One Chapter

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

5 stars YA Prose

“Dad badgered me to
grow up
hurry up
shut up
stop being a baby
stop whining
stop moaning
act my age
act like an adult
quit with the crocodile tears,
as though
being a child was a serious problem
and something I could remedy.”

Allison lives with her father, staying in the shadows. You can feel her pain and her desire to be something more as her words fall across each page. Her father expects everything from her, and she tries but it just isn’t enough. Through the years, Allison has realized that the physical pain she has experienced hurts just as much as the emotional pain. The scars from both, last longer than their appearance.

When dad’s girlfriend suddenly takes off, dad’s emotions run high, leaving Allison in his path. The time has come, and Allison needs to make her move. Allison finds temporary shelter in a shed, one belonging to Marla. Allison is good at staying hidden, for she’s been invisible for years. Allison discovers that Marla has dementia, and she starts to form a friendship with her. Allison was very good with Marla, and I enjoyed their friendship. Allison was thriving under these different circumstances, but I knew it couldn’t last forever.

Allison longs to be a part of something but where and what will that be? Will her dad ever miss her and really need her? What will happen to her friendship with Marla? This book was much more than I had anticipated. I will definitely have to read more from this author! 5 stars

“I wasted a lot of time
waiting for my father to be a better person,
wondering if she could change…..

I should have used my time more wisely:
I could have counted the hairs on Sophie’s dog,
I could have emptied a swimming pool
with a spoon;
I could have memorized Shakespeare’s plays,
the sonnets too.”

“I am hiding my whole history ,
hoping I will forget it.
I am hiding everything from you.
If only I could hide it from myself.”

Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

4 stars Fiction

I felt for Lucy as I read this book, she felt so innocent and vulnerable. Reluctant to follow her ex-husband’s instructions, Lucy finally leaves behind her NYC life, feeling as if she’s going on a short vacation. She doesn’t realize that life as she knew it, would never be the same.

Settling into a cottage in Maine, Lucy soon begins to understand the implications this pandemic would have. Living under the same roof again with her ex-husband stirs up a variety of emotions especially when contact with others is limited. Longing for physical contact with her daughters, she realizes the implications that this might bring and so, Lucy settles for the safe guidelines that have been created and tries to follow them.

Reading this book made me relive this piece of history. No one was prepared for the lifestyle change and the daunting news which was broadcasted at all hours of the day. Like Lucy, we all waited for the day that our lives could return to normal but normal would never be normal again. Lucy was one of those who escaped, one of the lucky ones who was able to hide, and it was a good thing she did. Lucy did a lot of thinking, a lot of soul searching while her “vacation” stretched out beyond the few weeks that she originally planned to be away. Like many, Lucy started to see her life for what it was. 4 stars

Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage by Bethanie Murguia

4 stars Children’s Graphic Novel

Sage loves all things enchanted while her dog Thunder doesn’t. Sage doesn’t like the cape and hat that Sage dressed him up in, in fact he believes it’s all wrong. While Sage is diving into her fantasy obsession, Thunder’s inner self materializes.

Thunder knows he’s a dog but who were his past ancestors? Discovering that wolves were his descendants, Thunder is told by his inner self to embrace this new knowledge and to gain strength and power from it. No longer is Thunder the easy-go-lucky dog, he now has his own thoughts and ideas.

Sage’s energy and spirit fill the pages, as she tries to entertain herself and her dog Thunder while Thunder’s inner wolf spirit is pushing back. Thunder needs to find a balance with the person who loves him the most. With cute illustrations that help retell the story, I think this book is geared more towards the younger elementary readers. 4 stars

The Resort by Sara Ochs

4.5 stars Mystery

There are two things that drew me to this book, the beautiful cover and the author’s name. My maiden name is Ochs which isn’t a very popular last name, so I knew I had to read this. Thailand, the home to one of the most renowned diving islands is made of permanents and tourists. Neil landed there three years ago and never went home. He’s now a scuba instructor to those on the island. Cass arrived the next year and like Neil, she now calls the island home. Cass is living her life as a diving instructor but she’s also running from her past and the island creates a great barrier.

