"The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" by Jan-Philipps Sendker

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker is a very unusual love story that is told to Julia. She just graduated from law school and then her father just left.  Her family lives in New York City.  She looks for clues and decides to try to track him down in Burma when she finds an letter from someone named Mi Mi at an address in Burma.  When she arrives, she meets an old man in a tea house who seems to know all about her and begins telling her the story of Tin Win, her father! His story is quite amazing!  You will have to read this for yourself to find out about it.

This is a very slow moving, tender love story between a blind boy and a crippled girl.  I liked Mi Mi and felt sorry for both Mi Mi and Tin Win.  I almost quit on this about a third of the way in; but decided to finish and I'm glad I did.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 165:  Waiting was so interwoven with the rhythm of her life that it almost disturbed her when anything happened right away.  She was mystified by people who were always hurrying things along. A time of waiting offered moments, minutes, sometimes even hours of peace, of rest, during which, as a rule, she was alone with herself.     

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Run Away" by Harlan Coben

Run Away by Harlan Coben is about Simon Greene in search of his missing, drug addict daughter, Paige. One day he sees her singing in the park and almost catches her, but her boyfriend shows up and while Simon scuffles with him, Paige gets away. This story is full of murder, family secrets, hit men, drug dealers, and a cult. It is pretty complicated how these things are woven together to make for quite a mystery! This is a wild story that made me want to keep reading with an interesting ending.
(Karen’s review 5/15/19, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
This novel is about a father, Simon, who is looking for his daughter, Paige, who ran away and got into drugs.  He wants to put her in rehab.  He gets involved in the drug culture with some not so nice people as he looks for Paige.  This book had some good parts, but not enough of them to me.  The story line jumped around too so did not really keep my interest.  (3 stars)  

Teaser from page 27: Sam said, “The video’s gotten over a million hits.” His son seemed both startled and impressed. “I can’t believe you punched out Aaron.”


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Huntress" by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)

A bunch of story lines make up The Huntress by Kate Quinn.  (1) Nina is living her dream.  She is a member of an all-female bomber team trying to stop Hitler from advancing, but when she winds up behind enemy lines, can she survive?  (2) Ian and Tony are looking for Nazi war criminals.  One they really want is a female known as The Huntress!  Can they find her when others have failed?  (3) Jordan thinks that his new stepmother is not who she claims to be;  unfortunately, the more he digs for answers, the more danger to him and his loved ones!

I thought this book was really good!  The story lines kept my interest all the way.  This is one of the best books I read this year!  Do not miss it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Teaser from page 126:  Who are you?  she thought for the thousandth time.  In her mind's eye she saw Ruth recoiling at her mother's blood-smeared hand, and an answer whispered, full of conviction.  Someone dangerous.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Before She Was Found" by Heather Gudenkauf

Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is about a sleepover that went very wrong. Three girls decide to check out an abandoned rail yard at the outskirts of town. One girl is found on the tracks in a very bad way. The other girls are nowhere to be found! What happened and why?

I thought this was very good. The pacing of the book is good as the suspense builds. Will the truth of that night come out? If you could figure out how this all plays out, you are better than me.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is a story about three 13-yr.-old girls and how a prank destroyed several people’s lives. This is a sad story about bullying and a police investigation about attempted murder. A sleep over ends in tragedy when the three girls go out around midnight to the train yard. This is a mystery of who beat up and stabbed Cora. Was it her friend? Was it the bully? Was someone else there who did it?

I did not figure this one out and was into it right from the start. It’s a good story that warns of internet danger.  I liked Violet and Max, did not like Jordyn but liked her grandfather and thought Cora was very stupid.  I didn't care much for Kendall either.  I had to go back and read the beginning again though because I didn't think it was congruent with the ending.  Even after I reread it, I was still confused.   (4 stars)

Teaser from page 23: She is moving toward us as if in slow motion. Eyes unfocused, unseeing. The front of her white T-shirt blooms red.


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides

Wow! The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a shocking thriller about evil nature. At 33, Alicia Berenson killed her husband and became the silent patient who would not speak. She was put into a mental facility where none of the doctors could get her to talk, until Dr. Faber. Alicia is a painter and her husband a photographer. The story slowly unfolds and we don’t find out why Alicia killed her husband until the end. This kept my interest all the way through and I was pretty shocked by the ending. (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 2/26/19:
In The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Alicia is a famous painter married to a successful husband.  Why then did she tie her husband to a chair and shoot him five times?  She never says another word!  Can she talk after that or is she just keeping quiet?  She is put in a mental hospital and is the "silent patient."  Theo is a criminal psychotherapist and wants to try to reach her and get the full story.  Can he do it?

Believe the hype around this one!  It is a NEW YORK TIMES best seller and movie rights already are in the works!  This is an adult novel.  The pacing of the book might seem slow, but it strings you along until the ending, then Bam!  Do not pass this one up, must read.  (5+ stars)

Teaser from page 35:  Her face was expressionless, blank.  A medicated mask.  I wondered what lay beneath.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!