Shari Lapena's What Have You Done? ~ A Book Review

Are you a Murder/Mystery Fan?  If so, this is a book that you should put on your radar!  Shari Lapena's  novel, What Have You Done? is a page turner and will keep you guessing right until the very end.  

Right now it is in pre-publishing and is scheduled for release on July 30th of this year.  

Shari does a masterful job in keeping the suspense growing in this novel.  The story begins in a small town where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever happens either!  The folks in Fairhill, Vermont are about to find out what happens when something happens......

A farmer's field and a tired farmer coming back to the homestead after a hard day in the fields, notices turkey vultures flying in the distance.  This can only mean something is out there and it could be some forest critter or something bigger.

Roy Ressler (the farmer) must go out and investigate, but he's not really looking forward to finding out  what those vultures are gorging on. He's not too fazed by what he's facing, after all he's a volunteer firefighter in the town and has seen some pretty nasty things, but nothing has prepared him for this find.

The small town is home to one high school, one grocery store and a hardware store.  There is not too much going on in Fairhill.  Until now!

This book had me reading into the late hours of the night.  I just had to find out how everyone was connected and who could possibly have caused so much tragedy in such a short time.

The author does an amazing job of making you feel like you would know these people and so you become invested in the story before the second chapter is complete.  I guess it's a good thing I'm not a great sleeper.  

Everything you ever thought about living in a small town is true in Fairhill.  No one worries about locking their doors, drawing the drapes or having a security system in place.  Everyone knows everyone and very little is ever out of place.

The kids hang out at the local graveyard telling ghost stories and spooking each other out.  But it is more comedy than anything else.

All of that is about to change.....Evan, Taylor, Riley and Diana (friends since grade school days) are about to have their world torn apart!

I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I will just let you know that there is some "colorful" language and a little bit of teenage dating angst in this story.  But nothing that is too "in your face".  

I'm sure that you will become totally involved in this story as I was. 

 As a member of NetGalley.com, I was privileged to read this book as "An Advanced Readers Copy".   I would give this novel 5 STARS *****!

 If you would like to join me and read lots of different types of books just click on the link above, but if you want to read a great book than click the link to Amazon to order your own copy!

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Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent ~ A Book Review

 Strange Sally Diamond is set to be the talk of the book world when it is published on July 18, 2023!

I love to read and I'm generally drawn to Historical Fiction and Cozy Mysteries.  But once in a while I like to stretch my boundaries and search for something completely new!  

Strange Sally Diamond caught my eye as a book that might interest me mainly because of the title.  We just found out that one of our grandchildren is on the Autism Spectrum, she can be a little strange sometimes and I thought I might learn something when reading this book.  Well, I did learn something for sure, but nothing that I had expected!  This book was a real eye-opener for me.

Well, it has nothing at all to do with Autism per se, but rather what happens when someone is so damaged early in life (by circumstances imposed on them) and how the human spirit helps (or hinders) the very fragile psyche of the individual in the outer world.

Strange Sally Diamond is that girl.  She has a horrific childhood that she cannot remember.  At the tender age of 7 she is adopted by the very people who "found" her.  So damaged was her mind, that no one was considered capable of caring for this youngster.  So the psychologist and the medical doctor (The Diamonds) who were working with her, were granted guardianship of this young girl and adopted her.

Sally is a reclusive person, by nature of where she has come from and what she has been through, and encouraged to be so by her "new family".  Much media attention followed her for many years after she was first rescued.  In order to help her the Diamonds decide to live in the country away from media attention while Sally grows up.

She has a loving relationship (in her mind) with her new mom and dad as they don't make too many demands on her personally.   She is home schooled and doesn't have too many friends.  Sally's problems begin when she tries to incinerate her father after his death in their home. He left instructions for her and she followed them to the letter!   Media frenzy ensues as Sally is arrested for this "crime" and she's no longer protected by the confines of the family home.  She only has a couple of really good family friends who have been with her from the time of her arrival on the family 's farm.  

Stepping out into the world for the first time Sally must learn to navigate a world she does not know or understand and really has not been a part of for most of her life.  Her new mom and dad had sheltered her completely.  After mom's death, dad kept her even more isolated from the "outside world".  But then he died too.......

The twists and turns in this book are enough to keep you turning the pages.  What is "normal"  and how do you help someone who is NOT part of that very narrow definition?

Sally has some help, but she also has a lot to learn both about the present, the past and the future.

You can pre-oder this book through Amazon and it will be published July 18 of this year.  It is a page turner and if you enjoy mind bending books, this one will keep you totally captivated.

I'm going back to re-read it once again, it is that good.  Mark your calendar or pre-order the choice is yours, but you will not regret reading this book!

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The Push by Ashley Audrain - A Book Review

 

During these days when we are called to remain indoors unless necessary, I find that I spend a lot of time reading.

I love to read historical novels and spy thrillers, murder mysteries and some autobiographies if the person is someone I admire.  In 2020, I made myself a promise that I would expand my reading genres.

So far I think I have accomplished that task and will continue to expand into other genres just for my own interests.

The Push by Ashley Audrain was a book that I really wasn't sure I would like. It was made available to me through #Netgalley, as a  pre-published book.  The only requirement to being able to access this book, was that I provide a review when I was finished reading it.  

