Poison, Planners, and the PTA by Laurie Tom

Planners, Poison, and the PTA
by Laurie Tom
ebook
July 13, 2016, Smashwords
3 stars

Sydney Yoshida is a mom of two who spends her days organizing her family – planning carpool, dinner, and work as vice president of the PTA around her husband's work schedule and her daughter's soccer, cheer, and basketball schedules, all while trying to squeeze in a bit of time for herself.  Her gated community is usually quiet so when sirens break the silence one morning she finds herself out on the street with the rest of her neighbors, horrified when news of the death of fellow cheer mom and PTA president Trisha becomes apparent. In between helping the widower plan the funeral and helping take care of  Trisha's children, Sydney also struggles with the police investigation that has targeted her neighbor and best friend Beth. Sydney is forced to take a closer look at people she considered friends to get to the bottom of Trisha's death while trying not to get herself killed in the meantime.

I had a blast with this book. I'm a sucker for a fun cozy mystery and this was right up my alley. I’m addicted to my planner (I'd be lost without it) and hoard office supplies like it's the end of the world, so the little mentions of pens, washi tape, and stickers made me laugh. Also, being a mom myself I could relate with the frustrations of the main character – trying to balance a home life with volunteer commitments, connecting to other moms through their children's school and extracurricular activities, and even maintaining a healthy relationship with her husband while being pulled in a dozen different directions.

This book had the typical bumps that come with first-in-a-series books and especially from a first-time novelist. Some of the character and place descriptions felt forced rather than being introduced more organically, and the book could have benefited from a more "show, not tell" approach. There were also references to name brands that were a humorous nod toward the "planner girl" community that might be lost on readers who aren't familiar with it. After about half-way through the book, however, the bumps had passed and the story itself was engrossing and the ending was entirely believable. Like any good mystery it was full of red herrings and had me guessing the murderer's identity and then changing my guess as I realized I was wrong.

This was a fun book that I would recommend to any cozy mystery lover, especially if you love crafting or depend on a series of lists to keep your life together. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.  

What to Drink: Coffee, iced if possible, caffeinated required. When you're running multiple lives AND a carpool you can't let up on the coffee. Ever. 

Backlist Bump: Since this is the first in a series there's no backlist, per se, but if you like cozies, the Goldy Bear series is full of tasty catering recipes and the Blackbird Sisters are a riot.

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Hardcover, 168 pages
July 1, 2003, Soho Press
5 stars

"What we think is impossible happens all the time."

It starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.

I initially chose this book to host for my book club with more than a little trepidation. While I love a good horror story, especially the tale of "creeping dread" you expect from Alfred Hitchcock or Shirley Jackson, it's not everyone's cup of tea.  Frequently just saying a book is "horror" is enough to send potential readers running.  This book,  however, provided some interesting discussion about whether the narrator was suffering from some sort of supernatural possession or if she was having a mental breakdown.  While it still may not be for everyone,  if you're choosing a book for a club with somewhat eclectic taste, this could be a great option that's just a bit off the beaten path. 

At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a breakneck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of insanity or something more supernatural - and does it matter?  The terror Amanda feels is palpable and Gran easily transfers this terror to the reader through prose that is both subtle and hypnotizing.

This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes but rather a literary approach to an easily dismissed and often unappreciated genre.

What to Drink: A good stiff vodka tonic is probably in order here. You'll need it to stave off the urge to check behind the door and in that dark corner across the room.

Backlist Bump: For a book with an unreliable protagonist who may or may not be going crazy, read The Shining by Stephen King. Jack Torrence's descent into madness is either his alcoholism getting the better of him during a bad case of cabin fever or it's the result of ghostly influences. Either way, don't read it after dark.

Top Five Wednesday: Newest Additions to Our Wishlists

Pulling a list of books from my wishlist is pretty easy - it's usually narrowing it down to figure out what to buy that's the problem! Let's face it - our wishlists and to-read lists are always going to be out of control and we're okay with that.

My daughter has recently discovered Roald Dahl so we're knee deep in Matilda, The Witches, and the BFG. Looking over our bookshelves I realized that we didn't have any of his adult work - the creepy short stories he's known for. This is my attempt to remedy that.

