Recent Reads

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

Synopsis - After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.
As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.

Thoughts - I read Backman's Beartown last year and I loved it. It would be among the best books I have ever read. So when I found out there was a second book I was hesitant. Sometimes second books don't live up to that of the first and I really didn't want to ruin the beauty of the first book. So this sat on my bookshelf for a year. I am glad I picked it up. It was beautifully thoughtful, heartbreaking in all the right ways. Like Beartown, Us Against You has over a dozen characters, some don't even get a name but they are all important, just like in real life. My meet millions of people and sometimes it is the smallest moment that will impact us in the greatest way.. good or bad. He does not dedicate chapters to his characters instead offers tiny glimpses, snap shots of moments.. how we are all connected, how ones action or inaction affects everyone. I usually give my books away once I am done reading them (extreme anti hoarder tendencies I have inherited from my mother) But I kept Beartown and I am keeping this one too. I don't think I will read them again but I don't feel like parting with them just yet.

Things We Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

Synopsis - Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Thoughts - I am not a big contemporary romance fan but I don't know why I still occasionally pick them up. They are usually all cliched and predictable. But then you come across a few like The Rosie Project or Josh and Hazel where the author has managed to make the story both cute and funny and anti-cringy. Thankfully, this was exactly that. I actually smiled while reading this book..

The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea

Synopsis - Inside the walls of Indiana’s elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced. But in the woods beyond the manicured campus and playing fields sits an abandoned boarding house that is infamous among Westmont’s students as a late-night hangout. Here, only one rule applies: don’t let your candle go out—unless you want the Man in the Mirror to find you. . . .
One year ago, two students were killed there in a grisly slaughter. The case has since become the focus of a hit podcast, The Suicide House. Though a teacher was convicted of the murders, mysteries and questions remain. The most urgent among them is why so many students who survived that horrific night have returned to the boarding house—to kill themselves.
Rory, an expert in reconstructing cold cases, is working on The Suicide House podcast with Lane, recreating the night of the killings in order to find answers that have eluded the school, the town, and the police. But the more they learn about the troubled students, the chillingly stoic culprit, and a dangerous game gone tragically wrong, the more convinced they become that something sinister is still happening. Inside Westmont Prep, the game hasn’t ended. It thrives on secrecy and silence. And for its players, there may be no way to win—or to survive. . . .

Thoughts - The premise is intriguing. The opening chapter really had me hooked but as the story progresses it kinda lost it thrill for me. I did not solve the mystery before hand so it was not predictable. So I'd say the problem wasn't with the book, it was probably me. 

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

Synopsis - At the wedding of the year, a killer needs no invitation
Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.
From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.
Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins…

Thoughts - This time it was definitely not me. It was the book. There was no terror or thrill. It had a Rebecca esque vibe but really just fell flat for me.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Synopsis - After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.
The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.
Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

Thoughts - I really enjoyed this one. It brings up so many important topics about rape and the burden women bear to prove their innocence while dealing with the trauma of the event. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Didn't think this one really needed much of a synopsis. We started reading the Harry Potter books as a family last year. We follow each book with the movie. The movies never live up to the books of course but we watch them still. We finished the fourth book recently and this book was the really turning point I feel. It's when the books take on a darker edge, the first time a child dies. I am a crier, so it was odd reading some parts towards the end out loud with a quiver in my voice or to pause mid sentence just to blink the tears out of my eyes. The kids found it hilarious of course. 

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Ms. Rowling the past few years.. so I will say this, there are better books out there. The writing is quite basic, sometimes I skip some parts and feel the books could have benefited from some more editing. But her world building is quite phenomenal. These books came out freakin 24 years ago, they were unique and unlike anything out there at the time. They were a pioneer to all the amazing books that followed and that is something that can not be taken away from them. I choose these to read as a family mainly due to nostalgia and the fact that that was the only way both boys with their age differences would be able to experience the magic together. Plus there is a movie after each so it turns into a large family activity. 

      

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