Welcome to my meme, Monday Memories, where I feature favorite books we've loved from the past. You can link to an old review, or write something new about a beloved book from your past. Really, what's important is not the book, but why it is memorable to you. So, have fun reminiscing, and leave a comment below, so we can all enjoy your memories.
I also wanted to let you know about another wonderful blog that you should check out. Ashley @ Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing does a weekly post called Memory Monday. She has been posting about her childhood memories of books. What's great about Ashley's site is that she is asking for guest posts for her Memory Monday event! So hop on over there and check it out. I'm hoping to do a guest post for her soon!
Tell No One, by Harlan Coben, is one of the best thriller novels I have ever read. This is one of those that you pick up and read the first three pages, and you are hooked. I don't know how he does it, but this book just never stops.
I read this when it first came out, and gave it to my husband as soon as I was finished. It then passed through my daughter, her boyfriend, his mom, and even MY SON. Let me tell you about my son....
He's the definition of a reluctant reader. So, I gave him this one and told him he would really like it. When he got about half way through, one night he came to see me. He wanted to know how it ended. You see, he couldn't put it down, and it made him mad, because he didn't want to read, but he had to know how it ended. Hah! I won! He finished it. He won't read any more Harlan Coben, though. Although, he is reading more than he used to. It was a great lesson for him to discover that there are "good" books that can entertain him. Not sure he knew that before.
Share one of your cherished book memories!
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While I found 99 Daysto be predictable, the writing is very good and I still enjoyed it.
Molly Barlow has just returned from boarding school, where she spent her senior year after being literally chased out of her home town by haters. Molly's mother is a famous author and wrote a book about a girl cheating on her long time boyfriend with his brother. Then she tells everyone it is based on her daughter. So everyone knows that Molly cheated on Patrick with his brother, Gabe. And, Julia, the boys' sister who used to be Molly's best friend, is the worst at dishing out punishment.
Molly returns to spend the summer (99 Days) until she goes to Boston to college. No one has forgotten. No one has forgiven. Then Molly begins a relationship with Gabe, after everything she's been through. And to top it all off, she goes behind Gabe's back and starts up with Patrick again. Can anyone see what's coming? Pretty sure everyone can.
Teens are stupid, but how can you be that stupid. Molly finally gets to be friends with a new girl who doesn't know her past, and then finds out that girl is dating Patrick. UUggghhh. She weasels her way back into that family, all the while setting herself and them up for a huge explosion. She doesn't mature or grow at all. Well, maybe a little in the last 5 pages....
And WHY would her mother tell the whole world that the book about cheating is based on her daughter. No one could be that clueless, could they? Molly is adopted. I'm not sure why this is even mentioned, since we only get a few scenes with Molly and her mom. I wish this relationship were explored more.
I adored How to Love, Cotugno's other book. One of the high points for me in that one was how the characters matured and grew emotionally and how the characterizations were so well done. I didn't get that in 99 Days.
But as I said, I enjoyed reading 99 Days. From a teen perspective, it's probably a lot more entertaining. The writing is good. There are nice descriptions and the dialog is authentic. There are some interesting side characters (Penn) but none of the characters are really explored fully. The pace moves quickly enough that it was an easy book to get through, but maybe too fast for me to really sink my teeth into. I'll still be recommending this one to teens (after I recommend How to Love.)
Published by Balzer + Bray, April 21, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages
Lies We Tell Ourselves is a heart wrenching story about school desegregation in Virginia -- with an added complication.
Heart wrenching is a very accurate description. Nine students will attend the fictitious Jefferson High School after winning a suit filed by the NAACP. Now, we've all seen famous pictures from the 60s when this phenomenon was occurring. But those pictures are from the first day. This book recounts the day after day relentless persecution suffered by these teens. Spit wads, taunts of "nigger," shoving and pushing in and out of school, and many other occurrences were common, everyday experiences. It never got better. There was virtually no support or assistance from the faculty or administration. These kids weren't welcome at extracurricular events. And the prom was cancelled because parents didn't want their white kids at the same dance as blacks which just adds to the hatred.
Sarah is our main character, and she is forced to work on a school project with two white girls, Linda and Judy. They meet in a secret back room where Judy works, so no one knows. Linda's father is the editor of the newspaper and one of the most vocal supporters of segregation. Linda is also afraid of him -- he's a moody and sometimes violent father.
Lies We Tell Ourselves is told from both Linda's and Sarah's perspectives. Their feelings for each other begin at hatred, and eventually turn into friendship and more. Both are confused about their feelings.
We get to know several characters, and that makes the story become real. There are side stories -- Sarah & Linda both sing. Sarah's sister is also attending Jefferson, and Sarah feels like she must do everything to protect her. Linda is dating a much older guy and plans to get married as soon as she graduates. This is a book about the 1960s in general, as well as desegregation.
There is violence against the teens who attend the white school. Some of them don't survive the environment and end up quitting.
Lies We Tell Ourselves speaks to the reader about strength and perseverance and standing up for what you believe. It strongly addresses how easy it is for teens to believe whatever their parents have taught them and how difficult those beliefs are to change.
I almost felt like the lesbian issue was taking on too much. It was dealt with realistically, but the controversy is already so complicated it was almost overwhelming. Sarah is a devout Christian, and prays fervently for God to help her stop these feelings. This issue does make Lies We Tell Ourselves stand out from the crowd, though.
There's a lot here to discuss. Lies We Tell Ourselves is a difficult book to read, but necessary. We still live with prejudices today -- whether about race or other topics, and this book will do a lot to get the conversation started.
Lies We Tell Ourselves is one of those "everyone needs to read this" books. And then everyone needs to discuss it.
Published by Harlequin Teen, September 30, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages
The Technologists is and intricately woven mystery, that will entertain the reader with a lush historical setting and surprise you with its twists and turns.
We are in 1868 Boston, and our main characters, Marcus, Edwin, and Bob, are looking forward to being part of the first graduating class from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
When unexplained terrorist events are occurring in Boston, these technologically oriented students want to help figure out what is happening during these strange events. You see, these aren't your normal bombings and shootings. First, the navigational instruments in all the vessels in port go haywire, causing substantial damage to the port and many sailing vessels. I won't tell you about the other events, but they are similarly mysterious in origin, and completely different that the first event.
No one in Boston believes that MIT will survive. They don't believe in their "hands on" type of study. The workers are afraid that new inventions may take away their jobs. They are frightened of technology. The people at Harvard don't like this new method being used. This is also the time of Darwin and his writings, which Harvard administrators are totally against. So controversy surrounds this school and its students. And, to top it all, MIT has allowed a WOMAN to attend.
The students are told that they cannot have anything to do with investigating the strange events, for fear that the school will end up being accused of contributing to them. But, no one has any confidence in the Boston police or Professor Agassiz from Harvard, who the police have asked to help.
So, behind everyone's back and in secret, The Technologists, made up of our main characters, and eventually Miss Swallow, the very bright female student, begin to do experiments and investigations in the basement of the school to determine how these attacks are being orchestrated.
There were a few unexpected twists during the eventual resolution of this mystery that were enjoyable. I certainly didn't see them coming. The book is a bit long, and at times the plot slowed, especially during the setting up and beginning of the investigation. Once The Technologists started figuring things out, the pace picked up. The amount of scientific description might be a bit much for some, but, personally, I enjoyed those parts.
Marcus has flashbacks of his time of service in the Civil War, and particularly, his time as a war prisoner. These events have, of course, shaped his life. He is the character that we learn the most about, the real main character of the story. I did wonder why we were learning these details of his past; this seemed unnecessary. But, I assumed these events were important to the story, and I was correct, so don't be frustrated. Perhaps these segments could have been shorter and more spread out throughout the story, but this is really nitpicking.
Another somewhat insignificant comment is that towards the beginning of the story, we are taken to the perpetrator's laboratory, and see things just for a couple of pages, through his/her eyes. That was the only time. I wish that part would have been either left out, or that we revisited that scene a couple more times during the story. I just felt it didn't fit--it was out of place.
The best part of my reading experience was the historical setting, and learning about the origin of MIT, and the absolute hatred of this institution by almost everyone else. The treatment of women, laborers, and of course the African Americans during this time is all touched upon. The description of the desolate marshy area where the Institute was built is fascinating, especially to those who are familiar with current day Boston. I enjoyed all of these details.
This isn't a quick, easy read. The vocabulary and sentence construction is more complicated than my usual fare. I guess you call this "literary," and I really enjoyed reading a well-written, complex, literary book for a change. I would, however, hesitate to recommend this to all but my most mature "literary" teens. This one is definitely an adult book.
Published by Random House, February 21, 2012
496 pages
Copy obtained from TLC Book Tours, for review
Rating: 3.5/5
The tour is allowing me to GIVE AWAY one copy of The Technologists! You can enter here.
I'm a big Coben fan and hadn't read one for a while so I was very entertained by Stay Close.
Megan, a suburban housewife with two kids, a handsome husband, and a beautiful house, has a secret past. When she decides to return to one of her old haunts -- where they know her as Cassie -- she ends up digging up more than she bargained for.
Ray, a two-bit photographer who is constantly down on his luck, is someone from Cassie's past. Ray inadvertently takes a picture of a man right before he disappears. He sends the picture anonymously to the police, and Detective Broome is on the case.
These three characters will have their world turned upside down as they dig into this case. Turns out there are many more missing men, going all the way back to Cassie's and Ray's relationship.
Stay Close has also been turned into a Netflix series if you are interested. The audiobook narrator, Scott Brick, does a great job. The voices are distinct, but his narration doesn't get in the way.
As in all Coben stories, there are many twists and turns and lots of surprises. The characters are sympathetic, even with all their faults. The way these surprises are revealed is classic Coben, and if you haven't experienced his storytelling, you should try Stay Close. Or my favorite, Tell No One. Or really any of his mystery thrillers. You won't be disappointed.
Coben can really spin a startling thriller and he has done it again with Fool Me Once.
Maya, a former military pilot has just lost her husband as the story opens. They were in a park and he was shot by two thugs in ski masks. Maya ran to save herself. Maya has a two-year-old daughter. Two years ago her sister was also murdered, and Maya is trying to be a mother to her sister's two kids also.
