The Sound of Gravel

The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir, by Ruth Wariner
Published January 5, 2016 by Flatiron Books
Rating: ★★★★★

Holy Moses, this book just about destroyed me.

This book isn't a TLC show, and readers going into with a certain sense of schadenfreude about polygamist compounds are going to be disappointed. In the end, this is a tale of what happens when people pursue selfish desires (like religious fervor, ideological purity, and attention from a lover) over the well being of their children. The themes that prevail throughout this book hit a lot closer to home than LeBaron, Mexico.

LeBaron is the remote location Ruth Wariner's grandfather, Alma LeBaron, chose as the home for his polygamist cult. The Firstborns, as the group becomes known, believed the modern Mormon church had lost its way, and that polygamist marriage was one of God's most important decrees, as well as the only path to salvation. They refer to the United States as Babylon, and they feel God will sweep down from the heavens any day now to smote it. No surprise the group feels safer in Mexico-- and it doesn't hurt that government officials down there turn a blind eye to their polygamist and child bride practices.

Ruth never knew her father, who was at the time of his death considered the great prophet of the church. He was murdered just months after she was born, at the hands of his own brother in a family-feud-turned-holy-war. Her mother remarries her stepfather, Lane, and Ruth never ever feels comfortable around him. Her young instincts will turn out to be devastatingly correct.

Life is always turbulent as Ruth grows up. Her mother and Lane fight a lot, and Ruth can't understand why her mother keeps having babies with him. Unfortunately, several of Ruth's siblings have mental and physical disabilities of varying degrees. It's not an easy challenge to face in any situation, but Ruth's family also has the burden of being dirt poor and living area with no doctors and no social services. They struggle to survive without even the basics-- no electricity or indoor pluming, no telephone, inadequate food. Her family moves around a lot-- in one hovel more cramped than the next-- and when they are in Mexico, they still have to come back to the US frequently to claim benefits. As a "single mother," Ruth's mother collect food stamps and other types of taxpayer aid. The Firstborns see nothing wrong with living off the teat of Babylon.

I was definitely left with mixed feelings about Ruth's mother. You could tell she loved her children, but she wasn't willing to fight for them when it counted. It seemed like the more children she had, the more pressure put on her by the polygamist compound lifestyle, the more she lost her free-thinking spirit. It's hard to understand why she put so much faith in Lane when he made a fool of her time and time again, and why she didn't protect her children more. But then I have to wonder she owned total responsibility for her actions when she was so brainwashed and beat down.

Through this tumultuous tale, it becomes ever more clear that Ruth is a survivor. She endures more suffering and loss than most and does so with admirable strength. By the end of the book, I was at the edge of my seat, waiting to see if she would escape the cult. I don't think I've come across a memoir where I felt so invested in seeing the author getting a happy ending. I highly recommend this.

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
On Sale November 1, 2016 by Atria
Rating: ★★★★★


"We're in my brain, Noahnoah. And it got smaller overnight again." 

Noah and his Grandpa share a special bond. Together, they speak the language of numbers. Because mathematics will always lead you home.

Until it doesn't anymore.

Lately, Grandpa has been struggling to make it home. The distance between hazy memories and lucidness is growing longer each day. Grandpa doesn't want to forget all the numbers to pi, his favorite doctor joke, and especially not his beloved late wife. Luckily, Noah vows to help him remember.

This charming and heartbreaking novella is everything you'd expect from Fredrik Backman. It's a rare author who can wrap dementia up in sunshine and do it in a way that feels moving instead of flippant or manipulative. If you enjoy Backman's usual brand of quirky melodrama, this will be no exception. This is the kind of book I think I would get even more from on a reread (it can be a bit confusing at first to decipher what was in Grandpa's head and what was really taking place-- at least it was for me). And coming in at less than 100 pages, why not revisit Grandpa and Noah's special world?

The Female of the Species

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
On Sale September 20, 2016 by Katherine Tegan Books
Rating: ★★★★★



I'm not entirely sure I have the words for this one, but I'll go ahead and try. This book is dark and violent and awesome... and I think I'll be processing what the holy heck I just read for a while to come. If you read this book, prepare to clear out some head space for the story to come and live in.

