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Showing posts with label Heather Gudenkauf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heather Gudenkauf. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Top Ten Tuesday: FALLing for a New Crop of TBR Books
Although we are having a little streak of days in the 90s, it's only going to last until Thursday, when we'll be back over 100 degrees again. This is par for the course in the Arizona desert, unfortunately. True Fall weather (at least our version of it) won't start arriving for a couple months still. I desperately miss real Autumn weather and dream of the days when I experienced it this way:
Even if it's not Fall yet on the outside where I live, it's Fall in my heart, so it seems appropriate that today's prompt is Top Ten Books On My Fall 2022 TBR List. These seasonal lists are my favorite! I can't wait to see what everyone's planning to read during this cozy time of year.
If you want to join in the fun (and you definitely do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Top Ten Books On My Fall 2022 TBR List
- in no particular order -
1. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty—I've read most of Moriarty's novels, but this one slipped through the cracks somehow. I'm currently enjoying it on audio. The story is about a woman who very unexpectedly inherits the house of someone she barely knows. Along with the property comes an unconventional family full of untold secrets.
2. Come Down Somewhere by Jennifer L. Wright—The other day, I was working on improving my NetGalley downloaded-to-reviewed ratio (I went from 2% to 4%—woohoo!) when I came across Wright's first book, If It Rains. Remembering how much I enjoyed her debut, I went looking for more from her. Turns out, her sophomore effort came out a couple weeks ago.
The novel concerns 16-year-old Olive, whose family's New Mexico ranch is seized by the government in 1945 in order to make way for a hush-hush new Army post. Already angry at being uprooted, Olive's even more disconcerted when she hears rumors about what's really happening on her family's land. Seven years after a devastating explosion rocks the whole area, Olive returns to the ranch determined to figure out what really happened there. Sounds intriguing!
3. The House on the Lake by Holly Hill Mangin—It wouldn't be spooky season without a shivery read or two. This one is about two women who arrive at a mysterious lake house with no memory of getting there. The house is full of chilling surprises. What will the women find? Will they ever be able to leave?
4. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox (available April 4, 2023)—Fox's newest doesn't come out until Spring, but I've got an e-ARC thanks to Edelweiss. The story stars a young woman who's shocked when she learns that not only is she part of an ancient English bloodline, but she's also the new owner of a sprawling Yorkshire manor. Although rumors of ghosts, curses, and sinister doings swirl around Blackwood Abbey, it has one major draw: an exquisite library. How could any book lover possibly resist? As strange things start happening, Blackwood's new owner is determined to get to the bottom of its many secrets.
5. The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green (available November 15, 2022)—Returning to World War II, Green's newest concerns an unlikely librarian tasked with keeping her small-town Maine library open despite wartime struggles. The book club she forms as a last-ditch effort brings together a group of very different women who find support, belonging, and commonality as they bond through books.
6. Exiles by Jane Harper (available January 31, 2023)—I love Harper's novels, especially those in the Aaron Falk series, so I'm excited for her newest. I've got an e-ARC of this one, which has the federal investigator traveling to Southern Australia for a baby christening. Naturally, he gets embroiled in the case of Kim Gillespie, a young mother who tucked her slumbering newborn into her stroller then vanished without a trace during a town festival one year ago. What would make a loving parent abandon her baby? Did Kim go willingly or was she taken? Where is she now?
7. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm—This middle-grade read is an older book and one of the few of Holm's standalone novels I haven't yet read. It's about a young girl who moves with her mother to Key West, Florida. Jobs are scarce in 1935 and her mom needs this one, even if the wealthy lady for whom she's working hates kids. Florida is a big adjustment for young Turtle, but it might be just what she needs to finally come out of her shell.
8. The Dark by Sharon Bolton—It's been eight years since Bolton published an installment of her Lacey Flint mystery series, so I'm super stoked about this one. In it, Lacey is investigating a disturbing new terrorist threat from an extremist group that hates women—killing their babies. Can Lacey stop them before another infant dies?
9. The Bequest by Joanna Margaret (available October 18, 2022)—Isabel Henley moves from the U.S. to Scotland in the wake of a devastating love affair. Immediately, one after another, things in her new life start to go awry. When Isabel receives a coded message from an old friend who's been abducted, she finds herself in a desperate race to finish the research her kidnapped pal started. If she can't do it, both women will be killed by the dangerous captors.
10. The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf—This thriller looks like a perfect Fall read! Wylie Lark, a true crime writer, has retreated to an isolated farmhouse to pound out her new book. Once the site of a grisly murder, it's an atmospheric place to write; an oncoming snowstorm just makes it more so. When Wylie discovers a child stranded in the blizzard, she realizes she's not as alone as she thinks she is. Someone is out there, dying to come in...
There you have it, ten books on my Fall 2022 TBR list. What do you think? Have you read any of them? What are you planning to read this Fall? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Gudenkauf Thriller Keeps Me Up Way Past My Bedtime
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When it comes to scaring the kids of little Pitch, Iowa, the tale of Joseph Wither—an alleged murderer who lived locally decades ago—is right up there with Bloody Mary and The Vanishing Hitchhiker. So, when a junior high school teacher gives her class an assignment to research an urban legend, 12-year-old Violet Crow and two of her classmates decide to look more closely at the Wither story. Obsessed with the creepy tale, the girls agree to a late-night meeting at an abandoned rail yard with someone claiming to be Joseph. Hours later, one of them is found beaten near to death. The other two are in shock, refusing to speak about the incident. What really happened that night in the rail yard? Was Cora attacked by a supernatural entity? Or someone much more corporeal?
Despite its simple premise, Before She was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is a taut, twisty thriller with an ending I didn't see coming. Populated with interesting characters, the novel also poses some intriguing questions about the dangers of hysteria and groupthink as well as asking how far a parent will go to protect their child. Atmospheric and engrossing, this one kept me reading late into the night, desperate to know what was going to happen next.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing is coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a couple F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Monday, May 18, 2020
Unconvincing Mystery/Thriller Not Super Satisfying
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Considering it's named for the dark, serpentine cave system that lurks at its edge, it's not all that surprising that little Grotto, Iowa, is hiding big secrets. The largest surrounds the vicious murder of a teenage girl twenty-five years ago. Found inside one of the caves, her battered body revealed she had been beaten and strangled. Although several suspects were investigated at the time, no one has ever been charged for the murder.
When new evidence is discovered in the cave, the case of Eve Knox's murder is reopened. This time, Detective Maggie Kennedy O'Keefe—the daughter of the police chief who initially spearheaded the investigation—is in charge. Despite the fact that she's 8 months pregnant after a decade of miscarrying, Eve's childhood best friend, and the person who found her friend's dead body 25 years ago, Maggie insists she's up to the task. As she revisits evidence, she's reminded of the many people who could have been responsible for Eve's death, from the girl's abusive boyfriend to her creepy younger sister to a neighbor who would kill to keep her from talking. As Maggie tries to untangle the truth from the lies, she must face the secrets she's been keeping. Risking the disintegration of everything good in her life, Maggie persists—even with her own life and that of her unborn baby on the line.
My favorite setting for mystery/thrillers is small towns like Grotto. They're always concealing such juicy secrets! Unfortunately, while the premise of This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf appealed to me, its execution didn't so much. The novel is peopled with unlikeable characters, implausible plot points, and a heroine who isn't all that convincing as a detective. Despite these irritants, I did finish the book because I wanted to know what was going to happen. In the end, though, I found This Is How I Lied to be depressing, far-fetched, and not all that satisfying. It turned out to be just an average read for me.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of books by Catherine McKenzie and Erin Kelly)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, sexual content, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of This Is How I Lied from the generous folks at Harlequin. Thank you!
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: On Hold at the E-Library
Happy MonTueWedThurFriSatSunWhateverday! My kids have now been out of school for a month thanks to Spring Break and COVID-19. We've been plugging along pretty well, all considered, but my 11-year-old social butterfly did have a little breakdown yesterday over missing her friends. She said (with a sad little sniff), "I love hanging out with my family, but I just want to see other people's faces!" My husband owns his own business and has still been going to the office most days. Yesterday, even he said, "I'm going a little crazy." I haven't gone anywhere in days, but I've been busy reading, blogging, working on a cross-stitching project, cleaning, etc. What have you been doing to stay sane during these crazy times?
Top Ten Tuesday is always a fun diversion, even in normal times. If you haven't heard of it, remedy that! All you have to do is hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few quick instructions, create your own list, then click around the book blogosphere checking out other people's lists. It's a great way to spread the love—and who couldn't use a little of that right now? The topic du jour is Top Ten Books I Bought/Borrowed Because ... I haven't bought any books lately, but I have been checking out e-books from my library. So, that will be the focus of my list today.
Top Ten E-Books I've Borrowed From the Library During the Quarantine (and Why):
1. A Single Light by Tosca Lee. Why?
- I enjoyed the first book, The Line Between. It's a fast-paced, engrossing, well-written dystopian novel that is surprisingly clean and faith-promoting, although it's not a religious/Christian book.
- I had to know what happens to Wynter, Chase, and the others.
- So far, A Single Light is darker than The Line Between but just as exciting.
2. Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower. Why?
- that punny title!
- A blogger (sorry, can't remember who) mentioned enjoying this cozy series that takes place in an Amish candy shop. I'm in the mood for lighter mysteries and this first installment sounds fun.
3. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. Why?
- I love middle-grade novels.
- This mystery features a 12-year-old African-American girl who's curious about the father she's never met. He's in prison for a terrible crime he insists he didn't commit. Zoe's desperate to prove her dad's innocence. Can she? Sounds intriguing!
4. Let's Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry. Why?
- Stephanie from She's Probably at the Library gave it an excellent review. She was especially impressed by the way religion (mine specifically) is portrayed in this book and thought I would enjoy both its story and the faith exploration.
- The plot sounds interesting. It features a teen girl who's obsessed with all the ways the world can end and a new friend who knows when it will. Definitely sounds like my kind of book.
5. The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel. Why?
- Back before I started blogging, I read several installments in Coel's Wind River Reservation mystery series. As much as I enjoyed them, I didn't continue on with the series for some reason. I'm ready to dive back in.
- I need a Wyoming book for the 2020 Literary Escapes Challenge.
- Since it's been so long since and I have a terrible memory, I won't remember whodunit!
6. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. Why?
- The fun premise: In an attempt to save his crumbling marriage, a macho baseball player joins a secret romance book club, where he's coached by other alpha males on how to woo back his wife.
- I need a "book about a book club" for a POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt.
- I've read lots of positive reviews, so I'm hopeful it will be a light, entertaining read that's more sweet than steamy. Too much to ask for??
7. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker. Why?
- I've long been fascinated by the mechanics of sleep and why we dream what we do, so this book just sounds crazy intriguing.
8. Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin. Why?
- my aforementioned affinity for middle-grade novels
- the cute, colorful cover art
- The premise sounds interesting: A 12-year-old girl notices her mother displaying disturbing behavior, the kind that has previously landed her in a mental hospital. Desperate to fix her mom, the girl puts her faith in Bee Lady's magic honey, only to find the solution may have more to do with healing her own heart. Sounds like a sweet read.
9. Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf. Why?
10. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Why?
- A high school senior decides to reexamine a murder that rocked her town five years ago for her senior project. What could possibly go wrong? Now that's a compelling premise right there!
There you go. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What other books do I need to add to my library e-book wishlist? What books have you bought/borrowed lately and why? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy Top Ten Tuesday!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Review Part II (With a Giveaway!)
Like all of you, I was shocked to hear about the tragedy in Colorado. Everything that could be said about it has already been said, so I'll just add that my prayers go out to all the victims. May God bless and heal them.
Even though I didn't love, love, love One Breath Away, you might, so I'm giving you the opportunity to win a paperback copy of the book. All you have to do is leave me a comment saying you're interested in winning. Easy cheesy. I'll pick a winner on August 10. If you don't have a public blog that you update frequently, please leave your email address in your comment. Also, because the book will be mailed by the publicist, the giveaway is only open to readers with U.S. or Canadian mailing addresses.
Another tidbit I forgot: I was supposed to give you this link, so you can continue to follow Gudenkauf's book tour. And, if you're interested, the author will be doing a live chat today. You can get all the deets by clicking the icon below:
One Breath Away: Intense Premise, So-So Delivery
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a sudden Spring snowstorm swirls down on Broken Branch, Iowa, an armed man walks into the town's only school. While the police scramble to figure out what's going on, parents huddle together outside the building, anxious for news. No one knows who the gunman is, what he wants, or how far he's willing to go to make his point. Hazardous road conditions make it impossible to bring in outside help. Without the aid of trained SWAT teams or experienced hostage negotiators, it's up to local law enforcement to end the standoff. They only hope it can be done quickly, peacefully, with no casualties. As precious minutes tick by and the snow continues to fall, all the people of Broken Branch can do is wait. And pray.
Meg Barrett, a 33-year-old police officer, can't stop thinking about the kids trapped inside the school. She's got to find a way to get them out, even if it means ignoring orders from her superior and going against police protocol. Anything. She'll do anything to save the children. Eighth grader Augie Baker already hates Broken Branch, hates that she has to live in the middle of nowhere with the grandparents she hardly knows while her mother recovers from severe burns in Arizona. It's just her luck that she's now locked inside the school with a madman. But when she discovers a way to save herself, she can't do it. Her little brother's inside the school, too, and she refuses to leave without him. On the outside, Augie's grandfather waits helplessly, not knowing the fates of the grandchildren he's only just getting to know. After 40 some years of teaching in Broken Branch, Mrs. Oliver's ready to retire. She plans to end her career quietly, without a fuss, something that changes the minute a man with a gun steps into her classroom. Now, the 65-year-old educator may be the only thing standing between a desperate, armed man and a school full of innocent children.
Tension mounts with each passing moment. While the police fumble around looking for answers, the townspeople grow increasingly antsy. And angry. When Meg discovers a personal connection to the gunman, she knows it will be up to her—and only her—to put an end to the madness.
Violence at school is every parent's worst nightmare. Which is why it makes such excellent fodder for intense, edge-of-your-seat reading. Add in an inexperienced police team and a snowstorm that cuts them off from any outside assistance and you've got the makings of an A-grade thriller. That's what I expected from One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf after reading its very promising premise. Did the book deliver? Not exactly. While the potential was definitely there, the story started too soon, forcing Gudenkauf to spend too much time filling in back story and not enough on pushing the plot forward. A little restructuring along with some overall tightening would have resulted in a much more streamlined, pulse-pounding novel. I still enjoyed One Breath Away, which is, overall, a fast, engrossing novel, I just wanted something more polished and, ultimately, more satisfying.
Grade: C
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf from the generous folks at Harlequin/MIRA and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. Thank you!
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