Category: books

book review · books · secrets

His Favorites by Kate Walbert {ARC Review}

KalaLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

From the highly acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award finalist and author of A Short History of Women, a searing and timely novel about a teenaged girl, a charismatic teacher, and a dark, open secret.

They were on a lark, three teenaged girls speeding across the greens on a “borrowed” golf cart, at night, drunk. The cart crashes and one of the girls lands violently in the rough, killed instantly. The driver, Jo, flees the hometown that has turned against her and enrolls at a prestigious boarding school. Her past weighs on her. She is responsible for the death of her best friend. She has tipped her parents’ rocky marriage into demise. She is ready to begin again, far away from the accident.

Taut, propulsive and devastating, His Favorites reveals the interior life of a young woman determined to navigate the treachery in a new world. Told from her perspective many years later, the story coolly describes a series of shattering events and the system that failed to protect her. Walbert, who brilliantly explored a century of women’s struggles for rights and recognition in her award-winning A Short History of Women, limns the all-too-common violations of vulnerability and aspiration in the lives of young women in this suspenseful short novel.

Review:

I will start by saying do not let the size of this novel throw you off. To be such a short book, it packed a punch with the story and how eloquently it was told. I have not read anything by Kate Walbert before but I do believe that I will check out her other work. The story that Jo is telling is captivating and also heartbreaking. Not only does she have to deal with the guilt of causing her best friend’s death, she deals with the scorn from the town, the breakup of her parents, her being sent off to boarding school, and the not so subtle inappropriate treatment from a teacher. Early on, you see that Jo has almost been dealt the short-end of the stick. After the accident, she has to deal with the consequences just about on her own. Her parent’s solution is to send her away all while they decide to split. As if that was good timing. Once arriving to her new school, Jo thinks that things are going to be better but in fact they get a bit worse.

How does society need to protect teen girls? Why is it that one mistake sets the tone for everything else that a girl may go thru? These are questions that I had while reading this novel. While I do believe in having to have consequences for actions, what I don’t believe is that a person should be mistreated in a situation that has nothing to do with what happened in their past. After dealing with an incident with her teacher, Jo decides to seek help but is basically told that because of her past, no one would believe her. At the end of the novel I felt that Jo was bitter but I looked at it from a different perspective. She isn’t bitter, she is more matter of fact about what she has gone thru and just wants to see some justice for it and to possibly prevent it from happening to others.

The way that Kate has structured the story makes for an easy, short read but it will still make you think. She shows the vulnerability of her character on the pages in such a way that you can not ignore it.

I received this book from Scribner and made the decision to read and write an honest review.

Rating:

3.5 Stars

Availability:

Available August 14, 2018 in hardcover, ebook and audio.

books · dedication · Family · reading

Birthday Dedication to My Mom

KalaLeave a comment

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday and she would have been 69 years old. I lost my mom in September 2011. I have my good days and I have my not so good days when I miss her terribly. I just wanted to take time out to say thank you to her.

We didn’t always have the best relationship, but we had a common love for reading and books and that kept us going and made things easier for us.

My mother gave me the greatest gift when she taught me how to read and introduced me to the world of books and reading at the age of 3. I have so many memories of my mom just sitting and reading when she wasn’t busy handling wife and mother duties. The first books that I can remember seeing her read are the books by Donald Goines and I have her copies from her bookshelves even though I have yet to read them myself. My mom read those books and she read Terry McMillan, Bebe Moore Campbell, and other authors. Horror was also another of her favorite genres.

The first books I can remember picking out myself once I started reading were the Berenstein Bear books. I remember reading them from the picture books up to the  chapter books.

One thing my mom always told me was that I would never increase my reading level if I didn’t read things that challenge me from time to time and that I should never just stay in my comfort zone with what I read. I try to read a little of everything.

I have two books on my shelf that mean so much to me and they are books that I have read over and over and plan to read them again sometime soon. Those books are The Color Purple by Alice Walker and I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Conde. I can still remember the day I saw my mom purchase I, Tituba in the bookstore. I told her at that time that I was going to be able to read that book one day. I didn’t know that it would become one of my favorite books and that it would be a book that my mom and I would be able to discuss for years to come. The Color Purple is another book that we were able to discuss. I first read it in sixth grade and as I read it again and again over the years, our discussions of the book became more in depth.

I really wish my mom was here to see that I have started my own blog about books and have taken the time to dedicate my social media and time to books. This hobby that she blessed me with has taken on a mind of it’s own and has also brought some very interesting people in my life.

I participate in a local bookclub (Page Turners), I am slowly building my own personal library, and I have even been a guest on a podcast (3 Book Girls).

Reading and books are my absolute favorite things I got from her . I miss her dearly but I know that she is happy about where I am and is very happy to see what my love of reading and books has brought me.

I have also passed this love down to my own children and that makes me very happy as well.

book review · books · crime · serial killer

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

Amazon Blurb:

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called “the Golden State Killer.” Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.

My Review:

This was my first introduction to a true crime book. I am glad that I chose this as my first taste into this genre. Michelle was thorough with her knowledge but she always remained humane to the victims and survivors. This killer made his mark from the 70’s to the 80’s. It was as if he had a reign of terror over California. The opening of the story with Gillian Flynn and Patton Oswald’s closing was a nice touch since Michelle unfortunately passed away before the book was published. This book sparked an interest in true crime that I didn’t know that I had and I am very excited about that. if you are already a fan of true crime or need an introduction this is the perfect book and story. I never realized how difficult an investigation was prior to DNA and forensic testing. Hopefully with the advancement of those items, this horrible killer will be caught one day.  Michelle not only presents her facts but she also provides her own opinion without seeming overbearing. You respect her point of view that she has about this case. I admire her dedication and would have loved to see what else she may have brought to the world of true crime with her talent.

My Rating:

4.5 Stars

Availability:

Available in hardcover, ebook and audiobook wherever books are sold.

 

 

book review · books · crime · psychological thriller · suspense

Our Little Secret by Roz Nay {Review}

Kala2 Comments

Well, finally I am back in the blogging seat. It has been long enough. Thank you for sticking with me. Today’s book was a surprise ARC in the mail from the publisher. I love getting those. I am much better at keeping up with them than the ebook ARCs, lol. I hope that you find my review informative. Have an awesome weekend!!!!

Goodreads Blurb:

They say you never forget your first love. What they don’t say though, is that sometimes your first love won’t forget you…

A police interview room is the last place Angela expected to find herself today. It’s been hours, and they keep asking her the same inane questions over and over. “How do you know the victim?” “What’s your relationship with Mr. Parker?” Her ex’s wife has gone missing, and anyone who was close to the couple is a suspect. Angela is tired of the bottomless questions and tired of the cold room that stays the same while a rotating litany of interrogators changes shifts around her. But when criminologist Novak takes over, she can tell he’s not like the others. He’s ready to listen, and she knows he’ll understand. When she tells him that her story begins a decade before, long before Saskia was in the picture, he gives her the floor.

A twenty-something young professional, Angela claims to have no involvement. How could she? It’s been years since she and H.P., Mr. Parker that is, were together. As her story unfolds, it deepens and darkens. There’s a lot to unpack… betrayal, jealousy, and a group of people who all have motives for retribution. If Angela is telling the truth, then who’s lying?

My Review:

I will have to admit that I was skeptical about reading this book but figured I would give it a shot since it is not a long novel and it was kindly sent from the publisher.

We enter the story with Angela, a twenty something woman who has been taken into custody because the police believe she may have some information about the disappearance of Saskia, the wife of Angela’s first and only true love. Immediately I got a “this chick is crazy” vibe from the way she was handling the interview. She is more of a calm crazy which seems to be the worse kind. Angela advises the officer that the story is not really about Saskia but about what has happened to lead up to her disappearance. Angela is convinced that Saskia is just pulling a stunt to get attention, which at the end of the novel you will find that very ironic. Angela tells the detective all about her blossoming romance with HP, her first love and Saskia’s husband. The way she presents her story you could almost feel some sympathy for her and the heartbreak that she may have endured with HP. Angela’s mother, in my opinion, has to shoulder some of the blame when it comes to Angela’s behavior and naivety. Her mother was very mentally controlling. She reminded me of Joan Crawford but without the physical abuse. Angela spends the entire interview backtracking on her past with HP and her present time with his family. To me that whole present day set up with them was weird and I thought that HP and Saskia were asking for trouble by allowing Angela to be so involved in their lives. Angela is a very self centered person and in her mind only her feelings matter. She certainly took her mother’s manipulative gene. In the end, I did feel some empathy for the men who passed thru the life of Angela.

I am glad that this book was less than 300 pages. In my opinion the length was perfect with how the story developed. I believe that anything longer would have caused the story to lose what bit of effect it had on me. It is definitely a quick read if you want a suspense that you can just breeze thru. I have to say that when I first started reading this story I could not stand Angela at all. I thought that she talked too much and that the story was going to be drawn out. Luckily it wasn’t and once I was able to sit down and spend some time on it, I saw how quickly it developed even if the ending felt just a bit rushed. But that is something that happens from time to time with these types of stories.

Rating:

2.5 stars

Availability:

This book will be available in hardcover, ebook and audio on April 17, 2018

book review · books · Family

Still Me by Jojo Moyes {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

My Review:

So we first meet Louisa Clark in Me Before You and see her once again in Me After You. I thought we had seen the last of her and I felt almost indifferent about it because Me Before You was one of those stories that didn’t need a sequel but since one was written, it had to be read and it was a really good sequel. I never thought that it would turn into a trilogy but I am glad that it did. A third book was not needed but I am not disappointed at All. This book was a breath of fresh air after my last couple of reads. You can’t help but fall in love all over again with Louisa Clark as she embarks on her journey to the good ole USA. You visit old friends with Louisa through her memories and experiences and you meet some new ones. Who doesn’t love that good-looking Nathan has made an appearance in this book *insert heart pounding*. In this story Louisa gets to experience life in a different way now that she has moved on from her pain with Will Traynor(not a spoiler, just saying) and she has to learn how to find herself and find out what it is that she wants in life with her career and relationships. She finds herself in some not so great situations(issue with employer and an almost disastrous relationship) but manages to still come out in her cheerful, eccentric manner. She takes each experience and learns from it. She also learns how to stand her ground without having to be a terrible person about it. She begins to live her life and embrace it in the manner that makes her happy without losing herself, even if it does take the advice of a cranky old Mrs. DeWitt whose world revolves around Dean Martin, lol.  Once again we get a little romance, some great laughter and the slight moment of moist eyeball that you have to have when hanging out with Louisa Clark.

Louisa Clark teaches us once again that we should always wear our stripy tights with confidence.

Rating:

3.5 Stars

Availability:

Available in hardcover, ebook and audio

book review · books · psychological thriller

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn {Review}

Kala2 Comments

Goodreads Blurb:

Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times–and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, and their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

My Review:

I picked this book for one of my choices in my Book of the Month subscription partly because I love a good thriller and partly because I had heard good things from people whose opinions about books I respect. So needless to say, I had some high hopes for this one.

We meet Anna Fox who is suffering from a mental illness that keeps her in her house. This illness was brought on by a traumatic experience she went thru with her family.  She is an agoraphobic. She does not venture outside her home for any reason. Everything she needs or wants is delivered to her home. She even has her appointments in her home. She does attempt to go outside on a few occasions and they all turned out bad. She has an unhealthy obsession with her neighbors.  In my opinion, Anna is a drugged up wino who doesn’t have the intention of getting better and seeks out the problems of others to solve instead of working on her own. This could be due to the fact that she is a licensed mental health professional.  She is living in a life of denial and you have to wait until about 3/4 of the way thru to find out how delusional she really is. The issue I had with this novel is that the first 2-3 hundred pages were more redundant to me than they were plot building. I actually put this book to the side to read(and finish) another book. I  did not think that I was going to go back to it and  finish. I did pick it back up and finish only because I had already invested time and energy into the story. I wanted to know what the big wow was going to be and hoped that when it came along, this story would have been able to redeem itself. By the time I made it to the “plot twists” I was worn out from Anna. They didn’t hold any shock factors for me. I know I am in the minority with my opinion on this novel but I am okay with that. I like to be honest in my reviews. This novel will not be at the top of my list of recommendations. If you read and enjoyed this book, I applaud you.

Rating:

2 stars

Availability:

Book is now available in hardcover, ebook and audio.

book review · books · Family · Human Trafficking

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, about a once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again.

When Poornima first meets Savitha, she feels something she thought she lost for good when her mother died: hope. Poornima’s father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Savitha is even more impoverished than Poornima, but she is full of passion and energy. She shows Poornima how to find beauty in a bolt of indigo cloth, a bowl of yogurt rice and bananas, the warmth of friendship. Suddenly their Indian village doesn’t feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to lock down for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India’s underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls’ perspectives as they face relentless obstacles, Girls Burn Brighter introduces two heroines who never lose the hope that burns within them.

In breathtaking prose, Shobha Rao tackles the most urgent issues facing women today: domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. At once a propulsive page-turner and a heart-wrenching meditation on friendship, Rao’s debut novel is a literary tour de force.

My Review:

I have to say that this novel should definitely come with trigger warnings. I am not one to shy away from certain subjects but there was an incident in the novel that was even hard for me to get thru. When I first started this novel I did not think that I was going to finish it because it didn’t capture me right at first but once I was into the story, I was hooked! This story is set in India for most of the novel and I am so glad that I have read I Am Malala because it allowed me to be familiar with the setting. This is one of those debut novels that people are going to be hungover from after reading it because it is so intense and touches on subjects that society likes to put blinders up to, especially if it is happening in another part of the world that you are not familiar with. Drugs, abuse, sex trafficking, and even self sacrifice. The extremes that Savitha is willing to endure to get away from where she is are just horrifying and the circumstances that Poornima have to deal with are horrifying as well.  The abuse that both of these girls have to endure throughout their existence is on a level that I could not even begin to imagine. This novel is not for the faint of heart but if you want a story that is going to draw you in and show you that there is another part of life that is not all roses and laughter, then this is the novel for you. I am excited to see what others are going to think after reading it once this book becomes available.

Rating:

4.5 Stars

Availability:

Book will be published March 6, 2018 and available as ebook and hardcover.

I received a galley of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

book review · books

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

Goodreads Blurb:

It’s the last day of 1984, and 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish is about to take a walk.

As she traverses a grittier Manhattan, a city anxious after an attack by a still-at-large subway vigilante, she encounters bartenders, bodega clerks, chauffeurs, security guards, bohemians, criminals, children, parents, and parents-to-be—in surprising moments of generosity and grace. While she strolls, Lillian recalls a long and eventful life that included a brief reign as the highest-paid advertising woman in America—a career cut short by marriage, motherhood, divorce, and a breakdown.

A love letter to city life—however shiny or sleazy—Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney paints a portrait of a remarkable woman across the canvas of a changing America: from the Jazz Age to the onset of the AIDS epidemic; the Great Depression to the birth of hip-hop.

My Review:

I have to be honest and say that I don’t exactly know why I chose this book  January 2017 for my Book of the Month subscription. After starting it, I didn’t know what drew me to it even after reading the synopsis which may explain why it remained on my shelf untouched for a year with no thought or desire to read it. But since I am participating in the Unread Shelf Project 2018 and I drew this title from my Book of the Month TBR can,  I figured I would put the energy into reading it. In this story, we follow Lillian and I mean literally follow her and she makes her journey thru New York City on New Year’s Eve 1984, by foot. During her walk, she recalls several events that have happened throughout her life. I won’t say that this was a terrible book because it wasn’t. Lillian is actually a hoot. My issue with the book is that she was so wordy. I can see why she needed to be that way since the story is told from the point of view of an elderly person, but good grief! I think this short novel is the LONGEST one I have read in a long time. For it to not have even broken the 300 page mark, it sure did feel like it was about 500 pages with the way that Lillian speaks. She turns a paragraph into a lengthy speech and there were some points I wanted to turn on the award’s show “wrap it up” music, lol. My favorite part of the novel is when she is describing a rap song that she hears while walking and it clearly is a song that she has heard before but she doesn’t know the title or artist but she does enjoy the music. I think I read that particular passage twice, lol. I will add picture of the passage to this review.

This is a novel that I would have a hard time recommending only because there isn’t anything in it that is a selling point for myself. I am interested in seeing what the author has to offer for her next novel. I do hope that it is not centered around a wordy old woman though.

Rating:

I have to give this novel 3.5 stars

Availability:

This book is available wherever books are sold.

book review · books

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

If you have read and enjoyed Fredrick Backman’s Britt Marie Was Here, I think you would enjoy this novel by Gail Honeyman.

Goodreads Blurb:

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. All this means that Eleanor has become a creature of habit (to say the least) and a bit of a loner.

My Review:

I received this book thru my Book of the Month subscription for December and it was my first pick from my TBR jar that I have dedicated to this year’s  Unread Shelf Project. What attracted me to this novel was my thought that it was so similar to the above mentioned novel by Fredrick Backman. I recently read Britt Marie Was Here and thoroughly enjoyed it.

In Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, you meet a 30 year old woman who is basically living the life of a 65 year old grandma. If her age was not mentioned you could imagine her as an uptight old lady. To be such a young woman, she is a creature of routine and habit. You can’t help but laugh at her ways from time to time. The more serious she is, the funnier her situation seems, until you learn about her past.

Eleanor survived a horrific fire during her childhood but as a result of it, she had to grow up in the foster care system. She does not have any friends, she is socially awkward, and her life is controlled indirectly by her mother. As the story progresses, you learn to love Eleanor and cheer for her from your reading spot because she attempts to make changes in her routine even if at first it is only because she is preparing to meet the love of her life. She steps into the world of technology and the world of beauty. I think her experience with waxing was my favorite funny part.

Even with her attempts to make changes, Eleanor’s life takes a near devastating turn. She then has to learn how to love herself and accept the love and friendship of others.

This is a quick, quirky read but is full of life. This book subtly addresses alcoholism and child abuse. It also touches on mental health and help.

I gave this novel 4.5 stars. It is available now.

book review · books · Family

Educated by Tara Westover {Review}

KalaLeave a comment

This story is not about  Mormonism.

I have to admit that I do not usually read the Author’s Note, but that one line captivated me. Probably because I was thinking that it was going to be about the religion and the effects of it. It turned out that that line was completely correct. Even without the line, I don’t think that I would have considered Tara Westover’s family devoted Mormons.

This memoir is my first non fiction feature on my blog. Definitely something different from what I usually read and review. I welcomed this story with open arms. This was an unexpected arrival and I chose to not read the synopsis before diving into the story.

The story follows Tara who is a native of Idaho and a member of a family who is living off the grid.

Goodreads Blurb:

Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag.” In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

That is just a piece of what this book entails.

My review:

I don’t usually read physical copies of memoirs, but I am glad that I read this one. Sitting down with this book was like stepping into a world that I have only been involved with thru media such as movies or news articles. Tara’s family lived in the mountains of Idaho and were basically living in their own universe and not concerned with the “corrupted” world. Tara grew up experiencing life with a parent who probably suffered from a mental illness, a mother who seemed to be complacent, and a life with a sibling who is physically and mentally abusive.

Tara may have started life in that unusual environment but she was strong enough to desire a different style of life for herself, although it was not an easy task. Tara stepped foot in school at the age of 17 and it was not a high school classroom but a college classroom. By stepping into this life outside of her mountain life, she realizes that she has been sheltered from a world that has gone on and she knows nothing of it. I believe that Tara was like a sponge and absorbed all the information that she could. There were times that she was discouraged or felt that she was being a traitor to her family. Tara ended up risking her spot in her family and became the “black sheep” because she wanted a different life for herself. She wanted to discontinue the lifestyle that she was raised in.

I loved the language that the author used in her story. The story was well written and read like a novel instead of a memoir which I enjoyed. I definitely would not have believed that Tara didn’t start going to school until she was 17 years old and that most of what she learned had to be self taught.

I gave this novel 4.5 stars

I received this novel from Random House. I am was very pleased to give an honest review.

This book is set to be released February 20, 2018 from Random House.