#NoneofThisIsTrue – Rosepoint Publishing

My Favorite Books of 2023 – #eBooks and #Audiobooks

As promised last year and in an effort to streamline the process of picking out a favorite book from the previous year, I chose a monthly favorite in 2023.

More selective with Indie authors, we read and listened to more library books in 2023 than in previous years and the books again include a wide range of genres from #cozyanimalmysteries to #historicalfiction. The big surprise when all tallied out was that I failed both my #historicalfiction challenge as well as the #audiobook challenge which I had been confident in winning.

Links on titles are to my review and pics are links to Amazon (US).

My Favorite Books of 2023

Jan – The Huntress by Kate Quinn. This masterful work carries a sinister, skin-crawling aura of suspense from the first chapter to the triumphal conclusion. With a frenetic pace and a narrator who totally nails each language, it became impossible to multi-task and I just sat down and listened. This one set me on a course to read more by the #KateQuinn and find additional books narrated by #SaskiaMaarleveld.

Feb – Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman. The first time a standing president departed from the continental United States, the CE was gripped with this novel regarding Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt taking on the completion of the Panama Canal. A CE review.

Mar – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Three very different women are invited to participate in the war efforts in Bletchley Park. The novel is an amazing immersion into 1940 Britain as they stare down the barrel of the impending fight with the Nazis. Also, I greatly enjoyed the epilogue imparting historical details regarding the facility.

Apr – Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex. A raw memoir told in this audiobook by Harry. He lays it all out from the loss of his mother to his experiences with drugs, alcohol, women, and the military—which I have to say is impressive. I thought it sounded open, honest, and heartfelt. If you haven’t read or listened—perhaps the wait list is gone. Try again.

May – Snapshot by Don Keith and George Wallace. Just a slight misunderstanding of the boundaries of international waters between the US and Russia leads to a tension-filled fictional sea story. The novel presents the ever-present danger of a possible catastrophic response to what appears as aggression. A CE review.

Jun – The Caretaker by Ron Rash. A haunting and thought-provoking literary narrative. Perhaps just a tad slow to create the setting, the characters, and the atmosphere of this small Appalachian town. It’s 1951 and there is still a conscription in the US; boys are still being sent overseas. Some don’t come back. Some who do have changed. This one goes right to the heart.

Jul – Unwrapped by Lynda McDaniel. I love this author’s writing style, generally focused on the Appalachians, this one being a Mountain Christmas Mystery. I really love this series. Great characters, authentic setting, sweet clean domestic stories that always pack a subtle moral. Abit is a great character; innocent, sincere, earnest. He’s not always the sharpest tack, but his heart is on target. Each can be read as a standalone but they all have you coming back for more.

Aug – For All The World by Jean Grainger. A seriously radical departure from the author’s varied Irish family drama series. The storyline begins with three unusual soldiers at the end of WWI and morphs into a traveling troup with unique performance skills. The plot is multi-layered, complex, and compelling.

Sept – The Women by Kristin Hannah. Awesome book! Generation of men and women in “Nam, living the conflict, protests, division of sentiments that only now thanks the veterans for their service. The scenes are so powerful, graphic. The struggle with returning home and the effort of assimilation. I urge my readers to put it on their #TBR lists—St Martin’s Press is releasing on February 6, 2024. Amazon currently notes it as #1 New Release in #FamilyLifeFiction 5+ stars

Oct – The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman. An Amazon #1 New Release in Ghost Suspense. A layered investigation in the crime scene of the LA area. The aesthetics and atmosphere, characters, and well-plotted and paced of the storyline is magnetic, compelling. Love that southern California vibe—almost makes me miss my home state.

Nov – The Crossing by Michael Connelly. My audiobook review from the Harry Bosch Series, Book 18. Connelly is combining both Bosch and defense attorney Mickey Haller into a continuation of the series and I love it when they collaborate on a case. Always fast-paced, immersive, intelligent. Also enjoy the courtroom jousting by Haller. For me, an automatic go-to.

Dec – None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. An Amazon Charts #20 this week. Two women, “birthday twins,” one of whom is not who she appears to be. Toxic relationships, dysfunctional families, well-developed characters. The novel is well-plotted and fast-paced. Love the twists you don’t see coming.

All these monthly favorites garnered five-star reviews from us.

There is a good mix of genres among which are legal thrillers, family dramas, historical fiction, literary fiction, and a memoir. Once again, it would appear that historical fiction is a favorite, so unless I missed counting the category, still not sure why I didn’t score success with that challenge.

Of my favorites in 2023, there are two that stand out: Kate Quinn’s The Huntress and Kristin Hannah’s The Women. (I’d be hard put to name number one.) Did you read or listen to either?

Do any of these grab your interest? Read it already? On your #TBR? Disagree with our reviews? I’d love to know and always welcome your comments!

Coming Soon:
»My Reading Challenges for 2024
»Netflix Series All the Light We Cannot See vs eBook All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

©V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Reviews – December Recap – Welcome 2024!

Rosepoint Reviews-December Recap

After the Halloween snow, it warmed up and December was lovely with above normal temps. It was also rather dreary with gray skies. If it rains, that little Pom rescue we acquired in October balks at going out. She is currently “blowing her coat” which would normally require us to brush her every day. Easier said than done when she still prefers her crate over human companionship and any gentle uninvited encouragement is met with canine obstinance. So, yes, little progress from last month and will soon be three months. It can be discouraging.

