BookHermitt

Happy 2020!!  My Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2019 was 45 books and I read 47.  So this year I upped my game to 50.  I am, unfortunately, a slow reader so this will be somewhat of a challenge.  Probably doesn’t help that I read 4 books at the same time.  Why do I do this???  I have no idea.  I just love to read so in my feeble mind reading that many at a time makes me feel productive.  I know… I know… I could read 1 book at a time much faster if I just read one book at a time.  But what fun is that???  I usually read one Netgalley ARC, one Indie ARC, and 2 books that are on my TBR.

So let’s get to what I am reading right now:

1. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski:  Have any of you read this one??  It always pops up as one of the scariest books which is why I had to read it.  But this book it taking me forever to read.  There are a couple of stories being told at the same time in this book.  Sometimes it drags, sometimes it reads fast.  I am halfway through this book so you will have to wait a little while longer for a full review.  Right now I have mixed feeling on this one.  Did I mention the pages are very creatively done??  Never read anything like it.
2. Hidden Bodies (You, #2) by Caroline Kepnes:  Yes, I am reading this AND watching the second season of You on Netflix at the same time.  I read You AFTER I watched the first season.  I really enjoyed the book and reading more into Joe’s whacky thoughts.  This one seems just as good.  I am halfway through this one too.  Quite a few differences in the book and series, but both are good.
3. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt:  So this one has been on my TBR FOREVER!!  I know, I am really REALLY late to this party.  I am probably about 1/4 through this book and really love reading about all the difference characters.  So far my favorite, of course, is Chablis.
4. His Name Was Zach by Peter Martuneac:  This one I received as an ARC from the author in return for an honest review.  Not finished with this one yet, BUT…. it is a gripping book!  It is another zombie apocalypse book but it dives more into the relationship between a former Marine and a 14 year old girl who he “adopts” as his daughter.  So far this is a touching story with plenty of excitement thrown in.  Stay tuned for this review.  I have a feeling it will be a good one.

I would love to hear what all of you are reading and/or what is on your TBR for 2020.  I may need to add some to my ever growing list!  lol

 

The Other People is C.J. Tudor’s 3rd book.  I have read all 3 and am quite the “fan girl”.  C. J. Tudor is a talent that needs to be a household name like Stephen King.  Her work is thorough, original and gripping.

GoodReads Summary:

She sleeps, a pale girl in a white room . . .

Three years ago, Gabe saw his daughter taken. In the back of a rusty old car, covered in bumper stickers. He was driving behind the car. He watched her disappear. But no one believes him. Most people believe that his daughter, and wife, are dead. For a while, people believed that Gabe was responsible.

Three years later and Gabe cannot give up hope. Even though he has given up everything else. His home, his job, his old life. He spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, sleeping in his camper van in service stations, searching for the car that took her. Searching for his daughter.

Katie spends a lot of her life in service stations, working as a waitress. She often sees Gabriel, or ‘the thin man’ as she has nicknamed him. She knows his story. She feels for him, because Katie understands what it’s like to lose a loved one. Nine years ago, her father was murdered. It broke her family apart. She hasn’t seen her oldest sister since the day of the funeral; the day she did something terrible.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people that want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter. She knows who is responsible. And she knows that if they ever find them, they’re dead.

In The Other People you get lots of twists and turns but in the end all twists come together for an amazing Ah Ha moment.  Do you self a favor and read The Other People and then pick up The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place too.  You will thank me later!

I am sooooo behind on my reviews!!  I am still reading tons, just finding time to write reviews has been few and far between.  And because I am still reading 4 books at a time, I seem to be digging a bigger black hole of reviews.  So, thanks to all for your patience.

This book is the sequel to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, which I have not read….. Yet. 🙂  But

I was totally engrossed in this book.  I loved the historical tie in to the Salem Witch Trials and all the “witchiness” this book offers.

 

Katherine Howe does a fantastic job in really letting you feel what each character is feeling.  The story line is intriguing and not a dull spot anywhere in the book.  I look forward to reading more from Howe.

