Wow. Could not stop reading this electrifying, sometimes shocking memoir. I cried throughout the entire end. Brodeur is a master at atmosphere andWow. Could not stop reading this electrifying, sometimes shocking memoir. I cried throughout the entire end. Brodeur is a master at atmosphere and scene setting, and I felt fully IN Cape Cod, in their Boston suburb mansion, in NYC, in San Diego. I felt the sun. Smelled the salt. And Brodeur does throughout this amazing story what I want in all books of all genres, she gives gives gives all the wonderful sensory aspects of food. The sizzle and smell of garlic frying in butter, so on. So many examples. I seriously love this book, which is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I would read anything written by Brodeur, with hopes she turns her immeasurable talents to a full length fiction should she wish. This will make my 2020 Top Reads for sure, and it’s already a shoe-in for the select few that make it into my year end dinner of top reads for close friends. It’s that good....more
I started Keto in October (2019) to address a chronic inflammation issue, low energy, and overall concentration. I’ll be damned if it absolutelyI started Keto in October (2019) to address a chronic inflammation issue, low energy, and overall concentration. I’ll be damned if it absolutely worked in all those areas. I picked up Suzanne’s book recently to help motivate me to dig in even deeper and learn new recipes. I very much liked Suzanne’s attitude and approach. She is very encouraging, non-judgmental, and most importantly, she presents a welcoming, non-intimidating mindset to Keto. Pretty much all of the recipes are ones I’ll try. I already tried the snickerdoodles and they’re fabulous. Highly recommend if you’re considering or already in Keto....more
First off, I wish you could see my copy so you could to see my fingerprint evidence of me hanging on to this book for dear life. Leave it to Jennifer First off, I wish you could see my copy so you could to see my fingerprint evidence of me hanging on to this book for dear life. Leave it to Jennifer Hillier to make my flights to and from DC fly by too fast, so fast, I had to read while walking to baggage claim. ALL of the characters in this wonderful thriller are so masterfully complex. All of them, every single one, do bad things and good things and inexplicable things and things you want to hug them for and things you want to punch them in the gut for. They are so very very human, humans dealing with big time stuff. Honestly, it was a masterclass in writing complex characters. Especially the women characters. The scenery is fabulous and I felt I was IN Pike Place market, in Marin’s craftsman style home, in a winery, in a bar, in a hair salon. LIKE I WAS REALLY TRANSPORTED to all these cool ass places. Hillier ratchets up the tension so perfectly perfect. By the end, I wasn’t breathing. I was talking out loud on the plane and didn’t give a flip about my seat mate. I was like, “No no no no, go go go go, omg omg omg.” Yeah. And I challenge anyone to read chapter 13 and not feel every single possible emotion about this one female character. Like, every single one. Friggin fantastic. Hillier knocks it out of the park again. 5 Big Fat Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️...more
I burned through this. And I’m sad it’s over. Super compelling, super smart, and I honest to goodness hope to Holy rolling hell theyI am not worthy.
I burned through this. And I’m sad it’s over. Super compelling, super smart, and I honest to goodness hope to Holy rolling hell they make some bingy series out of this so I can see all these creeps at the Institute up in creepy-ol forested Maine. And talking of CREEEEEEEP FACTOR, when you finally get to the back half of back half, wow. That was probably the best creepy writing I’ve ever read. Vivid and solid and a gut punch. I still FEEL the feeling of centipedes hatching eggs in my skin on “seeing” what was going on back there.
That damn airport bookstore gets me every single time! As if my TBR wasn't already a mile high. I complain, but I got to say, that airport bookstoreThat damn airport bookstore gets me every single time! As if my TBR wasn't already a mile high. I complain, but I got to say, that airport bookstore trap has rewarded me in such huge ways. It's how I found Karen Russell's MASTERPIECE Swamplandia!, Erin Morgenstern's CRAZY ADDICTIVE Night Circus, and now, Rachel DeLoache Williams' ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE My Friend Anna.
Here's the Honest to Witches truth. I already had a book in my bag to read on the plane, along with a book I need to write on my computer. So did I need My Friend Anna? NO! But that cover and the story yanked me straight out of the TSA nightmare and straight on into Logan's Delta terminal bookstore. It's not my fault. The book made me buy her. I started right away, and finished, in between work stuff, in one day.
This is riveting true crime stuff here. And also, all the familiar places I know in SoHo are right there. Even the little secret of a gem, The Ship (a bar in SoHo that is a must, a total must, but don't tell anyone, so we can keep it a secret gem).
DeLoache Williams' writing is exceptional. This reads like a poetic literary novel in many parts, and not a true-crime expose. She delivers a lot of NY and Morocco atmosphere, in such a captivating way, I felt I was there. I felt too that I was living the angst of the horrible situation Anna put DeLoache Williams in. In short, the scenery and the emotions are SHOWN to the reader in a truly fantastic and well-crafted way. I hope DeLoache Williams continues writing, fiction or non-fiction, I don't care. I'll read whatever she delivers next.
I also found it quite a gift that she was so open in showing her vulnerability and her victimhood in this situation. I could see how it could happen, even though you might think at the start it could never happen to you. Con artists are very good at what they do, especially sociopathic ones, which, no doubt, this Anna is.
There's also one very tiny, small scene, that I found really touching. And I'm not sure why it brought a smile and a tear to my eye, but it did. I think it's because this scene said a lot about the humanity of the author and the humanity of many really-good, down-to-earth New Yorkers, and it also meant that the narrator (and thus I as the reader who was very invested at this point) had turned a corner and all would be well. It's a scene in a bar when she unfolds her story to a bartender and the bartender tells her the meal is on the house. I loved that vignette.
This is one of the most compelling reads for me in a long time. A front-row view to the story leading up to the capture of Anna Devley, the fake heiress who monopolized headlines this year in a truly salacious trial. I would put this at the top of your TBR. ...more
Me: I LOVE, I mean I'm obsessed with, financial/white-collar crimes exposes like The Big Short (really anything by Michael Lewis), Billion DollarMe: I LOVE, I mean I'm obsessed with, financial/white-collar crimes exposes like The Big Short (really anything by Michael Lewis), Billion Dollar Whale, Bad Blood, etc. Like I EAT the words like a glutton. AND I also LOVE LOVE LOVE psychological thrillers with a bad-ass, SMART female lead. AND, I also like a book with education and meaning and an important message. Oh oh oh, and I really LOVE books that give me huge doses of atmosphere, especially the New England atmosphere. I wish I had all that in one book, but that's impossible, right?
Vanessa Lillie: Not impossible, here.
OMG. This book. Look, it's a page-turner, it's a twisty thriller with an awesome, strong, whip-smart female lead--who, by the way, is not all perfect nor even all-together SUPER strong, she's human. But like, a really awesome, strong and real human. She just has some flaws. And it's got a twist, all that. All the makings of a fabulous psychological thriller.
But it is way more than just that.
I really love books that show strong women with professional skills, professional language, professional thoughts. Imagine Leslie Knope in a serious murder investigation, with all her binders and charts and tabs. Twist Knope's comedy to something more akin to biting wit, satirical and wise, and you have Devon. Don't get me wrong, Little Voices is not a comedy in the least. It's just that Devon does pepper her narrative with some satirical observations that made me find her intellectual and strong--she could take herself out of a situation and observe herself or situations and comment on it in a satisfying, meta way. I like that. She talks of variables and financial and political maneuverings with ease, making her an intelligent and interesting lead to follow through a murder investigation. Oh and heap on the fact she's carrying around a prematurely born child, and she's got postpartum.
And this is the piece I think Lillie handles so well, and frankly, I'm appreciative of what she did here. If you haven't lived through incredibly tumultuous post-birth emotions, postpartum, even depression at any stage, birth or no, I hope you will recognize the genius with how Lillie made a woman's thoughts during these times so very real, palatable to read (which to be honest, I was fearing, as who wants to live in such terror), understandable, and...given they way she wrote it, way less terrifying. Actually, she made it understandable and, for me, logical. There's one line that really stands out: "That's the problem with logic. It doesn't stand a chance against terror." This is something that resounds with me a great deal. It is something I fight in my own real life, and also in all of my own writing. It is such a true statement, and so, consciously recognizing it, I keep bolstering logic, fortifying logic, so as to fight terror, to flip it so that terror doesn't have a chance against logic.
And this is exactly what Lillie does here!! Devon can "recognize the thread of crazy" and she therefore acknowledges it, faces it, somewhat allows it, and therefore makes it controllable. She uses her logic throughout the book, her intelligence, her skills in organization and research, and she fights back the terror. And she solves a murder.
Also she gives atmosphere! Lillie captures the sights, the feel, the look of trees, the landscape, everything about Rhode Island. She doesn't hold back in setting scene and weaving in the "senses" through well-written prose in a scene. Exceptional.
Nothing not to love about this awesome, intriguing, exceptionally well-crafted, politico-financial murder thriller, that is not only a page-turner, but a model of how a woman can go through physical and mental wood-chippers, time and time again, and still be the strongest person in the room. Read it. ...more
Just go get this book and read it. I have read a lot of true crime novels and I honestly can say, this one is the most meticulously constructed andJust go get this book and read it. I have read a lot of true crime novels and I honestly can say, this one is the most meticulously constructed and gripping. Read in one day and skipped meals, that gripping. That well done. Last year I raved and raved about John Carreyrou’s amazing Bad Blood. And this year I am going to rave and rave and rave about American Predator. Just read it. Trust me. ...more
Kimberly Belle grabbed me by the arms, directed me to sit on down, and in her honey-southern way, politely, but sternly, told me to, “Sit right there,Kimberly Belle grabbed me by the arms, directed me to sit on down, and in her honey-southern way, politely, but sternly, told me to, “Sit right there, darlin, I’m going to tell you a tale, and you won’t want to move.” That’s what it felt like when I started the audio-book of Dear Wife, obsessively listening whenever I got any free minutes at all. And then switching to paper when I needed more time with the story. This is a gripping and thoughtful novel about spousal abuse. I found the intricate steps one might take to escape to be truly insightful and meticulously researched. To say this is gripping is an understatement. And as a bonus, despite the dark material, Belle has great timing on comic gold, sprinkled here and there to ease the rising tension just right. Just sugar sweet right. Highly recommended! ...more
I devoured this book in two days, in-between house guests and work conference calls. I could write a dissertation on my love of every single aspect ofI devoured this book in two days, in-between house guests and work conference calls. I could write a dissertation on my love of every single aspect of this book. I clung to every word, tears came when I came to the final word in the acknowledgements because I knew I was done done, really done, with the book.
I will update this review later with my many many thoughts on the colors and vivid scenes, how totally transported I was to Ayachero and the Tatinga villages. How blown away I was at this unique coming-of-age story for a fierce young woman. The shamans! What Beya did with that eagle!! But right now, I need to go order everything Ferencik has ever written. I’m a fan. I need more....more
I was lucky to moderate the serial killer in writing panel at the 2019 Left Coast conference and triple lucky because C.J. Box was on the panel. II was lucky to moderate the serial killer in writing panel at the 2019 Left Coast conference and triple lucky because C.J. Box was on the panel. I read The Highway to discuss with him, and wow, no wonder Box has hordes of fans. This book picks you up and hurdles you headlong down a speedway, frightening and yet totally exhilarating the entire time. The chapters from the POV of the killer are truly chilling, up there with the best in class serial killer tales. Beyond that, there’s some real educational stuff in here about the true dangers of highway rest stops, for which, and I didn’t know this before, the FBI has an entire task force. I’m surprised The Highway isn’t a major motion film yet. ...more
The Thin Edge is a fast-paced mystery set in the wildly vivid (due to Townsend’s good pen) San Francisco. Her eclectic crew of characters, a group ofThe Thin Edge is a fast-paced mystery set in the wildly vivid (due to Townsend’s good pen) San Francisco. Her eclectic crew of characters, a group of anti-govt bikers supporting an intrepid journalist, captivated me and made me smile. These are characters you want to spend time with. Really like the romantic tension Townsend is building between Aloa and a detective, and hope to watch that unfold in future novels. The central mystery in The Thin Edge was incredibly creative and unique—and gave me the shivers. ...more
I was lucky to moderate a serial killer in writing panel at the 2019 Left Coast Crime conference and Ashley was on the panel—the book du jour,I was lucky to moderate a serial killer in writing panel at the 2019 Left Coast Crime conference and Ashley was on the panel—the book du jour, Splinter in the Blood. I love this book. I love the main character, Ruth Lake, and love the dynamic with her partner, Carver. The science of the investigation felt like a Patricia Cornwwell novel, as well the intrigue. I really appreciated the complicated ethics of Ruth, something unique in detective novels, whereby she was going to fight like mad for her partner, but she didn’t go so far as to commit major obstruction for him—all the time. In other words, her character profile was multi-layered, highly intelligent, real, and relatable—especially for women professionals in male dominated careers.
I missed Ruth was I was done and look forward to the sequel, The Cutting Room. ...more
Aymar is one talent that can take on the serious topic of human trafficking in a meaningful way, and yet in fiction. Not an easy task. His charactersAymar is one talent that can take on the serious topic of human trafficking in a meaningful way, and yet in fiction. Not an easy task. His characters are multi-dimensional and masterfully constructed. I also liked his thoughtful consideration of a character with depression—something he pulls off in an accurate and educational way, and yet also entertaining. And above all else, there is nothing better than a full-throttle, take no mercy, slam a man’s head in a van door multiple times without batting an eye revenge thriller where the girl burns it all down. Nothing. Much respect The Unrepentant. Not everyone could pull all of this together and so well. But Aymar sure did. ...more
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