The Hazel Wood

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme2 Comments

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Title: The Hazel Wood

Author: Melissa Albert

Performer: Rebecca Soler

Length: 10 hr, 35 min, 25 sec

Series: The Hazel Wood, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by MacMillan Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This is an example of a fairytale done right. In the same fashion as the Brothers Grimm, Albert weaves together a series of dark and twisted tales with no morals and a whole lot of death. I can honestly say that I never knew what to expect with this story, because it is not an adaptation of anything I am familiar with. It does have echoes of Alice in Wonderland in the sense that a character named Alice portals into a fantasy world; however, that seems to be where the similarities end. I enjoyed the characters, and the dialogue, and the way the author wove together a modern day setting with a more fantastical one. I am also a sucker for stories within a story, and I was very pleased to find out that although this could easily have been a standalone, there will be a continuation of this story in another book. There were a number of story titles mentioned that were not told, and I am hopeful that those stories might be revealed in the next installment. I also hope that there is more to the story of Alice and Finch. Fingers crossed!

As always, Rebecca Soler was a perfect performer in this story. Loved it in audiobook format!

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Horror · Mystery · Thriller

The Butterfly Garden

January 10, 2019January 16, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: The Butterfly Garden

Author: Dot Hutchison

Page Count: 288

Series: The Collector, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: June 1, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer

Format: Paperback

Review: Holy. Freaking. Wow…..There are some books that really stick with you, and this is one of them. From page one I was so completely engrossed that I would find myself staring longingly at the book during work, anxiously waiting for my next break. I so desperately wanted to know what would happen to the women in the story that I would be thinking about it constantly, even as I drifted off to sleep at night. The narrative is very well written, and the narrator of the story is so easy to trust and to like. The only reason I am not giving this story five stars is because there were a couple elements of the story that bothered me. For one, the FBI agents that were questioning the narrator kept insisting that she was not being forthcoming and that she was keeping secrets. I did not get this feeling at all from the narrator, and I think in a situation such as this, the victim would need to be allowed to tell the story in the way that is most comfortable to them. Secondly, they kept alluding to the fact that the narrator was hiding something, but when they had the big “reveal” at the end, it did not truly seem to fit with the rest of the narrative. To be honest I am not entirely sure why it was included in the story at all, as it didn’t really seem to add anything revelatory to the plot.

This book is what I like to call a “thinker” because it makes you reflect upon yourself and how you would respond if you were trapped in this type of situation. I would like to think that I would have the compassion of nurturing Lyonette and the strength of straightforward Maya, but to be honest I really don’t know who I would be. What really made this story intriguing was the women, and how each of them coped with the extreme trauma while still managing to carve out meaningful relationships with one another. In this sense, the story was as beautiful as it was terrifying. I highly recommend reading it.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical · Romance · Young Adult

Lovely War

January 2, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Lovely War

Author: Julie Berry

Page Count: 480

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 5, 2019 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Format: eBook

Review: In the past I have enjoyed both books relating to Greek mythology and World War I/II. Never before have a read a book that combines both themes. It is an interesting concept, and I gave the book an extra half star in my rating for originality.

There were parts of the story I really enjoyed, however, there were also parts that I felt fell short of my expectations. This story is meant to be a sweeping romance, intertwining three sets of lovers, but I did not feel swept away by any of the couples. It is a very sweet story, and I greatly enjoyed the historical aspects. The two mortal lovers are struggling through a very dark point in history, World War I. This is a less common setting than the more commonly discussed World War II.

Trench warfare is truly heinous, and I think the author did a good job of depicting how wretched and traumatizing fighting in this war was. I was less of a fan of the insta-love that sprang up between the two mortal couples. I know that war has a tendency to heighten emotion, but the complete and utter devotion that the couples felt towards each other upon meeting was a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around.

I was not at all a fan of how the author incorporated the mythological aspect of the Greek gods into the story. To be honest, it didn’t really seem as well constructed as the rest of the story, and it did not really add much to the plot other than an introduction of the mortal characters. I think the story would have read equally well if this portion of the story had been eliminated entirely.

In the end, I can safely say that I liked the story but did not love it.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Historical · Non-fiction · True Crime

Famous Assassinations

December 30, 2018December 30, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Famous Assassinations

Author: Sarah Herman

Page Count: N/A

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: Nov. 9th, 2018

Format: eReader

Review: There have been a great number of assassinations in human history, and Sarah Herman describes a good deal of them. She separated them by time period and job type (royalty, president, dictator, etc.), taking us from the Roman Empire to Bin Laden.

Each main assassination is broken down into victim, assassination, assassin, and aftermath (or some amalgamation of the sort), making it a relatively quick read, as well as being very organised.

Herman writes very academically, while still being easily read by the public, which is a rare skill. I highly recommend this to anyone at all curious about the history of assassinations.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

Memoir · Non-fiction

Educated

December 19, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Educated

Author: Tara Westover

Performer: Julia Whelan

Length: 12 hrs, 15 min, 32 sec

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Random House Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This memoir was truly fascinating. I thought the audiobook version was incredible. I have greatly enjoyed this performer for other books, and she really does a fantastic job with this one.

It is hard to believe this is a true story. The fact that someone can go to college and excel without a formal education is a concept I had never considered. As a librarian, I am a huge proponent of books, but this story really puts into perspective how powerful literacy, books, and internet access can be.

The physical, emotional, and psychological abuse in this book is difficult to stomach, so this is a serious trigger warning. It is incredibly frustrating to see the cycle of abuse perpetuated on so many different levels, and it demonstrates how difficult it is to truly cut ties with an abuser, especially one that you love. This story is a powerful example of how one can break the cycle and move forward in life. My heart broke for Tara on so many occasions, and some of the choices she had to make for her own mental health and wellbeing brought tears to my eyes. She is an incredibly resilient human being and I have great admiration for all she has accomplished.

I highly recommend this memoir. I think it provides important insights into a world that few know about, and it tackles issues, such as mental illness, that have a lasting impact on more people than we realize.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction

The Godfather

December 14, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: The Godfather

Author: Mario Puzo

Page Count: 448

Series: Mario Puzo’s Mafia, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 1, 2002 by NAL (first published March 10, 1969)

Format: Paperback

Review: The Godfather is my best friend’s favorite movie, and she was adamant that we should read the book together. I must preface this review by stating that this is not my usual type of read, but from time to time I like to try something new, and a classic seemed like just the ticket.

After reading this book, I understand why it is so revered. Puzo is an excellent writer, and the world of violence, loyalty, and cunning he describes is positively fascinating. I found myself thoroughly engrossed while reading on my lunch breaks, and was always eager to find out what was going to happen next.

There is a lot of bloodshed in this book, yet at the heart of it, it is a tale of family, morality, and strength of character. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this book glamorized crime, but it certainly put organized crime in a new light for me. What I found most intriguing about the character of the Godfather was that he was so well esteemed because of his reasonableness and respectfulness. He was exceptionally generous, and expected generosity in return, but he never asked for more than people could give. I found myself liking him immensely and I thought the author did an excellent job of crafting his character.

I highly recommend this book. As I said before, I do not usually read books in this genre, yet I cannot say enough good things about it! The edition I read had a foreword written by the author’s son, and I really enjoy the fact that the character of the Godfather is actually based off of Puzo’s mother. I would have loved to meet her, as she sounds like she was a true tour de force of a woman.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Young Adult

Tempests and Slaughter

December 11, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Tempests and Slaughter

Author: Tamora Pierce

Performer: Ariadne Meyers

Length: 16 hrs, 1 min, 21 sec

Series: The Numair Chronicles

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Listening Library

Format: eAudiobook

Review: There is no disputing that Tamora Pierce is an excellent writer, but this, in my opinion, is not her most enthralling book. For fans who are interested in the origin story of the great mage Numair, this will probably have more appeal. I am not as familiar with his character because it has been many years since I read Pierce’s other series.

This is a very strong read-alike to the Harry Potter series. It is about a young mage of extraordinary power who has a penchant for getting himself and his friends in trouble. There is no clearly defined conflict in this book, and I would say it is more like vignettes of various things that happen to young Arram over the course of his years in mage school. The pacing is very slow, and I often found my mind drifting away during the reading. On several occasions I had to rewind the audiobook, so that I could re-listen to the parts I missed. The dramatic title, Tempests and Slaughter, implies that this is going to be an action-packed book, but that is not at all the case.

