Tag: Books

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

More Or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

I recommend everyone read at least one Genova, Brilliant and Insightful – Every Time. ~Sheila

At 19 years old, Maddy Banks is much like any other stressed out NYU Freshman. With school assignments, navigating relationships, home life, and her job, it’s no wonder she feels off.
But when Maddy is given an antidepressant to help her with the lows, she begins to feel good. Really, really good… so good—she feels she can do anything and is pretty sure she is on the path to writing Taylor Swift’s Memoir (with the assistance of Taylor, of course) and working with Netflix on a Comedy series.

Maddy is then diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder.

As Maddy struggles with medications with big side effects, an overprotective mother, a caring sister, and basically learning to navigate life through the setbacks (two steps forward one mega messy launch backward, repeat…) and, of course, trying to navigate this new life with friendships/ relationships and not real comfortable sharing her diagnosis with everyone… Maddy is in for a learning curve… they all are.

When I ask people if they have ever read Lisa Genova, many times I will get a, “I’m not sure” or a “No” – then when I ask them if they ever heard of the movie Still Alice starring Julianne Moore, who plays a professor at Columbia University who begins to have memory loss of where she is on her daily jogs, and must come to terms with a devastating diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease – I almost always get a yes, as they recall this wonderful and sad movie.
What they may not have known is that Still Alice was first a book written by Lisa Genova.

I have enjoyed several of Genova’s books throughout the years, each about a different ailment/diagnosis, woven into a wonderful storyline that is both engaging and a learning experience. I have read:
Still Alice ( Alzheimer’s)
Left Neglected (for a Reading Group) Left Negelected (for myself) – Brain Injury

Inside The O’Brien’s (Huntington Disease)

I really enjoyed this book and Maddy. She is a trainwreck for sure, but she gets there 🙂 Learning about having Bipolar disorder (not being Bipolar, as Maddy would say – you have it, it’s not you. If you eat a pizza, you are not a pizza) was eye-opening.
There were a couple of lines – well, more than that, but here are a couple that really caught my attention:

“She is in bed every night by ten, tired from having lived the day rather than tired of living the day.” – page 36

Her disposition is a cottage in the forest inhabited by pharmaceutical dwarfs. She’s sleepy, shaky, thirsty, cranky, unworthy, full-of-shitty, and meh. – page 291

Told in the usual Genova style, the book is engaging and insightful, at times funny, and while you sink into one family’s story, you become a little more knowledgeable along the way.
I love that.

I have not read everything by Lisa Genova, but on her website, I see a few titles that I have not read – Every Note Played (ALS)
– Love Anthony (Autism)
I encourage you to pick up any one of her books that speaks to you – I am quite sure you will be glad you did.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes!
Read Author Again: Most likely!
Where Read: Started in Florida – read while we traveled back to MN by RV – finished in Georgia

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Theo feels she has finally found the person to share her life with. Connor is kind, good looking, and comes from a financially stable family. And (so far) he hasn’t asked too many questions about her past. But now, he has brought her to Idlewood, the Familys Retreat property, and his family – who expects a certain quality to those who plan to marry in, will have questions. Shoot, Theo isn’t even her real name.

Theo has only a small memory of her early years – at the age of 4, after a horrific incident left Theo without her mom and no relatives to step in, her following years placed with a family in a strict household are nothing she cares to share with Conner’s family. After all, they would not be too keen about some things during that time.

It turns out that Idlewood has secrets of its own that it is also reluctant to share. Set deep in the woods where cell reception is nonexistent, the cabins are luxurious except for one. One cabin sits away from the others, abandoned and neglected, and behind its door… secrets that belong to Theo can be found. Secrets – that some will go to great lengths to keep in the dark.

I picked up this book from Book Of The Month. A new author to me and an interesting title and synopsis. I love a good setting in the woods, and Theo’s story was intriguing (if not adding sparks of deja vu as I just recently read a book (First Lie Wins) with the female protagonist using a false name)

There is much I liked about this book. The characters are well developed; I felt as though I could picture them, who they were, and enough back story… the setting as mentioned, perfectly spook worthy, and Theo’s story backs up and made sense as it is revealed…
My only small peeve was that as we had a couple of family generations in this setting, occasionally when switching into a new chapter and not revealing who was talking and mentioning “my father” I was left wondering which father? And I would have to read on to finally put it together. Maybe it was just me, but each time that happened, I was pulled out of the story.

