21 February 2019

Books - January 2019 - Part Two

After finishing 11 books in January, it's taken me a bit to get around to posting them here. LOL
Check out the first six books I read here. Following, you'll find the last five books I read in January 2019, accompanied by a sentence or two from me, and goodreads summary (and the link to the review on Books I Think You Should Read, if I was reading it to review).

Sugar Run by Mesha Maren
I read this book to review for Books I Think You Should Read and gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The characters felt real, but not necessarily in a good way. The story made me kind of sad for their circumstances, and it definitely felt like something that could be real.

"In 1989, Jodi McCarty is seventeen years old when she’s sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter. She’s released eighteen years later and finds herself at a Greyhound bus stop, reeling from the shock of unexpected freedom. Not yet able to return to her lost home in the Appalachian mountains, she goes searching for someone she left behind, but on the way, she meets and falls in love with Miranda, a troubled young mother. Together, they try to make a fresh start, but is that even possible in a town that refuses to change? 

Set within the charged insularity of rural West Virginia, Sugar Run is a searing and gritty debut about making a run for another life."


The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen
This was one of the oldest books on my Kindle that I hadn't gotten around to reading yet. So it was time. I'm glad I did finally read this book (published in 2013). It was kind of creepy, figuring out what was going on, but the character of the boy was such a picture of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. I'd give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. In spite of the unique characters, there was still a sadness I just can't shake when I think of this book.

"For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone’s been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they’re shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn’t know how to get out.…"


The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler
This action/thriller was one of my favorite books from last month. I read it for Books I Think You Should Read and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.  The characters were well-developed (from several previous books, but still presented clearly enough to stand alone in this one). The freaky spy technology was even explained in post-notes for each chapter! This made it even more fun for me.

"A fast-paced, page-turning novel of betrayal, vengeance, and depraved secrets in high places from the New York Times bestselling author of the John Rain and Livia Lone series.

When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international child pornography ring gets too close to certain powerful people, sex-crimes detective Livia Lone becomes the target of a hit that barely goes awry—a hit that had been offered to John Rain, a retired specialist in killings appearing to be from “natural causes.”

Suspecting that the FBI themselves were behind the attack, Livia reaches out to former marine sniper Dox. Together, they assemble an ad hoc team to identify and neutralize the threat: Rain; Rain’s estranged lover, Mossad agent and honey-trap specialist Delilah; black op soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larison; and their former commander, SpecOps legend Colonel Scott “Hort” Horton.

Moving from Japan to Seattle to DC to Paris, the group fights a series of interlocking conspiracies, each edging closer and closer to the highest levels of the US government.

With uncertain loyalties, conflicting agendas, and smoldering romantic entanglements, this group is hardly a team. But in a match as uneven as this one, a collective of killers might be just what they need."


Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
This was my second Gillian Flynn book this month. I'd heard her fiction is pretty dark, and that was right up my alley. I also love book/movie tie-ins, so I'm looking froward to watching the show for this one (I hope knowing the end doesn't spoil it too much). I gave this one 3 out of 5 stars. 

"Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming."

The Forgotten Hours by Katrin Schumann
I read this book to review for Books I Think You Should Read, and gave it 3 out of 5 stars there. It was about a girl whose father is getting out of prison for having sex with her best friend in her early teens - while the girls were just 13 or 14 years old. Katie has always believed in her father's absolute innocence, but she's finally learning more about the situation before helping her father set up a life outside of prison.

"At twenty-four, Katie Gregory feels like life is looking up: she’s snagged a great job in New York City and is falling for a captivating artist—and memories of her traumatic past are finally fading. Katie’s life fell apart almost a decade earlier, during an idyllic summer at her family’s cabin on Eagle Lake when her best friend accused her father of sexual assault. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, Katie insisted on his innocence, dodging reporters and clinging to memories of the man she adores.

Now he’s getting out. Yet when Katie returns to the shuttered lakeside cabin, details of that fateful night resurface: the chill of the lake, the heat of first love, the terrible sting of jealousy. And as old memories collide with new realities, they call into question everything she thinks she knows about family, friends, and, ultimately, herself. Now, Katie’s choices will be put to the test with life-altering consequences."

5 comments:

Liz Parker said...

11 books! Wow. I'm down to like 1 book every two weeks... Wish there were more hours in the day!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love book reviews. It always gives me ideas for authors I haven't read. Thanks! You did a great job! And I appreciate you visiting me today. You are the best! Hugs, Diane

Jean said...

We've read a lot of the same books. I've yet to read Sharp Objects though. If you haven't read Gone Girl yet, you'll enjoy that one.

Rachel said...

You read 11 during the month of January? Holy moly that’s impressive. Sounds like some interesting books, with exception of the last - which sounds disturbing.

One Momma Saving Money said...

Great job on 11 books in one month. I can usually do that in the summer time! Love the reviews, I have some of these books on my Kindle now. Just trying to find the time to read them