Whiskey & Charlie

"Whiskey & Charlie" by Annabel Smith
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark
ARC provided by Bookreporter
Finished 3/28/15


3.5 / 5 stars


I won this book from Bookreporter. When it first arrived, I read the back cover to remind myself of what the book was going to be about and then opened it right up. The minute I saw the table of contents was the "two-way alphabet", I knew I was going to enjoy it. So creative!! And then the ability to weave the story around the alphabet so smoothly was simply amazing. It always fit yet never felt forced. The storyline itself had potential to become sappy on a few occasions but I never felt that it did. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending - in some ways I feel like everything was resolved too neatly yet, it's the outcome I wanted so how can I complain.

Hood

“Hood” by Emma Donoghue

Published by

Read on Nook – finished 3/12/15

2/5 stars

I read this book as part of a challenge to read outside of my normal genres.  It won the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Book Award for Literature so it fit one of the categories I needed to fill.  It is the story of a young woman morning the sudden loss of her partner of the last 13 years.  The story only takes place during one week, however, there are a great deal of flashbacks during that week.  I thought that would make for a great love story but to me, it feel way short.  Admittedly, the sex scenes were too detailed and uncomfortable so I found myself speed reading through most of them but I don’t think that affected my opinion.  I think the author did a good job on the effects of the main character living in the closet with her job and family and thus having to mourn a best friend rather than a lover/spouse but missed many opportunities to show love and instead chose lust.  She also seemed to prefer to cheapen the relationship with affairs by one of the women rather than have more romance.  Overall, I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone but wish I had picked a better book.

"At the Water's Edge"

“At the Water’s Edge” by Sara Gruen

Published by Spiegel & Grau (Random House)
ARC from NetGalley – finished 3/2/15

4/5 Stars                             

At the height of WWII, young socialites leave their partying lifestyle in Philadelphia and head to Scotland in search of the Loch Ness monster.  Sounds odd, doesn’t it?  If I hadn’t known this was by the same author as “Water for Elephants” I don’t know that it would have peaked my interest.  But I greatly enjoyed that book so decided to give it a try.  I’m so glad I did – it was such a pleasurable book.  There is just so much more to this story - the search for the monster is really just a back story.  There is love and compassion with a couple pieces of evil built in.  The female characters are my favorite – strong with a soft side as well.  There are still signs of weakness and viewing the world through rose colored glasses, but don’t we all have that inside us?  The male characters are well developed as well, even though you may not like them all.  You have the confused drug addict, the humorous side kick, and the strong, heartbroken hero.  Woven together, they create a great story that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this novel.

"Amy and Isabelle"

“Amy and Isabelle” by Elizabeth Strout

Published by Vintage
Listened to the audio – finished 3/2/15

3/5 stars for me

A single mother and her teenage daughter in a small town in the 70s, each trying to define themselves.  Overall, this was a good story but I felt there were parts that didn’t belong or just didn’t fit, if that makes sense.  There were also relationships that I felt should have been expanded on rather than just touched on – they would have brought more depth. 

I picked this up because I enjoyed the author’s two most recent books.  This is her first novel – her writing has definitely grown over the years.

"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.