Thanks LibraryThing for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Two Augusts ago I read a first novel of an up and coming author.  Cicada Summer by Maureen Leurck.  It was fantastic and read like she had been writing for years.  The story was well written and flowed magically.  So when Maureen’s second book, Monarch Manor, was published you can bet I jumped at the chance to read it!

 

And Maureen did NOT disappoint.  She weaves a tale of two generations, 70 years apart but so similar in their struggles.  It starts with an old photograph that the main character, Erin, finds in her grandmother’s things.  This photo prompts Erin to want to know more about the people in the photo and her connection with them.  What Erin learns are the similarities of her life and the mysterious life of the people in the photo.

Nothing can come between the bond of a mother and a child.

Please do yourself a favor and pick up Monarch Manor and while you are at your local bookstore you might as well pick up Cicada Summer too!!  You do not have to read them in a certain order but I did love the reference of the character in Cicada Summer in Monarch Manor!

Can’t wait to see what Maureen Leurck writes next!!

 

Fangirl BookHermitt 🙂

I have said it before and I will say it again. The scariest books are the ones that could happen!

The Line Between is about a crazy cult where the leader has rewritten his own “Bible” and believes he is a prophet from God.  But his beliefs are anything but biblical.  The main character, Wynter (love this name by the way), and her sister are brought to this cult by her mother.  Her mother was looking for a safe, peaceful escape for her and her children to separate themselves from an abusive husband and father.

They find out that this cult is ANYTHNG but safe and peaceful!  Wynter’s aunt is desperate to get them out of there but to no avail.

When Wynter finds out about what is going on in the cult, she is excommunicated and takes shelter with her aunt.  Then things really take a turn for the worse when her sister shows up at her aunt’s with medical samples.

This book is fast-paced, extremely interesting and well written.  I can’t wait to read more from Tosca Lee.

Thanks to Creative Edge Publicity for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not going to lie… this book scared me.  Nope, it isn’t about ghost or monsters.  It is about an exoplanet that is headed toward Earth.  Nothing scarier than something that COULD happen!

Goodreads Summary:

Life on earth is tenuous at best. The truth must be told despite the efforts of world governments to keep it quiet. An unknown exoplanet is heading for earth. Only the efforts of Paul Planck and his friend Danny can get the word out to the world in time.
Planning their own shelter from the solar storm coming their way proves to be difficult at best with the government breathing down their throats. Love, family and commitment is all that matters now.

 

My Review:

So as I stated in the beginning, yes this book scared me.  It makes you think what WOULD happen if we had an EMP?  How would live without all the electronic comforts we have grown to love and can’t live without?

This book was hard to put down, especially if you like meteorology and astronomy.  My only issue with this book is the ending.  It ended too abruptly with TONS of questions left unanswered.  Maybe there is going to be a sequel.  Let’s hope!

 

First off, I want to thank Thomas McRae for a complementary copy of Pimp in the Pulpit in exchange for an honest review.  I have been waaaaay behind on my reviews and would like to extend my apologies to Mr. McRae for waiting so long for this review.

Here is Goodreads summary:

Pimp in the Pulpit is a short story filled with unique characters. Each has a different outlook on life and how they treat family and friends. What is acceptable to some is nothing more than the devils work to the others. The large family has met on several occasions for gatherings, parties and reunions, some went OK but most didn’t. Nobody was sure what went wrong to cause such chaos when the family gathered. There was speculation that when Minister Tierra Joy become involved in any family event planning it quickly turned into a hot ghetto mess.

Well it’s time for another gathering. Lillian McBride, affectionately know as Lucifer is turning 95. Lillian has four children, a son, Tony McBride. She also has three daughters Viola McBride, Minister Tierra Joy and Cleopatra Jones. Will this special occasion bring the family closer or drive them further apart? How will they finance the gathering? How much money that is raised will be stolen or used for other means? Will the huge clan from Texas show up? What about the food, will they have enough? Will the relatives go nuts eating like they are on death row and this is their last meal, consuming it all in fifteen minutes or less? How much of the buffet will they steal and take home? Who will drink too much and act up? Has Cleopatra and her family learned from their previous gatherings? Will they even attend the bash?

