The Adventures of a Constant Reader

     It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I spent my day in a turkey induced food hangover reading Haunted Horror of Haverfordwest by G.L. Davies.  The book claims to be an interview describing the experience of two people who used to reside in a haunted house. The author also claims to have lived in said house and it was his experience (having been previously published) that drew the couple to him in hopes of getting their story told. Both accounts are included in this book. If you decide to read it I recommend reading the author’s first because it gets referenced a lot in the interview with the couple.       I thought the framing of this book as a true story and the interview format was interesting. While I can’t say that I believe it, it certainly made the tone of the interview sections of the book more urgent and menacing. They kept my attention and I felt the building of suspense was good.       There were a couple of things that I didn’t like.  Some of the introductions t

This week I finished reading The Alehouse at the End of the World by Stevan Allred.  I was provided a copy of the book for review purposes but, as always, this in no way influenced my reading and all opinions in this review are my own.  I thought this was an interesting take on the Shakespearean comedy. Readers who are unfamiliar with the difference between a Shakespearean comedy and a modern comedy should know that this book is not going to be funny in the way you’re looking for. Shakespearean comedies pertain more to struggling lovers, love triangles, deception, and reunification. They are light hearted but not necessarily funny.  This book has all of the above in spades and I found it highly entertaining. I also enjoyed the way the author portrayed the afterlife. I’m not going to discuss details so as not to spoil anything but I haven’t seen life after death quite like this before. I’m always interested in new takes on old tropes, there are so many books and movies out t

     Can I just say that fall is my favorite season?  There's just something about falling temperatures, the crisp smell in the air, and the Halloween decorations that's just my right up my alley.  I've always been a fan of suspense, and horror so whenever this time of year rolls around I'm always looking for something nice and creepy to read.  Creatures:  The Legacy of Frankenstein really fit the bill.  I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it but, as always, this has no bearing on my opinions.     Fans of Shelley's original monster, like me, will be interested to see him reappear in different ways within each of the five short stories included in this collection.  My two favorites involved a reanimation cruise and a mystery involving a grave robber.  Each story tells a tale about reanimation and being an outsider in an increasingly more modern setting so you get to follow the monster through time.  Even though Frankenstein is a tale th

       My husband and I went out of town over Labor Day weekend for an out of state wedding and I decided to bring Lies By T. M. Logan along with me because it seemed like it'd be an easy car read.  I was not dissappointed!  Let me start by saying that Lies was provided to me for reviewing purposes by Macmillan Publishers.  As you all know by now this does not affect my review in any way, all opinions I'm providing are my own.  I am grateful for the opportunity to review books but I don't let that influence my reading in any way.       In Lies main character Joe Lynch's seemingly happy life is thrown upside down when he sees his wife's car entering a hotel parking garage and decides to stop and say hi.  He discovers her having an argument with a friend's husband.  What follows is a riveting account of the next week of his life that includes a missing person, deception, and Joe's attempts to save his family and the life they've built.  It was a pret

     This week I read Sadie by Courtney Summers.  I was given this book by Wednesday Books for the purposes of reviewing it.  The fact that I was provided this book for free by the publisher has no bearing on my honest review.  My opinions are my own and I will always tell you exactly what I think of a book without bias.      Sadie has always been the one to care for her thirteen year old sister Mattie so when Mattie is murdered Sadie embarks on a journey to track down her killer.  When Sadie goes missing a concerned family friend contacts a Podcast in hopes that they can find her and figure out what happened to Sadie and Mattie.  The story is told from both Sadie's point of view and through transcripts of the Podcast.      I brought this book on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down.  It's an easy read and it keeps your attention throughout.  I thought the pacing was nice, it didn't feel like there were any parts that dragged on and there was enough suspens

       I just finished reading The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl.  This book was provided to me for review by Penguin Random House but the fact that I received this book for free has not influenced my review in any way.       The Boy at the Door is Alex Dahl's first novel, and for a first novel I think it is very good.  I was drawn in from the beginning by the mysterious little boy and wanted to keep reading so I could find out where he came from and how he was related to Cecilia.  I do think that their connection is fairly easy to guess but the way the author gets us there is suspenseful and full of twists and turns.  Some of the things that happen in the book seem far fetched at first but the author connects all the dots by the end.      I liked how the characters in the novel are not always what they seem at the onset.  Anni is not just a scruffy heroin addict, Cecilia isn't entirely (though she is mostly) a conniving, selfish bitch, Moffa is not who you expect they'

     This week I read Ok, Mr. Field by Katharien Kilalea.  I was provided a copy of this book to read by Penguin Random House.  This does not effect my review in any way, as always my thoughts on this book are my own and not influenced by the publisher.       Ok, Mr. Field is about a concert pianist who gets injured in a car accident and is unable to continue to play the piano.  After the accident Mr. Field purchases a house by the sea and then proceeds to do absolutely nothing.  For the entirety of this book Mr. Field wanders around his house, watches some construction that is taking place next door, and goes for drives.  He does creepily stalk the prior owner of his house but it's the most uneventful stalking ever written because all he does is stand around outside her window.  I kept expecting something, anything to happen but nothing does.  Since there's no conflict, there's also no resolution and I walked away from this book feeling like I had just wasted my time. 

