The Adventures of a Constant Reader

       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 (...

     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 w...

     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 una...

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....

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 beginn...

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....

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 ...