Using the last of her money, Brooke arrives on the island with other tourists to enjoy what the island has to offer. It’s possible Brooke might become one of the permanents as she fits right in, enjoying herself and the island. When Cass receives an anonymous note, it creates an eerie element to the book as what Cass has tried to conceal all these years has now been discovered.

Deaths start to tally up but who is the killer. If this continues, this will hurt the island as they need the tourists to survive. Why now has this started happening and what does Cass’s secret have to do with the killings? With likeable characters and a story that moves quickly, this was a great read. 4.5 stars

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

5 stars Historical Fiction

I listened to this book, and I really enjoyed the narration. With a full cast of individuals, I’m glad that I listened to this one. Sheriff Brody Dern carried his own scars and demons from the war and the townfolk, were no different. When Jimmy Quinn’s body is discovered floating in the river, it’s determined that he didn’t accidentally fall in. Jimmy did like his drink and all those that followed but what remains of Jimmy after the fish got ahold of him, points to a single shot that took Jimmy life. It’s rural Minnesota in the 1950’s, and everyone’s story matters.

Jimmy wasn’t a likeable person; his wife was a different story. Jimmy was a feared man; he spoke his mind, and nothing was impossible with him. The evidence at the scene was sparce but Sheriff Brody had a job to do. As he tries to catch a killer, I was crossing my suspects off my list and the list was getting rather short. There were stories that took me on sideroads, that gave me the stories and insight that made up the townfolk. They all had stories but whose story would make someone commit murder. 5 stars

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

5 stars Thriller

Ha! What a fun way to end that book. Millie is trying to keep her past a secret when she applies for the position of Housemaid, but her secret is nothing compared to what awaits her. When Mrs. Winchester, Nina, interviews Millie, she knows she is underqualified, and she tries her best to dodge the questions that will reveal her past. Millie just needs some money to get back on her feet and a place to rest her head, beside her car which has now become her home. When Nina telephones Millie asking her if she would like the position, there is some doubt how Nina could have chosen her, but Millie accepts because total freedom is on the horizon.

As a housemaid, Millie tries her best to run the household and help with Cece, their 9-year-old daughter. Millie is provided with a very small attic bedroom which the furnishings were shocking to me considering how elaborate the rest of the house was. Millie notices confusing and strange activities and issues around the house. Are these because of the lifestyle that they lead, something that Millie is not familiar with. Millie begins to wonder what it would be like to walk in Nina’s shoes, to live a life with no worries. Yet Millie does not know what Nina is keeping from those outside their home.

It’s a fantastic book, one where the layers are slowly peeled away. I enjoyed all the little secrets where the players were trying to outsmart one another and throughout the book, I was wondering who was going to win. Andrew thought he was such a player, a gem of a husband who could work Nina like a puppet. Nina acted like an obedient mother and wife, and she was such a great actress. Millie was the innocent player who just wanted to sneak into their lives, undetected, do her job and walk away with a good job reference and some money. Such a great read and the ending…….fantastic! 5 stars

Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan

3 stars Fiction

What did I really read? Thinking that this book was going to be a good short read, I found myself slowing down as a read and trying to decipher exactly what was happening which made this book so long. For only 124 pages, it took me days to get this book finished. I loved the cover of the book. If you look closely at the deer on the cover, the added graphics made me excited for what was inside the pages of this book.

I thought the book started out strong as the main character Christine decides to head to their cabin with her 15-year-old son and their cat. A recent widow, Christine, is still mourning the loss of her husband so it’s off to their remote cabin in Pennsylvania to celebrate the holidays. Are you starting to understand the complications this trip “can” entail? Remote cabin. Recent widow. Grieving family. A family cabin. Well, I was really stoked about how this book was starting off.

Their son Billy hasn’t been the same since dad’s accident and well, neither has mom. Billy’s lack of communication is not helping the situation and if you add that to Christine’s emotional issues, the two of them together alone in a cabin over the Christmas holidays was not a good plan from the start. Christine was supposed to be the mother, but she frustrated me with her actions and her attitude towards those around her. She chose to go on this journey with her child and their cat, she was supposed to be the adult here, but I think she forgot that.