The big push to get everything ready for Christmas took any spare time. Despite the extra projects, I continued to try using the little treadmill as I don’t particularly like getting in my steps when it’s raining either. The CE doesn’t like the machine—he continues to walk outside.

First I tried reading while walking. That left me dizzy. Then I tried listening to my audiobooks while walking and that quickly clashed with the CE’s choice of TV programs. Then I discovered trail guides—the problem is that they don’t communicate with my health apps. If I could get everything to “shake hands” it’d be a boon, but not so far. Except for turning pages, how do you exercise in the winter? Gym membership?

Of course, those cloudy, cold gray days I’d prefer to just curl up with a good book and not do anything but read, but that’s still not an option either. Anyway, between everything else, we reviewed thirteen books in December. Those we managed to read are below, and as always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source info.

Rosepoint Reviews-December Recap

Mission Target by Mark Nolan (CE review)
Rivers of Wrath by Jean Grainger
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (5* audiobook)
Ghost Team by Paul Heatley (5* CE review)
Game Over at Guild Hall by Amy Patricia Meade
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal (audiobook)
Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy (CE review)
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs
Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn (audiobook)
The Rumor Game by Thomas Mullen (CE review)
Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl
Dead West by Matt Goldman (audiobook)
Pirate Trap by Matt Cost (CE review)

Favorite Book of the Month

The CE really enjoyed Ghost Team; I was blown away by Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True. I listened to the audiobook beautifully narrated by a large cast of impressive artists seamlessly integrated. Well-developed MC manipulated in a dark, intense thriller.

Book of the Month for December—None of This Is True

My Reading Challenges page…I read 157 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads and am still at a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Unfortunately, I barely made 50/50 this year in my Challenges, making the goal in Goodreads and Netgalley, failing miserably both the audiobook and historical fiction challenges where I thought I had solid confidence. Obviously, I’ll have to look at those category goals a little harder next year.

I’m taking a harder look at the blog in general, however, disappointed with performance this year and looking for answers. I want to update the blog home page, try again to introduce a recurring feature, add a couple pages, enlarge the font size (is this better or worse?), and still have more time for blog hopping. Is it possible given I’ve never been able to learn how to manage the block editor? Looking at free templates on WP, all are now using the block editor and I’m still limping along with the Classic Editor. I’m open to any suggestions—thank you!

As always, welcome to my new subscribers! I love your likes and comments.

Happy New Year!

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell – #AudiobookReview – #Suspense

in Women Sleuth Mysteries (Audiobooks)
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense (Kindle)

Rosepoint Publishing: Five stars

Book Blurb:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

My Review:

Talk about unreliable narrators! The hair goes up on the back of your neck almost at the beginning of his immersive, compelling audiobook.

Two women both celebrating their forty-fifth birthday at a local restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Josie Fair notices the happy conversation from the other table and introduces herself to Alix Summer. They also discover they were born at the same hospital—“birthday twins.”

Both women have vastly different stories, but Josie is aware of Alix, a renown podcaster. Josie has hit the wall with her life—looking to completely change her story and she sees an opportunity with Alix, who is currently winding down her podcast thread—looking for a new subject.

Alix is interested, though wary—fascinated but repulsed at the same time by Josie. Still, she sees a possible successful podcast thread. Follow a woman in her prime as she reinvents herself, the steps she takes. What is her backstory? How did she get here?

The reader was put on alert at the beginning. None of this is true, right?

Has either woman been truly successful at finding the right man, career, or motherhood? Perhaps Josie engineered her life, the marriage with a much older man, responsible for her now estranged children. As her story escalates, the plot line turns dark and Josie successfully invades Alix’s family. Aren’t they almost as dysfunctional, Alix’s husband being an alcoholic?

But no, not as damaged as the toxic relationship between Josie and her husband or her kids who have searing stories of disturbing family events of their own.

The well-plotted and fast-paced narrative veers sharply off the original intent of following a woman overcoming a life of abuse and control. The atmosphere is menacing, traumatic, manipulative—and Alix lost control of it some time ago.

The characters are well-developed. It becomes shocking to realize where this is going. Or, think you know where it’s going. Both Alix and the reader lose control of the situation at this point. I couldn’t begin to get into the terrifying mind of Josie. She is warped.

The conclusion lets fly with another twist and comes as a gut punch.

Oh no!

I can’t believe this is my first book by this author. I’ll certainly be on the lookout for another of these psychological thrillers. Totally disturbing, out of my realm of thinking and dark.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0BHFBQ76G
Listening Length: 10 hrs 20 mins
Narrators: Lisa Jewell, Kristin Atherton, Ayesha Antoine, Louise Brealey, Alix Dunmore, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Thomas Judd, Dominic Thorburn, Nicola Walker, Jenny Walser
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: None of This Is True [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: LISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.

Her first novel, Ralph’s Party, was the best-selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs, The Family Remains and The Night She Disappeared, all of which were Richard & Judy Book Club picks.

Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over thirty languages. She lives in north London with her husband and two daughters.

Happy Thursday!