Tag: fiction

The Perfect Getaway by Kiersten Modglin

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments
“Keep your enemies closer….A creepy, delicious vacation thriller” ~ Sheila

When the invite for an all-expense-paid 7-day vacation to a pre-opening of an upscale resort on a tropical island arrives in the mail, they are sceptical… endless time share talks? 4 point fine print of 10,000 easy monthly payments of only $99?

For Brad and Laura, between the full-time jobs and their two young daughters, a getaway is tempting but feels impossible.

For Nick and Megan, engaged to be married, this would be like an early start to a honeymoon. While Megan is hesitant and feels something isn’t right, Nick is all in for the idea.

For Natasha and Jaren, they are at the beginning of the end. With a son about to turn 18, they have decided that once he graduates, they are going to call it. Once madly in love, the years have taken a toll on the couple, but a week on a tropical island? Maybe…

For Andy and Emily, this is a no-brainer. Andy, after a long line of relationships, feels Emily may be the one. Emily, a travel blogger, is the one who filled out the application for a chance to win this trip to the island and won it not only for Andy and herself, but their friends as well.

Once the other couples understand Emily’s role in their invite, they start to feel excited about the possibilities of a fun getaway with their friends, and one by one, they each find a way to make it happen.

Yet, that first day on the island, of drinks and sun…. they discover their cell phones will not work… and by morning…

One of them will be dead.

So here we are, the second week of July, and summer is here, and this is a big audio season for me as I do yard work. I am also admittedly struggling with finding audio that I want to listen to and spend too much time prusing through titles and preview listens trying to find not only a good storyline but good narration – audio book listeners, you know what I mean… if the narrator does not fit you will struggle getting into the book.

Sadly, I have been interested in several titles lately that the narration immediately turned me off, and don’t even get me started on some recent titles with multiple narrators that made the preview sound more like a play or production than a book…. might be just be… but come on 🙂

Ok – that was a long lead-in.

For The Perfect Getaway, I enjoyed the narration as well as the storyline…told from different perspectives, you get to know each couple and the baggage (or lack thereof in one case) they bring to the island. I enjoyed hearing their back stories and found this to be a nice way to introduce us to the many characters.
While I enjoyed the story and the creepy undertone, it felt a little rushed. Once they get to the island, everything seems to happen so quickly, and it could have been a little more paced – a chance to really get to see the changes in the characters as things come to be.
Twisty ending that surprised me – but again, we could have had more story.

Rated: 2.9 out of 5
Read Author Before: I don’t think so
Read Author Again: probably
Where Read: Audio – this one was quick – one hour car trip and an afternoon of yard work



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 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 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 One by John Marrs

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Imagine all the people, Livin’ for today ~Sheila (borrowed from John Lennon)

Its a simple test. You swab your mouth and send it in. Then an email arrives… they have your match. Your Match. The One that is your one. For less than $10 you can request more information… a name of your One. Some details… and..

well the rest is up to you. That is Match Your DNA.

Now, a decade later, millions of people have been matched. Marriages have been destroyed, but really – wouldn’t it be better to be with the one that has been predestined to be your match? The one that will be with you all the days of your life? Even if it puts an end to dating and the joys of finding the person you are meant to be with?

Now – 5 different people are about to find their match to be very different from themselves, but who are they to argue when the Match Your DNA has never had a false Match.
Yet.


I really enjoyed The One event, even though it admittedly scared me a bit. Honestly, reading this, it doesn’t seem that far-fetched from something that could really happen. There are apps for almost everything – why not this? You can also see the appeal to something like this… take the work out of making a mistake and choosing poorly… If you can get the right one right off the bat, why not do that?
Well… as in many “AI” type situations… it is not a perfect system, and reading this book will give you the insight.
An interesting read – it kept me engaged and I think would make for great discussion.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yup! (I read Keep It In The Family – creepy good, but I see I never reviewed it.
Read Author Again: Most likely – I like the wicked twisty turns
Book Club Worthy: I think so, its an interesting topic
Where Listened: Home


Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Definitely listen to on audio – I laughed out loud more times than I can count. ~Sheila

Lucy knew that going back to her hometown was going to be a challenge after all these years and all the rumors that had surrounded her ever since her best friend Savvy had been murdered and Lucy had been named a suspect. But Grandma has asked for her to come home for her birthday, and Lucy can not bring herself to turn down Grandma.

Ben Owens, host of the popular Podcast Listen For The Lie, has set his sights on the mystery behind the unsolved case on Savvy…placing him in the area where the murder took place, at the same time that Lucy, the only real suspect, will be home. What luck! Putting fuel on the fire of this unsolved mystery only serves to reignite everyone’s opinion on what they think happened and a thirst to know the truth, especially in Lucy’s own hometown.

The unfriendly reactions, the hateful words that accompany Lucy’s homecoming are definitely harsh, and the Podcast just keeps piling on as friends and family members all fall under the spell of being interviewed for the popular listen.

Truth is, not even Lucy knows if the rumors are true. Lucy has no memory of what happened, only that she was found covered in her best friend’s blood with no recollection of how or what happened.
…And there is this voice in her head… that makes Lucy think that maybe-just maybe, everyone is right about her.

I am always pushing my friends to try audio (just ask them). And – when doing so there are always certain books I recommend to them that really pop in audio format, and in turn I hope they will listen and become an audiobook listener as I am.
This is one of those books.

I typically avoid reading reviews on a book I plan to read/listen to as I want to form my own opinion and not go into a book with any bias one way or another. I also try to not read reviews before I write my own for the same reason… However, I did see a little mention of this book before diving into it that called it witty and funny – two things I very much like, but do not necessarily associate these two words with a thriller.
Truth is – Listen For The Lie can be funny… admittedly, the dark humor had me laugh out loud many times while listening. Fans of YOU by Caroline Kepnes (also a Netflix Series) I believe, will enjoy this one.

Listen For The Lie can definitely be dark, but in a way that I actually enjoyed. This is not the first time I have listened to a book that has a podcast built into it, but like the others I have read/listened to that have done this – I like it. It’s a great addition to this listen.

Overall – just a really good listen with great narration, and I was all in to find out who did it.

Well done and recommended.

Rated: 4 out of 5 – Solid listen
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would!
Possible Triggers: Semi-graphic descriptions of killing someone
Where Read: Listened to at home and in the car


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

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? 🙂