I have met the author at Festival of Reading in St. Pete, FL and bought two of his books, since this is my favorite genre and I like supporting indie I have met the author at Festival of Reading in St. Pete, FL and bought two of his books, since this is my favorite genre and I like supporting indie authors. This is one of the books I got and WHOA, I didn’t expect to read it in a day! I’m usually a slow reader, but I just kept flipping pages until I read the entire thing. I am so excited to read the other book that I have and to also get more! I absolutely loved the writing style and characters. Everything was put together nicely, you can see the author’s effort to make things “make sense” and it is clear that the proper research has been done. I am currently taking a break from Instagram, but I will be raving about this book when I come back. If you need a good horror/suspense novel and no idea what to pick, please consider giving this one a shot and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. All stars from me!...more
This was excellent! I didn’t know that there’s two novellas in this book and I was looking for a connection between those two stories and it never hapThis was excellent! I didn’t know that there’s two novellas in this book and I was looking for a connection between those two stories and it never happened ...more
This book has a perfect title. It WAS intense, to the last page. Constant suspense plus a badass female protagonist - it’s all I need. I don’t want to This book has a perfect title. It WAS intense, to the last page. Constant suspense plus a badass female protagonist - it’s all I need. I don’t want to reveal much, just go read it and thank me later....more
I really liked this! First half of the book teaches you how your phone might affect your mood and ability to focus etc. Especially if you’re endlessly I really liked this! First half of the book teaches you how your phone might affect your mood and ability to focus etc. Especially if you’re endlessly scrolling, like I used to. A few days before I bought this book, I deactivated all my personal social media accounts (I do this from time to time) and then I saw this book while browsing and wanted to read it. Some of the facts just blew my mind. I knew that being on your phone all the time is, of course, bad, but this book gives you precise reasons why. I loved it! Second part is “breaking up” with your phone and then getting into healthy relationship with it. I just read this, since I’ve done most of the things that are already there: deleted social media (or social media apps), I turned off my notifications a long time ago etc. But I still found useful information and apps that I can use and I also deleted all the apps that I don’t use. I like how it doesn’t tell you to go “cold turkey” but instead just shift from always being on your phone to having a healthy relationship with it. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who would want to spend less time on their phones. I gave it four stars only because I’m not sure how useful it will be in a few years because technology changes so much. For example, on the first day of your “break up” you should download apps to track the time your spend on your phone. Well, iPhone now has that feature in the settings. However, it was still an excellent read and it helped me A LOT. Read it if you’re guilty of being on your phone a lot, it would also be a good gift, although some people might get offended, haha....more
My first Janz! I have to say that I was annoyed because synopsis ruined this book for me. It’s basically a spoiler for the half of the book, at least. My first Janz! I have to say that I was annoyed because synopsis ruined this book for me. It’s basically a spoiler for the half of the book, at least. Same thing happened with Pet Sematary, when I’ve read the introduction (and I don’t read them ever since). And don’t even start with “that’s not the point of the book” I KNOW, but I don’t want to know what happens before I read the book. Simple as that. Now let me really talk about this book. Pros: Creepy! Quite a few scenes got me scared and made me turn on all the lights and I’m not easily scared since I read horror all the time. I’m not a parent, but the relationship between Joe and his daughter AND Joe’s love for a boy who was abused by his mother was just beautifully written. I’d probably be bawling while reading this book if I had kids. I don’t want to reveal much, but all the things Joe had to go through, in the past and present and how he deals with them and is still able to stay kind and help others - all that made him one of the most likable characters. Not to mention his integrity. Oh, and on top of everything, he’s being so nice to his wife who is kind of a bitch (please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks that). I also have to mention that there is a great example of how friendships should be built in books. Great job! Cons: Not too many. At times it felt slow. Maybe because, as I said, I mostly knew what was going to happen, so I was being impatient. I never care about fight/battle details, but other people probably do, so this is not really a major con, just something I personally could live without (well, not WITHOUT, buy with less details). There’s a lot of gore going on, which is not a con for me, I just wanted to warn anyone who wants to read this book and doesn’t like that kind of stuff. I’m so excited to read another book by Jonathan Janz, hopefully very soon!...more