I'm a bit hesitant to dive into this one, to be honest, since it's been so long since I've read the first two books in this series. I'm fairly positive it's going to require a re-read and these are not small books. I'm still going to buy a copy, though, because there's nothing I hate more than mismached book sets.

I'm a sucker for a good suspense novel and I currently have 

In a Dark, Dark Wood sitting on my bookshelf. After hearing how brilliant that book was I figured it's only a matter of time before I needed this one as well. Besides...look at that cover!

Rebecca is one of my favorite Gothic novels so when went in search of another good Gothic read and this popped up, it seemed logical that I'd be giving Du Maurier another go.

I absolutely loved Hendrix's first novel, Horrorstor, a hilarious and terrifying look at what would happen if you worked at an Ikea haunted by evil spirits. This second book is a coming of age story that could possibly involve demon possession. So...yeah. This went straight on my wishlist and will likely be on my bookshelf before the summer's end. 

What's on your wishlist?

*The Top Five Wednesday book tag was created by Lainey from GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and is now managed by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes, also on YouTube. You can find the topics in their Goodreads group, Top 5 Wednesdays, here.*

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Missing, Presumed
by Susie Steiner
Hardcover, 400 pages
June 28, 2016, Random House
4 stars

I'm always excited at the prospect of a character-driven police procedural (especially if it's British) and Missing, Presumed did not disappoint. The plot centers around a young woman who has gone missing after a night of carousing at her local university pub. Not an out-of-the-ordinary case, except that the missing woman is Edith Hind, only daughter of Sir Ian Hind, physician to the royal family. There were signs of a struggle at her home – broken glasses, blood, and tipped over furniture – but no ransom demands and no contact from Edith herself.  The story itself plays fairly close to the traditional missing person mystery with lots of suspects, false leads, and juicy family secrets, but what really made it stand out were the wonderful characters.

The book is told from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to get to know each character intimately. You hear all of their thoughts about the case, their boss, their significant others (including some particularly painful blind dates), and each other.  Manon, the main character, is portrayed as both a tough and capable detective. At the same time, however, we get to see peeks at her private life, like her disastrous attempts at online dating. Davy, her partner, is an eternally optimistic man who worries about the plight of at-risk youth in the system and hides the miserable relationship he's in with his long-time girlfriend.  Even more minor characters are fully fleshed out and you get a good sense of what the squad room is like.

Despite being a rather traditional mystery, this book touched on some social issues like at-risk youth and how they're shuttled through the system, the self-absorption and "cause hopping" of the idle rich, and the reasons some people turn to crime as a way of life. One thing I found particularly interesting was the reflection on how high profile cases are handled differently and whether that has an effect on the outcome of the case.  

I enjoyed this book tremendously and I'm hopeful that this is the first book in a coming series.  

What to Drink: Gin, neat, preferably Hendricks. You can add tonic but if the Queen can drink it straight, you probably should as well. 

Backlist Bump: Anything by Tana French. Start with Into The Woods. You don't be disappointed.  

Fast Friday Review: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
Hardcover, 230 pages
January 12, 2016, Random House
4 stars

"...even if I'm dying, until I die, I'm still living." 

Paul Kalanithi was 36, nearing his graduation as a neurosurgeon from Stanford University, when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. In this memoir, Kalanithi chronicles his journey from a student "obsessed" with understanding what gives life meaning, to a talented neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at Stanford, researching and performing surgery, and finally to a patient himself, coming to terms with the end of his career and his life. There's a bit of a feeling that Kalanithi was writing this as it came to him, as it jumps around a bit, but it's never confusing. Rather, you feel as though you're being told the story of his life as he sits and tells it to you. The book is, obviously, tremendously sad. This book broke me, turning me into a sobbing mess over and over again. It's not self-pitying, however. The sadness comes from the feeling that Kalanthi was an empathetic and talented doctor, destined to do great things that he will never now get a chance to do. This is a hard book to read but is an important examination of mortality and what makes a life worth living, especially as that life draws to a close.

Top Five Wednesday: Books We Wish Had Sequels

I read a lot of series so I'm at no loss for books continuing on in a particular world or with certain characters. There are, though, a handful of stand-alone books that I would love to have more time in!

Amy and Nick were two really screwed up characters but even I didn't see the end of this book coming. While the story line was wrapped up nicely I am really really curious to see what life is like "after." I have no doubt that the mind-twisting shenanigans will continue.

It's not often that I would wish a horror novel had a sequel, but in the case of A Head Full of Ghosts I really want to know what happens to the sisters after the events in the book. Do the weird events in the book continue into their teen and adulthoods? Was it connected to the girls or to the house? These are questions I need answered!

The world created in The Night Circus was so beautiful that I didn't want to leave it. This book was as close to perfect as I could hope fantasy story like this to be and the story wrapped up nicely so it isn't that I felt there were loose ends that needed to be wrapped up. Honestly, I just don't want to leave!

I had so much fun reading Andy Cohen's memoir that I didn't want to stop. I really enjoyed hearing about the parties and award shows he attended and all of the crazy people he knows. He has a great sense of humor and he had me laughing out loud at the stories he told. I could handle a lot more of Cohen's writing. 

Here's another nonfiction book I wished never ended. Ronson tracks down and spends time with some of the craziest people in the world - conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, alien abductees - and shares their stories and reasoning behind their fanaticism. It was a fascinating look into what makes these people believe what they do and the lengths they'll to go to in order to "prove" that they're right. As scary as it is to know these people exist I couldn't get enough of this book.




Are there any books *you* wish had a sequel or a series you wished hadn't ended when it did?

*The Top Five Wednesday book tag was created by Lainey from GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and is now managed by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes, also on YouTube. You can find the topics in their Goodreads group, Top 5 Wednesdays, here.*

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
by Alan Bradley
Hardcover, 392 pages
January 6, 2015, Delacorte Press
4 stars

Twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is out of her element in this, the seventh installment, of Alan Bradley's series. The start of the novel has Flavia on a ship, mid-way across the Atlantic, bound for Canada, where she will be starting her education at Miss Bodycote's Female Academy. She barely has time to settle into her new home when a body comes tumbling down from the chimney, wrapped in the Union Jack, with an animal skull replacing its head. Her homesickness is gone at the prospect of a mystery to solve and she gets right to work. Her investigations reveals students gone mysteriously missing from Miss Bodycote's, a secret society, and a teacher with a murderous past. 

********************

"The more I deal with adults, the less I wanted to be one." 

I enjoyed this book immensely. Flavia's personality was just what we've come to know and love - she's precocious, quick on her feet, and not afraid of anything. The development of the other characters - her classmates, her teachers, and even the headmistress - were all wonderful and it was easy to distinguish one from another. Miss Bodycote's school and the surrounding city are described in delightful detail, right down to the general store run by the woman who is entertained by Flavia's "charming" accent.

I was a bit disappointed, however, in how disjointed the book felt from the rest of the series. Without access to her attic library, Flavia finds herself without the solace of chemistry for most of the book.  The mystery itself sometimes seemed weaker than past plots, and I'll also freely admit that I missed Buckshaw!  The characters, the setting, the dependable Dogger and Gertrude...the story arcs that had been built up over the series were seemingly abandoned, and this new setting didn't feel quite like home. Things were touched upon briefly during this novel that I wish had been expanded upon, namely Harriet's time at the school and her participation in the Nides, the secret society that Flavia is there to become a part of as well. Secrets were not elaborated on and I hope that Bradley plans on returning to those story lines later to explain in more detail.

In the end, I love this series and so I enjoyed the book. I can't wait, however, for Flavia to be back at Buckshaw, where she belongs.

What to Drink: Reading an English cozy that takes place in Canada almost cries for a warm cuppa while wrapped in wollens.

Backlist Bump: Read the rest of this series. Really. It's fantastic.

 (I received an advanced copy from Bantam via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.) 

Fast Friday Review: Confessions by Kanae Minato

Confessions
by Kanae Minato
Hardcover, 240 pages
August 19, 2014, Mulholland Books
4 stars

"I do not want to be a saint."

Confessions is the dark, disturbing, and sometimes humorous tale of Yuko Moriguchi, a middle school teacher whose daughter has been killed at the school. The police have ruled it a tragic accident but Yuko believes that her daughter was murdered by two of her students. Because these students are too young to be prosecuted even if they were caught, Yuko decides that she needs to take matters into her own hands.

