"The Stone Boy" by Sophie Loubiere Was Confusing To Me

I'd skip this one if I were you!

The Stone Boy by Sophie Loubiere is about an older lady who lives alone.  When she moves into a new neighborhood, she notices a little boy next door that is being neglected and hurt.  The problem is, nobody else sees this boy.  The premise was good; however, for most of the book, I was totally lost!  Near the end, the picture became clearer. I guess I just did not get it.
(Gerard's review, 2 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"Cop Town" by Karin Slaughter Has Plenty of Action

Cop Town by Karin Slaughter is fiction about two female police officers hunting for a killer—a cop killer!  There is plenty of action in this that kept me turning pages.  The language is a little on the rough side which I did not care for.  However, the twist in the middle of the book turned this into a 5-star read for me and I loved the ending!  I wouldn’t say this is a “must read” but it is well worth reading.   

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

 

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. Happy Reading!

"Horse Camp" by Nicole Helget and Nate LeBoutillier

Horse Camp was not what I expected at all, but then that was the same way the twins in the book felt when they were sent to their Uncle's farm when their mom had to go to jail and their dad went off to start a new church.  Their mom called it "horse camp" to make it sound like fun, but it only had two old mean horses with mostly pigs and chickens.  This is simply a YA novel about getting along with people and not judging others.  The most exciting part for me was when the tornado hit and Percy and his friend took cover in a culvert.

I didn't care for this one much but it was a quick read so went ahead and finished it.  Basically Christians are portrayed in this book as hypocrites, self-righteous and judgmental.  I do not recommend this one. 
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"Now You See Her" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge is GREAT!

Now You See Her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge got my interest right from the start and kept me eagerly turning the pages.  Wow!  This is a thriller with lots of “wow” moments about one huge mistake Jeanine made when on spring break from college in Key West and the ramifications for years to come.  When she feels betrayed by her boyfriend and best friend, she takes his car driving drunk and hits a man.  While considering what she should do, a cop comes along and does her a favor, letting her go and takes care of the body for her so no one will ever know.  But wait, her problems are only beginning!    Sparks fly and they get married.  She stays in Key West . . . until she realizes the danger she is in. 

This is one of the best written thriller’s I have read in a long time!  The villains are horrible and so deceptive, poor Jeanine makes up a fake identity and lies to her 16-yr-old daughter concerning her biological father.  This has action, betrayal, serial killer, suspense, families, crime, romance and cops and attorneys.  If you like thriller’s, this is a must read for you!  LOVED IT!

(Karen's review, 5++ stars)

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. Happy Reading!

Linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop:  Prompt--Something you're reading.

"Confessions--The Private School Murders" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Confessions:  The Private School Murders by James Patterson is a YA mystery with a very brave main character, Tandy, who helps the NYPD solve murder mysteries and gets her older brother cleared of killing his pregnant girlfriend.  When her parents are murdered, her Uncle Peter gets Jacob (an Israeli) to be guardian for her and her brothers.   He was my favorite character—what a good guy!  The kids’ parents were strange to say the least and drugged their kids so they would not feel emotion.  They pushed their children to excel.  Tandy is obsessed with saving lives—she was kept busy trying to clear her brother of the murder charge, finding her long lost love whom her parents tried erasing from her mind, solving the deadly pest control problem in her building, and solving the mystery of the murder of four dead girls from private schools. 

 

The novel is written in a way that has Tandy telling us what happened and at some points breaks from the story to speak directly to the reader about her feelings.  This is a good read with lots going on.  Parts are touching, suspenseful, and heartwarming.  The ending made me want to cheer!

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a story about a young boy who tragically loses his mom at a young age.  To remember her, he takes a picture from an art museum.  This book mostly centers on the boy growing up and his placing with his foster families and then his dad who ran off and came back.  The boy also becomes involved in the criminal world.  Does anyone miss the painting he stole?  

Although this book is long, don't let that deter you.  It is well worth the time.  I enjoyed it. 
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)
 
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. Happy Reading!

"Sleepwalker" by Wendy Corsi Staub

Sleepwalker by Wendy Corsi Staub is all about a father who seeks revenge on people he feels are responsible for his son's imprisonment and subsequent death.  This book is gruesome and the killer is a real creepy mean person who goes to extreme lengths to make others lives miserable.  Allison McKenna's testimony at his son's trial is what convinced the jury to convict him so the father lives to make her pay.  Allison, Mack and their three little kids kept me reading.  Once Mack starts sleepwalking as a side effect from his medication, things start picking up and get very interesting.

This book started out slow for me and I almost gave up on it because of how mean and creepy the killer is.  It is not you basic who done it because right from the start you know who the killer is.  The "mystery" of it is if Allison and Mack will be able to stay safe and keep their happy family together.  I'm glad I finished it and didn't quit on it.  If you like creepy books, I recommend it.
(Karen's review)
 
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. Happy Reading!

"Sure Signs of Crazy" by Karen Harrington

In Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington, you will meet 12-yr.-old Sarah Nelson. She collects troubled words and her best friend is a plant! This girl is something else, but no wonder!

