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Month: September 2022

Published on Leave a comment on The Winners
The Winners Book Cover The Winners
Beartown #3
Fredrik Backman
Fiction
Atria
September 27, 2022
Advance reader copy
688
Free from publisher

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?

Everything.

My review:

I'll admit I was nervous going into this one. Not because I thought I wouldn't love it (this author never lets me down!), but because I wasn't willing to invest the time to reread the first two books in the series (I'm not a repeat reader), and I might not remember enough. I needn't have worried, and I should not have doubted the fact that Backman gives enough information that you could read this as a standalone novel and still love it. Would I recommend doing that? No. First, you'd be missing out on two fantastic previous books, and second, I definitely think I felt more immersed in the setting and characters having spent so much time with them in the past (which did come back to me very quickly). While this book has a lot going on with regards to plot, I definitely feel that it's the characters that make it shine! Also the writing, which is so eloquent that I found myself stopping to reread passages (that kind of rereading I will do) several times per chapter! Some may be put off by this series when they hear it's about a hockey town, but please do not be! It's about so much more! It's about community, loyalty, found family, the angst of youth, and some of the most memorable characters you'll ever read about (and yes, Benji still has my heart!). If I had any complaint to make it would be that it is just really long. As much as I loved it, any book that is over 600 pages is probably going to get that criticism from me.

While I'm super sad to be leaving this town, I felt this was the perfect concluding saga. Enjoy the gorgeous wring, relish the plot, but be mesmerized by the characters. Well done Mr. Backman, you have my heart (still).

Published on Leave a comment on Daisy Darker
Daisy Darker Book Cover Daisy Darker
Alice Feeney
Fiction
Flatiron Books
August 30, 2022
Hardcover
352
Purchased

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows… Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed. With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

My review:

This is one of those books that started out so promising, but lost me toward the end. It states in the synopsis that its a nod to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but I have not read that book to know how accurate that is. If that one ends the same way this one does, I think I'll pass! I will say that the reason I disliked the ending is much more of a "me thing" than anything against the book itself. I can't really explain what I didn't like without giving away one of the huge twists, but suffice it to say it just isn't a plot point that ever works for me. Other than my issue with that, this was a completely engaging novel about a dysfunctional family (which IS my favorite trope) who are on a deserted island (where you can't drive off when the tide is in) for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. As is true in most thrillers like this, there are secrets and grudges galore. I'm not sure that it was all totally believable, but I was along for the ride for most of it. It was fast paced, well written, and had many twists throughout (not just the one I mentioned).

A fast and compelling read. As long as the major twist doesn't annoy you, I think it's well worth it. Also, if you haven't read Rock Paper Scissors by this author, that one was a 5 star for me! Maybe that is another reason I felt a bit let down by this one, I was maybe going in with my expectations too high.

Published on Leave a comment on Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries Book Cover Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
Agatha Christie, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse, Ruth Ware,
Fiction
William Morrow
September 13, 2022
Hardcover
384
Free from publisher

A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

My review:

Two things you should know about me prior to reading this book are that I've NEVER (gasp) read an Agatha Christie novel, and that I've never met a short story collection (with rare exception) that I've liked. I decided to try this book because it had many stories from authors I've read from before, and I thought it was a good chance to get my first dose of Agatha Christie's beloved Miss Marple. This book was really fun, and I flew through its pages, sectioning off 2 to 3 stories a day. I absolutely fell in love with Jane Marple! I do love a book with an older character, and she fit the bill perfectly. This was a perfect stepping off place to Christie's longer mysteries, in that there were not a ton of characters to keep track of due to the shortness of each story. I have a feeling it gets much harder when reading the full length novels. Between all of the collective stories, you definitely got a glimpse into the places and people Miss Marple interacts with, and the crossover from one author to the next, while not chronological in time, gave a more thorough understanding of our main character and her idiosyncrasies and habits.

A very well curated selection of mysteries by some present day authors, this book has me hooked on going back and reading some of the original works and having more fun with the excellent character of Miss Marple. A great job done by these authors, I hope Agatha (and Miss Marple) would agree.

Published on Leave a comment on The Godmothers
The Godmothers Book Cover The Godmothers
Monica McInerney
Fiction
Welbeck Publishing
September 6, 2022
Paperback
464
Free from publisher (Bookish First)

Eliza Miller grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled young mother, but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie. Despite her tricky childhood, she always felt loved and secure. Until, just before her eighteenth birthday, a tragic event changed her life.

Thirteen years on, Eliza is deliberately living as safely as possible, avoiding close relationships and devoting herself to her job. Out of the blue, an enticing invitation from one of her godmothers prompts a leap into the unknown.

Within a fortnight, Eliza finds herself in the middle of a complicated family in Edinburgh. There’s no such thing as an ordinary day any more. Yet, amidst the chaos, Eliza begins to blossom. She finds herself not only hopeful about the future, but ready to explore her past, including the biggest mystery of all – who is her father?

Set in Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England, THE GODMOTHERS is a great big hug of a book that will fill your heart to bursting. It is a moving and perceptive story about love, lies, hope and sorrow, about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves.

My review:

3.5 stars

I had read a previous book by this author (Hello From The Gillespies) and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to pick up another. I was also completely enthralled by the characters in this one! I loved the godmothers, and their willingness to take on the bereft 17 year old daughter of their best friend. Learning the backstories of not only their friendship, but that of their troubled friend (Eliza's mother) added so much to the characterization of the book. The secrets that Eliza's godmothers hold about her mother, and who her father may be, keep the plot moving and and engaging. The addition of a pint size dynamo named Sullivan made me smile every time he was present! The everyday tasks of living give the story a realness, like you are walking along in their shoes. There are some anxiety issues discussed, as well as an LGBTQ aspect, both of which I always love to see represented in a book. 

Overall an immersive and interesting story about found family with a very satisfying conclusion. I'm excited to read more from this author as I've now had two winners!