🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of January 21st

A really good week for me:

The Villain Edit by Alisha Aitken-Radburn
Non-fiction, Alisha was on the Australian version of The Bachelor & Bachelor in Paradise (twice). The first time she was with 2 other mean girls and hence they all got “the villain edit” of the title. She talks about her decision to go on the show and how it affected her real life and a bit of behind the scenes gossip.
She has quite a lot of personal insight, and it was a light/fun read.
4 stars

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Set in North Carolina, USA. Ruby McTavish died a wealthy woman and left her entire fortune to her adopted son, Camden, in a series of letters she wrote before she died we learn about her life, including when she was abducted as a toddler, and also her many marriages.
In the current day, Camden wants nothing to do with his inheritance…the big house he owns where his relatives still live, or the money he was left, until his uncle dies and his wife convinces him to return.
This is one of those books full of despicable characters who do awful things…and you can’t wait to keep reading about them!
4.5 stars but rounded down to 4 for GR.

I'll Leave You With This by Kylie Ladd
Set in current day Australia. About a family of 4 sisters, whose brother died in a random shooting 3 years earlier, and they donated his organs. Since his death the sisters have drifted apart and lead their own lives, but now 3 years later, one of them tells the others that she is going to track down some of the organ recipients and it sets off events that bring them back together as a family.
A character-driven novel that takes you on an emotional journey, plus a very cute Dachshund called John Thomas who has separation anxiety.
4 stars

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Another Australian novel, dual time line, set in current day & 25 years earlier and told from multiple points of view.
In the past timeline, Miss Fairchild has never married, and becomes a foster carer to 3 young girls who become as closely bonded as sisters, and it all looks lovely from the outside, but Miss Fairchild is abusive & manipulative and plays psychological games that scar the girls for life before they manage to get away from her.
25 years later the girls are still close, but are all dealing with issues from their past, then one day they get a phone call from the police, saying that the bones of a child have been found at Miss Fairchild’s old house, and they gradually get more involved in the police investigation to find out who they belong to.
I couldn’t put this down, gripping and unique.
5 stars

I read This Spells Love by Kate Robb.
A cute rom com, a light easy read. 3 stars.
When Gemma gets dumped by her long-time boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty eight year old would: by getting drunk with her sister and her kooky aunt, and her best friend Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love cleansing spell that promises to erase Gemma's ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.
Waking up the next morning, Gemma realizes that the silly spell has worked far too well. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.
To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once best friend now total stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for Dax-hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along.

This past week I read:

Only if you're Lucky by Stacy Willingham. 4/5. 3.5 rounded up. This was entertaining but the last few chapters dragged on.

Finlay Donavan is Killing It (Book 1) by Elle Cosimano 4/5 and

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson 3/5.   I enjoy Peter Swanson novels but this wasn't my favourite.

I'm really happy to have stumbled across the Finlay Donovan series. It's a murder-mystery series with elements of humour. Or shall I say a comedy of errors. I've already borrowed Book 2 from the library.

Presently reading The Fury by Alex Michaelides and I'm struggling to get through it. I'm listening to the audio version and fell asleep listening last night. The pace is really slow but I'm hoping for some kind of twist. Otherwise, it's a yawner.

same for me!

Two for me last week that at least kept me reading…….



DON’T OPEN THE DOOR (‘24 - 3 STARS) BY COLE BAXTER
DESCRIPTION : Successful, happily married former military contractor Samson Chase is spending his time alone while his wife Teresa is on a business trip enjoying beer, takeout, and terrible movies while he works on his latest psychological horror novel.
But things take an unexpected turn when a knock on the door brings two beautiful young women to his doorstep, claiming to be stranded after a double date gone wrong. He lets them in to use his phone...not realizing that he’s just made a terrible mistake. Samson wakes up with no memory of the night before and into a nightmare. Not only have the women destroyed his house and stolen from him, but they blackmail him with a video of an inappropriate encounter he can’t even remember. Months later, abandoned by his furious wife, on the hook for the house repairs, and in trouble with his publisher, he is back on his feet and ready to seek his revenge. The two girls have made two mistakes: targeting a man of his talents, and stealing a phone with a tracker in it. It’s time for some payback...and nobody is more creative at revenge than a man who scares people for a living, and has absolutely nothing left to lose.