I loved this book. The writing is really good and I got so caught up in it that the pages flew by. It has a very good ending too! This is the author's first book, can't wait for her next one!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"Heart Song" by V. C. Andrews - Loving This Series!

Heart Song by V. C. Andrews is the second book of the Logan Family series which I am enjoying.  This second book is about Melody's search for her natural father, her romance with Cary, modeling for Kenneth and meeting her real grandmother that does not sit well with Olivia.  Melody learns more family secrets and stands up to Olivia.  It has a shocking ending that left me hanging, eager to read the next book of the series. 

This series sort of reminds of Belva Plain's family sagas.  There is a lot of interaction among the characters which makes for an interesting read.  I liked this book as well as the first, Melody.   

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. Happy Reading!

"Tell No Lies" by Gregg Hurwitz

Tell No Lies by Gregg Hurwitz is a novel about a man who is a counselor of paroled violent offenders.  By mistake, he gets an envelope intended for a murder victim in the making.  I found this pretty good; enjoyed the plot and action.  It's well worth your time reading.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"Melody" by V. C. Andrews is an Oldie but a Goodie!

Melody by V. C. Andrews is very good and I am glad I read it. It is one my husband had before we were married 16 years ago and I finally got around to reading it. I am so glad I did! Melody is a 15-yr.-old girl who is part of a family with many secrets. She is a nice girl and good student, but grew up in a coal mining town and is shocked to find out family secrets after her dad dies in a mining accident and her mother drops Melody at the dad's brothers house while she goes off to try to become a model or actress. Melody moves in with her dad's relatives, which she never met, Aunt Sara, Uncle Jacob and her cousins, Cary and May, a little deaf girl.

This is such a good story with all the secrets gradually coming to light and Melody realizing that her parents never told her the truth about who she is. Melody is very pretty and she learned to play the fiddle. I did not care for her mother at all and wondered how Melody turned out so well. There lots of interesting relationships and characters in this book. I loved how Cary came around to liking Melody and how he became protective of her. This is the first book of a series and I am eager to read the next two soon! If you like family stories with interesting characters, I highly recommend this one! There are lots of surprises along the way! It would make a good book club read.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Next in Series:  Heart Song

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. Happy Reading!

"The Silver Star" by Jeannette Walls

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls tells the story of two young teen girls who are pretty much left on their own when their mom takes off. They decide to move to a small town where they stay with relatives. All goes fine until an incident happens to one of the girls.

This novel is slow moving in the beginning with little action; however, around page 200 of my large print version, the main plot kicks in and then it zooms along because it gets really good. If you liked her first two books, you will probably like this one too.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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.

Our reviews of other books by Jeannette Walls that we read:
The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses.

Happy Reading!

A Chance To Win--Boyhood, Baseball, and the Struggle for Redemption in the Inner City by Jonathan Schuppe

Gerard gave it 5+ stars, Karen gives it 3 stars

A Chance To Win--Boyhood, Baseball, and the Struggle for Redemption in the Inner City by Jonathan Schuppe is inspirational non-fiction based on the real lives of several people living in the ghetto in Newark, New Jersey.  Rodney, a drug dealer who gets shot, paralyzed from the waist down, winds up in a wheelchair and seeks to make a difference in the lives of others by getting kids to play baseball and get off the streets.  I was surprised that parents didn't mind their kids being coached by an ex-con, but guess since many of the parents were ex-cons too or into drugs.  That was my favorite part of the book, when it was about the coaching and ballgames. 

Unfortunately, that was just a small part of it and most was more about the lives of several of the players and their struggles with their family, particularly their fathers.  It was interesting for the most part, but did not care about the part about the mayor and the city.  I would classify this as an inspirational read because the message is not to ever give up, no matter what the circumstances.  I was somewhat disappointed in the ending and found myself plowing through it near the end.  It felt to me like a news article rather than a novel and didn't end as I hoped so was kind of a let down.

My husband liked it much more than I did.  You can read his review here.
(Karen's review, rating 3 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

We received a free copy to review but have not received any compensation. This did not affect our review in any way.

"The Humans" by Matt Haig

The Humans by Matt Haig is about an alien being who inhabits the body of a professor who has a wife and a young son. He has a mission, but when he starts to hang around humans he decides the mission may change, or does it? I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It is funny and is quick moving with a nice ending.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)


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. Happy Reading!

"Instructions for a Heatwave" by Maggie O'Farrell

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell tells the story of a man who one morning went out to get the paper, told his wife he would be right back, but didn't come back.  The wife called her three children home to search for dad.  

What makes this book so good is the interaction between the three kids, who have their own problems to be sure, and their mom.  There are plenty of "wow" moments in this, especially at the end.  Great writing!  I loved it!! 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell is one Gerard and I have completely opposite feelings about.  I thought this book was very slow moving with no action and was annoyed by how it jumped from one character to another with no transition, most of the book was the characters thinking about the past and very little had to do with finding the missing father which was the big mystery of the book.  I didn't really care about any of the characters who each had their secrets.  

