I devoured The Whisper Man by Alex North in one weekend. I started on a Friday night, and then I just didn't want to stop. When I finally did, I had to take several deep breaths, then shake my head to clear away the intense, mesmerizing world I'd gladly lost myself in for hours on end. The Whisper Man eff'd me up Every cliché you hear about a good thriller should be applied to The Whisper Man-- because it actually deserves these...
I feel like Blanky is a cautionary tale about trusting people who can't spell. I mean, would you buy something from a shopkeeper advertising "BABY CLOSE" (i.e., "clothes") for sale? Nope. I sure as hell wouldn't. If for no other reason than on the principle of being a proud (and snobbish) English major who mastered second grade spelling. Unfortunately, main character Steve and his wife weren't as bothered about this obvious portent of...
I didn't think I was spooked by The Graveyard Apartment. I really didn’t. Then I had a dream that I was trying to herd my Japanese family (which I don't have) out of our high-rise apartment building (which I don't live in) that's teeming with ghosts. THAT'S when I knew this intensely creepy, Japanese horror story had really gotten to me. What's The Graveyard Apartment about? The premise of The Graveyard Apartment is admittedly...
Let's get right to it, shall we? I never wanted Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key to end. I was reading full speed ahead for two days straight, and then I did what I usually do when I absolutely love a book – I refused to read the last 40 or so pages because I didn’t want the experience to be over. In fact, I actually got into a lil’ depressed funk when I knew I couldn’t put it off anymore and had to finish reading the story. If...
This hardly ever happens to me, but... I have no idea what to write as a book review for Lock Every Door. As I read a book, I'm usually furiously scribbling notes in my little journal; I know I won't remember bookish thoughts later on that come to me in the moment, so I make sure to jot them down as reference points for when I write my reviews. But, I didn't make any notes for Lock Every Door. Not a single one. I was too busy reading. ...
I want to tell you what reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones did to me. It blew the doors of my understanding of white privilege wide open. Those doors will never be shut again. What's An American Marriage about? An American Marriage focuses on main characters Roy and Celestial. They're young, happily married, and advancing in their careers. Everything's going well for them until, one night, Roy is mistaken by a white woman...
Who else pounces on a new Mary Kay Andrews book the minute it comes out? My copy of Hello, Summer arrived a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, and it made me so excited to kick off the summer season. I'd devoured another beach read last MDW, and I figured a book titled "Hello, Summer" would be a shoo-in to invoke the easy, beachy, summertime vibes. Um, no. What's Hello, Summer about? Hello, Summer follows the...
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James gave me mixed feelings. I'd been eagerly anticipating this one for months, especially after seeing SO much love for it from readers and other book bloggers. I was so excited when it came in from my local library just before they closed down because of COVID-19. I was quarantined, but I figured, Hey, I got THE book I was waiting for, so NBD. Ehhh, not quite. What's The Sun Down Motel...
Um, who's about ready for a beach vacation? THIS GIRL. While we may not be taking actual vacations anytime soon, I'm here to tell you that you can take a vicarious one with Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews. What's Summer Rental about? In Summer Rental, three friends rent a summer beach house in the Outer Banks, NC. When their "fourth" for the house bails on them last minute, they invite a random woman (ummm, okay....) to take...
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is So. Freakin’. GOOD. I’m not usually a fan of stories that blur the line between supernatural and psychotic – is there really something otherworldly going on, or is the main character just crazy? – but Little Darlings may be one of the best exceptions I’ve ever come cross. What's Little Darlings about? I raced through Little Darlings in about two days. I read for hours, got about four hours...
