October Readin' Roundup!!

October Reads!!!

Even though the picture only shows 7 books, I was able to finish 8 in October.  One was an audio book, Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline.  Most of the month, I spent binge reading the Helen Grace series by MJ Arlidge in hopes to get caught up.  Unfortunately I did not meet my goal.

I was able to finish 1 audio book, some contemporary fiction, and an erotic novel.  I rekindled with an author from my past, and found a new favorite.  You know, those author's whose books you read no matter what.  So, I hope you all will check out each review and let me know what you read and are reading. 

Best Books of the Month

An American Cage by Ted Galdi  

Danny Marsh is serving time in a maximum security prison in Texas. His cellmate, Phil Zorn, along with his good friend Monty Montgomery all decide to make an escape from prison and head to Mexico. But, as these things go, the plan did not go as it should and quickly decisions had to be made on the fly. Will the trio make it to Mexico, or will they be caught and forced to spend even more time behind bars?

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge
People from Helen Grace's personal life are turning up dead. But this is a part of her life that she never wanted anyone to see. Will they make a connection between her and they victims? Will she be able to find the killer before her secrets are exposed? Hang on to your hats because this book takes you on quite a journey and leaves you hanging off a cliff at the end.

A Book from an Old FavoriteI read a lot of books by Zane while I was in college and in my 20's recently I've started reading her books again.  I've been on waiting on hold at the library for her newest book 

Vengeance by Zane
Wicket is a world famous performer. She dazzles crowds wherever she goes and she's sold more albums than most artists. She is known to her friends, which are very few as Ladonna Sterling and even fewer know her as Caprice Tatum. When Caprice was 15 years old, she was brutally attacked by the people she trusted. Having been cut as a young girl by her mother her life hadn't been the easiest, but she never thought anything like that would happen. Now as she approaches her fortieth birthday she hopes to get vengeance against those who wronged her.

A Book from a New Favorite
Over the past couple of years I have read quite a few of Lisa Scottoline's books.  They always grab my attention right away. 

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline
Christine Nelson has wanted nothing more than to be a mother. When she and her husband, Marcus have trouble conceiving, they use a sperm donor in order to have their child. Soon after Christine finds out she's pregnant, a news story comes on about a serial killer who is killing nurses. The killer looks a lot like their sperm donor and Christine will not rest until she finds out the truth. Traveling from Connecticut to Pennsylvania, she uses all her available resources to find out who the father of her child is no matter what her husband thinks.

A Book Everyone is Talking About

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
Aviva Grossman has made a mistake, but so has Aaron Levin. One of them will continue to lead a normal life and one of them will go into hiding and move hundreds of miles away from their home until the secret comes out in the open. Similar to the story between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Aviva Grossman has had an affair with a Congressman she was working for in South Florida. When the scandal breaks, Aviva can no longer get a job or leave her house without being recognized. So she changes her name to Jane Young, leaves the state, and cuts ties with her old life. But now she wants to run for Mayor of her small town and her secret will no longer be safe.

A New Series
The Helen Grace Series by M.J. Arlidge is up there, for me, with the Women's Murder Club by James Patterson.  Women getting the job done, and I love them both. 

Pop Goes the Weasel by M.J. Arlidge
DI Helen Grace has another case that is proving to be very difficult to solve.  Men in Southampton are being murdered and having their hearts cut out.  Who would do something so gruesome?  A prostitute who wants payback.  Getting to the bottom of this mystery will not be easy, especially with all the obstacles, twists and turns that get in the way.  But DI Grace and her team are determined to bring the killer to justice.

The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge
Ruby Sprackling has gone missing.  Had this been a few months ago, her family probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.   But, they had recently reconciled and Ruby was supposed to move back home.  At the same time, DI Helen Grace and her team are investigating the death of a body found on the beach.  Are these two incidents connected?  When more bodies turn up on the beach, all of which look very similar to Ruby Sprackling, the search intensifies.  Will they be able to find Ruby before it's too late?

Liar, Liar by M.J. Arlidge
Ruby Sprackling has gone missing.  Had this been a few months ago, her family probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.   But, they had recently reconciled and Ruby was supposed to move back home.  At the same time, DI Helen Grace and her team are investigating the death of a body found on the beach.  Are these two incidents connected?  When more bodies turn up on the beach, all of which look very similar to Ruby Sprackling, the search intensifies.  Will they be able to find Ruby before it's too late?






Over all it was a great month of reading.  Coming up for November, I'll be doing a few reviews of newly released books.  I just finished The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr.  It was a great chick-lit book.  And Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward.   I'm almost done with Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips.

