A Good Marriage by Stephen King

What happens when, on a perfectly ordinary evening, all the things you believed in and took for granted are turned upside down?

When her husband of more than 20 years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It's a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good marriage.

Audiobook, 3 hours, 33 minutes

Published September 30, 2014

 by Simon & Schuster Audio

3.5/5 stars

After I read a book with a similar plot Goodreads recommended A Good Marriage. I believed this was only available in audio however there is a kindle version also. I think I might have preferred reading the Kindle since I wasn’t a huge fan of the reader.

Already knowing what to expect I wasn’t surprised by the story, but was by the wife’s reaction and the series of events that take place afterwards. This is one of those books that asked the question, what would you do? Honestly I don't know, but then a part of me me wonders how a wife would not know something was amiss. I would like to think that I would seriously catch on to something of this magnitude, but alas, I can just speculate on the outcome. 

True to Stephen King fashion he twists and turns this book around with an ending that I did not see coming. Looks of thinking, silence and future scenarios take place. 

Just a word of warning to those that grab the Kindle, though it says 270 pages it is actually two stories that are on related, at least that is what I am told by others.

I obtained this book through CloudLibrary

Iscariot: A Novel of Judas by Tosca Lee

In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—a miracle-worker. The promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, Judas joins the Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life.

But Judas’ vision of a nation free from Roman rule is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—who seems in the end to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.

Iscariot is the story of Judas—from his tumultuous childhood and tenuous entry into a career and family life as a devout Jew, to a man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus himself that forces us all to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.

Paperback, 368 pages

Published January 7, 2014

by Howard Books

4/5 stars

This was a recent selection from our church book club. The timing was perfect with Easter on the horizon. It is also my first time reading a Tosca Lee book.

Iscariot is the story of what could have been Judas Iscariot's life, the man who betrayed Jesus that ultimately sent him to the cross. With only a handful of verses in the Bible that talk about Judas, it doesn’t give any information into his family background, what drove him to do what he did and finally drove him to take his own life?

Authentic to the times and history of the year it wasn’t hard to get immersed in the setting. My biggest take away from this story is something the author mentioned in her notes at the end.  That is that we don’t know everyone's story, we don't know their inner struggles, their past so maybe have some compassion.  She painted a very plausible and believable story of Juda's life, but truly we will never know.

I listen to the audiobook via hoopla which is approximately 9 hours long

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. 

While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew. Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart.

 As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

Paperback, 320 pages

Published August 1, 2023 

by Harper

3.5/5 stars

My plan for this book was to do a hybrid read, alternating between the audio and my print copy. However, with Meryl Streep being the narrator, most of my reading was done listening to her, she does a stellar job.

There aren’t that many books set during the lockdown (that I have read that is) but Tom Lake is such a story. It is the spring of 2020 and Lara's three daughters return home to northern Michigan, amidst the cherry orchard and picking season. It is during this time that Lara slowly recounts her years as an stage actress and her relationship with an up and coming famous actor.

Tom Lake is a slow moving story that I think was easier to listen to then to read. It had that quiet feel as Lara told her story. I enjoyed reading about the relationships between this family and how they are committed to each other and the family farm. It is a story of young love, searching and surviving 2020 together. The flash backs at times were a bit jarring but it didn’t take long know where and when I am reading.

This is my third Ann Patchett, I have come expect a more quiet and slow paced read with unique subjects.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Sometimes the hopes, dreams—and stories—of our past can shape our future selves in the most powerful and unexpected ways…

Georgie Mulcahy has returned home from L.A. with her career in flux and her future a disconcertingly blank page. Her once slightly shabby Virginia town has transformed itself in recent years, but some things remain the same—like her wonderful but absent-minded parents forgetting to mention that they’d already offered up their empty house to someone else. When Georgie rediscovers a “friendfic” diary she wrote in high school, filled with the possible lives she imagined for herself, she wonders if it’s time she did some transforming of her own…

Much to her embarrassment, many of the fantastic adventures Georgie once envisioned for Future Georgie revolved around her high school crush—the golden boy younger brother of her current roommate—the town misfit. Yet beyond briefly wondering what happened between them, Georgie finds herself wondering what happened to herself. The Georgie who wrote those pages was daring, confident, eager to grasp opportunities with both hands. Is it too late to become that girl again? To find out, Georgie just might have to pick herself up, dust off some of those teenage ambitions, and see what they spark…

Hardcover, 340 pages

Published January 1, 2023 

by Kensington Publishing Corp.

