Review: The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man by Alex North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Won paperback Advanced Reading Copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaway. Was excited to receive and even more excited to read.

Absolutely loved this book. Riveting. Great character builds. Well done, well laid out. Several twists I did not see coming, which is a rarity in the crime-thriller genre. A finely written, well-developed story that will keep you 'til the last page. A good solid read.

If you read and enjoyed Stephen King's The Outsider, you will love this one. A strong writer with a refreshing vibrancy. Have added him to my "Authors to follow" list and will be looking for his next book! Highly recommended. (p.s. cannot wait to see the film!!)

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Review: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Listened to AUDIOBOOK on Scribd - Actual rating: 5/5
https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/281644087/The-Life-We-Bury#

AWARDS for this book (he has others for his other ventures):
- Anthony Awards Best First Novel nominee (2015)
- Barry Awards Best Novel winner (2015)
- Edgar Awards Best First Novel nominee (2015)

(NOTE: This author is NOT on Goodreads. The copy of the book on Goodreads is NOT a licensed copy. Please purchase a LICENSED printing or listen to a LICENSED audiobook. I despise copyright infringers!)

okay...I have only a few minutes to write this so let me try to sum it up. I believe....no, I KNOW...I have found a new author to add to my list of favorite contemporary writers. I have a love of all things Anne Rice and Wiley Cash as well as several in my top 10 (Ron Rash, Carolyn Parkhurst, Kristin Hannah, Harlan Coben, Tatiana de Rosnay, and a few others...and, of course, Stephen King, John Saul, and Dean Koontz), but it is rare that one shoots up almost to the upper echelons of the list so quickly.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Zach Villa and was riveted by his reading. This book is a work of art. The story is compelling. The characters feel palpable and corporeal.

...but the core of my enthusiasm is Eskens skill with the pen (or keyboard, depending on his writing technique). The ease with which he writes coupled with the absolutely tangible, visceral descriptions of the landscape, the scenes, the action, but mostly the emotions and thoughts of the primary character are just beautiful. The description of the developing and changing relationships between Joe and Jeremy, Joe and Lyla, Joe and his mother, Joe and Carl are exquisitely told. Without giving spoilers, the scene b/w Joe and Lyla, as the relationship changes, is one of the most eloquent tellings of such an experience I have ever read.

Do yourself a favor and read this book or give it a listen here on Scribd. You will not regret experiencing Zach Villas reading. I will be looking to read or listen to other works by Allen Eskens as well as listen to books narrated by Zach in the future.

...and I suspect Allen Eskens will soon be occupying space on my "shelf of faves" in printed form very very soon!

Thank you, Scribd, for including this in your collection and for whatever combination of likes/saves put it on my radar. I am forever grateful.

Happy reading!

p.s. Oh and (again, no spoilers), the box from Virgil at the end of the book = ALL. THE. TEARS. (keep tissues at hand)

Review: The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Listened to AUDIOBOOK on Scribd - Actual rating: 3.5

I wasn't sure, initially, how I was going to like it but I ended up really enjoying it and relating very well to both CeeCee/Eve and Corrinne. Well read/narrated. A sweet, enjoyable book that makes you think about both sides of what seems to be an easily answered moral question that you come to realize isn't so easily answered. A book about the depths of love and the true depth and power of forgiveness. I am a Diane Chamberlain fan now.

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Review: The Witch Elm

The Witch Elm by Tana French
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

DNF. Finally had to abandon this book at about the halfway mark. It took me took long to get to that point, trudging through the text. I was incredibly intrigued with the story and where it was headed, but the sheer length of it was reading like drudgery and I just wasn't feeling terribly connected to the characters. I may revisit it at another time as I still want to finish but I just was in a place that I needed something that moved with a more compelling pace. Moving to my dnf-resume shelf.

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Review: The Round House

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark. Powerful. Beautifully written.

This was a selection for my favorite book club, Open Canon Book Club. I was not familiar with this author but have added her to my "must read" list for her other works.

