The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor: A Review

"... despite the best efforts of all the detective's and all the town's men, her head was never found, and the girl in the woods was never put together again."

Eddie and his friends use chalk drawings in different colors to communicate with one another.  One of their chalk pictures will signal that they should all meet in the park while another will lead the others to the woods.  One day, the boys follow their chalk drawings to the body of a young woman that has been murdered.  When the boys grow up and drift apart, they are all drawn back together when they begin to receive creepy chalk drawings again. They begin to wonder if the person accused of the crime was really the person who killed the girl.

The ending to this book shocked me.  I had no idea what really happened until the very last chapter.  There was so much suspense that I felt myself reading another page and another until I finished the book and found out the truth.  I frequently read books that are suspenseful and some that are creepy but rarely do I find one that is truly scary.  This book is truly scary.  Tudor is wonderfully descriptive in her writing, which added to the frightful scenes.  Some of the scenes will be able to cause nightmares!  The characters are vague in such a way that the reader kind of suspects everyone.  There are enough twists and turns to keep one interested but not too many that the book does not make any sense, either.  I loved this book and think that anyone that enjoys thrillers or horror novels will, too.    

Reviews of books like this one:
Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia
Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

My rating:
★★★★★

Watch the book trailer here:

This book is currently available and can be purchased from major booksellers.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.  Visit the publisher, Penguin Random House, for booksellers and information about the book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am not associated with Goodreads in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 

I do not track activity of visitors beyond that which blogger already does.  If you click on an outside link, those websites may track your activity but I do not actively share any information with third-party websites.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman: A Review

I loved Britt-Marie but Britt-Marie Was Here was not my favorite Fredrik Backman book.  I still loved the book but I have come to expect a certain story when I read a Backman book and this one didn't hit the spot in the same way as the others did.  This book was still a wonderful book, though.

Britt-Marie has spent her life taking care of everybody and everything around her.  She has become invisible until the day that she decides to leave her cheating husband and take a job as a caretaker in the small, neglected town of Borg.  She tries to make the best of it and make her time there as orderly as possible.  She locates a container of baking soda and begins to clean.  When the children of Borg ask her to be their soccer coach, a sport of which she knows little about, she agrees and learns what it is like to be accepted and make an impact on a place and its people.

Like other stories by Backman, the cozy writing style and characters really make up this book.  Britt-Marie was such a great character.  I actually found myself wondering if the characters from this book and Backman's And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer were intertwined in some way.  Britt-Marie is so very set in her ways.  She has trouble even using a different brand of cleaner than the one she is used to.  Though she is rigid in her ways, she is still such a kind, likeable person.  The story was a very refreshing one but it could drag on a bit in some areas.  Nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Backman's wonderful writing style or an easy, cozy read.

My rating:
★★★★☆

More reviews of books like this one:
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman 

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 


I do not track activity of visitors beyond that which blogger already does.  If you click on an outside link, those websites may track your activity but I do not actively share any information with third-party websites.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate: A Review

Rill and her siblings, along with their parents, are river people.  They live on a boat and travel with the river.  They don't have a lot of money but they love each other immensely.  When Rill's mother, Queenie, begins to have trouble during one of her deliveries, Rill's father takes Queenie to the hospital to give birth to the twins and leaves the children at home, with Rill in charge.  Before her parents can get home, Rill and her siblings are kidnapped and brought to Georgia Tann, a woman who brokers adoptions.  Georgia Tann runs the Tennessee Children's Home Society and many of the children that she claims are orphans are very much loved children to alive, but usually poor, parents.  Rill struggles to keep her siblings together while fighting off the abuses that she experiences at the boarding house she is entrusted to.

Avery Stafford is a gifted District Attorney who has traveled home to help out with her senator father after he has been diagnosed with cancer.  She is about to fulfill the promise of marrying her childhood sweetheart and stepping into her father's shoes when she meets an older woman at a senior care facility who claims to know her grandmother, a woman who is suffering from dementia.  When Avery brings up the encounter with the woman with her grandmother, her grandmother begins to act as if she remembers something but can't express what it is.  Avery works to uncover the story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

The saddest part of this book is that it is based on a true story.  Georgia Tann was a real woman who used her position to kidnap children from loving homes and then adopt them out to rich people in order to earn a hefty fee.  I had no prior knowledge of this heartbreaking story before reading Wingate's book but I learned a lot reading it and her story encouraged me to do more research.  Ms. Tann earned, in today's dollars, millions brokering adoptions with wealthy families and pocketing the adoption fees while ignoring abuse in the boarding houses that she left the children in.

