Tag: books

Book Review: Patchwork, by Karsten Knight

patchwork
Image belongs to Karsten Knight.

Karsten Knight lives in Boston and writes YA fiction. His newest novel is Patchwork.

Renata Lake expects prom night to be full of the typical things one finds on prom night: moonlight, dancing, teenage hormones, and an epic prank by her group of friends involving throwing a dead body over the side of the boat into Boston Harbor. What she doesn’t expect is a proposal or a bomb explosion, leaving real bodies in the water before she sinks beneath the waves.

Renata wakes up in Patchwork, a ghostly world where all her memories come together in a crazy pattern, and her friends’ murderer chases her through these memories, determined to kill her—and everyone she loves—once and for all. Reliving her memories and watching her friends die over and over is enough to drive anyone insane, but Renata must rise above that if she is to figure out who the killer is, and get back to her real life.

Patchwork is a fantastic read, fast-paced and with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing all the way to the final pages. There’s a bit of mythology here, not enough to overpower the action and the mystery, just enough to spice it up. I wanted to read this straight through, but real life had to take priority. This is a must-read for anyone who loves fast-paced fantasy with an edge.

(Galley provided by the author via NetGalley.)

Book Review: Love, Alabama, by Susan Sands

Love, Alabama
Image belongs to Tule Publishing.

Susan Sands is from Louisiana, but lives in Georgia now. Love, Alabama is the second book in the Alabama series.

Emma Laroux had it all in college:  a shot at the Miss America title, a bright future, and a charming boyfriend she loved. But all of that disappeared because of a night she can’t remember, a night full of scandal that cost her her boyfriend and caused her to walk away from her title. Now she’s settled in her small home town, happy with her life as a pageant coach.

Except it’s been years since she dated anyone, and she’s not sure why. Sure, it would be nice to have kids, but the men aren’t exactly beating down her door. Then Matthew Pope arrives in town. He’s not happy to be back in the South, and when he sees Emma, he remembers that fateful night ten years before, when she was in trouble and he came to her rescue. But Emma doesn’t remember Matthew, and soon the past starts to haunt the two of them, interfering with the attraction growing between them.

I love book series set in the same location, where characters I loved in previous books appear in the current one, and you find out what’s going on in their lives. This is a series like that, and although I haven’t read Again, Alabama, I love the sense of family that links the two books. And the picture of small-town Southern life is scarily accurate, complete with nosy neighbors and former beauty queens with attitudes.

(Galley provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley.)

Book Review: The Sixth Victim, by Tessa Harris

the sixth victim
Image belongs to Kensington Books.

Tessa Harris is a journalist who writes crime fiction set in the past. Her newest novel is The Sixth Victim.

Jack the Ripper stalks the street of the Whitechapel district of London, leaving women afraid to be on the streets at night. Constance Piper fears the Ripper, but she has other worries as well, like the odd things that have been happening to her, making her question all she’s ever known. If only her mentor, Emily Tindall, was around to give her advice.

But Emily is gone, returned to Oxford, they say, so Constance is on her own to deal with the sudden influx of clairvoyants, all offering to talk to the murdered girls. The gossip is about the latest horrifying remains found, and a lady tracks Constance down and asks for her help, afraid the latest victim is her missing sister. Constance agrees, and soon finds herself on the receiving end of help that makes her question everything she ever thought she knew about the world around her.

The Sixth Victim is a well-researched look into the famous serial killer of the 1800s. It depicts the squalor of Whitechapel, through the eyes of a character who wants more than the life she’s living, and who finds out that what she thought of the world isn’t quite true. At turns creepy and gruesome, the novel explores one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history.

(Galley provided by Kensington Books.)

Book Review: Internet Famous, by Danika Stone

internet famous
Image belongs to Swoon Reads.

Danika Stone writes both YA and adult fiction. Internet Famous is her newest novel.

Madison Nakama is living her dream life:  online high school—so she doesn’t have to deal with people and she can help take care of her sister, who’s on the spectrum—and her pop culture re-watch site has a massive following, giving her both income and human interaction. Maybe Madi’s real life isn’t so stellar—family angst and a mother who’s never present—but her online life is great. Especially when she meets Laurent, a cute French exchange student and fan.

As Madi steps out of her self-imposed bubble to explore this new life, someone else is watching. Someone who doesn’t want her to be happy. Madi’s site is attacked by a vicious troll, and soon the attacks spill over into real life. Can Madi figure out who’s behind it before her entire life crumbles to pieces?

