Books I Finished in July 2019

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

This book was recommended to me by a bookstore employee after I mentioned loving The Count of Monte Cristo but it also perfectly represents the science fiction genre as written in the 1950s with some fantastic ideas and characters.

Synopsis: Marooned in outer space after an attack on his ship, Nomad, Gulliver Foyle lives to obsessively pursue the crew of a rescue vessel that had intended to leave him to die.

Specter by Katie Jane Gallagher

Katie Jane Gallagher is a new author who did a great job of creating a unique storyline and take on the ability to see ghosts. However, there were definitely some frustrations reading this book which I attribute to Gallagher being so new.

Synopsis: Horror aficionado Lanie Adams should be thrilled when two eighties-era ghosts materialize in her bedroom. Yet after a fainting incident unbecoming of a horror nerd, she would rather her haunting just go away—the ghosts’ waterlogged voices and ice-cold auras are more terrifying than any movie. Enlisting the help of Ryan, an entirely-too-cute stoner, she makes it her mission to put the spirits stalking her to rest. Some sleuthing reveals that their sleepy Connecticut town is host to a shadowy, decades-old conspiracy. If Lanie wants to say a final goodbye to her ghosts, she’ll need to keep digging. But it’s important to tread carefully. The culprit is still in town—and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

Lovecontu Song de Light Lovecontu Audio Set by Katilynzq

I have to preface this review with the fact I don’t think this is my type of book, and for that I apologize because I just don’t think I understood or appreciated it like others have or will. I don’t think this was a book for me and thus it negatively impacted the way I experienced this book. Although unique, I found myself often zoning out while listening to this book. Click the image for more.

Synopsis: The stories within Lovecontu Song de Light Lovecontu connect, unfold, interweave many character’s stories needs, feelings, desires, dreams contain words of caresses around as a cocoon of soft cashmere accompanied by sweet aroma allures to intimate nearness remains a velvet kiss

Storm’s Herald: Stormfall Chronicles #1 by J.W. Golan

This book has many of the great things in a YA fantasy; different cultures, monsters, magical vs non-magical realms, battles and a path of discovery for some young characters. On the other hand, there were a few aspects I wish had been developed more in this first installment.

Synopsis: A peasant girl who dreams of becoming a sorceress, a boy who imagines himself a knight – trailed by a ruthless mercenary armed with an ancient sword. Willingly or not, Lynette, Baxter and Eirlon must together solve the riddles behind the relic – and stay one step ahead of the ruthless killers that pursue them.

God of Manna by Daeus Lamb

This little novella was quite unique, fascinating, and very well written. However, at the end I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I thought I may in the beginning. Overall, a enjoyable book in its writing style and uniqueness, but other readers may end up enjoying it more for its complexity and subtlety which required a bit more heavy thinking than I was expecting.

Synopsis: The hideous God of Manna has taken away the soul of Mortristan’s father. Now, it is Mortristan’s doom to find what his father never could: something worth living for. But when Mortristan is forced to hunt an intruder in the God of Manna’s paradise-city, he learns just how enslaved he is. As bad as life is with the God of Manna, it’s impossible to live without him. Can Mortristan really sacrifice everything he has to find just one thing that’s lasting?

After She Fell by Amber Laura

Although a somewhat typical romance in the fact there is a conflict that keeps the two lovebirds from making things official for a majority of the novel, this was very well-written and kept me entertained the entire time I was reading.

Synopsis: Jason Gordman is off-limits. Charming, playful, confident—he’s everything dangerous to her defenses. Worse yet, he’s the boss’s son. Hiding behind antagonism and indifference, Christina manages to keep him at a careful distance. That is, until one fateful night when she finds herself snowbound with him in a blizzard and she slips, allows herself one, forbidden kiss…

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Finn wrote this gripping page turner so realistically. So many aspects made me quickly read the novel in just a day because I just had to know what happened and couldn’t put it down. Click the book cover for more.

Synopsis: Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.
Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.
What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger?

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

This novel was just so well written, I can’t really say enough positive things about it. I love Kristin Hannah’s writing style and have enjoyed many of her books, The Nightingale had always been my favorite of hers but withThe Great Alone, it is now a very close race.

Synopsis: Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture.

Books I’m Currently Reading

Trinity by Leon Uris

I’m a little over halfway through this book (it’s 800 pages) and am definitely enjoying it so far. It’s a good mix of history and fiction and I’m learning a lot more about Ireland’s chaotic history.

Synopsis: It is the electrifying story of an idealistic young Catholic rebel and the valiant and beautiful Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join his cause. It is a tale of love and danger, of triumph at an unthinkable cost—a magnificent portrait of a people divided by class, faith, and prejudice—an unforgettable saga of the fires that devastated a majestic land... and the unquenchable flames that burn in the human heart.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I’m a little over halfway through this book as well and definitely enjoying it. Very similar to Trinity which I mentioned in terms of adding historical facts but in a fiction novel that keeps things easy to understand.

Synopsis: In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.

Books I Was Reading Last July - 2018

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I wish I could be reading this again for the first time because I was caught so off guard by how perfect it was. Emily Brontë (and her sister) uses this descriptive style of writing to truly set the scene of this darker tale and severely flawed characters. The descriptions bring you into the turbulent emotions of these characters and I loved the way the descriptions of the landscape, rooms or weather truly set the mood of the storyline, adding to each scene and setting. Click the cover for more.

Synopsis: Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

Literature by Guillermo Stitch

It took me a little while to get into Literature®, however, overall, I definitely enjoyed this novella and Guillermo Stitch‘s writing style with the wit and carefully chosen wording he uses throughout the story. Click the cover for more.

Synopsis: We don't know exactly when Literature® takes place and we don't know exactly where. The day hasn't begun very well for Billy. He just messed up his first big assignment, he's definitely going to be late for work, his girlfriend won't get back to him and, for reasons she has something to do with, he's dressed like a clown. Also, he's pretty sure someone is going to kill him today. But then, that's an occupational hazard, when you're a terrorist. He's a bookworm too, which wouldn't be a problem–or particularly interesting–except that in Billy's world, fiction is banned. Reading it is what makes him an outlaw. Why? Because people need to get to work.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I don’t really understand how this book got so many amazing reviews. For me, it was very boring and slow and the romance is so far-fetched and rushed. It was interesting to read about the circus and some of the corrupt things that happened, but I think the author tried to add too much to it and make it a romance when it really wasn’t.

Synopsis: When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

The Speed of Sound by Eric Bernt

I received this book as a freebie since I’m an Amazon Prime member and it was actually a fantastically written thriller. It was so unique with one of the main characters being a highly intelligent autistic young man. The dynamic between him and his doctor is endearing and intense and makes for a great addition to the story of hidden secrecy being brought to light.

Synopsis: Harmony House is more than a “special place for special people.” It’s a think tank where high-functioning autistic savants harness their unique abilities for the benefit of society. Resident Eddie Parks’s contribution is nothing less than extraordinary: an “echo box” that can re-create never-recorded sounds using acoustic archeology. All Eddie wants is to hear his late mother’s voice. But what he’s created is inadvertently posing a threat to national security. Now for Eddie and the compassionate Dr. Skylar Drummond, the true nature of the institution is becoming chillingly clear.