The Adventures of a Constant Reader

     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 thr...

       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 t...

     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 fe...

       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....