#ThrowbackThursday – Rosepoint Publishing

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TBT

Bookclub at the YMCA

Another book I’d have never picked up, but a book club read that turned enjoyable. An author from the UK, this debut now among her six novels, but the most successful. I was told it was turned into a movie, but have not found evidence of such on the internet. She generally writes “uplifting, life-affirming fiction.”

My Thoughts

It’s a simple book. Sweet plot.

Arthur Pepper is a widower who has settled into a deep depression following the death of his wife of forty-plus years. At sixty-nine years of age, he has developed a routine that varies little from minute to minute—none of which has to do with his children, his neighbors, or the simple act of shopping for groceries. He has little interest in anything outside of his fern and garden.

So it is upon facing the first anniversary of her death that he has decided to clear some of her belongings and it is in this project that he discovers a gold charm bracelet that he has never seen before, well hidden.

Finding a telephone number on one of the charms, he can’t resist calling it, as he can’t imagine how or why Miriam would have a charm with an Indian telephone number on it. It begins the odyssey to find out more about her life before himself.

I loved how each of the charms left a tiny hint as to what the next charm might have represented and the amazing story behind each. The stories were touching, hilarious, tragic, simple, and powerful. Each a testament to the woman he married who had never shared her life (and that was an early difficult part to understand).

The characters are well developed, each conveying the story of their experience with his wife. Each of the adventures in which Arthur was led opened a new door to the woman he thought he knew. It was inspirational, compulsive, and emotional, a book you’ll enjoy if you love light, fast, and fun reading.

Many thanks to our local well-stocked library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provides questions for discussion at the book club, aided this time by questions additionally posed by the library.

A few of the items specifically examined were:

►How was Arthur Pepper changed? Obviously from a grieving and depressive widower to one who discovered there was still life out there that confirmed the love from Miriam for him was genuine.

►Was the book really an adventure, mystery, or family life fiction? All three, although Amazon has it classed as Later in Life Romance, Contemporary British & Irish Literature, and Travel and Vacation Fiction.

►Can intergenerational friendships work? Extended discussion appeared to agree that it could.

►The question was posed as to the favorite character. There were a number of lively and completely diverse characters. This led to an extensive discussion on all the adventures and the character each introduced as the reason for the charm. Most were…charming. Many, including myself, noted Mike as being particularly interesting and generous, while some also noted Bernadette as being a bit too much or as the busy-body opposite to the positive characters.

Book Details:

Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Narrator: James Langton
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Phaedra Patrick - author — Phaedra Patrick – author

The Author: Hello and welcome to my author page! If you click the yellow ‘Follow’ button, Amazon will send you an email when I have a new release, or if there’s a special deal you might be interested in.

I’ve always wanted to write books but came to it the long way around. I originally studied art and marketing and then worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organiser and communications manager. I won several awards for my short stories and have now written six novels, four of which became USA Today bestsellers. I live with my family in Saddleworth, UK, where I write full time.

My debut novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, was translated into twenty five languages worldwide and was optioned by a major Hollywood film studio.

My second novel, Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (named Wishes Under the Willow Tree in the UK), was made into a Hallmark movie in 2021.

My third novel, inspired by my love of stories, is The Library of Lost and Found. It was selected as ’The Great North West Read,’ to be read across 300 libraries in the UK in 2019.

My fourth is titled The Secrets of Love Story Bridge (The Secrets of Sunshine in the UK) and my fifth, The Messy Lives of Book People (titled The Book Share in the UK) was the Barnes & Noble fiction pick for June 2022 in the USA.

I hope you enjoy my sixth novel, The Little Italian Hotel, a warm, uplifting escape about the power of love, friendship and following your dreams.

Please visit my website at http://www.phaedra-patrick.com for more info, writing tips and to sign up to my newsletter. You can also get in touch with me via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The YMCA Bookclub

Still Alice by Lisa Genova #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TBT

Definitely a tough read for most, I think, especially difficult for anyone with either themselves or a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Written long enough ago that there have hopefully been gains in understanding and treating this patient, the book looks at the disease through the eyes of the victim.

My Thoughts

Alice Howland, a 50-year-old woman with a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University, is not exactly your average MC. Happily married to an equally brilliant, independent, and well-educated husband, they have three grown children when she begins to notice a change in her memory.