In the small, insular Ohio town where she grows up, Alex Craft is the girl with the dead sister. Not much more. She doesn't interact with her classmates, and they make no move to include her. That's until she catches the eyes of Jack Fisher-- the all-American boy who plays on every sports team, gets good grades and has no shortage of girls vying for a place in his bed. Once he notices Alex, really notices her, he can't get her out of his mind. Peekay also notices Alex but with very different motivation. Peekay is pigeonholed to the role of preacher's kid and is looking for a friend who sees her in a different light. Alex struggles with social interaction, but the two are able to cobble together a growing friendship as they volunteer at the local animal shelter.

And, oh, yeah, Alex Craft is also kind of a cold-blooded murderer:

"This is how I kill someone. And I don't feel bad about it." 

"I am a wolf that my sister kept in a cage, until her hand was removed." 

Alex Craft is the character I thought Jane Steele would be when I read the blurb for Jane Steele. She's a mixture of righteousness and cruelty. It's easy to fear her and admire her. You hope she'll be able to run off with Jack and start a happy little family while also thinking she really needs to be in jail.

And I did not see that ending coming.

For better or worse, it's impossible to deny this book has an effect. It's one of the most memorable books I've read all year. I will say that for a YA book, I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be with my teen reading this. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Released July 26, 2016
Published by Crown
Rating: ★★★★★

If your family was stolen from you, how far would you go to get them back?

This book explores that question, but in a totally mindbendy, sci-fi thriller kind of way. It kind of bums me out that I can only give it 5 stars, because it was amazing. Unfortunately, I can't really reveal why, because it's nearly impossible to summarize this book without spoiling it. It's one of the reasons it took me so long to read this. I didn't realize from the blurb how great it would be. You're going to have to trust me.

I can say that I am SO not a sci-fi person. The concept of Schrodinger's cat (which plays an important role in the plot) alludes me despite all explanations. My brain just doesn't get science and especially not physics. But that didn't prevent me from loving this story. In the end, the driving force behind the plot is not futuristic science, but love.

I enjoyed every twist and turn in this exciting book, and, as promised, this is a page-turner. I also fell in love with all the characters, which is rare, especially in a thiller. I will say that I got so excited about what I was reading, that I tried to sell my non-reading husband on how great it is and he dismantled the entire ending portion of the plot in a nanosecond. And I'll never look at him the same way again. Outside of the influence of book-ruining smart alecs, Dark Matter is pretty flawless.

I hope that somewhere out there exists another, cooler version of me who was aware of Blake Crouch's talent before this point, and has read all of his previous books, because I can't believe it has taken me this long to discover this author.

The Memory of Things

The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner
On Sale September 6, 2016
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: ★★★★★

September 11, 2001. Kyle is part of the human stream flowing over the Brooklyn Bridge: to safety, and away from smoldering, smoking Manhattan. As he's crossing, he notices what looks like a giant bird perched at the edge of the bridge. Then he realizes it's not a bird. It's a girl. She looks lost and scared. She looks like she might jump. Kyle convinces her to follow him to the safety of his family apartment. He discovers she doesn't know who she is or what happened to her. And on top of dealing an amnesiac stranger (who he's quickly developing a bit of a crush on), his first-responder father is not answering his phone, he can't get a hold of his mother and sister who were supposed to fly out from LA that morning, and there's a disabled uncle who needs care. What happens over the course of the next 3 days changes Kyle forever.

For the most part, this book is everything a YA novel should be. It's been a couple of days since I read it, and the more I think about it, the more I like it. Kyle is mature without coming off like a twenty-five year old. I'm in love with the boy he becomes by the end of the story. I liked the realistic relationship he had with his parents and Uncle Matt. This is exactly the type of book I'd want my teen to read, and I enjoyed it a lot myself.

The One Man

The One Man by Andrew Gross
On Sale August 23, 2016
Published by Minotaur Books
Rating: ★★★★★

This book is part historical fiction and part thriller, and it completely blew me away.

America is in a race with Germany to develop the atomic bomb. If the Third Reich beats them to it, the consequences could be dire. But the Allied effort is lagging behind in their so-called Manhattan Project. What they really need is the expertise of a Polish physicist, Alfred Mendl. He's rumored to be one of only two people alive with the necessary knowledge to help build the bomb-- the other is working with the Nazis. Just one minor snag. Mendl is Jewish. And a couple months ago he was deported to Auschwitz. US intelligence hasn't had word from him since.

