"Before I Go To Sleep"

“Before I Go To Sleep” by S J Watson

Published by Harper Collins

Read for bookclub – finished 2/25/15

 

5/5 stars!!

 

Life without memories of the last 20 years.  Waking up each day not knowing where you are or who the person is sleeping next to you.  That would be a little scary wouldn't it?  That is what is happening to Christine so at the recommendation of a doctor, she starts to keep a journal - this book is made up of daily journal entries of her trying to get her memories back and make sense of it all. 

When you decide to start this book, make sure you have plenty of reading time ahead of you because you will not want to put it down.  It is full of drama and suspense that keep you constantly turning those pages, wanting to read “just 5 more minutes” before putting it down.  It will keep you guessing as to the outcome just about the entire book.  It’s hard to believe this was this author’s debut novel.  Luckily, he has a new one coming out very soon for me to sink my teeth into, or should I say eyes :)

 

The down side, if you have seen the movie already (which I haven’t), I can’t imagine you would enjoy the book as much.  Already knowing what happens will take away the fun of the suspense, the curiosity of the unknown.  So, if you are at all interested……read the book first.  The movie can come later.

"The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy"

"The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy"
By Rachel Joyce
Published by Random House
ebook from NetGalley - finished 2/22/15

Only 2/5 stars

This is a perfect example of when a sequel is truly not needed.  In fact, I feel like by reading this it took away some of my enjoyment of “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”.  I think the author should have left well enough alone, left Queenie as more of a mystery.  This book wasn’t even their love story, it was her relationship with Harold’s son and her last weeks in Hospice.  I do think the slight twist, if you want to call it that, at the very end was a nice touch and a needed piece to make parts of the book more realistic.  It was a nice ending to just an OK story.

"The Same Sky"

“The Same Sky” by Amanda Eyre Ward

Published by Ballantine Books

NetGalley ebook – finished 2/15/15

5/5 stars

I love a book that makes me feel, and this one does just that.  While reading this book you will feel compassion for the 2 main characters over and over again.  They each have their own needs and wants and struggle to obtain them.  During their lows, you want to reach into the book to give them a hug and tell them it will be OK, that you are there for them.  During their highs, you want to give them a little “way to go” congratulatory pep talk.  Yes, you will become that attached.

The book is composed of two separate stories told in alternating chapters.  One is the story of a young girl in Honduras and her quest to be reunited with her mother in America.  The other is the story of a young woman in Texas who is unable to have children but craves motherhood.  At one point in the book you will probably figure out how the two stories will eventually tie in together, but I’m not going to tell you because you just might be wrong.

If you would like to read a non-fiction book regarding a young boy’s journey from Honduras to America riding the trains, I highly recommend “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario.  Now that book was an eye-opener for me that I still think of whenever the topics of immigration and the American borders come up.  And I read it years ago – it will stay with you, as I think “The Same Sky” will as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of “The Same Sky” in exchange for an honest review.

"A Small Indiscretion"

"A Small Indiscretion" by Jan Ellison
Published by Random House
ebook from NetGalley - finished 2/11/15


3/5 stars


This is an odd book - I'm not sure how they can compare this to "The Girl on the Train" in the hype. Maybe because they both have alcoholic women as main characters? I just don't see the comparison. And this isn't close to being written as well.

This is story of a women telling the past and current parts of her life to her college aged son while he is in a ooma recovering from an accident. Some of the things she says to her son, I couldn't imagine telling my child nor hearing it from my mother. And the flow from 20 years ago to present isn't smooth so you feel that it jumps around quite a bit. This is a debut novel though so maybe as she gains more writing experience, her books will improve.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

"Have a Nice Guilt Trip"

"Have a Nice Guilt Trip" by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella
Published by St. Martin and MacMillan Audio
Listened to Audio book - finished 2/10/15


3/5 stars


Listening to these entertaining stories was just what I needed to pass the time during my commute. I love Lisa Scottoline's novels and truly enjoyed hearing her tell these. I wonder if the next book of hers I read, will be in a Philly accent? :)  I do think these family stories are geared more towards the female audience but men might enjoy some of them as well.                   

"The Alphabet House"

“The Alphabet House” by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Published by Dutton
Ebook from NetGalley – finished 2/5/15

5/5 stars

Oh my goodness, what an outstanding book!  I loved it from beginning to end.  It is the story of two English childhood friends who leave home to fight in World War II.  While on a recon flight over Germany, their plane is shot down.  You then follow these best friends on their fight for survival both during the war and life afterwards.  But don’t get comfortable thinking you know what will happen next or how it will end because I don’t think it’s a predictable read at all.  It kept me captivated and was hard to put down.  I would occasionally confuse who was who when it came to the German names, but I was able to quickly correct myself and it never took away from my enjoyment of the story.  And I liked how it was told from various points of view – it would lead to some small areas of duplicity of the story line but it never felt repetitive.  I definitely highly recommend this one and wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up in the movie theaters one day.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book for an honest review in return.

"Frog Music"

“Frog Music” by Emma Donoghue

Audio book published by Blackstone Audio

Finished listening 2/2/15

 

Just 3/5 stars

 

I truly enjoyed parts of this book but other parts (i.e. the sex scenes) I wasn’t impressed with, thus it only gets 3 stars.  I listened to it during my commute to and from the office and while doing my weekly grocery shopping.  It did help pass the time but there were many occasions that I had to ask myself “Do I really care if I finish this book and solve the mystery?”  I think I kept at it simply because I loved “Room” and assumed it was going to get better at some point.  Granted, the stories were nothing alike so you can’t really compare them.