Book Review: Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson

Author: SJ Watson

Title: Before I Go to Sleep

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 360

Published: October 1, 2011

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Flint Library Sale)

Summary: 

As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love- all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

Review:

I've had this on my self for quite some time. I picked this up at the Flint Library book sale eons ago. I think right before COVID started *does math* Dang! Forever agooo. 

Now, Christine has a little problem....when she goes to sleep and wakes up 95% of her memories are gone. She barely remembers who she even is sometimes. Her husband is the only person she has relied on and she is starting to think she can't trust him. 

This is like '50 First Dates' meets 'Memento'. I didn't and couldn't stop reading. I HAD to know. When I was 100 pages away I stayed up late to just finish it. WHOOPS. But omg that ending. 

The mystery was good. I thought I had it all figured out...things happened and I doubted my theory....and then I was right! YAYY!!!!!!!! Damn, but the details were still a mystery so it was fun unraveling it with Christine. 

Dang...this is a hard review to write because I don't want to spoil anything........

Yes, this was good and I loved how it was written. She is writing in her journal so we really only know what she knows when she backtracks and reads what she has written. It was fitting. 

The ending was SO good. I would have liked to see more of the resolution though. I will say no more of this so I don't spoil anything. 

Overall, this was really good! I loved it and I didn't and couldn't want to put this down. I wanted a hair more in the end, but this was really good. 4 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):

- #10 TBR Pile Reading

Book Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Author: Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Thriller

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 372

Published: July 3, 2002

Where I Got It: Borrowed from friend

Summary: 

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

Review:

Been meaning to read this for a while. I watched the movie eons ago but never the book. My friend decided to be nice to me and let me borrow her copy ;) 

Susie Salmon was murdered and she is still trying to adjust to that fact. She is trying to adjust to her new home in heaven. Watching her friends and family continue on earth try to come to terms with first her disappearance and then obvious murder. It breaks her heart watching her killer covering his tracks, her family falling apart because of grief, and her friends trying to cope. Out of this tragedy and loss, we will watch Susie and everyone find their way through grief. 

I first want to mention the format and writing style. Loads of people had some issues with it in Goodreads. I honestly feel that it was fitting. The narrator is a 13/14-year-old ghost who wasn't a writer. She would write simply. I found that the jumping around between her memories and what is going on on earth would make sense. It was easy enough to follow. I found the writing style and format were perfect for this particular story. That is my two cents. 

The story was simply and utterly tragic. However, there is hope. There is some humor. There is some light. I think the author did a fabulous job of balancing this. 

I loved the perspective we got to see. So often we only get to see the family cope with the loss and get through the steps of grief. Here....we also get to see the dead cope with the loss and get through the steps of grief. In a way...being dead seems harder. You can see the people you love but you are mute and can very rarely communicate. Sometimes the living can hear whispers or shadows or have dreams. 

This was for sure a book I would recommend. Just be ready to have some tears here and there. The ending (and I knew from the movie) wasn't going to fully satisfy me. Yes, karma and justice does find the target but not the way I wanted. Not the way we all deserve to see/read. Sighs. 

I also was a little meh about the Ray and Susie scene near the end. Mmmm. I have a love-hate of that. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It is a refreshing read and it will make you feel all the feelings. I do want to watch the movie again. There are a couple of scenes/plot points that I feel meh about, but overall I highly enjoyed this. I'll give this 4 stars. 

Book Review: The Indian Lawyer by James Welch

Author: James Welch

Title: The Indian Lawyer

Genre: Historical Fiction, Westerns, Mystery

Format: paperback

Pages: 350

Published: October 1, 1990

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Sylvester Yellow Calf is a former reservation basketball star, a promising young lawyer, and a possible congressional candidate. But when a parolee ensnares him in a blackmail scheme, he'll have to decide just who he is, and what he wants.

Review:

I've enjoyed others by this author and I have a goal to eventually read all his books. He is good. After buying this a while back...it just sat on my shelf for like 5 years. Whoops. Thank goodness for the TBR challenge ;)

Here we have Sylvester Yellow Calf. He was a former reservation basketball star who became a promising young lawyer and a possible congressional candidate. He really has made his way in the world. However, when a parolee ensnares him in a blackmail scheme, he'll have a challenge in front of him. He'll have to decide who he is and what he wants in life. 

I'll admit....I struggled a hair. It took longer than I thought it would to finish. This was a pretty slow narrative. Things are happening, don't get me wrong so it's not boring, but just slow. Some politics so that didn't help. And then we get to see a lot of flashbacks from a lot of characters. Lots going on but slow in building. 

Even though I struggled with the pace, I did enjoy the actual story. I liked Sylvester and I even ended up liking Patti Ann. Not sure where or when that happened, but yes, I liked her. This author really does have a way of showing the complexities of humans. It's never black and white. You get to understand our hero, of course, but our "baddies". You begin to understand all of them and feel for them all. Of course, you are rooting for the hero, but you get why our baddies are "bad". 

Soooo. The ending? I def had some questions. I had to look it up and I guess I'm not alone. It was for sure an ambiguous ending which is fine, but man.....I do love a good epilogue and finality ;) Kuddos to Sly for the decisions he made. He was a good egg. 

Overall, I did like this one. Not my favorite of this author's, but it was good. It really made me want to continue my journey into all of his works. Someday! But yes, this had excellent characters and an interesting story. Some slowness and the ending could be seen as vague but it did make me think and have questions. I'll give this 3 stars.  

Challenge(s):

- #9 TBR Pile Reading

Book Review: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

Author: Louise Erdrich

Title: Love Medicine

Series: Love Medicine #1

Genre: Historical Fiction, Classic, Short Stories, Fantasy

Format: ebook

Pages: 367

Published: January 1, 1984

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Set on and around a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, Love Medicine is the epic story about the intertwined fates of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines.

With astonishing virtuosity, each chapter draws on a range of voices to limn its tales. Black humor mingles with magic, injustice bleeds into betrayal, and through it all, bonds of love and family marry the elements into a tightly woven whole that pulses with the drama of life.

Filled with humor, magic, injustice and betrayal, Erdrich blends family love and loyalty in a stunning work of dramatic fiction.

Review:

Been meaning to read this for a long, long time. I couldn't find any paper version of this at any of my local stores BUT I wanted to read this and I gave up for a long while. A little while ago this was for sale as an ebook on Amazon...so I grabbed it and then decided to make my book club read this with me. 

The Kashpaws and Lamartines are two families that seem to have intertwined fates. A mixture of some dark humor...magic....injustice....betrayal....the bonds of family will continue on. 

I wish I had checked out this ebook that I bought because the formatting is all wrong and I couldn't return it so I just pushed through. It was so hard to read because of this. I am really upset that the ebook did me dirty like this.

The beginning was rough for me for a couple of reasons. 1) The formatting made it SO hard to read 2) I was really confused on who was who and what was really going on. I feel like we just got dropped into this world. Maybe if the formatting was right there would've been clearly defined chapters with "Kasphaws" or "Lamartine" or whoever is narrating. What made it was that it was jumping around SO much. I think we even were jumping to different times WHICH maybe if the formatting was right....it would've made sense. 

Once I got used to the formatting and found my footing, I enjoyed this immensely. This was really profound and it really hit me hard. Especially the one funeral scene. I think I even shared the quote on Facebook. This author really does know how to get the heart and pull your emotions. 

I need to find a paper version or a better ebook version. I feel like I missed a lot and I can't necessarily blame the author. Please avoid this version. I should've read the reviews....

But yes...what I could decipher and understand...I enjoyed. The ending was much better and it was SO impactful. I'll have to give this 2 stars for now. Maybe someday I'll find an actual version that works well and give it a second chance/re-read. 

Challenge(s):

- TBR Reading Challenge (#8)

Audiobook Review: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Author: Kevin Kwan

Narrator: Lynn Chen

Title: Crazy Rich Asians

(Crazy Rich Asians #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Humor

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 544 

Published:   June 11th 2013

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry.

Review:

Been meaning to read this book for a while. I want to watch the movie so bad, but I really wanted to start with the book first. Finally got myself to crack this open when I got the audio version!

We follow Rachel Chu and Nick Young mainly. Rachel agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend. She is excited to finally meet his family and see where he grew up. What she didn't expect is that Nick is one of Asia's most eligible bachelors and his family is rich beyond comprehension and not everyone is thrilled that Nick is bringing her home...especially his formidable mother. 

