The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

"It ain't really my grave." ~ pg. 160

Lives and losses intersect in this novel of heavenly reunions. Years ago, war veteran Eddie died saving the life of a young girl named Annie at an amusement park. She blocked the accident from memory, only able to recall that it took her left hand. Her guilt-ridden mother moves Annie away hoping to leave the traumatizing past behind. But Annie feels haunted until she reunites with childhood love, Paulo. Happiness is short-lived as another accident ends their wedding night. Now Annie is on a journey to heaven, meeting people along the way. Each telling a lesson on how life matters.

Do not fret if you did not read the first book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This may be the long-awaited sequel but it can be read as a standalone. Exactly how I read it actually! I was not lost as it gives enough backstory on the main character. Also do not let the title deter you. It is not a religious book but instead a spiritual hug of pages.

"What's time between a mother and her daughter? Never too much, never enough." ~ pg. 148

Let's talk presentation for a quick second. The Next Person You Meet in Heaven is the perfect pocket-size book. It is short and thin. Very lightweight for a hardcover. I carried it in my handbag and whipped it out when I had a spare minute to read: in the grocery line, in a parking lot and while walking. You can easily balance the book in one hand with your favorite hot beverage in the other hand. Just don't mix the two!

Support Michigander Mitch Albom and purchase The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. It left me with a priceless sense of serenity. I guarantee you will enjoy the story and its message.

Title: The Next Person You Meet in Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Published: October 2018
Pages: 213
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

Series Sunday: Ambush

(Detective Michael Bennett #11) 

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 Ambush, the 11th book in the Detective Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. The famous detective with a fiancé and ten adopted kids has such a busy dangerous life. Where he finds the time to raise a family and fight crime, I don't know. Well, it is totally possible in fiction land.

Nevertheless, in the latest book of this series, Detective Michael Bennett steps in the line of fire...literally. He is ambushed and caught in a drug war between the Mexican cartel and the Canadian mob. The first shootout happens within pages of the book's opening. Bennett soon realizes he was the intended target. Before he can catch his breath good, his son is rushed to the hospital due to a vicious injury. Then a series of murders follow with a distinct weapon called the stiletto. Can it all be related? Bennett organizes a task force that covers all five boroughs of New York to catch an assassin before the assassin finds him.

"They were calling it the Battle in the Bronx." ~ pg. 26

What a good reason to unplug and bury my thoughts into a book. I spent an entire day reading Ambush and it was worth it. The short chapters are always a motivator to keep reading along. Ambush is a good balance of suspense and family time with a new character (Father Alonzo) added to the mix. And hopefully wedding bells soon! The sequence of events in this book set the stage for more to come in the thrilling world of Detective Michael Bennett. I am happy to report this series is not getting stale. ✊🏾knock on wood✊🏾

Please Note: Readers are treated to a bonus short story at the end of Ambush titled Manhunt. Double the mystery for your buck!

Title: Ambush

Author: James Patterson and James O. Born

Published: October 2018

Pages: 303

Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

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.

"In late November 1954, a woman who identified herself as Zelda Zonk drove quietly to the LAX airport and boarded the evening's last plane to New York. Accompanied by a young photographer named Milton Greene, the woman wore no makeup, a man's oxford shirt, and Jax cigarette pants under a full-length black mink. She wore a black wig cut in a blunt pageboy and, though it was nearly midnight, black Wayfarers. She lit cigarettes and bit her nails like any other jittery twenty-eight-year-old about to jettison marriage, home, and career in the course of one midnight flight."

~ Marilyn in Manhattan: Her Year of Joy by Elizabeth Winder 

 

Dinner at Sam's

"People say life is short all the time. But it's real, real long when you ain't livin', when you feel like you have to punish yourself for mistakes you made." ~ 83%

Vanessa is trying to get divorced without breaking the bank or her ex's pocket. She is not vengeful enough to take him for everything he's worth. She isn't even seeking child support for the two daughters he basically abandoned. She just wants to cut all ties and move on with life.

Gibson is an attorney that focuses on helping people, not wracking up excessive billing hours like his family firm would prefer. He would rather serve the community than high profile clients. When Gibson's mother dismisses Vanessa because she's not out for a messy divorce, Gibson takes interest. He wants to do right by Vanessa. Get her divorced so she can start a new life...with him.

"She's all over Instagram and bragging everywhere to anyone who will listen about having lunch in Miami and dinner in New York." ~ 14%

Now that's a life goal! Reading as Vanessa and Gibson's relationship develop gave me all the feels of an organic love story. The romance is not forced. The flirty lines are not cheesy. And most importantly, the main characters are realistic as you and I. Glad I stuck with the story after almost being turned off from lack of editing in the beginning of book. So treat yourself to this good read on a chilly day this autumn.

Title: Dinner at Sam's
Author: D.L. White
Published: April 2017
Pages: 276
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

Lit to Movie Review: The Hate U Give

Just as excellent and powerful as the book!

Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Cast: Amandla Stenberg (Starr), Algee Smith (Khalil), Regina Hall (Lisa), Russell Hornsby (Maverick), KJ Apa (Chris), Issa Rae (April Ofrah), Common (Uncle Carlos), Anthony Mackie (King)
Release: October 2018
Time: 2 Hours, 12 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Movie Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤
Book Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

The Good Samaritan

"That's the one sound that matters to me above all others...the one precious moment when someone breathes their last then slips away." ~ 9%

Do you ever turn the last page of a book and just sit still in silence processing what you just read? 🙋🏽‍♀️
Let me introduce you to The Good Samaritan.

End of the Line is a service that provides hope and encouragement that life is worth living. Unless you're unlucky enough to call and be connected with Laura. She has her own agenda. Laura doesn't give anyone hope. She wants people to die. In fact, she provides detailed steps to suicide. Far from a good samaritan!

"Commit is a word we never use, as it makes suicide sound like it's a crime, which it isn't." ~ 19%

Ryan's world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, holding hands with a strange man. Why did they die together? Who was the man? Why wasn't she happy enough to live? Ryan vows to answer these questions and hunt down the truth. He dials End of the Line and is connected with none other than Laura. Let the revenge game begin! Ryan and Laura get involved in the most epic tale of tit-for-tat.

"A never-ending cycle of shittery." ~ 35%

Seriously, bookhearts. Download this eBook now while it's under $2! I take full responsibility in advance of you staying up late to read. You may experience multiple emotions. You may throw your Kindle/Nook across the bed in frustration. You will snack more than usual and refill an adult beverage several times. Then you will find me and say thank you for recommending your next best psychological thriller. As I thank my IG/tweetheart Candee!

Title: The Good Samaritan
Author: John Marrs
Published: March 2018
Pages: 400
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

Series Sunday: Past Tense

(Jack Reacher #23) 

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 Past Tense, the 23rd book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. In true Jack Reacher fashion, he sticks out his thumb hitchhiking for a ride across America. This time, Reacher is not traveling far. He is going to a small town where his father was born. Why not learn more about where his dad grew up? Except according to the city clerk's office and census experts, there is no record of anyone with the surname Reacher ever living in town. Meanwhile, a couple gets stranded at a motel in the middle of nowhere. Their car refuses to start and the motel staff seems strange. The storylines attempt to merge into one big suspenseful mystery.

"Dead as the deadest thing that ever died." ~ 9%

Past Tense is the 23rd book in the series but only my sixth book read in the series. I am still fairly new to the character Jack Reacher. But enough to know he has a strong presence in every room he enters. He has a sharp mind. I've learned his appearance is tall, not so good looking and a little unkempt. His instincts are top notch. He can evaluate a situation and peg a person in seconds. It is these small details that make Jack Reacher stand out as a mystery main character amongst the likes of Myron Bolitar, Alex Cross, Mike Bennett and Easy Rawlins.

"Just three words, but in a tone also learned long ago, with whole extra paragraphs hidden in the dying vowel sound at the end of the phrase, about the inevitable and catastrophic result of attempted resistance." ~ 40%

Here's my three words: it didn't flow. Much like the sentence above. My newfound fondness for Jack Reacher took a disappointing dip. Past Tense was more like a bunch of short stories with a thin connection. Throwing in a subplot and a couple details of Reacher's past did not grab my attention. In fact, I struggled to finish. However, this does not discourage me from continuing with the series and my perpetual reading challenge. Even if I am reading the books backward.  

Happy Early Pub Day, Lee Child. Past Tense will be available Monday, November 5.

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: Past Tense

Author: Lee Child

Published: November 2018

Pages: 400

Edition: Galley
Challenge: Perpetual Jack Reacher

Rating: 🖤 🖤