Category: Book Reviews

Dancing in the Dark by Mary Jane Clark


KEY news correspondent Diane Mayfield planned to take her kids and sister on vacation but the day before she was supposed to leave her boss called her into his office and told her he wanted her to cover the story of a girl who was supposedly kidnapped and missing for 3 days. He wants her to do a “Girls who cry wolf “segment  because people don’t believe the girl was kidnapped at all. Her boss knowing that she is reluctant to leave her family offers to let her bring them and pay for all of their hotel rooms as well.

Ocean Grove New Jersey is a beach town. He figures they should be able to find things to do. She agrees to go knowing that she is getting older and it’s harder for women to get on camera assignments as they age in her profession and starting over would probably mean a sooner end to them and at least she will still get to spend some time with her family.

When she gets there she realizes that the girl has mental health issues that are also contributing to issues with her physical health people are not talking what she’s saying seriously because of that until it happens to another girl the same way except she ends up dead . Then the community and the news start to take the first girl and the situation more seriously and while investigating they realize the girls have more in common with each other than they thought. 

Turns out that the town and its people may not be as friendly as they first seemed when multiple suspects come to light . Diane’s involvement in the case puts her and her family in danger. Will Diane be able to help solve the case and get herself and her family out of Ocean Grove before it’s too late ? There are some interesting twists and turns to this book but the ending was too predictable for my taste.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Elevation


Elevation

Scott Carey is suddenly losing weight but no one can tell because he doesn’t look outwardly different the scale still says over 200 lbs. but he feels lighter. at first he doesn’t think much of it because his appetite doesn’t change either so since he has a big project at work and since his doctor can’t find anything wrong, he goes on with life like everything is normal. He lives alone and is divorced so other than his cat, he has no one to notice anything is wrong or get after him to take care of himself.

Some time passes and he finally decides to confide in his retired doctor friend, who at first tries to get him to see a specialist but then agrees with Scott that they would most likely just write him off given the unusual circumstances and his friend starts helping him track any changes. He meets his new neighbors Deidre and Missy married restaurant owners who are having trouble keeping the restaurant open due to close minded people in town. Diedre doesn’t like Scott at first and he doesn’t understand why. Little do they know that as Scott’s condition worsens things will happen that will bind them together as family forever.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

NOTE: This book is very short and I’m still working out how to write reviews on short books that are effective and don’t give too much away about the book. Apologies if this review is lackluster.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue


by V.E. Schwab

Imagine living over three centuries after making a deal. That’s what Addie LaRue is faced with after making a choice that changes everything in ways she never could have imagined. In the early 1700’s Adaline LaRue is about to be forced to marry a widower with two children and she is panicking because she has never quite done what people expect of her. Growing up, she would rather draw than learn the things that women were expected to do.

Her neighbor Estelle sees her for who she is, giving her the nickname Addie and teaching her to pray to the old gods when her parents insist that she pray to the new gods because she feels no connection to the new gods. Estelle does give her a warning about the old gods never pray to them after the sun has gone down. Addie’s need for freedom is greater than her need for caution on the day of the wedding however because she’s desperate for an answer. She gets her prayer for freedom answered by an unexpected source. The trade off for getting her freedom is that no one she meets will remember her. You see she had to make a deal, which she sees as more of a curse, to get what she wanted the ramifications of which she will have to learn and deal with from then on.

Then one day she meets Henry who changes everything she thought she knew about her curse and maybe even herself.

WARNINGS: BRIEF MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSUALT AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Noel Street


Rating: 3 out of 5.

Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Elle lives with her son Dylan in a small town called Mistletoe. She works as a waitress at Noel Street Diner almost everyday to support the both of them. The people of mistletoe are mostly supportive of Elle and Dylan but there are a few who aren’t because it’s 1975 and while Elle is white, Dylan is biracial and seen by everyone as as African-American and some in small town mistletoe don’t like that at all.

Dylan is only six and doesn’t understand racism too well yet. She is very protective of him and tries to make sure he is mostly unaware of any racism that may be directed towards him. One of the most supportive people to her and Dylan is the town mechanic who frequently fixes her old car but when serious repairs are suddenly needed, she is worried that even with the discount the mechanic gives her and her boss letting her come in later so she can take her car in and giving her extra shifts when she can that she won’t be able to afford the repairs. She is losing hope.

