Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

This one was twisted. It was pretty clear going in what was going on in this book so I knew what to expect.

It's a thriller, one that tells you right off the bat about the crazy things happening, but still takes you along for an even crazier ride.

This book is about the perfect couple. His works, she stays at home. They throw perfect dinner parties, they are together all the time, and they look to have the absolutely perfect marriage that anyone can ask for! Their friends would like to get to know her better, but they can't. She doesn't come to the phone, and when they see her, she's always with her husband. True love. But why are there bars on the windows?

Of course, this is a thriller, so you know that things are not at all what they seem.


This book is so hard to review because I don't want to spoil anything, but I have feelings about things and I want to talk about them!

There was definitely intrigue and thrill in this one. A lot of what was going on I couldn't predict. After all, you find out very quickly a whole lot of the details, but you don't really know the extent of the story until you finish it.

Because you know so much, it's more of a thriller that keeps you reading and makes you want to know what happens next because you really don't understand how things could get worse or better. It's that kind of intense.

I will say I was hoping for more of a rescue in the end, but I did like the very, very end. That was well done in my opinion.

Recommendation: For those who enjoy twisted thrillers, this one is for you. It's not the typical one, but its still as messed up as can be!

We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

This was a bargain book I grabbed off the teen sale table at the bookstore. It looked creepy and weird, something strange to spice up my writing life.

We'll Never Be Apart is a book about a girl named Alice who is locked away in a mental hospital after a fire that killed her boyfriend. She finds out that her twin sister, the one responsible for the fire, is there too, in another ward. To avenge his death, Alice tries to find her twin, with the help of a boy named Chase. Nothing is really what it seems though.

This was a pretty twisted read. I wasn't fully prepared for how it ended, because although I suspected things, I wasn't totally sure about them. It's definitely a book that keeps you on your toes.

I read this in one sitting, and I found it a fairly easy read. It was compelling and kind of hard to read at times, but I pressed on.

For another couple of days after reading this book I found myself thinking about it, which is always a sign of a good story.

I think when I rated it online I gave it two stars, but perhaps it's more of a three star read. It was so twisted and something that could possibly have happened that it kind of freaks me out, ya know? I think part of it felt like perhaps it was written that way to purposely cause shock and awe, which I didn't love, but still. It's an interesting book, just not my favourite.

Recommendation: If you love freaky, thrilling, and twisted reads than this is for you.

My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry

I found this book on the shelf probably last year. It looked interesting, but I didn't grab it because I wasn't feeling this kind of thriller type of story. At the time I think I was pretty deep into YA books so I opted instead to snap up more of those.

Flash forward to a couple months ago. I was looking for a thriller, one that was messed up and weird, that would glue me to the page. I was having a hard time finding something that would interest me. 

Side note: H
as anyone else noticed that so many thrillers have to do with missing kids? Why?

Any way, this book stuck with me. When I was looking for a thriller I might really love, I remembered this book and I searched it out. 

This book is about a young woman who marries a  normal man, determined to make things work. She's a lawyer and meets another man in prison who she finds herself drawn to. There's also the neighbour child who starts becoming involved in their lives. Everyone has secrets, and when the neighbour child shows up on her doorstep years later all grown up, things start to unravel. 

This was a twisted, thrilling story. It wasn't really a full blown thriller, it was more of a slow burning one, but it totally satisfied my craving. 

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, and I wasn't disappointed. 

It's definitely a book that sticks with you. Everyone had secrets in this one, everyone doing things that no one would suspect. It was twisted and strange, but it totally sucked me in and I couldn't let go. 

I read this one in two days, not really wanting to put it down. I guessed a little bit of what was going to happen, but honestly, I was surprised and it was great. 

Recommendation: If you're looking for a good thrilling read, this is it. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I might live under a bit of a rock. When it comes to having read the popular books before they end up being made into t.v. shows and movies, I am way behind. I am never on top of these things till way after everyone else has read and watched them.

Case in point: Big Little Lies. A big chunk of the reason I only just got to watching the show was because I was confusing it with the name of some other show I really didn't want to see. It wasn't until I realized that Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman were in it that I had any interest.

While I was on vacation in North Carolina, I picked up this book on sale in a Barnes and Noble (which was totally cool to finally go to one of those book stores!!) and I figured I would give it a try.

Well, let me just tell you I read the whole thing in one sitting. Took me around 3 hours. Then I went right to my t.v. and binged the entire first season, all in one day.

The book is good. It's weirdly interesting. It's just a story about some people and what's going on in their lives. It's a bit of a mystery, it's a bit of a drama, it's a bit of suspense. Pure, honest, and real drama on the page.

Like if you break the book down in it's barest parts its just a few weeks in the lives of a group of women. So basic, yet so rich and colorful and riveting.

I was stuck to the page. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I needed to know who got murdered, and what that was going to mean. It was not really like a lot of other books that I've read before and I am really glad I snapped it up when I did.

The t.v. show, however, was a little lacking for me. Obviously, that's because we all know the book is better. How could it not be? Some of the choices with adding in extra storylines and then how the ending was executed left me a little sad, but overall, I think it was done well. I'm guessing some of the additions and such were done because they wanted to feed the flames for a second season. Which I know I'm going to watch because I'm in it now. There's no going back.

Recommendation: For fans of this author, for fans of murderous stories about average people, for the lovers of drama. This is for you. Sidenote: If you've watched the show and didn't love it, read the book. The book is always better!

June Wrap Up!

This month felt like it was a big reading month, but it was actually pretty average for me. Most of these books were read in one day or in two days which possibly made me feel like I read more than I did.

I was on a bit of a thriller and easy read hunt this past month and I made it through 4 books.

My Husband's Wife ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a thriller I came across about a year ago but just picked up recently. It's a slow burning one, but one that kept me stuck to the page. I read this in two days.

Behind Closed Doors ⭐⭐⭐
Definitely an interesting thriller. You know right from the start a lot of the main details so it's not much of a twist to the ending, but it's still a page turner

Big Little Lies ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this one. Read it in one day, then went and binged the whole first season of the show that night. Not my usual read, but I liked it. And yes, the book was better!

November 9 ⭐⭐⭐
This was part of my need to read new things and break out of my reading habits. I've never read a Colleen Hoover before this, and although I was glued to the page, it was an okay easy read, I read it in one sitting. Didn't wow me like I was hoping.

Full and detailed reviews will be up soon (hopefully!) if you'd like to know more!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

This book had a lot of hype for about 15 minutes when it came out. It's one of those books that are for the lovers of thrillers, like Gone Girl and the like. Way back I had a long love affair with thrillers and it's only been the last couple years that I've felt differently about them. I think I find them too repetitive and almost too predictable sometimes. This one had a story line that was a little reminicent of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express in that the mystery happens in an enclosed space where no one apart from those on board could have done it. Anyway, back to this book.

This book takes place on a boat trip with a small group of people. The main character is convinced she saw someone who supposedly doesn't exist, and then she heard someone get killed. There are twists and turns, and a whole lot of mystery surrounding the story. 

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. There was a lot of back and forth that wasn't really necessary with forshadowing coming events that I could have really done without. It kind of drove me nuts. I didn't feel like it added anything. It distracted me more than anything because I felt like we didn't know enough yet to really believe them. It's hard to explain without actually giving away spoilers which I refuse to do. 

The story was told from the point of view of the main character but so much of her story was about feelings which weighed down on me. I couldn't really connect to her, I felt her to be so focused on emotions rather then really buckling down and figuring out what was going on. There wasn't enough I could get behind as a character. 

This story was a fairly quick read. I don't think it had quite enough meat for me. I wanted more. I did make me think though, and I am curious about what will happen next for these characters. I felt like the book ended almost without me noticing which I guess is a good thing. 

I didn't hate this book. I read it all the way through and I didn't give up on it. I just wanted more I think. It wasn't mind blowing like all the reviews said it was going to be (then again, I didn't like Gone, Girl at all so that should have told me something right there) 

Recommendation: If you liked Gone, Girl and other thrillers of that nature, you will really like this. 

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

A few years back I was reading a lot of thrillers to the point where I think might have almost ruined thrillers for myself. They tend to be rather repetitive in their storylines and I've been finding myself underwhelmed quite often by the new ones.

I got the chance to buy this book as an e-book at a really great deal so I had to give it a chance.

I was afraid that was going to happen this time with this book. I was about half way into it when I was getting bored thinking it was repetitive and stereotypical but... It totally redeemed itself by the end. 

This book is about two women, both dealing with their lives the best they can. One loses their husband and the other rejoices by the loss of someone who hurt them badly. Their stories intertwine and there's a whole lot of mystery and intrigue that comes. I want to say more but I'm afraid that I might unleash a spoiler which I really don't want to do. Check this out on your favorite book site if you want to know more. 

I didn't know where this book was going, but I'm really glad I stuck it out to the end. It took a lot of twists and turns I wasn't expecting, and I definitely felt like it grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat. This is one thriller that actually thrilled me.

Recommendation: Must read for all fans of thrillers. You won't be disappointed. 

The Sandman by Lars Kepler

So this book is the fourth book in a series by a Swedish couple who use the pen name Lars Kepler. They are named Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and are both published authors on their own.

When I heard about this series that follows Detective Inspector Joona Linna, it was said that Lars Kepler was the next Stieg Larsson (the author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books) and I was excited because I loved those books.

The Sandman was a creepy, mildly shocking thriller. It wasn't really too heavy on the mystery side, it was more about catching the person they already knew did it. There was a lot of bits that were on the scary, in-your-face, psychological side and I don`t know how I feel about that. As far as it being like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books... I don`t really think so.

The chapters were super short and it was a fairly easy read. I`m not really sure how I feel about the characters either. They were odd to me, and I found it hard to identify with them. I liked it, but I didn't like it that much. I`m glad it was a library book though, and that I didn't take the plunge and buy it.  I don`t really think I`ll be reading any more of these books either. Just not my style.

Recommendation: If you like creepy psychological thrillers, then you will like this.

Devil Bones and Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

I've been a big fan of the t.v. show Bones since it came out but until recently, I hadn't read any of the books that the show was based on. If you didn't already know the show (and the books) feature Temperance Brennan who is a forensic anthropologist. The similarities between the show and the books pretty much stop there. The books feature different characters, the main character has different personality traits, and where and for who Temperance works is different. The books follow the actual career of Kathy Reichs more closely than the show does, which isn't really a negative for me. I'm happy they aren't exactly like the books. I do wish though, that the two could have been a little more the same.


I picked both of these books up used at the same time but Devil Bones was the first one I read. I found it interesting. The story line featured some voodoo/magic type stuff which is always interesting in my book.

The down side I found was it was a lot like other thrillers of this type. It followed the same type of plot twists, the same type of ending, just overall the same feel as others I've read like this. It was an easy read and enjoyable at the time, but it just didn't stand out to me.

I didn't exactly solve the mystery before it was revealed but I did feel like it was something I've read before. I think perhaps I was expecting more from the book because I love the show so much.

I did my best to go into reading Cross Bones with an open mind. After all, I didn't know enough about this author's writing to make an overall assumption on her work. This one was  different for sure. This story focuses on Israel and the skeletons of what could have been Jesus and his family.

Kathy spend a year researching this book, even going to Israel herself. All the information relating to the bones and their details was actual fact, which I thought was pretty cool. I did find it a little heavy handed at times with the repetition of the facts as she did include a little fact sheet at the front of the book besides telling us more than once each little bit of information.

What kind of bugged me was that it felt like the mystery of the present day dead man killed in his warehouse fell way down by the wayside with the trip to Israel and the talk of the very old bones and who they could have belonged to. The murdered man's mystery was solved by the end but the mystery of the old bones has never been solved in reality so it wasn't solved in the book and it left me feeling like it was an incomplete story. It just wasn't really a favourite. I don't think I'll be collecting the series and adding them to my library.

Recommendation: Not bad reads. Entertaining for what they are but just don't expect them to be super similar to the show. Good if you like medical mystery/thrillers.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I came across this book towards the end of last year I believe, around the time the editions with the movie tie in covers were hitting the shelves. All I knew of it was that it was a mystery with a crazy twist. 

I was a little late to the party so I had spoken to a couple people about the book, and for the most part, they said that it was rather slow going at first but it really picked up again by the end. I was told the twist ending was worth reading the book. 

Honestly, none of that deterred me. I often find myself enjoying books where others have said they were slow or boring so I went into reading this book with a totally open mind. Well, except for the fact that Ben Affleck was starring in the movie and I'm not really a fan of his. 

I came across a deal and bought the book. Took me about three hours to read it, and I finished it in one sitting. Then I very nearly threw it across the room. 

I utterly and completely disliked this book. Why, you ask?

It was predicable. It was unrealistic. The ending was entirely improbable. There was a whole slew of bits in the middle that were unnecessary to the plot in my opinion. I won't go into more detail because I never want to spoil any book, even one I didn't like, for you the reader. 

I can appreciate what the author was trying to do with the story, and the concept was pretty neat, but it just made me mad. Her writing was perfect and I do not doubt her talent, its just it wasn't what I would have wanted. It just wasn't for me. 

The end though... I don't believe anyone, anywhere would live that way. Sorry. It could have been so much more, really. The twist was like a huge firework that shot into the air to only puff out a couple dull sparks and fade away. It was not enough. Maybe I was so annoyed with this book because it wasn't tied up neatly in a bow that sparkles and lets you know everything is all right. I don't know. 

No, I haven't seen the movie. I know things can appear differently on screen then in a book and maybe it works better as a movie. Who knows. It just didn't work as a book for me. 

Recommendation: See the movie, maybe?  I don't know. It was a total miss for me. 

 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Everywhere I look, I see photos, copies, comments, and posts about this book. Its super popular and its supposed to be the same kind of thriller some have compared to Gone Girl. 

I found it for $10 off the cover price a couple weeks ago so I snapped it up to see what all the fuss was about. We all know the synopsis by now about the girl who rides the train and sees something happen. That there's a couple in a house she always watches from her seat and a story unfolds from there. I won't say any more.

Basically it is a story told from the point of view of a couple of the main characters. It is set up with morning and night tidbits. It reads exactly how someone would think it, meaning that there is a lot of things which don't come out right away since this is the kind of story without too much foreshadowing. It is full of twists and turns and with facts being revealed all the time. It really does keep the reader on their toes.

I read this in one day, in one sitting actually. Took me about 4 hours I believe. Half way through I couldn't put it down and I just had to find out the result. I even recounted most of the story to my guy that night.

I wouldn't list this as an all time favorite, but I did enjoy it. It's one of those books that forces you to look inside the more tawdry, salacious sides of peoples lives. It tends to leave the reader feeling sort of exposed by the end. I couldn't really connect too much with any of the characters though, but I did understand them.

For the mystery type thriller that it was, it was great. I didn't figure out the who did it until the author told me which I like. It's more fun when I can't tell for sure. All in all, it was good.

Recommendation: If this book caught your attention then by all means read it and find out what all the fuss is about.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

For a while now I would pass this book on the shelf at the bookstore almost every time I was there. The cover is beautiful and the title was interesting to me, but I always passed it up. On average I prefer to spend no more than around $10 for a new book. Anything more than $15 and I pass them up. Why? because I know I can find it later at the used book store or the thrift store if I wait for a lot cheaper. Or I can find it online for a lot cheaper too. Either way, this book wasn't coming home with me until it was a great deal. As it turns out, I didn't find it for a cheaper price, instead when I was browsing a table of books one day at the store, I came across it again and it was signed. No way I could pass that up!

I had the usual preconcieved notions going into this book. It sounded like the usual witch who doesn't know she's really a super power who meets a dark mysterious vampire who is quiet but super protective without knowing her at all. They were going to complete some mission together and fall in love. Don't get me wrong, I do really enjoy those books. And yes, this one had all those elements just like I thought, but it also had a whole lot more. 

Everything about it felt a little different. The story really morphed and evolved into something I really wasn't expecting. It was beautifully written and it left me wanting more. There was a lot of interesting historical referenes and details that did not feel dumbed down like in some other books. It was lovely. It actually took me a lot longer to read than I thought it would. I didn't mind though it was a very interesting read.

The characters were written so well. There was depth to them, vulnerability, and strength which you don't always see in this type of story. I found it quite refreshing. My preconceived notions that would have turned into a complaint were dashed by the end. Now I am hooked. I am so happy that this is the first of three in a series and that all of the books in the series are out already so I won't have to wait too long to read the rest!

Recommendation: I highly recommend it. If you like stories about witches and vampires who fall in love and save the world, then read this. I know you will love it too!

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Series

The first series I wanted to talk about is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo books by Steig Larsson. I believe they are also called the Millenium Triolgy but I never liked that moniker.

If you did not know they were written by an amazing Swedish author and were published posthumously. I really wish this wasn't the case because I would have loved to read more of his writing.  I read online that he had plans for 10 novels but only finished the three before his death. I am not sure if  that is true, but it definetly makes me wish he could have written them all.

You may have heard that there is a new book coming out using the same characters and perhaps some of the general plot points of the previous novels. This was written by a different man and although its related it's supposed to be somewhat of a different take, I believe. I could be wrong. It's supposed to be released at the beginning of September here in Canada.

I am on the fence about it, to be honest. There are many books that have been read by someone else using (with permission of course) the characters and style of another deceased author which I have enjoyed, and who knows, this one might be just as good. I will have to wait and see what the reviews are like. 

I have what I call a Twilight complex when it comes to books that everyone becomes obsessed with. Often I will find myself hating the books that are so very popular with everyone else. Not these ones thought. 

I loved these books. So much so that I have read them twice and i think it's about time I read them again. 

These books are for the mystery lovers, for the thrill seekers, for the lover of a good read. They do look long and drawn out, but honestly, I didn't notice the length of them. I really enjoyed the ride. I will say there are parts that are very detailed and you may wonder why we needed to know this, but other then that, they are great. I really liked being sort of immersed in Swedish culture and the use of Swedish names and such. Kept it fresh for me.

I could go into more detail, but in case you have not yet had the pleasure of reading these lovely books, or if you've seen the movie, it would be quite unnecessary. 

As for the movies, well I have only seen the original Swedish version with the subtitles starring the amazing Noomi Rapace and it was perfect. I refused to watch the Americanized version because in my eyes not one could replace her as Lisbeth Salander. 

If you were interested in picking up these books for yourself, I would suggest you have a look at your local thrift store or used bookstore. I was in one a couple days ago and they had four copies of the first two for sale for about 5$. No doubt they will be readily available again because of the new novel coming out. 

Recommendation: Read them! I don't think you'll be disappointed as long as you don't let the long lenth discourage you.

Thank you for reading!

Pamela