I’d like to thank the author for an ARC of this book, I absolutely LOVE Osgood series! I was amazed by the first book, I believe I wrote a review hereI’d like to thank the author for an ARC of this book, I absolutely LOVE Osgood series! I was amazed by the first book, I believe I wrote a review here for that one as well. I couldn’t wait for the sequel and I was pleasantly surprised when it was offered to me in exchange for a review, again :) I don’t want to talk too, too much about it in order to avoid spoilers from this and previous book. I liked Osgood Riddance, but it didn’t blow my mind as much as Osgood As Gone did. It’s still an excellent read, I enjoyed all the action and there was A LOT of it. First part of the book was a little slower, but then it picked up and I think I’ve read 200 pages in one sitting, which I almost never do. I was a little overwhelmed with all the magic and “switching”, that’s the only “con” I have, if we can even call it a con. I love author’s writing style, dialogues are always good written in these books and I care about characters, especially Zack, my favorite. The first book had that little “scavenger hunt” vibe, I really liked that. It’s interesting how these two books have kind of a different vibe, but belong to the same series. I think that’s great, there is definitely something for everyone. I highly recommend these series and now, again, I can’t wait for the next book. Go read it the first book before this one comes out in October! ...more
Have you ever finished a book and wanted to reread it immediately? Because that’s how I felt with My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I adore Moshfegh’s wrHave you ever finished a book and wanted to reread it immediately? Because that’s how I felt with My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I adore Moshfegh’s writing style. I’m not sure how to explain it. It’s... different. Reading this (and Eileen) I felt like I was talking to a person who kind of wants to open up, but doesn’t know how because they don’t do that often, but again they do it NOW and it’s hilarious and dark and sad. I don’t know what I just said. This book is a whole new level of grief and depression. It’s sad and hilarious at the same time. I don’t know how Moshfegh does it, but I know that I want more of these! This review is weird, but so is this book, please go read it! Ottessa Moshfegh has become one of my favorite authors. I could say that I understand why some people don’t like reading her books (I was reading 1star reviews here), but I’m not a liar....more
I have received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. It contains 7 short stories, 2 (or 3) of them being 100 word stories. TheyI have received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. It contains 7 short stories, 2 (or 3) of them being 100 word stories. They are kind of children’s stories for adults (the reason “stories for your inner child” is on the cover of the book). I’ve read this in about one hour. I couldn’t really “connect” with them. These stories definitely carry a good message, they just didn’t work for me, unfortunately....more
Thank you Hanover Square Press for sending me an ARC of this book. I’ve read Dr. Melinek’s memoir (Working Stiff) a few years ago and adored it! That bThank you Hanover Square Press for sending me an ARC of this book. I’ve read Dr. Melinek’s memoir (Working Stiff) a few years ago and adored it! That book actually got me interested in reading memoirs. She then wrote this novel (again, with her husband T.J. Mitchell) about a young medical examiner who quits her job in LA because of the traumatic event that happened at work and moves to San Francisco. But her troubles don’t stop; she gets a case that her boss pushes her to close as an accident, but she is convinced that it is a homicide. She is not quite sure what to do as she definitely does not need another incident at work, especially since this job is a fresh start for her. I loved the writing style! It definitely reminds me of Working Stiff, even though this is a different genre. It was witty and enjoyable. Being a dentist, I really enjoy reading all stuff medical and there’s a lot of books out there written by doctors that can be overwhelming for non-medical people and some of them even for people who do work in medical field, but this book is nothing like that, it has a perfect amount of interesting facts that are very well distributed throughout the book. This book is perfect for anyone who likes forensics. Let’s talk about setting. I love, love, love San Francisco and I didn’t even know this book was set there and was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it. Authors give us landmarks and street names, I enjoyed it so much. Our protagonist was hilarious. She is not perfect, but she is intelligent and sassy AND she is half Polish and she uses Polish words and I smiled every time a word she was using was similar to the word of my native language (Serbian) and I could understand it without explanation. I loved this book so much that I preordered a signed copy because I have no self control and I’m a hoarder of good books. Also, this is going to be series and I have to have them all. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, so do yourself a favor and read it when it comes out in January 2020, start your year right. And don’t worry, I’ll remind you again in January (on Instagram)....more
I believe this is Karin Slaughter’s first novel. Anyway, it was published in 2001. I have read Pieces of Her, which came out in 2018 and it blew my miI believe this is Karin Slaughter’s first novel. Anyway, it was published in 2001. I have read Pieces of Her, which came out in 2018 and it blew my mind, I want to read EVERYTHING that Slaughter has ever written. By reading one of her last releases and then one of her first, I can definitely see that her writing has improved a lot. Not that this book is bad - it’s quite the opposite, I enjoyed it. It’s just not as strong as her most recent ones, which is, again, normal and expected. I think we all love when author makes us care for characters and Slaughter really does a great job! This book (as well as her other ones) contains a pretty good amount of graphic violence, so that’s just a warning for you who don’t like reading that kind of stuff. This is part of the series, so I’m excited to start reading book 2! If you like crime and suspense novels, strong female characters and don’t mind very disturbing scenes - pick this one up! Or any other Slaughter’s book, really. I don’t believe that this woman could write a bad book....more
Gwendy’s Magic Feather is a sequel to Gwendy’s Button Box which was written by R. Chizmar and S. King. If you liked the first book, I’d recommend thatGwendy’s Magic Feather is a sequel to Gwendy’s Button Box which was written by R. Chizmar and S. King. If you liked the first book, I’d recommend that you pick up this one too! Richard Chizmar did a pretty good job telling a story of a grown up Gwendy who comes back to Castle Rock and has another experience with the well known box. The book comes out in November 2019 and would be a perfect quick winter read, since it’s set around Christmas in 1999 and it just felt so COZY. Add mystery and magic to that and you got yourself a nice little entertainment....more
My first Karin Slaughter and boy, am I hooked!!! I listened to this as an audiobook and loved every second of it. I was walking home from Walmart one My first Karin Slaughter and boy, am I hooked!!! I listened to this as an audiobook and loved every second of it. I was walking home from Walmart one day while listening to this and something happened in the book and I started crying... Luckily, I had sunglasses and no one else is insane to walk in the middle of the day in Florida during summer, so I don’t think anyone noticed. I could not stop listening, the story is great, the narrator excellent! Can’t wait to read her other books. All stars from me, highly recommended....more
It’s kind of hard to write a spoiler-free review for this book. I started reading (listening) it without knowing anything about it and that’s probablyIt’s kind of hard to write a spoiler-free review for this book. I started reading (listening) it without knowing anything about it and that’s probably the best way to read it. I wasn’t disappointed like I often am with new thrillers, unfortunately. The only thing I didn’t like was that toward the end of the book there were A FEW twists, it was a little too much. But I had a lot of fun reading it and I would recommend it to everyone who likes domestic thrillers....more
I’ve read this book in high school and reread it last month... I have to say it’s not my favorite horror book anymore. Nothing wrong with it, I just lI’ve read this book in high school and reread it last month... I have to say it’s not my favorite horror book anymore. Nothing wrong with it, I just like different things now, I guess. It took me so long to read it and the writing style was a little “tiring” at times. The story is still good, so it got 4 stars from me, it’s just not my favorite anymore. I like Dan Simmons in general and would still recommend this book, especially if you like IT or Boy’s Life....more
I have received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I like when I pick up a book without having extremely high expectI have received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I like when I pick up a book without having extremely high expectations and I end up enjoying it. That happened with this one. I liked the cover and I did think that I'd have fun reading it, but it was much more than that, I enjoyed it more than I expected. (I'm not writing a synopsis, you can read it up there.) Pros: I loved all the little details and clues that characters were solving and they were put together in a very creative way, in my opinion. The story happens in 2019, but I felt like it was happening in 1990s, it was a strange, but wonderful combo. Excellent job! At one point I thought to myself "This cover and the vibe of the story remind me of TMNT for some reason" and then Osgood and Zack started talking about it, it made me smile. Cons: Don't really have any; the last 15% of the book I liked a little less than the rest, maybe I was just tired and couldn't concentrate. But it was still good. Characters: Osgood reminds me of a person I have a love-hate relationship with. She is definitely likeable and fun, but she would be driving me crazy in real life. Audrey is just Audrey, I have nothing special to say about her, I kind of look at her as a side character. Zack was my favorite and I want to hug him. I also cannot wait for the book number two! This was one of the best reads for me this year....more
I listened to this as an audiobook. Michelle McNamara was obsessed with a killer who was raping and murdering people in California mostly in ‘70s and ‘I listened to this as an audiobook. Michelle McNamara was obsessed with a killer who was raping and murdering people in California mostly in ‘70s and ‘80s. She did a lot of research and had her own blog about serial killers, but this one was her “favorite”. If you don’t know anything about Golden State Killer (that’s the nickname she gave him), I suggest that you just go ahead and read the book first and THEN google the killer and Michelle’s name. Narrator was good and it was interesting learning about all the things police did back in the ‘70s and ‘80s and then also in the ‘90s and present day. Very neat “background” story about technology improvement and what it means to us today. Unfortunately, there were GAZILLION names. Not only that, but the timeline was all messed up, there’s a story from, let’s say 1986 and then it jumps to 1974 and then 1998, it got me all confused, probably more so because I was listening to it instead of reading it. But I would still recommend audiobook if you don’t mind these things. This is why I gave it 4 stars. I like how she researched and described how certain towns and neighborhoods in NoCal were developing (especially Walnut Creek, since I was supposed to live there at one point, haha). Go read it if you like true crime, it’s a good one!...more
I actually listened to this book. I “borrowed” it from my library, it’s available on RB Digital, if your library allows you to use that. I heard about I actually listened to this book. I “borrowed” it from my library, it’s available on RB Digital, if your library allows you to use that. I heard about it from @chapterstackss she had a video about audiobooks and I wanted to give it a try, because I really suck at listening to audiobooks, my mind just wanders away. But the narrator was AMAZING and the book was also excellent! It’s about Eileen (duuuh) a self-loathing young woman who works as a secretary at the boys’ prison in 1950s (or 1960s 🤔) and is taking care and dealing with her alcoholic father. Reading the synopsis (on Goodreads or elsewhere), this might sound like a thriller, but it’s more of a character study. The “thriller” part comes towards the end of the book, but I enjoyed every single moment listening to this. I could listen/read anything that comes from Eileen’s head forever. I had so much fun and I had to pause and write down quotes numerous times. I absolutely loved it! I just saw that I gave it 4 stars on GR, gotta change that to 5! I’m glad Katie mentioned this book in her video, I probably would have never picked it up otherwise. I want to read more books from this author!...more
I have received a copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review. First I’d like to point out that the author is 18yo. He described I have received a copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review. First I’d like to point out that the author is 18yo. He described the book as a “mix of House of Leaves and Silent Hill” and I pretty much agree with that. I’ve read about 150 pages of HoL and just wasn’t in a mood for it at that time and put it back on my TBR pile. But I can see the similarities. What I liked about this book were the descriptions of places, I like when I can EXACTLY picture every detail, like I’m there. Also the simplicity of language is my favorite thing, as I have mentioned million times by now. I’d like to tell you more pros, but that would have to include spoilers. Cons: It felt like playing a video game, the entire time I was reading it. I like video games, but I like a book to be a little more than that. It was more about the story, or rather PLACES (even though I liked all the descriptions, sometimes it was too much), and less about the characters. A constant “mindfuck” going on, it was a little overwhelming. I only figured out if I liked Roman or not in the last 3 chapters (I’m not telling you anything to avoid spoilers). The ending, especially those last 3 chapters were excellent. I would have given it 3-3.5 stars, but I had to go with 4 because the author is so young and very talented, in my opinion. As with any profession, a lot of work is needed in order to use the maximum of the talent present, but I have no doubts that he will only get better from this point. Definitely a good read if you like video games and “how did I get here and wtf is going on?” stories....more
This book is everything! I thought I couldn’t possibly love this city any more than I already do. But after reading this all I want to do is go back (This book is everything! I thought I couldn’t possibly love this city any more than I already do. But after reading this all I want to do is go back (like I haven’t just been there 2 weeks ago - feels like it’s been 2 years). If you love Seattle - read it, you’ll love it more. If you haven’t been to Seattle - read it, you’ll want to go! I wanted this book to never end, that’s why I’ve been reading it for 2 months. Beautiful illustrations, maps, charts, EVERYTHING....more
This book was so hyped up, unfortunately I’m not a huge fan of it. First, that writing style got me all confused at the beginning, I had to go back andThis book was so hyped up, unfortunately I’m not a huge fan of it. First, that writing style got me all confused at the beginning, I had to go back and reread paragraphs, but then I got used to it once I learned all the characters’ names. There’s not a lot of them, it was just a lot of “jumping” from one family to another. I didn’t care much about B&W movie references, especially because they had nothing to do with the main story and they were written about a lot. I didn’t mind that we have an unreliable character and I know that there’s been a lot of books out there with unreliable characters lately, but Anna was likable and it was well written, it was just way too long and some parts were unnecessary, in my opinion. The ending was great. I’d definitely read another book by this author, I guess I just expected more from this one because everyone seemed to love it....more
It took me 12 days to read 160 pages... I hate when the story is GREAT, but I don’t like the writing style. It was so... TIRING. I kept zoning out andIt took me 12 days to read 160 pages... I hate when the story is GREAT, but I don’t like the writing style. It was so... TIRING. I kept zoning out and reading the same page over and over again. I really liked the idea of the story, so I kept going. The ending was excellent....more
Really enjoyed this one! I think that people learn faster through examples and this book is full of those. Everything is written in a simple language Really enjoyed this one! I think that people learn faster through examples and this book is full of those. Everything is written in a simple language and that’s something I appreciate the most in books, fiction or non-fiction. I recommend this if you want to get more knowledge about personal finances and investments. Especially if you’re interested in real estate, I think this would be a good start. I’ve learned a lot from it. I can see why people have problems with this book - they take everything literally. For example, Kiyosaki tells us that you don’t need to be highly educated to be wealthy - and many people take that as “drop out of school and start buying and flipping houses”. It’s nothing like that. Apply advices from this book to work for your life and career choice. Personally, I need to be highly educated to do the job I want to do, but it doesn’t hurt me to learn more about personal investments, even though they might not have to do anything with real estate. Nobody is forcing you to accept EVERYTHING that authors have to tell you. Not everyone’s life is the same and that would be stupid and boring. And it is a great thing to see things from a different angle....more
I can’t remember when was the last time I read a memoir. This was on my TBR for a long time, I remember watching a YT video where someone recommended I can’t remember when was the last time I read a memoir. This was on my TBR for a long time, I remember watching a YT video where someone recommended this and I marked it as “want to read” here. The description was something like “Ariel was pregnant, married, financialy stable and in a month, none of that was true” so I immidiately thought: “I need to know what the heck happened.” I could relate with the author numerous times: she wants to be independent, do whatever the hell she wants and is willing to work hard for that. She wants to have everything. First part of the book is just that: a story of her life - her childhood, her career, her relationships and marriage. Of course, there are ups and downs, but nothing too, too major until her world just shatteres. It hit me so hard, to be honest. What do you do when you have NO control over things? How do you deal with that and how do you pick yourself up and start again? How to realize that you can’t have everything? And sometimes you don’t have time to do or be what you want to. I loved this, but the second part made me so sad, I needed a few days to process everything and write this review....more
I loved that I randomly picked this book in a bookstore 2 years ago. No one from my GR friend list has read it (or at least reviewed or rated it) so II loved that I randomly picked this book in a bookstore 2 years ago. No one from my GR friend list has read it (or at least reviewed or rated it) so I knew nothing about it, other than what’s on the back of the cover. These stories are so... random. And beautiful. They are all set in NY state, most of them in NYC. I loved, loved, loved every single one of them. They cover all kinds of relationships and most of the characters are going through some hard times. The writing style is simple and beautiful, I keep saying this for books that I love, but it’s true! Read it!...more
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