This story will impact you. The imagery it invokes will be scored into your memory banks. The character development is beautifully done. You don't necessarily become familiar with each character's back story, but you will develop a picture of their character, the type of life they've lead, and how parts of their story have brought them to where they are.

Highly recommend reading this and other works by this author.

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Review: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Disturbing, powerful story, well told. Not an easy read due to the racially charged language and incidents but they are central to the telling of the story. The writing speaks a dark truth of circumstance and environment. Definitely a story with impact and will not easily be forgotten. My first Tom Franklin read. Looking forward to reading his other works.

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REVIEW: Mary Shelly (film; 2017)

I know the rating on IMDB is only 6.4 but I absolutely loved it. Elle Fanning's performance was stupendous, as was the rest of this young but talented cast.

Beautiful telling giving the insight into the relationships that brought about the pain she channeled into this writing.

One of my favorite books of all time. They did a spectacular job of portraying it's inspiration and how it all came to life for her. Better than any telling I've seen as yet.

...and to have it come from such young talents gives me hope that her writing won't be forgotten and dismissed as some series of Hollywood tales. That a new generation will see the depth and intensity of the truth behind the story.

Mary Shelley
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3906082/

REVIEW: A Study of Psychology, Ethics, and Morality via Three Identical Strangers

I remember this story all over the news growing up. It fascinated me and had a lot to do with me pursuing my degree in psychology so I was intrigued to see what happened after the initial reunion years... but it takes a dark turn that is heartbreaking, disturbing, maddening, angering.

My focus of study was always what drives human behavior - nature vs nurture, the effects of abuse/neglect/home life during childhood years, addictions, depression, OCD, anxiety, forensics, serial killers, cult followings, racism, semitism/Holocaust, apartheid, etc. - as well as ethics.

Despite how incredibly valuable these nature vs nurture, multiple birth/parenting studies are from a scientific perspective, there is always the questions of intrusion, unintentional, or, at the very least, unrecognized bias due to manipulation of environment to outright insertion of the researcher directly into the study... and, most importantly, of science and morality.

This entire story is unconscionable...the mental gymnastics of those who participated in the orchestration of it, in justifying or excusing their own complicity, duplicity...

If you haven't watched it, it is riveting and powerful but upsetting and disturbing. It has reignited, yet again, all those things that drove my studies so many years ago. We know much more as a result of these of studies but at what a tragic, horrible cost.

I completely blame those involved in their separation so very young with such planned, nefarious purpose for what happened to them as children, in their teen years, and as adults. The damage done by their separation displayed itself dramatically even when they were toddlers (especially in retrospect)..and they owe them explanations and complete access to these studies. Apologies (which they will never receive) don't even begin to touch what they did. I cannot shake the repetitive phrase "by design" as the latter portion of the story is unveiled and knowing those records were deliberately sealed until the youngest of the victimized children are all deceased.

CNN did a beautiful job with this piece (not at all surprising)... and I've had Pulitzer prize winner Lawrence Wright's work on my TBR list for ages. I especially want to read his book "Twins" (as well as the one on Al Qeuda that won him that Pulitzer).

I have to add... this story is made devastatingly more powerful and disturbing in light of the separation of migrant children from their parents and siblings at the US/Mexican border and even beyond, leaving them with little to zero knowledge of their background (depending on age) along with the inherent, devastating initial trauma of their separation and the twisted fabrications and factual distortions used to justify those actions.

It's a shame ... this aspect of human nature.

Three Identical Strangers
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7664504/

Review: Calypso

Calypso by David Sedaris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished this in 2018 but never updated on Goodreads/posted a review.

This was my first foray into the world and writing of David Sedaris. After listening to his interviews on NPR and hearing him read excerpts from this book, I was so excited to dive into his world. Charming, witty, effervescent, and moving, it is all I had heard his writing to be.

The old adage of "I laughed, I cried..." is so true for this book. I truly laughed out loud throughout this book and caught myself anywhere from a lump in my throat to full actual tears a few times as well.

I am so glad to finally have delved into the literary world of Mr. Sedaris...and I have a LOT of catching up to do!

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Review: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 4.5

So...I wrote this review and was almost finished when my browser decided to crash. I can't reproduce the original review but I'll try to revisit what I had written.

I spent a couple of months on the waiting list for this book and was so excited when it was my turn. I had heard so much about it and so many comparisons to Doctor Zhivago. My personal take upon finishing? I would peg it as a cross between Doctor Zhivago, Cold Mountain, The Way We Were, and...I'm still struggling for something I just can't place.

The writing is eloquent, the language gorgeous. The imagery of the land, the period, the clothing, the people, the lives are so vivid you can honestly see them. You can practically feel the coldness of the air and smell the snow falling to blanket the ground.

What struck me most is the intimacy. It is rare to feel so close to a character. I don't mean connect. I don't mean identify. I mean physically feel so close. It is almost as though you are a witness, standing literally by their side watching as they struggle to care for their patients, as they face their own insecurities and vulnerabilities. You feel almost as if you are trespassing on their private moments, able to witness what passes between the characters as if you are somehow connected to them mentally, emotionally.

It took me a long time to get through this, by no fault of the story, the author, the language. I just tackled it after a touch life obstacle. I wish I could've delved into it in a more timely fashion to truly savor the flow and the beauty of it in one fell swoop instead of so broken up...but I cannot recommend it enough.

I will close with this. I have only read 2 other books that ended like this. The story unfolds and you are living their lives alongside them. As you near the ending, you are not quite sure where it's going to go. You suspect you do and you keep looking at how many pages you have left and wondering how it will wind down in those final pages...until you reach the last 3 pages, when your heart will swell...and falter...and be crushed...and fill so full the tears fall. When I closed the book, I wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry out all the emotion, good and bad. It is an ending...and a story...I will truly never forget.

...and when someone decides to turn it into a film, I will be standing at the front of the line, praying they keep true to the story and waiting to treasure every minute of it.

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REVIEW: Stephen King's Elevation

Date of original post: Dec 5, 2018

Tonight I finally finished this tiny little book. I have no excuse really... except... life. What should have been a couple hours read at most took me two weeks as life just kept getting in the way. Upon finishing, the irony isn't lost on me.

As a lifelong fan of King's, I was thrown by the sight of this little book. Not an example of his usual lengthy works but longer than his short stories and novellas, I saw a lot of reviews from people complaining about paying traditional full price for this little tidbit of a book. But let me tell you, compact in size and in words compared to traditional King, this little book packs quite a wallop.

I wasn't sure as it started that it was going to work for me. As with most King, it requires setting aside some portion of the world you thought you knew and embracing something we have taken for granted in life... but with these limited pages and concise words, you realize in the end that this isn't at all about what's happening on the surface. The story is a distraction. It is the tool he uses to take you on a journey of the heart. It's a story about, ironically, the ties that bind us to each other. How opening ourselves up frees us from all that weighs on our souls and letting go can truly leave us elevated.

Tomorrow I return this to my library and hope the next person of the 80 waiting in line for it steps into it not knowing the journey they are about to take.

In the last pages of the book, King's prowess with words has never been stronger. I know the emotions he tramples on, for me, have been raw and close to surface these past several years but, like a fine surgeon, he knows exactly how to unleash them with the tiniest of incisions to reach deep inside and let them free.

If you've hesitated on this one, don't. I wish I hadn't and will definitely find a used copy down the road to add to my King collection as one of his my favorites.

... and, OMG... the tissues...

Review: Brave

Brave by Rose McGowan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(listened audiobook)

Fantastically inspirational. I HIGHLY recommend all women...and yes, men...read (or better yet, listen to) this book. If you don't know Rose's story but have been struck over the years by her public persona, it will help you see her in a different light. Though that is not really the subject of this book.

It is not so much a memoir as it is a call to arms...a call to women who have struggled, suffered, felt invisible, felt helpless in the face of a world lived by the rules of a world controlled and designed by men century over century and the place, purpose, and limitations of women within it as they've designed it.

This book is beautiful, poignant, enlightening, and, most importantly, empowering. These messages are important. Be aware...the language is mature but powerful.

My respect for her has grown immensely...as it has for myself. Thank you, Rose, for all of it. Will be right at the head of the line for her next publication.

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James Corden's Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney

Okay, I had to wait until I got home to watch this...and I'm glad I did as I'm still wiping away tears more than 20 mins later.

James Corden I've always adored you but I love you more than ever for this.

I still wish I understood what it is...but this man ( #paulmccartney #carpoolkaraoike ) just brings tears of pure elated joy and beauty and peace and love just at the sight of him or the sound of his voice. Even though Bowie will forever be my world and John was my Beatles love, Paul was not only his rival, but he continued to be one of the single most beautiful sources of inspiration and hope we've been blessed to have in this world.

So, just like that night my brother Joseph D'Avanzo and sister Anne D'Avanzo Wuertz gifted me that ticket and I sobbed throughout the ENTIRE show from (literally) the very first note, I can't listen to him without my throat tightening, my nose running, and a constant river of tears streaming down my face...and as much as it meant to FINALLY see one of my musical AND, more importantly, world heroes live, I will treasure that night for another most wonderful reason...because although I sat in that seat by myself...initially feeling all alone, I never felt alone as I dialed the phone just as he was ready to hit the stage.

<3 I will treasure every minute (and the rapidly draining cell battery) of that 3 hour phone call for the rest of my life. I needed it more that night than I ever realized, sharing it with my sister <3 Mary Katherine D'Avanzo <3, allowing us to fulfill a fantasy we had had since we were kids, to hear them play live...together...and while it wasn't all of them, I know John, George, and Ringo were in that arena that night...and I was sharing it with my sister despite the nearly 3,000 miles that separate us...and in my heart with the rest of my family... As he has done since we were children, Paul brought my family together yet again and healed at least a little piece of our hearts again. <3 <3 <3 Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney for...literally...everything. You. Are. Life. <3 <3 <3  

Review: Small Country

Small Country by Gaël Faye
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I struggled a bit with this one. I was excited to receive it as my BOTM selection but did have a tough time getting immersed in it. Someone pointed out that the English publication is a translation fro the original French. Maybe that played a role. I'm not sure.

The story is a difficult one to digest...and fair warning to animal lovers there is one paragraph (only one paragraph) toward the very very end of the book that you will know immediately that you need to skip. For everyone else, it is an absorbing story that will open your eyes ever wider to the struggles of the people of these regions and the power of hate in the world and its impact on a small village of people.

I suspect I will re-read this at some point to catch some things I may have missed as it should be an easier flow on second read. Regardless, I come away with vivid imagery in my head that can never touch on the fear, shock, anger, and disillusion these people faced and had to find a way to make a part of themselves. I don't know how you carry forward from the world they experienced...and some will be forever broken by it. This book broke my heart in so many ways.

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Review: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sweet. Charming. A nice light read. Being born in NY, there was a nostalgia and a connection I enjoyed throughout the book. I am glad to have read it and Lillian is a fun, quirky character I am glad to have "met". Overall, it was a little too light for my taste, as I tend to be drawn in by books with suspense, emotion, or, my favorites, ones with strong personal or social commentaries. This was a charming detour from my traditional reads but a bit lacking in the kind of substance that keeps me riveted or that ensures I'll remember the bulk of the story long after I've finished. However, Lillian will definitely forever be a part of my future repertoire.

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Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not even sure where to begin. I am forever grateful to the friends and other FB book group members who recommended this book. This book was one of my Book of the Month selections almost a year ago but I passed it up for what sounded like much more exciting reads.

Something about this one didn't appeal to me...the slant of celeb gossip, most likely...or those who rated it a "great Summer beach read" (they could NOT be more wrong). Not at all my style. I prefer a book with depth of character, intensity of feeling, questions of moral conflict. (I mean, Sophie's Choice and Fahrenheit 451 are my two all-time favorite books.)

From the book's write up, all I could think was some celeb-watching, salacious, ego-driven gossipy story just wasn't my kind of read. Yet, I saw it selected as a finalist on several Books of the Year lists for 2017 and, every month, as I would go to make my BOTM selection, there it was in the list of alternate selections. So last month, I re-read the write-up and a couple of fave-list synopses and, this time, I felt intrigued.

I'm still in the midst of trying to finalize a divorce that has been an extended, painful process. As I try to hold my ground and my emotions during this time along with several other substantial emotional losses over the past few years, my emotions have been frayed and raw as I struggle with several of my own personal issues. So I started to think that maybe, just maybe, this book could be the lighter read to help me refocus my energy. Maybe it WAS exactly what I needed to read...so I marked it as one of my April 2018 selections.

When it arrived and, with encouragement and recommendation from several members in a couple of my online book groups, I decided to flag it as my next read and dove in. All I can say without spoilers for those who haven't read it is this...

This book is beautiful. It is literally breathtaking. The writing is superb. The character development unfolds throughout the book like the petals of a blossoming flower. You step into the lives of these main characters seeing them as superficial personas. As you would a person you first meet. You aren't sure who they are or what makes them tick or how they live their lives...but as the pages turn, you begin to get to know them. Not all at once. Not in any "unveiling" as when some authors reveal their inner thoughts or backstories...but in an organic way, as you would a person you've met in real life, as you come to slowly learn their body language, their nuances, their history.

You become more than just a bystander. A witness. You BECOME part of Monique (the narrator of the story and one of the two main characters in the book). You begin to see Evelyn take shape and form in front of you. You feel her energy. You share Monique's nervousness, fascination, excitement, boldness as she experiences them. As Evelyn shares her story, you are swept up along with Monique in the allure of her, the beauty, the arrogance, the strength. You understand, admire, and disdain her all at the same time. You wait to learn what could possibly have drawn Evelyn to select Monique, how her life story will reveal itself, and where this journey will take Monique (and you) as it is unveiled.

I'm not sure what more to leave with you other than this...

This is, by far, one of the most exquisitely executed books I have read in a long, long time. To say you will be swept away by emotion is an understatement...or maybe that is just me because my emotions are so rawly accessible right now. I will never forget where, the specific line, when all the pieces of the book snapped together like magnets...and I gasped and had to set the book down and cry while I processed all the intersections at once, like watching a kaleidoscope coming into focus.

I stepped into this story expecting...well, I'm not sure what I was expecting...but no matter what it was, that wasn't what I found. What I found was a book filled with glamour and beauty...with darkness and conflict...with humor and joy...but mostly of love and humanity...deep deep love...and treasuring what TRULY matters in this world.

I know this book may have hit me more deeply than many because of the rawness of my heart right now, but like Monique, I found myself coming to admire, love, loathe, and respect Evelyn Hugo in all her complicated layers...and I am, from here forward, officially an unabashed fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid and look forward to lining my shelves with the rest of her writings.

If you are looking for a book to touch...no, embrace...fill, swell, and completely manipulate your heart...and leave you with characters who will forever forward be some small part of you, get your hands on this book, add it to your TBR pile...but put it at the top...

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Review: The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman

Uniquely beautiful. I identified so deeply with  the narrator from the very first page. I don't really even know what to say. All I can say for certain is "that" chapter..."that" scene... is one of the single most beautiful scenes I've ever read in print and I would give anything to see it on film... if anyone could do justice to the imagery it created in my head. Thank you, Alice, for a brief moment so beautiful I will never ever forget it. An unforgettable moment of love, beauty, strength, and hope that brought tears to my eyes and uplifted my heart. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this vision and this gift.

Review: Disappearance at Devil's Rock

Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Paul Tremblay book (won via Goodreads giveaway) and I have to say, I am a big fan! I have "A Head Full of Ghosts" in my TBR pile but hadn't gotten to it yet. When Disappearance arrived, I was finishing up another book but set it right on top of the stack.