Following additional alarming shorts in her memory and a confusion not previously encountered, Alice sought help with what she could explain away as a possible menopausal effect. Perhaps hormone replacement therapy would help? But no, after all tests were in, the definitive diagnosis was early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

According to AI, dementia is an “umbrella term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, while Alzheimer’s is a specific disease.” And Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disease leading to severe cognitive decline whereas dementia exhibits varied symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and impaired reasoning.

“Attention, rehearsal, elaboration, or emotional significance was needed if perceived information was to be pushed beyond the recent memory space into longer-term storage, else it would be quickly and naturally discarded with the passage of time.”

“As her ability to track what was said in complex conversations with many participants declined, Alice’s sensitivity to what wasn’t said, to body language and unspoken feelings, had heightened.”

Of course, the book and explanations led to my own research into the specific gene associated with early onset Alzheimers, PS-1, whereas PS-2 can occur anywhere from 40-88 years of age.

And that’s probably what disturbed me most about the book. From the time Alice acknowledges she might be having a problem, the account launches into short bursts of months noted from September 2003 to the summer of 2005. Yeah, whoa, that’s fast! I couldn’t wrap my mind around that time frame.

Alice had to have hints of something major going on prior to her sudden loss of direction around Harvard University.

Alice had devised a simple test for herself when it could be determined she’d reach a line over which she did not wish to cross with the disease. Throughout the book, she administered the test to herself, gradually coming to the realization she could not answer even one of her five questions. Worse, consideration was not given to the actual act she was considering in that if she had reached her “butterfly” moment, could she still understand the instructions well enough to execute them?

If the book is not sufficient to answer your questions about the disease, it certainly does raise a number of them, which, in your own experience you’ll either research further or simply digest a new perspective.

I was able to secure both the ebook and the audiobook for this title at my local library and will mention that it’s possible the author should have found a professional narrator for her audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provides pointed questions for discussion at the book club, ably kept on topic by the facilitator.

A few of the items specifically examined were:

►What was the husband’s reaction to his wife’s diagnosis?

►What was the significance of her mother’s butterfly necklace?

►Is preserving the legacy of the person more important than the way she left it?

►What was the reaction of her husband to the failure of the trial med?

As always, a very lively discussion with all questions and many personally shared experiences of their own with loved ones. Certainly an extended dialogue on the experience of the inheritable gene. There was a wide range of reaction to the book, with a number disliking it as many as liking and, I believe, only two five-star votes.

Book Details:

Publisher: Pocket Books
Audiobook Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrator: Lisa Genova
Publication Date: January 21, 2009

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neurological conditions and our shared human condition. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels STILL ALICE, LEFT NEGLECTED, LOVE ANTHONY, INSIDE THE O’BRIENS, and EVERY NOTE PLAYED.

Her first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, published March 2021, became an instant New York Times bestseller.

STILL ALICE was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish. Julianne Moore won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland. Film adaptations for INSIDE THE O’BRIENS, EVERY NOTE PLAYED, and LEFT NEGLECTED are in development.

STILL ALICE was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford and premiered at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago in April 2013. It has since toured worldwide.

In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She has appeared on Live with Kelly &Ryan, the TODAY show, CNN, PBS Newshour, Dr. Oz, and NPR and has been featured in the PBS specials Build a Better Memory Through Science and Supercharge Your Brain, as well as the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg.

Her first TED talk, “What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s” has been viewed over eight million times. Her most recent TED talk, “How Memory Works–and Why Forgetting is Totally OK” was the sixth most watched TED talk of 2021. A sought-after speaker/edutainer, she has headlined in speaker series alongside Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Gloria Steinem, Jay Leno, Malala Yousafzai, and Goldie Hawn.

She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for “distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue,” The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for “informing the public about treatment and ongoing research in medical illness.”

She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer’s Association’s Rita Hayworth Award, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award, and the Grubby Award for literary excellence.

She serves on the Advisory Boards for The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, HFC (Hilarity for Charity), and Compassionate Care ALS.

The YMCA Bookclub

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Atlee Pine Book 1

Book Blurb:

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by its toe.

It’s seared into Atlee Pine’s memory: the kidnapper’s chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken. Atlee was spared.

She never saw Mercy again.

Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She’s the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon.

So when one of the Grand Canyon’s mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon-and its rider missing-Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she’s abruptly called off the case.

If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it…

My Review:

One thing you must say about a Baldacci book. They are uniquely his style. This one is the first in a new series. As eager as I was to start a new Baldacci series, I struggle to write the review now, and as a book released back in 2018, not sure it matters.

Whether or not this one introduced a new trope or not, I’m becoming weary of the seriously damaged protagonist, particularly a female protagonist. Must they all have suffered some horrible childhood trauma? Are all female detectives or FBI agents carrying scars for which there is no recovery?

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci — Long Road to Mercy – UK cover

The description of the Grand Canyon and surrounds is fun, and as we’ve had the privilege of seeing that Wonder of the World, interesting and engaging. The storyline started out strong and held interest until it severely veered off the rails and went looking for action that didn’t compute, pushing disbelief. Then it catapulted into implausibility and no longer rang close to reality, although given that politics and leaders are appearing to go for broke, perhaps it could be remotely conceivable.

On which level then would that be? Those nations work together? Russians, Chinese, Koreans? Mercenaries? That a possible Olympic weight-lifter, FBI experienced, could pull along a female associate for help after being called off looking into the matter by her superiors. (Aren’t they always?) That a missing person, after hiding out for days (weeks?), with a sophisticated bomb can now help her climb out of the Grand Canyon with it? Really? What was he going to do if she hadn’t found him?

Atlee Pine is smart, macho, and a bit over the top with all that brooding over her twin sister, Mercy, which is apparently going to be the thread that weaves into Book 2.

I’ve read a number of Baldacci books. Another author hit or miss for me. I really enjoyed my last, A Calamity of Souls, picked a Best Book of the Year 2024, but this one missed the mark for me. Too much reaching here and it just didn’t work for me. Maybe it would for you.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Narrators: Brittany Pressley, Kyf Brewer
Release Date: November 13, 2018

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. The feature film adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 50 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into over 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.

David is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy programs across the United States.

Grab those earbuds! — Graphic from Bitmoji

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Editors’ Pick Best Books of the Year 2011

Book Blurb:

The beloved New York Times bestseller from acclaimed author Eleanor Brown about three sisters who love each other, but just don’t happen to like each other very much.

Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion (there is no problem a library card can’t solve) and TV is something other people watch. Their father—a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse—named them after the Bard’s heroines. It’s a lot to live up to.

The sisters each have a hard time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the shy homebody eldest sister, the fast-living middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Only that none has found life to be what was expected; and now, faced with their parents’ frailty and their own personal disappointments, not even a book can solve what ails them…

My Review:

OMG! A book club book and I missed the meeting! I’ll never know if I’m the only one who found the book dull as gray paint! Surely, there must have been some kind of consensus on the characters (or lack thereof) and the plot (so trope).

A storyline quickly recognized by anyone who ever had a sibling or read about them, particularly of the feminine variety. Three sisters who couldn’t be more different in looks (were they described?), size, temperament, or intelligence. With a slight spread in ages, a deeper division of experience not only with home life, but all aspects of education as well. Basically, a plot of the difference in the experience of how each saw their position in the family. Their relationships all varied with each other as well as their parents.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown — The Weird Sisters – UK cover

The father is a well-educated Shakespearean scholar. The younger sisters can’t wait to escape their small Ohio town, the school experience, or the books. Cordelia, the youngest and a wild child pregnant with an unknown donor, is ostensibly back to help with an ailing mother. (Not) Rose, the oldest and the one who thinks it’s up to her to run the household—it’ll positively shrivel up without her control. And Bianca—a middle child as messed up as she can get. Does it even make sense to try?

Nope. I didn’t care for any of them. I did have serious sympathy for the mother, trying to survive cancer, but really for what? She was curious about the grandchild? As it was, the plot plods along, through months, through years. Was it years? Seemed like it. And thank heaven it does end. Everyone finds her happy ever after (maybe I shouldn’t always hope for that), and even the mother survives and the father goes on to continue quoting Shakespeare. I wonder if anyone cared.

The star rating at Amazon is currently 4 of five and at Goodreads 3.37. Once again, I have a difficult time understanding how it was picked as the best book of the year. I think it’s a solid 2 stars, but then again, I admit to getting bored easily and perhaps others saw it as classic family drama. I’ll have to go the extra half star for the fact that it’s been chosen as fodder for book clubs. Including mine. I’m sure sorry I missed that one!

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Two point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: Kirsten Potter
Release Date: January 20, 2011

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Eleanor Brown is the New York Times, national, and international bestselling author of The Weird Sisters, Any Other Family, and The Light of Paris.

#ThrowbackThursday

Hidden Pictures: A Novel by Jason Rekulak #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday #ParanormalSuspense

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Winner for Readers’ Favorite Horror (2022)

Book Blurb:

2022 Goodreads Choice Awards, Winner
2022 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Chapters Indigo Best of the Year, Long-listed

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

My Review:

Ah, gee, this is one of those books that start out whiz-bang and then halfway to two-thirds in goes off the rail.

Mallory isn’t long out of rehab when she lands a nanny job for a five-year-old. For her a dream job; her own little space, freedom, and she bonds with the boy, Teddy, no prob.

The parents were extremely specific on rules, and they had rules for everything, but it worked until Teddy started drawing details of a murder well beyond the ability of his years.

Gleaning the house history from new friends in the area, she begins to put together a lot of pieces that spell a story that’s hard to believe. When she broaches the subject to the parents, they dispute everything, deny everything, and intentionally misdirect her.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak — Hidden Pictures – UK cover

Mallory isn’t stupid (or maybe she is?), but there are so many problems with the idea that a nanny wouldn’t know the child better than she did to be surprised by the big twist. And the parents are further out than I thought—though something was off from the beginning—but Mallory was luxuriating in her circumstances and didn’t really think about the big picture for a while.

It just starts getting nutsy after that. Twists. Twists that add confusion. Twists that are just added to add twists(?).

It’s a fast-paced narrative, but after a while with one outrageous scene heaped on the last, it just gets too far over the top; only so much suspending of disbelief. Also, not a fan of a long-winded denouement.

This one starts out as a mild thriller then dissolves into a wild babblethon. If you enjoy reading this author and a suspense that goes awry, you may find this one compelling. I just couldn’t get past a few of the suppositions.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Paranormal Suspense, Murder Thrillers, Horror Literature & Fiction
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Suzy Jackson
Release Date: May 10, 2022

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES (winner of a Goodreads Choice Award), THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS (an Edgar Award finalist) and THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING (winner of the ITW Award for Best Thriller). His new suspense novel LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN pounces into bookstores on October 13, 2026. His novels have been translated into 40+ languages. He lives with his family in Philadelphia.

#ThrowbackThursday

Ask Again, Yes: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday #ComingofAgeFiction

Editors’ pick Best Books of the Year 2019

Book Blurb:

How much can a family forgive?

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

In Mary Beth Keane’s extraordinary novel, a lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next thirty years. Heartbreaking and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness.

My Review:

Oh, look! It’s me swimming upstream again!

This is an intergenerational story that is told from multiple POVs. It starts out well with a hook regarding the two children that will grow into adulthood and through their children as well in a span of thirty years.

Peter and Kate are drawn to each other for some unfathomable reason after Peter moves nearby with his family. While Kate’s mother is happy and excited to welcome Peter’s mother to the neighborhood, Peter’s mother wants none of it and refuses attempts at being friendly neighbors. Both fathers are officers in the local police department.

Peter’s mother has taken a strong disliking toward Kate when the kids become teenagers and what starts as a small altercation escalates into a horrific tragedy for both families.

It’s a tragedy that will mark all members of both families the rest of their lives. After that whole scene is over, the rest of the story mumbles on until the reader is hoping for something…anything…just not more tragedy. But that’s what you get.

This reminded me of the years, generations ago, when the two in a totally miserable marriage but stayed together “for the children.”

That only served to make the children as miserable as the adults and colored the children’s relationships for the rest of their lives. And so it does here. The two cops were both Irish, initially bonded over that background, and along with that culture the alcohol associations.

I thought the pace to be agonizingly slow and felt most sorry for Kate. I couldn’t invest in either of the fathers, Peter’s mother was just dreadful, and I felt would never again be ready to be unleashed on society. Peter was so damaged, I just didn’t want to hear it. Somewhere in the middle, the plot broad jumped the timeline, which distracted the storyline forcing the reader to play catch up.

Sorry, but I just found it depressing and kept thinking about the kids—digesting this dysfunction until you can believe that if that’s what they learned, they’ll pass it on to the next generation. UGH.

It’s dark, full of flawed characters that even the ending only seemed to make worse. There were questions unanswered and nothing resolved. I breathed a sigh of relief when the end was declared.

This book was rather controversial with readers on both sides but Amazon awarded an Editors’ pick for Best Books of 2019. So you can decide whether this family life fiction is for you or not. I can’t recommend.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Two point Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrator: Molly Pope
Release Date: May 28, 2019

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Mary Beth Keane is the author of five novels, including Ask Again, Yes, which was a New York Times Best Seller, The Tonight Show Summer Reads pick, and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Keane was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Creative Arts, and has received citations from the National Book Foundation, PEN, and the Hemingway Society. Her new novel, Whale Harbor, is forthcoming from Scribner Books on September 29, 2026.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Two Audiobooks Mini-Reviews – Her Last Breath – The Last Word by Taylor Adams – #CrimeThrillers #Suspense

Here’s your chance at a Twofer! I offer a short review of two gripping audiobooks on one page; short, sweet, and spooky. You like spooky? Good! You’ll get it with either of these audiobooks, same author (Taylor Adams) made more fun with the narrators. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Oh, and if you like a little twist at the end that you didn’t see coming, have I got a book for you!

Her Last Breath: A Novel

Publisher: William Morrow
Narrator: Sophie Amoss

My Thoughts

Hang on to your hats because this one will have you caving (yes, caving!) with Tess and her BFF Allie. Allie is a successful travel influencer, having literally done some amazing globe-trotting jaunts to capture her followers.

Tess is claustrophobic and a debt-ridden legal assistant. Hassled by a stranger prior to entering the cave—unfortunately the type you descend into the depths rather than walk through an enclosed space—they realize the guy has followed them.

It isn’t long before the cave diminishes into a body-squeezing tube of blackness. GEES! If you’ve ever had a problem with tight spaces, this vividly descriptive, fast-moving plot will have your heart pounding and sweating bullets.

The deeper Tess goes, however, she realizes maybe the stranger isn’t the whole problem. Where is Allie? Tess leans heavily on bits and pieces of survival strategy she learned largely from Allie and her explorations. But who is Allie really and what is this whole adventure about anyway? Can Tess find her way out of the cave?

Well, as they say, “you’ll let out the breath you realize you were holding.” Maybe. But you’ll love it. So, something new and different. This gets intense! Lower your lights, the volume, and wrap that blankee around yourself. It gets cold in those caves!

Suspense fans? Thriller fans? It doesn’t get much more thrillerish than this. Released this year, it’s in your library. No excuses. Totally recommended.

The Last Word: A Novel

Best of #BookTok
Publisher: William Morrow
Narrator: Carlotta Brentan, Jim Meskimen

Well, this one will give us reviewers a few thoughts to ponder! A new tweak right out of the hook, an author who really, really, didn’t like the review Emma wrote. What else has she got to do? She’s house sitting in a house remotely located on the coast. (AH, cue the wind…)

Her neighbor recommended this book and Emma discovers it’s a solid DNF, but plods on through and actually leaves a one-star caustic review. (Yeah, no. I could have told her that.) Surprisingly, the author writes back and asks her to take it back off Amazon. She won’t do it.

Then he gets nasty. She digs in her heels.

Then he becomes threatening. She realizes it might have been an oops, but too late now.

So Emma didn’t take this house sitting job out there by herself, thank heaven. She has Laika, her dog. Loved the dog. Emma is busy trying to heal a broken heart, walking on the beach (highly overrated in the winter), drinking, and chatting with her neighbor via a whiteboard. Clever! And maybe someone should know about the crazy author who is stalking her? You might be able to predict the storm that has the rain and wind banging the doors and windows of this place, right? EEK!

Yes, I see it–Adams is a master at writing suspense, thrillers, builds in the tension, sprinkles it with a little humor, adds a spritz or two of disbelief, and develops some wildly wacky characters. He has a strong and compelling writing style, unique plots with race car pace.

I had a good time reading the reviews for this book. I’m aware this is not a debut novel. It’s funny to read, however, the reviewers who reviewed this one mentioning a one-star review they’d left before that were now nervous, or not, regarding Adams sudden appearance at their door.

