A breakdown or a breakthrough?
Sanya and Harry move to Copenhagen as he negotiates the acquisition of a company there. Sanya is a bit at loose ends following a spectacular breakdown at her own job after she is finally offered a partner position there. Still trying to come to grips with her own feelings and work her way out of the pit of depression, she meets all kinds of people in Copenhagen and enjoys the beauty of the city. Lots of name dropping and references to specific places, designer brands, etc. show Sanya in a fairly elitist position enjoying the things that money can buy as she figures herself out. She's too long been acting the part of perfect wife and mother, subjugating her own desires until she no longer knows exactly who she is or what she wants from life, her marriage, herself. She references herself as Old Sanya and New Sanya, and everyone she connects with represents a chance for her to try it all on. Especially one particular man -- the owner of the company that Harry is investigating for purchase -- Anders Ravn. He's the mysterious man with a scar who takes a romantic interest in Sanya and makes her feel that she can love again.
The author refers to this book as a romantic comedy about depression, and I think it is also somewhat autobiographical for her. It's a poignant story, a bit of a farce, and definitely shows the uniqueness of the city of Copenhagen and it's obvious that Amulya loves it. The cast of characters is quite colorful the interaction between them is laugh out loud at times and quite brutally honest at others. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to end up for the marriage of Sanya and Harry. And I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted for either of them! Since I usually only read suspense thrilers and mysteries, this was a departure for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversion. I've read all of this author's books over the years and she always touches on subjects that have deeper themes about relationships, family, work, marriage and life. Bravo!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review. I'm looking forward, as always, to Amulya Malladi's next book!
NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Origin by Dan Brown
This was an AMAZING book on so many levels. I love Dan Brown. I realize that haters are gonna hate, but no matter, he has an ability to take a complex topic and reduce it to an exciting story that few authors can match. His books do scream "movie adaptation" but I look forward to seeing those on the big screen. I loved it and can't wait for the next one!
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 "Two mysteries lie at the heart of human experience.",
This review is from: Origin: A Novel (Kindle Edition)
4.5 stars! Get this one now!
"Where do we come from? Where are we going? Human creation and human destiny. They are the universal mysteries." OK, I absolutely loved this book -- stand down you Dan Brown naysayers. This was a superb blend of art, architecture, locations, science, religion, philosophy and HUMANTIES. It begs the question and the action-packed narrative attempts to answer it with a fast-paced plot and generates introspection that will make you rethink all you have held as fact. The author has a way of blending these different ideologies that make you think and imagine, what IF? The exposition was tense enough to make me impatient and frustrated at times with the "secret" being dangled just out of reach. The characters, symbologist Robert Langdon and the future Queen of Spain, Ambra Vidal, were a great team in their mission to bring Edmond Kirsch's radical theory to light. Their visits to the historical and important sites in Spain were instructive and interesting (especially to someone like me who has never been there.) The "prophecy" was quite revealing and, I believe, not unrealistic given the times. I loved the detail and the information provided -- it's always a plus to me to learn things that I did not know. I usually keep my iPad handy so that I can look up the various places and items mentioned in the text. That's why I love the illustrated versions of Dan Brown's books! So, I say to you -- read this! It is a book that will make you question all that is currently happening in the world. Advancements made in technology that almost defy belief -- and sort of scare you. I love a story that delves into the big questions and opens dialog. It doesn't matter if you agree with the theories presented in the book, what matters is that you give them some consideration. Could it be? Will it happen? This book isn't really about the characters -- and, if you have read other books featuring Robert Langdon -- you already know him. It's about science and religion. How open is your mind? It doesn't matter that the book seems formulaic or that Dan Brown mentions the Mickey Mouse watch twice. It's an opportunity for you to examine your own value and belief system. The book is about ideas and perhaps even a warning about where we are headed -- and how we can make sure we get "there" with our humanity intact. Please, if you read this and give it some thought, let me know what your reactions were! I recommend it. | ||||||||
A Kiss Before Killing
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| "Coincidences happen all the time, Chief Inspector. It's because we live in a random universe.",
This review is from: A Kiss Before Killing: Nothing can keep the doctor away... (Kindle Edition)
Well -- imagine my surprise to find that this book is #11 in a long-running series! And I have not read ANY of the previous books. I hate it when this happens! I would have liked to approach this medical thriller with all the background on the characters of Dr. John Eisenmenger and DCI Beverley Wharton. Perhaps I would have understood their relationship better based on their history together. Regardless, without the benefit of all the backstory, I did enjoy this very fast paced and quite grisly suspense novel. There's plenty of description for anyone not too squeamish, but I suspect readers of this genre are familiar with themes of bloody murder and torture. That the "victims" are only torsos when found is a bit off-putting, and that there are so many! There's another series of deaths that are occuring at a statistically higher than usual rate at the Royal Infirmary. Are these all connected somehow?
The medical details dovetail nicely with the police procedural. I like that it was told in the alternate points of view of the two main characters. The setting is the UK and it's spring time when Dr. Eisenmenger and DCI Wharton get involved in the cases. It's obvious that the author is himself a medical doctor with personal knowledge about pathologists and hospitals. Lots of dialog and action move the narrative along quickly so I was able to finish this in one sitting. There are loose ends at the conclusion so I imagine those answers will be addressed in the next book of the series. Perhaps one day I'll go back and try at least the first book! Thank you to NetGalley and Endeavor Press for the e-book ARC to read and review. Medical thrillers are my favorite! | ||||||||
The Lost Child
This was a new author for me, and I have not read the first two in the series but I want to go back and see the beginning. I love series, but sometimes it is hard to keep up! Anyone else have that problem?
I am always looking for new books to read so welcome any and all suggestions!
..."Human life just as fragile, is at the mercy of human greed and shame.", October 27, 2017
This review is from: The Lost Child: A gripping detective thriller with a heart-stopping twist (Detective Lottie Parker Book 3) (Kindle Edition)
Ragmullin in October -- rain and murder. The first to die is Tessa Ball, mother to Marian and grandmother to Emma. When the bodies continue to pile up, Detective inspector Lottie Parker and Detective Sergeant Mark Boyd know that this is a series of killings such as they have never dealt with before. An intense police investigation involves the old psychiatric instutition, St. Declan's Asylum. A history of a mentally disturbed young woman, a fire, some children and an immense cover-up. Is this a drug-related vendetta? Or is it something much more sinister and evil?
This third in the series has all the elements of a great thriller. I love the characters, especially Lottie, as she is trying to do her job and take care of her children and grandson while also delving into her own family history. Pulse-pounding suspense with a complicated and convoluted plot that will keep readers guessing until the very last pages! I could not put this down. I hope the 4th comes out soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review. Highly recommended. You can't go wrong if you love strong female protagonists, action, and suspense with compelling plots.
This third in the series has all the elements of a great thriller. I love the characters, especially Lottie, as she is trying to do her job and take care of her children and grandson while also delving into her own family history. Pulse-pounding suspense with a complicated and convoluted plot that will keep readers guessing until the very last pages! I could not put this down. I hope the 4th comes out soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review. Highly recommended. You can't go wrong if you love strong female protagonists, action, and suspense with compelling plots.
The Mistake
Because Bookouture is definitely one of my favorite publishers -- they have the type of books that I want to read -- I wanted to share my review of another of my favorite series.
"Truth never disappears or deserts us...", October 28, 2017
"Truth never disappears or deserts us...",
Verified Purchase
This review is from: The Mistake: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a brilliant twist (Kindle Edition)
"...it's there forever, shining strong. It can be covered and disguised but it's still there. You just have to know where to find it."
Sixteen years ago, Rose experienced a horrible trauma, suffered the loss of her best friend, Cassie, and also her brother, Billy, disappeared and was later found murdered. All seemingly at the hands of one man -- the psychopath who was her boyfriend at the time -- Gareth Farnham. Now she's fearful, anorexic, bulimic and lives alone in the house where she grew up. Working at the library in town, she has not moved on from that period of time. When Rose makes a startling discovery at her neighbor's house, she knows it is up to her to finally ask the questions and get the answers she needs in order to regain her life.
Told in back and forth narrative between present day and the past, Rose describes the events and her reactions to all that took place. She's quite a mess now and the reader hopes she can find the backbone and strength to see this through. This is not particularly suspenseful, but it is a nicely woven mystery with psychological overtones. The theme is one that is quite prevalent and I will only say that it has to do with men who isolate and control those victims they seek out and attempt to capture. It takes some twists and turns on the way to a surprising conclusion and I enjoyed it. I'll continue to read others by this author.
Bought this one on pub day from Amazon.
Sixteen years ago, Rose experienced a horrible trauma, suffered the loss of her best friend, Cassie, and also her brother, Billy, disappeared and was later found murdered. All seemingly at the hands of one man -- the psychopath who was her boyfriend at the time -- Gareth Farnham. Now she's fearful, anorexic, bulimic and lives alone in the house where she grew up. Working at the library in town, she has not moved on from that period of time. When Rose makes a startling discovery at her neighbor's house, she knows it is up to her to finally ask the questions and get the answers she needs in order to regain her life.
Told in back and forth narrative between present day and the past, Rose describes the events and her reactions to all that took place. She's quite a mess now and the reader hopes she can find the backbone and strength to see this through. This is not particularly suspenseful, but it is a nicely woven mystery with psychological overtones. The theme is one that is quite prevalent and I will only say that it has to do with men who isolate and control those victims they seek out and attempt to capture. It takes some twists and turns on the way to a surprising conclusion and I enjoyed it. I'll continue to read others by this author.