Second peeve is the title. It just doesn’t fit the book… yes we are in the winter, but there is no big storm as part of the setting… and believe me… it wasn’t the cold that was causing the killing.

Minor griping aside, I would suggest trying this one for yourself. There are a lot of reviews and opinions on this book that differ from mine 🙂

Nosing around Kate Marshall’s website I see a few titles that catch my eye.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: probably
Where Read: Can you believe I am still in Fort Myers Florida? 🙂

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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Delightfully smart and twisty. ~Sheila

Evie Porter has her next assignment – Ryan Somner. The name and location have been delivered by her boss Mr. Smith -who she has never met… only communicated by phone and delivered packages and then a deposit into her bank account.

This new job, however, is a little trickier… Ryan is kind and fun to be with and easy on the eyes. Despite herself, Evie likes him and she knows, he likes her too. For the first time… Evie allows herself to envision a different life that does not include lying, deceit, theft, and betrayal. Something that some may call – normal.

But so many things need to happen for that to ever be a reality – first, there is no way out from Mr Smith’s watchful eye… Second, there is a reason that she was assigned to Ryan and there is something shady there… and third –
well. Evie Porter is not even her name. Nor were the many names she has called herself that came before that.

I have had a nice streak lately of books that grab me immediately. First Lie Wins was no exception. Not only was this a good thriller – it was different than anything I have read before (also a plus). Often when an author creates as many paths as Ashley Elston does here, there is usually a path that is left unfinished – which can weigh on me like a loose thread… but not here – while there are many moving pieces – in the end, they all fit and you can find how each part, leads to the satisfying hard-earned finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with the one exception that has nothing to do with the storyline or author… just as it was digging in and things were starting to fall into place – there were 17 pages in my copy (pictured above). While I could not wait to get a new copy to move on I trudged forward with the gap and pieced together what I could of what must have happened in the “in-between” of page 278 and page 295.

While a new author to me, I nosed around her website and there are a couple of back titles that caught my eye… if you check it out I am sure you can know which would be right up my alley 🙂

Rated: 4.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I think I would
Where Read: Fort Myers Florida

JAMES by Percival Everett

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

James is a slave. His wife and daughter are also slaves. He works hard and talks with some of the local boys like Huckleberry (Huck) Finn and Tom Sawyer.

When James finds out that he is going to be sold and taken away from his family he has no choice. He runs. He runs in hopes that he can have time to think and to plan a way to get back to his family.
In the nearby woods, he finds Huck who is also on the run. Huck has faked his own death to escape the beatings of his father. This unlikely pair decide to run together, James wanting to protect Huck if he can, and Huck being white, may be able to help James as well.

With a little luck, they can build a raft, find a fish line, and their adventures begin… dodging the bounty on James’ head, running into sketchy characters, and near misses all build into this wild retelling of Huckleberry Finn from James’ perspective.

Honestly, this one surprised me as to how much I enjoyed this book. I have had a little run lately of books that grab me right away and this book was no exception. I mean when you start a book with “Those little Bastards…” you certainly have to be intrigued! 😀

And the book continues with the way with a delightful, thoughtful, and occasionally hard look at this retelling of Huckleberry Finn from James’ perspective. Sadly – I have not read Huckleberry Finn (yet) so other than what I know from hearing about the book, I did not have that perspective going into this read however IMP – I don’t think you need it. James is refreshingly a stand-alone and while I don’t know how close it sticks to the Huckleberry story – I am ok with wherever it landed.

There are several fun play-on words in the book that I really enjoyed:

“And you can read? I knew It. Aint we been freinds forever? And you never trusted me enough to tell me that? So you can write? I cain’t hardly write. What else can you do? Can you fly? What ain’t you told me, Jim?”


There were so many funny moments and I wish I would have captured the pages to share a couple more.

picked this book up on Sunday and finished it on Wednesday. I read it every chance I could and thankfully being in Florida at this time, I had a little more time to read than I usually do.

Highly recommended – a Barnes and Noble Book Of The Year
Good Reads Choice Award Winner
National Fiction Book Award Winner 2024
One of the New York Times Best Books Of The Year

Read this book. I believe you will be glad you did.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: no
Read Author Again: I would
Where Read: while in Fort Myers Florida

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Essence of McFadden… but also, a little Steven King. ~Sheila

Author Grady Green is having the best day of his life. He just received wonderful news from his publicist regarding his newest book. The only thing that would have made this moment better is if his wife had been there to celebrate with him. But she is on her way—he just spoke with her, and she is so close to home.
But as the minutes tick by, Grady begins to worry. Where is Abby? When he runs up the road, what he finds will haunt his dreams forever. Abby’s car is on the side of the road with the door open, her phone and car remain in the seat, and Abby is nowhere to be found.