Now THAT’S funny! Obviously, those previous reviews gave him the plot for this one. This standalone was interesting—somewhat scattered—somewhat over-the-top, with perhaps one too many twists? Obviously, I’d say the author has grown in his style, dialed back some previous overdoing, and found a happy compromise with his twists. If I were going to recommend a Taylor Adams book, though, it’d be the one above, and heartily at that.

The Author: Taylor Adams is the author of several acclaimed thrillers including NO EXIT and THE LAST WORD. His newest novel, HER LAST BREATH, released February 2026 to starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and Library Journal. His works have been featured as Book of the Month Main Selections and Amazon Editor’s Picks. NO EXIT has been published in 32 languages and was adapted as a Hulu Original film directed by Damien Power (Killing Ground), produced by PGA-winner Scott Frank (Logan), and starring Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), and Dennis Haysbert (Breakthrough).

His novels have been praised by critics at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and by bestselling authors including Joe Hill, Riley Sager, A.J. Finn, Michael Koryta, and Karen Dionne. “Taylor Adams is a master of suspense,” said Michael Koryta. “I’m already impatient to see what he does next.” Publishers Weekly wrote in their starred review: “Adams is a writer to watch.”

Adams lives in Washington State with his family.

Website
http://tayloradamsauthor.com/

Twitter
tadamsauthor

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TBT

Book Club at the YMCA

Best Books of the Year 2011

Nominee for Favorite Book of 2011, Winner for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2011), Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Goodreads Author (2011)

Sorry, but this one was regarding Ernest Hemingway—not my fav. We have to remember it’s a novel and certainly not penned by Wife Number One, Hadley Richardson. At twenty-eight years old in Chicago 1920, she definitely would have been termed a “spinster.” I don’t think it was the Jazz Age Paris that set Hemingway into a hard-drinking social life with some cronies who were already achieving name recognition, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. I think the man, well ahead of the myth, was already a hard-drinking narcissist who pulled Hadley along for the ride. And when it ended. It ended.

But what a ride it was!

This is the book club selection for March, discussed rather low key at our April meeting.

My Thoughts

Hadley experienced a tragic childhood, from the suicide of her father to the death of a sister in a fire. Neither his family nor hers had been thrilled with the two together. Hadley was considered the old maid at 28 and Hemingway back from the war at just nineteen.

After she met Hemingway and together enjoyed a whirlwind romance, they were married in 1921. Shortly after, they moved to Paris where he struck up with contacts during his fledgling foreign correspondent days and Gertrude Stein in turn introduced him to additional authors who fed his need for the spotlight and his ego.

Living a fast-paced Bohemian life took a toll on the marriage; the drinking, the free-wheeling moral code, his lust writing the Great American Novel…and women. Her discovery of his affair with her friend, however, became the final straw.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provides pointed questions for discussion at the book club.

The Paris Wife - UK cover — The Paris Wife – UK cover

Among the items specifically examined this time were:

►We were reminded a couple times that this book is fiction, a novel, not a biography. We can draw some conclusions but would have to independently research key details of interest.

►A big question regarding what her perceived role was, with the majority feeling it was to feed his ego, and unfortunately, following his success, no longer needed that extra support.

►We wondered what Hadley might have seen in him and the consensus generally felt that he took her out of her expected lonely, spinster life to one of discovering the big world out there.

►A big point of discussion was the loss of his entire work to date when she traveled to meet him. Did he ever really forgive her for losing all his manuscripts? Perhaps we’ll never know.

There were additional questions and discussions, of course, one being the lifestyle and the hard drinking of Paris life, and the contradiction of Hadley’s acquiescence to attending the running of the bulls (and death of the animals) by occupying herself with crocheting baby clothes.

Book Club rating vote

Book Details:

Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie
Publication Date: February 22, 2011

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Paula McLain is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, Love and Ruin, and When the Stars Go Dark. Her latest novel, Skylark, a GMA January 2026 pick, is a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time. McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents, she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out of various foster homes for the next fourteen years. When she aged out of the system, she supported herself by working as a nurse’s aid in a convalescent hospital, a pizza delivery girl, an auto-plant worker, a cocktail waitress–before discovering she could (and very much wanted to) write. She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996, and is the author of two collections of poetry, a memoir, Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses, and the debut novel, A Ticket to Ride. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, O: the Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, Huffington Post, the Guardian and elsewhere.