artsy musings of a bibliophile

Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson

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Title: Before I Go to Sleep
Author: S J Watson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 14 June 2011
Pages: 368 (Hardcover)


Synopsis
‘As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me …’

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love – all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine’s life.


My Rating
* * * 
The Review
I started reading Before I Go To Sleep with a lot of expectations and well, it all turned out to be a very twisted, almost unemotional, ending to a promising story. The cover is very striking and the synopsis had me intrigued from the get-go.
However, every day Christine has to go through the part where she discovers she’s 47 and not in her twenties. Due to these descriptions, I felt that she found herself ugly just because she found her skin to be wrinkly and saggy. It is normal for her age; but the descriptions had me in doubt about her looking more as if she’s 75 and not 47. And the repetitions didn’t really help, of course.
Moving on, I have two rather contradictory opinions about this book. The first one veers me towards everything that is likable in the novel. The second of course, makes me want to roll my eyes at the un-likability factor when the mystery part is taken into perspective.
I liked Christine, her character grew very stably and it was very moving for me to read about her lost hopes at a future. And that feeling, of being helpless of knowing that, in her own words, “The worst thing is that I don‘t even know what I don‘t know. There might be lots of things, waiting to hurt me. Things I haven‘t even dreamed about yet.”

Before I Go To Sleep could have easily deserved 4 stars but the whole chase didn’t help the case. The ending was bland, cold and not even in line with the rest of the story. Only a single paragraph telling the hours she spent reconciling with Ben. Taking into account that with almost no contact for years, her real husband suddenly realizes that he wants to be with her? After all this time? Just…wow. Plus, the son. It seems highly unlikely that they didn’t try to contact Christine on a regular basis.

These are just a couple of nagging little thoughts I have been having. From the book, it is apparent that Claire is on seemingly normal terms with Adam. And if there is that chance then how come Adam doesn’t know that his parents are apparently back together? Why all the unnecessary miscommunication?

Moreover, when she had all those glimmers or flashes of memory something doesn’t set in right.In all of the book, she is unable to see a single memory flash of Ben and then she has it finally. Plus, she also comes to know of all the time they spent together shortly after that. Maybe the particular truth triggered her memory, but how far can fiction be twisted?

However, S.J.Watson made a good effort at writing about something written many times before and forming a novel story line. I wanted to more than like Before I Go To Sleep, the writing was beautiful and the expressions profound. Her sorrow at the uneventful turnout of her life stretching into a long wait of dying every day waiting for the actual death to arrive. Of feeling lost. But, in the end, I just keep getting the feeling that something small, something crucial is truly amiss from the story.
Best Quote:

“I step back further, until I feel cold tiles against my back. It is then I get the glimmer that I associate with memory. As my mind tries to settle on it, it flutters away, like ashes caught in a breeze, and I realize that in my life there is a then, a before, though before what I cannot say, and there is a now, and there is nothing between the two but a long, silent emptiness that has led me here, to me and him, in this house.”

Review: First Date by Krista McGee

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Title: First Date
Author: Krista McGee
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 10 January 2012
Pages: 336 (eBook)

Synopsis

Addy Davidson discovers God’s unexpected plans for her life when a reality TV show turns her quiet existence on its head.
The orphaned daughter of missionaries, Addy is quite content to stay in the shadows and never draw attention to herself. But when she’s selected for a reality TV show to try to become the President son’s prom date-a show she didn’t audition for-she’s suddenly in America’s spotlight.
The lights, the make-up, the competitions, and the blogs discussing every move she makes all make Addy incredibly uncomfortable. But through her time at The Mansion, Addy comes to realize that first impressions aren’t always right, that hiding out may not be what God had planned for her life, and that her faith should affect everything she does. It may just be that her selection wasn’t random at all and that she’s on this show “for such a time as this.”
My Rating
* * * *
The Review
First Date is one of those books that offer something fresh to the young adult genre. The synopsis was enough to make me want to read this and thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley, I got to!
Addy Davidson is a normal teenager who lives in Tampa, Florida, goes to a small Christian high school, crushes on the cutest boy in school who probably doesn’t even know her name and has an awesome BFF. But this is where it gets different. Addy lives with her Uncle Mike since her parents died in Columbia as missionaries serving people in the name of God. She loves golf and struggles to find her place in the world as a Christian. All she wants is a scholarship to an Ivy League college and so she works hard for it.
However, unbeknownst to her, God has some other plans for her in the meanwhile. The son of the President of United States, Jonathan Jackson, is looking for a date. The invitation arrives at her school and somehow the Principal thinks that by sending Addy they would bring an edge to the competition. And boy, does it ever!
From there starts a journey of a reluctant Addy on her way to participate in The Book of Love. Along with the mean host, other girls on the show are also not that err, friendly to her. However, Addy quickly bonds with Kara who is one of the participants on the show. Kara doesn’t have any hidden agenda and sees through Addy pretty quickly herself. The President’s son, on the other hand, always seems to want to talk to her and Addy is trying her hardest to avoid him because after all, it is reality TV.
As Addy is hell bent on getting eliminated come the first elimination, she encounters trouble of all sorts. Unfortunately for her, all her moves to get eliminated only makes America love her more!
Fast forward to an action-packed and fun-filled weeks of reality shows, First Date is thoroughly entertaining. The great thing about First Date is that where the author could have easily used clichés, she doesn’t and instead weaves a lot of surprising elements into the story. In all, I had a really good time reading Addy grow into a much better person than she was at the beginning of the book.
Best Quote:
“Thank you, God, for making my language skills so bad that I couldn’t say something I’d regret. Thank you for protecting me from my own stupidity.”