Thanks for following and reading my posts.  I want to hear from you, what are you reading?  What are you looking forward to reading?  I'm going to be doing another giveaway soon, Winter Weather Giveaway(look for something to keep you warm)!!

HAPPY READIN'!!!

To purchase any of the books above, click the book covers below:

Review: Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin



Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



Aviva Grossman has made a mistake, but so has Aaron Levin. One of them will continue to lead a normal life and one of them will go into hiding and move hundreds of miles away from their home until the secret comes out in the open. Similar to the story between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Aviva Grossman has had an affair with a Congressman she was working for in South Florida. When the scandal breaks, Aviva can no longer get a job or leave her house without being recognized. So she changes her name to Jane Young, leaves the state, and cuts ties with her old life. But now she wants to run for Mayor of her small town and her secret will no longer be safe.

I decided to read this book for a couple of reasons. I have seen the book at the library for a while and I wondered about the woman on the cover. A few people I know have read the book and enjoyed it. This book was better than OK, but not great for me. The book is told from four different perspectives, spanning a time from when the affair begins, to 13 years later when Aviva, now Jane runs for Mayor.

1. Rachel Grossman, Aviva's mother, is a good Jewish mother. She tries to do her best for all of those around her, but it doesn't always pay off. (This part of the book was the hardest for me to get through)
2. Jane Young, the event planner in Allison Springs, Maine. She is a single mother whose main focus is raising her young daughter to be nothing like her old self.
3. Ruby Young, Jane's daughter. Ruby tells her part of the story through emails with her pen pal in Indonesia as part of a school assignment. (this was my favorite part of the book)
4. Embeth Levin, the Congressman's wife. Her part of the story was quite interesting. You wonder what goes through the mind of a wife who has been cheated on especially one in such a public light
and finally from the woman herself
5. Aviva Grossman. We find out about the affair and how it all happened and the aftermath of the scandal. Aviva writes in a Choose Your Own Adventure style, but she has already chosen the path the story will take. Aviva ran from her problems to in Florida to become Jane in Maine and make a new life for herself. But once her secrets are revealed, will she be able to maintain her new life?

The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars is because I felt as if there was something missing. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I didn't enjoy the mother's part of the story and I wasn't too keen on the ending. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy general fiction.

View all my reviews

Order a copy of this book by clicking the book over below:

Fall Readin' Plans

I have hesitated on writing about my Fall reading because the weather has been so warm.  I wasn't sure if Autumn was every going to make an appearance of if we were going to go straight into winter.  But the leaves have finally started to change color and the mornings and evenings are much cooler. One great thing about this time of year is the amount of money I'm saving on my electric bill!!  So I've laid out my plans for fall and I hope I'm able to stick with them.

First up for me is An American Cage by Ted Galdi.  This is the second book I've read by Mr. Galdi and blessed to have received another advanced copy.  His first book Elixir(click on title for my review) was excellent and so far so is this book, very hard to put down. This book is set to be released October 16th.

Three men escape from a prison in Texas, and this story follows the 24 hours after their escape and attempt to enter Mexico.

I decided to include these books because they were orange and perfect for fall reading.  Also a couple of these have been on my TBR for quite a while now.  I have read a few of Karin Slaughter's books in the past, earlier this year I read, The Kept Woman.  I'm not sure why I didn't do a review for it though.  I've read Jonathan Safran Foer before as well, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, although that was before I was blogging. 

I have been waiting to read this book for a while and contemplating on whether or not I was actually going to do it, since The Girl on the Train was just okay for me.  I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, so I thought I add it for fall.  I've borrowed it a couple of times from the library and haven't read it yet.  It's not renewable since it is a new release.







The next book I have on my list for this fall is a book that I won directly from the author.  J.L. Leslie is a new author for me and I look forward to getting to know her writing.  Her book Lincoln's Choice is what I will be reading.

 

 

The rest of the books I have planned to read this fall are also new authors to me, and are all Advanced Reading Copies.  The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr.  This is a Christmas Romance set to be released November 7th.

 

I Can't Breathe  by Matt Taibbi.  This book is non-fiction that tells the story of Eric Garner, a black man in New York who was killed by police after they had put him in a chokehold.  This book is set to be released October 24th. 

 

The Wife Between Us  by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen  A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love(blurb from Goodreads). This book is not going to be released until early next year, but I will be participating in a blog tour for this book in December. 

 

I'm sure there will be other books along the way, I have about 8 checked out right now from the library, plus a whole lot more that I just won!! 

 

So Many Books, So Little Time!!