There are the usual bumps in this book that happen with translated fiction - certain phrases that sound a bit off and cultural differences that take a bit to get used to. Once you get past those difficulties, however, Confessions is full of plot twists that will make you cringe...but you'll want to keep reading to see what happens next. The story is told from multiple perspectives, allowing each character to explain his or her behavior, but it starts and ends with Yuko framing the narrative with her thoughts on punishment and revenge. Hearing each character explain why they behaved the way they did brings to light exactly how disastrous misunderstandings can be in the wrong circumstances and highlights just how twisted the climax is, once all the puzzle pieces come together.

Confessions is a creepy read that will leave you contemplating where the line between justice and revenge exists and how far is too far to seek revenge for a murdered child.

Fates and Furies

This book by Lauren Groff was one of the hottest in 2015, and it is certainly a well-written book.  I can understand the buzz based on the fact that it was well-written, and fairly original.  However, I found this one something of a slog, and kept waiting for it to grab me and have that a-ha moment.  For me, that never happened.

Lotto and Mathilde are a young newlywed couple who have just graduated from college, he comes from a wealthy family and has been the biggest fish in his small college town, acting as the lead in all the school plays.  They are off to NYC to find their futures.  But…Lotto’s mom is not happy that her precious boy got married and cuts him off financially.  So, they have to find their way without the money that he’s always had access to.  Added to this, is the fact that he’s not that great an actor, and spends years trying to find the place his genius lies (because for some reason he’s just a genius and can’t possible get a job that’s beneath him to help pay bills and wallows instead)

Eventually Lotto becomes an amazing playwright, the couple continues their lives in wealth and art…and Groff writes the story in two parts, from Lotto’s perspective and then from Mathilde’s.  I found the first half tighter, easier to follow and the second half, from Mathilde’s perspective much looser, more difficult to follow but far more interesting.  The book really has no likable characters.  I found myself not really caring about any of them, which makes it much harder for me to get through a story with any excitement, which even with fantastic writing, makes it fall a little flat for me.  

Beverage pairing is champagne - whether cheap or expensive, it's all about the celebrations with Lotto & Mathilde.

Top Five Wednesday: Top Five Books Outside Our Comfort Zone

There aren't a whole lot of books I consider outside my comfort zone, but for this week Karli and I are choosing the five books that we haven't gotten around to because they're not our usual cup of tea.

Karli - I don't read westerns, but I love Mary Doria Russell.

Tanya - Normally I'm not a big YA reader, especially YA contemporaries. This, though, did such a brilliant job portraying depression, PTSD, and the difficulty in finding a way to navigate high school when struggling with untreated mental illness. 

Karli - A romance and historical fiction, which I usually hate.

Tanya - If someone handed me a book and said "This is a great book about magic and dragons in a make-believe world" I'd have passed. These books, however, are perfect for fans of historical fiction because they're loosely based on the War of the Roses. There's enough political intrigue to satisfy history buffs while slowly introducing the supernatural elements. I was surprised at how fast I whipped through this whole series.







Karli - This is on my "to read" pile but I usually find these kinds of books to be a slog.









*The Top Five Wednesday book tag was created by Lainey from GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and is now managed by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes, also on YouTube. You can find the topics in their Goodreads group, Top 5 Wednesdays, here.*

Borderline Insanity

Today Borderline Insanity by Jeff Miller is released - I really enjoyed this book, and give it a solid 4 stars.   I received a galley of this fantastic thriller through Net Galley, in exchange for an unbiased review.  

This is my first time reading Jeff Miller's work, and I instantly became a fan.  

This thriller pulls the reader in from the first chapter, and sets up the characters that will come together to discover and ultimately solve a mass murder of young Mexican immigrants.  The story has a unique pacing, giving a lot of detail in the discovery, detective work and forensics used to find a killer. 

Dagny Gray is the driven FBI agent who is struggling with anorexia and the forced therapy she attends as a condition of her employment.  The therapy sessions work well to give the reader insight, making Dagny a more multidimentional character than we would get with a typical thriller, where the personality of the detectives can seem rather flat unless you've read several books in the series.

The murders in this novel are set in a semi-rural town in Ohio, and Miller also gets the small town feel correct.  There are so many details in this book, and they are what push Borderline Insanity into the best kind of thriller - one where the reader is flipping pages to get to the end - but also ultimately cares for the characters and wants to read more to learn what happens in the next chapter.  

