Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Michelle McNamara's "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" was well written and compelling to follow. I can easily see why she got sucked into the mystery and intrigue surrounding these cases. Michelle dubbed the killer she was seeking the Golden State Killer, though the police and others had different names. She worked with various people, cops and civilians, to come up with various clues, suspects, and motives. Her ability to gather and collect as much information as she did is what made this an amazingly well written book. She was able to gain access to retired and current police officers and crime lab technicians. She was able to interview some of the survivors.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it wasn't 100% her writing. Her writing flows and is easy to follow, but this was a combination of her writing and other people putting together her notes after her death. The writing seemed a little all over the place at times.

I'm sad that she wasn't able to live long enough to see him identified and arrested.

View all my reviews

Review: The Art of War, with eBook

The Art of War, with eBook by Sun Tzu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok.

I'm not sure I fully understand the reason people read it and recommend it. It had a few points that were interesting, but mostly I was bored.

I did like that there were 2 narrators. One was for the original text and one was for footnotes or explanations. That was helpful.

View all my reviews

Review: A Study in Charlotte

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I had a lot of fun getting to know Charlotte Holmes and James Watson in this first book in the series. Charlotte and James (aka Jamie) are both descendants of the famous Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. They're currently high school students attending a private boarding school in Connecticut.

Shortly after meeting for the first time, Watson tries to defend Holmes's honor against a boy in their class. The next day, that boy is found dead in his dorm room. Suspicion is on Holmes and Watson, so they have to find a way to prove their innocence.

The entire story revolves around figuring out who killed the boy, as well as other mysterious happenings around campus. I was happy to say that I didn't figure it out until it was revealed!

View all my reviews

Review: Ghost

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it without asking.

I listened to this book on a long car ride home. The narrator was amazing.

Castle Crenshaw, or Ghost as he likes to be called, is from "the wrong side of the tracks". He and his mom had a traumatic experience that left them without husband and father.

While walking home from school one day, Ghost comes across the beginning of a track season for a local team. He sits on the bleachers and watches, believing that he could run faster than some of those kids. When one kid is called up to run for a second time, Ghost decides to test his theory out. He rolls up his jeans, rolls up his sleeves, and lines up along the side of the track in the grass. The coach takes notice of his skills and asks him to join the team.

Ghost and Coach come to grow closer as the season goes on. Ghost learns that just because someone looks like they're not "like you", you'd be surprised at how much someone can understand exactly what you're living through.

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

View all my reviews

Review: Older

Older by Pamela Redmond
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok.

I feel like this book was written as a way to cash in on the success of the TV show based on the first book, "Younger". The premise is that "Younger" was the book written by the character in this second book. The character names have changed and there are references to the actresses playing characters on the TV show that airs on TVLand.

At the start of the book, I was confused by the character name changes. By the end of the book, I was rolling with it. I did come to enjoy the book, but it still made me feel like it wasn't really a true original story. It was more of a chance to tell the story of how "Younger" the TV show came to be (not that I know if the story there is even close to the truth or not).

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC

View all my reviews

Review: Younger

Younger by Pamela Redmond Satran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok.

It was really tough reading this book after having seen the TV show on TV Land.

I enjoyed the story, but it was hard to get over how many of the details between the book and the show are different. Everything from names to jobs to occupations had been changed.

Alice (TV character Liza) is attempting to enter the workforce after 20 years in a marriage as a stay-at-home mom and she's finding it difficult. No one wants to hire a 44 year old housewife from New Jersey for an entry level position in NYC, and the hiring managers appear to look right through her.

During a night out with her friend Maggie, they come to realize that with a little makeover she could pass for younger than she is. Maggie dyes her hair, gives her a cut, and dresses her up for a night on the town. While out, they test the theory on a younger man, Josh, that she meets in a bar. Josh believes her to be 29, and Alice doesn't contradict him.

Alice then decides to remove all dates from her resume and try again in the job market. She's hired as a marketing assistant at the publishing house she worked at before marriage and kids.

As her life takes on new and exciting paths of discovery, she realizes that this is a lie she just can't keep up...

View all my reviews

Review: The Bride Test

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I really enjoyed reading the story of Esme (aka My) and Khai. Esme meets Khai's mom while working as a maid in a hotel in Vietnam. Khai's mom is looking for a potential wife for Khai, and none of the women who have come to the hotel are "right". She thinks that My might be "the one". She offers My a chance to come to the USA for the summer to win over Khai. At the end of the summer there will either be a wedding or a flight back to Vietnam. Seeing it as potentially her only chance to get out of poverty, her family agrees she should take the chance.

The catch? My has a daughter that she feels might harm her chances of winning over Khai. My's daughter chooses Esmerelda (Esme), from Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" as her mom's new Americanized name.

Reading the story, you can see that Esme and Khai are perfect for each other, as long as they can learn to communicate in a way that works for both of them.

View all my reviews