Reading While Eating

This book was not what I expected.  I expected a quick paced thriller and that is not what this is, but that was okay!  This is more a slow-burn mystery that focuses on family and revenge.  However, I do think it could have been a bit shorter.  At over 450 pages, the book gets tiresome and I kind of just wanted it to end already.  I'd say the first 2/3 of the book was very exciting, but then the tone changes and the story slows down even more. The author did compose a story with a very intricate plot that all ended up making sense and his character development was quite good. Verdict: 3/5 What I Ate While Reading: Homemade Mac and Cheese, Salads, Ice Cream!

I am in love with this book.  This title was published in the UK in 2018 and comes out this August in the US.  I found a used copy from the UK online and DEVOURED this book.  Along with whatever else I may have been eating at the time. Janina, an older woman who is labeled as a slightly unstable recluse in her Polish village, gets involved in s series of suspicious killings.  An astrologer, Janina consults the planets to make sense of what is happening.  But no one seems to believe her. For those who want a light, fast-paced read, this book may not be for you.  While this is a murder mystery, it is so much more.  The existential inner dialogue of main character Janina is a powerful and heart wrenching look into politics, animal rights and what gives life meaning.   

The Island is the second in a trilogy featuring detective Hulda Hermannsdottir.  If you haven't read the first one, The Darkness, you probably don't have to!  The Island goes back 25 years before the events in The Darkness take place.  So you could probably begin with either book. What I loved about both of these stories is the atmosphere that Jonasson's writing evokes, whether it be a cold dark city or a lush green island.  And while Jonasson's Dark Iceland series has a delicious brooding, eerie quality about it, both of these books move more quickly and read more like mainstream thrillers.  But are equally intriguing! The Island focuses on a group of friends who travel to the island to meet up again after many years.  But the reason for their trip is one of tragedy and the past hasn't finished with them yet.  Before their trip is over, one of them will die.  

Despite obvious imperfections, Amsterdam mayor Robert Walter is a character that readers will love.  Set against a modern Amsterdam, Walter becomes convinced his wife is cheating on him.  As he searches for clues, the reader is invited to experience the ditch that is Walter's every day life as he navigates life, death, love, marriage and a set of interesting elderly parents.  I absolutely LOVED this book.  This is the first book I have read by this author, but I quickly gobbled up two of his other books (Summer House with Swimming Pool and The Dinner) and loved those as well.  Koch doesn't beat around the bush or shy away from the crude or obscene when delving into the minds of his characters.  But Koch's honesty only enriches the novel, as life itself is both crude and obscene, and this makes the characters seem more true to life. Verdict:  Koch is an author that will make you think, while facing the worst of human nature.  An entertaining,...

I received a copy from the publisher and would like to thank them for the book.  Price knits together a rich generational saga that follows the Sikorsky family who owns the Hotel Neversink.  Once flourishing with business, the disappearance of children over the years causes business to dwindle.  Told from various decades and voices, the story illuminates the dysfunctions of a family and the secrets that follow close behind.  While I really enjoyed this book, it took me a while to realize that it isn't a ghost story in the traditional sense, as I thought at first.  The "ghost" in the story is the disappearances of the children that haunt the family and their business throughout.  In addition, I thought the author didn't spend enough time on the disappearances of the children.  When they were mentioned, it seemed more as an afterthought.  Overall, the author's writing is a pleasure to read and I look forward to future novels from Price. Things ...

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, so many thanks to them for the opportunity to read this title.   Unfortunately, the book didn't keep me very engaged.   Overall, I think the book's concept is a good one, but the author lacked on delivery a bit.   The story follows Joanna and her family as everyone in her seaside community falls under suspicion as a rumor is spread that a killer with a new identity is living among them.   The author did a good job exemplifying human nature and how fear turns people against one another in an attempt for self-preservation.   Crowd mentality also rears its ugly head.   Unfortunately, the book didn't keep me very engaged.   I think the book's concept is a good one, but the author lacked on delivery a bit.   Joanna seemed a bit dramatic at times and it was hard for me to really care about her.   In addition, the book moved a bit slowly without buildup and then the resolution was see...