REVIEW :
First book by this author for me. My bestie Joanne found this book and it reminded me of the 2015 Keanu Reeves movie called Knock Knock.

The first half of the book was way too unbelievable, even for a fiction thriller. A former military killer can’t escape 2, seemingly average, unarmed, untrained women. I almost gave up. I’m hoping the second half of this book will redeem itself. The second half was better; mental health/PTSD treatment, a committed lawyer and final payback. Could have received a higher rating if the first half of this 400 page book was cut by 100 pages. I would try another read by this author.



THE FURY (‘24 - 3 STARS) BY ALEX MICHAELIDES
DESCRIPTION : This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it? Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder. We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered. But who am I? My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

REVIEW :
First two books by this author were The Maidens (‘21 - 3 Stars) and The Silent Patient ('19 - 5 Stars).

I love how this author’s writing pulls you in, even if there’s not much going on and wraps you up so you can’t stop reading. During this authors interview on Good Morning America, he said he wrote this book totally different; he had no plan. He wanted to flip the murder mystery with stranded guests on an island plot on its head with lots of twists. At 50%, it’s only the flow of the author’s words that is keeping me reading; plot - not so much. The last 50% was very predictable for me; a couple of turns but nothing shocking. If you like murder mysteries, you might like this one more than me. I went with 3 stars for the author’s writing ALONE! If he didn’t have such a way with words, this book might have gotten 2 stars. If only he could find another plot as good as The Silent Patient - I’ll keep hoping !



Happy Reading everyone !

THANKS for posting !

I check Goodreads every week for new releases in the future.  My TBR list is endless !

I loved this book too !  Don’t miss her second book, All the Dangerous Things (‘23) which is just as good. 

Currently I’m reading her third book, which just came out this month, Only If You’re Lucky.  I’ll review next week.  sawwhet reviewed above.  

Same.
I gave it a couple of hours listening to it and then deleted it from my phone. So disappointed.
I'm having horrible luck with books this year.

I’ve bogged in my current read, so it is a light week.



Crown and Crucible by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. I am an Orthodox Russian History and Literature Major. This is a Christian publishing novel set in Russia. There were a lot of eyerolls for me of things that the authors get wrong or that I’d approach differently - things are definitely written from the spin of the author (as is their wont.) I do appreciate it, however, as often Christian fiction books have terrible print and paper qualities, and this one wins on those scores. A pleasant read as I was mildly curious to the plot. At some point, I will more than likely pick up the next one. 2.5/5 stars.



Brave, Faithful, and True by Katherine Bolger Hyde. A children’s book about young people in the bible and their story told from their perspective, with a coda telling how their story is used in hymnography and scripture, I bought a copy for my Godchildren for Christmas. I also bought myself a copy and have been reading a few pages in the morning. Well done – I appreciated the Liturgical insights. 4/5 stars.

As someone who has been stuck on a ScotRail train several times because of heavy snow, this made me laugh. 😂

i might private message you tomorrow to see if you felt the same way.  I don't want to give any spoilers away.

I just finished Zero Days by Ruth Ware. I know a lot of people didn't like this book but I did. Was a lot implausible, of course. But I found some parts heart-poundingly terrifying. 4/5 stars

Now to decide what's next.

I read 3 books last week

We Must Not Think of Ourselves , Lauren Goudstein. This was a gut wrenching view of WW2, from the perspective of Jews in Poland. It was a good read, but certainly not cheerful.


The Exchange: After the Firm, by John Grisham. John Grisham has always been one of my favorite writers, this was a turkey! It dry as dust. It was one meeting after the next. We all know how productive meetings are. By the end I was more less just skimming to get to the end. 0 stars.

The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon. I had seen book posted by someone on this site. I loved this book and would easily give it 5 stars.
It’s about a family in a small community in 1700’s. It involves murder, a close family, a midwife and laws that that are fluid to say the least. I’m very glad I wasn’t alive in the 1700’s. I’m not tough enough.

I just started Fury, but it it isn’t getting much love on here.

I’m on the wait list for this book. I heard the author interviewed on NPR and it sounded like a great plot. 

We all have different tastes, and if one Pea didn’t like it, I’d still give it a go. However, when i see multiple bad reviews on this thread it makes me think I shouldn’t waste my time.