Chronicle of a Last Summer

While the content of this book is somewhat compelling , the choice of narrator really slows down the pace of the book.  There is no strong narrator to push the story forward, and the story seems to drag, even for such a small book. The narrator describes her boring, hot days, sitting with her mother, where nothing much seems to happen. While I was interested to learn more about Egypt, this story did not hold my interest. Blogging for Books kindly provide me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Review: Safe With Me by K.L. Slater

First let me say, just WOW. It has been a long time since I read a book this good. I was completely spellbound by this psychological thriller and could hardly put it down. I love a good British mystery, yet Safe With Me went far beyond my expectations in every way. This is such a great debut novel by K.L. Slater, I hardly know where to start. The protagonist is Anna, a really hurt individual who is plagued with OCD symptoms and works at the Royal Mail Service. She does her job well, but things start to slip, things go awry and she stops delivering some of the mail. Why? Because she witnessed a horrible accident whereby a motorcyclist gets hit by a vehicle. It just so happens that said vehicle is driven by someone from Anna's past and from there the terror and weirdness begins. Not only does Anna think she recognizes the driver of the car, but she thinks this person is responsible in some way for the death of Anna's younger brother Danny, thirteen years earlier. Anna goes on a quest to insinuate herself into the life of the victim of the accident, Liam; in order to get to the driver of the car that hit Liam. Whew! To say that this book is good is a huge understatement. I felt like I was reading a version of Ruth Rendell, and a highly polished version at that. This book is that good. This book is that nuanced and foreboding that you can read it in one sitting. There are so many secrets, backstories, and undercurrents, and this wonderful feeling of dread throughout, it is like nectar for the reader. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a psychological thriller. I am looking forward to the next book from K.L. Slater. She has knocked this one out of the proverbial park. Many thanks to netgalley.com for providing me a free advance copy of this book.

Victuals by Ronni Lundy

What a beautifully put together book this is. Having lived in the Appalachia area near Asheville, NC, I could so relate to this book and its message of simple cooking and simple lifestyles. The photographs of the scenery were stunning, the writing was superb and told great stories, and the recipes were simple and mindfully, respectfully presented. These simple foods showcase the region as well as the work ethic of the region. Not a cook

book to miss. Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and represent the culture and wonder of this beautiful mountain region.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

After having read I Let You Go, which was awesome, I was so looking forward to reading the follow up book by Clare MacKintosh, I See You. Unfortunately, I gave up halfway through this book. It just didn't grab me in the beginning, and I didn't find Zoe a particularly relatable or engaging character. There was nothing transforming or no situation in the start of the book to keep my attention. Nothing really terrible happened to Zoe, I guess I needed more to grab onto at the beginning to draw me in as a reader, and Zoe simply seeing her photo in the newspaper was not enough to justify reading further. The story just seemed to give way to nothing and did not compel me to read the entire book. Very disappointed.