Personally, I'm a very sensitive person, and I don't like things that upset my sense of balance.  Psychological Thrillers are among the types of books that tend to really upset my life, but I was willing to give this one a try. Suffice it to say that it turned me upside down and inside out, yet I could not put the book down.

My husband would chuckle when I would be getting ready to sleep for the night and be repeating the mantra "It's only a Story!" , over and over again.

This book is a must read for those who like this genre of deeply disturbing mentally challenging type of books. It is haunting but at the same time very understandable and possible.  This book has been read and acclaimed by many authors and found it's way to the New York Times Best New Books List.  It already has over 1500 reviews and is highly recommended  by many different authors.

Author Claudia Dey puts her thoughts on this book as follows:  

“A meteoric debut. Ashley Audrain’s The Push is a force of nature, an unforgettable arrival that will linger in your heart—shimmer, darken and then haunt you. Every sentence is just so achingly alive. Audrain descends with near pointillistic precision into the gore of motherhood and love. Perhaps if Stephen King had experienced motherhood—the singular exaltation and morbid terror of that state—he might have been able to dream up this book. Wise, monstrous, and tender, The Push operates at a different frequency. It seemed to pulse in my hands. I could not put it down. I could not look away.”
—Claudia Dey, author of Heartbreaker and Stunt

That is the draw of this book, even if you don't like mentally jarring books, you cannot put this one down.  

This book has just been published and it is #6 on Amazon Best Sellers this week.  It is a book that book clubs and mothers will be talking about for a long time.

All of the thoughts on motherhood, marriage, child raising and everything we think we know is in question.  Haunting is a great adjective for this book.  

I haven't really told you any of the story and I don't think I will.  It is one of those books that you just have to get a copy of and read it for yourself.  Trust me, you won't be able to put it down. 

Should you decide to get this book, I'd love to know how you reacted and what you thought. 

**I am a member of NetGalley and as such have access to many books that have not yet been published.  These books are given to members electronically, and the only requirement from members is an honest review!  

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Review of The Last of the Moon Girls

I downloaded the book The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara  Davis when it was on the July list for Amazon Prime's First Reads.  I probably picked it because I wasn't sure what else to pick, but I was pleasantly surprise when it turned out to be one of the best books I've read in a long time.  In fact when I got to about 50% in the book, I ended up staying up half the night until I finished the book.  I found it to be a delightful read full of interesting characters, an unsolved murder, and some thoughtful messages on forgiveness and finding ones self.

Brief Synopsis of Plot

Lizzy Moon had left the family farm in New Hampshire 8 years before to follow her dream.  She now had a promising career in New York city and no intention of ever returning to the "family" business. The family farm was a "herbal farm" and generations of Moon woman had used their various skills as "healers" to run the farm. Lizzy was to be the last of the Moon girls.

All of this was before Lizzy got a call letting her know her beloved grandmother, Althea, had passed away leaving her the farm.  Still, Lizzy had every intention of returning to pack up the farm and put it for sale.

When Lizzy returns she is met with a farm that is very deteriorated and fields of lavender that are full of weeds.  She is also confronted with the unsolved murders of two girls from 8 years before and insinuations from the towns people that followed her grandmother to her grave.

The book has a wonderful series of twists and turns that causes Lizzy to take another look at her life and what she thinks she wants.

This is an excellent read and I would highly recommend it.  I also think this would be an excellent book for a book club discussion.  There are lots of interesting topics within the book that should lead to a lively discussion.

  

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Inferno Book Review

A page turner. A real thriller. I absolutely could not put it down. Obviously, I was not alone in my appreciation for this book as it was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for eleven weeks.

Dan Brown's Inferno is the fourth book in the Da Vinci Code series following The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and Angels and Demons.  In the latest volume, character Robert Langdon awakens in hospital suffering from amnesia. He remembers nothing of the previous days but memory or not, the book erupts into chaos fairly quickly. Langdon is in possession of a special code and discovers hidden parts of Florence and ancient secrets as well as a scientific situation that may improve or devastate life on earth.

Inferno is set mostly in Florence with some time spent in Venice and Istanbul. The jacket says that it "is a sumptuously entertaining read - a novel that will captivate readers with the beauty of classical Italian art, history and literature while also posing provocative questions about the role of cutting edge science in our future." I agree.

If you are up for an exciting adventure, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. If you are going to Florence, Italy, there is simply no choice. You HAVE to read this book. Inferno was but one of the Italy-themed books we read before we had the opportunity to travel to Italy in October and I am glad that we did read it. If you cannot travel to Italy in person, you can do some armchair travelling with the book, which brilliantly explores Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, the Boboli Gardens and the Duomo.

Personally, I would love to own the special edition book shown above, which is illustrated and includes more than 200 color images. It is the version that I would choose if I were gifting this book to a mystery reader, a Da Vinci Code fan or to someone travelling to Italy.  Here's a video peek at what to expect in the special edition version of the book:

Just watching the video makes me want to read the book again and, of course, go back to Italy! If you are interested, you can find all of the versions of Inferno on Amazon here.

On a final note, the movie version of Inferno was fine.  It was interesting to visit Italy again through the eyes of the movie camera but be warned that it paled in comparison to the book. I also found myself wondering how much one would enjoy the movie if they did not have the knowledge of the story that reading the book gave. This is definitely a situation where the book far surpassed the movie.

Please stay tuned for more Italy-themed book reviews.

Happy Reading!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

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