A man named William starts working with the mechanic which makes Elle’s life even more complicated because he makes her question what she truly wants for the future. Elle is a war widow who has assumed since that she would remain single for the rest of her life. William is also no stranger to war and loss.

Warning: There is one scene towards the end of the book where an an adult calls Dylan something very racist watch out for it.

Finding Chika


Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another true story form Mitch Albom. He is involved with many charities and ended up in Haiti to help as a volunteer to rebuild an orphanage nearly demolished by an earthquake. He eventually is asked to run the orphanage and meets Chika Who he can tell is a lovely, strong willed. take charge little girl even though the 3 year old speaks no English. Time passes and Mitch continues to visit Haiti as often as he can his wife Janine going along as well when able. The kids including Chika warm up to Mr. Mitch as he’s called, they especially love his stories. Things continue to go well until one day when Chika is 5 and the Alboms get the phone call that changed their lives forever. This beautiful book examines what it’s like to take care of a very sick child and moving the child to a different country in hopes of finding a cure. It also explores what it’s like for a childless couple in their 60’s to suddenly have to learn how to be parents. Language barriers, time outs, doctor’s appointments and all. Love and family can be found in the most unexpected ways, times and places as long as you stay open to it.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom

IT


By: Stephen King

 

The book begins with a murder right off the bat. Yes it’s a hate crime but there’s more to it then people come to believe. The main mystery ends up being what is the entity they come to call IT?
Derry, Maine has many secrets and it’s up to a group of 7 very unique friends to expose them and make the horrible murders stop once and for all, to hopefully make IT stop once and for all. I gave this book 3 stars because even though it is a good story this book has a lot of Racist, Sexist and Homophobic language throughout it. I understand that this book was finished in 1985 and that was still the norm back then but the language is used a lot. I personally don’t believe King to be or condone any of these things I just think that the book hasn’t aged well for those reasons. This is massive book and while some of the description (which this book has a lot of) is very good, some of it is completely unnecessary and makes the book drag on. This book has two time lines and I think had it been split into 2 books the story flow might have been better.

It

Rating: 3 out of 5.

291


Rating: 4 out of 5.

291 by Susan May

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a novella so forgive me if this review seems short or vague. It’s to avoid spoilers. Michael Chambers is a rookie cop older than most rookies. He’s had multiple jobs over the years which displeases and worries his parents. Nothing has seemed to stick with Michael so he decided to do what his dad did and become a cop. He thought becoming a cop would help or even end his indecisiveness, and he thought it would make his dad proud. So finally his first shift arrives and he is assigned car 291. The car has a reputation as hunted or possessed. It got that reputation because of a tragic event that happened to the officer that used to drive it. Now the car is pretty much used as a loaner . Somehow Michael keeps getting assigned the car and weird things keep happening. if you liked Christine you might like this. I will say that I didn’t see the ending coming.



291 by Susan May

Destination Dark Zone: Six Twisted Tales


Destination Dark Zone: Six Twisted Tales

Destination Dark Zone: Six Twisted Tales by Susan May

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great collection! Salvation should be a full novel someday! Drift was so cool can’t wait for Trouble Keepers 2!



Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Time Keeper


The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was an amazing book. Read it. He puts life and death into words like no one else can. The only things wrong with his books are: they need to be longer and you never know when or if there will be another one.

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Turtles all the way down


Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine this: You are 16 years old, you have a best friend named Daisy, you’re dad died when you were nine now you drive his old car named harold and your main goal is to get into college. now imagine you have O.C.D. and a severe anxiety disorder. Your friend Daisy? She’s pretty much your only friend because of your mental health issues.The others think you’re too different. Aza Holmes doesn’t have to imagine, its her life. She feels like a prisoner in her own mind and gets trapped in her own thoughts constantly, then something happens that changes Aza’s plans at least for a period of time and she goes though challenges read the book to find out how things turn out for Aza.

Turtles All the Way Down