Recent Reads

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Synopsis - Twenty years ago Claire Scott's eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went - no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart.
Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one.
Claire is convinced Julia's disappearance is linked.
But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same...

Thoughts - I am a big Karin Slaughter fan. I have read over 10 of her books. I usually read her Will Trent series. This was a stand alone novel. Her books are not for the light hearted. They are violent and the victims are always women. This was no different. The crimes were horrific. It was a wild ride.. there were a few times I may have wondered why the hell do I read such books. I don't read them often but I like them as a palette cleanser. 

 

Educated by Tara Westover

Synopsis - Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard.
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.
Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Thoughts -  I don't read much non fiction. Generally stay away from memoirs and such. And I know I am very late to this one but I had had it on my TBR forever so I gave it a shot. This was not a light read by any standards. The fact that it was based on actual events made it harder to read. But then 3/4 into the book it lost me. The last few chapters were just a rambling mess. I feel for Tara and all she had to endure and overcome. Her parents were not fit to be parents. The neglect, self righteousness, delusions were all unbelievable. But.. I don't know how to put it in words but let's take a look at traditional families whose kids go to school and college etc how many of those children go on to go to both Oxford and Harvard and get a PhD? She along with two of her other siblings went on to get PhD's. She is very honest in her memoir adding footnotes at the bottom of certain pages informing us that other members of her family remembered these events differently. So if she is not sure about so many of these events how are we to trust her narrative? I don't want to take anything away from her story and her accomplishments but I did not love this books. I found it to be too long and found too many inconsistencies in her story. 

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Synopsis - With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain—and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life—and all the rules everyone expects her to play by—once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

Thoughts - Oh this book had so much heart. I loved Emoni and her devotion to her child and her love for cooking. She had been dealt a tough hand in life but she was always trying to look for the positives and strive to achieve her goals without throwing herself a pity party. She has a joy in her that makes you want to root for her. All the secondary characters were also wonderful and made the story really come together. 

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

Synopsis - Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.
In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?
In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.

Thoughts - I am not a fan girl. I have never been so obsessed with band, movie, actor, book.. anything that I would spend hours of my time and money on it/them. I may own a t-shirt or two but that's it. So when the main character has devoted his entire life studying a single composer, obsessing over every detail and there whole foundation dedicated to just the work of this composer it all seems a bit of an exasperated eye roll to me. I can not relate. I know such things, galleries dedicated to a certain artist etc all exist but having to read about this one composers brilliance and people going to extreme measures to protect his reputation etc was just overkill for me. Plus I saw the twist coming only a few chapters in. The important bit of this story is - how many time have white people have taken advantage of the talents of people of color and just used them for their own benefit? Being told that the voice, thoughts, ideas, opinions of a person of color are less important than those of a white person. But this too was no surprise to me. I skimmed through the last half of the book just to confirm my predications but otherwise this was a let down for me. 

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

Synopsis - At twenty-six, Lucy Young is tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, tired of going on disastrous dates, and definitely tired of living in a damp flat share with flatmates who never buy toilet roll. She could quit her job for a better living, but she's not ready to give up on her dreams. Not just yet. After another diabolical date lands her in a sudden storm and no money for bus fare, Lucy finds herself seeking shelter in a tiny shop, where she stumbles upon a curious wishing machine. Pushing her last coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with everything she's got: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life.
When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and storybook perfect little boy and baby girl, Lucy can't believe this is real--especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own forty-something face. Has she really skipped ahead to the future she's always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? And as Lucy begins to embrace this new life and new relationships, she'll have to ask herself: Can she go back, and if so, does she want to?

Thoughts - This was such a fun read. It was a perfect light hearted beach read even if I wasn't as a beach while reading it :( It begins with Lucy being a massive complainer but then again her life does kinda suck. The story soon morphs into something sweeter. Love all the characters and a good reminder that life is never perfect. You have to try to find the good part in every part of your life... easier said than done I know. 

                 The Debutantes by Olivia Worley

Synopsis - For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season, if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year’s ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year’s Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan…until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court—her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy—asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.
On the surface, these three debutantes don’t have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks—before they’re left with another dead debutante.

Thoughts - Fun and gross.. uh men can be such prevs. No offense to the non pervy men. But really why are so many of them so obsessed with the idea that women are supposed to be docile and subservient. It has a Pretty Little Liars (a show I have not seen) vibe and I thought it was a fun read. Girls who have nothing in common joining forces to solve a mystery and find their friend. I was not able to guess the end so that was good but what I didn't like was Lily's part in it all. Still a good read if you just want a ride without any extra thinking. 

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