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Author: ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

About ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

Published on Leave a comment on The Appeal
The Appeal Book Cover The Appeal
Janice Hallett
Viper/Atria
July 1, 2021 (UK) January 25, 2022 (US)
Paperback
447
Purchased

Dear Reader - enclosed are all the documents you need to solve a case. It starts with the arrival of two mysterious newcomers to the small town of Lockwood, and ends with a tragic death.

Someone has already been convicted of this brutal murder and is currently in prison, but we suspect they are innocent. What's more, we believe far darker secrets have yet to be revealed.

Throughout the Fairway Players' staging of All My Sons and the charity appeal for little Poppy Reswick's life-saving medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. Yet we believe they gave themselves away. In writing. The evidence is all here, between the lines, waiting to be discovered.

Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth?

My review:

Side note before review..... I bought this copy of the book from the UK because I loved this cover compared to the US version. If you look for this book, you will find a different (mostly blue) cover, but it's the same book.

I cannot even begin to express how much I loved the experience of reading this book! Actually that's not entirely true since the writing was super small in the copy I had (see above) and my eyes were burning since I could NOT stop reading it!! This book was such a breath of fresh air, particularly for someone who consumes a ton of books. Sometimes it seems like the format and plots are things you've seen before. Not for this book which is told entirely through emails, texts, and news articles revolving around the death of someone in the small town of Lockwood. Two law students are handed tons of media and tasked with finding out if the correct person has been convicted of the murder. And YOU the reader get to go along and read it with them, all the while figuring it out with them. It was a brilliant concept and I was hooked from the start. There are lots of side plots going on leading up to the murder (which you don't know who it is) including a theater company play, a fund raising effort to save a little girl, and several people with ties to Central Africa. It was captivating and addictive as I tried to figure it all out. In the end I was on the right track, but not entirely correct (no surprise there, I'm awful at whodunnit stuff!). I will warn you that there are a ton of characters right from the start. There is a glossary of who's who, but if that kind of stuff bothers you, be forewarned. I didn't really get too hung up on it and it worked out just fine, the people fall into place as you keep reading.

Such a unique concept for a book, and I was there for it! I could not put this book down until I figured out what was ultimately happening with each of these characters. I absolutely cannot wait to see if this author puts out another gem like this! Edit to add....a new book has been released in the UK called The Twyford Code 🙂

Published on Leave a comment on The Family Chao
The Family Chao Book Cover The Family Chao
Lan Samantha Chang
Fiction
W. W. Norton Company
February 1, 2022
Advance reader copy
320
Free from publisher

The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao Restaurant’s delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, happy to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. But when brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo Chao is found dead—presumed murdered—his sons discover that they’ve drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town.

The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant’s reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.

My review:

I loved the premise of this book. I'm a fan of family sagas, and this fit that perfectly. The fact that it was an Asian family was also a plus since I like to read about diverse populations in my fiction. Loved that much of the story takes place in a Chinese restaurant, it was fun to read about the food and cooking. I thought the author did a great job in writing these characters, none of whom were particularly likable at one point or another. For the most part I found the writing propelled the story along, however there were a few places it seemed a bit stilted and did effect my overall enjoyment. I liked most of the ending, but there was one thread left hanging that bothered me. I waited through the whole book and never got a definitive answer.

Good story with great characterization, but the ending left me wanting more answers.

Published on Leave a comment on The Saints of Swallow Hill
The Saints of Swallow Hill Book Cover The Saints of Swallow Hill
Donna Everhart
Fiction
Kensington Books
January 25, 2022
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher

In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.

Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it—and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity, a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer’s tally. Delwood Reese, who’s come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers “Ray” a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.

My review:

I'm not usually one to always believe the comparisons when it comes to books, but this one is said to be Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds, and I think that is a pretty apt description. It takes its lush descriptions of place from Crawdads (minus the mystery part) and the time during the Depression from Four Winds. I will say that I enjoyed the characters in this story much more than Four Winds (ugh, don't get me started on that insufferable daughter!). These characters were really well developed and I found myself rooting for them as they endured their intolerable situations. This was not an easy read, but the prospect of a semi happy (as much as could be in those times) ending drove me to compulsively read on. The other thing I found fascinating was the derivation of the term Tar Heel, which is what my state of NC is known as. I remember when we first moved to the state trying to figure out what in the world a Tar Heel was, and while finding a vague answer at the time, this book does a much better job of explaining it all! I seriously never knew what came from a pine tree other than all those insufferable needles that drop in my pool! I thought the pacing of this story was perfect, the writing was lovely and not overly rambling, and the ending did leave me satisfied.

While not an upbeat story, this historical fiction combined a great sense of place and time with wonderful characters. It's a must read for those interested in novels set during the Great Depression, and will be especially enlightening for those in the southeastern states.

