Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Book Review - Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

 

 


Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is about seventeen year old Marley West, who is trying to find a place to belong. In 1990, Marley and her mother arrived in the small river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. Marley and her mother are constantly moving city to city looking for work. Marley felt like a loner and is looking for a community and a place to belong.

When Marley arrives at Mercury, she sees three men on top of a roof. She isn’t able to make out who the men were as only their silhouettes were visible from the sun. Later, when Marley decides to watch a local baseball game, she runs into one of the Joseph brothers and is later introduced to the rest of the family.

Marley receives an invitation to join the Joseph family for dinner and eventually leads to a standing invite. It started as a simple dinner but it led Marley to be intertwined with the entire Joseph family and eventually she married into the family. Marley finds the connection and family that she has been searching for but, she realizes that it comes at a steep cost.

I thought the book was a dull read. I thought there was going to be a mystery around the dead body but it wasn’t until almost halfway into the book that it was even mentioned. I felt like there wasn’t much going on in the book and a lot of the drama was just drummed up or exaggerated to make it seem like more was going on. I didn’t understand what the point of the book was. Was it to show how consuming a small business is? Or should we be careful about what we wish for? 

While the plot was moving as slow as molasses, I didn’t find any of the characters to be enjoyable. I found it weird that Marley wants a family of her own, when she is barely an adult and has a very supportive mother. Instead, she jumps headfirst into building connections with a highly dysfunctional family and continues to stay with them even though she has her reservations about them.  No one from the Joseph family seemed remotely interesting. Elise Joseph, the mother, seemed to be welcoming, but then cold at times. I wish we were given more information on her behaviors along with the other members of the family. The entire family just seemed selfish and unbalanced. Readers who enjoy reading about people’s everyday lives and family drama, might find this more entertaining than I did.

 

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Book Review - The Fury by Alex Michaelides


 

 The Fury by Alex Michaelides is about the murder of a famous movie star, Lana Farrar, and its aftermath.  Lana is feeling a bit under the weather after being surrounded by the dreary rainy weather in London. To escape the weather, she decides to invite her friends, Kate and Elliot, to spend Easter with her and her family on her private Greek Island.

Lana and her friends are settling into the island when news of an incoming storm hits. While the island is being buffeted by high winds and rain, Lana’s body is discovered. Everyone is worried that someone else has snuck on the island and that they might be the next target. However, when it becomes clear that the murderer is someone they might know, will anyone be safe?

I loved the book Silent Patient by the author and have also read his other book, The Maidens. However, I am starting to feel that the author is a one hit wonder. The story was told from a protagonist, Elliot Chase, who breaks the fourth wall. He invites us to sit with him at a bar to share the story of how his friend, Lana, gets murdered.

At first, it was interesting listening to Elliot describe the events that lead to murder and the murder. However, after a while it got tiresome. He jumps around in his narration and fills it with pointless details. He would constantly dangle the proverbial carrot in front of us teasing juicy details, but they led nowhere.

The book plods along slowly with barely enough action to keep you interested. The twists are seen a mile away and are very predictable. The ending was disappointing. I was expecting to have my socks blown off after sloughing through the boring narration. All I was left wondering was, “Is that it”?  The characters themselves are insufferable and I didn’t care for any of them. After reading two disappointing books by the author, I am in no rush to read another one of his books.

 


Friday, February 16, 2024

Book Spotlight - Not the Worst Friend in the World by Anne Rellihan

 

About The Book:

Title: NOT THE WORST FRIEND IN THE WORLD

Author: Anne Rellihan

Pub. Date: February 6, 2024

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 272

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/NOT-THE-WORST-FRIEND-IN-THE-WORLD

Can Lou Bennett keep a secret? She’ll do just about anything to prove herself to her new friend—and the best friend she betrayed—in this debut novel that is a modern-day Harriet the Spy with high emotional stakes.

It’s the thirty-fourth day of sixth grade at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Missouri, and eleven-year-old Lou wishes she could rewind time.

Lou wants to go back to the ninth day of sixth grade—the day before she fought with her best friend Francie and said the terrible, horrible things she can’t unsay. Or better yet, she would go back to fifth grade when Francie was still the Old Francie.

Then the new girl, Cece Clark-Duncan, passes Lou a mysterious note. It says she was kidnapped. (!) If Lou can help Cece, maybe she can prove she’s not the world’s worst friend.

But as observant Lou uncovers the complicated truth about Cece’s family, she starts to panic. Can she help Cece without hurting her? Or will Lou end up losing another friend instead?

