Book Review #33: "The Girls"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "The Girls," by Emma Cline. This is Emma Cline's debut novel and it is hot off the press, just published today June 14, 2016 by Random House Publishing Group. For those of you who are interested in purchasing a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is about Evie, a teenager, who is coming of age in the 1960's. It is about her friendship and relationships with a group of radical hippies, Suzanne and Russell. Evie's friendship comes to a tipping point as her life almost gets torn apart by violence. It asks the questions of what if? What would I have done?

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was an amazing debut novel. It captured the times of the late 1960's with so much precision I thought I had taken a time machine back there. But most importantly it captured the coming of age of a female teenager Evie so accurately that I thought I was inside Evie's body. Emma Cline certainly brought this book to life. And I am looking forward to reading more by Emma Cline. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Emma Cline, and Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #32: "Morgue"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "Morgue: A Life in Death," by Dr. Vincent Di Maio and Ron Franscell. This book is hot off the press, as it is available today May 17, 2016. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is well researched and well written, as it is written by two extremely experienced people. Dr. Vincent Di Maio is a nationally renowned forensic pathologist whose specialty is on gunshot wounds. Ron Franscell is a best-selling author and well known journalist. So you pair these two together and what do you get? An amazing and unforgettable book. This book is a memoir on the life and experiences of Dr. Vincent Di Maio. It discusses his experiences, knowledge and participation in many well-known investigations, from the deaths of Vincent Van Gogh to Trayvon Martin. 

     As you can see I am highly recommending this book as I rated it four and a half stars out of five and is on my "favorites list" on Goodreads. This book is broken down into discussing the many different cases and investigations that Dr. Vincent Di Maio took part in. Because of this, you could say it is similar to a short-story book format. However, because the authors wrote it in such a personal way, injecting the book with Dr. Di Maio's personal life, his background and his very own opinions and feelings it made this book flow and mesh together extremely well. This was an intriguing book, I did not want it to end. I wanted to hear more and I felt disappointed when I finished this book. Disappointed because this book was that good. You must read this book for yourself to find out how good it is. This book will not disappoint you. 

     I want to thank Netgalley, Dr. Vincent Di Maio, Ron Franscell, and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #31: "438 Days"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea," by Jonathan Franklin. This book was recently published on November 17, 2015 by Simon and Schuster. Jonathan Franklin is an investigative journalist and TV commentator on Latin American politics and news. He is also the author of "33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners." This is the story of Salvadore Alvarenga who survived 438 days at sea, in which he drifted 6,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean. 

     Overall I rated this book four and a half stars out of five. This was a truly amazing story, it is a one of a kind story. The kind you will only hear once in your lifetime. It is one of those stories that you have trouble believing that it's true. I really liked how this book included relevant information/facts and opinions coming from specialists, in that they backed up as well as enriched Salvadore Alvarenga's remarkable survival at sea. I am in awe of Salvadore, in his humility and his optimism, in how he never gave up. Just close your eyes for a moment, and imagine that you are stranded at sea. What would you do? How would you survive? To find out how Salvadore Alvarenga survived you must read this book for yourself. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. 

Until the next page,

Jill 

Book Review #30: "Evicted"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," by Matthew Desmond.  Matthew Desmond is an associate professor at Harvard University, a co-director of the Justice and Poverty Project, and also the author of a book "On the Fireline." This book is a first hand account of Matthew Desmond's observations, his experiences, among eight families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who are struggling with poverty and eviction. It is also about the landlords who profit off of them, and the flawed system America has with keeping the poor, poor. Overall I rated this book five stars out of five. This book is a must read, we need to bring this book into America's classrooms. There is so much information on this book all over. To find more information on this book and on how you can help CLICK HERE. Below is a video book trailer.

This book was just released on March 1, 2016, and it was published by The Crown Publishing Group.  I am definitely regretting that I did not read this earlier. And for those of you who are interested to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. 

     This book was difficult to read, it actually made my stomach sick because of how the poor are thrown out of their houses, all in a scheme to make profit for the landlords etc.. It was sickening in reading about the deplorable conditions that these families lived in. As difficult this book was to read it is one that must be read. It is one that will unveil the ignorance and blindness that some wear. This is a subject that everyone needs to read about and expose ourselves to. No one will truly understand unless one has lived in this type of situation. And there is no one better to write this book than Matthew Desmond the author, who himself grew up in a family who was financially struggling. 

