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    ShareTheMeal

    ShareTheMeal

    Food & Drink and Lifestyle

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    App

    TOGETHER WE CAN END HUNGER! ShareTheMeal is the charity app by the World Food Programme that allows...

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Not That I Could Tell in Books

Mar 25, 2018  
Not That I Could Tell
Not That I Could Tell
Jessica Strawser | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good women's fiction tale but nothing new or surprising here
In the quiet town of Yellow Springs, Ohio, the disappearance of one of its residents, Kristin, is a big deal. She vanishes after an evening with several of her neighbors, filled with wine and conversation around the fire pit. She also takes her young twins, Aaron and Abigail. Left behind is her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Paul, a well-known ob-gyn. A window in Kristin's house is broken and some of her belongings missing. But otherwise, there is no trace or idea about where she and the twins have gone. Paul accuses her of disappearing with money owed to him. Kristin's neighbors, especially her next-door neighbor, Clara, for whom Kristin's disappearance hits a bit close to home, and Izzy, a single woman who recently moved to the neighborhood to get away from her own issues, are baffled. They realize how little they knew about their friend--and that they have no idea where she's gone.

This was an interesting one. From the beginning, this book felt familiar to me--the "something happened" after a barbecue reminiscent of Truly Madly Guilty and others I'd read lately. I was sick while reading, so I had trouble keeping the women and their backstories separate for a while. Too much cold medicine and fatigue, probably.

The book is told from various viewpoints--mainly Clara and Izzy. I was always expecting there to be more: some unexpected surprise or twist, but there never really was. The ending threw in a bit of one, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Still, there is a tenseness to the novel, and it can certainly be creepy at times. The novel also does a good job of capturing kids and parenthood--the weariness of the day-to-day of parenting small children, for instance. I also liked how it captured how preschools can be a microcosm of life and small towns and such a cesspool of stress and gossip.

This one moved slowly for me. I liked the characters, but wasn't drawn to them. I had some sympathy for Izzy, but also questioned her motives a lot. I should have been more drawn to Clara, but wasn't. Perhaps because, while I have small children, I don't have the same sort of neighborhood tribe as these women? I'm not sure. Not even the token lesbian neighbors could do it, though I appreciated the effort.

Overall, the story was good, but never offered the big surprise I was waiting for. Characters are interesting but I was never fully pulled into their stories.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; more at justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
  
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Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated The Wish List in Books

Feb 7, 2019  
TW
The Wish List
Jane Costello | 2013
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I picked up this book after deciding I wanted to read an easy, light hearted and humorous novel. This ticked all the boxes.

It was the blurb on the rear cover that swayed it for me - Emma is approaching her thirties and realised she wanted to achieve so much more by this age. So she sets off on an experience adventure to ensure she ticks off as many of her bucket list wish items by her birthday.
I'm almost 6 months away from my thirties too and thought this book might give me the reassurance needed to approach this big birthday with a little less trepidation.

As some of the other reviews say, this book is laugh out loud funny. On one occasion I had quite a few odd stares when I burst out laughing in my work canteen during lunch. Other times I had to stifle my laughing with my hand over my mouth and even one time I had to put the book down and walk away as I felt like suffocation from laughter was imminent.
It is just the author's descriptive way with words and the hapless ways of the main character that got me giggling.

It is definitely worth a read just to brighten up a lazy day or any day for that matter.
  
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ClareR (5938 KP) rated The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill in Books

Feb 26, 2022  
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
C.S. Robertson | 2022 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Grace McGill is a professional death cleaner. She is the person that the authorities call to clean up after a dead body has been found. Usually a dead body that has lain there for months before being discovered. It’s a grim job, but Grace does it with respect and fastidiousness.

Grace is something of a loner. She only seems to have passing contact with those she works with, and her abusive father. In fact, she seems to build more of a relationship with the dead people she cleans up after. Which is how she notices that several of the bodies have something in common. A daisy is near the spot where each of the corpses was found.

One particular person, Thomas Agnew, really affects her. He has lain undiscovered for 5 months, seemingly missed by no one. She collects some photos from his room, hoping to give them to a family member at the funeral, and then notices the piles of newspapers. They are all dated the same day over a period of many years. Something happened on that day, and Grace wants to know what it is.

This book was so well written - unputdownable. It threw a huge curveball as well and the twist, when it came, was totally unexpected. It was macabre, quirky and so different from anything else I’ve read recently. It really is well worth a read!