The performer has a very soothing voice, and I thought she did a great job voicing the various characters; however, I was a little surprised that they chose a female reader for this story because it is told primarily from the perspective of a male character. The voice worked fine when he was a young boy, but it didn’t work quite so well once he became a young man.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Non-fiction

ECORenaissance

November 28, 2018November 28, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: ECORenaissance: A Lifestyle Guide for Cocreating a Stylish, Sexy, and Sustainable World

Author: Marci Zaroff

Page Count: 272

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: August 14, 2018 by Atria/Enliven Books

Format: Paperback

Review: I didn’t even get past the first few chapters of this book, but boy do I have a lot to say about it.

What really drew me to this book was the gorgeous cover. When I read the synopsis, I thought that I would be the perfect audience for this book. I was absolutely wrong. From the start, the book comes off as pretentious, and has a very “I did it before it was cool” vibe.

This author name drops like crazy, and she even has a small section that gives a shout out to Beyoncé…why? Because apparently Beyoncé encourages people to recycle, use public transit, and other “green” things that I am sure she does not do herself.

I was also thoroughly disappointed that there were not more pictures inside the book. Because the cover is so gorgeous, I assumed that the rest of the book would have equally artistic gems spread throughout. Instead, the pictures were few and far between. Most are portraits of the author in various sensual poses showing off her Ecoconscience attire.

The author makes it abundantly clear that she coined the term “ECOrenaissance” and uses the word as much as possible. I kept hearing Regina George on a loop in my head saying, “STOP trying to make ECOrenaissance happen. It’s NOT going to happen.” The word is just too mouthy and difficult to spell, and I doubt that it is going to catch on.

I will say that I admire what the author is trying to do, and fundamentally I agree with most of the contents of this book, however, I thought it was too much of a vanity piece, at least at the start, and I quickly became bored reading it. Perhaps the content gets better later in the book, but I just could not bring myself to finish it.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Romance

Fumbled

November 27, 2018January 16, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

40719305

Title: Fumbled

Author: Alexa Martin

Page Count: 320

Series: Playbook, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: April 23, 2019 by Berkley

Format: eBook

Review: This was one of those books that teetered between a 3 and 4 star rating for me. The story is very cute, and there were certain aspects that I thought were worthy of note, but there were also a few places it fell short for me.

The main character, Poppy, was great and I loved how down to earth she was. However, I personally did not think that there was enough build up leading to her rekindled romance with TK. He did not have to work very hard to be back in her life, and the attraction between them seemed mostly sexual. I would have loved to see them connect on a deeper level beyond their shared child. I did, however, really like that TK idolized her post-pregnancy body. This really spoke to me, because I have struggled with accepting the permanent changes in my body post-pregnancy, and it made me feel good to see stretch marks, saggy boobs, and a few extra pounds portrayed as desirable and beautiful.

I also don’t think that the author ever really provided an explanation as to how TK missed out on the news regarding Poppy’s pregnancy. It is implied that this was a machination of his meddling mother, but it was not explained how she got to his text messages before he did. And who was the girl that answered his phone? I suppose we may never know.

This is actually the second book in a series, and I like how the author incorporated characters and storylines from her first book into this one. From early on, it seemed pretty obvious that her next book will focus on a romance between two supporting characters, Maxwell and Brynn, and I think that will be fun.

It should also be noted that the author spent 8 years as an NFL wife, so I assume that her depiction of what life is like for the wives and girlfriends of players is pretty accurate.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Historical · Non-fiction · True Crime

The Lady in the Cellar

November 23, 2018 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Lady in the Cellar

Author: Sinclair McKay

Page Count: Unknown

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 30 October/ White Lion Publishing

Format: eReader

Review: I really enjoyed this book. Sinclair McKay has an amazing writing style, bringing the historical mystery to life and giving enough background information without it feeling like you’re being bogged down with too much information.

The mystery is so engaging and kept me guessing the whole time, which is not something I can say about too many mysteries these days. They tend to be predictable and the twists and turns aren’t actual twists and turns. This one had me at the edge of my seat, so definitely no complaints there.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good yet quick read.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating: