Month: August 2017

The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

Title: The Girl in the IceAuthor: Robert BryndzaPublished by: BookouturePublication date: February 2016Read: August 24 – 27, 2017Genre: Mystery; ThrillerPages: 396 (kindle edition)Series: Detective Erika Foster #1Mareli’s rating: 2.5 starsRecommend to: Readers of fast paced thrillers. Or if you watch crime series with female detectives, you might like this one as well.Description: When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London. What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding? As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika. The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?A page-turning thriller packed with […]

Posted August 28, 2017
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Where the sweet bird sings by Ella Joy Olsen

Title: Where the sweet bird singsAuthor: Ella Joy OlsenPublished by: Kensington BooksPublication date: 29 August 2017 Genre: General FictionISBN:  9781496705648Mareli’s rating: 3 starsRecommend to: Lovers of adult fiction that deals with loss and griefDescription: People respond to tragedy in different ways. Some try to move on. Some don’t move at all. A year after her young son’s death due to a rare genetic disease, Emma Hazelton is still frozen by grief, unable and unwilling to consider her husband Noah’s suggestion that they try to have another child.As the future Emma once imagined crumbles, her family’s past comes into sharp relief. Searching for the roots of her son’s disease, Emma tries to fit together the pieces in her genealogical puzzle. Hidden within an old wedding photograph of her great-grandparents is an unusual truth Emma never guessed at—a window into all the ways that love can be surprising, generous, and fiercely brave . . . and a discovery that may help her find her own way forward at last. (Netgalley) “You asked why a person would lie? I’ll tell you. It’s because you can’t bear the weight of the enormous mess you’ve made, because you pray things will work out for the best, or they’ll change given […]

Posted August 26, 2017
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The Memory of Water by J.T. Lawrence

Title: The Memory of WaterAuthor: J.T. LawrenceFormat: Audiobook (Audible)Read/listened: August 4 – 9, 2017Genre: Thriller; Black Humor (is that a genre, or just preferred reading?)Mareli’s rating: 3.5 Stars (loved the story, didn’t care for the narration much)Recommend to: If you find Jay Gatsby an intriguing character, you will have a field-day with Slade HarrisDescription: Slade Harris will do anything for a story, including murdering the woman he loves. Slade doesn’t think twice about jumping out of a plane or conducting disastrous love affairs to gather material for his work, but his self-indulgent life is catching up with him. Stumbling through his late thirties hopeless and a little drunk, Slade has a dazzling, dangerous idea which will change his life forever. It’s going to be Slade’s ultimate story … and all he’s hoping for is to survive it. Goodreads We’ve all heard the theory: I am such a sucker for conspiracy theories, murder mysteries, Cluedo boardgames, Dallas, Twin Peaks…. You get the picture. And obviously J.T. Lawrence also got the picture. And she did so not disappoint me! Jay Gatsby kills Hemingway in the library with a porcelain knife and they chat about it over a drink while picking up ladies in a dodgy bar.  Yes, that is exactly […]

Posted August 17, 2017
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Thursday Quotables #7 – A Monster Calls

An opening line like that has the same effect on me as: “You had me at hello”…..  A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is one of those Russian-doll books.  A gift within a gift that leads to yet another gift. So I just have to share it on Thursday Quotables hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies. This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage during your past reading week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching or just really written beautifully – this is where you must share! Just remember to link back to bookshelffantasies.com  Gosh, I love books that are just so much better than therapy and almost as good as chocolate. Some are even a bit better than chocolate. A Monster Calls is like hot chocolate. It makes you warm and sweet and it lingers. It speaks the truth. Like you should. This is a monster of a book and movie and I don’t think I will ever shut-up about it. And the quotes, the quotes are like gold. I am sure you will be able to trade with some of these:     We’ve watched the movie last night and it was like a double-choc-shot. The perfect companion to an amazing book.  Have […]

Posted August 10, 2017
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Monday Shout Out – I don't need therapy, I need books

It’s the second week of August already. My goodness…. How did we get here without therapy? Actually, I didn’t. But it doesn’t help all that much. Or at least not as much as a good book does. This past week I’ve had two books that were better for my soul and state of mind than any therapist could possibly be. I might go as far as saying it was better than chocolate. At least one was better than chocolate. So is life any better? No. But at least books don’t fail me anymore. Yes, the sun does shine a bit brighter on my book pages this morning. So let’s get reading for this week!Recently Finished     Into the Water by Paula Hawkins – Nope. This was no earth shattering, skip-your-therapy-session-and-finish-the-damn-book read. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad read. Just not as strong as The Girl on the Train. But I am very excited for the movie version of this one, lots op potential for a really great movie. Follow my thoughts @ Into the Water Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult – This was my WOW book for the year. The one that make you stop and take a double take. The one that […]

Posted August 7, 2017
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Friday Meets 4 August 2017

Greetings from a rather dreary Jeffreysbay and an even drearier me. Thank heavens for a couple of good books awaiting my utmost attention. Kindle, audio, physical and coloring books.  Meet me on Friday @ Friday 56 for a bit of Book Blogger Hop to kick-start the weekend with Book Beginnings. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. For this date, you will need the following: Grab a book (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading) Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader Find a sentence or two (your other Friday activities might determine this) Post it! Remember to post your link on Freda’s Voice and to visit the other guys in the linky. And don’t forget to list the title of the book and the author as well. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness has been on my TBR list for an embarrassingly long time. I finally picked it up last night and although I am not on page 56 yet, I am already waiting with Conor for the monster to call. P56: The whole room was like a museum of how people lived in the olden times. There wasn’t even a television. […]

Posted August 4, 2017
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Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Title: Leaving TimeAuthor: Jodi PicoultPublished: November 2014Read: 02 August 2017My Rating: 5 Stars and listed as a favoriteGoodreads Blurb: Number One bestselling author Jodi Picoult returns with her compulsive new novel – about the lengths we go to for those who have left us behind; about the staying power of love; and about how three broken souls might have just the right pieces to mend each other.Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing.Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother’s journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants.Desperate for answers, Jenna uses all her savings to recruit the aid of a private detective – and a psychic.Jenna knows her mother loved her. She knows she would not leave her. And she will not rest until she finds out what happened that night. In her most gripping mystery since House Rules, Jodi Picoult brings us a powerful story of a young girl’s determination to uncover the truth, however shocking and life-changing it might be. “The moral of this story is that no matter how much […]

Posted August 3, 2017
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