3/5 stars

This was my February, Book of the Month pick, again a new author for me,and a book that came highly recommended.

Moving back home after suddenly losing her job, Georgie stumbles onto an old piece of writing she penned when a teen, kind of a bucket list for her high school years. Feeling motivated by all the things she didn't do she embarks on a quest to complete some of those things.  It's a journey that she least expects.

Georgie, All Along is a somewhat slow paced story, but it does pack meaning into its pages. I liked Georgie, I liked her spunk, her impulsive personality and her devotion to her friends.  Her friendship with Belle was endearing and the story played out nicely.  

Georgie, All Along is a story of finding one’s self, family and healing from the past.  Ultimately I liked it but didn't love it. It didn't pack the emotional punch I was looking for. I did a hybrid read, listenening to the audio for Georgie's part and that of the other POV was a read - the reader was almost a whisper compared to Georgie and honestly I didn't feel matched the character. 

Take my thoughts with a grain of salt, as most loved it.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge

The Personal Assistant by Kimberly Belle

USA TODAY bestselling author Kimberly Belle returns with a deeply addictive thriller exploring the dark side of the digital world when a mommy-blogger’s assistant goes missing.

When Alex first began posting unscripted family moments and motivational messages online, she had no intention of becoming an influencer. Overnight it seemed she’d amassed a huge following, and her hobby became a full-time job—one that was impossible to manage without her sharp-as-a-tack personal assistant, AC.

But all the good-will of her followers turns toxic when one controversial post goes viral in the worst possible way. Alex reaches out to AC for damage control, but her assistant has gone silent. This young woman Alex trusted with all her secrets, who had access to her personal information and front row seats to the pressure points in her marriage and family life, is now missing and the police are looking to Alex and her husband for answers. As Alex digs into AC’s identity – and a woman is found murdered – she’ll find the greatest threat isn’t online, but in her own living room.

Written in alternating perspectives between Alex, her husband, and the mysterious AC, this juicy cat and mouse story will keep you guessing till the very end. 

Audiobook, 10 hours, 12 minutes

Paperback, 352 pages

Published November 29th 2022

 by Park Row

4/5 stars

Kimberly Belle has been go to author for me, and one of the few that I have managed to stay on top of, having read all of her books. Also, I met her once, which was a real treat.

This was an audio read for me, I’m glad I went that way managing to finish it off in just one day while Christmas preparations were underway. 

Alex is a well-known Instagram Influencer whose world explodes after waking to find a post that has gone viral. A post that she does not remember writing. It’s not a good post and the repercussions are felt not just by her, but by her family as well. What follows is a twisted story that went in a direction I didn’t anticipate, keeping my attention.

Oh and her assistant AC is missing, which adds a new dimension to the story. The story alternates with various POVS, it’s kept my mind rolling with all the possibilities, trying to figure out what was going on.

The Personal Assistant is a multi-layered story, even though I had a tiny inkling as to what was going on, and I was correct on one point, I was still kept on my toes scratching my head as to the why's and how’s and enjoying the ride. I’m glad I went the audio route because it’s a long wait at the library for a print copy.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana's in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father. Or so he says. Like the Hitchcock heroine she’s named after, Charlie has her doubts. There’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t seem to want Charlie to see inside the car’s trunk. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s suspicion merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a pay phone and in a place where there's nowhere to run. In order to win, Charlie must do one thing - survive the night.