Wingate's wonderful storytelling abilities made reading such a tragic story interesting and enjoyable.  All of the characters have unique voices with Rill's being my favorite.  Rill is such a strong girl, holding up her family at 12-years-old when the rest of her family is falling apart.  I did not think that Avery's story added very much to this book and would have been happy with just the stories of Rill and her siblings.  I would have liked to hear more about them and it seemed as if the book ended somewhat abruptly, without as much information as I would have liked to have.  This could have just been because I fell so much in love with the characters, though, that I felt like I had to know everything about them.

I loved this book and believe anyone who enjoys historical fiction would also like this book.  It was not a depressing book.  It was a sad story but it had enough hope to keep me interested.  This is a sad part of our history that I think people should learn more about.  I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical fiction or southern fiction.

My rating:
★★★★★

Watch this video for more information on the Tennessee Children's Home Society:

Reviews of more books like this one:
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss
The Education of Dixie Dupree by Donna Everhart

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby: A Review

I love a good book consisting of comedic essays.  Samantha Irby did not disappoint.  I laughed out loud as Irby describes how she hides from children she babysits so that she doesn't have to help with math homework and models clothes for her cat, Helen Keller.  Irby also described her difficult childhood that was a challenge to read but many readers will feel a connection to.  The essays in this book reminded me of the books by Jenny Lawson, another super funny writer.  I really enjoyed the escape that this book gave me and anyone who is looking to have a few good laughs should definitely read this book.

My rating:
★★★★★

Reviews of books like this one:
I Hate Everyone, Except You by Clinton Kelly
Sleepless Nights and Kisses Before Breakfast by Matteo Bussola
Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love and Writing by Jennifer Weiner

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 


I do not track activity of visitors beyond that which blogger already does.  If you click on an outside link, those websites may track your activity but I do not actively share any information with third-party websites.

The Lauras by Sara Taylor: A Review

Alex's mom has always been a wanderer but, one night, she decides to take Alex for an epic, across the country road trip to settle scores and learn to overcome her unhappy childhood.  By accompanying her, Alex's childhood pains and lessons are revealed.  

I liked the story about Alex's mom a lot.  I love stories about one's childhood that eventually lead to healing.  It was rather annoying, though, that one of the central parts of this book was that we never discover whether Alex is a boy or a girl.  I didn't really care one way or another but it felt as if the author was trying to be trendy in that "genderless" is very on topic right now.  It felt like the author was trying to bank on that trendiness.  It just didn't feel like it should be an important part of the book and too much of it was used for something that I don't think most people care that much about anyway.  That being said, I really liked both Alex and Alex's mom.  While both have been through enormous painful obstacles, the characters show how resilient people can be.  Even the minor characters were so interesting and unique.  Taylor is a gifted writer.  I felt myself going back and rereading many of her poetic writing.  While many of Alex's mother's stories, and even some of Alex's own stories, are very sad, there are some light moments in this book, as well.  This is not a total downer of a novel by any stretch of the imagination.  I really enjoyed this book and I think anyone who enjoys coming of age stories will, too.

My rating:
★★★★☆

This book is currently available and can be purchased from major booksellers.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.  Visit the publisher, Penguin Random House, for booksellers and information about the book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am not associated with Goodreads in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 

I do not track activity of visitors beyond that which blogger already does.  If you click on an outside link, those websites may track your activity but I do not actively share any information with third-party websites.

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain: A Review

Chamberlain's The Stolen Marriage has a lot going for it but it could be slow getting there, at times.  Tess DeMello will soon wed her childhood best friend, Vincent, when she decides to take a trip to Washington, DC with one of her friends.  There, she meets a wealthy furniture salesman from Hickory, North Carolina named Henry.  After an evening of too much drinking, Henry gets Tess pregnant.  Shamed by her strong Catholic faith and fearing that her fiancée will not accept her, she travels to North Carolina to ask for financial help from Henry.  He proposes that she marry him instead of raising the child alone.  She agrees but she soon finds that Henry, and her new in-laws, keep a lot of secrets from her.

This book has a lot of things going on.  There is the end of World War II, the polio epidemic and race relations in the American South.  While all of these make for great background stories, there were too many moving parts in this book.  It felt like an imitation of Forrest Gump.  The story could move a bit slow, at times, too.  The ending paid off but I wish that the author had gotten there a bit quicker.  I also wish there was more about Hickory, North Carolina in this book.  One thing that I love about southern fiction is the way that the author is so often able to describe southern life so vividly that you feel as if you are there, living in that city, in that time period.  But I live less than three hours from Hickory and even I didn't feel connected to it.  I grew up in the DC area and I did not feel any connection to Baltimore girl, Tess.  The place and time that Chamberlain described felt unrealistic and... just off.

My complaints about the time and place setting aside, this was an enjoyable book.  Tess DeMello was a likeable character.  Actually, all of the characters were likeable.  There were no true villains in this novel, which was very different.  While Tess's mother-in-law, Ruth, could be cold-hearted and greedy, reasons for her actions were obvious.  Henry's sister, Lucy, seemed, at first, to be meaner than Ruth but she was revealed to have a soft heart, in the end. There really wasn't anybody in this book to hate.  This may be agreeable to some readers and disagreeable to others.  I believed that this book was a mystery when I read about it but it really was more in the category of women's fiction or historical fiction.  I think readers who enjoy historical fiction with a lot going on, where the author does not settle on one important historical topic, would enjoy this book.  


My rating:
★★★☆☆

Reviews of similar books:
If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan

This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in order to review it but that did not have an effect on my review of the book.  This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood: A Review

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Having really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, I was very excited to read Alias Grace and to see that it is a new series on Netflix.  I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale but I have to say that I actually liked Alias Grace more.  It might have been because it was based on a true story but the story was fascinating to me. 

Grace Marks is a prisoner, having been found guilty of the grisly murder of her employer and his housekeeper.  She is said to have committed the murders of Nancy Montgomery and Thomas Kinnear with her coworker, James McDermott, who is a surly and jealous man.  While she was initially sentenced to hang like McDermott, she is saved by her lawyer, who pleads with the court to consider her youth, and her sentence is commuted to a life term.  Soon after she is imprisoned, she is committed to an asylum on account of fits and her amnesia surrounding anything to do with the crime.  While she is treated with the worst of the time's psychiatric treatments, she still does not remember anything about the time when Montgomery and Kinnear are murdered.  Years later, a young psychiatrist is brought in by a group trying to prove her innocence to try to help her remember more about the crime.

My favorite part of this book would have to be the characters that Atwood has created, Nancy being one of my favorites.  She is the perfect narcissist.  She is jealous, manipulative and overly sensitive.  One never knows where they stand with her as she can love you or hate you from day to day and minute to minute.  Grace, herself, is actually quite likeable.  She comes off as very intelligent in a very street smart way.  I also think that she could be a very relatable character for many of us in that she is but a product of her past.  While I didn't feel that Dr. Jordan's story added very much to the overall feel of the book, Grace's story was sad but very interesting.  I was left wanting to know more.  The writing style is sophisticated but still very easily readable.  I really enjoyed this book and I believe that anyone who enjoys historical fiction, true crime or medical mysteries will enjoy this book, too.

The series on Netflix compares very nicely with the book.  I didn't think too many liberties were taken with the story.  The overwhelming feeling that I got, both when I read the book and when I watched the TV show, was how sad this story was no matter whether or not Grace Marks did anything.  Grace had such a sad life up until she was 16 and the crimes took place and then ended up in a place where more sadness and depression were heaped onto her.  Some of the phenomena that occurred to her seem to mimic what we would diagnose as psychological disorders today.  While the story took place during the Civil War, this story, with its portrayal of cruelty and the aftermath of a tragic childhood, still ring true today.  I believe this story should be just as popular as Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and sends just as powerful a message.

My rating:
★★★★★

Reviews of books like this one:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian


This book is currently available and can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Read more reviews on this book on Goodreads.

This is my honest opinion of this book.  I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program.  By clicking on the Amazon link and purchasing this product, I receive a small fee.  I am not associated with Goodreads or Barnes and Noble in any way and the links provided are available strictly for your convenience and not to imply a relationship of any kind. 


I do not track activity of visitors beyond that which blogger already does.  If you click on an outside link, those websites may track your activity but I do not actively share any information with third-party websites.