January 31, 2018

Surprise Me


"We're living in marital Groundhog Day." ~ 23%

Sylvie knows everything about her husband, Dan, and vice versa. They can predict each other's actions, finish one another's sentences and have shorthand conversations. A dream, right? Until one doctor's visit turns their ideal marriage into a long bad dream. The doctor predicts they are both healthy and have a long life ahead. Until death do you part means another seven decades. EEK! The glossy veneer begins to dull. To keep the boringness out of their marriage, the couple concocts a plan: Project Surprise Me. Keep the marriage exciting by surprising each other with spontaneous dates and untold truths.

"We've always been that couple. Blended. Interwined." ~ 2%

This has to unfortunately be the first Sophie Kinsella novel that I did not fall in like with. Surprise Me lacked the signature Kinsella charming wit and humor. It took almost the whole novel to gain interest in the main character and the superficial story line. For once, chick lit was annoying. Be happy you're living another 60+ years with the person you love; don't dread it! Usually I like light chick lit reads but this was a major eye-roll until the last chapters.

Happy Early Pub Day, Sophie Kinsella! Surprise Me will be available Tuesday, February 13, 2018.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Surprise Me
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Published: February 2018
Pages: 448
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤

January 30, 2018

The Darkest Child



"You 'bout the prettiest little dark-skin girl I ever seen." ~ 7%

Tangy Mae Quinn is the sixth of ten fatherless children born to Rozelle. She bears the brunt of her mother's cruel attitude and outlook on life. Tangy Mae may be dubbed the ugliest in her mother's eyes because of her dark skin, but she is also the brightest. Rozelle pulls all her children out of school at the young age of 12 to earn their keep. Tangy Mae, of course, wants to be the exception to that rule. It is 1958 and she is selected to be one of the few black students to attend an integrated class at a white high-school. (And sadly as I re-read this book in 2018, racism based on the color of skin still persists today. The world is not so integrated all these years later.) Nevertheless, Tangy Mae is schooled in and outside of the building's walls.

"Every child has to learn, and so Mama taught her." ~ 95%

I recommend The Darkest Child for literature lovers. I am talking those that love the writings of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. It is a difficult read with scenes that force a reading break to get through. There are passages that warrant multiple gasps. And with every page turn, you peel back layers of the story. It is a deep tale told well.

But even this second go-round did not make me like the book more than a 3-heart rating. It was hard for me to relate to the too intense characters. Is this a black family's reality somewhere? Because I still have a major disconnect with Tangy Mae and 'nem. However, The Darkest Child is a classic novel that literature lovers should read at least once.

Happy Re-Pub Day to the late Delores Phillips! The Darkest Child re-release is now available along with an introduction by author Tayari Jones and an excerpt from the unfinished sequel.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The Darkest Child
Author: Delores Phillips
Published: January 2018
Pages: 397
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

January 28, 2018

Series Sunday: Food Fair Frenzy

(Logan Dickerson #4) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

"I was a homicide magnet." ~ 19%

My Series Sunday pick is Food Fair Frenzy, the fourth book in the Logan Dickerson series by Abby L. Vandiver. Archeologist Logan Dickerson and VooDoo Herbalist Sleuth Miss Vivee are back solving murders in Georgia. Everyone is getting sick at the 105th food fair; people are vomiting, turning blue, having chest pains and fainting. Could it be Aunt Martha's Cherry Pie to Die For? Then one person turns up dead with a clue listing nine deadly flowers.

Cozy mystery? Yes.
A couple chuckles? Yeah.
Character development? Sure.
Writing style and delivery? Mmm...not so much.

I love the cute titles in Vandiver's books, especially this Logan Dickerson cozy mystery series. If only the thought and effort behind the titles matched the level of editing and proofreading. The stories are good but I am too distracted by all the errors. I have already downloaded the next two (2) books in this series so will continue. I really enjoy the story lines so let's hope it gets better.

Abby, girl, contact me for your copyediting needs. 