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Magnolia Palace
The Magnolia Palace Book Cover The Magnolia Palace
Fiona Davis
Fiction
Penguin
January 25, 2022
E-book
352
Publisher via NetGalley

Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.

My review:

This author is a favorite of mine. I really like the way she melds a historical place with fictional characters and plot. I’ve said this before, but the only way you’re ever going to get this science gal to learn about history is via a fictionalization. The author has a style that is both highly immersive and engaging. This particular story was great in that I was equally invested in both the older timeframe and the modern day one. This is usually not the case for me with dual timeline books, I typically gravitate more towards one of the time periods and those characters. I also loved how the reader didn’t have to make it to the end of the novel to see how the two stories were going to overlap, it was evident fairly early on. I think that kept me more interested in both stories and the way in which they were connected. I thought the author did a great job with characters and setting, and while I’m not an art buff, it was interesting learning about the various pieces at the Frick mansion (now museum). I also found Angelica’s story of modeling for some of the iconic statues to be fascinating.

I can highly recommend this fascinating historical fiction look into Henry Clay Frick, his family and his art collection.

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Maid
The Maid Book Cover The Maid
Nita Prose
Fiction
Ballantine Books
January 4, 2022
Hardcover
304
Purchased

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

My review:

4.5 stars

What an absolute gem of a book! Told from Molly's perspective, we see the inner workings of what she is thinking about all sorts of situations. Molly has many social disorders which are never really categorized, but her inability to read people leads her to trust everyone. This has dire consequences when she is set up to take the fall for a murder at the hotel where she works as a maid. I absolutely loved Molly from the first page. Her world has been turned upside down when her gran, who has always taken care of her and instilled many habits and words of wisdom, dies and leaves her on her own to handle the world out there. Molly does her best to carry on as Gran would have wanted, but finding the dead body of a wealthy hotel patron has her ordered life in a turmoil that she has a hard time navigating. There are some good and bad supporting characters in this story. Some are easy to categorize for the reader (although not for Molly), others take a bit more information before we can make up our mind. This book was absolutely a five star read for me right up until the last few pages when I knocked it down just a bit because of something that is revealed that I'm not sure I liked the way the author resolved it. For me, it didn't quite fit with what Molly would do.

I would call this book a cross between cozy mystery, thriller, and literary fiction. A story told by a protagonist you will be rooting so hard for, don't miss this one!

Published on Leave a comment on On A Night Like This
On a Night Like This Book Cover On a Night Like This
Lindsey Kelk
Fiction
HarperCollins
January 18, 2022
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher

Within days of wishing she could change her life, Fran Cooper is acting assistant to a celebrity, on a yacht in the Mediterranean, and en route to a tiny Italian island and the glittering Crystal Ball, along with the world’s rich and famous.

When she – quite literally – bumps into a handsome American called Evan, a man able to keep his cool in the face of chaos, the magic really begins.

Evan makes her a promise: no last names, no life stories, just one unforgettable night. Yet Evan belongs at the Crystal Ball and Fran is a gatecrasher. They may be soulmates, but their homes are an ocean apart, and their lives a world apart. They’ll never meet again – unless, on a night like this, everything can change forever…

My review:

This book was a breath of fresh air, and the perfect read if you've been binging on thrillers and books with heavier subject matter. It was well written and well paced, with characters you felt like you wanted to get to know. And lest you think it was a cheesy romance, there were lots of subjects dealt with that kept it from that classification (for me). Fran is struggling with her present life situation, and when she takes on a new job, even that has its problems. Some of the predicaments she finds herself in made me chuckle, and while there are definitely some parts that are a little convenient and contrived to fit the plot, I found myself happily going along for the ride. There were several supporting characters that I really enjoyed, and the way they fit into the evolution of Fran were critical to making the whole story work. The love interest was sweet, but I was glad that the entire book didn't revolve around that. I'm never a fan of the pivotal last third of the book conflict which inevitably finds its way into romance books, but thankfully this one was resolved fairly quickly and painlessly. To me, the most important aspects of this book were the personal growth of Fran, and the friendships both old and new that were made.

This is the first book I've picked up from this prolific author who has tons of back titles, but I'm anxious to give something else a go when I need a cute (but not cutesy, there is a difference) story.

Published on Leave a comment on Wahala
Wahala Book Cover Wahala
Nikki May
Fiction
Custom House
January 11, 2022
Hardcover
384
Free from publisher

Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one” (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends.

Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be.

Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.” Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not.

When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Hong Kong! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack.

A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.

