Serial Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch

Again, love the cover art...

Serial is a short written by two authors, Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch. They each wrote about a serial killer then have the characters meet each other and do what they do best.

But they have each met their match and the results are invigorating.

Read it to find out what happens!

Beat the Reaper, Josh Bazell

I have to be honest, the first thing that drew me to this book was the cover
art. This happens sometimes & isn't always the best way to choose a novel!

However, I found this a fun read. The concept of a mob killer in witness protection, as a doctor was pretty amusing.

I liked the tough language (surprise...) coming from this supposed medical
professional. While I enjoyed this I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The flavor isn't for everyone plus it wasn't what I would call"stellar".

Fun, amusing, yes. Stellar, no.

Mudbound, Hillary Jordan

A friend lent me this novel though my new Nook color. Oh, what fun is this? Lots, I'll say!

The story, on the other hand, was moving, a little sad, a little disturbing.

This strong woman, forced to move to the country when her husband decides he wants to be a farmer, is alone & lonely. She has to work hard without any support and isolated for civilization during the Mudbound years.

Trouble ensues, mistakes are made and lives are changed. I cheered parts that inevitably changed the lives the most, I hurt for those stuck on the edges, those that could be hurt the most.

Faithful Place, Tana French

Another highly enjoyable thriller from Tana French!

The women in one of my book clubs are not fond of In The Wood by Ms. French, I don't know of one member who is giving it a good review. This makes me question what I am missing... :)

I still love, love, love Tana French. I love the Gothic, kinda f-ed up Irish drama and the layers upon layers of stories in her novels. I don't mind "figuring" out who done it mid way through the novel, you never really know who did it until the end anyway. I love the rich layers to the characters and how she uses characters from one novel to the next.

Maybe I've never read any strong mystery writers, it's never been my forte, I can't say I've ever read Dean Koontz, James Patterson or even Agatha Christie. Shoot, Rick Castle I only know about because of the TV show (which I do enjoy).

I still maintain the warm fuzzies for Tana French, the layers & Irish Gothic, the characters & their drama grab me every time and have me zooming through her stories in no time.

Aaarrrggghhhhh! I have three reviews to write & time is soooo tight! They are for Mudbound, Beat the Reaper & Faithful Place. I'll get there...

It goes round and round

As a 42 year old woman I have come to a point in my life where I (usually) remember that yes, things happen for a reason, people come into and out of your life for a reason and that sometimes, most times, I don't usually understand why at the time but that there probably is a reason and I just need to be patient

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann puts this all in this story. There are actions and consequences, there is the character that always seemed to know his truth, who in the end has to question that truth. There are the innocent and not so innocent bystanders following the life that was laid out for them and those that would like to atone for their sins.

We have this, all of us, in our lives, this window into ourselves. If we take the time to listen we can hear it. This life can be simple or it can be complex but it is ours and it is intertwined with others with a purpose.

I don't like to get into the clear details of these stories I read, you can tell that by the reviews I have written in the past. If you want to know the intimate details of this novel I am sure there are other most complex reviews out there to be found. I recommend this novel and I hope that you can read it with clarity and find your own connection to it and to this world and open your heart to them all.

The Learners, Chip Kidd

I really enjoyed Chip Kidd's The Cheese Monkeys, with that in mind I also really liked The Learners. So many are disdainful of second novels and even worse about sequels (read as if it's a dirty word), but I think it's a little unfair. How can a second novel ever be as exciting or interesting as a first novel? The reader goes into the first with a clean head, no expectations and no real idea how a story will pan out, what types of phrasing or twists the author uses etc. With a second novel some of that is expected whether consciously or not.

With this in mind I wonder how any of us could enjoy this novel as much as The Cheese Monkeys, when the tremendously interesting character of Himillsy plays such a small part. When the character Happy has been better formed by maturity, knowing the things we suspected in the first novel and owning them as such.

I really enjoyed the description of Happy's first position in advertising, having experienced a similar situation in the world of Interior Design, starting as a naive novice, learning about the world at large at the same time as I am learning the true details of my chosen career, the losses and disappointments, the true meaning and pressures of a deadline and presentations.

I hope that others who have read The Cheese Monkeys can open thier minds enough to see the story behind the story in this novel, there is much to be enjoyed and appreciated.