October Reads

54.  Broken Promise (Barclay) ~ 3.25/5

Luckiest Girl Alive (Knoll) ~ DNF#3

55.  Black-Eyed Susans (Heaberlin) ~ 3.25/5

56.  Cards on the Table (Christie) ~ 3/5

57.  Where the River Ends (Martin) ~ 3/5

58.  Everything I Never Told You (Ng) ~ 2.75/5

Monthly - Yearly

Audiobooks:  4 - 40

Books:  0 - 5

eBooks:  1 - 13

New-to-Me Authors:  4 - 33

*Podcast:  0 - 1

**Short Stories:  0 - 0

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU

Author:  Celeste Ng

Genre:  Mystery, Standalone

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  2.75/5 (eh +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Cassandra Campbell

Yearly Count:  58

Lydia, the daughter of a mixed-race couple, is dead and nobody knows why. 

One word to describe this book would be: expectations.  In each family member, expectations are pervasive.  I could imagine the scenario in real life with variations in race or age, etc., so a lot of it rang true to me.  However, the whole book was so frustrating and difficult to listen to at times.  There wasn't a redeeming character anywhere to be found.  It didn't grip me, but I wanted to know the outcome.  I was not satisfied . . . at all.  :(

Thoughts of Joy

   

WHERE THE RIVER ENDS

Author:  Charles Martin

Genre:  Women's Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2008

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Mark Deakins

Yearly Count:  57

A wife is dying of cancer and her husband attempts to make her "Bucket List" come true.

I had absolutely no idea what this book was about.  Had I known, I probably wouldn't have listened to or read it.  It's just not my thing.  The writing was fine, but I'm not a fan of the Nicholas Spark-esque books.  Although, there was one thing I did not like for sure . . . there were no warnings that the timeframe was going to change.  One paragraph just led into another one.  Ugh.  So, not a great audioread for me.

Thoughts of Joy

  

CARDS ON THE TABLE

Author:  Agatha Christie

Genre:  Mystery, Hercule Poirot Series #15

Published:  1936

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Hugh Fraser

Yearly Count:  56

The host of a bridge party is murdered.

I found this book to have too many suspect.  It virtually could have been anybody, so all I did was listen to who was chosen to be the culprit.  I don't try to figure out mysteries, but this one was very apparent that I was just listening and not engaged.  

Thoughts of Joy

BLACK-EYED SUSANS

Author:  Julia Heaberlin

Genre:  Psychological Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  55

From NetGalley:

A girl's memory lost in a field of wildflowers.

A killer still spreading seeds.

At seventeen, Tessa became famous for being the only surviving victim of a vicious serial killer. Her testimony put him on death row. Decades later, a mother herself, she receives a message from a monster who should be in prison. Now, as the execution date rapidly approaches, Tessa is forced to confront a chilling possibility: Did she help convict the wrong man?

I enjoyed the beginning of the book, then I noticed it was taking me a long time to read.  It just wasn't  keeping me engaged, so I didn't pick it up much.  Overall, the ending was a bit of a disappointment, but those feeling were building from the lack of enticement.  

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE

Author:  Jessica Knoll

Genre:  Women's Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  DNF #3

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Madeleine Maby

I didn't like the main character.

Thoughts of Joy

BROKEN PROMISE

Author:  Linwood Barclay
Genre:  Thriller, Promise Falls Series #1
Published:  2015
Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Brian O'Neill &

Quincy Dunn-Baker

Yearly Count: 54

From NetGalley: 

After his wife’s death and the collapse of his newspaper, David Harwood has no choice but to uproot his nine-year-old son and move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York. David believes his life is in free fall, and he can’t find a way to stop his descent.

Then he comes across a family secret of epic proportions. A year after a devastating miscarriage, David’s cousin Marla has continued to struggle. But when David’s mother asks him to check on her, he’s horrified to discover that she’s been secretly raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.

When the baby’s real mother is found murdered, David can’t help wanting to piece together what happened—even if it means proving his own cousin’s guilt. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla’s mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other strange things are happening. Animals are found ritually slaughtered. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. And someone has decided that the entire town must pay for the sins of its past…in blood.

When I see a Linwood Barclay book come available, I jump, even though his family oriented thrillers have not received consistent ratings from me.  This one landed in the "just okay" range due to the abundance of storylines.  I realize he was setting it up as a series, but I didn't know what went together and what didn't.  However, just like always, I will be seeking out the next in the series with hopes of it being a bit more focused.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.