Finished:
Currently Reading:
I've definitely been mood reading and doing some more of backlist on audio, which helps get through the workday or great when wrapping gifts.
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Jenn's Review: On The Hunt
Author: Iris Johansen
Series: Kira Drake #1
Publication Date: August 1, 2020
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 364
Obtained: owned
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2/5
Bottom Line: Not need to search this one out
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Remove
Summary: Kira Drake has come to Paris with her highly trained Golden Retriever, Mack, to investigate the horrific bombing of a museum in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. What she doesn’t know is that one powerful man has a special reason to find the person responsible.
Jack Harlan has all the money in the world, but it can’t bring his brother back. His sibling was murdered during the theft of a scientific discovery that could have made the world a better place. Now, after a four-year search, Harlan learns that this bombing was the work of the same twisted man. ~amazon.comReview: I’ve adored many other Iris Johansen books and I so wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t. The novel drops the reader right into the story with absolutely no plot exposition. I knew the characters of Sarah and John Logan from her Eve Duncan series which gave me a little context… but not enough. While we are given more background on the characters as the story progressed, it felt like they were never really fleshed out; I was never fully invested in any of them.
The main character of Kira seemed to be neurodivergent so her interactions were awkward but they became even stranger when paired with Harlan whose character was almost cartoonish. And although I found the plot interesting, the two dimensional characters made it seem like a rough draft of an excellent Iris Johansen novel.
The true test is whether or not I would continue this series: maybe, but based more on Ms Johansen reputation for writing exceptional novels, in hopes that this series improves.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Sunday Skim
Finished:
Currently Reading:
Looking Forward To:
A bit slower on the reading front but I do have the each Friday off this month plus time off for the holidays to get more reading in. I also have some tv and movies to catch up on.
I'm still enjoying grabbing whatever catches my eye on my shelves and I also send ideas to my sister for some direction if I'm having issues picking. We do it for my audiobooks too.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Sunday Skim
Finished:
Currently Reading:
Looking Forward To:
READING MY TBR!
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Julie's Review: Bluebird Day
Author: Megan Tady
Series: None
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
Publisher: Zibby Books
Pages: 344
Obtained: publisher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Strained mother/daughter relationship with forced proximity resolution
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: Alpine skiing G.O.A.T. Claudine Potts and her daughter, Wylie, have been bred for gold medal glory. They’re skiing their way to fame, but this gilded future is cut short when a fall forces Claudine’s retirement and Wylie’s debilitating anxiety sends her off the slopes. With the collapse of their ski careers, their relationship falters and now it’s been years since Wylie and Claudine have even spoken. They live on opposite coasts, pursuing different passions, until a chance opportunity to pair up in a European fitness competition drives them back together. Can this duo survive snow-buried regrets and family secrets and have the happy reunion they’re hoping for? Set in a dreamy Swiss village with a colorful cast of characters, Bluebird Day will make readers laugh and swoon, as Claudine and Wylie slalom through the complicated terrain of lost ambition, past mistakes, and mother-daughter love. ~amazon.com
Review: I don't ski. I mean I've tried it once and HATED it. It is not something I care to do again but I can understand why people do it because of the skill and adreneline that comes from doing it. I can't imagine having a mom that was so good at her sport that you were expected to continue in her footsteps but failed. This is the issue that hangs between Claudine and Wylie.
Family relationships are never easy and some are HARD. Wylie cut off her mom 2 years ago when Claudine was less than supportive of her decisions in life. So now when Wylie is in a bind, her mom is the only one she can think of to help her out. She's not quite ready for the emotional toll it will take on her.
Claudine, on the other hand, is excited about the idea of spending time with Wylie and to try to mend their relationship. Claudine has been in therapy and working on herself and her expectations of others.
There's a great case of characters they are shut in with, who actually in a lot of ways move the plot along. This is definitely a character driven novel with a bit of a plot about Wylie's parentage.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Sunday Skim
Finished:
Looking Forward To:
MOOD READING!!!!
I'm really looking to taking some books off my TBR shelf and list for a good portion of the rest of the year.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Julie's Review: Pictures of You
Author: Emma Grey
Series: None
Publication Date: November 12, 2024
Publisher: Zibby Books
Pages: 416
Obtained: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: When your brain protects you, how do you reconcile your life?
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: When Evie Hudson wakes in an unfamiliar hospital room, she thinks she’s fresh out of a teenage party with her best friend, Bree. Except, Bree isn’t around anymore and high school was years ago. Evie had just survived the crash that killed her husband, Oliver―whom she can't remember either. After suffering a traumatic loss of memory, she’s left to connect the dots. But how? Enter: Drew, a promising photographer whose chance encounter with Evie unravels the elusive details of her marriage and her husband’s death. As Drew watches Evie stitch the story of her life together, secrets emerge that might shatter both of their worlds. This tangled second-chance romance leads Evie to question every decision she ever made. This time around, she’s seeing all the things she missed–and the life she gets to choose...again. ~amazon.com
Review: This book is magnificent in the story it tells and the way it is told. The way it works is way from the present back to high school when the story started for all of them. Except Evie can't remember it at the present time and all Drew can remember is their past. Evie doesn't understand why all the people she knew at 16 are no longer in her life; including her parents. The only thing she knows is that her husband Oliver is dead and she's not clue what happened and where to go.
Drew doesn't quite know what to do when Evie reappears in his life except that he knows it complicates it. In fact, their reunion is going to throw both of them for a loop. As Evie begins to unravel her life, she wonders exactly how she got to where she is and if she can undo it. Has her accident given her a second chance?
I absolutely loved this book. It is filled with fear, heartache, hope and love. As the story unfolds it is not comfortable to hear about Evie's life. It is even more painful to see how distrustful those she loves are of her and how she doesn't understand why. The story of Evie's life is a painful one; as a reader you kind of see what's coming but the reveal happens to us as the same time Evie.
I can't dive too deep or it'll give the book away and this is one you want to experience on your own. I will be circling back to her other novel The Last Love Note and can't wait to read whatever else she writes.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
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