The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Essie's life is good. She is married, has children, lives in the perfect neighborhood, and she has a loving mother that likes to be with her grandchildren. What can go wrong?

A woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie. This recent neighbor draws curious attention by others living in the neighborhood. What is Isabelle doing living in their neighborhood? She is single and renting, while all the others are married homeowners. Essie befriends Isabelle, and her friends begin warning her to be careful.

The reason Isabelle came to the neighborhood is no accident. But, why is she there, and will Essie's world remain perfect?

I rated this book as 4/5 stars. It was a great read and kept my interest.

“Things were far better watched from a distance....When you watched too closely, you saw things you didn't want to see.” - The Family Next Door

#TheFamilyNextDoor

#SallyHepworth

#Booked_This_Weekend

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

Louise Rick is the new commander of the Missing Persons Department in a small town in Denmark. She is charged with investigating the murder of a young woman whose body was found in a remote region of the forest. The victim has a large scar covering over half her face. This scar should make it easy to identify her; however, her photo doesn't match any of the women reported missing

After Rick releases the victim's photo to the media, someone comes forward with a name. The missing woman, Lisemette, was a resident of an abandoned institution. The records of the facility indicate that she died 30 years ago.

Rick's investigation uncovers unprincipled practices at the institution.   As more criminal activity is discovered, her investigation leads her closer to your childhood home.

While the book is the seventh in a series, it can be read as a stand alone novel. I rated this book at 5/5 stars for being outstanding. This thriller kept my interests throughout and I never figure out the whodunit.

"She didn't know how she had gotten lost. The door had been ajar, and they hadn't noticed her standing in the doorway. She had been overcome with joy when she felt the sun warming her and beckoning her, but that was hours ago and now everything had turned cold and unsettling." - The Forgotten Girls

#TheForgottenGirls

#SaraBlaedel

#Booked_This_Weekend

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

As the book begins, Theo Decker is 13 years old and lives in New York City with his mother, Audrey Decker. They have been abandoned by his alcoholic father, Larry Decker. Theo loves his life with his mom, who enjoys being with her son. They spend a great deal of time together doing many things throughout the city.

One day, Theo and his mother run into an art museum to escape a thunderstorm. A bomb explodes and damages many parts of the museum. Theo survives, but his mother is one of the many casualties. 

Before the explosion, Theo's attention is directed toward a red-haired girl named Pippa, who is at the museum with her guardian Welton "Welty" Blackwell. 

After the explosion, Theo awakens from unconsciousness, and befriends Welty to try to comfort him in his distress. Welty gives Theo a family heirloom ring with instructions for him to visit his business partner at Blackwell & Hobart. 

Theo eventually makes his way out of the museum crawling through debris in the darkness. Theo does not make it out of the museum alone; he leaves with the world famous painting, The Goldfinch. The choice to take the painting leads Theo down a road that he never saw coming. 

I rated the book 4/5 stars for being an excellent piece of modern day literature. It is a bit long and wordy at times, but is a great read.

“Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only—if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty?”  - The Goldfinch

#TheGoldfinch

#DonnaTartt

#Booked_This_Weekend

 

A Chance Inheritance by Carolyn Brown

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Lainie, Jodi, and Becky are cousins that return to Catfish, Texas after the death of their grandmother, Lizzie Cornell.  The cousins have inherited their grandmother's estate, which includes her home and a bait shop. The novella explores the pain of loss and the coming together, as a family, to celebrate a life well-lived. 

Grandmother Lizzie's death sets Lainei, Jodi, and Becky's lives on a different coarse. Will they embrace the changes to come, or will they return to their previous lives? 

I rated this novella as 4/5 stars. The story was excellent and was an appropriate emotional piece that I could relate to due to the recent passing of my father.

#AChanceInheritance

#CarolynBrown

#Booked_This_Weekend

 

Hiding Baby Moses by Judith L. Roth

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

Hiding Baby Moses is a beautiful book retelling the Biblical account of Moses' mother constructing a basket and floating him on the Nile River in order to save him from Pharaoh's decree. 

The story is true to the Biblical account and is beautifully illustrated. Children and adults will love this book!

A song is introduced in the text as a song Moses' mother may have sung to him as she worked to protect him. The song with music is included in the back of the book.