I liked that the book carried the creepy, mysterious traits that I was looking for, the pages were definitely turning quickly but when it came down to trying to straighten out any of the uncertainties that the characters were facing, I felt lost. I wasn’t sure if it was the grief, the weather, the characters, or just plain craziness but the book started to go off the rails for me. What was missing? Perhaps I was trying too hard to put everything together, perhaps it was a combination of a lot of different things, and I just needed to go with the flow of the book, but it was frustrating. I was stopping and rereading portions of the book, under the impression that I had missed something from the first read.

This is my first book by Lindy Ryan and I’d like to read another book by this author. I loved how the author set up the story and built upon it. Perhaps this book was not for me. 3 stars.

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray

5 stars Thriller

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You gotta see this.””

I couldn’t see fast enough nor read fast enough as Eddie and Jess tried to make sense of the world that had become their new world. As my husband was driving the car, I was trying to read him some of this book, but my mouth and my eyes were not in sync. I was talking gibberish and as my husband suggested, I just read silently, as silent as I could with all my gasps and shoutouts. Dang, I wasn’t expecting the last half of this book to be this exciting!

For only 225 pages, this book packs a punch! At first, the book reminded me of one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes and I was intrigued to find out how this one was going to end. What would they find at the end of this so-called, “town”, if they ever do find the end and were they going to make it out alive? One-by-one, we meet the characters in this book and I’m trying to find their common dominator. They’re all stuck inside this little make-believe town but what is the purpose and what type of game is this that they are the “players” when they don’t know the rules. Dang, this book is one that I will definitely have to reread again, if I can ever get it out of my head! 5 stars++

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

5 stars Fiction Fantasy

The more I listened to this book, the more I enjoyed it. I can understand those who started to read it and gave up on it, as they really didn’t give the book a chance. Once Lauren started to understand what her attic was capable of, she started to understand the complications and understand herself.

Imagine waking up and discovering you have a different life. Maybe it’s more glorious and maybe it’s not. If you had the chance, would you exchange your life for what’s behind a different door or would you continue to live your current life and make the best of it? For Lauren, this is the dilemma that she is facing. After a night out, she wakes up to discover that she’s married. Yep, that sounds like one crazy night out!

I was about ready to give up on this book as I wondered if I was just going to read about the highway that has now become the attic steps. Lauren has the power to send her male spouses marching as they answer her call and return to the attic only to never return. It was interesting the variety of spouses who arrived out of Lauren’s attic and soon, I found myself not wanting the chapters to end. It was comical at times as Lauren starts to fully understand the implications her attic is having. I enjoyed Lauren’s search, and I found myself talking about this book to everyone I knew. I had a variety of endings created in my mind as the pages started to flip faster. As I closed the book, it did not end like I had expected but it was perfect. What a fun, entertaining book! 5 stars

Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen

5 stars Middle School

This book is a jewel. I loved the character of Quag with his resilience and insight. He remained upright while his mother spiraled around him. With a history of mental illness, Quag knew his mother, so he knew the signs. His mother would slowly start to lose control, and gradually, she would start spinning. Not physically spinning but spinning internally. Quag knew where his mother would eventually land, and this is what he feared. This was his mother, this was his life, this was the life that he was trying to hide.

It was during one of mom’s spin that Quag finds himself on his uncle’s farm. Not a place he wants to be but one that will change his life forever. A time for Quag.

This book was more than I anticipated. The characters were fantastic, and I enjoyed how this book transitioned. I’m glad I picked this one up. 5 stars

“Here are some bad surprises about country living. First, people get up earlier than any other people should ever get up for anything. Second, milk. Quag’s not a fool. He knew it came out of a cow. …. Now, that he’s a little more acquainted with the process, he may be off milk for the foreseeable future. This morning he poured Dr. Pepper on his cereal, which …..”

“The circumstances being that his own mom ditched him on the side of a road, that she is spinning hard.”

“They’re riding that same wild circle they always ride, and his mom, spinning, is the center of that circle.”