Audiobook, 9 hours, 1 minute

Published June 29, 2021 by Penguin Audio

4/5 stars

Riley Sager is one author that I have managed to read all his back list after loving The Last Time I Lied and Home Before Dark.  

Image my surprise when Survive the Night was first released that it would end up in my dnf pile.  I just couldn't grasp the scenario of the opening chapters and gave up.  But one not to be defeated too quickly, and after reading a review on Instagram (from bettys_book_club) valid points were made on how to look at this book.  The biggest thing was the era and then to think movies like Scream and Halloween, characters (usually girls) that do the opposite of common sense. You know those girls you scream at on TV telling them to stop and basically hide.  Kinda like Charlie here who gets in a car with a complete stranger after her best friend is murdered...you get the picture, right? Well that worked!

I did end up going the audio book route for my second attempt, and I think between an open mind and great reader I really enjoyed this book.  The reader was Savannah Gilmore, one of my favourites.  The book took off for me, I actually finished in a matter of days which for me these days says something.

There was suspense, suspicion, not a huge cast of characters but enough.  It was mysterious along with a few hiccups along the way.  As in Riley fashion there are twists I didn't see coming but also a couple I figured out.  But all in all a fast paced entertaining listen in a format I highly recommend.

Audiobook was obtained from my local public library via Overdrive.

You Have a Match by Emma Lord

A NEW LOVE, A SECRET SISTER, AND A SUMMER SHE'LL NEVER FORGET.

FROM THE BELOVED AUTHOR OF 'TWEET CUTE' COMES EMMA LORD'S 'YOU HAVE A MATCH', A HILARIOUS AND HEARTFELT NOVEL OF ROMANCE, SISTERHOOD, AND FRIENDSHIP. . .

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie. . .although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents - especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby's growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

Audiobook, 9 hours

Published January 12, 2021 

by Macmillan Audio

4/5 stars

This was a fun audio book.  A YA summer read which I listened to earlier in the year.  It had the makings of the perfect beach read - friends, summer camp and family drama.

It was mysterious in how the sisters were separated.  Family drama which goes back to the previous comment.  Friends with secrets, a famous influencer after the best picture (and smoothie) whether it be to catch the sunrise or perfect beach shot.  Along with the antics of summer camp - hiking, getting lost and much more.

The characters were typical teenagers doing typical teenager things. The story was unveiled step by step to a nice ending.

Like I said a fun read that I'm sure works as well in formats other than an audiobook.

My copy was obtained via Overdrive through my local public library.

Audio Review: The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright

 For over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant faade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through the collection, she's wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and deadly secrets she'll uncover.

A century earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father's newspaper, receives an obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works with the deacon's son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town--but it isn't until another obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they've waded into.

Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future--or their very souls.

Paperback, 352 pages 

Published July 3rd 2018 

by Bethany House Publishers

****

I really enjoyed Jaime Jo Wright’s previous book, The House on Foster Hill and eagerly awaited the release of this one. This was an audio read for me, I listened over the summer and can’t believe I never posted this review. Coming in at 12 hours 13 minutes and read by Erin Bennett, who did a great job bringing this book to life.

Mysterious and suspenseful is the perfect way to describe this book. The unique plot works well too! Imagine receiving an obit notice before someone dies or even your own. A century later more mystery abounds when Annalise inherits a rundown trailer from a complete stranger. Why? And what’s the connection to what happened 100 years ago?

Jaime Jo Weight has become one of my favorite writers, even though this is her second book, I know a good thing. I love her writing style, the way she drew me in, kept me guessing and struggling to unwrap the mystery myself. The uniqueness of the plot and how it is revealed layer by layer.

Definitely a book and author I highly recommend.  Next month her third book will be released The Curse of Misty Wayfair (click on the cover to take you to the Goodreads page). As will the cover of The House on Foster Hill take you to my review. 

What do you think of the covers?  I love them all - they shout read me read me!

Review: The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

Zoe Whittaker is living a charmed life. She is the beautiful young wife to handsome, charming Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker. She is a member of Manhattan’s social elite. She is on the board of one of the city’s most prestigious philanthropic organizations. She has a perfect Tribeca penthouse in the city and a gorgeous lake house in the country. The finest wine, the most up-to-date fashion, and the most luxurious vacations are all at her fingertips.

What no one knows is that five years ago, Zoe’s life was in danger. Back then, Zoe wasn’t Zoe at all. Now her secrets are coming back to haunt her. As the past and present collide, Zoe must decide who she can trust before she—whoever she is—vanishes completely.

The Vanishing Year combines the classic sophistication of Ruth Rendell and A.S.A. Harrison with the thoroughly modern flair of Jessica Knoll. Told from the point-of-view of a heroine who is as relatable as she is enigmatic, The Vanishing Year is an unforgettable new novel by a rising star of the genre.

audiobook, 9 hours 50 minutes 

published September 27th 2016 by Atria Books

****

The Vanishing Year is my first book of 2017 and sometimes a mystery/thriller is just what this reader needs.  This is also my first book by Kate Moretti, I've seen her name floating around the internet the past few months and when The Vanishing Year became available in audio format at the library I jumped at the chance.

It didn't take long to get drawn into this story, Zoe has a past, she wasn't always rich and living the high society life.  Running from her past and trying to keep her secrets seem to finally have caught up with Zoe.  There are many layers to this story and the author peels them back creating twists and turns I didn't see coming.  As the story deepened the suspense built up putting me on a marathon read (listen).  

The Vanishing Year is a well written suspenseful, edge of you seat book, definitely an author I will read more of and recommend.

Review: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus. Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.

 A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

ebook, 324 pages 

Published January 4th 2011 

by Gallery Books (first published 2011)

audiobook via OverDrive (library)

***

Lisa Genova's first book Still Alice was the first book I polished off pretty well in one night. Then came Inside the O'Brien's, which was another emotional story.   Reason only dictated that I would continue reading her books.  This was an audio read for me and given the first person narrative it worked great.

I don't think it was high expectations here that made me feel this one lacked the emotional impact I had come to expect. As you can read above there is a lot going on here, there are many layers to this story and I struggled to connect with the characters like in previous books.  The author used the first 20% introducing this family and letting the reader get a good glimpse of what life for the Nickerson family was like.  I found it rather dizzy and sad.  Sarah has so much going that I was exhausted for her.

This book is told from Sarah's point of view and while I found that interesting and did feel sympathy for her situation it was hard to like her.  Sarah's world revolved around Sarah.  I don't mean to sound harsh and make this sound like a terrible story.  I found the injury interesting and a condition that I have never heard of before, the treatment and living with Left Neglect would be difficult not just for the patient but family and friends as well. That being said it would really have been nice to hear Bob's side of this story, to know his thoughts and feelings.  The ending was predictable which isn't a bad thing, sometimes its unavoidable. 

There are things that resonates with me here, the first being put your phone away when driving, so many lives are destroyed because of them.  This story is a sad reminder that life can change just like that and we should living accordingly. 

Audio Review: The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

Passion, redemption, and a battered suitcase full of secrets: the New York Times-bestselling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale.

Manhattan, 1964. Vivian Schuyler, newly graduated from Bryn Mawr College, has recently defied the privilege of her storied old Fifth Avenue family to do the unthinkable for a budding Kennedy-era socialite: break into the Mad Men world of razor-stylish Metropolitan magazine. But when she receives a bulky overseas parcel in the mail, the unexpected contents draw her inexorably back into her family’s past, and the hushed-over crime passionnel of an aunt she never knew, whose existence has been wiped from the record of history.

Berlin, 1914. Violet Schuyler Grant endures her marriage to the philandering and decades-older scientist Dr. Walter Grant for one reason: for all his faults, he provides the necessary support to her liminal position as a young American female physicist in prewar Germany. The arrival of Dr. Grant’s magnetic former student at the beginning of Europe’s fateful summer interrupts this delicate détente. Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British Army, challenges Violet to escape her husband’s perverse hold, and as the world edges into war and Lionel’s shocking true motives become evident, Violet is tempted to take the ultimate step to set herself free and seek a life of her own conviction with a man whose cause is as audacious as her own.

As the iridescent and fractured Vivian digs deeper into her aunt’s past and the mystery of her ultimate fate, Violet’s story of determination and desire unfolds, shedding light on the darkness of her years abroad . . . and teaching Vivian to reach forward with grace for the ambitious future––and the love––she wants most. 

Published May 27th 2014 by G.P. Putnam's Sons 

audiobook from library (via overdrive)

14 hours 42 mins 

paperback - 503 pages

****

Beatriz Williams is a new author to me as is Kathleen McInerney (the reader of this the audio version).  McInerney does a wonderful job here, she brings this story to life and I was not disappointed.

Told in 1st person with the story weaving back and forth in time, it all began with a suitcase.  I love a longer book, when done correctly the author has time to develop characters, to create a plot without rushing and to create twists and turns not always predictable.  Such was the case with The Secret Life of Violet Grant. 

Vivian is funny, spunky and a spitfire but there is also a sensitive compassionate person, with her telling the current time period story I found it to be very entertaining.

I struggled at the beginning in understanding Violet.  The 1910's was a tough era for women.  For Violet to leave her family, travel to Europe to study physics told me that she was a strong independent 'ahead of her time' type and I really couldn't figure out how she allowed the situation with Grant to take place.  Once I got past that I enjoyed this side of the book.  Also the ending was one I didn't expect, it had some twists that I didn't see coming and I love when an author does that.

There are 3 sisters in the Schuyler family, with this book we see Vivian's story.  You can read more of the other two in these 2 books (clicking on them will take you to their Goodreads page.

 

Audio Review: Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy #2) by Stephen King

1978: Meet Morris Bellamy, the man who robs the safe of America's most famous reclusive writer, John Rothstein. But it isn't just the money he is interested in. Morrie is obsessed with the author's notebooks and is prepared to kill the author for them.

2009: Meet young Pete Saubers, whose father was knocked down by an out-of-control Mercedes in a job line-up. When he discovers a buried trunk of money and notebooks of a famous writer, he has the means to rescue his family from poverty. If he can keep it secret.

2013: Morrie is up for parole. And he's hell-bent on recovering the notebooks.

That's when retired detective Bill Hodges - who has set up a company called Finders Keepers - discovers the scheme.

Finders Keepers is spectacular suspense. It is also King writing about how literature shapes a life - for good, for bad, for ever.
Read by award-winning narrator Will Patton, who was nominated for an Audie Award in the Solo Narration - Male category for his work on both Mr. Mercedes and Doctor Sleep. 

Audible Audio

Published June 2nd 2015 by Simon & Schuster Audio 

source - library via overdrive

*****

I cannot believe that I have turned into a Stephen King fan.  He has the reputation as a horror writer (at least in my mind as I recall Carrie, Cujo and Pet Sematary).  11-23-63 was the start of my conversion, there seems to be a slew of mystery/suspense/thriller type book out there that I am just discovering by King. But at the same times King's books lend themselves perfectly in audio format (well at least the ones I have listened to so far do - Misery,  Delores Claiborne and Mr. Mercedes).

Will Patton is the read of of Finders Keepers and it's the reader that can make or break the audio, in this case Will Patton was brilliant.  His voice brought this book to life, I had a hard time turning my iPod off.  Of course the book is central and Stephen King has shown himself to be able to deliver.  Told in 1st person with 3 different pov's this reader was able to get inside each character, get to know them and what makes them tick.  There was lots of action and plenty of twists and turns making this an extremely suspenseful book that was highly entertaining.

There is the connection to Mr. Mercedes here but I think this could work as a stand alone, however with book 3 coming out June 2016 I recommend starting with Mr. Mercedes. 

Audio Review: Decorum: A Novel by Kaaren Christopherson

Kaaren Christopherson’s brilliantly observed novel captures the glamour and grit of one of the world’s most dazzling cities during one of its most tumultuous eras–as seen through the eyes of a singularly captivating heroine…

In 1890s New York, beautiful, wealthy Francesca Lund is an intriguing prospect for worthy suitors and fortune hunters alike. Recently orphaned, she copes by working with the poor in the city’s settlement movement. But a young woman of means can’t shun society for long, and Francesca’s long-standing acquaintance with dashing Edmund Tracey eventually leads to engagement. Yet her sheltered upbringing doesn’t blind her to the indiscretions of the well-to-do…

Among the fashionable circle that gathers around her there are mistresses, scandals, and gentlemen of ruthless ambition. And there is Connor O’Casey–an entirely new kind of New Yorker. A self-made millionaire of Irish stock, Connor wants more than riches. He wants to create a legacy in the form of a luxury Madison Avenue hotel–and he wants Francesca by his side as he does it. In a quest that will take her from impeccable Manhattan salons to the wild Canadian Rockies, Francesca must choose not only between two vastly different men, but between convention and her own emerging self-reliance.

Rules Of Decorum
A gentleman should not be presented to a lady without her permission being previously asked and granted. This formality is not necessary between men alone; but, still, you should not present any one, even at his own request, to another, unless you are quite well assured that the acquaintance will be agreeable to the latter.

If you wish to avoid the company of any one that has been properly introduced, satisfy your own mind that your reasons are correct; and then let no inducement cause you to shrink from treating him with respect, at the same time shunning his company. No gentleman will thus be able either to blame or mistake you.
 
The mode in which the avowal of love should be made, must of course, depend upon circumstances. It would be impossible to indicate the style in which the matter should be told… Let it, however, be taken as a rule that an interview is best; but let it be remembered that all rules have exceptions…

Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Kensington Publishing Corp.
Foramts: eBook, Paperback, Audio
Pages: 425

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

***1/2

Karen Christopherson is a new author to me, this always excites me.  Taking place in the 1890's it is a time period that I recently started to enjoy, reading of social classes and the struggles women had to face. 

Decorum starts with a bang (literally). Francesca does not conform to the wishes of others but takes control of her own life.  It's the late 1800's when women were still governed by fathers and husbands.  I liked the way she was portrayed here, she is strong and determined though venerable but still is level headed.   I could cite numerous examples but for fear of giving too much of the story away I will refrain.  Smart, cautious I enjoyed her journey. 

Each chapter begins with a little lesson in decorum, relating to the time period, I found that to be an interesting and unique feature.  The plot doesn't just center on the life of Francesca, there are other subplots that the author neatly brings together.  I was a little nervous about the predictability factor, thinking I had things figured out, but I was wrong.  A book is much more enjoyable when twists and turns take place that you don't see coming.

This isn't a short book, the audio version is 15 1/2 hours long, read by Susie Bernei's who did a good job.  There were a few times I thought it might have dragged a little.  As well as spots where the audio stopped in the middle of a sentence only to pick up at a different place, making me wonder what/if I missed something.

All in all a good read that will appeal to fans of this time period featuring strong women ahead of their time.

 

 PRAISE

“Reminiscent of Washington Square but with a more modern heroine, Decorum illuminates the dark world beneath New York society. …” – RT Book Review, 4 stars

“Christopherson provides the reader with a fully-realized world of brazen and aspiring women, ambitious men and strict expectations regarding how to conduct one’s private and/or social life. The characters are so beautifully drawn that I felt like I could start casting the mini-series the minute I put the book down. And, this book would make a wonderful TV series with settings ranging from early New York City to the Canadian Rockies. …I loved every minute.” – Nancy, Goodreads reviewer

“…the novel is remarkable in its similarities to the work of Edith Wharton. The reader feels drawn into a world of glamour, glitz, and supreme hypocrisy. Everything is permissible as long as one does not get caught. It is a drama of manners and the stakes are high—one misstep could mean social oblivion. … This novel will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly those who enjoy period novels such as Age of Innocence and The Portrait of a Lady.” – The Historical Novel Society

