Audio Book Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

If you require characters that you can love, then The Girl on the Train is not the book for you. The characters are all pretty much despicable. And if you can't handle cheating, then stay away from this one. Other than that, The Girl on the Train is a great read.

Rachel is The Girl on the Train. She rides the train to work every day, passing by the house she used to live in with her husband, Tom. He still lives there with his new wife, Anna, who he dumped Rachel for. And they have a new baby. Talk about painful. Rachel deals with this pain by drinking. A lot.

Rachel becomes interested in a house just down the road from her old house where another young couple lives. She names them "Jess and Jason." And they seem to have the most perfect, loving relationship. "Jess," whose real name is Megan, takes care of Anna's child. Megan does not have the perfect life, as Rachel thinks. Megan has lost the art gallery she used to run and now has nothing to do with her days except mope around.

Rachel sees something shocking from the train and after someone disappears, she goes to the police with the information. But she's been drunk so many times, she can't even be sure of what she's telling the police, and they don't believe much of what she says.

Hawkins weaves an intricate web around these five people. They become intertwined, unwillingly, in unexpected ways. These characters are awful. The more we learn about them, the more we loath. I get that they are unhappy for different reasons, in different ways. But jees. Do something for yourselves instead of complaining. I think the story takes a while to get going, but when I'm listening I tend to be more patient with a slow-building plot.

I did suspect (not right away) who the bad person was (well, they were all bad, but I mean the perpetrator.) That didn't take away from the fascination I felt while watching this all play out. The Girl on the Train has been compared to Gone Girl, and while it did have the contemptible characters, it's a different story.

If you are a fan of the twisted who-done-it, (as long as you can handle the characterizations and subject matter) then you should definitely pick up The Girl on the Train. Teens should like this one too.

Published by Riverhead Books, January 13, 2015
Audiobook obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Audio Book Review: Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins

After enjoying The Girl on the Train, I was excited to try Hawkins' new book, Into the Water. I expected a slow burn, given that's how I felt about The Girl on the Train, but Into the Water was even slower.

There are a lot of character, and the best way to describe the book is to talk about the characters.  I hope I get all the names correct since I listened to this one and had to check it back in before I wrote this review. The fact that I can even remember any of their names is a testament to Hawkins' writing because I've been known to finish a book and not be able to remember even the main character's name!

Lena is devastated after losing her best friend, Katie, and her mother, Nel, in the same way -- they both jumped into the river and drowned, presumably both suicides.  But Lena can't believe this is true.  Neither can Jules, Nel's sister, who comes to take care of Lena and sort out what happened.

The town of Beckford is known for women dying in the river, starting with the drowning of a child who was supposedly a witch, and Nel was gathering information to publish a book about all of these women.  This did not make her very popular in the town.

Katie's mother (Phyllis?) and little brother, Josh, are devastated by her loss, and since everything seemed fine with Katie, don't understand why she would have jumped.  But there are secrets.

The deaths are being investigated by Shawn, a local policeman, and ?? a female officer from London or some bigger city. Shawn's wife is Helen.  His father is Patrick, a retired police officer.  Shawn's mother drowned in the river when Shawn was a young boy.  And there are secrets.

There's the old psychic, Natalie, who everyone thinks is nuts, but she thinks she knows some secrets, if only people would listen to her.

Hawkins masterfully switches points-of-view among these people and others, as the secrets are slowly (and I mean very slowly) revealed.  I never wanted to quit listening, but I really did wonder if we were ever going to make progress towards a resolution.  But, I'm always more patient with an audiobook.

You may suspect you have it all figured out, as you slowly progress towards the end.  But I wouldn't be too sure about that...

Hawkins' characterizations are distinct.  With as many POVs in Into the Water, I was surprised that I never got confused as to who was talking.  There are several audiobook narrators, so that helped too. They were all excellent and easy to listen to. I'll keep reading what Hawkins has to offer.  Her storytelling is unique and enjoyable.  I'd recommend this one, along with the countless other people who already have. Into the Water is suitable for patient teens who are fans of the genre.

Published by Riverhead, 2017 (Penguin Audio)
Audiobook obtained from the library
400 pages

Rating: 4/5

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2015 End of Year Book Survey

6th Annual End Of Year Survey – 2015 edition!!

Hosted by Jamie, The Perpetual Page Turner. Be sure to visit and see all the participating blogs.

One more reminder that I'm hosting the 2016 EBook Reading Challenge if you are interested.

Number Of Books You Read: 125
Number of Re-Reads: I think it's zero, and that's kind of sad
Genre You Read The Most From: Probably Fantasy, although lots of historical fiction too.