The Shelter of God's Wings

God will hide us in the shelter of a rock.

God will shield with holy feathers, hide us 'neath strong wings.

A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat,

God will hide us in the shelter of strong wings. - Hiding Baby Moses

#HidingBabyMoses

#JudithLRoth

#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

Mindful Mr. Sloth by Katy Hudson

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

This is a cute book about character development. Mr. Sloth teaches that life is too precious to rush through it. Life is about the journey more than the destination.

Students will love the text and the illustrations. 

#MindfulMrSloth
#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir by Leslie Gilbert-Lurie

 ⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

A memoir of three generations of Jewish women - mother, daughter, and granddaughter - dealing with the affects the Holocaust had on individuals from the survivor to a generation twice removed.

In 1942, Rita Lurie, grandmother, was just five years old, when German tanks appeared on her family's lawn in Poland requiring them to appear at the train station the following day. During the night, the family went into hiding. They were eventually taken in by a family that allowed them to live in their attic for two years. During this time, Rita's mother and brother die. Unfortunately, these deaths had a negative impact on her ability to form relationships for the rest of her life. 

Rita and some of her family eventually arrive in America, and the memoir chronicles her life and that of her daughter's and granddaughter's. These stories also introduce a number of family members - some interesting, others not so much.

The story of Rita and her family's surviving the Holocaust is very good. The second half of the book shares the struggle Rita's daughter, Leslie Gilbert-Lurie, and granddaughter, Mikaela Lurie, have due to the influences that survivors "pass on to their descendants."

One of the things that made this book not appeal to me was the overuse of figurative expressions, such as "It was like a schoolteacher clumsily motivating a tired student." The use of these phrases became comical and wordy.

I rated the book 3/5 stars because the story of Rita surviving the Holocaust was excellent. The book was a struggle to finish due to the second half of the book which seemed to drag on forever.

“It was Mom whom I could not live without. Fathers, I was convinced, could not replicate the emotional security and nurturing that mothers provided.” - Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir

#BendingTowardTheSun

#LeslieGilbertLurie

#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

I will refrain from sharing too much, so as not to spoil anything for the reader.

This psychological thriller is primarily narrated by three different characters: Heather Price, Skye Starling, and Burke Michaels. The story is spread out over two decades with the narrative switching back-and-forth from the past to present day life.

Heather Price and Burke Michaels are from a small town named Langs Valley. They both grew up in dysfunctional homes with little to no parental support. They eventually escape the clutches of their hometown and end up in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Heather and Burke get married and have three children. They begin having marital problems and end up in marriage counseling. The counselor recommends that they each begin writing in a journal. These journals become a major part of the developing plot.

Skye Starling is an affluent book editor living in New York City. She has three lifelong girlfriends, which are her primary social outlet. Skye has trouble developing meaningful longterm relationships due to her OCD, even though she desires to have a boyfriend. She hasn't been in a serious relationship, since she broke up with boyfriend, Max LaPointe, two years ago. 

I rated this thriller as 5/5 stars because it captivated my attention and kept me guessing the outcome until the end.  The plot moved along at a steady pace and the characters where interesting and believable.

"And I realized that life is tough, and there's so much we can't control, so when you can, you've got to choose love. Even when it's the hardest choice, even when it feels absolutely impossible, you've go to choose it. You've got to keep choosing love and fighting for it, over and over, no matter what. There's no other way, really." - Too Good to be True

#CarolaLovering

#ToGoodToBeTrue

#Booked_This_Weekend 

Happy Spring!

 

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

Rose and Fran are 28 year old fraternal twins that live in England. They are as different as can be, but one thing they have in common is their willingness to protect each other.

Fran is a librarian and suffers from Sensory Processing Disorder. She doesn't form friendships easily, is quite childlike, and doesn't understand social cues. Even so, the ladies at the library where she works have befriended her as much was she will allow it.

Rose is an interior designer of office spaces and is married to Owen. She and Owen are having marital problems. Rose wants to have a baby, but she suffers from a condition that causes her eggs to age at a rapid rate. This condition makes it difficult for her to conceive. Fran comes up with a plan to help Rose become a mother. Will Rose and Owen go along with this plan?

