Friday, July 12, 2013

book club




Karen White's The Time Between
From New York Times Bestselling author Karen White, a stunning new novel about two generations of sisters who must learn to live with their darkest secrets...
Thirty-four-year-olf Eleanor Murray is consumed by guilt for causing the accident that paralyzed her sister--and for falling in love with her sister's husband. But when her boss offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, Eleanor accepts, hoping this good deed will help atone for her mistakes.
On Edisto Island, Eleanor bonds with Helena over their mutual love of music. Drawing the older woman out of her depression, Eleanor learns of her life with her sister in Hungary before and during World War II. She hears tales of passion and heartache, defiance and dangerous deception. And when the truth of Helena's and her sister's actions comes to light, Eleanor may finally allow herself to move past guilt and to embrace the song that lies deep in her heart.
(thanks to her website)

I adore Karen's novels,and this one is just as sweet and unique as her others. Although I can see her pattern of mother/daughter/sister relationships working them selves out,etc. The character of Eva was becoming a bit tiresome at time though,towards the end. I loved the history lessons and deepness of bonds that this story creates. A great way to pass the time,the setting in the South is perfection,as always. I give it a solid A.

Chevy Stevens' Always Watching

She helps people put their demons to rest.
But she has a few of her own…
In the lockdown ward of a psychiatric hospital, Dr. Nadine Lavoie is in her element. She has the tools to help people, and she has the desire—healing broken families is what she lives for. But Nadine doesn’t want to look too closely at her own past because there are whole chunks of her life that are black holes. It takes all her willpower to tamp down her recurrent claustrophobia, and her daughter, Lisa, is a runaway who has been on the streets for seven years.
When a distraught woman, Heather Simeon, is brought into the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit after a suicide attempt, Nadine gently coaxes her story out of her—and learns of some troubling parallels with her own life. Digging deeper, Nadine is forced to confront her traumatic childhood, and the damage that began when she and her brother were brought by their mother to a remote commune on Vancouver Island. What happened to Nadine? Why was their family destroyed? And why does the name Aaron Quinn, the group’s leader, bring complex feelings of terror to Nadine even today?
And then, the unthinkable happens, and Nadine realizes that danger is closer to home than she ever imagined. She has no choice but to face what terrifies her the most…and fight back.
Sometimes you can leave the past, but you can never escape.
(thanks to her website)

I was immensely disappointed by this novel;I couldn't wait to read it because Chevy's previous two novels have been so thrilling/disturbing/intense/original but this one just wasn't for me. I was never fully entranced by any of the characters or their stories,there was too much buildup for such a quick wrap up ending. I was always waiting for something else or better to occur,and the daughter really annoyed me. The whole cult aspect was different but it went a bit too wacky for my taste. I give this a D.


David Baldacci's Split Second
Split-Second-Recropped
Michelle Maxwell has just wrecked her promising career at the Secret Service. Against her instincts, she let a presidential candidate out of her sight for the briefest moment and the man whose safety was her responsibility vanished into thin air. Sean King knows how the younger agent feels. Eight years earlier, the hard-charging Secret Service agent allowed his attention to be diverted for a split second.  And the candidate he was protecting was gunned down before his eyes. Now Michelle and Sean are about to see their destinies converge.
Drawn into a maze of lies, secrets, and deadly coincidences, the two discredited agents uncover a shocking truth: that the separate acts of violence that shattered their lives were really a long time in the making – and are a long way from over…
(thanks to his website)
I really like the new tnt tv show, king&maxwell so I was excited to see that it is based on novels. I quickly read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it,you get to learn more about King and Maxwell's pasts and personalities (that you haven't seen in the show yet). It was fast paced and had me guessing and in suspense for the whole story. I give it an A and I can't wait to read the next one in line.

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Happy Reading!


2 comments:

  1. Oh I'm sad about Always Watching because it sounds like it should have been a fab read! But having two other good reads this week balances it out, right? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think The Time Between looks awfully interesting. Although have yet to actually read anything by Karen White, but may have to start!

    ReplyDelete

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