Cleopatra is married to Marcus Jones Senior. They have two kids Marcus Junior and Edward (Eddie) Jones. Eddie is a hardworking man and is perplexed about his family’s actions towards his family, immediate and distant kin. He has trouble understanding even his Dad’s outlook on the birthday party. He begins questioning family loyalties, their love for one another while at the same time remembering the advice his Mom and Aunt Gladys told him several years ago. Will this gathering, compounded with the events of the other ones finally open Eddie’s eyes?

Now to the good stuff!  This is a quick short story about a family with all kinds of characters.  Just about everything is represented in this family dynamic, including a little old grandma they call Lucifer!  lol…   This book will have you laughing with all the quick wit of the family.

It is definitely worth a read!

One of the most touching books I have read to date!

So my usual genre is Mystery, Thriller, Suspense with a touch of Serial Killer.  This book is NOT that.  I want to thank Joe Siple for reaching out to me to read his book in return for an honest review.  There was something about this book that called me and I am so glad that I read this.

Amazon Summary:

With all his family and friends gone, one-hundred-year-old Murray McBride is looking for a reason to live. He finds it in Jason Cashman, a ten-year-old boy with a terminal heart defect and a list of five things he wants to do before he dies. Together, they race against the limited time each has left, ticking off wishes one by one. Along the way, Murray remembers what it’s like to be young, and Jason fights for the opportunity to grow old. But when tragedy strikes, their worlds are turned upside-down, and an unexpected gift is the only thing that can make Jason’s final wish come true.

My Review:

This book is the definition of 5 stars!  Rarely there comes a book that sticks with you so long that months after you read it you still think about the characters.  This book really has all the feels.  You will laugh.  You will cry.  You will feel emotionally complete.

I really can’t recommend this book more.  Just please, take my word for it.  You WILL want to read this!

Well this was a fast paced one for sure!  I wasn’t sure what to expect with this title.  I was thinking something along the lines of the Suicide Forest in Japan.  But nope.  Even better!

Goodreads Summary:

A hacker. His employer. Two dead scientists. And a past experiment that ties them together. 

Knox Kevel receives the job of a lifetime when a mysterious man gets his charges dropped for cybercrime and hires him for an international job. His infamous parents, who created a cure for the Raven Virus, are dead and gone, but their decision to keep NovaVita from the world has taken a toll on Knox. 

Swayed by quick money, Knox flies to Italy with his eccentric employer, Arlo Jenson. Knox must find the woman who experimented on Arlo and triggered his unpredictable personality shifts. But tension heightens when Knox discovers that Arlo knew his parents. 

As the adventure unfolds, Knox falls for Arlo’s niece and finds himself in an even bigger mess when he comes face-to-face with the person responsible for his misfortune.

My Review: 

I really enjoyed this book.  Lots of twist and turns, a bad boy, a murder mystery, some travel sites and a little romance make for a great story.  I found it to be a fast read and those are usually the ones that you just can’t put down.  Thank you BookSirens.com for the opportunity to read this jewel for free in return for an honest review.

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I just realized that I never posted the review to one of my favorite books of all time!  What was I thinking?!?  Before we get into the summary and the review, I must tell you that I have been a fan of Robert Dugoni since I first read My Sister’s Grave.  But The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is not Dugoni’s usual genre.  But this book proves that Dugoni can write anything and everything well.

Goodreads Summary:

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.

Now for my Review:

I read this book last April and was so touched by it that I still think about it to this day!  This book has all the feels.  You will be happy, sad, mad, surprised, I could go on.  The story is fantastic and the underlying message/lesson even more so.  I seriously believe this should be required reading in high school.  So if you have NOT read this:  a) you are missing out; b) GO BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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