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

Hands down, The Martian by Andy Weir. Absolutely incredible. 

Second would be The Girl With All the Gifts.  Two adult books and both audiobooks. Huh.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. Second book in the series and I loved the first (The Bone Season.)

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

Seeker, by Arwen Elys Dayton. In a good way.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

 The Martian. It wasn't that hard what with the movie being released.

 5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Started: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Sequel: Polaris by Mindee Arnett

Series Ender: Winter by Marissa Meyer

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

 Brandon Sanderson (Steelheart)

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

 I read everything. But, I'd have to say I'm most critical of contemporaries. I really enjoyed When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

 Blood of My Blood, by Barry Lyga

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 Well, as you can see above, I'm not a big re-reader, and if I do reread something it's a classic or something from my history. Like Charlotte's Web, which I plan to read soon. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

 I love The Lunar Chronicles covers.  So Winter.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

 It's really Mark Watney from The Martian. But I'm trying to spread it around, and I really loved Marie-Laure from All the Light We Cannot See.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

 Ummm....not sure there was one of those this year....

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

 The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck.  Always wanted to read it. Glad I did!

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

I'm not a good "quoter."  Don't have anything this year....

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015? 

The shortest was Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber at 125 pages (even though Amazon and Barnes & Noble say it's longer, the ebook says 125!)

The longest was Winter at 824 pages.

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Trust No One, by Paul Cleave

 18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Dave & Julia, Never Always Sometimes  by Adi Alsaid

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Grace & Tippi, One by Sarah Crossan

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Uninvited by Cat Winter

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

The Girl With All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

I guess I'm too old for crushes.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Ten Thousand Skies Above You, by Claudia Gray

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley. Flavia ALWAYS puts a smile on my face.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

One by Sarah Crossan (this one could have answered #26 too.)

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Audacity by Melanie Crowder. A quote from my review: Clara comes from a very traditional Jewish family, so when they arrive in New York she and her mother must find work. Her father and brothers are to spend their time studying God's word.  I had a hard time not throwing the book across the room. Her mother is taking in piecework and Clara is working in a sweatshop barely making anything. And the males in the family go to the temple and study all day.  I'm all for faith, but how can one justify this in the name of any religion?

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?

The Last Star by Rick Yancey

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

To read more. Always a goal. Also, I really need to update my blog design. It's been a long time!

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

Hmmm.  I don't think I've read any. I usually do, but I've not been reading ahead very much lately.

If you are still here -- thanks for taking the time to read. Please leave me a link to your answers so I can visit. Happy New Year!

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Book Review: Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas @SJMaas

Throne of Glass has characters you will fall in love with, as well as a story that will keep you turning the pages.

Celaena is an assassin. That's right -- she's already kick-ass when the book begins, and this is more of a story of her trying to prove that she's a compassionate human, even though she's a trained killer.

Prince Dorian and his captain of the guard, Chaol, have come to get Celaena out of prison so that she can compete for the king's title of champion. If she wins, she will be the king's assassin for four years, then she will be free. If she loses, she will be returned to the salt mines of prison.

Celaena has been through hell. She's been beaten and has the scars to prove it. She's survived harsh winters in prison with little food and no medical attention. She shouldn't be alive. Of course she agrees to enter the competition and earn her freedom. She returns to the castle with the prince and is treated well. She begins to get back into shape with Chaol before the competition begins.

As the various competitors begin to train and take their various tests, some of them are being murdered in a most gruesome manner. Their insides are ripped out and it appears some wild beast has killed them and eaten their organs. Wyrdmarks are also present, written next to the bodies. These are ancient symbols that Celaena notices are also on the king's tower. No one seems to know what they mean, but Celaena is determined to find out before she is the next victim.

The characters are delightful. There's much court intrigue -- the prince needs to find a wife, the king is a brutal conqueror, there's a visiting princess that Celaena becomes friends with. Celaena finds secret passages and enjoys a vast library. All of these characters and situations make this a full, rich story to be savored.

Of course there's romance too. Prince Dorian enjoys Celaena's company, and can't seem to leave her alone, even though their relationship is totally inappropriate. Chaol appears to hate Celaena and cannot trust her, however, she's so confusing. She's funny and loves to read and play the piano. She's a mystery to Chaol, and he can't seem to stay away either. The repartee between Celaena and her suitors is one of the best aspects of Throne of Glass.

A paranormal element exists too, in that Celaena sees the ghost of an ancient queen, who seems to want to help her solve the castle's mysteries. Some other magic is present, but I don't want to say too much. This is probably my least favorite part of the book -- I could have done without the visions and magical elements, but they end up an important part of Throne of Glass.

There's never a dull moment. We fall in love with Celaena, and want so badly for her to be champion and be happy...but that might not be possible -- I'm not going to tell you. The pace moves quickly, with something always happening -- a competition, a murder, a piece of the puzzle figured out, or a step ahead in the romance department. The evil in Throne of Glass is really evil, enough to truly frighten me at times. Maas never confuses the reader, but keeps us guessing and frantically turning pages.

Fans of kick-ass girl heroes and court intrigue with a hint of magic will enjoy Throne of Glass. I would compare it to Grave Mercy, which I loved, so I'll be recommending these widely to many of my teen readers.

Some information from Sarah J. Mass' website:

Before the release of THRONE OF GLASS, Bloomsbury will be publishing four e-novellas, all set before the events of the novel. The first three novellas, THE ASSASSIN AND THE PIRATE LORD, THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT, and THE ASSASSIN AND THE UNDERWORLD are available wherever Bloomsbury e-books are sold! The fourth (and final) novella, THE ASSASSIN AND THE EMPIRE, will release on July 20th!

I've heard these novellas are great too, so I'm putting them on my list!

Published by Bloomsbury, August 7, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley (warning: this is one of the worst formatted eARCs I've ever read.)
416 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys

I had to read Between Shades of Gray. I can't really say I wanted to, but I had to. I've heard great things about this book, and my ancestry is from Lithuania, so it's a story I thought I needed to know. I was worried that this would be a depressing, downer of a book, but Sepetys did a great job of writing in such a way to tear your heart out but at the same time, keep you hopeful.

In 1939, the Russians invaded Lithuania. This story begins in 1941 when Lina (15), her brother Jonas (11), and their mother are brutally taken from their home and put on a crowded train for day after day with little food and no explanation.The story is reminiscent of stories of the Holocaust, where prisoners are basically starved and worked to death. There are at a work camp on a beet farm for several months.

Lina is a wonderful artist and all this time she is leaving a trail of artwork in the hope that her father will find some of these pieces. The friends they make on the train add much to the story with the variety of personalities--the bald man who wants to die, the man who constantly winds his watch, the small girl who carries her doll, Miss Grybas the teacher, and several others. Lina and Jonas become particularly friendly with another young boy, Andrius, who plays a big part in their lives.

The story is gruesome and depressing at times, but Lina also flashes back to her life before these atrocities, which offers some relief. This family is also very strong and deliberately strives to remain hopeful. Don't get me wrong -- it is sad. But it's a beautifully written story of a piece of history that I'm sure isn't covered in most history lessons. After all, this was going on during WWII, and Russia was a US ally. What I wonder is why this went on for another 8 to 10 after the war was over before many of these people were released.

The Author's Note at the end gives a good explanation of the basic timeline and points out some of the true parts of the story. I would really like to see some history classes using this book. It's another example of making people aware of what happened so as to avoid the same thing in the future. It's an important story. Please read this book.

Published by Philomel, March 22, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
341 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Audio Book Review: The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

I would describe The False Prince as "simple but entertaining."

Sage is an orphan. One day a man comes and  pays the head of the orphanage to take Sage away. It turns out that Sage isn't the only orphan the Conner has "rescued." There's also Tobias and Rodan. They are taken to Conner's castle, where they discover they are in a life or death competition.

Conner is one of the king's advisors. What no one knows is that the entire royal family has been murdered. The youngest son, Prince Jaron, was lost 4 years ago when the ship he was on was sunk by pirates. He was presumed dead, but now Conner wants to convince the country that Jaron is still alive. And one of these three orphans is going to become Jaron and be crowned king. The orphans know that the plan for the two of them that don't get chosen is certainly death.

They have two weeks to train and learn everything about the kingdom and Jaron. Sage is belligerent and uncooperative. He challenges Conner and all of the servants over and over. He's sneaky and learns more about Conner and the castle than he should.

The False Prince is simply written and well-told. I felt the story was on the "light" side. I think that middle grade students are the perfect audience for The False Prince. I never really felt my heart pound. I didn't feel the danger was real. I felt detached from the story and the characters. Something was missing as far as the depth of the story. For example, this book could be compared to something like The Girl of Fire and Thorns. But in that book, the main character is a strong, kick-ass fighter who I really became attached to. I just didn't get that with The False Prince.

There are surprising twists and turns. It's really an interesting premise and the plotting is great! The ending is pretty "happily ever after," but I didn't mind that either. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The False Prince to my students -- especially the younger ones. And, I wouldn't mind reading the second book, The Runaway King at some point.

The audio book narrator, Charlie McWade did a good job with the narration, and I would recommend the audio version without reservation.

Published by Scholastic (and Scholastic Audio Books) 2012
Audio book obtained from Sync YA Literature
355 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Blackbird by Anna Carey @AnnaCareyBooks

Blackbird certainly kept me on the edge of my seat.

The opening scene is our main character waking up on the subway tracks right before a train runs over her. She is stunned and cut, but mostly unharmed. As rescuers try to take care of her, she realizes she has a backpack and in it there's a phone number that says she needs to get away and call as soon as possible. She remembers nothing from before this moment.

So she goes on the run, gets framed for a burglary, and runs from someone trying to murder her. She also realizes she's being followed.

She runs into a boy, Ben, in a supermarket who takes pity on her, and ends up giving her his phone number. She eventually uses this number, and this is where the romantic interest occurs.

The whole book is this girl narrowly escaping death, trying to figure out who she is and what has happened to her, and trying to keep Ben and others she has contact with safe. She's not very successful.

She's had a few flashbacks but they don't make much sense. She's clever and finds out she has some surprising abilities that help her fight off her attackers.

Notice I've called her "she?" Blackbird is written in the second person so that you feel like you are right there with her. I found this effective, and it didn't bother me, but I'm not sure it was necessary. I'm kind of indifferent, but not having read the book written in a different POV, I can't really compare it.

I don't want to say too much more about the story, except that it ends in a huge cliffhanger which only brings up more questions and no answers. I won't give my usual rant, but just say that I really think authors should write entire stories before they publish. Even if it's a series, each book should have an ending that ties up the issues in that episode. Otherwise it should all be one book. OK. I guess I did rant a bit....

I liked the main character. My heart pounded for her, and I sympathized with her confusion. I thought she was fairly intelligent and didn't make stupid decisions (like so many stories where the tension is based on those decisions), so I bought into her world.

Carey's blog says this is a two book series and the second book will be released in the spring of 2015. This is a compelling and entertaining read, but you might want to wait until the second book is out so you can read the entire story.  I'll be enthusiastically recommending Blackbird to my teens.

Published by HarperTeen, September 16, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
256 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Stacking the Shelves - A Thriller

I couldn't resist one book this week.  A thriller, compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. This book doesn't even release until January but it's already been optioned for a film.

For Review:

The Girl Before, by J. P. Delaney from NetGalley

Did you find some thing that you couldn't pass on this week? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit our hosts, Team Tynga's Reviews. Happy Reading!

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Book Review: The Deepest Secret, by Carla Buckley

The Deepest Secret is one of those books where you know the train wreck is coming, it's just a matter of how it happens.

We are first introduced to Tyler, who is a teenager with a rare medical condition that makes him not able to tolerate any UV light. I mean, none. It's like automatic skin cancer if he goes outside in the daytime. So, he lives his existence locked in his room during the day and can only come out at night. He still is in danger, and has to wear sunglasses even at night. He can't be in any halogen lighting either, because that contains UV. It's a difficult life.

Tyler's mother, Eve, lives to make him happy and keep him safe. The entire family is affected. Tyler's older sister, Melissa, can't live a normal life either. And David, his father, works away from home so is only there on weekends. There are complicated relationships, which make The Deepest Secret even more interesting.

The neighborhood is mostly supportive of Tyler, but he's keeping secrets about his nighttime activities. And, there is at least one house that refuses to cooperate and uses halogen yard lighting at night. Eve has had the streetlights turned off on their street. And they all know to turn off their headlights when they enter the road.

Things begin to unravel when a young neighbor girl goes missing. The reader knows what happened, well, at least part of it. So we go on this journey where we know people are lying, and eventually the house of cards is going to fall down. It's interesting to see relationships disintegrate just because of suspicions. Also, the lengths that people will go to protect their loved ones. And even though you think you know what happened, there are some surprises at the end which add a lot.

It's an interesting premise and I really enjoyed watching it all fall apart. I think The Deepest Secret is a little long winded. It takes too long for the "event" to happen, and the description of Tyler's life is long and drawn out. I thought the progression of the entire story could have moved along at a faster clip. But it's well written, and I had no problem sticking with it.

This is a minor complaint, and I think fans of what I will call the "family mystery drama" will enjoy The Deepest Secret a lot.

Published by Bantam, February 4, 2014
eBook obtained from NetGalley
448 pages

Rating: 4/5

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