A year later, Grady still does not have the answers. Abby was never found. Grady can no longer write. His finances have dwindled to nothing and he has moved into a cheap hotel with his dog. When his Editor offers him a three-month stay in a cabin she inherited on a remote island to clear his head and maybe start writing again – Grady has no choice but to humbly accept.

At first, the Island seems to be just the answer. It’s small, remote, and beautiful. Every shop is locally owned, and while admittedly, the folks seem a little odd, Grady thinks he can make this work.
But things are more than a little off on this small island and in short time strange things start happening that Grady can not ignore… and when he sees a woman in a red coat who looks just like Abby… things get even stranger yet.

I read this in two days in the RV on our way to Florida. (Yes you read that right – that may be the norm for many people – but not for me…I don’t have a lot of reading time usually so it takes a bit longer to finish a book) – this is a little bit of WOW for me 🙂

It’s a little hard to describe this book without giving anything away. While it held my attention all the way through, when the reveal came – I was….
admittedly confused – not that the reveal did not work… I’m just not sure if (IMO) it worked well. For me to fully grasp what just happened – I would need to go back and reread certain chapters and honestly – I just didn’t want to. If I were to describe how the reveal felt – it didn’t give me the “Ahhhhhhhh!” moment I think it was going for. It was more like a “huh.”

That said – the book is not bad- its good and I really enjoyed it except for that part. It feels a little like McFadden and oddly, I picked up vibes on Stephen King – especially on the small Island. I think if you think about it, you will too 🙂

I would love to hear other thoughts on this one.

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: I do not believe so
Read Author Again: I would give her another try
Where Read: Traveling to Florida in the RV – between Georgia and Florida 🙂

The Housemaid’s Secret by Frieda McFadden

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It’s fun to revisit the characters you enjoy – and Millie is definitely one to have on your side. ~Sheila

Millie has a reputation as being “a fixer”. As word got out that Millie had a way to take care of the bad husbands, she had a little stint with the help of a friend cleaning up some messy marriages.

Those days, however – are in the past. Millie still with a record of her jail time, just wants a nice easy job to pay the bills and keep her moving forward. When Douglas Garrick calls about her working for him and his wife – a little housekeeping, a little errand running, a little cooking – Millie says yes. The Garricks seem easy to work for, their house is never dirty and Mr Garrick is pleasant in their encounters. The only thing that makes Millie wonder is Mrs. Garrick, who keeps to herself in her room with some assorted health issues. And the longer she works for the Garrick’s the more mysterious it seems that Mr Garrick does not want Millie to talk to his wife…

What could possibly be going on?

I’m a little proud of myself with this one. I feel like I finally have a bit of a grasp on McFadden’s style and even predicted a couple of things in this one. (Go Me!!!) But – don’t get me wrong… when this story begins to fully unfold – there is the usual McFadden Origami style here that once again – in the end… had me fooled.

I enjoyed this one as a sequel but probably not as much as the first one – still a strong read and I am glad I did 🙂

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Of Course 🙂
Where Read: Listened to audio – finished right before leaving on our RV trip

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments
Every bit as good as I was hoping it would be! ~Sheila

In August of 1975, a Camp counselor awakens to find one of her campers missing. Barbara Van Laar is not just any camper, she is the daughter of the Summer Camp Owners and also the sister of the boy who went missing from his very camp over a decade ago.

As the police are called in, and Counselors, Campers, Camp Staff, as well as Family Members are questioned… a tale begins to unfold like no other of betrayal and deceit, long-time grudges, and long-hidden secrets.

I don’t often get to sit and really READ READ. Like – a qty of time. This was a treat for me with days of RV travel and nothing but time while on the road I read this in two days. I loved this book and had no trouble picking it up and reading it for hours. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the tale told by so many different narrators – usually I do not like a lot of different characters to keep track of but in this case, they were well-developed and easy to follow the narration changes as pieces of the story unfolded from what happened then – to what was happening now.

Kudos also for the timeline that was being focussed on between 1950 – Fall 1975 was at the start of each chart with the timing of that chapter highlighted. I thought that was brilliant and I have never seen this done in such a way before.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend digging into a great campfire tale.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would!
Where Read: In the RV traveling between Minnesota and Tennessee (finished in Tennessee)

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Yup. She did it again. #blownaway ~Sheila

Millie thought she had found the answer to her prayers when Nina Winchester said, “Welcome to the family – and please, call me Nina.”

After time in prison, Millie is just trying to get on her feet and the job cleaning and a little light cooking for the Winchesters seems to be just the ticket to setting herself back on track. Sure the house is an absolute mess, and their daughter Cecelia is awful, yet Millie is up for the challenge. It doesn’t help that Mr. Winchester is kind and well.. easy on the eyes.

Yet as days turn into weeks, Millie senses something is very very wrong. Nina, or Mrs. Winchester as she has told Millie more than once since her date of hire that they are not friends so not to call her Nina, seems to be… well… a little crazy. She tells Millie to do something and then screams at her that she never said that. She talks down to her every chance she has and often threatens to fire her. Millie knows she is so lucky that she has the job with her record and just needs to keep saving but it gets harder and harder – and the creepy attic bedroom she stays in with the lock outside the door is a bit much…

Do they not understand what she is capable of?

Somehow… in all the books I have read by McFadden, I missed this one, the one, by all accounts it seems, made Frieda McFadden an author to keep an eye on.
It was Jenny who does my hair who mentioned it a few months ago and with all the other books I was reading it didn’t stick to add it to my list. Then, this past week Jenny asked if I had read it as she is now reading the third book, The Housemaid Is Watching.
Well… I knew I was behind so got right on it!

The Housemaid is definitely good. As mentioned before, I am finding this pattern with me and the McFadden books. At some point – something usually makes me mad or feels like she is being too predictable – yet, I have discovered that IMO, she does this intentionally. I believe McFadden loves to throw the reader off – loves to make them think “Oh Frieda, really? That’s a little obvy isn’t it?” And then – she slams on the breaks – puts you in a tailspin and suddenly the book is upside down… what you thought was true was nothing but a bucket of red herrings and in the end….
Your hair is mussed, you are smoking a cigarette (you don’t smoke..) and you have a goofy look on your face.
Yeah… it be like that.

The Housemaid, in all of its glory, has rightfully earned the reputation of readers suddenly taking a closer look at what McFadeen is doing and she continues to create Psychological Thrillers that amaze. I was once again taken in and better for it. The Housemaid, while not perfect, is a book to add to your TBR list – and soon.

I’m already digging into The Housemaid’s Secret….book two.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Authro Before: Yes
Read Author Again: I already am 🙂
Where Read: I listen to this on audio at home while cleaning and puzzling… its Minnesota winter after all

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

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McFadden never ceases to surprise me! ~Sheila

Nora Davis knows to keep her eyes open and alert to her surroundings. She learned this lesson as a child when she watched her parents be incarcerated for kidnapping and killing women of a certain age and look.
Raised by her Grandmother, Nora, 26 years later, now a surgeon, keeps mostly to herself, living alone – well, unless you count the stray cat. Which she doesn’t… not yet. Her father remains in prison and will for the rest of his life. And thankfully, no one knows- not friends, not co-workers, about her past or her connection to the “Handyman”, the serial killer who removed his victim’s hands.
At least, she thought no one knew.

When two young women turn up dead with their hands severed AND they just happen to both be women who were Nora’s patients. The Police are knocking on Nora’s door and the similarities between what happened then – and what is happening now are just too great.
Is it a copycat killer looking for the notoriety of the famous Serial Killer the Handyman? Or is it something even more sinister?

It’s no secret that I am a McFadden fan. I was so excited to see a new book had been published and could not wait to be fully engaged in what new creation she has come up with – and for the most part… she did not disappoint.
My only time peeve (and it is a small one) – was the repeating of the description of the women victims too often (like… make a drinking game out of how often it said often)… I get that it was making a point and a connection to the victims of the past to those in the present as well as Nora noticing similar traits in her acquaintances which, in her mind, meant they could be potential targets for whoever was doing the killing…. but – it weighed on me as it was mentioned too frequently.
Other than the peeve, McFadden got me again. When you think you know that they know that you know and… well…. you are completely wrong – that’s a McFadden. The way it all wrapped up left me impressed again and of course… wanting more.

New to McFadden? If you like a good psychological thriller – take your pick:

One by One
The Perfect Son
The Inmate
The Coworker
The Teacher

Rating: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yup
Read Author Again: Oh Yeah
Where Read: Listened to on audio while cooking, cleaning and puzzling