):
It was the actual ending that pulled my rating up again… for a while there, it had sunk hard. The final words… I still feel it leaves some hard things on those who do not deserve it… but, alas… isn’t that life?

My book club, for the most part, really enjoyed the book, with a couple of exceptions.


Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: maybe
Where I read: on audio started on our way back from Florida and finished at home in Minnesota