Maya sees a strange thing when checking her nanny-cam. She sees her supposedly dead husband come and visit her daughter. This begins Maya's quest to find out what really happened to her husband. Along the way she'll find out a lot about her husband's family, her sister's death, and other seemingly unrelated things.
This is Harlan Coben, so it's all very twisted. I dare anyone to say they figured out what happened before the end of Fool Me Once. Totally unexpected and not at all a pleasant ending, however the journey is worth it. I literally couldn't put this one down and thought about it constantly if I wasn't able to be reading.
I always recommend Coben to my reluctant readers who enjoy a good thriller, because his books are page-turners and Fool Me Once is no exception. If you've never tried this author, I think Tell No One, my first taste of this author, will always be my favorite, but Fool Me Once is definitely a close second.
Published by Dutton, March 22, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
400 pages
Stephen King's latest, Fairy Tale, is a bit different than his usual horror-ish stories, but as I have often said, I will read anything he writes because he can write about anything!
It's a story about a boy, Charlie, who ends up in a fairytale land and must save that land from the evil king who possesses it.
But of course, there is so much more. Charlie ends up befriending the local "old guy with the mean dog whose house is haunted." When Charlie hears the man crying out for help, he calls an ambulance and ends up taking care of the man's dog, Radar. Radar is just a sweet, aging German Shepherd that can hardly make it up the steps to his house. And Charlie soon falls in love with him.
After his convalescence in the hospital, the man, Mr. Bowditch, comes home and Charlie takes care of him, as well as Radar. Bowditch begins to confide in Charlie about his life, his past, and secrets that Charlie can tell no one. One secret is about what is in the shed in Mr. Bowditch's backyard.
Now you can probably see where this is going, and I really don't want to tell you much more. It is a fun adventure story, with lots of danger and many references to fairy tales we are all familiar with -- but this isn't a retelling. King, of course, adds his own twists and turns.
The narrator, Seth Numrich, is perfect. The voices are distinct, but not too much. King, himself, narrates a certain part of the book, and it's amazing. I highly recommend the audio version, if you like audiobooks.
Don't go in expecting the usual spooky, twisted, scary tale that you usually get, and you will be highly entertained by Fairy Tale.
Published by Scribner, September 6, 2022, audio by Simon & Schuster
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
608 pages
I learned about this during Armchair BEA. I'm sorry I can't give credit, but it was just one of those many posts I read, and I thought "I'll try this." Not realizing how MUCH I was going to appreciate this tip. If you are the one that posted about this, please leave a comment, and thank you!
Why I like it? If you put this button in you bookmark bar, you can use it to go through your Google Reader posts. It opens up the actual blog page. You aren't just reading the posts in a reader. Therefore, there's no extra clicking to leave a comment. You can appreciate all the beautiful blog designs (although, I can't reiterate enough -- as so many others have -- that white text on black background is very difficult for some of us to read. Just sayin'.)
You get to see the formatting the way the author intended. I didn't realize what a difference this makes. One thing I found annoying about some blogs is that they present a "Summary" which is labeled, then it runs right into their review -- so it's difficult to tell where the summary ends and the review begins. On many of these blogs, if you see the original formatting, there is some sort of break or indication other than the word "Review" that makes it easy to tell.
I notice blog buttons to add to my own blog. I notice buttons to follow on twitter. And...the bloggers are getting a "hit" on their blog for my visit, unlike using a reader, where the blogger has no way of knowing you read their post. (If there's a way to track this, let me know, but I've asked before and I think that is correct.) It's just a win-win, as far as I can tell.
How do I get this button? In Google Reader, go to Reader Settings (click on the little wheel thing at the upper right of the screen.) Click on the "Goodies" tab. Under "Put Reader in a Bookmark," click on the "next" button and drag it into your bookmark bar.
That's it. It's easy, and now every time you want to read a new blog post, just click on that button. You should give this a try. I've been commenting a lot more since using this feature. I feel like I "know" your blogs better since I see the whole thing every time I read a post. Let me know what you think.
Coben is one of my favorite authors. I prefer his mysteries that aren't from the Myron Bolitar series, which Homeis, but I still enjoyed it.
This time Win gets an anonymous tip about his nephew who has been missing for ten years. Rhys, his nephew, and his friend Patrick were abducted from Rhys' home when they were six years old. Now Win has found Patrick in London, but the boy has fled. So Win calls on Myron to help.
Myron hasn't heard from Win for years, but even though Myron has vowed to his fiance he will stay out of danger, he can't help but answer Win's call. And off he goes.
I think Bolitar (and especially Win) are a bit over the top. But still, the stuff they do is compelling. The story has delightful twists and turns and some shady, as well as colorful, characters. I didn't see the ending coming which is always a bonus.
If you are a fan of Myron Bolitar, Harlan Coben, or if you just love a thrilling mystery with a lot of twists, you should put Home on your list. BTW...Tell No Onewill always be my favorite by Coben. So if you are unfamiliar with the author, start there.
Published by Dutton, 2016
eBook obtained from the library
400 pages