Bought this one on pub day from Amazon.
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye
I have decided to restart my blog with one of my favorite books this month. I love this series and the setting, characters and writing. I know the series was taken over by a new author after the death of Larsson. I'm not such a purist that I can't enjoy the continuation of a character who both fascinates and scares me.
"What can be forgiven, and what can not?", October 28, 2017
"What can be forgiven, and what can not?",
This review is from: The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye: A Lisbeth Salander novel, continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series (Millennium Series Book 5) (Kindle Edition)
This fifth book in the Millennium series (continued from #3 by Langercrantz) is, at heart, a revenge story. I loved it! Haters gonna hate and that's too bad that people are still carrying on about whether or not this is holding up the standard set by the original author, Stieg Larsson -- but I think it does.
Here's why: Lisbeth Salander is quite honestly one of the most amazing female characters to ever hit the page. She's such an enigma that we can't help but want to probe her depths and find out what makes her who she is. Bitter and fierce, if she's on YOUR side, you have a formidable ally. She's not perfect as a human being by any standard, but she does have her own brand of morals and ethics. Suffice to say that if you get on her bad side, you're going to regret it. The backstory of her life has been revealed slowly through these five books in the series and there's more to learn in this one. The subject of twins raised apart is central to the plot line and provides a fascinating glimpse into psychology gone wrong as far as the nature vs nuture debate.
The story is quite complex with many interesting characters and multiple diversions into issues that are making headlines and discussed daily on social media. Set in Sweden, it seems that current events affect all humans much the same. As always, the narrative moves forward as it discloses more about Lisbeth Salander and also deals with financial markets, Islamophobia, honor killings, twins and murder. Although the book opens with Lisbeth in prison (see book #4), it moves on rapidly into other areas with shifts in point of view and the various parallel story lines. The author handles all these elements deftly and I love the way he integrates the locale and other details.
So, what are you waiting for -- don't hesitate to grab this one. It screams "movie adaptation" as well as just being a great read. I could barely stand to put it down so read it over the course of a day. Now all I have to do is wait patiently for #6. Who knows what Lisbeth Salander and the other much-loved characters will get up to next!
Here's why: Lisbeth Salander is quite honestly one of the most amazing female characters to ever hit the page. She's such an enigma that we can't help but want to probe her depths and find out what makes her who she is. Bitter and fierce, if she's on YOUR side, you have a formidable ally. She's not perfect as a human being by any standard, but she does have her own brand of morals and ethics. Suffice to say that if you get on her bad side, you're going to regret it. The backstory of her life has been revealed slowly through these five books in the series and there's more to learn in this one. The subject of twins raised apart is central to the plot line and provides a fascinating glimpse into psychology gone wrong as far as the nature vs nuture debate.
The story is quite complex with many interesting characters and multiple diversions into issues that are making headlines and discussed daily on social media. Set in Sweden, it seems that current events affect all humans much the same. As always, the narrative moves forward as it discloses more about Lisbeth Salander and also deals with financial markets, Islamophobia, honor killings, twins and murder. Although the book opens with Lisbeth in prison (see book #4), it moves on rapidly into other areas with shifts in point of view and the various parallel story lines. The author handles all these elements deftly and I love the way he integrates the locale and other details.
So, what are you waiting for -- don't hesitate to grab this one. It screams "movie adaptation" as well as just being a great read. I could barely stand to put it down so read it over the course of a day. Now all I have to do is wait patiently for #6. Who knows what Lisbeth Salander and the other much-loved characters will get up to next!
Please let me know what you think about this review and the book!
Hello again!
I have decided to return to my blog. Posting reviews on Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon is fine, but somehow the focus seems to be on how many stars a review gets rather than the merits of the book. I read so many reviews and want to make my blog a little different eschewing stars and focusing more on the merits and qualities of the writing and the story. There are SO MANY new books out there!
Alas, my favorite genre is the mystery thriller, suspense psycho killer chiller and police procedural -- I mainly read those and prefer ones with female protagonists.
In my advanced age and stage of life I have decided to read what I want, not what everyone tells me I should! I'm picky and somewhat critical and read over 100 books a year. If you have any suggestions about how I can make this blog pertinent and meaningful to readers everywhere, please comment and let me know!
Please follow me on Goodreads and Twitter @AOHSDenise and I will respond to all! Communication and interaction is essential to my life -- please comment!
Alas, my favorite genre is the mystery thriller, suspense psycho killer chiller and police procedural -- I mainly read those and prefer ones with female protagonists.
In my advanced age and stage of life I have decided to read what I want, not what everyone tells me I should! I'm picky and somewhat critical and read over 100 books a year. If you have any suggestions about how I can make this blog pertinent and meaningful to readers everywhere, please comment and let me know!
Please follow me on Goodreads and Twitter @AOHSDenise and I will respond to all! Communication and interaction is essential to my life -- please comment!
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