Rambling and repetitive prose, scant use of punctuation and no chapters! To sum up my feelings for the book, I shall express them much in the same way as is described in the book itself during one of the trust exercises between two of the main characters:
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."

Me trying to get through this book.

As a child of the 70s, I just love this...

If you watched the show Bloodline on Netflix this book is like that...but with Aussies.
I was excited to read my first Jane Harper, but I found it a bit of a struggle when it came to the regional references and vernacular. Interesting & fully developed characters but the story was a bit slow moving for my taste. Unpopular opinion, I know.

Off to Christmasland we go!!!
#amctv

From the author of BIRD BOX comes this f‘d up Hogwarts-like tale (minus magic and owls) of what happens when the best scientific intentions are based on an immoral and deceptive hypothesis. It‘s hard to talk about this book without spoiling the twists and turns, so I‘ll stop here. Just know that this starts off as a slow moving train that quickly goes off the rails...but in a good way!

Fun, fast-paced debut thriller that kept me guessing until the end! An ending, I might add that I did not see coming. I had to read "the big reveal" a couple times to fully comprehend what it was that I just learned! 4.5 stars!

I loathe stories with ambiguous resolutions, yet somehow, Paul Tremblay makes it work. This folk-tale/mystery about a missing teen, a mysterious 20-something he befriends and the mother and sister who try to solve the mystery along with a sympathetic female police officer made for a fun and interesting read. This is my least favorite of Tremblay's novels, yet it's worth reading.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed The Power of Habit, I found it interesting and insightful nonetheless. Duhigg explores 8 main ideas (along with real life examples) over 8 chapters that help one to be better motivated and more productive. By using Stretch goals and formulating a SMART plan, these techniques will help us to clarify our goals and teach us how to make smarter decisions.

Skeptical going in, but the fascinating examples he shows from Fortune 500 companies to everyday individuals, has opened my eyes to the power of habits. Now to read his newest book!

First 100 pages were slower than...well a wagon train heading west. I had hoped it would pick up speed but it was a long slog...like trudging through waist high snow. Didn‘t connect with characters who seemed indistinguishable from each other. Perhaps if I had read this in a couple days rather than 11, it wouldn‘t be an issue. This was a poor man‘s “The Terror” & didn‘t even come close to being scary despite the blurb from Stephen King. IMHO.😜

I had purchased this ebook 8 years ago when it came out, but put off reading it because it didn‘t fit into what i deemed a typical Stephen King novel. Boy, my mistake! This is now one of my favorites! There isn‘t a dull moment in this 849 page book which I just could not put down! Plus a cameo by a couple characters from IT was the icing on this delicious, captivating and nostalgic literary cake!

It‘s like visiting old friends!
Loving this book!!!!

Okay. I‘ve put this off long enough. Plus I can‘t really call myself a Stephen King fan without having read this. So here it goes...

Dean Koontz wrote the introduction to the edition I read and Stephen King once said: "John D. MacDonald has written a novel called The End of the Night which I would argue is one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. It ranks with Death of a Salesman, it ranks with An American Tragedy."

Enough said.

The back & forth jumps in the timeline were erratic & confusing ("Is he in college now or at LIA...oh wait, he's washing cars at his dad's lot.")...characters were indistinguishable..."Who is J again? Who is T? Who is S...oh yeah, peanut butter girl."
He was at LIA for 8 days, and only a small portion of the book is devoted to that time. The rest of the book felt overstuffed with angsty thoughts & flowery prose that called attention to itself.

What starts off as a romantic love story slowly unravels into a nightmare fairy tale that speaks to the fears of parenthood and the secrets we hold. All is not what it seems in this captivating story!

Food for thought!

The pieces on the right are all that is left of this 1000 piece puzzle. The remaining pieces were consumed by our dog. Which, on reflection, explains why his poop came out in interlocking pieces.

Very moving story made all the more disturbing due to the fact that its based on a real place.
And yes. I cried.

I‘m an e-reader, but when I saw that the Los Angeles Public Library was selling autographed copies of The Library Book I just couldn‘t resist...

What is a library? What does it mean to us? What historical significance does it serve? What childhood memories does it evoke? And what about that giant ass fire that burned the LA Public Library back in 1986 and the person accused of doing it? All this and much more is discussed in this captivating book by Susan Orlean!

Just one more reason we love our neighborhood!

This was the first Western I ever read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a short section in the middle that dragged a bit, but the rest was thrilling. And our wise beyond her years hero, 14 year old Mattie, with her deadpan delivery and manner, is so much fun.
If you are wary of Westerns, this would be a great one to start with!

I reckon this is the first western I‘ve ever read! In fact, I know it is!
#ThisIsMyFirstRodeo

I didn't get it.
I don't even understand how it ended.
I was just looking for a short book to pass the time while I wait for The Library Book to become available on Libby which should be any day now!!

Almost a cross between Thinner and The Long Walk, this poignant tale of tolerance, acceptance and weight loss was a quick and enjoyable read.

My first Sarah Waters book and I was not disappointed! Give me a spooky gothic tale with a mansion anytime. But this was more than just a ghost story. Fully realized and dimensional characters living in post war Britain that you truly care about and are emotionally invested in.

This was also my final book for 2018! Looking forward to more great reads in 2019!

If you are reading the ebook version and don‘t know your Hermes from your Helios...there is a section at the end of the book entitled Cast of Characters that might help. Sadly, I only found out about it as I was nearing the end. I‘m sure I would have enjoyed this more had I known about that section. Oh well. At times confusing, and other times quite compelling with biting dialogue that I just had to read a second time for the sheer fun of it.

Unpopular opinion here: I‘ve loved Grady‘s previous books but this one just didn‘t do it for me. Maybe it‘s because I‘m not a fan of metal and I missed all the references? Maybe it‘s because I felt the mythology of Black Iron Mountain wasn‘t fully realized? Maybe it‘s because the ending felt abrupt and unfinished? Or maybe it‘s just me? Still a fan though and look forward to his next book.

Suspenseful story that kept me on the edge of my seat. However, there were several instances where the protagonist did some really stupid things that were a bit hard to believe (Doesn't know her husband's cell number...really?). So yes, one has to suspend their disbelief and yes, at the end, you are left with more questions than answers, but regardless, it's still a captivating read.

Ok, so I was wrong. Joe Hill is not just Stephen King‘s son...he is also an incredibly talented and gifted writer! Once it dawned on me as to what NOS4A2 meant (not just an image of an old license plate with random letters and numbers that kept popping up in my Goodreads feed)...I gave it a read. Suffice it to say, this was my first Joe Hill novel and it certainly won‘t be my last!! Gripping, scary, moving, nostalgic...loved it!!

Damn that was good! Gripping post apocalyptic tale that held my interest to the very end. Looking forward to the Netflix adaptation with Sandra Bullock!

4.5 stars....Could not put this one down! From page one this story had me.
Every time I thought i figured it out something new was thrown in that took me by surprise. This would have been a 5 star rating were it not for the deus ex machina thing towards the end. But other than that, a fun and exciting read!

I shouldn‘t have to work that hard to read a book.

I‘m having a hard time getting into this one (on page 71). Is it just me? Should I keep going?

Captivating story spanning 30 years about a group of friends living through the Chicago AIDS crisis and its aftermath. A story about love, loss, family and friendship and the memories that we hold dear.

The shifting timelines were a bit confusing but that could have been due to the translation. Or maybe it was just me.
One isn't waiting so much for the mystery to be unraveled, as there isn't much of one, but rather we are waiting to see what our protagonist does next.
Either way, a very dark and compelling tale.

LOVED this one! Great page turner that speaks to the fears all parents have. And if you‘re not a parent, you may not want to become one after reading this! 😜

I rarely buy physical books these days, but when I do...

This was my first book by Megan Abbott and perhaps I picked the wrong one. It wasn't until I was 40% into the book (40%!!) that something noteworthy happens...Diane's secret. A secret, I might add, that didn't seem like much of a secret as one saw it coming from a mile away. Finally, at the midway point of the story things started to pick up. But in the end, this just wasn't for me.

My first Megan Abbott book! Hope I picked a good one!
#nowreading

Believe the hype! Wonderful and engrossing memoir that at times left me incredulous at the cruelty of people and other times left me hopeful that people subjected to such cruelties will persevere and thrive in spite of such obstacles.

Believe in yourself!
❤️

Another great book from Boyne!
If you are looking for a spooky, Gothic tale this Halloween season, look no further!

This reminded me of a cross between THE RUINS and COLD SKIN. A bit dense at times, but compelling nonetheless. I'll definitely read the remaining two books in the trilogy.

A fun, scary and quick read!
#horror