Review: Symphony of Blood, A Hank Mondale Supernatural Case by Adam Pepper

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Symphony of Blood, A Hank Mondale Supernatural Case by Adam Pepper
adult paranormal thriller self-published on 23 July 2011

Hank Mondale, a rough-around-the-edges P.I. with a small drinking problem and a large gambling problem, needs a break. With his landlord threatening eviction and his bookie threatening worse, things look bleak. Until real estate mogul Thomas Blake calls with an incredible story: a monster is trying to kill his daughter. Hank figures she’s probably some whacked-out spoiled brat, but desperate, Hank takes the case to track down the supposed monster. It seems that people around Mackenzie Blake are disappearing. It’s obviously no coincidence. Was Hank hired to unwittingly aid a wealthy murderess? Or is there really someone…or some thing, trying to kill Mackenzie Blake?
A symphony plays that only It can hear. But there will be a special performance, just for her.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW

Symphony of Blood started off pretty normally where the main character Hank Mondale is introduced. A very unusual PI in that he has a big alcohol addiction and a smaller gambling problem. He is so not your typical protagonist; much more like an anti-hero. So it does not come as much of a surprise to learn that he is barely scrambling by, owes money to shady people involved in even shadier businesses and has a dumb kleptomaniac secretary. This should have bothered me, but then considering that Hank Mondale is pretty much depraved of any redeeming qualities himself; it was okay. However, it did bother me when he didn’t try to keep up a good relationship with his mother. 
Moving on with the story. Hank Mondale looks like a cop, behaves like one and pretty much have the whole cop act perfected to a tee. But he can never become one which is why he has contacts to help him get a decent job in the worst of times. Yet the contacts couldn’t help him this time around. So when he gets an offer from a rich business man involving his snob of a daughter, he jumps at the chance. Little does he know what’s in store for him.
The whole symphony of blood element is presented here and though it is gross to read about the things that trigger the symphony, the book offers something unique from this perspective. But moving onto the character of Mackenzie Blake. I so did not like her! She is not only immensely annoying, but she is worse because she is a true egomaniac with very fake blonde hair. I mean, who calls themselves a ‘mommy’ of their pets? Thomas Blake, her father, is much the same though. See a genetic link here?
Anyhow, moving onto to It or Symphony. I really liked It. I liked how Adam Pepper developed him and his abilities of adapting to human life, of wanting a companion in his lone life, of being scared of its prey, of having weaknesses despite being scary at the same time. It gave a new perspective to the concept of monster. The element of music in the whole process was refreshing to read about and I really liked everything about the monster. The gory, horrendous details were horrifying to read about but they made the book thrilling to read.
In all, Symphony of Blood is a good read. It is a short book and if you’re looking for a paranormal thriller book to read this is the one to pick. Adam Pepper has sure set his image as a frighteningly fresh author in the genre.

THE QUOTE

‘Suddenly, It understood a new emotion, one It had seen the humans display but could never make any sense out of until that very moment: Rage.’

Thanks to PNR & UF Goodreads group for providing me a copy of Symphony of Blood for review.

Review: Take Me There by Carolee Dean

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Take Me There by Carolee Dean
young adult contemporary road trip published by Simon & Schuster onc 20 July 2010


Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.
But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW

Take Me There
is a moving story
about a boy
who is bad.
But tries hard
to stay right,
to clean the sins
off his heart
and the grease stains
from his hands.
Because he knows
as he lives on,
so does hope.
I never read a book with such raw, deep and exhausting emotions before. I never expected Take Me There to overwhelm me like it did. There is so much to the story, so many words that it is impossible not to break while reading it. It made me go, like Dylan said, into the ‘darkest place I’ve ever been.’ The only difference was that the place was inside of me and Dylan’s story set it alight with fire.
It was very tough for me to go on reading because there was just so much of emotional baggage involved. As one chapter dissolved into another, the story got more and more raw with emotions.  It was like Dylan is fighting the cuckoo clock time bomb. He is never at rest and doesn’t believe that redemption is written in his destiny. But he tries anyway. You see, Dylan truly believes that he is a bad person, which he is because of the acts he committed. But he is more genuine than the purist man on earth. This is the beauty of Take Me There.
He screams for answers and his brain pours out words after words. Words he wishes would go away because he doesn’t want to deal with them. He has to, in any way possible. He wants to make an honest man out of himself, but is always just an inch away from it before trouble catches up with him. ‘How far can you go down the wrong path before you can’t get back on the right one?’ The question burns through his mind every moment of his life and he wants to know the answer before it is too late for him. Or maybe it already is.
Initially, it was the cover of the book that caught my attention and then the synopsis. The book never failed to surprise me; there are so many issues for Dylan to deal with that I felt I wouldn’t be able to keep up. But I was. Every time. Because Dylan’s story got adrenaline pumping through my blood. His words made me fall into love with the ideas swimming around in his head. He desperately needs to love and to be loved. I have never liked a character so much since Jennifer Parker from Rage of Angels. But I’ve got to say, it is breathtaking to read how Dylan discovers who he really is as he succumbs to the words inside him.
Suffice it to say, Take Me There has the power of undoing your insides.

THE QUOTES

‘I got words in me, Jess, fighting to find a way out. Sometimes there’s so many words and they get so crowded in my skull I think my head is gonna explode. I want to write them down. I’ve tried, but most of the time my thoughts and my feelings are bigger than what I can get on paper.’

‘Words are like people, I think. Put too many of them too close together and they cause trouble.’

Review: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

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ABOUT THE BOOK

young adult contemporary published by Dial Books on 1 November 2010


The Challenge
Piper has one month to get a paying gig for Dumb—the hottest new rock band in school.

The Deal
If she does it, she’ll become manager of the band and get her share of the profits, which she desperately needs since her parents raided her college fund.

The Catch
Managing one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl who is ready to beat her up. And doing it all when she’s deaf. With growing self-confidence, an unexpected romance, and a new understanding of her family’s decision to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, Piper just may discover her own inner rock star.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW

Wow, this book is freaking awesome! Five Flavors of Dumb crosses a threshold that at least I never thought could have been crossed. Yes, music is all-consuming and doesn’t require proper functioning of the senses to feel it. But Antony John showed just how it is done; how it is possible to feel the rhythm in your heart and believe in it. There could have been no way for Piper to hear Dumb’s music, but that wasn’t what mattered most when it came down to managing the band.
It all started with a seemingly dumb event at the school’s steps and eventually, rolled out into a grand moment in the lives of the people connected to the band. The title bothered me throughout most of the book, but then I discovered the real five flavors of Dumb. Antony John is a genius for creating such a beautiful and impressive piece of fiction. Five Flavors of Dumb is not about incapabilities or limits. It’s about what you are capable of when you know that your limits extend to far greater lengths than you ever imagined.
Piper is one strong lead character and I never would have thought that I would appreciate a color called ‘Atomic Pink’ in a million years but God, it inspired me! Each one of the members of Dumb and even Piper’s family contributed so much life into the book that it would have been impossible to imagine Five Flavors of Dumb if even a dialogue was changed.
I am in complete awe of Five Flavors of Dumb and of the author, Antony John who dares to take on a subject as fragile as deafness and make it rock. The book is a story about the change that happens when ‘suckiness’ is shed off in order to embrace ‘coolness.’ I was very pleased how the author trashed the stereotypes about rock-able geeks, soft beauty, rock star inclinations, pretty boy smiles and silent rockers.

THE QUOTES

‘Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.’

‘COOL·NESS [KOOL-NIS] -noun
CATCHING your mom gazing at the crazy crowd like she finally gets it
WATCHING your dad head-banging like he’s Finn’s twin brother
LEARNING that your new friends Tash and Kallie are a thousand times more complicated than you realized, and loving them for it
FEELING every one of your boyfriend’s pounding drumbeats, and thinking it’s the most romantic music ever written
REALIZING you’re completely unique . . . even in a crowd’