     St. Martin's Press graciously provided me with a copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage to read and review.  Baby Teeth is due on shelves on July 16th.  The fact that I was given a copy of this book to review for free has in no way influenced my opinions.  Any thoughts or feelings in my review are 100% my own.      The premise of the book seemed really creepy and I was very interested in reading it.  The book is told from two points of view.  Suzette is a stay-at-home mother who's daughter, Hanna has some behavioral issues and has also been mute since birth.  Hanna appears to be a perfectly happy seven-year-old when she's around her father, but when she is alone with her mother her behavior is increasingly hostile.  The book follows Suzette's struggle to convince her husband, Alex, that there is something wrong with their daughter and Hanna's attempts to get rid of Suzette.  Unfortunately this book was unable to deliver the chills I had been hoping for.       Whi

I have been looking for ways to get out of the house every so often.  Being a stay at home mom to a four-month-old during cold and flu season is the worst.  I've been living like a hermit since she was born in an attempt to avoid the flu.  I have the WORST case of cabin fever right now.  I discovered that my local library has a book club and I decided to take a look at the books they had read in the past to get an idea of whether I'd like to join.  Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney was their read from last month. The book follows Lillian Boxfish, an 85-year-old ex ad woman, as she walks around New York city on New Years Eve 1984.  The book alternates between the "present day" 1984 and the past as Lillian walks around New York reminiscing about her rise as a female ad writer in the 1930's.  Lillian ultimately becomes the most famous female ad writer and we see how that affects her and her family as the book goes along.  She is certain

One of the books I've read outside of book club was Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker.  This was one of the books I got when I tried the Book of the Month club.  I'll admit the cover drew me in.  I'm a sucker for a good book cover.  I've even been known to re-purchase a book if it's released later with a cover I like better than the one I have.  Superficial, I know. In my defense, the premise of the book sounded interesting too.  In this book two sisters disappear and, three years later, one returns.  When Cass returns without her sister, the titular Emma, she weaves a story of the events that transpired that is full of holes and leaves her family and investigators with more questions than answers.  This is a book that I regret buying, pretty cover or no.  The ending is pretty obvious from the beginning, I didn't like the writing, and the whole plot would have been tied up easier if Cass had just told the truth from the beginning.  I get that the

Hello there!  I seem to have fallen behind again.  On a good note, my baby is now four months old and growing like a weed!  I'm so very proud of her. A couple of months ago my book club read American Gods by Neil Gaiman.  This was my pick.  I loved Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and have been looking to read more Gaiman and Pratchett.  I had also just started watching the Starz TV series so I figured it'd be a good way to read the book before I continued with the series.  I love the concept of this book.  When people immigrate to the United States they bring all sorts of things with them, why wouldn't they also bring their gods?  It's interesting to think about the different versions of each god living all around the world and how they would all be different due to the influence of the different areas they've been living in.  I also love the conflict between the old gods and the new gods.  As time goes on and the world we

This month's read for book club was In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.  Ware is a mystery/suspense writer and she's also known for the novel The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game .  I was looking forward to this one.  I tend to like suspense novels and I needed something fun and easy to read since my brain is mush from lack of sleep.  My adorable daughter seems to have gotten her days and nights confused recently.  I had also read some reviews that described this book as scary, something that needs to be read with the light on.  I do love a scary book.  This proved to be exactly what I needed and I finished it so quickly that I immediately checked out The Lying Game from the library.  I cannot stress enough what a wonderful resource your local library can be.  I've made a resolution this year to not buy as many books as I typically do.  My goal is to only purchase books that I know I'm going to read multiple times, or are written by an author I love.  On to the revi

Let me tell you, life as a first time mom is rough!  Learning to take care of my daughter, round the clock feedings, and trying to get some sleep have taken up a lot of my time lately.  I have been reading, I just haven't been able to make it to my computer to type up my reviews for a while.  Now I'm back! First up in my to be reviewed queue is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.  I read this book in high school, but I didn't remember very much about it so I was looking forward to a re-read.  The movie was just about to come out when we decided to read this for book club.  Once we were finished reading we went to see the movie together so I'll be reviewing that too. The Book The book finds Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, embarking on a trip via train.  In leu of a leasurely vacation he ends up with a new case when one his fellow passengers is found murdered in his room.  Hercule reluctantly takes the case and begins interviewing th