I knew this was going to be a hot mess for Rachel from the moment I realized Nick did NOT at all prepare her for his world. What the heck man? I would be pissed if I was Rachel. Sure - I get talking about one's family wealth is tacky and frowned upon....but tell her SOMETHING. She was for sure tossed into the snake's pit unprepared. 

Besides for Nick being an idiot, I really liked him. I felt so bad for him. So many vipers in that world! I can see why he wanted to live in New York and enjoy a simple life. I don't blame him. As much as I would love buying everything my heart desires and having a private jet....I like my simple life. 

Poor, poor Astrid. I want her to be happy. Screw you Michael! 

Gah. Everyone sucked except for Nick, Astrid, Rachel, Nick's BFF, and the BFF's wife-to-be. Stuck-up jerks. BUT it was so entertaining watching all the unneeded drama and cat-fights. Rich people are so dumb! Hahaha. 

OOOOOO that last minute twist had me so upset. I wanted to shake Rachel and shake Rachel's mom. I hope we get more resolution in the next book. This CANNOT BE SWEPT UNDER THE RUG. GAH!

I loved the author's writing style. It felt so breezy but it was loaded with a lot of information. The author did a great job making it clear who was who. 

The narrator helped too. I was a wee bit nervous because normally with big casts I try to avoid audio because it makes it hard to remember all the details of each person who pops up. The narrator did fantastic! Everyone had different voices. Sure some seemed similar but they all felt different. Kuddos to the author and the narrator! 

All-in-all, I really did enjoy this. It was a lot of unneeded drama because rich people are bored. I hated nearly everyone, but the ones I liked I loved. I am curious about book 2 mainly because that last minute twist had my head spinning. GIMME MORE PLEASE! I'll give this 4 stars. 

 

Challenge(s):
- #4for Audiobook challenge

- # 3 for Bingo

Not US/UK setting

 

DNF - Finding Home by Jackie Weger

Author: Jackie Weger 
Title: Finding Home
Genre: Romance
Format: ebook
Published: November 1st 1987
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon freebie) 

Summary:
Twenty-four-year old Phoebe Hawley is on a quest to find her family a home. On the road with two siblings, twelve-year-old Maydean and five-year-old Willie-Boy, Phoebe is out of money, out of gas, and out of patience. The only things she owns in abundance are backbone and pride--neither of which she can trade for food or gas.

A collision with Gage Morgan puts Phoebe's mission in even worse jeopardy--until Phoebe discovers Gage owns the perfect place for her clan. However, she soon discovers that Gage is the unlikeliest man in the universe to offer a helping hand.

Phoebe wields all the country smarts she owns to worm her way into Gage's heart, but nothing works. With time running against her family, she plies one last inducement--her scarce feminine wiles.



Review:
A random pick-up on Amazon. Plus that cover screams summertime. Sighs, sadly this was not for me. 

The story follows Phoebe on a quest to find her family a home to call their own. Traveling with her little siblings has been rough and things become much more complex after a collision with Gage. Phoebe finds out Gage may be the key to finding a home. With all her power and wits, she worms her way into Gage's heart. 

Sighs. Nope. I hated everyone. Phoebe is a b-word. Gage is an arsehat. The kids are annoying. I barely got to 25% before I had to call it quits. 

Nope. Nope. Not for me. Onto the next one!! DNF. My first of 2020! I am surprised, to be honest!

Time for TV Tuesday: Tiger King (2020)

Recently Finished:

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

Through: Netflix

"A rivalry between big cat eccentrics takes a dark turn when Joe Exotic, a controversial animal park boss, is caught in a murder-for-hire plot." - IMDb

Okayyyyy I gave in. I finally decided to watch this since my FB is nonstop about this show. 

AND I am glad I watched it. This is a hot mess of people and I was hooked from episode one. I had to know how everything went to Hell in a hand-basket. Like all things...it started with good intentions, but ends with power struggles, money, betrayals, murder, revenge, and forgetting about what truly mattered. THE ANIMALS. 

Those poor tigers and bears and etc. They are the true victims. These "zoos" need to be closed down. Let the animals go to real zoos and sanctuaries. Maybe some can go to the wild if they are wild enough. 

These people are insane. Carole is a hubbie-murdering monster. Joe is crazy and an idiot. Doc is a sex cult leader. Jeff is a con man. The crews are insane to want to work with these people. 

What more to say? 

