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.