Review: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins

February 14, 2015February 14, 2015 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

There’s been chatter about this novel for the past few months, but I was unable to get my hands on an advanced copy. After reading several other bloggers’ reviews, I knew I had to buy it!

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN starts with Rachel, a young woman in the London suburbs, who takes the train to her job each day. She passes a house every day and loves to look at the couple who live there – she calls them Jess and Jason. A few doors down lives her ex-husband with his new wife, Anna, and their baby girl. Rachel is a basically one big mess where her divorce is concerned. She’s constantly calling her ex, especially when she’s drunk, and is trying to hang on. Rachel is unraveling and is an alcoholic, suffering from blackouts from binge drinking. One day she sees “Jess” outside with another man. And then Jess (real name Megan) goes missing. Rachel can’t keep her distance and keeps involving herself in the investigation, and in the lives of her ex and his family and Megan’s husband. Things go hurtling along, like a runaway train, up to the exciting climax.

What can I say? I could not put this book down. For the first time in my life I was happy I have insomnia as I could stay up reading. I read the book through most of the night and finished it the next evening. I love a thriller with a mystery, and I especially love when you can analyze the flaws of the main characters. This book is told in three voices: Rachel, Megan (in flashback leading up to her disappearance), and Anna. Each one has her flaws, but that makes them all the more human. By the halfway point I had a theory as to what was going on, and I was right, but I just couldn’t stop reading as I needed to know what happened.

Highly addictive like “Gone Girl”, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is one book I’m not soon to forget! Someone make this into a movie!

You can find it at an indie near you. Or try the library but there are hundreds of holds on the copies in my system.

I am an indie bound affiliate:

Find it at an Indie!

REVIEW: DREAMING SPIES by Laurie King

February 14, 2015February 8, 2015 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

When I saw DREAMING SPIES come up on Net Galley, I thought it looked like something I’d enjoy: Sherlock Holmes and his wife, Mary Russell, solving mysteries. I am not sure how I’ve missed this series as I’m a HUGE Holmes fan. Of course just about everyone is a fan of the new series with Benedict, and I enjoy it, but I’m a Holmes fan from way back. I’ve read all Conan Doyle’s stories numerous times (there aren’t a ton) and I love love loved the PBS series with Jeremy Brett. He was just the perfect Holmes to me. So what fun to find a whole series of stories that are about Holmes and his wife — who is obviously created for this series if you know Holmes – the intelligent and intrepid Mary Russell.

In this story, the time line moves back and forth, from a mystery worked on a few years earlier in Japan to the present (1920’s) in Oxford, England. Holmes and Russell were traveling aboard a cruise ship to Japan when they met a pleasant young woman, Sato, who offers to help educate the crew in the culture and manners of Japan. It turns out that she is a ninja, from a family of ninjas, and she needs their help. A book was given by their Emperor to the King of England as a gift, but it has something tucked inside it which must not be seen. Now the Emperor is being blackmailed in order for him to get the book back.

The storyline takes place in basically three locales: aboard the ship, in Japan, back in England. Ms. King has filled her novel with interesting details about life and the culture in Japan in the 1920’s. Having just taken a cruise last summer, I found the cruise ship part interesting, though I think our Disney Magic was more comfortable than Holmes’ and Russell’s ship!

I have to be honest, I did fear that I would start to read this book and Holmes would not seem like Holmes to me; or Mary would seem anachronistic, or something else would happen that would make me feel it was an absurd attempt to incorporate this iconic character into something new (remember I didn’t read the whole series or even know about it until afterwards). I was not disappointed. Holmes behaved just like Holmes should. Mary is front and center, but that is no surprise as this is somewhat her series. Stylistically, the writing was what I would expect from a classic British mystery. All in all, I just loved it!

For a few more days, I’m running a giveaway:

https://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/giveaway-for-dreaming-spies-by-laurie-r-king/

You can see this book at an indie near you — check out the whole series! (I am an indie bound affiliate) and thank you, Net Galley, for my ARC!:

Find it at an Indie!

Review: The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

February 12, 2015April 21, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I’m a huge fan of Nordic crime novels and when I saw this one come up on Net Galley, I was excited to get it.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS starts with a young woman being found, dead, in a forest in Denmark. She looks unkempt – almost feral – but she has no identification on her. Investigator Louise Rick gets a tip that the girl is a twin that used to live in a nearby institution, only thing is, that girl is officially deceased. Other murders and attacks on local women get Louise to thinking that the crimes may all be related and go back for years. However, until she can figure out who this first girl is, and what she was doing in the woods, the key to whole mystery will remain hidden.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced, well-plotted novel. This is my first Sara Blaedel book, but apparently the Louise Rick series is quite popular and there are several other books. This story does have passages of graphic violence and the overall premise, once it’s all figured out, is fairly disturbing; however, I did like it and look forward to reading more books by Blaedel. Rick is a multi-layered character – far from perfect – and I rooted for her as the protagonist.

