The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: December 29, 2009
Format: Audio
Discs: 10
A mesmerizing thriller – told in reverse The 13^th Hour is the story of a man given the chance to go back in time in one-hour increments to prevent a vicious crime from destroying his life.  Nick Quinn is being held in jail, accused of the murder of his beloved wife, Julia.  He knows she’s dead; he saw her bloody corpse, shot in the head at point-blank range.  The police tell him they found the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it in the trunk of his car.  Nick is confused, grief-stricken – “and completely innocent.”

At 9 p.m. on July 28, a gray-haired gentleman visits Nick in the police interrogation room and asks him a simple question” “If you could get out of here, if you could save her, would you?”  He hands Nick a golden talisman that allows Nick to go back in time, one hour at a time, for a total of twelve hours.  With each hour that Nick travels back, he finds more clues to the identity of Julia’s real killer, but he also discovers that his actions in the past may have unexpected repercussions in the future.

In his race against time to save the woman he loves most in the world, Nick will find that friends become enemies, old loyalties are tested and Julia’s murder is part of a larger scheme that has its roots in greed and vengeance.  Nick has the ability to Save Julia, the chance to put his own world in balance, but he is venturing down a precarious route.  If he doesn’t set things right by the thirteenth hour, his desperate attempts to save Julia’s life may lead to a far greater catastrophe than he could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts

Well-written with a great concept.  The story is told in reverse, which  thought was great, although 13 hours was a bit too much - it got a little repetitive towards the end.  I loved the characters - especially Nick and Julia, very likable.

As the novel progressed I found that it got frustrating.  Frustrating in a sense that every hour Nick went back he would muck something up, but in the end everything had a way of working itself out.  What I love about suspense - thriller novels is the ending is never predictable!  Great read and highly recommend.  I listened to this on Audio and absolutely loved the narration. 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

Publisher: Knopf Books
Publish Date: March 14, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 552
ISBN: 978 0375831003

It is 1939.  Nazi Germany.  The country is holding its breath.  Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books.  With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbours during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

My Thoughts

I really wanted to love it, I really did, but the fact of the matter is, I didn't.  Which sucks because everyone else loved it and I feel like I missed something.  The story itself felt like a whole bunch of short stories made up and thrown together to make a 550 page book.  The writing style was very hard to get used to, and even after finishing I still didn't like it, although some sentences were beautifully constructed and thought provoking.  Mark Zusak is a very talented writer, there is no doubt about that.  This book just simply wasn't for me.

When I finally finished (this is not a quick read) I felt relieved and glad to be done.  I will say this though, the last 80 pages 100 percent redeemed this book for me!  I appreciated the heartbreak and lose that had been building up the entire novel and finally there was an amazing conclusion.  This was a very tough book to review, as are all fence sitting books for me, I don't want to rip it apart, but I can't give it a glowing review.  It just is what it is.  4 stars because of the last chapter, other than that it was just a 3 star book to me.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Publisher: Other Press

Publish Date: January 31, 2012

Format: download library

Pages: 325

ISBN: - 

A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of.  Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decided to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.

My Thoughts:

This one was tough for me.  Did I like it? Yes.  Did I hate it? No.  But I didn't love it.  I felt that the description of the novel was a bit deceiving.  Reading the synopsis made me think it was more of a mystery and that Julia sets out to find what happened to her father.  Yes, she does set out to Burma to find out the truth, but she then finds a local, U Ba and he starts telling her the story of her father.  It was mostly just about his love story with Mi Mi that he is recalling.  Right at the very end U Ba was all, oh by the way this is what happened to your father.  It was very much a love story first and foremost.  Now as for a realistic love story...no way.  Very much a fairy tale.  Only in your wildest dreams does love like that exist.

Overall the story was beautifully told, and the writing was wonderful and flowed together very well.  This was a tough one to rate as it had highs and lows. 

This was a Book Club pick collectively chosen by the group.

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Publish Date: September 10, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 312
ISBN: 978-0316243919

Set against Iceland’s stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes.  Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her.  But as Agnes’s death looms, the farmer’s wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

My Thoughts

I thought this novel was amazing from start to finish.  Beautifully written and researched, it is a heart wrenching story of a remarkable woman.  Based on true events, it is a very dark and gloomy novel which left my heart feeling heavy.  Told with such detail, such as the detailed life of 19th century Iceland was wonderful and the symbolic ravens that seemed to   always be coming back, gave me chills.

It is unlike anything I have read in quite sometime and although the outcome is well known, it was deeply moving.  Agnes has always been branded as evil, and Kent did an amazing job at telling a different side of the story, although much of the novel is fiction, based on true events, it still portrayed a non well known view of Agnes.  It's been a few days since I have finished and the characters are still with me.  I haven't been haunted by a novel in awhile, simply amazing.

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Publisher: Crown Publishing
Publish Date: May 5, 2009
Format: download library
Pages: -
ISBN: -

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.”  As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their farmhouse into the freezing January snow.  She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived – and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother Ben, was the killer.  Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives of the dregs of a trust fund created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes.  When they locate Libby and pump her for details – proof they hope may free Ben – Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history.  For a fee, she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985.  The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members – including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town.  Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started – on the run from a killer.

My Thoughts

Oi! Where to even begin...my head is still spinning.  Dark places is set between present day and 1985 when it (no spoilers) all went down and is told from three main points of view; Libby Day, Ben Day and Patty Day, which a I always enjoy - lets you get inside everyone's head.

When I first started reading I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I was such a fan of Gone Girl and had set Gillian Flynn on a pedestal for mystery writing I just wasn't sure it was going to live up to my expectations.  Once I started really getting into the story and trying to figure out the "who done it" is when I really started to enjoy the novel.  It is very dark, twisted and horrifying, one of those novel you want to hate for it's content but you just can't help but love it.  This book is disturbingly awesome and clever, pure magic.

I would have given it a 5 star rating had I not been able to piece together the ending before the end.  But overall a great read! 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.