Review: Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune

Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune by Gay Hendricks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book to be an uplifting read. It is a self-help book that has a few interesting sections that are enlightening, The biggest issue is that so many of these ideas are present in other similar types of books in this genre, many of which have been out and well read for years. That being said, it has many salient ideas to change their own way of viewing and interacting with the world around them in order to change their "luck". As, stated by many others like Oprah, "Luck is only being ready and prepared when the right opportunity is presented." The novel aspect of this book is how they chose to utilize exercises to change one's mindset to enable positive results.I found this to be an interesting addition to the ideas presented. I also enjoyed some of the vignettes used to give real world examples of their concepts. One in particular was the story related to Shame, when the author related a story of childhood and how her mother "would apply the switch on her" when she had committed some offense. This was such a common practice of discipline in the South that I had to laugh, recalling my grandmother making me go out to a tree out behind the house and choosing my own switch for my punishment. This was related to what it means to wake up to the feeling people carry of shame and then ultimately steps that can be taken to move beyond it.
Good read with insightful exercises and ideas.
Thank you for the early copy.
#Netgalley #ConsciousLuck #StMartinsPress

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Review: The Undocumented Americans

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Undocumented Americans is such a timely and important book. This is told from the perspective of the author, who is well educated but also here in the US because her parents came here from South America when she was a small child. She has worked her butt off in school to achieve a level of independence that is so important but usually not achievable to illegal immigrants under the current system. Through this work, she tells the story of real life issues that arise, many that are never even thought about by US citizens. For instance, how do you find steady work? How do you receive healthcare? How do you apply to schools? On and on, the immigrant community is often a hard working, tax-paying and vital part of our society but many people against immigration are unaware of their contributions.
I was inspired to request this book when I was reading American Dirt and all the controversy surrounding that came out. I wanted to be sure to read other, more authentic views of immigration issues.
This is an outstanding work and is a much appreciated and needed voice expanding both our view of the lives of immigrants and an important voice added to the publishing world.
I wish the author ongoing success and highly recommend this book. I hope that the publishing world continues to support her career.
Thank you for the early copy for review.
#Netgalley #TheUndocumentedAmericans #RandomHousePublishingGroup #RandomHouse

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Review: Hollywood Park: A Memoir

Hollywood Park: A Memoir by Mikel Jollett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC of one of my highly anticipated reads for the year and flew through it. Hollywood Park is a memoir that is based on the life experience of Mikel and his brother Tony, who are children being housed and "taught" at a cult. Just imagine how you would have interpreted this experience through life, having lived it at such a young age.
Both of their parents are involved but their mother is the one who gets them out. Unfortunately her ability to transition to normal life is lacking and therefore the children are forced to accept a lot of responsibility for themselves from a very young age.
The fascinating thing about the early chapters is that Mikel tells the story from his younger child's POV. He is younger than his brother and therefore his memories and words for events and objects reflect that childlike quality. This really brings a unique perspective to this recounting of lived events. The perspective shifts with age and the insights into living and then running from a cult and how it effects you throughout your life makes for a fascinating read.
I bought a copy of this for myself.
If memoirs interest you or an insight into cults, this book is for you.
Highly recommend.
Thank you #Netgalley #CeladonBooks #HollywoodPark

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Review: The Darwin Affair

The Darwin Affair by Tim Mason
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fast-based debut historical fiction set in Victorian times, loosely based around the Origin of Species writing. The characters are good and engaging. The story plot is also engaging and keeps the pages turning.
I definitely recommend this to the historical fiction aficionados.
#TheDarwinAffair #NetGalley #Algonquin

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Review: Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas

Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been holding onto this one to read in October for the spooky atmosphere and horror vibes. It doesn’t disappoint. There are four short stories that are different lengths. The first one is the Cardiff story and centers around an adult woman who had been adopted as a child at the slightly older age than usual adoptions, close to 3 years. She doesn’t have much memory of her family and doesn’t know the circumstances of her adoption but has been curious. One day she receives a phone call from an attorney who is acting as the executor in her birth-grandmother’s will and estate. At first she is not sure if she is interested in following her curiosity and seeing what the family is like but she decides to go to Cardiff and check it out. When she arrives, she is immediately thrust into the care of her aunts, who are a bit eccentric. She also has an uncle who comes into the house periodically. The mystery begins to unravel as to why she was adopted and what and why she is receiving an inheritance.
The overall themes throughout all the stories are some of the different yet similar ways that women can suffer at the whims of the men in their life. This theme unfolds differently in each story. In the second story about young Mia and her broken family life, present her with an opportunity to care for and develop a love for feral cats living near her home. Over the years, we follow her family and the changes that occur as well as the constants.
Story three centers around a bright young woman who is studying to become a poet. She meets a slightly older teaching assistant/tenure track teacher who challenges her academically but who she develops a relationship with leading to a difficult situation. She can’t seem to resolve the relationship or other issues and finds herself under the spotlight of attention from a highly respected visiting poet whom she can learn a great deal. She becomes attached to him as well.
The final story was my least favorite, although still good. It focuses on the surviving son of a murder/suicide and how his life unfolds following such harrowing experiences.
Each story has different strengths and I enjoyed them all with the first three grabbing me the most easily.
I adore Joyce Carol Oates and her writing style. She has great and difficult/dark central themes for each story that have an overall theme for the collection that is based on various ways women suffer at the hands of men. I think she does a terrific job of bringing in dark themes with family dramas and moving stories and a clear unifying theme.
Highly recommend.

#CardiffByTheSea #Netgalley #GroveAtlantic #MysteriousPress

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Review: Don't Look for Me

Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. It begins with a mother who is down on herself and becoming somewhat distant from her husband and kids. She has a son away at school and travels to watch him play sports and a daughter who has pulled away as well. Her husband will stay out all night at times because he can’t bear the tension and angst in the home. Several years previously, the mother, Mollie Clarke has experienced every parent’s worst fear, her youngest daughter is run over by a car and dies and she was the driver. No one really knows how devastating the loss of a child is unless they have experienced it. The most we can do is watch people we know endure this pain and how it is so difficult to get past with the rest of the family intact.
One day, Mollie is heading home from her son’s game when she runs out of gas on an isolated road and a hurricane is bearing down. Fortunately a truck is driving by and the man and his daughter are happy to help her. They try to drive her to a gas station but it is closed due to the weather. He takes her to his home and the twists and turns begin.
There are interesting characters and plot twists in this novel, mostly surprising although one major twist seemed obvious. I didn’t mind that at all. There is still plenty to keep the story going.
If you like thrillers with a family saga involved, this is a fun read.
Recommend, especially for spooky/mysterious vibes.

#Don'tLookforMe #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

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Review: The Hollow Places

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating story that reminds me of a couple of other books that I have enjoyed recently. One of those books discussed the relationship of fantasy and horror. We think of these as completely different genres but they are really more of a spectrum that is based on how much real life versus fantastical pieces of the story. Horror often has many parts of the story that are based in the normal world but with influences of fantastical elements.
This book falls in this mixture of a fantastical story that involves a girl who visits her grandfather’s “museum” that is filled with “a lot of junk” and where she discovers a portal that opens a different world to her.
The story is okay. This wasn’t my favorite but it was good.

#TheHollowPlaces #Netgalley #GalleryPress #Saga

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Review: The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel

The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel by Renée Nault
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Untold Mayhem

Untold Mayhem by Mark Tullius
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: A House at the Bottom of a Lake

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: One Perfect Summer

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The premise for this book is creative and current. One of the protagonists, Serenity, takes a commercial DNA test as part of a new book she is writing and discovers 2 sisters that she didn't know anything about before this. They exchange emails prior to meeting as a group for a week stay at one of the sister's vacation house. Immediately there is drama. From the weather conspiring against them to each having issues that seem to conflict with one of the other sisters, and it is ongoing from there.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book and some of the aspects of the characters, I honestly didn't really care about them as much as I wanted to. Each is flawed in her own way and that added to the mystery of who they are as individuals and how they came to be without knowing each other. None of their parents who raised each has ever let on the background to explain the story of their birth.
This is a fun read with some newer ideas.
Thank you for the early copy to review.
#OnePerfectSummer #Netgalley #HarlequinMira

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Review: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Girls Weekend

The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book and read part and used the audiobook for part. The story was good but somewhat predictable.
The story is based on a group of college friends who were very tight in school and have drifted apart over the following years. The protagonist, June Moody, initially hesitates to attend due to her difficult relationship with the friend who is hosting the event. The host is Sadie, who has always been June's nemesis. They both were in love with the same guy during college with June initially having a relationship with him but rejects him and he marries Sadie. June decides to attend and things are awkward from the beginning.
During the weekend, a murder occurs and the remaining women were left to try to figure out who to trust and who may have done it. Meanwhile, they don't know if they can trust each other.
There are lots of things to like about this book. The interaction between characters, backstories and then the murder are all interesting aspects of the story. The audiobook was well done with a terrific narrator who added a lot to the story and pacing. My criticism was the fact that there wasn't much about this that was new to this sort of story.
Quick and decent story. Worth a read if you like who-done-it type stories with unreliable characters.
#TheGirlsWeekend #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks

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Review: With or Without You

With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story that evolves around a relationship between 3 main characters. There is Stella, the trustworthy RN who is in a live-in relationship with her partner, Simon, who is a musician. Early in their relationship, everything revolved around Simon's career and touring with his band. As they have matured together, he is itching to go back out on tour and Stella is longing to have a baby. They are having a massive discussion around these topics when they decide to drink and party. The following morning, after having decided nothing, Simon finds Stella unresponsive. He rushes her to the hospital and her best friend is the doctor that takes care of her. As the story evolves, we get to hear the POV of each of these main characters and their interactions with each other and the world around them.
I enjoyed the POV from Stella the best because it seemed the most creative and insightful, as well as challenging to write. Her entire story arc is engaging. All three are unique and captivating in their own way.
I think my hesitation in giving this a full 5 stars was the essential problem that seemed to hold all the characters back in their lives, a lack of understanding and communication with their own families. Although it was interesting to see the backstory and how misunderstandings were a huge part of what shaped these characters, it was frustrating for them to make so many decisions through avoidance rather than engagement, but then the story is wrapped up a little too neatly anyway. It felt to me like the character traits that lead someone to make poor decisions throughout their lives are not the sort of thing that magically disappear as a behavior pattern once there are more facts out in the open. This did not feel completely realistic to me.

I do recommend this as a completely enjoyable and relationship based novel.

#WithOrWithoutYou #Netgalley #AlgonquinBooks

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Review: The Mall

The Mall by Megan McCafferty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Night Swim

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Early review...pub date August 2020...more to come.

This was a good one!

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