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ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Last House on Needless Street in Books
Mar 9, 2022
This book is mind-bending, constantly surprising and just plain old phenomenal, really š¤·š¼āāļø Just when I thought that I knew what was going on, something happened to completely throw me off.
Itās also a book with just enough oddness to keep me reading. Usually, a book about missing children would be a big ānoā from me, but I have to admit to being drawn in by the talking, God fearing cat. I mean, how can that not appeal to the reader?
Ted is the main character though. He lives in a rundown house on Needless Street with his talking cat, Olivia, and his daughter Lauren, who visits at the weekends. Heās a reclusive man, who boards up his windows, has spy holes to look into the garden and uses a chest freezer to keep his cat in when heās out. He doesnāt do himself any favours - heās odd.
And so Dee decides that he is the man responsible for the disappearance of her sister. The Police have already discounted him, but she is sure that he fits the profile of a child abductor. She finds a house for sale on Needless Street, moves in and bides her time.
This is hands down, one of the strangest, delightfully off-kilter, most uncomfortable books Iāve read in recent times. I thought I had the ending all sorted out, but there are a fair few twists and turns that will wrong-foot you throughout this frankly brilliant book.
If you enjoy an eccentric, strange, slightly horrifying book, youāll undoubtedly enjoy this. I loved it.
Itās also a book with just enough oddness to keep me reading. Usually, a book about missing children would be a big ānoā from me, but I have to admit to being drawn in by the talking, God fearing cat. I mean, how can that not appeal to the reader?
Ted is the main character though. He lives in a rundown house on Needless Street with his talking cat, Olivia, and his daughter Lauren, who visits at the weekends. Heās a reclusive man, who boards up his windows, has spy holes to look into the garden and uses a chest freezer to keep his cat in when heās out. He doesnāt do himself any favours - heās odd.
And so Dee decides that he is the man responsible for the disappearance of her sister. The Police have already discounted him, but she is sure that he fits the profile of a child abductor. She finds a house for sale on Needless Street, moves in and bides her time.
This is hands down, one of the strangest, delightfully off-kilter, most uncomfortable books Iāve read in recent times. I thought I had the ending all sorted out, but there are a fair few twists and turns that will wrong-foot you throughout this frankly brilliant book.
If you enjoy an eccentric, strange, slightly horrifying book, youāll undoubtedly enjoy this. I loved it.
![The German Wife [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/8ae/029a04d2-94e9-4a45-b8f5-a8fb3b5768ae.jpg?m=1641746893)
The German Wife [Audiobook]
8.0
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Book
Germany, 1939: Annaliese is a doctorās wife, living in an elegant grey stone house with ivy...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Shrooms ( Garden Variety Zombies 1) in Books
Nov 2, 2023
163 of 235
Kindle
Booksirens ARC
Shrooms (Garden Variety Zombies 1)
By Zola Joyce
āļøāļøāļø
Hazel always had doubts about the protective abilities of the government. Particularly Child Protective Services and the cranky old lady whoād been doing her best to separate Hazel from her one and only parental unit. Why couldnāt Mrs. Stenopoulos see the value of independent living, and Hazelās knack for it from the youngest of ages?
She was second in command of her motherās slightly illegal but very profitable enterprise.
Sheād taught herself to drive a full four years before she was eligible to get a license.
Sheād rescued her beloved hound from the āClinical Trialā her motherās boyfriend of the month had recently concocted.
And just a few weeks after her 15th birthday, sheād secured a full ride scholarship to the local university. Early entrance.
Hazel was a caretaker, a dog lover, and a crack shot. Ask anyone in town.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you enjoy Zombie YA then itās definitely the book for you! I think it could have done with a bit more humor and it did have some just didnāt quite hit the mark for me. Iāve gone with a 3āļø because itās well written and the idea is really interesting. The ending has thrown me a little and I really want to read the next to make sure I wasnāt high on mushrooms reading that last page š.
Kindle
Booksirens ARC
Shrooms (Garden Variety Zombies 1)
By Zola Joyce
āļøāļøāļø
Hazel always had doubts about the protective abilities of the government. Particularly Child Protective Services and the cranky old lady whoād been doing her best to separate Hazel from her one and only parental unit. Why couldnāt Mrs. Stenopoulos see the value of independent living, and Hazelās knack for it from the youngest of ages?
She was second in command of her motherās slightly illegal but very profitable enterprise.
Sheād taught herself to drive a full four years before she was eligible to get a license.
Sheād rescued her beloved hound from the āClinical Trialā her motherās boyfriend of the month had recently concocted.
And just a few weeks after her 15th birthday, sheād secured a full ride scholarship to the local university. Early entrance.
Hazel was a caretaker, a dog lover, and a crack shot. Ask anyone in town.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you enjoy Zombie YA then itās definitely the book for you! I think it could have done with a bit more humor and it did have some just didnāt quite hit the mark for me. Iāve gone with a 3āļø because itās well written and the idea is really interesting. The ending has thrown me a little and I really want to read the next to make sure I wasnāt high on mushrooms reading that last page š.
Elemental Love (Warlocks #1)
10.0
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An untrained warlock is a dangerous man to love. On his twenty-first birthday, Evrain Brookes...
Urban Fantasy MM Romance
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books
Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)
Hereās to a Deadly Easter
Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meierās Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollisās Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Rossās Julia Snowdenās Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, heās gone.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. Iām only a regular reader of Barbara Rossās series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, youāll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology youāll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. Iām only a regular reader of Barbara Rossās series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, youāll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology youāll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
A Slay Ride Together with You
5.0
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The slay bells are ringing in this festive seventh installment of national bestselling author Vicki...
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Braided Dimensions (Braided Dimensions #1) in Books
Apr 15, 2024
BRAIDED DIMENSIONS is the first book in the series of the same name. We meet Kay, an ex-professor now working in a job she dislikes. She is a loner and drifting. One Halloween, she goes out and enjoys herself. When she decides to have her own garden patch, she meets the same people and now has her own little group. On her way home from the Halloween night out, something strange happens to her, leading her down a rabbit hole into ancient Wales.
One thing I need to mention first... it is SO good to read something set in Wales rather than Ireland! I have nothing against Ireland, but there are other Celtic countries out there, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
This was an enjoyable story that took place both in the present and the past. I love the group of friends Kay has. It is full of paganism and mysticism, although written as both specialised and general day-to-day knowledge. The blending of the two lives is well-written, giving the reader Kay's sense of confusion as she tries to understand what is happening.
This is definitely a series so be prepared to be left with questions at the end, which will leave you wanting more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 15, 2024
One thing I need to mention first... it is SO good to read something set in Wales rather than Ireland! I have nothing against Ireland, but there are other Celtic countries out there, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
This was an enjoyable story that took place both in the present and the past. I love the group of friends Kay has. It is full of paganism and mysticism, although written as both specialised and general day-to-day knowledge. The blending of the two lives is well-written, giving the reader Kay's sense of confusion as she tries to understand what is happening.
This is definitely a series so be prepared to be left with questions at the end, which will leave you wanting more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 15, 2024
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I Found You in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Alice Lake is a frazzled single mother of three children. One day she spots a man on the beach; he is alone and getting drenched in the rain. Despite her better judgement, Alice goes to talk to him. He has no memory of who he is or where he came from. Alice is drawn to him, and she invites him to stay in the shed on her property. Her young daughter dubs him "Frank." Meanwhile, in Surrey, Lily reports her husband missing. Married for less than a month, Lily cannot believe that her husband would simply abandon her: they are madly in love. She hasn't been in the country for long, though, and soon Lily learns that the name on her husband's passport was fake: he never truly existed. Cut to more than twenty years ago: teenagers Gray and Kirsty are (reluctantly) on vacation with their parents. While on the beach, they meet a young man who clearly has eyes for fifteen-year-old Kirsty. He charms their parents, but quickly rubs Gray the wrong way. Together, these characters combine for Jewell's latest.
<i>This was a rather spellbinding novel for me, even if it requires you to sort of check your rational thought at the front door when beginning it.</i> Alice is a bit of an odd duck--a loner mom with three children by three different fathers who doesn't really play by the rules. The fact that she so easily invites a complete stranger, with no history or backstory, to stay with her family is rather bizarre. As is everyone's reluctance to not just report Frank missing (found?), to say, the police. But we're led to believe that this is rather par for the course for the eccentric Alice and if you can just go along with that, the story falls into place fairly easily. This novel probably came along at a good point for me: I'd just finished a big project at work and needed something for a quick escape. I FOUND YOU is perfect for that: I blew through it in about 24 hours and while I basically had things figured out, it kept me guessing the entire time, wondering if I was right.
I was never truly attached to any of Jewell's characters - Alice is a bit flighty, Lily a tad remote, and Gray and Kirsty a little young. If anything, I was almost more drawn to "Frank" and his predicament. Still, I enjoyed how the story unfolded in bits and pieces, slowly letting the reader in on the past, while still giving us points of view from Lily, Alice, and Frank in the present. As I said, I was never quite sure if I was on the right track with the story, which kept me compulsively reading. Many of the characters' decisions are a bit bizarre, but I still found this to be a fun, quick read for a bit of an escape. Overall, 3.5+ stars. Great for a vacation or an airplane ride.
You can read my reviews of two of Jewell's previous novels here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276357-the-girls-in-the-garden">THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22430311-the-third-wife">THE THIRD WIFE</a>.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a></center>;
<i>This was a rather spellbinding novel for me, even if it requires you to sort of check your rational thought at the front door when beginning it.</i> Alice is a bit of an odd duck--a loner mom with three children by three different fathers who doesn't really play by the rules. The fact that she so easily invites a complete stranger, with no history or backstory, to stay with her family is rather bizarre. As is everyone's reluctance to not just report Frank missing (found?), to say, the police. But we're led to believe that this is rather par for the course for the eccentric Alice and if you can just go along with that, the story falls into place fairly easily. This novel probably came along at a good point for me: I'd just finished a big project at work and needed something for a quick escape. I FOUND YOU is perfect for that: I blew through it in about 24 hours and while I basically had things figured out, it kept me guessing the entire time, wondering if I was right.
I was never truly attached to any of Jewell's characters - Alice is a bit flighty, Lily a tad remote, and Gray and Kirsty a little young. If anything, I was almost more drawn to "Frank" and his predicament. Still, I enjoyed how the story unfolded in bits and pieces, slowly letting the reader in on the past, while still giving us points of view from Lily, Alice, and Frank in the present. As I said, I was never quite sure if I was on the right track with the story, which kept me compulsively reading. Many of the characters' decisions are a bit bizarre, but I still found this to be a fun, quick read for a bit of an escape. Overall, 3.5+ stars. Great for a vacation or an airplane ride.
You can read my reviews of two of Jewell's previous novels here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276357-the-girls-in-the-garden">THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22430311-the-third-wife">THE THIRD WIFE</a>.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a></center>;
HOME OUTSIDEĀ®: Landscape Design for Everyone
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HOME OUTSIDEĀ®: Landscape Design for Everyone ***As featured in The New York Times, Fox News, USA...
