I had to break up my non-fiction streak with some crazy chick-lit. I found some book list on Pinterest that recommended this. It also had a list of other goodies that I will have to resort to checking out hardcopy from my Back Mountain library.
The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publication Date: June 2013
Setting: Chicago, present day
A "thriller" told from the perspectives of man and wife. Man is a womanizing entrepreneur and wife is a dull, albeit intelligent, home psychologist. Man has affair (well he has many, but this last one causes him trouble), and woman gets pissed. Neither character shows much affection to anyone, which makes empathizing with either character impossible.
Finished reading: Saturday, August 1, 2015
DD's rating: C-
I would not call this a thriller nor would I call it suspense... Both narrators are incredibly monotone and display no emotion besides some frustration. The Silent Wife is better than The Girl on the Train but not as good as Gone Girl. Hard to write review because I just didn't care very much about the book, although it was an easy read.
Next read: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Revival
After spending so much time away from books, I knew I would return to Stephen King soon. I didn't know that I would be reading a vaguely religious book, which makes three religious books of four books that I've read in a week (the others being The Pillars of the Earth and Killing Jesus).
Revival by Stephen King
Genre: Fiction, suspense, "horror"
Publication Date: November 2014
Setting: the life of Jamie Morton, America 1960s-2014
Young Jamie Morton meets and befriends his new minister Charlie Jacobs, a man with a happy family and an obsession with electricity. Something happens to Mr. Jacobs that causes him to lose the faith and focus all of his attention on electricity, convinced there exists a "secret electricity" that is beyond our world.
Meanwhile, Jamie becomes a semi-professional rhythm guitarist and hooks up with bands and eventually gets hooked on the big H. Just as he hits rock bottom, he comes across his old minister who is miraculously able to cure him of his addiction, for good. As we know, all that glitters is not gold, and this cure (along with Mr. Jacobs' other cures) has consequences.
After Jamie is cured he begins a real life, but still monitors his old minister and find that he is a traveling preacher who is curing people with his "secret electricity" around the country. Jamie researchers the cured to see if they display any after-effects and begins to doubt the authenticity and motives of "Pastor Danny." Of course Jacobs is curing for his own purposes (test subjects), but to what end? That's where Jamie comes in, to put an end to the after effects and the future test subjects and close the business of secret electricity once and for all. But if only things worked out they way we want them to. What is done cannot be undone and what is seen cannot be unseen. Something happens.
Finished reading: Friday, June 12, 2015
DD's rating: B-
A little unimpressed by this book from my favorite author. I love Stephen King so much because of his characters, and I just couldn't buy into Charlie Jacobs or Jamie Morton. This book also felt way too much like some of his other books (Under the Dome, Doctor Sleep, to name two), and therefore wasn't original enough. But his writing style can't be beat, and I was never bored (although I could sometimes predict what would happen).
Next read: Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Revival by Stephen King
Genre: Fiction, suspense, "horror"
Publication Date: November 2014
Setting: the life of Jamie Morton, America 1960s-2014
Young Jamie Morton meets and befriends his new minister Charlie Jacobs, a man with a happy family and an obsession with electricity. Something happens to Mr. Jacobs that causes him to lose the faith and focus all of his attention on electricity, convinced there exists a "secret electricity" that is beyond our world.
Meanwhile, Jamie becomes a semi-professional rhythm guitarist and hooks up with bands and eventually gets hooked on the big H. Just as he hits rock bottom, he comes across his old minister who is miraculously able to cure him of his addiction, for good. As we know, all that glitters is not gold, and this cure (along with Mr. Jacobs' other cures) has consequences.
After Jamie is cured he begins a real life, but still monitors his old minister and find that he is a traveling preacher who is curing people with his "secret electricity" around the country. Jamie researchers the cured to see if they display any after-effects and begins to doubt the authenticity and motives of "Pastor Danny." Of course Jacobs is curing for his own purposes (test subjects), but to what end? That's where Jamie comes in, to put an end to the after effects and the future test subjects and close the business of secret electricity once and for all. But if only things worked out they way we want them to. What is done cannot be undone and what is seen cannot be unseen. Something happens.
Finished reading: Friday, June 12, 2015
DD's rating: B-
A little unimpressed by this book from my favorite author. I love Stephen King so much because of his characters, and I just couldn't buy into Charlie Jacobs or Jamie Morton. This book also felt way too much like some of his other books (Under the Dome, Doctor Sleep, to name two), and therefore wasn't original enough. But his writing style can't be beat, and I was never bored (although I could sometimes predict what would happen).
Next read: Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Girl on the Train
I finished The Pillars of the Earth on the train from Philadelphia to NYC. Upon arriving in New York (visiting my father and step-mom) I saw their large stacks of books scattered around their Upper West Side loft/condo/apt (whatever NYC'ers call their living spaces). My step-mom recommended The Girl on the Train, which I had placed a hold for at my library and was the 2nd person waiting for the book. Fortunately, step-mom had a tangible copy, so for the first time in I can't remember how long, I read an actual book instead of my Kindle.
And I finished it in under 12 hours.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publication Date: January 2015
Setting: London suburbs, 2012 - present
This book was recommended to by Skimm, a fellow teacher, my step-mom, and the New York Times. Needless to say, I had high expectations. However, it fell short of those expectations and turned out to be a less maniacal English-version of Gone Girl. The story was interesting enough and the work was easy to read (that explains the completion time), but it lacked... richness. The girl on the train refers to Rachel, who is a divorced, unemployed, alcoholic and is just a big mess. I kept telling her to get her shit together, put down the damn drink and stop sending crazy messages to her ex. It was disappointing that the main character was so pathetic and I couldn't relate to her.
While this book was for feminists, it was a little too anti-men. Almost all the males the book were bad guys, in some way, while all the females were the silent sufferers of these males. I love girl-power, but not at the expense of tearing down the other gender and making them all misogynistic, apathetic liars.
Additionally, I have a strong distaste for affairs, and this book is full of them. Everyone eyeing someone else or being eyed by someone else and no one can stay faithful. That may be the reality of our world today, but I don't enjoy reading about it.
And apparently, according to Wikipedia, Dreamworks will be making a movie based on this book. I hope I didn't give away too many spoilers...
Finished reading: Saturday, June 6, 2015
DD's rating: C+
It was entertaining enough, it was light, it wasn't fun, but it's a good summer book to read on your vacation travels or while you're visiting family (like I was). This book will not move you, but it will keep you mostly engaged with the desperate behaviors of lonely women.
And I finished it in under 12 hours.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publication Date: January 2015
Setting: London suburbs, 2012 - present
This book was recommended to by Skimm, a fellow teacher, my step-mom, and the New York Times. Needless to say, I had high expectations. However, it fell short of those expectations and turned out to be a less maniacal English-version of Gone Girl. The story was interesting enough and the work was easy to read (that explains the completion time), but it lacked... richness. The girl on the train refers to Rachel, who is a divorced, unemployed, alcoholic and is just a big mess. I kept telling her to get her shit together, put down the damn drink and stop sending crazy messages to her ex. It was disappointing that the main character was so pathetic and I couldn't relate to her.
While this book was for feminists, it was a little too anti-men. Almost all the males the book were bad guys, in some way, while all the females were the silent sufferers of these males. I love girl-power, but not at the expense of tearing down the other gender and making them all misogynistic, apathetic liars.
Additionally, I have a strong distaste for affairs, and this book is full of them. Everyone eyeing someone else or being eyed by someone else and no one can stay faithful. That may be the reality of our world today, but I don't enjoy reading about it.
And apparently, according to Wikipedia, Dreamworks will be making a movie based on this book. I hope I didn't give away too many spoilers...
Finished reading: Saturday, June 6, 2015
DD's rating: C+
It was entertaining enough, it was light, it wasn't fun, but it's a good summer book to read on your vacation travels or while you're visiting family (like I was). This book will not move you, but it will keep you mostly engaged with the desperate behaviors of lonely women.
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