     I would like to thank The Reading Room, Matthew Desmond, and The Crown Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #29: "He Wanted the Moon"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and his Daughter's Quest to Know Him," by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton. This book was published on February 17, 2015. A heads up: Now is a great time to read this book as Brad Pitt is optioned this book for the big screen coming soon. To read more about it CLICK HERE. So I am hoping that this upcoming movie will be as good as the book is, and I have high hopes since the one and only Brad Pitt will be producing it. To get a head start to read this book, you can purchase this book by CLICKING HERE. This book is the true story of Dr. Perry Baird. It is about his daughter trying to know her father through his manuscripts, letters, and his medical records. Her father was one of the most successful doctors of his time. He was a brilliant man, an outstanding member of his community. He was able to succeed for most of the time despite fighting a mental illness of Manic Depression. Little did anyone know that he himself attempted to research and find a cure to his own illness, but sadly the depth of his illness stopped him. It is about Dr. Perry Baird's barbaric experience in numerous institutions for the insane. He suffered during a point in history of where no one knew what to do or how to handle people with mental disorders. It was a time of where all this was swept under the rug, and is why one day in Mimi Baird's life her father seemed to disappear for no known reason. It is about her search to know the father she never got to know. 

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a well told, heartbreaking but inspiring story to read. I was amazed at Dr. Baird's own insight he had throughout his life. Especially the insight he had on his own illness that many others in Dr. Baird's life failed to have. It was as if Mimi Baird allowed the reader to view her father's life through a telescope. This story was raw, transparent, real, and genuine. It brought all the hidden stuff we have swept under the rug, it brought it all to life.

This book was a very intimate glimpse into the life of a man battling his inner demons that have haunted him his entire life. This book is one for all to read, and we all need to take the chance and grab it now before the movie comes out.

     I would like to thank Blogging For Books, Mimi Baird, and Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #28: "The Amber Project"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "The Amber Project: The Variant Saga Book One," by J. N. Chaney. This book was published on April 12, 2015. So far this series consists of two books, with the second book being "Transient Echoes: The Variant Saga Book Two."  To purchase a copy of "The Amber Project" CLICK HERE. This book is a dystopian set in the future, taking place after an apocalyptic event that caused most of human kind to die. It starts off years later in a new society formed living under ground because the air on earth called Variant will kill anyone it touches. However, things are changing, and changing fast, when a generation of children are engineered to be able to survive on Earth breathing in the air known as Variant. In reading this book you will find that things aren't always as they seem to be.

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Because I will say as I began reading this, I was thinking I wasn't going to like it. However, as I read on further (good thing) I found that I was truly enjoying this book and glad that I did not put this book down for good. I loved the intertwined plots and themes in this book. It was an exciting, hard to put down book. I will say I really enjoyed the creativity of the author, unlike other books the creativity was displayed well in this story.  I would highly recommend this book. However, for those of you who are sensitive to horror elements, this book may not be for you. I, in particular am not a general fan of horror novels, but I did enjoy this book because the elements of horror were only a small part of the book. I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series, when I finish it you all will be the first to know.

     I would like to thank The Reading Room and J. N. Chaney, for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

  

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #27: "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts," by Joshua Hammer. This book is hot off the press, just released today April 19, 2016. To read an excerpt from this book CLICK HERE, and for those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is about one man's courage in saving a giant piece of history among the violence of Islamic terrorists. This one man hero Abdel Kader Haidera with help from others pulled off an extremely dangerous heist right under the noses of the terrorists occupying their city of Timbuktu, Mali. 

     Overall I rated this book four and a half stars out of five. What made this book extremely good was that this whole heist that was pulled off is a true story. And it is one that certainly needs to be told. I am very happy that Joshua Hammer brought this story to the forefront for the world to read. For all of the book lovers out there like me, this is a must read. It is a story of a book lover's dream come true.  It discusses the thousands of manuscripts/books filled with gold and ancient calligraphy. Can you imagine coming across a treasure like this? Abdel Kader Haidera is just like any of us, he fell in love with these manuscripts and risked his life to save them. This book shows the importance of history, and of preserving it. For if these manuscripts were to be destroyed that is like destroying hundreds of years of history, as if the past had never happened. I said earlier that this story is one that needs to be told. Why? Because it brings forth a story of Islam, in showing how it is supposed to be, in how it is and can be a peaceful religion. To show the world that there are good people and not everyone who practises Islam is a terrorist. There are and always have been terrorists in every religion, and there are plenty of bad people. But a group of people does not speak and should never speak for the whole population, in any case whether it be religion, race, gender, sexuality, or political affiliation. We need to infiltrate the world with stories like this. This is how we change perception. This book shows the power that books, and reading holds. So while you are reading this sit back and imagine yourself reading one of the manuscripts described in this book. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Joshua Hammer, and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill