Book Review #40: "Dark Matter"

Hey Everyone,

    I am going to review the book "Dark Matter," by Blake Crouch. This book is hot off the press being published today July 26, 2016 by Crown Publishing. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the author Blake Crouch, he is best known for his book called Pines (The Wayward Pines Series). And as you know this book has been made into a TV series on FOX network. "Dark Matter" is about the choices we make in life and how all the choices we make lead us into different paths. It is about how far we will go to make the best choices. Jason Dessen is a physics professor with a wife and child he loves. Jason ends up discovering a way to time travel back through important moments in his life where, through this time traveling he is able to make different choices. And then of which he is able to see his present and future of what would happen if he made a different choice. It is a story of regret but in learning how to make choices he will not regret. 

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was one mind bending book. My mind, thoughts was constantly going. This review is not going to do this book justice because there is no good way to describe it. This book is as mind bending as trying to tell a child how to put a concrete value on infinity. This book took place in a world where there is infinite amount of choices we make throughout our lives from choosing the clothes we wear to choosing whether or not to have kids. This book examines each of our choices and how our lives would have played out with every different choice we make.  This book had my mind churning, the whole time, even when I was not even reading it. I love books like this, books that light the fire in our brains. I love it when I find a new author and a good book.  It was so intriguing that I am looking forward to reading the Wayward Pines series.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Blake Crouch, and 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 #39: "The Punishments"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to write a book review for the "The Punishments," by J.B. Winsor. This book was published on June 1, 2016 by Boulder Digital Publishing. To purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is about a world where religion is law, where religion and the government are intertwined. A world where we follow biblical law.

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. I really did love the premise of this book. This book chilled me to the bone, made the hairs on my arm stand up. Although this book is not a horror story, it read like one in the way that this story is so realistic, and has a high potential of what our future may look like. The storyline was so well perceived by the author. The only thing was I wanted more. I wanted more character depth, more detail, more story so I was a little disappointed in the end, only because I had just finished a good book. Reading this book was like instant gratification. But I will say some of my favorite books are ones that the book's reality is not that far off from the reality that we live in. Because of this I highly enjoyed reading this book. It is a very quick read, it had my attention from the first word to the last.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, J.B. Winsor, and Boulder Digital Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #38: "The Sunlight Pilgrims"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "The Sunlight Pilgrims," by Jenni Fagan. This book is hot off the press being published today July 19, 2016 by Crown Publishing/Hogarth. Many of you might know the author who is best known for her novel "The Panopticon," of which I just purchased. For those of you who are interested in reading more about the author you can read her blog The Dead Queen of Bohemia. And to purchase a copy of "The Sunlight Pilgrims CLICK HERE. This book is about three people coming  together in a time where the world is freezing over. Dylan who is grieving over the loss of his mother and grandmother goes on a mission to bury them, in their homeland. On his way he ends up in a small caravan town, where he comes across Estella and Constance, a mother and daughter who are prepared to survive during this cold winter. Dylan's presence in their lives will bring on new emotions and change the perspectives of everyone involved in this story.

     Overall I rated this book three and a half stars out of five. This book was so beautifully, artistically and creatively written. It had drops of dystopian, apocalyptic descriptions, love, transgender,  fantasy and local folklore of which fit in this book perfectly. The characters in this book were strong, especially Estella, who you can't help but fall in love with her by the end. There were times in this book that I felt it was too wordy with description of which made some parts read slower. But it was the beauty of the language of which this story was told, is what I most appreciated. This book is not one that I would normally pick up and read, but I am glad that I expanded my horizons in choosing to read this book.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Jenni Fagan, and Crown Publishing/Hogarth for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #37: "The Last One"

Hey Everyone,

    I am going to review the book "The Last One'" by Alexandra Oliva. This book is hot of the press, as it is published today July 12, 2016 by Random House Publishing Group: Ballantine Books. To read an excerpt from this book CLICK HERE. And to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE.  This book is about a contestant Zoo who joined a reality TV survival competition show. During this show where Zoo is struggling to survive off of the land, some sort of apocalyptic event occurred. But whereas this is a reality TV show, Zoo must figure out what is real and true and what is part of the TV show. 

     Overall I rated this book three stars out of five. This book started out really strong, I was getting really excited reading it. I loved how it addressed the topic of the media and how it can distort reality. It showed how strong our minds are, and how our minds help us survive and deal with trauma. This book has a lot of promise. I was disappointed in that I was expecting this book to go in a different direction. Zoo's character was somewhat unlikable. However, this book has a really good premise, and I am looking forward to reading more from Alexandra Oliva.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Alexandra Oliva, and Random House Publishing Group: Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #36: "The Wicked Boy."

Hey Everyone,

     

     I am going to review the book "The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer." by Kate Summerscale. This book is hot, being published today July 12, 2016 by The Penguin Group: The Penguin Press. To purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is a true story based on a 13 year old boy killing his mother in 1895 in London. 

     I rated this book three stars out of five. It was a detailed in-depth description of a mother's murder committed by her son. This book was jam packed with information. It was definitely well researched. It also was an interesting and intriguing story. It painted the picture of the crime well. This book was good, however it could have been so much better. This book lacked emotion. It read like you are reading a newspaper article. This book covers a serious subject, but yet doesn't convey any emotion. It would have been so much stronger if it had. However, I still enjoyed reading this book because it was so very well researched. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, First to Read, Kate Summerscale, and The Penguin Group: The Penguin Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #35: "I Am No One"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "I Am No One," by Patrick Flanery. This book is hot of the press being released today July 5, 2016 by Crown Publishing Tim Duggan Books. For those of you whom are interested in purchasing a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is about a professor, Jeremy O'Keefe, who leads two different lives in the UK and the USA He moves back to the USA to rekindle his role as a father. He learns that his life and his activities are not as private as he might have thought. Most of this story takes place after the events of September 11 where our feelings of security and safety were threatened and later questioned. When Jeremy moves back to the United States he has some strange things happen to him, such as he keeps bumping into this one stranger, and strange boxes keep arriving at his doorstep. 

     Overall I rated this book three and a half stars out of five. It was a very interesting and intriguing book. This book is about so much more than what is written on the cover. It brought forward some interesting concepts and questions of the recent world we have been living in. Such as where is the boundary line between your right to privacy and the public's right to information? Imagine receiving a file on everything you have done in your life, private and public. A little creepy huh? But after September 11, this is the type of world we live in. Do we sacrifice privacy for safety? Although I understand that the author was trying to form Jeremy Okeefe's character as normal and insignificant as possible. In doing this, it made Jeremy's character seem dull and annoying at times throughout the book. I think if the characters were written to be more likable this would have made this book better. However, it is still a good book, intriguing and worth the read. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Patrick Flanery, and Crown Publishing Group Tim Duggan Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #34: "We Are Not Such Things"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "We Are Not Such Things: The Murder of a Young American, A South African Township, and the Search for Truth and Reconciliation," by Justine Van Der Leun.  This book was just published June 28, 2016 by Random House Publishing Group: Spiegel & Grau.  For those of you who are interested in purchasing a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is about the murder of a young American woman, Amy Biehl. Amy Biehl was brutally murdered by a mob of young African men during the final days of apartheid in South Africa. The media told the story of how this murder represented the political turmoil of that time. A story of how the parents of Amy sought forgiveness of Amy's killers and helped grant them amnesty. But was this story as clear cut as it was presented to be? Was Amy's murder politically motivated or was she killed by common criminals? What is the truth? 

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a very well detailed and investigated account of the story behind Amy Biehl's murder. It is quite telling how dedicated and committed the author was in uncovering the truth behind the story.  This book captured my attention from beginning to end with all the twists and turns this story took. This book will show you how things aren't always what they appear to be. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Justine Van Der Leun, and Random House Publishing Group: Spiegel & Grau for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill