Friday, September 15, 2017

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Midnight at the Bright Ideas BookstoreWhen a bookshop patron commits suicide, it’s his favorite store clerk who must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this fiendishly clever debut novel from an award-winning short story writer.

Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the 'BookFrogs'—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves.

But when youngest BookFrog Joey Molina kills himself in the bookstore’s upper level, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions: Trinkets and books, the detritus of a lonely, uncared-for man. But when Lydia pages through his books, she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?

As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago—and never completely left, as she discovers.

I REALLY liked this book!  It's been a while since a book has really grabbed me like this one did.  It was intriguing and was a wonderful puzzle to watch come together.  The characters were complex and had dimension which just added a layer to the book that made it even better.  I was drawn in and then shocked in a way that I love.  If you are looking for a good mystery, with great character development, and a plot that was unique - this is the book for you!
    
* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *
  

The Good Widow

The Good Widow
Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancĂ©. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not 
                                                         her husband. And most certainly not his death…

I have feelings about this book that are hard to put into words without giving too much away, but I felt like I had already seen a movie with pretty much the exact same plot.  It was a bit of a struggle for me.  I didn't make a great connection with the characters and couldn't stop comparing the movie from several years ago.  I think had the story been new and fresh, I would have enjoyed it more.  However, it just fell flat for me.  I think the premise has been done over and over and this didn't add a new twist.  I would pick up another book by these authors to give them a second chance, but I can't say I would recommend this title.    

  * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and LongerGrandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day. The square is strange but also familiar, full of the odds and ends that have made up their lives: Grandpa’s work desk, the stuffed dragon that Grandpa once gave to Noah, the sweet-smelling hyacinths that Grandma loved to grow in her garden.

As they wait together on the bench, they tell jokes and discuss their shared love of mathematics. Grandpa recalls what it was like to fall in love with his wife, what it was like to lose her. She’s as real to him now as the first day he met her, but he dreads the day when he won’t remember her.

Sometimes Grandpa sits on the bench next to Ted, Noah’s father—Ted who never liked math, prefers writing and playing guitar, and has waited his entire life for his father to have time for him, to accept him. But in their love of Noah, they have found a common bond.

Grandpa, Grandma, Ted, and Noah all meet here, in this peculiar space that is growing dimmer and more confusing all the time. And here is where they will learn to say goodbye, the scent of hyacinths in the air, nothing to fear. This little book with a big message is certain to be treasured for generations to come.

I almost feel bad reviewing Mr. Backman's work, because I don't think anything with ever live up to A Man Called Ove for me.  But I can say, that I enjoyed this novella for what it was, a story that was not really meant to be heard about a very personal family struggle.  I have never had anyone close to me diagnosed with the illness the main character is fighting, but it really tugged at my heart.  I felt drawn in and invested in such a short amount of time.  I ached for him and his family during moments of fog and celebrated when memories were remembered and cherished.  At this point, Fredrik Backman is an author that I will automatically read whatever he writes.  He tells a simple story, in a beautiful way, which in often rare.     

  * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *