Category: books and reading

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Paul Tremblay is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read just about everything of his. I couldn’t believe my luck when I got this from NetGalley, given how much of a fan I am of his. And I’m bummed to say that I didn’t love this one. It’s not horror at all, which is fine. But I’m just not a huge sci-fi person.

Julia gets a one-time gig using a remote control to guide a man in a coma across the country. He’s brain-dead, but this new technology implant will allow him to be manipulated so he can move. Of course, this doesn’t go as planned.

The other chapters are about a man in a dreamscape. He has no idea who he is, what’s going on, but is on a mission to find someone, if only he could remember who. This book wasn’t for me. But that’s not to say that it isn’t for everyone. I will never tell people not to read a Tremblay book. For this one, I would just give them clarity on the genre.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This is my first Megan Abbott book, but I was a bit underwhelmed by it. It was a solid book, but nothing spectacular really. When I realized it was about a pyramid scheme, I had high hopes, but the women in the story were really vapid, and I really didn’t like them. I’m sure that was the point, but I was put off by them.

The Bishop sisters, Pam, Harper, and Debra, are used to a luxurious lifestyle due to their wealthy upbringing. But, as adults, they realize that money is actually hard to come by. Enter “The Wheel,” which provides them money in a way that is very much illegal.

The women are forced to deal with a tragedy, because not even the best pyramid scheme is harmless. I am going to give Abbott another try, because maybe this was just a bummer book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Set in the 1920s, East Cobb, Mississippi, is the perfect place for Black people to live. Everyone there is wealthy and prosperous and safe. However, when Thea and her husband move there, Thea realizes she’s expected to give up who she is to cater to her husband.

The town has a secret, though. Marah is one of several women who pull traumatic memories from the Black men to unburden them. The memories haunt the women of East Cobb and appear as visions. They have learned to ignore the visions, but Thea simply cannot. She cannot abide lowering herself to appease the town.

This book is outstanding. It’s perfectly paced with the dual storylines of Thea and Marah. And it’s a masterful portrayal of Black sisterhood and the expectations placed on Black women in society. I absolutely loved this book.

This book was so much fun. Evie is an SAT tutor who was supposed to do “great things” with her life, but she never managed to get it all together. When she arrives at a home to tutor one Sunday, she finds the parents dead and a woman tied up in a closet.

What follows is a road trip of unfortunate situations as Evie and the captive who refuses to speak go on the run. Evie knows she is not guilty, so she is waiting for the police to find the real killer, and then she will go back home. But it turns out everyone thinks she did it and has either taken the woman captive or is an accomplice.

Evie is a great character, full of snark and wit, and you really don’t want her to get caught during the road trip. She and her travel mate have to figure out how to continually evade the police while trying to uncover the murderer’s identity. Really great book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I loved Such a Pretty Smile, and although I didn’t love this one quite as much, it’s definitely a great, spooky book. Set in multiple timelines, we learn about the curse of the Dark Sisters and its origin.

In 1750, Anne and her daughter are accused of witchcraft and flee their home. However, their pact with an unknown entity unleashes a power that follows the town for centuries.

In the 1950s, Mary, a devout Christian, struggles with motherhood and the constraints of being confined to her home. Boredom sets in, and she finds a new, forbidden love.

And in the present day, a teenager and a preacher’s daughter, Camilla, realizes women in her town are falling ill, so she sets out to uncover why.

I thought this book was great. The way the stories are woven together to reveal the curse was excellent. This book is a great example of the strength of women and how they can stand up for themselves.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Nora is a young wife to her older husband, Will, and although they are madly in love, the wealthy social scene judges her intensely. However, she has a great best friend next door, and Will’s daughter actually likes her. But on his birthday, Will goes missing.

He disappears into his work at times, so Nora isn’t worried until a couple of days go by and no one hears from him. The social circle immediately judges Nora and deems her guilty, but the reader knows she is innocent. So it’s up to Nora (and us) to figure out what happened to Will.

This book was excellent. I loved Nora’s character. She’s fun and clever. And her best friend helps keep her sane during the entire situation. The plot kept me guessing, as well. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I like it when a haunted house isn’t really the focus of the haunted house story. As children, three sisters go into a creepy old house, lured there by a neighbor boy. What they see stays with them forever.

As adults, they are reckoning with the house that still haunts them, as well as their actual lives. In chapter one, the youngest sister, Claire, dies, but the two remaining sisters are suspicious of the events. They have to dig into her life and their own pasts to uncover what really happened. They begin to see a version of Claire “haunting” them, and can’t even trust their own minds. This was a good, solid story worth reading.