The US government devices a radical and risky plan. They're going to break Alfred Mendl out of Auschwitz, by sending another man in. Nathan Blum escaped occupied Poland once before. Since coming to America, he's been working as a translator in the army, waiting his chance to do something more. Something to help him make up for the debt he feels on his soul for surviving while his family left behind in the Krakow ghetto perished. But can he really agree to go back into Nazi territory, into a concentration camp no less? And to rescue a man who might not even be alive anymore?

The setting of Auschwitz for this thriller, combined with masterful storytelling and historical realism, raises the stakes for readers in a way few other in this genre can match. There were times I put aside my Kindle just to get my heart rate down. This is the type of book that's completely engrossing, even when it's horrifying. The author does an incredible job of recreating Auschwitz, along with the terror, and hope, within the wire fence.

This is one of my favorite new books for 2016. There were parts about the ending that disappointed me and felt a bit rushed. There's also a scene involving a cat that's pretty messed up. But I can't recommend this enough, especially for fans of historical thrillers.

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

Rating: ★★★★★

When Grace meets Jack, it's as if all her dreams are finally coming true. Jack offers a future: marriage, children, a perfect house and a charmed life. Best of all, he's accepting of Grace's deep commitment to her younger sister Millie, who has Downs Syndrome. In fact, Jack is excited to have Millie come live with them. Too excited...

This book is truly chilling. The author creates a world that's horrifying without any graphic violence or gore. The beauty in the story is its simplicity. As a reader, you feel like you're living Grace's torment. Everything from the writing to the pacing to the characters is just pitch perfect. This book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Things I appreciated about this book and would like to become a trend in this genre:

• ONE PERSPECTIVE! This story is told entirely in Grace's voice. Now I believe this was a conscious choice by author B.A. Paris because she could have easily included snippets of what the neighbors were thinking, or Millie's school master, or even Jack. It probably would have made it to publication in that form. So thank you, thank you Ms. Paris for having the restraint to stick to one narrator.
• No police! I enjoy a police procedural as much as the next person. However, more and more I'm seeing the police thrown into thrillers almost as props. Like they have to be there to make the story seem credible, but it's clear the author has no idea what the police actually do for a living. Do the research or leave them out.
• Likable characters. Grace gets duped, but she is a good person. Esther and Millie are also both good eggs.

This book will go on sale tomorrow, August 9, published by St. Martin's Press

Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud

Can someone really fake their death in 2016? In the era of the internet, Google Earth, and surveillance cameras? In Playing Dead, Elizabeth Greenwood tackles that very question. With a mix of humor and dogged determination, Greenwood covers every aspect of death fraud-- from the investigators who hunt down the not-really-dead before their benefactors can cash in on bogus insurance claims, to the failed death fakers themselves. She even goes as far as to fake her own death via the active fraud network in the Phillipines. It's depressingly easy to attempt-- Greenwood's connections have no problem tracking down a body to unwillingly become the fake dead her-- but staggeringly difficult to master. No one ever contacted her to boast a successfully faked death.

I really enjoyed Greenwood's writing style. I did lose a bit of steam during the chapter on the "believers"-- otherwise normal seeming people who insist celebrities like Michael Jackson are not only alive but sending them coded messages. I know padding when I see it. However, on the whole, Playing Dead is a delightful book with an interesting premise.

This book is set to be published on August 9th 2016 by Simon & Schuster

Rating: ★★★★★

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko

Author: Scott Stambach
Release Date: August 9th 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of publisher and NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

Wow. I don't tend to use the word in book reviews, because I think it's kind of cliche. But, sometimes, a book is just... wow... and there's no better way to describe it.

Ivan has lived his entire seventeen years inside the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. He was born with a number of physical deformities, including missing 3 of his limbs, probably due to radiation exposure after the Chernobyl meltdown. Abandoned by his parents and with little hope for a normal life, Ivan gets through the day by making everything a game. One of his favorites is to pretend to be in a coma to eavesdrop on the nurses. He dislikes most of these nurses, except Nurse Natalya, who is his biggest ally, his book supplier, and, ultimately, his savior.

Much of every day is the same for Ivan, until terminal cancer patient Polina comes to the hospital. Their relationship starts as a friendship, but becomes more. In some ways it's as bleak as the hospital, in other ways it's hopeful and typically teenaged. One thing is for sure: Ivan will never be the same.

There are parts of this book that are uncomfortable to read and even a little gross. But, in it's own way, it's also wonderful and moving. This is a unique book and a strong debut from the author. I recommend it.

The Step Mother

This is a modern interpretation of Snow White, minus the dwarfs (like most people, I'm only familiar with the Disney version of the fairy tale). It's available for purchase today, and I give it two thumbs up.

Author: Claire Seeber
Publisher: Bookouture
Release Date: 7/15/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC via NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

After enduring a disastrous relationship and a career-ending scandal, Jeanie is ready for her Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and whisk her away to his castle. Enter Matthew King, Jeanie's new husband. He's wealthy, successful, handsome, and head over heels in love with Jeanie. It seems like a fairy tale come true, but there are problems from the start. Matthew's twin teenaged children are slow to warm to her, with daughter Scarlett acting openly hostile. Matthew isn't keen on Jeanie's son, Frankie. Then strange things begin to happen. Threats to expose Jeanie's secrets to her husband. Dead pets and wild animals left for her to see. Blood mysteriously appearing in the bathroom. Strange noises and a vision of a woman in a mirror. Jeanie realizes she has to get out of both the horror castle and her marriage before it's too late.

I wavered back and forth on whether to give this four or five stars. The first 80% of the book is near perfect, but it started to fall apart for me toward the end, which is not how you want a thriller to progress. The ending resolutions were drawn out, anti-climatic, but also somehow incomplete. We never get a full understanding of Matthew's character or what his true intentions toward Jeanie are. A lot of the dark twisty turns are explained away as relatively banal family drama. The whole Simon bit was under developed and should have hit the editing room floor. The best part of the last 20% of the book or so is that it finally becomes apparent why sister Marlena's viewpoint is necessary to craft the story. I decided to cut the difference and give this better than average thriller 4.5 stars.

New Release: You Know Me Well

It has occurred to me in the five months since I wrote this review (and there's a reason I no longer review ARCs that far in advance) that I might have been a bit "hetero-normative" with my first paragraph. In my defense, I didn't even know that was a thing. What I do know, is that this is a delightful YA book. It hits the exact right note of being undramatic without being cutesy. And there are amazing passages in it like this:

"... I have known you since the mountains were made and the rivers were formed. I know we're in a weird place right now, but I want you to step out of it and be there for me. Taylor is a boy, and you are my best friend. Taylor is a date, and you are my calendar. Understood?"

Did you swoon? Because I did. The writing in this book is just so darn good. And a YA book about friendship and the value of said friendship over teen romantic attachments? Sign me up.

Title: You Know Me Well
Authors: Nina LaCour and David Levithan
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 6/7/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

Mark and Kate sat next to each other in Calculus class and never said a word to each other. But during the last week of the school year, they randomly find each other in a bar and everything changes. This, of course, is when Mark and Kate start to fall in love, each amazed that their soulmate has been sitting beside them the whole time undetected... or maybe not.

Mark and Kate are both gay, and both in love with seemingly unobtainable people. Both are in the midst of growing apart from their lifelong best friends, something that is especially painful for Mark because he happens to be in love with his. The two develop an instant connection and a fast friendship that they come to rely on. They help each other through insecurities and confront their fears. Kate is a promising art student who is afraid of success and believes she isn't good enough, not for the UCLA art program that accepted her and certainly not for her crush, Violet. Mark lives in terror of being rejected by his best friend, and sometimes secret boyfriend, Ryan. But even though both Kate and Mark are consumed with being in love, the driving engine of this story is their friendship. 

There were so many places where this book could have dissolved into cliche, but it didn't. The ending was just that much more beautiful because it wasn't presented with a neat little bow. The writing and the characters are both fantastic. If I had to make one complaint, I do think Mark and Kate both seemed overly mature for their age.

New Release: Before the Fall

Author: Noah Hawley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: 5/31/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

A plane crashes into the ocean during a seemingly routine flight from Martha's Vineyard to the mainland. No one knows why it went down, or why two people survived while the rest plunged down to the murky water's bottom. The survivors, Scott Boroughs and JJ Bateman are bound together by tragedy but have little else in common. Scott is a middle-aged recovering alcoholic who is trying to eek out a living painting disaster scenes. Both the object of his artwork and the circumstances that landed him on a millionaire's private jet become public speculation in the days following the crash. JJ is four years old, the child of a media mogul and now the sole heir to his parents' fortune. Now a multi-millionaire himself, the child becomes a pawn in family and media drama. The 24/7 media spin cycle plays a huge role in this book. How far will cable news go to feed the public's thirst for controversy and sensation, even when there's no news to report? Does the media's right to report "the truth" outstrip a victim's privacy rights? Or do the ends always justify the means?

Despite being billed as the thriller of the year, this isn't a good example of one. Nor is it a mystery novel-- yes, there's the question of what really happened to the plane, but in a sense it's besides the point. I think of this book as suspense-- the thriller's more cerebral and subdued cousin. It's a page turner in its own right, even if the pacing is a bit slow at times. Some of the villain characters are a little too one-dimensional, but the others are well-developed. Overall a great read.

Coming Soon: Baby Doll

There seem to be a lot of good thrillers coming off the presses this summer. This is one of my favorites so far.

Title: Baby Doll
Author: Hollie Overton
Publisher: Redhook
Release Date: 7/12/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

This is the thriller after the thriller. Most books end with the hostage escaping her torturer's clutches, but that's where this one starts. This is about what happens when a victim returns home to people who have changed in her absence and how they adjust to how she's changed. This is what happens after the prayers are answered: bring my daughter/sister/friend home. Because it's never just as simple as coming home.

Lily spent eight years trapped in a basement by a sadistic pedophile. The only things that keep her going are her daughter and the knowledge that somewhere out in the world her twin sister, Abby, waits for her to return. Lily's disappearance has been hell on her family. Her father couldn't make it through the pain, her mother cycled into promiscuity, and her sister battles addiction. When Lily returns, it should fix everything. But it doesn't. Because it can't. How will this family go forward? And will Lily ever see true justice?

This book pulled me in from the beginning and never let me go. Sometimes I just "click" with a certain book, and that was the case with this one. I did think there were too many narrators and sometimes I had a hard time swallowing unrealistic character behavior (Lily being too calm in the beginning, Rick's "trade" with Lily given how he felt about his daughter). But, overall, I recommend it.

New Release: Street of Eternal Happiness

This is another book I reviewed early in my NetGalley "career," and one of my favorites. I've read a couple books on modern China, and this is the best. It's a great example of non-fiction storytelling.

Title: Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road
Author: Rob Schmitz
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: 5/17/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★

The focus of this book is one single road in Shanghai and its eclectic mix of inhabitants. For years, author Rob Schmitz, an American journalist, lived on the Street of Eternal Happiness with his family. He spent hours wandering up and down the avenue, eating at cafes and ordering off snack carts, visiting local businesses and chatting up his neighbors. Their stories are Shanghai's story.

Schmitz starts by introducing us to a young, optimistic entrepreneur who splits his time selling accordions and running a sandwich shop with an ever-changing menu that does not always include sandwiches. He represents the millions of Chinese who grew up in a post-Mao era and who embrace capitalism with no fear of reprisal. Then there's the owner of the local flower shop, who was part of the 1990s migration from farm to factory. Even though this florist lives in Shanghai, she straddles two worlds between old and new China, obsessed with marrying her sons off to girls from her hometown-- if only bride prices weren't so high these days. There's the elderly woman whose husband runs a pancake shop, and who falls victim to the many ponzi schemes that prey on China's seniors. Through old letters, Schmitz constructs the story of a businessman who was sent to a desolate work camp during the cultural revolution, and how his family chose to embrace the new system rather than mourn his suffering.

Schmitz is an excellent writer and it's impossible not to get sucked into his neighbors' life tales. It's amazing how the Chinese can view their country and their history so differently depending on the lottery of birth. Even husband and wives can't agree whether the remote province where they met was a hell on earth or a paradise overflowing with milk and honey. Every person Schmitz encounters is perusing the "Chinese dream," but none of them agree on just what that is. In modern China, it seems there are as many different realities are there are opportunities.