You just have to watch it. It's a hot mess of people and a situation that spiraled out of control. This show really does show that humans suck. I will note - the first couple of episodes are slooooowwww. It takes a min for things to heat up. 

I'll give this......mmmmmmmmmm.......ummmmmm.....*does math* 4 stars. Mainly because the ending of the last episode does refocus us to the true victims of this whole situation....the animals. Send ALL those people to jail. 

Book Review: Dream Student by J.J. DiBenedetto

Author: J.J. DiBenedetto
Title: Dream Student
(Dream #1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA, Fantasy, Mystery
Format: ebook
Pages: 287 
Published: March 18th 2013
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon freebie)



What would you do if you could see other people’s dreams? If you could watch their hidden fantasies and uncover their deepest, darkest secrets…without them ever knowing?

Sara Barnes is about to find out. She thought that all she had to worry about was final exams, Christmas shopping and deciding whether she likes the cute freshman in the next dorm who’s got a crush on her.

But when she starts seeing dreams that aren’t hers, she learns more than she ever wanted to know about her friends, her classmates…and a strange, terrifying man whose dreams could get Sara killed.




Another freebie that has been collecting dust on my Kindle! Time to give it a read!


The story follows Sara who is a college kid and wants a normal life, however, she has been having terrible and/or weird dreams lately. She soon realizes that these dreams are not her own. They belong to other people which includes a terrifying man. 


I started off really, really liking this and couldn't put it down! Such great potential! And then....snore. I had a hard time reading this midway through because everything moved so slowly. I got over the whole narrative being too diary-y without it actually being in diary format. I grew to be intrigued and entertained by Sara's thoughts and rambling ways (I can relate to that for sure). But my goodness...I was so bored. 


Brian was cool, but the insta-love was silly. I would be creeped out by him at first especially knowing he dreamed of me. 


Beth was okay after a while. 


I powered my way through it and it did pick up a touch, but I was still yawning by the end. I actually fell asleep a couple of times during parts that should've kept me reading! 


Overall...it had great potential but fell flat for me. I'll give this 2 stars.  

Challenge(s):

- #10 on Bingo for PNR

Book Review: Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Author: Judy Blume 
Title: Summer Sisters
Genre: YA, Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit
Pages: 416 
Published: 1998
Where I Got It: My shelf (Gift from a friend)



In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard's world changed forever—when Caitlin Somers chose her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomed Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha's Vineyard, a magical, wind-blown island where two friends became summer sisters...

Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin has begged Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—for the friend whose casual betrayals she remembers all too well. Because Vix wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart...

Read this for book club. Which was perfect because a friend gave this to me as a gift a while back.

The story follows Vix/Victoria who's life changed forever when Caitlin Somers chose her to be her friend. Caitlin welcomed Vix into her family and summer vacations to Martha's Vineyard. From there they become friends for life and summer sisters. However, something happened and it broke their friendship apart and they barely talk. Caitlin asks Vix to be her maid of honor . Even with all the betrayals and years of being apart, Vix agrees.

Poor Vix. I feel so bad for her. Caitlin is a terrible, terrible person. I won't go into all examples so I can avoid spoilers, but one thing that really bugged me. Caitlin decided to get married on Vix's birthday and then had the nerve to make a joke about it. *SPOILER ALERT* And you have the nerve to do this AND marry Vix's first boyfriend/love. *SPOILER END* You spoiled, selfish brat.

Okay - so I don't hate Caitlin as much as I throwing insults at her. She has serious problems. I really think the lady needs therapy. However, I can't really forgive her for all the terrible things she did as an adult. Little Caitlin and teenager Caitlin...sure, but adult Caitlin...is terrible to everyone who loves her.

That ending was sad. Super sad. However, it left slightly open-ended and I liked it. It really is good for conversation especially for the book club meeting I had for this book. I go back and forth about my opinion on what happened. But I am leaning towards one way.

This really was a good book. It makes you think and I feel like you connect with someone. I can really relate Vix so I can't really be mad at her for keeping falling into Caitlin's world and stay loyal to her and love her. I feel like we all have a Caitlin in our lives. Someone who we can't stop loving. Maybe a family member or friend. I know I do for sure. This book does make you feel all the emotions and makes you think about yourself.

All-in-all, this is a book worth the read. It makes you feel all the emotions from anger, to sadness, to even happiness. It is also a good book for discussions like book club ;). I shall stamp this with 4 stars.