Creepy. Eerie. Riveting. Reminds me of those early years reading Stephen King so many decades ago. He has been added to my list as a preferred author and I plan to delve into the rest of his work. I suspect he will easily become one of my HAVE-TO-HAVE authors for all his future work. Nah, cancel that...he already is. :)

If you're looking for a good creepy read. Not the kind you can't read with the lights down low, alone...but enough eerieness, creepiness to keep you on edge, this is a great one.

Grateful to have been selected for the giveaway. I'll definitely be making a space on my shelves for him!


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Review: The Girl in the Red Coat

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actual Rating: 4.5
Absolutely loved this book. Wasn't sure before I got started. Wasn't sure which way it might go. Will it be ugly? Will it be too religious? Will it be too much like too many other "missing child" books, done to death with nothing fresh to say? But this book caught me by surprise.

A unique story but the true draw is getting to know Carmel and Beth. Getting to know them through their fears, their memories, their emotions, their strengths. Kate Hamer has a unique voice that draws you in slowly, deeply until you are immersed in their world and you don't even recognize when it happened. Many other similar novels focus on the hunt, trying to find the child, the reasons behind the disappearance, or the trauma of what might happen to the child. This book, in some odd respects, reminds me a bit of The Lovely Bones only in the respect that you get to know Carmel through how she views the world. Her thoughts more than her actions. You wish you could reach in and tell her the one truth she doesn't know that would change her whole world. By the conclusion, you know she has the strength to change her fate even if things had been different on that last day if only she had known.

A treasure of a book. Not a boisterous, action-packed, edge-of-your-seat suspense, but a quiet urging to move forward.

Highly recommend it if you are looking for a good solid read with a small handful of characters you won't easily forget.

Looking forward to reading more of her work!

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Review: Mudbound

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished. I'm not sure I can muster any words of elegance as I sit with the emotions that are overwhelming me but I will try.

If you haven't yet read this book and are up to it, get a copy. Get a physical copy. Move it to the top of your TBR pile. When it comes time to read it, open the cover and feel the pages. You will want to feel their texture underneath your fingertips. This read won't be one of soaring imagination, lyrical beauty, lifted spirits. As you will see, the deeper you wade, you will feel yourself becoming bogged down in the mud along with them. The darkness and the duty that drives each of them. But underlying it all is an ugliness and an evil that consumes the very oxygen they breathe.

I warn you, this is a TOUGH read. It is dark and heavy and the words weigh heavy on your soul. There is an underlying anger that wells up and you feel helpless to find somewhere to put it. You see, early on, where things are headed, though you can't picture exactly how it will play out. But you know...yet you are helpless to derail it...to change things. To warn them. But, as you see them headed down their path, you are compelled to hold tight and stay with them and pray there will eventually be a real end to this evil once and for all one day.

When it is over, you will be thankful to have held this book in your hands. To feel a physical part of it. To have held onto something to remind you that this is fiction. Words on a page. Not truth. Laura and Henry, Jamie, Florence, Hap, Ronsel, Resl, Franz aren't real. They don't live...and breathe...although at times you can almost feel them taking a breath beside you. We can breathe because we know this is just a story...and they didn't live...but how many thousands of named and nameless faces who did have the same stories to tell?

I grew up surrounded by it. Surrounded by people on the wrong side of it. I will never begin to understand it...and I hope none of us ever does.

Hillary Jordan has created a simple but tangible world in Mudbound. We know it so well by the end of the book, we can almost pick it out on a map, complete with the characters that inhabit its land. Its story is riveting and immersive...dark and powerful. If you are looking for a light read, pass this by. But if you are willing to allow yourself to dig deep and really feel...even the darker side of humanity... If you are looking for a read that will impact you and stay with you long after it is done and has an impact on how you interact with the real world around you, then this is a book for you. ...and when it's over, close the cover and hold it quietly and let it settle into your soul.


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