Fran meets a man named Rocco in the library and mistakes him as homeless. He is dressed in attire that reminds her of Wally from the book, Where's Wally? Because of this association to the book character, Fran calls Rocco Wally throughout the book. They become a couple, and Fran gets pregnant. Rose is not happy with Fran and Wally's relationship, and she does all that she can to separate them.

Throughout the novel, the chapters switch between current day and Rose's diary entries, which reveal a troubled past living with their mother. The plot thickens and things aren't always what they seem!

I  rated The Good Sister as 5/5 stars for outstanding. This psychological thriller is quite engaging and the characters are interesting and believable. This was the first book I read written by Sally Hepworth. I was so engaged in this book, I will read more from her.

"There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life." - The Good Sister

#TheGoodSister

#SallyHepworth

#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

 

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

The Last Story of Mina Lee is the debut novel of Nancy Jooyoun Kim. The story is good and the characters are interesting; however the plot is predictable and slow.

Mina Lee is of Korean ancestry, and she lives in Los Angele's Korea-town  She has an only child, a daughter, named Margot. Margot lives in Seattle and doesn't see our mother very often. Margot is embarrassed by her mother. She wishes she would act more American.

Margot has planned a trip to L.A. to visit with her mother. She gets a ride with her pal, Miguel. When they arrive at Mina Lee's apartment, they find her dead on the floor with a head injury. Is it an accident, or is it murder? 

Margot investigates her mother's death and the clues lead her to discover her mother in ways she never knew her.

I wish this novel would have been more. It had so much potential to be an excellent novel. I rated it as  3/5 stars (good).  

“She wondered how many women had been trapped - in terrible marriages, terrible jobs, unbearable circumstances - simply because the world hadn't been designed to allow them to thrive on their own. Their decisions would always be scrutinized by the lives at which they were able to sacrifice themselves, their bodies, their pleasures and desires. A woman who imagined her own way out would always be ostracized for her own strength.” - The Last Story of Mina Lee

#TheLastStoryOfMinaLee

#NancyJooyounKim

#Booked_This_Weekend  

Educated by Tara Westover

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Tara Westover grew up in the mountains of Idaho. In her memoir, Educated, she chronicles her life growing up in a survivalist, Mormon family. The family does not believe in formal education, modern medicine, or being part of society.

Tara grows up without formal education. She is 17 years old before she ever steps into a classroom. She is encouraged to pursue her education by her brother,  who left home to attend university several years earlier.

The family dynamic is unbelievably frightening, while the parental control is suffocating. The book is riveting and the story kept me invested in the characters until the end.

“Not knowing for certain, but refusing to give way to those who claim certainty, was a privilege I had never allowed myself. My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.”  - Tara Westover, Educated

#TaraWestover

#Educated

#Booked_This_Weekend 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2021

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Joya Goffney's debut novel, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, chronicles the loss of Quinn's red-spiral journal and her subsequent blackmailing by an unknown Instagram account.

Quinn, an African-American high school senior, attends a predominantly white private school in Austin, Texas. She has very few black friends and has gotten used to dismissing racial remarks as meaningless and unimportant. Quinn is often told that she is "not black enough" and called other racial names, but she never stands up to these racists.

Carter is a new African-American student at Quinn's school. He challenges Quinn's thoughts about racism, stereotypes, and friendships. Carter likes Quinn, but will Quinn ever like him?

Quinn, Carter, Auden, and Olivia become friends as they seek out the missing journal. Will Quinn have to meet the demands of the blackmailer, or will they find the blackmailer before the journal goes public? 

I rated this book 4/5 stars because I thought it was an excellent YA novel. I was very invested in the characters and cared about what happened to them. The storyline kept my interest until the end. This book teaches about love and acceptance, race relations, bullying, forgiveness, and more.

#ExcuseMeWhileIUglyCry

#JoyaGoffney

#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (OUTSTANDING)

Paul and Laurel Mack live in London, England with their three children Hanna, Jake, and Ellie. Ellie is the youngest and the favorite child of her mother.

The school year is coming to a close, and Ellie is focused on her studies. She desires to improve her math scores. Laurel hires Noelle Donelly as a math tutor to assist Ellie with her studies. As time moves along, Ellie convinces her mother that the tutor is no longer needed, and Noelle is let go. With her math test on the horizon, Ellie is working hard to prepare. She decides to walk to the library to study. She leaves her house and is never seen again.

Ten years later, Laurel is struggling to pull her life together. She is divorced and doesn't have a good relationship with her children. She still doesn't believe that Ellie ran-a-way from home all those years ago.

Then, the police discover human remains in the woods, along with Ellie's backpack. They are unable to determine the cause of death, and have no new evidence as to how she disappeared.  

After the funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with a man she met in a cafe' named Floyd. Floyd helps Laurel live again. But Floyd has secrets of his own? 

The twisting and turning of this thriller will have you guessing until the end. 

"Looking at it backward it was obvious all along. But back then, when she knew nothing about anything, she had not seen it coming. She had walked straight into it with her eyes wide open." - Then She Was Gone

#LisaJewell

#ThenSheWasGone

#Booked_This_Weekend

Happy Pi Day!

 Happy Pi Day! This Daylight Savings Time enjoy extra coffee, since we have one less hour to read. 

Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

First published in England on August 17, 1945. Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale (original title) is a novella that symbolizes Russia and the Soviet Union under Communism; however, this story can also be applied today to any society that rules with an authoritative government.

Old Major, calls a meeting in the big barn of all the animals at Manor Farm. He shares his dream of revolution against Man. He describes a time of peace and harmony among animals. A time where all animals live as equals. He shares a song"Beasts of England," which becomes the animals' rally cry. 

The animals are ecstatic about the potential utopian society, and all the animals agree to work together in harmony.  However, Old Major dies three days later. His philosophical beliefs called Animalism are carried on by three younger pigs named Snowball, Napoleon, and Squeaker. 

One night the animals plan and execute their revolt against Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm. The animals win and leaders emerge because of their bravery. One such leader is the cart horse named Boxer. Boxer's mantra becomes "I will work harder." This mindset, he believes, is essential to achieve their new utopia.

As the story unfolds, animals begin to see that not everyone is treated equally. The pigs seem to have the better conditions, while the sheep are too dumb to notice. The seven commandments that the animals agreed to in the beginning slowly erode, so that the "new" rules (a form of the old but adapted to meet the current needs of their leader) always favor the pigs.

Will the animals' lives get better under animal rule than under man's rule? What will become of their leaders? Will the sheep continue to blindly follow, or will their eyes be opened? 

"A little way down the pasture there was a knoll that commanded a view of most of the farm. The animals rushed to the top of it and gazed round them in the clear morning light. Yes, it was theirs—everything that they could see was theirs! . . . It was as though they had never seen these things before, and even now they could hardly believe that it was all their own." - Animal Farm: A Fairy Story 

#AnimalFarm

#GeorgeOrwell

#Booked_This_Weekend

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

 Each year Sugarberry Cove, a small town in Alabama, holds a Festival of Lights on the lake in honor of The Lady of the Lake, Lady Laurel. She is believed to give the lake magical powers due to an accident, along with a miracle, that happened in the distant past.

Sadie Way Scott was born and raised in Sugarberry Cove. She loves her small town, but she moved away and has avoided coming home. Due to recent circumstances, involving her mother’s health, Sadie is drawn back home. She is anxious to return because of what happened eight years ago. During the Festival of Lights, she had fallen into the water and hadn’t resurfaced for nearly ten minutes. She had drowned. Then, the magic happened…

With Sadie’s arrival home, the family is faced with the problems they have been avoiding for years. Bitterness between her mother, her sister, her former boyfriend all come to the surface. Will they work out their problems, or will Sadie continue to run from them?

I rated this book 4/5 stars for being an excellent read. The book is laced with southern charm, and the characters are believable and engaging. The plot moved at a steady pace to keep my interest.  

This is the third standalone novel from the author, Heather Webber. She is also known for Midnight at the Blackbird Café.

“The light from all those wishes, those wishes so pure of heart that they sparkled like life itself, was used to bring you back to them.” - The Lights of Sugarberry Cove

#TheLightsofSugarberryCove

#HeatherWebber

#NetGalley

#Booked_This_Weekend

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

What would life be like if one day you lost a decade of your memory? Would you remember your children? Would you remember your marriage? One thing is certain, your life would be changed.