Another thing that was annoying to me was the lack of chapters--it just kept going on and on so there was never a good place to stop.  It just broke sections between a change in the character narration with a row of stars.  I didn't care for the writing at all--it had too much description for my taste with long rambling paragraphs.  The bickering among Gretta's grown children did not hold my interest at all which is what Gerard thought was the best part.  I thought the title was dumb and didn't even like the cover.  The only reason I read this was because Gerard thought it was so good.  Sometimes we agree on books, but not this time.

If I HAD to choose a favorite character, it would be the older sister, Monica, just because I enjoyed her storyline about trying to win over her two stepdaughters, a very small part of the book.  I would not recommend this book to anyone.  Sorry, Maggie.
(Karen's review)
 
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. Happy Reading!

"A Chance To Win: Boyhood, Baseball, and the Struggle for Redemption in the Inner City" by Jonathan Schuppe

A Chance To Win: Boyhood, Baseball, and the Struggle for Redemption in the Inner City by Jonathan Schuppe is not a baseball book. It is a book about life in the inner city. Rodney, an ex-con, is left wheelchair bound after a shooting and decides to coach a little league baseball team to give young boys an outlet in an attempt to keep them from his former life of drugs. Most of the book deals with the people with whom Rodney has every day contact. These people have a rough life to say the least, but they never gave up and the part about the baseball team was enjoyable.  I think you will like this one, I did. I was rooting for the people to get their lives on track.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Karen did not like it as much as I did.  You can find her review of it here.

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. Happy Reading!

We received a free copy to review but have not received any compensation. This did not affect our review in any way.

We Loved "Orphan Train--a Novel" by Christina Baker Kline (UPDATED)

I really enjoyed Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline about the life journey of Vivian, a 91-yr.-old who was an Orphan Train rider at the age of 9 who becomes friends with Molly, a 17-yr.-old Goth girl who is in the foster care system.  This novel is written in such a way that is both contemporary and historical fiction, as Vivian shares her background with Molly.  It is a very interesting read because both Vivian and Molly have a lot in common, understand each other, and help each other.

This book has some very sad parts but also some very happy and heartwarming parts which makes it an enjoyable read.  It addresses the issues of the importance of kind people in our lives, what things we value, perseverance and how things happen for a reason.  The author does an outstanding job of smoothly transitioning from the past to the present and from the story of Vivian back to the present-day story of Molly and Vivian.  I was never confused at all.  Great novel that brings the early 1900’s to life in sharing that part of American history.  I highly recommend this to anyone!
(Karen's review)


Orphan Train--a Novel by Christina Baker Kline has two main stories: (1) A 91-yr.-old woman tells of her young life of being on an orphan train. Her story is fantastic! and (2) A young teen girl who is now an orphan, describes what she is going through. Her story is very good. These two women are brought together and find they have more in common than they thought. I loved this book!

Even when the story is finished, there is still an interview with the author, a story about orphan trains and questions for a book club . Make it a point to read Orphan Train; you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Related Reads:  Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

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. Happy Reading!

"Low Pressure" by Sandra Brown

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown is a mystery about Bellamy who writes a novel based on the murder of her older sister which becomes a best seller. Although she used a pseudonym and didn’t use the real names, a reporter discovered it was based on fact and the author’s identity is exposed. She receives threats and begins to seek answers as to who is threatening her for writing about the murder. She had only been 12 at the time of the murder and her memory was spotty. Her investigation not only puts her in danger, but also others and secrets are brought to light. The killer was a big surprise to me! Along with the mystery is the romance between Bellamy (the rich girl) and Dent (the poor boy), one of her sister’s boyfriends who Bellamy had a crush on.

This book had an interesting enough story line to make me keep reading, but I can’t say it was an enjoyable read. I didn’t relate to any of the characters, the dysfunctional family with all the secrets, nor did I like the intimate sex scenes or the foul language. It just seemed far-fetched and unbelievable. After enjoying Unspeakable and Lethal by Sandra Brown, I was disappointed with this book.
(Karen's review, rating 2 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"This is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper

Disappointing

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper centers on a dad's death bed plea that he wanted his grown up kids and his wife to spend seven days together like a real family. I enjoyed the beginning very much and thought it had a lot of promise. The kids got on each other and their significant others. Parts were funny and sad as well; however, I just scanned through the last 100 pages which was about who was having sex with whom. I'm not into reading that and felt I had better books to read. If the author had stuck with the main premise, it would have been much better in my opinion. It also had offensive language so I can't really recommend this. Read it at your own risk.
(Gerard's review, rating 3 stars)

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. Happy Reading!

"I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is about Jazz, the young son of Billy Dent, a serial killer.  Billy told his son all about his killings.  With Billy in prison, Jazz tries to help the cops catch a copy cat serial killer.  I enjoyed this book a lot.  Jazz is awesome and tells the story very well.  I'm not sure I would call this a page turner, but it moves along at a good pace.  Read and enjoy.
(Gerard's review)

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. Happy Reading!

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