goodreads | Entries tagged with 2017: august

Title: Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 449
Date read: August 2017

A cat-and-mouse suspense thriller featuring Bill Hodges, a retired cop who is tormented by 'the Mercedes massacre', a case he never solved. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of that notorious crime, has sent Hodges a taunting letter. Now he's preparing to kill again. Each starts to close in on the other in a mega-stakes race against time.

I love how Stephen King doesn't stick to just one or two genres, but seems to write a little bit of just about everything. This is his first foray into crime fiction (that I've read), and I thought he did it really, really well! Especially the last few chapters had me sitting on the edge of my seat and biting my nails (figuratively, anyway). A definite page-turner! And fortunately one with a proper ending, despite it being the first in a trilogy... although I'm still going to go straight ahead with the next book anyway.

I really liked Bill, Janey, Holly and Jerome and am pleased that we'll get to see at least most of them in the next books as well.

Title: Lighter than my Shadow
Author: Katie Green
Genre: graphic memoir, YA
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 528
Date read: August 2017, September 2018

Like most kids, Katie was a picky eater. She'd sit at the table in silent protest, hide uneaten toast in her bedroom, listen to parental threats that she'd have to eat it for breakfast.

But in any life a set of circumstance can collide, and normal behavior might soon shade into something sinister, something deadly.

Lighter Than My Shadow is a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak as to prey on the vulnerable, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure towards happiness.

Wow... this book really packs a punch.

An extremely poignant story about a teen battling an eating disorder and sexual abuse and the long-term effect on her life from both. It did an excellent job of explaining how having an eating disorder isn't just a phase that a person can grow out of - it takes years of work, setbacks, therapy and relapses and is probably something the person has to battle in some form or the other, for the rest of their life.

I liked the drawing-style and found it fascinating to see how Katie Green used the media to depict the specter of an eating disorder without having to use any words at all.

I did miss getting full closure on her battle with sexual abuse (mainly knowing whether or not she ever reported it), but appreciate that in real life we just don't always get that kind of closure, and that reporting it would probably have taken more strength that she had at the time.

A really brilliant graphic memoir that I highly recommend.

Title: Good or God
Author: John Bevere
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 288
Date read: August, 2017

These days the terms good and God seem synonymous. We believe what's generally accepted as good must be in line with God's will. Generosity, humility, justice - good. Selfishness, arrogance, cruelty - evil. The distinction seems pretty straightforward. But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does the Bible say that we need discernment to recognize it? Good or God? isn't another self-help message. This book will do more than ask you to change your behavior. It will empower you to engage with God on a level that will change every aspect of your life.

Extremely thought-provoking book, that I'm glad to have read. John Bevere dives into why good without God just isn't sufficient, and how to gain discernment to know the difference.

I didn't agree with all his points, but enough that I learned a lot, and he put forth some ideas I'd never thought of before, which really made me sit back and think.

But a word of warning to other readers - he does talk a LOT about not being saved by faith alone, but that deeds are also necessary. I'm pretty sure he isn't saying that we have to do good deeds to be saved, but rather echoing James that a faith without deeds is dead, but his wording does toe the line occasionally. It didn't bother me, as I feel secure enough in my faith to disagree with him, but it does stop me from being able to recommend this book without reservations.

( Spoiler? Quotes at least )

Title: Star Stories - Epilogues (The Fixers of KarmaCorp #7)
Author: Audrey Faye
Genre: Sci-fi, short stories
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 88 pages
Date read: August, 2017

A few of the stories in this collection began many books ago. Regalis and Tameka. Yesenia and a second trip to a certain Wanderer flea market. A couple of them are here purely because they made me giggle (Kish facing the impending doom of a crown on her head) or because I simply couldn’t resist (there was just no way for this to end without a quick trip to Quixal.) The rest volunteered themselves as I sat with my knitting needles and checked in with each of the characters who made this series what it is.

As with all short story collections some were awesome, and some didn't touch me much. I really wish Audrey Faye wrote Christian novels - she'd be brilliant at it! The way she describes fellowship and religion would make her even better than Neta Jackson.

But I digress. My favourite story by far was "To See or Not To See". I loved seeing Yesenia back at the flea market of Tezuli, and it bookended the similar story in the first Star Stories collection very nicely :-) I also enjoyed reading about Raven back on her native planet, and Kish finally figuring out how to be herself and a queen at the same time.

Excellent conclusion to the Fixers of KarmaCorp. I'm looking forward to seeing where Audrey Faye takes her writing next.

Title: The Vintage Teacup Club
Author: Vanessa Greene
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 400 pages
Date read: August, 2017

At a car boot sale in Sussex, three very different women meet and fall for the same vintage teaset. They decide to share it - and form a friendship that changes their lives.

Jenny can't wait to marry Dan. Then, after years of silence, she hears from the woman who could shatter her dreams.

Maggie has put her broken heart behind her and is gearing up for the biggest event of her career - until she's forced to confront the past once more.

Alison seems to have it all: married to her childhood sweetheart, with two gorgeous daughters. But as tensions mount, she is pushed to breaking point.

Cosy and entertaining book that just stayed on the right side of being fluff. I grew to care for all the ladies of the Vintage Teacup Club as well as their families. They all seemed very real to me with all their flaws and charms. There isn't much of substance to the book, but delightful reads about friendships have always been right up my aisle, and I was very charmed by it.

Title: Daughter's Need (KarmaCorp #6)
Author: Audrey Faye
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 191 pages
Date read: August, 2017

A mother who violated her deepest needs - to keep her deepest promises.
The daughter she has never been able to love.
The four who wait for what comes in the dark.

Very powerful and emotional addition to the KarmaCorp story. I didn't quite get all the ins and outs of neither the problem surrounding Tatiana nor exactly how the solution was supposed to work, but that's very often the case when it comes to time-travel, so it didn't really bother me :)

Audrey Faye nicely tied up all ends in this 6th KarmaCorp novel, and while I'll still read the epilogues just because I want to read more about the four and the people surrounding them, the short stories. aren't really necessary to wrap up any story lines.

Title: A Modern Witch (A Modern Witch #1)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 299
Date read: January 2013, May 2013, January 2014, February 2015, January 2016, August 2017, June 2018, October 2019, November 2021

Can you live 28 years without discovering you're a witch?

Lauren is downtown Chicago's youngest elite realtor. She's also a witch. She must be - the fetching spell for Witches' Chat isn't supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least.

The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn't end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.

This book had me hooked already on page two, when I discovered that at least some witches in this universe wrote witching spells using computer code! As an IT consultant myself, this was something that immediately appealed to me and I fell instantly in love.

Fortunately the rest of the book more than lived up to my expectations. Granted, it doesn't have the most complex or innovative plot, but it's just a genuinely pleasant book. I loved the characters, and their antics had me laughing out loud so often that my husband started wondering what was up. I fell in love over and over with each new situation, and found myself tearing up from their happiness more than once.

This is a true comfort book, and I have a hard time remembering when I've last fallen THIS hard for a new book. It's an instant favourite.

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So many books, so little time.

Entries tagged with 2017: august

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Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King

Lighter than my Shadow - Katie Green

Good or God - John Bevere

Star Stories - Epilogues - Audrey Faye

The Vintage Teacup Club - Vanessa Greene

Daughter's Need - Audrey Faye

A Modern Witch - Debora Geary