Drink pairing with this one...Vodka water - because then Dagny doesn't have to worry about the calories as she sips and ponders.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

Security
by Gina Wohlsdorf
Hardcover, 288 pages
June 14, 2016, Alegonquin
5 stars

"The best security is invisible security. The best safety is safety that one's object of protection doesn't know about."

Security is really best described as a slasher film in book form and it hits all the right notes in that regard. It follows Tessa, the hotel manager at Manderly Resort, the newest, flashiest, high-profile resort hotel on the Santa Barbara coast. As she oversees the staff in their preparations for Manderly's grand opening the next day a killer is stalking the halls, murdering everyone that crosses his path. All of this is narrated by a mysterious stranger who is watching the bloodbath over the hotel's closed-circuit security system.

Told in a third-person omniscient voice, Security has a different feel that other novels. Because the narrator is telling the reader what happens as they view it on the hotel's incredibly comprehensive security cameras, we not only get a play-by-play of the horror as it happens but also this unknown viewers opinions which are often laced with a bit of dark humor. For example, we get this scene in the kitchen.

"Brian attacked the grease on his hands with a kitchen towel. The towel has red stains on it, most likely cherry coulis. One could not rule out the possibility that it was not cherry coulis."

One of the things that makes this book unique is how the author chooses to show simultaneous action. The pages are split in half, thirds, or quarters with each "scene" playing out in those sections, giving the impression that they're being viewed on side-by-side television screens as they are being relayed to the reader by our mysterious narrator. In any other book this might feel gimmicky but here it's used perfectly (and sparingly) to remind you how the narrator is privy to the events as they unfold. I also have to add that when you slowly start to realize who the narrator is your jaw will drop. It was a stroke of genius I never saw coming.

The characters were both stereotypical in their make-up - the tightly wound girl-boss, the faithful maid, the temperamental French chef, etc. - but incredibly well developed at the same time. The book follows traditional slasher-film rules so much that each death is predictable in a way that doesn't decrease enjoyment of the book. (I actually had fun guessing who would die next!) Despite all of the blood and gore there's a certain playfulness in it's tone that makes it a fun read. It doesn't take itself too seriously and, because of the format, as a reader you're able to join in on that fun. You'll find yourself thinking "NO! Don't open that door!" as you read, just like you would watching it on a screen. It was a total success in that regard.

With nods to Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and of course Daphne du Maurier, this debut - DEBUT! - novel is a gift to horror fans. Security is funny, clever, bloody and tremendously incentive. It certainly isn't going to be for everyone, but if you like slasher films and don't mind a little gore in your life, give this a try.

What to Drink: Pop a bowl of popcorn, grab a giant soda, and settle in to read this book from start to stop. You're not going to want to stop reading and this book almost requires movie theater butter.

Backlist Bump: This book is so unique there's no book I would recommend as similar, but if you want to be familiar with a handful of the many references found in the story, read Stephen King's The Shining, Rebecca du Maurier's Rebecca, and Cornell Woolrich's It Had to Be Murder.

Fast Friday Review: Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Snowblind
by Christopher Golden
Hardcover, 320 pages
St. Martin's Press, January 21, 2014
3.5 stars

Any book that gets blurbed by Stephen King gets immediate attention from me and this book deserved it. Reminiscent of The Mist the concept behind this book is a rather simple one: A giant snowstorm sweeps into the small town of Coventry, people claim to see strange figures in the snow, and people walk into the storm never to be seen again. Fast forward twelve years and another giant storm is headed their way. As they make their preparations the residents of Coventry are haunted by the events of the previous storm and fear the return of whatever evil may accompany it. Sounds good, right?

The book initially takes off at a great pace, introducing characters in the form of short vignettes, describing the storm and the chaos it causes, and is just generally scary. Golden successfully captured the suffocating feel of a snow storm which added to the overall discomfort you experience as a reader. Because the story concept was a familiar one, the focus could be on the characters and their emotional responses to the terrifying circumstances in which they find themselves. The jump forward in time did cause some initial confusion since many of the characters from the opening pages were now in new relationships and...for other reasons that I cannot disclose without spoilers.

All in all this was a very good horror novel. There weren't any flashy gimmicks or twists, just a solid concept and successful execution. It was a fast read for a book over 300 pages, which was good since it wasn't the kind of book you'd want to set aside mid-read. If you like horror that has the feel of early Stephen King and Dean Koontz (Phantoms comes to mind here), give this one a try.