Monday, August 27, 2018

On Mystic Lake - Kristin Hannah - 4 stars

Wow I really enjoyed this book. This is the third one I have read by this author, and loved them all. I found this one to be so engaging and it was also very easy to get into. I found my heart to be ripped out, put back, and then ripped out again. It was so easy to get lost between the pages in this one. I found the story to be so real and genuine. I loved the characters, the plot, the location, everything was written so beautifully which is I why I love Kristin Hannah's writing.

Annie is my favorite character in the story. She is so real and she is so easy to relate to. I think a lot of women end up feeling the way Annie did in this story. We get in that position, and get comfortable with it, and feel like it is just normal life, without realizing what even happened or how we ended up that way. I can so relate to her on so many levels.

There are no good or bad people really in this story. I found that everyone is held accountable for their actions which is what keeps this story so real for me. The only problem I had with the book was the ending. It felt kind of rushed and incomplete for me. I guess I just expected a bigger bang at the end. But other than that it is definitely worth the read.

Friday, August 24, 2018

The Time Keeper - Mitch Albom - 5 stars

I knew I would not be disappointed by this book since it is by one of my favorite authors. I have been wanting to read this for quite some time and finally got the book earlier this year. Such an engaging story that grabs you by the heart and does not let go till you finish.

The Author is so poetic in his writing, so fluid and the words say a million things to the reader. Takes you to a million places. I love the whole idea of this story, the plot, the setting, everything. This is easily just a one day read because it is so easy to get caught up in the story. It teaches us that time is just that, time, and we need to live from Sunset to sunset, not by watching the clock and trying to fit everything into our normally busy lives. Most of all, enjoy and appreciate what you have.

The characters are so real in this story that I believe all of us could relate to them. Real people in the real world today. It is sad that we have come to this, but we hear about it, and see it everyday and that is really sad. This story really puts it all into perspective.

"There is a reason God limits our days. To make each one precious."

Monday, August 20, 2018

Still Waters - Kalilah Coulter - 5 stars

This was another of the best books I have read so far this year. It was so engaging, such a riveting story. Please note though that before you read you need to know that there are MANY triggers in the story for those who are survivors of domestic violence and abuse. It is a story of fear, betrayal, strength and wisdom. So many emotions wrapped up in the pages of this book.

There is not much more I can say that I have not already about this story. My relationship was no where near the intensity of this story, but it definitely shows what it can and will turn into if you do not get help from somewhere. A very toxic relationship that just gets more deadly with each and every page. I felt so many emotions with this one. I wanted to literally jump into the pages and help the main character out, or destroy the man who possessed her.

As far as characters go, well, it took awhile for Natasha, (main character) to grow on me in this story. I found that she just did not learn easily, she took unnecessary risks constantly until it came down to life or death. It is hard to free yourself from a relationship such as this because you have been made to feel inferior, unwanted or unneeded, but it just seemed to take her a bit longer to learn from her experiences. My favorite character by far was Kenney. I would definitely want someone like him in my corner.

I will definitely be reading part 2 of the Still waters series, it will be called Kenney. Looking forward to it's release

Sunday, August 12, 2018

One For Sorrow - Mary Downing Hahn - 2 stars

I got this book from a book fair at my grandson's school. And for a middle grade 'scary' story it was not too bad. However, I am pretty sure that it would not scare my 8 year old grandson. The writing itself was ok, and I enjoyed the plot, but the characters were a bit to be desired.

I found the 'ghost' in the story very annoying, when she was alive and dead. I am sure that is how the author intended her to be. She is one of those kids who uses being bullied to her advantage, and that part I did not really like at all. She was not your typical bullied student that's for sure. In fact it seemed to me that she too was a bully. The other character, Annie, was also a bit annoying to me. I was hoping that she would use her head a bit more, stand up for herself or just maybe just be a bit stronger than she was.

I do realize that this is a kids book, but I am not sure that it would hold the attention of those targeted with this one, especially if they are specifically wanting a ghost story. It definitely works for the younger crowd.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware - 3 stars

I had heard a lot about this book so when my book club offered this as one of the selections, I jumped on it. I thought the mystery in the book was absolutely great. It really had me asking a lot of questions, even so, I think the book lacked excitement. I am used to reading high adrenalin based mystery/thrillers. I did not get that with this one until the last 80 or so pages. I do think that it was worth the wait, I was just a little disappointed thinking that the whole story could have been that way.

I did enjoy the characters, all of them, good and bad. They almost felt like a cast of characters from the game clue, or maybe characters straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. I think they were created and developed very well, and the characters, to me, are just as important as the plot itself if not more so. At one point I thought I had figured out the mystery of the woman in Cabin 10 to find that I was completely wrong, and I am glad I was wrong because then I would have felt that the characters and plot was predictable, but neither is true.

I will definitely read more from this author in the future. She does have a talent and she definitely has the ability of roping her readers in pretty good, because even though I felt it lacked excitement I was pretty engrossed by the story and characters anyway. Like I said, the ending excitement was worth the waiting.