Anchored by an outstanding voice and a page-turning mystery, this remarkable debut novel honors the powerful middle school friendships that can both break and heal a tender eleven-year-old heart. Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and My Jasper June.


About Anne Rellihan:

Anne Rellihan is a former elementary school teacher and an alumna of Teach for America with a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. She lives in Kansas with her husband and four children. When she’s not writing, Anne volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. This is her debut novel. Find her online @AnneRellihan and annerellihan.com.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 




Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of NOT THE WORST FRIEND IN THE WORLD, US Only.

Ends February 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:
Week One:

2/5/2024

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt/IG Post

2/5/2024

Log Cabin Library

Excerpt

2/6/2024

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

2/6/2024

Fire And Ice Reads

Excerpt/IG Post

2/7/2024

@darkfantasyreviews

IG Post

2/7/2024

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Review/IG Post

2/8/2024

Kountry Girl Bookaholic

Excerpt/IG Post

2/8/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

2/9/2024

@paws.read.repeat

Review/IG Post

2/9/2024

@evergirl200

IG Review

2/10/2024

Callisto’s calling

IG Review

2/10/2024

Avainbookland

IG Review

Week Two:

2/11/2024

@dana.loves.books

IG Review/TikTok Post

2/11/2024

Review Thick And Thin

Review/IG Post

2/12/2024

One More Exclamation

Review/IG Post

2/12/2024

GryffindorBookishnerd

IG Review

2/13/2024

@dharashahauthor

IG Post

2/13/2024

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/14/2024

PopTheButterfly Reads

Review/IG Post

2/14/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

2/15/2024

@anitralovesbooksanddogs

IG Review

2/15/2024

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

2/16/2024

@stargirls.magical.tale

IG Review

2/16/2024

Two Points of Interest

Review/IG Post


Thursday, February 15, 2024

Book Spotlight - Extra Innings by Fred Bowen + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: EXTRA INNINGS

Author: Fred Bowen

Pub. Date: February 6, 2024

Publisher: Peachtree

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 144

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/EXTRA-INNINGS 

A baseball book full of on the field action perfect for middle grade readers.

"Strike one is the best pitch in baseball." Mike loves pitching, and he loves knowing his team counts on him to deliver wins. But Mike's father starts to worry that Mike is getting too carried away with baseball and not spending time working at after school jobs and developing a sense of responsibility. Can Mike and his father reach a compromise in order to let Mike play the game he loves and help his team win the league championship?

Read “The Real Story” of Harvey Haddix, who pitched a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves in 1959 and LOST. Baseball fans will love this extra dive into sports history.

 

 

About Fred Bowen:

Fred Bowen was a Little Leaguer who loved to read. Now he is the author of many action-packed books of sports fiction. He has also written a weekly sports column for kids in the Washington Post since 2000. Fred played lots of sports growing up, including soccer at Marblehead High School. For thirteen years, he coached kids’ baseball, soccer, and basketball teams. Some of his stories spring directly from his coaching experience and his sports-happy childhood in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Fred holds a degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from George Washington University. He was a lawyer for many years before retiring to become a full-time children’s author. Bowen has been a guest author at schools and conferences across the country, as well as the National Book Festival in Washington, DC, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Fred lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife. For more information, check out the author’s website at www.fredbowen.com.

 

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of EXTRA INNINGS, US Only.

Ends February 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:
Week One:

2/5/2024

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

2/5/2024

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

2/6/2024

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

2/6/2024

@darkfantasyreviews

IG Post

2/7/2024

Kountry Girl Bookaholic

Excerpt/IG Post

2/7/2024

Little Red Reads

Excerpt/IG Post

2/8/2024

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Spotlight/IG Post

2/8/2024

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

2/9/2024

GryffindorBookishnerd

IG Review

2/9/2024

@evergirl200

IG Review

2/10/2024

Callisto’s calling

IG Review

2/10/2024

@dana.loves.books

IG Review/TikTok Post

Week Two:

2/11/2024

Review Thick And Thin

Review/IG Post

2/11/2024

@paws.read.repeat

Review/IG Post

2/12/2024

@enjoyingbooksagain

IG Review

2/12/2024

The Momma Spot

Review

2/13/2024

Two Points of Interest

Review

2/13/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

2/14/2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

2/14/2024

@anitralovesbooksanddogs

IG Review

2/15/2024

jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Post/TikTok Post

2/15/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

2/16/2024

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/16/2024

Confessions Of The Perfect Mom

Review/IG Post