Book Reviews

What you have with “The Drowning Kind” is a hauntingly creepy tale that you can sink right into. I confess, I don’t know how to swim and I find deep, dark waters frightening. This story reaffirms all the reasons to stay out of the water, especially at night. This one comes out early April, so grab yourself a copy and get your summer reading started! There is a dual timeline in this thriller. The 1920’s and 2019.   In the early years, there’s a young couple who hear of a spring-fed pool with healing powers at a beautiful weekend resort. Depending on who you listen to, you also might hear the water is cursed, somehow haunted, and definitely something to avoid. The alternate  timeline involves a family property where two sisters vacationed in Summer as youngsters while staying with Grandma. The plot twists and thrills, so dive into this one and be careful what you wish for.  I also had the opportunity to listen to an audio version of The Drowning Kind as well. I really appre...

  I recently found out that in the late 70s to mid 80s Stephen King was publishing under the name Richard Bachman. So I wanted to check it out and bonus, I found a short story I ended up enjoying. The story “Rage” features an overwhelmed, angry, and slightly disturbed Charlie Decker. Charlie makes some irreversible mistakes & takes time with some classmates to discuss who they are, how they feel, and experiences they’ve had. It really reminded me of  The Breakfast Club with a ghastly twist.  Other titles by Richard Bachman: Rage The Long Walk Roadwork The Running Man

Remember VH1’s “Where Are They Now?” And/or “Behind The Music”? That’s exactly what this book is! It’s an interview-style retelling of a musical career as told by the industry insiders and the main characters dishing out the scoop of what went right and how it fell apart. The juicy tabloid-type stuff fans love to hear.   Music lovers and/or fans of “Daisy Jones & the Six” will enjoy this new fictional story from Dawnie Walton! With the unique descriptions of Opal’s wardrobe and the tough-as-nails fierce appearance I kept envisioning Opal to look like Grace Jones!  I was convinced Opal & Nev were real-life performers that I somehow never heard of!  There’s many references to recognizable names from the entertainment industry which adds to the fun of bringing the characters to life. The tragedy the book focuses on, also is very realistic and well developed, again leaving me feeling as if it really happened and somehow I never heard about it.  To sum it up, this...

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (Available 3/9/21). This is an enjoyable audiobook from #KateQuinn and #HarperAudio.  This is the 3rd book from this author that I have enjoyed. The other two books were also WWII depictions just as enjoyable as this novel.  This novel was narrated by #SaskiaMaarleveld.  Saskia is a well-known and widely enjoyed narrator.  If you prefer each character to vocally sound profoundly different, you may find reading the book a better option here. Definitely give the audiobook a listen if you haven’t heard Saskia previously. She’s easy to understand and listen to. It’s much easier to get through such a lengthy book when you can listen to an audio while multi-tasking.  Have you ever heard of Bletchley Park (“BP”)? If not, it’s the main stage in the book and some phenomenal work was done here during WWII.  In 1938 it opened for use as a secret code-breaking center and school. This is where our main characters come to work, grow as people,...