The book, What Alice Forgot, opens with Alice attending her Friday afternoon spin class, when she passes out and hits her head on the cycle next to her. After being unconscious for several minutes, she wakes up with 10 years missing from her memory. Due to her head injury, Alice doesn't remember anything that has taken place in the last 10 years.

Alice doesn't remember she is a mother of three children. She doesn't remember she is divorcing her husband, Nick. She doesn't remember the issues she has with her sister, Elizabeth. She just doesn't remember...

Not long after Alice's accident, Elizabeth arrives at the hospital and helps her regain some of her memories. But other memories Elizabeth is not able to help her with because the "old" Alice stopped sharing her life with Elizabeth years ago.

Will Alice remember? Will Alice's relationships improve? Will Alice's life change?  Will Alice start over?

I rated What Alice Forgot as 5/5 Stars for outstanding. 

"Early love is exciting and exhilarating. It’s light and bubbly. Anyone can love like that. But love after three children, after a separation and a near-divorce, after you’ve hurt each other and forgiven each other, bored each other and surprised each other, after you’ve seen the worst and the best—well, that sort of a love is ineffable. It deserves its own word." - What Alice Forgot 

#WhatAliceForgot

#LianeMoriarty

#Booked_This_Weekend

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

Matthew McConaughey is not only an award winning actor; he is a fabulous storyteller. In his thought provoking memoir Greenlights, McConaughey shares his life stories, gives insights he's learned along the way, and leaves the reader with the desire to know more about him.  

I thoroughly enjoyed reading McConaughey's first book Greenlights.  It was an outstanding memoir and I rated it as 5/5 stars.

"Life is our résumé. It is our story to tell, and the choices we make write the chapters. Can we live in a way where we look forward to looking back?" - Greenlights, Part 8

#MatthewMcCaughey

#Greenlights

#Booked_This_Weekend 

Books I Read in February 2021

 

February 2021 was a good month for reading for me. We had snow days, so I could enjoy my time off as an elementary educator. Check back to see reviews on these titles.

#Booked_This_Weekend

Books I Read in January 2021

 

These are the books that I read in the month of January 2021. The blog is a work in progress, so check back for reviews on these titles.

#Booked_This_Weekend

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

High in the Swiss Alps, nearly hidden by the dense forest, is an abandoned sanatorium. Once used for the treatment of patients with tuberculosis, it has now been remodeled as an exclusive high-end hotel and spa.

Elin Warner arrives at the hotel to celebrate her brother Isaac's engagement to Laure. From the moment she arrives at Le Sommet, the place just doesn't feel right. When Laure goes missing, Elin (who is a detective from the UK with her own troubles) begins investigating. When another woman is found dead things begin to get interesting. 

This thriller had my attention from chapter one! The twists had me guessing "Who did it?" until the very end. I rated The Sanatorium as four stars. While it was an excellent thriller, it was not in the category of outstanding.

"By the time he straightens it’s too late: the gloved hand clamps over his mouth. Daniel can smell the stale mustiness of the glove but also the mask – the curious burnt-plastic odour of rubber, laced with something else. Something familiar." - The Sanatorium

#SarahPearse

#TheSanatorium

#Booked_This_Weekend

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

     

At school yesterday, we celebrated the life of Dr. Seuss. He made such an impact on the lives of so many children with his writing. Whether you like the simple rhyming books such as Hop on Pop or the classic stories like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, we can agree that Dr. Seuss left his mark on so many of us.

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” 

― Dr. Seuss

#DrSeuss

#ReadAcrossAmerica

#Booked_This_Weekend 

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Outstanding)

Backman stays true to form with his quirky style of writing with his new book Anxious People. Set in a small Swedish town the night before New Year's Eve, it begins with an attempted bank robbery gone bad, which leads to a hostage situation in a nearby apartment complex. As the reader is drawn into the ever-shifting plot, a beautiful message unfolds at the end. 

This book was outstanding! It drew me in and kept me engaged throughout. I promise you, it is worth reading to the end!

"They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows." - Anxious People, Chapter 71

#FredrikBackman

#AnxiousPeople

#Booked_This_Weekend