Author: Abby L. Vandiver
Published: August 2016
Pages: 202
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Popsugar—Next Book in a Series I Started
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

January 26, 2018

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"Her husband's almost home. He'll catch her this time."

~ The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

 

January 25, 2018

The Rooster Bar


Imagine realizing you've been duped. Been in law school for three years. In over your head in student loans. So close to the finish line yet not ready for the real world. Mark, Zola and Todd attend a third-tier for-profit law school now known for producing graduates that barely pass the bar exam let alone land a good job. Through careful research, the friends learn their school is a chain of others led by one hedge-fund manager who also happens to own a bank that specializes in student loans. It's the Great Law School Scam!

Is there a way out? The trio does the unthinkable: quit law school only a few short months away from graduation and with heavy debt. Mark, Zola and Todd try to expose the scam while making a few bucks in the process and saving their own identities.

John Grisham is one of those authors that I pick up knowing it will be a good ass legal thriller. I am guaranteed to be informed about law, learn about attorneys and their reactions, and be entertained with the personal side of the characters' lives. It is not often Grisham features a woman of color as one of the main characters but he did a very good job portraying Zola in The Rooster Bar. I hope to see her again in a future work of Grisham.

Mystery and legal thriller lovers, add The Rooster Bar to your reading list. It is so worth the read!

Title: The Rooster Bar
Author: John Grisham
Published: October 2017
Pages: 368
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

January 24, 2018

The Marriage Lie


No marriage is perfect; but Iris and Will's marriage is close as it can be. Until the morning Will leaves for Orlando on a business trip and another plane headed for Seattle crashes and kills everyone on board. According to the airline, Will was one of the passengers on the Seattle plane. How could that be?

Riddled with confusion and grief, Iris is determined to find out what really happened. Why did Will lie about a business trip? Who is in Seattle? Surely it is a misunderstanding. Iris goes on a quest to see if her marriage is a lie.

Why, oh why, did it take me all damn year long to read this book?! If any book should have been called the next best psycho-thriller, it is The Marriage Lie. I was twisted, shocked and hoodwinked almost the whole book through. It was unputdownable from start to finish. Perfect to read while in for the cold weekend. I won't even tease you with quotes on this one. Go in blind! Trust me!

Title: The Marriage Lie
Author: Kimberly Belle
Published: January 2017
Pages: 352
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

January 23, 2018

Lit Tidbits - Nonfiction


Author: Rupi Kaur
Published: October 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

I damn near highlighted all of the text in this book of poetry. Only thing left unmarked would've been the art. It is about love, growth, healing and roots. The format is five chapters: wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming. How appropriate!










Title: A Good Cry
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Published: October 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

No better feeling than to read something by one of the greatest writers ever: Nikki Giovanni. She shares lessons learned by the people who helped shape her. So much truth and inspiration within the pages of this compact book. We really do learn a lot from tears and laughter.










Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Published: March 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Fifteen incredible suggestions on how to empower a daughter to be a strong, proud, independent woman. If anyone questions what being a feminist means, this short book will be a start.











Author: Gabrielle Union
Published: October 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Gabrielle Union was very candid in this collection of essays. She held nothing back and shared stories on her childhood, career, marriage and more. Thanks, girl, for telling us how you really feel!










Author: Gucci Mane with Neil Martinez-Belkin
Published: September 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Even if you don't listen to trap music or never heard of Gucci Mane, read this autobiography! At the very least, it will open your eyes to the struggles of a music artist, a young black man, a drug addict, paranoia and loyalty to a trusted few. This is one of the few autobiographies that I read nonstop. It is written so readers can really see Gucci Mane's transformation to a better, healthier and happier life. Now THAT's real icy!







January 21, 2018

Series Sunday: Still Me

(Me Before You #3) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Still Me, the third book in the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes.

"When you get to my age, the pile of regrets becomes so huge it can obscure the view terribly." ~ 88%

I did not like the second book of this series titled After You. Frankly, it was because I didn't care about Louisa Clark's life after losing her true love. But once I saw the movie adaptation of Me Before You, it brought the character to life. I anticipated reading this new release hoping it would renew my interest in the series.

Hmmm, not so much. Lou is still quirky and fun as ever. She is also still indecisive and sometimes flighty. Mixing in with New York high society has her torn between two worlds. Her boyfriend, Ambulance Sam, is still thousands of miles away. Then she meets Joshua Ryan who reminds her of the past. Where exactly does Lou and her heart belong?

Well before the end, I knew what the likely outcome would be. But my goodness it dragged getting there. It solidifies my original thought that there is no need for this to be a series. We were fine with just Me Before You. But for those like me who feel obligated to finish out a series, borrow it from your local public library when it is available.

Happy Early Pub Day, Jojo Moyes! Still Me will be available Tuesday, January 30.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Still Me
Author: Jojo Moyes
Published: January 2018
Pages: 368
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤

January 19, 2018

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"I have this secret little vocabulary for my husband. Words I've invented, just to describe him."

~ Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

 

January 18, 2018

Lit Tidbits - Fiction

Author: Kyra Davis
Published: October 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤

Mystery writer and amateur sleuth, Sophie Katz, takes on a stalker case when her boyfriend Anatoly passes it up. Only a few chapters in and of course the stalker sets his eyes on Sophie herself. An adventure turns into an obsession. Le sigh. Why am I still reading this series? It is predictable as ever.

Author: James Patterson
Published: November 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

An attack at the Thanksgiving Day Parade: is it a holiday terror or something personal? Detective Michael Bennett is on a manhunt to find out. I love these BOOKShots. They pack a powerful punch! 



Author: Gail Honeyman
Published: May 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Eleanor Oliphant has a routine life: no social interactions, frozen pizza and vodka on weekends, and phone chats with Mummy. She is the definition of a quirky loner. But her habits change when she meets Raymond, IT guy at the office. It seems Eleanor is capable of finding friendship and love after all. This novel won so many awards but was just okay to me. Overrated.

Author: Lesley Nneka Arimah
Published: April 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Named as one of the most anticipated books of 2017, this debut collection explores the ties that bind parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers and friends and the places they call home. It started with a bang. I literally dropped my NOOK and shouted, "Nooooo!" I was chasing that reaction through the rest of the stories. Never quite got it again but was worth the ride.


Title: The People vs. Alex Cross (Alex Cross #25)
Author: James Patterson
Published: November 2017
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

This time? Oh, THIS TIME? Alex Cross is the one on trial for murder. Branded as a trigger-happy cop with an authority complex, Alex Cross faces trial on the other side of the law. When his former partner, John Sampson, asks his help with an ongoing case, Alex risks what is left of his career. From the corners of the dark internet to the courtroom in media spotlight, this latest book in the Alex Cross series had me O_O until the very end.

Title: Dear Martin
Author: Nic Stone
Published: October 2017
Rating🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤


Take a look at the cover. I wasn't sure if I could handle another book of this topic along with the nonsense in today's real world news. But Nic Stone did a wonderful job with bringing this story to pages. It is reminiscent of the "loud music" race relations case. Main character Justyce and his best friend, Manny, are riding in a car with the music turned way up. An off-duty cop riding beside them is furious. Shots are fired. And guess who is under attack in the media? Le sigh. In a letter written to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Justyce looks for justice and answers.


Author: Kim Holden
Published: May 2015
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Yes, it took me two and a half years to drum up the emotions necessary to get me through this follow-up novel. I am still...STILL...tore up about Bright Side. But this simple black cover kept haunting me whenever I opened my Kindle. Read me! So I did. Now my face is wet with tears. Grief is tough but worth it when the healing comes.







January 17, 2018

Without Merit


Colleen Hoover is one of my trusted authors. I barely read the synopsis before downloading or purchasing a new release of hers. It is pretty much guaranteed to be worth my time and coins. She keeps it real when it comes to emotions, family drama, friend interactions and relationships. Without Merit was no exception.

"No one would be able to determine from the outside of our house that our family of seven includes an atheist, a home wrecker, an ex-wife suffering from a severe case of agoraphobia, and a teenage girl whose weird obsession borders on necrophilia." ~ 7%

No family is perfect; however, the Voss family is far from normal. They live in what used to be a church. The mother lives in the basement and never leaves. The father is remarried to the mother's former nurse. And oh, they had a son who is not allowed to eat any treats. The eldest siblings appear perfect—maybe too much. And Merit is the secret keeper.

Along with keeping everyone's secret, Merit collects trophies she hasn't earned. That's right. She goes to antique shops and buys trophies for her collection. During a visit, she meets Sagan. He is witty, a good kisser and ideal. Too bad he is already involved with Merit's own twin sister. The more Sagan hangs around, the more Merit observes her family's behavior. Fed up with all the family lies, Merit explodes. She shatters the happy family illusion and comes daringly close to losing those she loves most.

"Fucking dazing." ~ 72%

Although the main character is a young adult, the author made her mature. Adults will not be bored reading this book and could actually relate. We all belong to a family that no doubt has secrets, triumphs and traditions that could earn a side-eye or two. I would love a follow-up sequel but if not, Without Merit is a great standalone novel that I totally recommend.

Without Merit is available now!

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Without Merit
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: October 2017
Pages: 384
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

January 16, 2018

Everything Here is Beautiful


"One doctor I'd spoken with explained that such episodes could be triggered by stress, or drugs, or trauma, or exhaustion. Or sometimes, nothing at all." ~ 5%

Older sister Miranda is fiercely protective of her younger impulsive sister, Lucia. When their mother dies and Lucia starts to hear voices, Miranda fights for her sister's needs and a proper doctor's diagnosis. Lucia goes through a marriage, leaving her husband, having a baby and making other life-changing decisions all while trying to escape her own mental illness. Meanwhile her sister struggles with when and how much to help.

Let me preface this review by saying I am very critical with books about mental health or a chronic illness. Even with a fiction genre, it is important the author stays true to fact and not wing it when describing a diagnosis, character's actions or symptoms. Because I have done a lot of personal research, I can easily tell when an author is bluffing their way through. I am relieved to report that Mira T. Lee seems to have done her research in Everything Here is Beautiful. 

But mental illness was not the main story line. Family drama took the driver's seat. The main characters had to make tough decisions, know when to take a step back, and when to intervene on a relative's behalf. And sometimes, we have to let go and save our damn selves.

"She is not resentful by nature." ~ 68%

The author did a good job with pacing the story but it was just okay. Nothing about this novel stands out. It was not a page-turner but more a steady read. I recommend it for readers that don't mind taking a slow journey through a book. The bond between these two sisters will eventually grip you.

Happy Pub Day, Mira T. Lee! Everything Here is Beautiful is now available.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Everything Here is Beautiful
Author: Mira T. Lee
Published: January 2018
Pages: 368
Edition: Galley
Challenge: Popsugar—A Book About Mental Health
Rating: 🖤 🖤

 

January 15, 2018

2018 Memes & Reading Challenges

2018 Goodreads Challenge: Read 80 books in 2018. 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/stats/2924016-literarymarie#pages
2018 Page Count Challenge: Read 24,000+ pages.

Keeping Up with Patterson Challenge: Read books in the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, and Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. BOOKSHOTS are a bonus!

Perpetual Kinsey Millhone Challenge: Continue to read books in the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series by Sue Grafton.

Perpetual Jack Reacher Challenge: Continue to read books in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.


2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge: Read a wide range of 50 books spanning topics.

First Lines Friday: Share the first line(s) from current read(s).


Series Sunday: Share a review/recommendation of a book in a series.

Lit Tidbits: Share current literary news.

US vs. UK: Compare covers of books released in US/UK.

Life of a Migraineur: Share moments of my life with migraines.

View all of Literary Marie's Memes and Reading Challenges here.