“New York, 1890, and the glitz and glamor of the time and setting, are the backdrop for this novel about a young heiress who suddenly finds herself alone in the world. I loved how each chapter began with a rule of etiquette based upon the societal norms of the time. The story gave me a glimpse of what it would have been like to live among the wealthiest and most prominent citizens. Of course, all is not perfect, for the heroine must maneuver her way through treachery, greed, and scandal to find which of the two men in her life is her true love. I thoroughly enjoyed how the characters interacted, and how authentic they felt to me. Lots of wonderfully rich descriptions of places and gowns really brought the era to life. … I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys New York in the Gilded Age. A good historical read!” – Mirella Patzer, Historical Novel Review

“In this remarkable first novel, Christopherson takes us back to 1890s New York — to tell a tale so pitch perfect it hurts. Bridging the divide between historical fiction and literary fiction, the story of the rising immigrant Connor and the unlikely pairing with orphaned socialite/settlement house worker Francesca is beset with conflict from her devious fiance Tracy, Connor’s lover the scandalous Blanche and Francesca’s meddling guardians the Jeromes. Some of the most gorgeous scenes are set in an art warehouse examining paintings that have just arrived from Paris, a hat shop, a delightful tea house and of course, tangled in the bedsheets! Between murder, trials, and lies, this tale takes us to Argentina and Louisiana, Ireland and Chicago, the lower east side to the upper west side and finally to a real resort in Banff Canada where our unlikely pair will finally get a chance. Or will they?” – Booksmart, Amazon review

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaaren Christopherson is the author of Decorum—a novel about Gilded Age New York—that began taking form in 1999 during a course on writing historical fiction. From that moment, Connor O’Casey (who had been rattling around in her brain for months) finally appeared one night and said, “All right, woman. Here I am. What are you going to do about my story?” So she began to put his words on paper, and he hasn’t kept quiet since. Soon Francesca, Blanche, Tracey, Vinnie, and the rest of the characters began arguing, gossiping, loving, and forming themselves into Kaaren’s first novel.
Kaaren has had a professional career writing and editing for over 30 years and is a senior editor for an international development nonprofit organization in Washington, DC.

She has written fiction since her school days, story poems, children’s books, historical fiction, and time travel, and continues to be active in writer’s groups and writing workshops. In addition to her career as a writer, Kaaren was the owner of a decorative painting business. She loves to travel and prowl through historical sites, galleries, and museums. She is active in several churches in DC and in her local Northern Virginia community, where she shares her home with feline brothers, Archie and Sammy.

A Michigan native, Kaaren received her BA in history and art and her MA in educational administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

For more information visit Kaaren Christopherson’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

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Audio Review: Mr. Mercedes/Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

 I used to think of Stephen King as an author of horror/supernatural books that scared the daylights out of readers.  As a teen I remember reading Carrie, Pet Sematary and Cujo which all left such vivid imagines resulting in me not picking up any of his for literally decades.  When 11/22/63 came out it sound safe enough to read and I loved it.

Recently I thought to give an audio version a try, I did this with a little apprehension for the basic reason that audio book, when they have the right reader, breathes more emotion and life into the story.  A little scary when thinking of King books.  My first was Misery and loved it as well, check out my review.

Mr. Mercedes and Delores Claiborne are totally different genres (and its a really talented author who can do that).  Neither fall under horror, but both suspenseful and addictive reading/listening.

Delores Claiborne is a shorter audio (approx. 9 hours), it's a long monologue.  But what a story it is, totally addictive to the point I couldn't put it down.  An authentic story that shows what happened in a home of domestic violence.

Mr. Mercedes was equally addictive, but a little longer (approx 14 hours). Told from two different points of view, it digs into the mind of the good and the bad.  A brilliant start to a trilogy it introduces some very likable characters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable. 

Audible Audio

Published June 3rd 2014 by Simon & Schuster Audio 

source - public library

***** 


"Everything I did, I did for love..."

For thirty years, folks on Little Tall Island have been waiting to find out just what happened on the eerie dark day Dolores Claiborne's husband died --- the day of the total eclipse. Now, the police want to know what happened yesterday when her rich, bedridden employer died suddenly in her care. With no choice but to talk, Dolores gives her compelling confession ... of the strange and terrible links forged by hidden intimacies ... of the fierceness of a mother's love and its dreadful consequences ... of the silent rage that can turn a woman's heart to hate. When Dolores Claiborne is accused of murder, it's only the beginning of the bad news. For what comes after that is something only Stephen King could imagine ... as he rips open the darkest secrets and the most damning sins of men and women in an ingrown. Maine town and takes you on a trip below its straitlaced surface. 

(first published January 1st 1992)
Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
Release Date: 05-11-09

***** 

Misery by Stephen King

Misery Chastain was dead. Paul Sheldon had just killed her - with relief, with joy. Misery had made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. And now he wanted to get on to some real writing.

That's when the car accident happens, and he wakes up in pain in a strange bed. But it isn't hospital. Annie Wilkes has pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs.

The good news is that Annie was a nurse and has pain-killing drugs. The bad news is that she has long been Paul's Number One Fan. And when she finds out what Paul has done to Misery, she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it at all.

And now he has to bring Misery back to life. Or else...

Paperback, 369 pages

  (first published 1987) 

audio via overdrive (library)

12 hrs and 11 mins
*****

  

Tina over at Book Chatter has designated June 'Misery Read Along Month'.  I haven't read Stephen King in ages, and thought to give it a whirl.  The audio version was available from the library which I took as a sign and went for it.  My husband thought I was nuts, more so when I invited him to watch the movie with me.

Stephen King is a talented author, however I could count on one hand the number of his books that I have read.  My son is reading and collecting his books which got me inspired to give him another try.  HF is my usually genre, but sometimes you need a break from that, history doesn't always have that  'happy ever after' type of endings.  But then again does Stephen King? Face is his books are rather creepy, sinister and downright scary (to be blunt).

Someone asked me how the audio version was.  Well it was almost like watching a bad accident in progress, you know what's going to happen and ya can't look away.  That's exactly what Misery was like, I couldn't stop listening, I had to find out how this was going to end..  I listened to clues and hints as to what made Anne tick, what made her sweet one minute and deranged the next.  Hearing Paul's voice added the emotion and suspense that makes Stephen King's books what they are - hard-to-put down, creatively-unique and scary-beyond-reason, lol.

The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor

A voyage across the ocean becomes the odyssey of a lifetime for a young Irish woman. . .

Ireland, 1912 . . .

Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.

Chicago, 1982 . . .

Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about Titanic that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Came Home poignantly blends fact and fiction to explore the Titanic tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants. 
 

Paperback, 384 pages

Published April 1st 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks

audio - public library

**** 
This book lent itself quite nicely to audio format, though I am pretty sure I would have liked it if I had read it also.

 Jumping back and forth in time was a nice break between the 2 story lines.  Based on the fact that 14 individuals from a small village in Ireland did in fact set sail on the Titanic.  At times parts of the story were predictable it was still  enjoyable to listen to. The author showed the class distinctions not just on board the ship but in other aspects of life during that time period.  

Maggie resolved never to speak about what happened that night was genuine, you can feel the ice cold and black night understanding her frame of mind and reasoning behind this decision.  Her great granddaughter Grace is a loyal daughter but I would have liked more insight into Grace's mother and her struggles, just to back up why Grace had to support her for 2 years - it might be just me, but that confused me a little.  Not that I don't understand grief, but what transpired during that time would have been nice to know, giving reasons for putting her life on hold.

This book brought to life the story of the Titanic, not just through the eyes of the passengers but the crew as well and those waiting on end side of the ocean for news.

Hazel Gaynor is a new author to me, she has just released, A Memory of Violets and I must say both these covers are gorgeous.