Thank you, Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing, for my review copy!

GIVEAWAY for DREAMING SPIES by Laurie R. King!

February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 / drbethnolan / 8 Comments

Publishing on the 17th, is this fun book which I loved (review coming on Feb. 14).

DREAMING SPIES is the latest in the series of mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and his wife, Mary Russell.

Here’s a book trailer via You Tube:

I’ve been sent a beautiful hard cover copy from Random House marketing to give to a winner.

To enter, please leave a comment and also let me know how to contact you if you are the winner.

I’m afraid it has to be US only since I’m footing the bill for shipping.

I will use random.org to choose a winner.

Giveaway will be open until 12:01 am 2/21/15. One entry person.

Review: The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

February 6, 2015April 1, 2015 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

While I received THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN through Net Galley, I was never able to access it as it had been archived, so I got a copy through my local library. This was a haunting read that goes back and forth between current day and WWII. This book is subtitled “A Hidden Masterpiece Novel” so I am assuming it is the start or part of a series.

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN starts with modern-day Sera, an art dealer in New York, as she searches for a painting she saw when she was young: a beautiful girl playing the violin in Auschwitz. Sera has spent years looking for the original and just when she thinks she is close to finding it, complications occur in the form of a young business man from San Francisco who is also seeking the portrait. The story switches to the past so we can see how the painting came to be. Young Adele is “Austria’s sweetheart”, a violinist whose father is a high-ranking officer in the Third Reich. She is in love with a fellow musician and together they try to help Jewish families to hide or escape to safety. Adele is caught and sent to Auschwitz where she is put into the women’s orchestra, a group of musicians who provide daily music at the camp while prisoners are sent to work or are taken off the incoming trains. Much of Adele’s story is how she and the other women work to stay together and stay alive, even though they find their task gruesome and disturbing. Sometimes the story has us in Auschwitz, sometimes back before Adele was arrested, and sometimes current day with Sera and William as they look for the portrait.

This book is listed as Christian Historical Fiction. There are strong messages in it about God’s gifts to us and using the gifts we have, along with finding God’s presence through embracing life.

If I could change one thing in this book it would be to make the “past parts” more in order chronologically. I found it somewhat jolting to go from past to present to past but four years earlier than the last time we were in the past to present, etc. I also was troubled by how easily Adele’s parents sent their only child, barely more than a teen, off to a concentration camp.

If you like WWII reads and enjoy strong Christian messages in your story, along with some romance, you should read this book! The historical note at the end talks about the real life women’s orchestras in camps at that time.

You can find it at an indie — I am an Indie Bound affiliate (or find it at the library, like I did!):

Find it at an Indie!

Cookbook Review: A Good Food Day by Marco Canora with Tammy Walker

February 4, 2015 / drbethnolan / 3 Comments

I received this cookbook through Blogging for Books. I’m a bit of a cookbook junkie and I love checking out new recipes!

The premise of this book is that food that is good for you doesn’t need to be bland or unexciting — it can taste good. That way, you can make every day a “good food” day!

At the beginning of the book, author/chef/restaurateur Marco Canora goes into his back story for a bit, telling how he really didn’t eat well or take care of himself until suddenly, in his 40’s, all his numbers were off and he was overweight and on his way to Type II diabetes. He moved to eating clean, wholesome foods – with lots of fresh veggies – and this book is chock full of his yummy recipes! (For instance, tomorrow for dinner I am making his pork tenderloin medallions, cook with a pan gravy that includes fennel, garlic, and white wine, with roasted lemon asparagus with pesto). His recipes are easy to follow and include what I would consider basic kitchen ingredients, assuming you have a well-stocked pantry/fridge. I haven’t seen anything I couldn’t pick up at my local grocery store or any recipe that should take hours to prepare (yes — some soups simmer for a while, but I don’t need to stand over them).

I’m so glad I chose this selection as it will be a staple in our kitchen!

Thank you Blogging for Books for my copy!

Find it at an Indie near you — I am an indie-bound affiliate:

Find it at an Indie!

Author Visit at The Concord Bookshop: Heather Webb

February 2, 2015 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

On February 1, Heather Webb, author of Rodin’s Lover, spoke and read to is from her novel. I recently got it for my kindle and can’t wait to read it! It’s about the relationship between Rodin and his lover, Camille Claudel, who was an artist, too.
Here’s a picture of Heather reading to us. It was a fun time!