Hidden Valley Road
Book
Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don's work with the...
Merissa (11643 KP) rated Beautiful Facade in Books
Feb 2, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)
This was a thoroughly enjoyable novel, told from the first perspective of the main female character. It was pretty clear from the start that Winter wouldn't end up with Liam, and their picture-perfect life wasn't as good as she imagined. I did enjoy the question mark over who was with him and was glad I was wrong. I won't say more as I don't want to ruin it!
The scene-setting was very well done, with a bunch of flawed characters as the supporting cast. If I had to say anything negative about this book, it would be the copious amount of alcohol that was drunk for the majority of the story, plus the number of texts and missed calls Winter had. If I had that many from one person in that amount of time, I'd be worried about their mental health!
On the whole, this was a great, smoothly-paced story that held my attention from beginning to end, that I have no hesitation in recommending.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 2, 2021
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Sep 2, 2023
Book
The Silent Patient
By Alex Michaelides
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
This was so so good!! It kept you completely sucked and and that ending was a WTF moment for me I did not see that coming at all! Brilliant!
This Boy
Book
Alan Johnson's childhood was not so much difficult as unusual, particularly for a man who was...
A World Gone Mad: The Diaries of Astrid Lindgren, 1939-45
Sarah Death and Astrid Lindgren
Book
'A breathtaking read' - Die Welt One of the twentieth century's greatest children's writers - and...
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Living With The Dominator: A Book About The Freedom Programme in Books
Dec 28, 2019
Finally the book tells you the things you should look out for when starting a new relationship so you don't fall for another abusor. All in all I recommend every women reads this before they start dating and statistically if a handful of people are rearing this review then chances are at least one of you is in an abusive relationship. My message to you is this. You are here as you on this planet living your life just once. Go to the police today, don't think you don't want them to get in trouble, what they have done to you is wrong and they know what they have done is wrong, they deserve to be dealt with by the authorities and you deserve freedom.
ClareR (5561 KP) rated Once There Were Wolves in Books
Oct 24, 2023
The idea of reintroducing wolves to the Highlands of Scotland in order to enrich and preserve the ecosystems there, is fascinating and exciting as a reader - and as someone who doesn’t have to farm under those circumstances. The writing was sensitive to every side of the story, but as Inti was leading the project to reintroduce wild wolves, the novel leant more in her favour - and I enjoyed that.
Aggie, Inti’s twin, has had a very traumatic experience, and she has severe depression along with other mental health problems. Inti hopes that by living in the wilds of Scotland, the isolation and wild country will begin to heal her.
But when one of the townsfolk is hurt, it’s hard to know who is safe - not the wolves, that’s for sure.
There are some really deep, involved themes in this: climate change, ecology, domestic abuse, violence, relationships.
Incidentally, I went on holiday in the Cairngorms this summer. We stayed in a cottage, away from all the other cottages on the estate (we couldn’t even see them), surrounded by fields containing alpacas and deer, with the odd buzzard, peregrine and even an osprey! I half expected to see a wolf-pack!! Sadly, there aren’t any wild wolves in Scotland now, but that estate was a weeks worth of heaven for me and my family - and would have fed a wolf pack for about that long, too!
Kristin (149 KP) rated 'Till the Last Petal Falls (Once Upon a Reality #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
"Never settle for a fairytale."
During my Psychology classes in college, we discussed how various characters have psychological issues: popular cartoon characters, the cast of "Winnie the Pooh," and the vast majority of the Disney Princesses. Belle is no exception, and this book explores that idea beautifully, no pun intended.
Jolee answers a Craigslist ad which sounds too good to be true, and she finds herself in the mountains of Aspen, tutoring a shut-in with some very serious issues of his own. As time goes by, she learns for and more about this man, and most of it is not good. However, she sticks by him, hoping to "fix" him with her love.
Sound like a recipe for disaster?
I used to teach a rehabilitation class for men convicted of domestic violence, and this book definitely delves into that dynamic head-first. It's a real eye-opener into the lives of those involved in those situations, from both sides of the coin as well as an outsider's perspective. Comparing it to the story of "Beauty and the Beast" really adds a whole new layer to it, as most of us either grew up with that story/movie or fell in love with it because of our kids/grandkids/etc. It's a crazy thought, but the more you think about it, the more you realize Belle suffered from Stockholm syndrome as well as battered-woman syndrome, and that HEA Disney ending is not the one generally associated with those situations.
Bravo to the author for writing this cross-examination of a beloved children's story and shedding some light on this serious issue while also maintaining a gripping novel.
5 stars
We are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope
Laura Bush and George W. Bush Institute
Book
Afghanistan has been described as "the worst nation in the world to be a woman." More than fifty...