My review:

I admit that the cover was the first thing that drew me into this novel. I was a bit more skeptical when I read the characters being compared to those from Sex and the City, I'm not a fan of books about twenty somethings behaving badly (although I don't seem to mind them on television). This book received the comparison more for the girlfriends aspect than their behaviors, and for that I was completely on board! I loved getting to know this friend group that has been together since grade school days. They originally bonded over their Nigerian heritage, and as they matured, each has taken on a different lifestyle and her own personality. The everyday dramas and highs/lows that are common to many made this a very believable story. Ambition, trust and culture were among the topics well woven into the plot. The introduction of a 4th friend into the group has some minor implications that seem to multiply and cause fractures within the original group. It was very well written for a debut novel, and I thought the characters were very well crafted. It was a very enjoyable reading experience.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a believable story about friendship and the effect of adding another friend to the group. Wahala means trouble, so you know you are in for a captivating read.

Published on Leave a comment on The Last House on the Street
The Last House on the Street Book Cover The Last House on the Street
Diane Chamberlain
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
January 11, 2022
Advance reader copy
352
Free from publisher

When Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It's clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area...and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla's elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it's clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.

My review:

Diane Chamberlain is a go to author for me. I will read anything she writes because I know it will be well written, well researched, and have characters that I care about. It did not come as a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this newest release. This is a dual timeline/ dual perspective story. Ellie's story takes place for the most part in 1965, when she works for a program called SCOPE, which encourages blacks to vote once the voting rights act is signed by LBJ. Kayla is the modern day story of a woman moving to a new home where she feels she may not be wanted. Eventually the two stories combine. I wish that the entire story could have been told from Ellie, as her participation in the SCOPE program was so informative and engrossing! Ellie is one of only a very few white teens working in the program, and you can imagine how much racism rears its ugly head in NC in 1965! While Kayla's story was fine, I did find myself longing to get back to Ellie as the chapters switched back and forth. I had the ending to Kayla's misfortune figured out well before the reveal, but the twist on the truck incident involving Ellie seemingly came out of nowhere, and I was genuinely shocked!

Such a great story about a small part of the civil rights movement, made even more pertinent because of the events with voting rights happening all around us today. Definitely 5 stars for Ellie's story, had to knock off a star for the more tepid story about Kayla. Well worth a read, as always this author never fails to educate as well as entertain with her stories.

Published on Leave a comment on Best of 2021

One of my favorite posts of the year, I bring you all my 5 star reads for the past twelve months. This year I had 12 (although technically 11 as one was a re-read of my favorite book of 2020 for my book club). Here they are (The Girl with the Louding Voice was my re-read).

As has been the case for the past few years, I then have the arduous task of picking and ranking my top 5. Just know that I highly recommend any of these top 12, but here are my ultimate choices:

#5 When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash - I love this NC author's writing and this story was compelling, mysterious, and heartbreaking all within its pages.

#4 Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller - A finalist for the women's prize for fiction, this is a character driven novel about sheltered adult siblings left after their mother uexpectedly dies.

#3 The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun - I may have stopped watching The Bachelor years ago, but this story about a reality show bachelor completely out of his element who falls for his handler was the LGBTQ romance I didn't know I needed. Such an excellent mental health rep in this one also!

#2 The Guncle - The feel good book of the year (and maybe forever!), I fell in love with GUP (gay Uncle Patrick) and want to be real life friends with him!

And the #1 book of 2021 is:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro - A story about an AF (artificial friend) set in the near future, with tons of social commentary and symbolism. Oh yes, and I bawled like a baby at the end!!

And there we are, another year in the books. I read a total of 263 books this year, so it's such a joy to go back and look at all the gems. There were tons of 4 star reads that I could have picked honorable mentions from, but this post might have gone on forever, so I held back 🙂 Onward to another (hopefully) excellent year of books and reading!

Published on Leave a comment on Rock Paper Scissors
Rock Paper Scissors Book Cover Rock Paper Scissors
Alice Feeney
Fiction
Flatiron Books
September 7, 2021
Hardcover
304
Purchased

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

My review:

My first book of 2022, and I picked a good one! As is always the case with thrillers, not a lot of details can be given to avoid spoilers, but this was the perfect kind of thriller for me. First, the atmospheric setting was perfectly detailed and added that creepy aspect to the story. This doesn't always work for me in thrillers, there were a few last year that I thought had the atmosphere, but then the stories let me down. Not so in this one. Second, the situations that the protagonists put themselves in seem more realistic than some thrillers. Nothing makes me more annoyed than books where supposedly normal people are doing crazy stuff that make you think "I would never do that or go there, you've lost me". Not true here. Sure they get in some creepy situations, but they aren't doing anything that their circumstances didn't warrant. Third, twists and turns occur throughout the book and they are plentiful. Don't make me read through 9/10's of a book only to have all the reveals in the last few pages. I love a slow buildup, but also need some nuggets along the way to keep me entertained and on my toes. Definitely accomplished in this book. And while I'm not usually a fan of inserting random stuff between chapters, the anniversary letters totally worked for me, and brought even more layers into the story.

A fast paced, super atmospheric novel with tons of twists and turns, and a super creepy ending to top it all off. If you are a thriller fan, I can't recommend this one enough!