Book Review #63: "Mercies In Disguise"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "Mercies In Disguise: A Story Of Hope, A Family's Genetic Destiny, And The Science That Rescued Them," by Gina Kolata. This book is hot off the press as it was published March 21, 2017 by St. Martin's Press. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. The author Gina Kolata is a well known journalist at "The Times," who specializes on Science and Medicine, which made her an excellent fit for this book.

This book is about a well established family The Baxley's who fought an extremely rare genetic disease GSS that mimicked Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It was about this family's dedicated efforts in finding out what was killing their family's members. It was also about one family member in particular who made the extremely hard decision to be tested to see if she too would be afflicted with this disease.

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. It was an excellent read that covered this family's journey and the history behind this disease in great detail, all while capturing your attention throughout the book. It made me think and put myself in this family's shoes in what would I do if it was me? What decision would I make? Do you put it in God's hands or do you leave it to science? The only criticism that I would make is that there was one chapter in the book where it went into the history of In Vitro Fertilization that I felt was unnecessary to add in the book. I think that it would have been better to leave this chapter out because it brought up a whole new set of questions that took the focus away from the real story that was going on. But again it was still interesting learning about the history of it anyways so I don't put a lot of weight on this criticism. I would definitely recommend this book for all to read.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Gina Kolata, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill

Book Review #62: "Ill Will"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "Ill Will," by Dan Chaon. This book is hot off the press and was published March 7, 2017 by Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. Dan Chaon is a well established author. He is the author of "Await Your Reply" and "Among The Missing." This book is about Dustin a psychologist who has a traumatic past. His family was murdered, and his older brother got convicted to life in prison for this crime. Years later it turns out that Rusty his brother got released from prison and his sentence overturned because DNA evidence proved him innocent. With Rusty getting out of prison and a new set of crimes of a possible serial killer comes present Dustin's life gets turned upside down. 

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a well written story. The reason this book worked out so well was because the author was successful in writing about unlikable characters and still making this book an exciting, interesting story. I usually do have trouble reading and finishing books where the characters are unlikable. The author did a really good job in writing a story that covers a large time span because this book flowed and fit together well. The suspense in this book was thrilling, and once you get to the end you are in for a surprise. I have to say I usually do not choose books of this nature, it is not something I would pick first off a shelf. But I am so glad I read this because overall it was an excellent must read book.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Dan Chaon, 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 #61: "The Wanderers"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "The Wanderers," by Meg Howrey. This book is hot off the press as it is published today March 14, 2017 by Penguin Group. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. Meg Howrey is a well established author who has also written "The Cranes Dance" and "Blind Sight."  This book is about three astronauts who are in a 17 month simulation isolated from the rest of humanity. They are training in a simulation for a future trip to Mars.

     Overall I rated this book three stars out of five. This book was well written. The characters in this book are extremely well developed as well as all the relationships between them and their family. Although I did like Helen she did get on my nerves a bit due to her perfectionist personality. This was a story of human relationships and how far ambition will take a human into accomplishing one's dreams. Following the thread between real and unreal was a bit ambiguous at times and made the book difficult to follow. But this was such a deeply written story that seemed all too real because of how well the author developed her characters and their relationships. 

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Meg Howrey, and Penguin Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill