Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Morning!  It is a beautiful but HOT start to the day; hearing we should get some strong thunderstorms later.  Being that I'm in a very old house in one of the oldest West Haven neighborhoods, our internet and TV usually go out in storms, so I want to get this done stat.

I ordered this last year for our collection.  When I did inventory this year (the first full inventory since our move, thanks to COVID and then being short-handed; shout outs to my Teaching Assistant Ayonnah and Work-Study Justin for their help!), I thought it looked interesting and added it to my summer reading pile.

Now, first off, this is horror.  It's really weird, occultish horror.  Think Stephen King, Amy Lukavics, Kim Liggett, Christopher Pike-esque.  There are some pretty gory scenes. Second, there is a LOT of Mexican history discussed, and I admit I am not knowledgeable on the topic.  I honestly don't think I ever had a unit on Canada or Mexico in school, come to think of it.  I had to Google some of the events and people mentioned to understand the plot.

On to the plot.  Noemi (I looked up the pronunciation as naw-em-ee) and her father receive a disjointed letter from her newly married cousin Catalina that suggests her new husband Virgil is trying to kill her.  Noemi heads to Catalina's new home, what was once a grand manor in the times of the silver mines, but now a dilapidated mess barely maintained by a staff of 3 and Virgil's family (his father, cousin, and cousin's son).  And Noemi agrees that SOMETHING is REALLY off with these people.  I was really reminded of Dark Shadows (the Depp movie, not the 70s series).     

This is a ghost story, a murder mystery, and has a pretty big plot twist, so I don't want to spoil too much.  But, Noemi has to figure out who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who is not at all who they seem.  

Find this on display when we return.  

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog and the video version of it are solely those of Mrs. W.  

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Hi there!  Today's review is book #3 of my summer reading pile, video review #2.

First off though, I definitely want to encourage everyone to participate in the West Haven Public Library Summer Scavenger Hunt.  My son and I had a really fun time crossing West Haven looking for clues, starting at Forest in Allingtown, heading to Pagels in West Shore, stopping at the beach, and ending up in the Center.  We didn't find everything, but it was nice to spend some time together.  You could certainly do the route on bikes (not this gal) or even break it up into sections over a few days and walk each district.  

I actually finished this book Monday afternoon, but I needed some time to digest and figure out how to write this review without giving too much away in the plot twist.  Theo is a psychologist with a special interest in a six year old criminal case.  Alicia, a successful artisit, was found holding a gun, her photographer husband Gabriel shot dead at point blank range.  Since his death, she's been mute.  Committed to a mental hospital, she has not spoken a word, a confession of guilt in the public eye.  Theo decides to make it a career changing goal to get Alicia to talk again.

OK, seems simple enough.  Except it's not.  Theo is also need of mental health care.  He's got severe unresolved PTSD from childhood trauma and definitely parental-relationship issues.  He admits to getting into psychology to help himself first.  But as the novel progresses, it's sometimes really difficult for the reader to decipher if he's talking about himself or Alicia or both.  They have also crossed paths before, but again I was confused at times when the plot does flashbacks and flashforwards and then to the present.  I almost began to question if the entire story was actually inside Alicia or Theo's head, or possibly both since marijuana and psychosis medications seemed to be mixed frequently, like some sort of communal trip between them!

All in all, I wasn't a fan, but I can see someone interested in psychology, criminology, forensics, or art/fashion/photography being totally into this.  I am not sorry to have ordered this for our collection and/or read it myself, just not something I personally enjoyed. 

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog and video version of it are solely those of Mrs. W. (aka me).

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Alrighty, next review time.  I'll be recording this one, looking a hot mess because, well, it's hot.  Every frigid winter I insist I'm moving south when I retire.  Then it gets this warm and I nope right out of that idea.  So if you're watching the video version, know this is review #2 of the summer.  I didn't record one for 9 Perfect Strangers because I hated it!

This, in contrast...

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

This was recommended to me by Mrs. Memmott over at Mackrille.  She was literally posting "move this to the top of your 'to read' pile!"  So I did.  I finished it in roughly 3 hours awaiting word my sister and brother-in-law (both in our Air Force) had made it to CT from OH on leave for the 4th of July.  I. Could. Not. Put. It Down.

Here's the premise: a famous best selling author, Verity Crawford, is severely injured in a car accident.  She has 3 books left in a promised series.  Her greedy publishers don't want to wait for her to fully recover, lest her fame fizzle.  Instead, they convince Verity's husband Jeremy to allow them to hire a no-name shadow writer to finish the books under Verity's name.  Lowen has published a few books, but nothing blockbuster.  Her compensation is half a million dollars.

Jeremy allows Lowen to visit their home to peruse Verity's office for ideas for the next novel. There Lowen learns Verity is completely paralyzed and in a vegetative state.  Jeremy tells Lowen he and Verity have experienced terrible loss: one of their twin girls accidentally ate peanuts at a sleepover and died of an allergic reaction.  Their other twin girl fell out of the family canoe and drowned.  Now this accident.  Was Verity drunk or taking sleeping meds?  Did she try to kill herself after losing her girls?  No one knows.  Jeremy hired a full time nurse and stays in the home, rather than put Verity in long term care, so their littlest boy, Crew, can still be close to his mother.  

Now, that's all I'm giving you.  Know this: Lowen definitely finds the beginnings of another book in Verity's office.  But it's not book 7. It's something completely different.  

But what is truth, and what is fiction?

Find this on display when we head back to school!

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

9 Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Good Morning and Happy Summer!

This is book #1 in my Summer Reading pile, and it is the teacher's book club selection for June.  We're meeting tomorrow at Bad Sons, so I figured I should get the review done too.  I am moderating although I didn't choose this book.  Ms. Marcella did, but she forgot she had Dave Matthews Band tickets.

Ms. M. picked this because it's a Netflix series, and she wanted to read the book before watching the movie.  

The premise is that nine strangers meet at a health resort/spa retreat.  However they're not all strangers, which put me off to start with.  There is a family of 3 (Dad, Mom, daughter) and a young couple.  Then the rest are strangers.  Some there for weight loss, some for meditation, some, like the young couple, are there for therapy. We also have the director of the resort, her two assistants, and a massage therapist.  

I thought this would be a whodunit in a Clue style story, kinda like The Guest List maybe?  

Instead I found everyone and everything annoying, nothing believable, and the ending atrocious.  There I said it; I hated this book.  I am so disappointed, and have no idea how I'm going to lead a discussion on it!  I'm actually quite dismayed I paid for the hardcover version.  Bleh!

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Recently I cleaned out my mail holder in the kitchen.  This ceramic box usually holds anything but mail. My husband and I stash receipts we might need for a return, stamps, and gift cards in it more than mail actually.  I found a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble in there.  I also had a $5 e-coupon to use.  So, I purchased 3 books I'd heard some good things about.  This book was recommended by one of the newest Library roommates, Ms. Shell Callahan. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. I could NOT put it down.  

An elderly Hollywood actress of a bygone era, Evelyn Hugo (born Herrera) is ready to her life story and write her memoir, focusing on her seven former husbands.  She chooses a relatively unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to write the book.  Monique's only claim to fame is a short but well reviewed article on assisted suicide or "dying with dignity".  

As Evelyn tells her story, beginning as a poor girl in the slums of New York to the show business IT GIRL of the 50s and 60s then through heartbreak and loss, I found myself picturing the movie greats of the time--Evelyn as Marilyn Monroe first and foremost.  

I don't want to spoil too much, as this does have two major plot twists I didn't see coming at all. But, you will be shocked.

I'll be adding this to the collection soon!

Reminder that all opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.         

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Morning!  I did not do a written review of the last book I attempted to read (To Sleep in a Sea of Stars).  I only did a video review because that novel was so bad!  So I know it seems like a while since my last blog post.  

This, however, was awesome!  I could not put it down.  The weather was pretty blah Saturday evening into Sunday afternoon, and I was able to finish it in that time.  I had it out on my desk while I'm typing and Ms. Callahan said she loved it too!  So....

Owen and Hannah are happy newlyweds, adjusting to sharing a home with Owen's 16 year old daughter Bailey.  Owen is a widower, having lost Bailey's mother in a car crash years ago.  Hannah is a woodworker, and Owen is involved in a tech company developing online privacy software.  As news breaks that Owen and his partner have been defrauding investors, Owen disappears with a note "protect her".  

All kinds of law enforcement descend on Hannah, Bailey is taunted at school, and friends refuse to speak to them.  The only clue Hannah has is Owen's aversion to Austin, Texas, where the first US Marshall looking for Owen shows up from. 

I don't want to spoil too much, as this is really a crime drama whodunit.  But I promise you, you will not want to stop reading until you find out the truth!  

I will be adding this to our collection very soon!

A friendly reminder that all opinions expressed on this blog and the video version of it are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Manisalco

I am really angry at this book.  The book is 369 pages, and for the first 362 I really loved it.  But as the last chapter approached, it became clear there was no way this could end in just 7 more pages.  Sure enough, this is book 1 in a trilogy, and it left as a cliff hanger to boot!  And the 3rd book hasn't been published yet!

Emilia and Vittoria are twin Sicilian sisters who are secretly witches.  Their identity is known to other families with witches in the area, but to the run of the mill people, they are just the latest amazing cooks in their family's restaurant.  As they reach adulthood, Vittoria is violently murdered in a monastery.  Emilia of course sets herself to find the murderer and reason for her sister's death. 

Enter Wicked, a dashing demon from Hell, one of 7 brothers tied to a deadly sin.  Seems like Hell has a pretty strong battle going on for control.

More young adult female good witches are murdered.  Wicked and Emilia make a shaky pact to find the murderer, likely 1 of his brothers.  

Now, to be honest, there are a few trashy beach read romance novel scenes that are, in my view, eye roll worthy.  Nothing is overly graphic, but there's a "no one actually talks or acts that way" scene I almost laughed at.  

Combining all this I think makes the book very likable for many genre and topic fans--Italian heritage, white witchcraft, mythology, romance, supernatural romance, sisterhood, strong women (their grandmother is FIERCE!), and battles/fights.  

Then the ending.  Or lack thereof.  I put book #2 on our wishlist.  *Sigh*  Any way, find this on display next week!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.