Far From the Tree took me far out of my comfort zone in the most excellent way! It's only the second audiobook I've listen to till the very end and it's YA. Here's what I loved: The Characters - Grace, Maya, and Joaquin were well-developed characters to love. They're all basically good kids carrying more baggage than most adults could bear. Some of their baggage is shared and some is very ...
Book Review: The Sandman by Lars Kepler
Despite never having read Lars Kepler's previous novels, I had high hopes for The Sandman. In the end, it simply didn't live up to my expectations. That's not say it was all bad but the issues I had, which I hope I can articulate, were pretty weighty ones and really impacted my overall experience with the book. Perhaps one of the reasons that I was so disappointed is because this book had such ...
Music Monday: She Will be Loved by Maroon 5
Music Monday is a meme created by Drew at The Tattooed Book Geek. Every Monday participants pick a song and/or video they'd like to share. My taste is music is pretty eclectic and many of you will probably be surprised by some of my future choices. I've decided to keep it tame for my first Music Monday post. I've selected She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. One of the lines in the song, "It's not ...
Review: The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn
I'm off to Book Expo later this morning but wanted to sneak in one more post before I go. This one is long overdue owing, for the most part, to my lack of technical skills. There is really no excuse but, you see, this is the first time I have successfully installed a Mobi file onto my Kindle. I will not say how long it took.My previous attempts all ended in frustration and wine. This time, ...
First Chapter/First Paragraph: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at I’d Rather Be At The Beach. Each week, participants share a paragraph (or two) from a book they are currently reading or are planning to read soon. Today I'll be sharing the first two paragraphs of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. It's not due for release until August 14th, but I couldn't resist starting it ...
Blog Tour and Review: That Summer in Puglia by Valeria Vescina
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for That Summer in Puglia by Valeria Vescina. In addition to jet lag, I'm now officially suffering from the dreaded Book Hangover Syndrome. This is my first blog tour as part of the #BTEAM with Bookcollective and I'm thrilled to be sharing my thoughts on this book today. When Tommaso is found by a private investigator thirty years after leaving Pulia, he ...
From Virus to Vacation: The Hiatus Continues
Hello, bookish and blogger friends! It's been a while since I've posted so I just wanted to give everyone an update. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me post about my recent computer infection. It's something I want to share with you in a little detail as I would NEVER want to see it happen to any of you. I have, for many years now, lived with a false sense of security when it ...
Blog Tour: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
"In the secret seethings of my discontented heart, I've searched for a life that is my own. A life not consumed by the questions he left in his wake—riddles I will never solve about our marriage, our family, and the suffering to which he exposed us. I've searched for a meaning to my existence not swallowed up by Hamilton's shadow. By his genius. By his greatness. By his folly." Welcome to my ...
Blog Tour: You All Grow Up and Leave Me by Piper Weiss
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for You All Grow Up and Leave Me. I was immediately drawn in by the blurb and cover. The true crime buff in me couldn't resist this book about a young women's experience with Gary Wilensky, a child predator who preyed on the young of Manhattan's elite families in the 1990's. I have to be honest. This book is a tough one for me to review. There were many ...
Blog Tour and Giveaway: The House on Harbor Hill
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The House on Harbor Hill! I was immediately drawn to both the cover and the blurb for this book. It's my pleasure to share my thoughts with you today. The Good: Setting - What's not to love about a sprawling, old home overlooking the ocean? Characters - All of the characters in this book are very complex. They all have bear the weight of a past they are ...