Internet Famous is a quick read with likeable characters. Madi is relatable—even to readers older than the fandom crowd of the book—and she struggles with real problems: a mother more concerned about her own career than her family, a sister that’s a little bit different and who needs her a lot, and dealing with criticism, harassment, and bullying. The story is engaging and draws the reader in, rooting for Madi to figure things out before her world implodes. (Word of warning for anyone out of their teens:  Madi does re-watches of “old” shows, like Star Wars, Buffy, and Pretty in Pink, so you might feel a teensy bit like grabbing your cane and waving it at the youngsters in the book.)

(Galley provided by Swoon Reads via NetGalley.)

Review: The Rules of Half, by Jenna Patrick

the rules of half
Image belongs to SparkPress.

Jenna Patrick writes fiction from North Carolina. The Rules of Half is her debut novel.

Half Moon Hollow is your typical small town:  high school football on Friday nights, everybody knows everybody else, and the town crazy to torment just because. Will Fletcher used to be married, a father, and a veterinarian. Now he is none of those things. Instead, his severe bipolar disorder has him living with his sister and trying to forget the trauma of his past. But when a fifteen-year-old orphan shows up, claiming she’s his daughter, Will’s world is turned upside down.

Regan Whitmer is running away from her abusive stepfather and her mother’s suicide, looking for family. Will wasn’t quite what she had in mind, but Regan wants to put the shame of her past behind her, and forge a new life and a new family. Can Regan and Will overcome his mental illness as they learn what family truly is?

The Rules of Half deals with a tough topic—mental illness—in a way that makes it understandable and sympathetic, instead of eliciting judgment and disbelief, reactions that are far too common. The stigma of mental illness is alive and well in Half Moon Hollow, but Regan and Will move past that as they learn how to love themselves and those around them. This book is truly eye-opening, an up-close look at the experience of mental illness, that will draw sympathy from the reader, as well as more awareness. I highly recommend it!

(Galley provided by SparkPress.)

Books I Read in May

I read slightly less than I have been reading in May. It felt like a lot less, but it was really only nine books, instead of my usual 10-12. May was crazy for me. Way too much going on. I’m hoping for a more peaceful June.

Here’s what I read:

iswg-final-cover

It Started with Goodbye, by Christina June. (Read to review.) I really enjoyed this! A YA where the MC actually admits she’s wrong, and grows as she learns from her mistakes? Plus, it’s not all about the romance. Great read.

Beneath the Wake, by Ross Pennie. (Read to review…but didn’t.) I don’t even know why I finished this one. It was pretty pointless to me, and the MC…seemed pretty concerned about the intricate meals he ate, but not about the whole people-are-dying-and-I’m-trying-to-figure-out-why thing. (I didn’t review it, but I did give the publisher my feedback. It just wasn’t to my taste. It’s part of a series, so clearly some people like it.)

Turbo Twenty Three, by Janet Evanovich. (Read for fun.) I really love this series, although  I wish Stephanie would just make up her mind already–Ranger. Not Joe. I didn’t think this one measured up, though. It wasn’t really funny, and some of these have had me laughing so hard I cried.

happiness

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, by Paula Poundstone. (Read to review.) I like to read some non-fiction now and then, and a comic I used to enjoy seemed like a good option. To me, this book wasn’t really humor–although it had some funny moments–it was just about life. I enjoyed reading it.

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The Half Life of Remorse, by Grant Jarrett. (Read to review.) Deals with some deep issues, including violence, murder, and living on the streets, but with redemption as well.

Palm Trees in the Snow, by Luz Gabas. (Cultural book of the month.) I thought I was picking a Central/South America book, but it turned out to be another one set in Africa. I love reading about Africa, but I though a different culture would be good. Which, actually, this one was, as it was set in a Spanish colony. This was a really good book, and I recommend it.

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. (Classic book of the month.) How have I never read this Austen book? I don’t know, but I really enjoyed it.

Be the Message, by Kerry and Chris Shook. (Spiritual book of the month.) An excellent read!

the long run

The Long Run, by Catriona Menzies-Pike. (Read to review.) Another non-fiction choice, and one I found fascinating. The history of women in running was interesting, but a little disheartening. I don’t understand why men found women running so threatening.

Stopped reading: White Fur, by Jardine Libaire, because I found the two main characters were a little too out there for me. I’m okay with crazy. Just not disconnected-from everything-crazy.

(Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy.)

The Long Run, by Catriona Menzies-Pike

the long run
Image belongs to Crown Publishing.

Catriona Menzies-Pike lost her parents in an airplane crash when she was twenty, and spent years floundering. Then she started running, and found a way to move through her grief.

There have always been obstacles for women runners, from cultural constrictions to clothing to men considering it flat-out dangerous. Catriona talks about these problems when she talks about running, and she talks about some of the (underrated in the public eye) triumphs of women in running as well.

The Long Run isn’t a book about some grand triumph in flashy Rocky Balboa style—it’s more about the quiet sort of triumph, one filled with personal satisfaction, accomplishment, and contentment with your own ability. The history of women runners is interesting and frustrating at the same time—why did men find women running so threatening?—and I learned a lot from reading it.

If you have any interest in running or the women’s movement, give The Long Run a read.

(Galley provided by Crown Publishing.)

The Half Life of Remorse, by Grant Jarrett

hlr
Image belongs to SparkPress.

Grant Jarrett is the fourth of five brothers, the son of Christian Scientists, and has worked as both a drummer and a bike store manager. The Half Life of Remorse is his newest novel.

Chic has been a vagrant for most of his life, scratching out a bleak existence on the cold streets, just him against the world. Then one day, he meets Sam, a fellow vagrant and a harmless lunatic, who keeps seeing visions of a family on the verge of destruction. Sam thinks he’s an ageless former wizard. Chic thinks Sam’s crazy. But their lives are far more intertwined than either of them imagine, and as Chic and Sam set out to help the family from Sam’s visions, they are on a collision course with the violence of their past.

The title of The Half Life of Remorse is what caught my eye in the beginning. But reading about Chic and Sam’s lives on the street and their struggles with haunting memories of the past kept me drawn into the pages of this book. These characters are broken beyond imagination, but even in their brokenness, hope can be found. This is no light, fluffy read, but if you’re looking for something that explores the harder side of the human experience, complete with glimmers of hope, this is exactly the sort of book you’re looking for.

(Galley provided by SparkPress via NetGalley.)

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, by Paula Poundstone

happiness
Image belongs to Algonquin Books.

Paula Poundstone is a well-known comic and an author. Her new book is The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.

Well-known comic Paula Poundstone set out on a seven-year search for happiness, determined to try all the “in” ways to find happiness…like losing weight, getting organized, medication, dance lessons, and renting a Lamborghini. She also raised her three kids, her too-many-to-count cats, her dogs, and juggled her travel and work in comedy.

What she found was there isn’t any one answer to the search for happiness. She found no happiness in some of her efforts, and unexpected amounts of happiness in others, but she eventually learned how to be happy in her life.

I didn’t find this book laugh-out-loud funny, although there was lots of things to laugh about. Instead, I found Ms. Poundstone’s brutal honesty and her unflinching way of looking at life to be refreshing and enlightening. This is an enjoyable and though-provoking read.

It Started with Goodbye, by Christina June

iswg-final-cover
Image belongs to Blink.

Christina June is a teacher who writes young adult contemporary fiction. It Started with Goodbye is her debut novel, out May 9th.

Tatum Elsea is not looking forward to summer. Accused of a crime—falsely—she’s under house-arrest with her less-than-loving stepmother while her father is out of the country. Tate is only allowed to be at home and her court-ordered community service, unless her stepmother approves it. Like that’s going to happen. So, Tatum starts a secret graphic design business, which leads to an email flirtation with a cello-playing client.

With her feisty step-grandmother in town, Tate starts to realize that maybe her way isn’t the only way, and soon she learns she’s not the only one in the family keeping secrets. Will Tate be able to use her new perspective to fix her relationship with her best friend and turn her family around? Then there’s the cello player…

I finished reading It Started with Goodbye in less than 24 hours. This is a fun, light read, but it delves into some deeper issues, like taking responsibility for your actions, healing relationships, and honesty. Tate grows a lot through the course of the book, and the author captures her growing pains vividly and emotionally, letting the reader see through Tate’s eyes and experience that awakening along with her. I loved how Tate’s relationship with her stepmother and stepsister evolved, and her step-grandmother is perfect; feisty and fun but not irresponsible. The email exchanges with the cello player are a cute finishing touch.

If you like young adult books, I highly recommend this one. It deals with some deep topics and isn’t just a fluffy romance.

(Galley provided by Blink via NetGalley.)