Sunday Summary - May 26th to June 1st, 2019

Welcome to my Sunday Summary.  A look back on my bookish adventures for the past week.

Well, May zoomed by in a chilly haste.  I hope we are now  back on track for summer!  I love seeing everything so green!

Books Reviewed:

Ask Again Yes, by Mary Beth Keane is my first mention this week.  I LOVED this book, and I am certainly not alone.  5 stars for this book, no hesitation!  You can read my full review HERE.

My Sister The Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite. I seem to have an unpopular opinion of this one, I found it a little underwhelming.  My full review is in THIS POST

Last up is The Stranger In Our Home, by Sophie Draper. My review of this Thriller can be found HERE.

Ramblings and Miscellany:

May 28th was the birth date of Ian Fleming - author and creator of none other than James Bond!

Advance Reading Copy (ARC) Books Previously Reviewed and Released this Week:

Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane, mentioned above in "books reviewed" was published this week. 

Currently Reading and Notable Titles on Deck:

I am currently reading Sorcery Of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson.  I am hoping to finish prior to its pub day this Tuesday, but it isn't looking like that will happen. Fingers crossed! I am enjoying it though ☺

I am currently listening to The Better Sister, by Alafair Burke. Wow, I can't wait to see how it ends!

On Deck, The Philosophy Of Ruin, by Nicholas Mancusi. 

So many good books to read while soaking up the sun now that summer is almost here! I hope you all have a good line up of books to enjoy!

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: The Stranger In Our Home, by Sophie Draper

The Stranger In Our Home, by Sophie Draper

HarperAudio - 2018
Thriller
Audio
Narrated by Emma Pallant

11 Hours, 41 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐

Slow start but with a strong finish.

When Caro's step-mother Elizabeth dies, she is surprised to find out that the estate - including the home in the English countryside that she grew up in, has been left to her and her estranged sister Steph. She is somewhat surprised by this since Elizabeth did not seem to like Steph or especially Caro much at all.

As a struggling artist having just escaped from a bad relationship and staying at a friends place as the final weeks of the lease run out, the timing could not be better.  Especially since Steph has settled in the United States and suggests that Caro live at the home. As Caro moves in and begins to sort through Elizabeth's possessions, she is plagued my long buried memories, and bothered by the  reaction of the local townspeople to her presence.  What happened all those years ago to make Elizabeth hate her so much?

This book had a real slow start. I struggled with it at first and almost gave up. It wasn't until I was about half-way through that the story started to pique my interest. Once that happened though, the remainder was a good. 

The narration was provided by Emma Pallant who performed well, with good cadence and tone and a full range emotion. Her range of character was good and they were easily identifiable as she was able to affect different accents as needed, switching seemingly easily from English to American and even Canadian. 

On the whole, a good book, slow to start but with a stronger second half.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review, My Sister The Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister The Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Random House Audio - 2018
General Fiction / Satire
Audiobook
Narrated by Adepero Oduye

4 Hours, 15 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐

After hearing so much about this book, I was pretty hyped up about giving it a go, but ended up somewhat underwhelmed by it. 

The title, while intriguing, pretty much sums up the whole story. Korede's younger sister Ayoola is the popular sister - the one everybody loves. She is prettier and more outgoing than Korede, but she has a nasty habit of killing her boyfriends. Korede - the ever faithful older sister, helps Ayoola hide the evidence of her dark side.  One day the man that Korede desires meets Ayoola, and naturally he falls for her. Now Korede must decide whether to protect her sister, or her love interest. 

This book is categorized as satire, but while it does have its moments, I really did not find it particularly funny. The story wasn't horrible (if it had been I would have DNF'd it), it was simply underwhelming for me.  The story chugged along at a 3 star rating, but then the ending fell a bit flat for me as well.

Narration was provided by Adepero Oduye. Her voice and tone were pleasant enough, and her range of emotion was good. I did feel though, that a production choice was made to read the much of the text with "standard North American" pronunciation, while many specific words and names were pronounced with a definite Nigerian accent (which makes sense given that the story is set in Lagos); but the flip-flopping between the extremes in accents left the audio version feeling a little "clunky", leaving me to think this book would be better in print or if all of the book had been narrated with at least some Nigerian accent to make the narration flow better and come across as smoother.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane

Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane

Simon & Schuster Canada - Available May 28th, 2019
Literary Fiction
E-book 

400 Pages
* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own. 

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A deeply moving story about the legacy of trauma and the healing power of forgiveness as told through two families over several generations.

The story opens in 1973 as Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope meet while both are rookies on the police force in New York. They ultimately end up being neighbors in a small suburban community as Francis and his wife Lena move in to the house next door to Brian and his wife Anne. The two  couples never develop any kind of close relationship, but the Stanhope's son Peter and the Gleeson's daughter Kate end up being the very best of friends.

One night something horrible happens which results in both families going in directions they could never have imagined. The Stanhopes must leave suddenly and Peter and Kate are torn apart, forbidden to contact each other.  The absence of each leaves a hole in the other's life, and eventually they find their way back together, their childhood friendship blossoming into something new; but the events of that fateful night years before cannot be forgotten Together, they lead themselves and their families on a journey of enlightenment, acceptance and forgiveness.

There is a saying, "be kind, for every person is fighting a battle you may know nothing about". This book beautifully captures that idea. Each of these characters is fighting battles- their own personal demons. This book also demonstrates the soul freeing power of forgiveness.  Keane's writing was superb and took me through a wide range of emotion, her characters complex but not complicated. The story so expertly woven that you do not immediately realize how delicate some of the threads are until you finish and see the story as a whole.

This stunning  and poignant story of trauma and tragedy, friendship and forgiveness,  is a great read by itself, but would be an excellent choice for a book club read or a buddy read.  

Happy Reading,

Christine

Sunday Summary - May 19th to 25th, 2019

Welcome to my Sunday Summary.  A look back on my bookish adventures for the past week.

May is a busy month here. Soccer two nights a week, swimming lessons once a week, Mother's Day, and no less than four family birthdays, all but one of which are celebrated twice. Whew! Getting my reviews written and posted has been a challenge to say the least. As such this week's summary will be very short and sweet.

Books Reviewed:

I only managed to post one review this week.

Brother, by David Chariandy. This book was short-listed for this year's CBC Canada Reads competition.  You can see my thoughts on this CanLit title in THIS POST

Ramblings and Miscellany:

May 22 was Sherlock Holmes Day. Read more about that HERE

On May 25th we went on social media to give a nod to Douglas Adams on Towel Day. Fans of HHGTTG will understand. 

View this post on Instagram

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” ― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe #TowelDay #DouglasAdams #HHGTTG #Booknerdigans

A post shared by The Last Page Turned Book Blog (@thelastpageturned) on May 25, 2019 at 3:43

Advance Reading Copy (ARC) Books Previously Reviewed and Released this Week:

No books previously reviewed on the blog were released this week. 

Currently Reading and Notable Titles on Deck:

I have a few reviews pending - Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane - which I will be dropping today or tomorrow, My Sister The Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite and The Suspect, by Fiona Barton.

I am currently reading Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson. I am in-between audiobooks and have not yet chosen my next title. 

Next up will be The Philosophy Of Ruin, by Nicholas Mancusi. 

I don't know if it is as unseasonably cold everywhere else as it is here, but I hope a proper spring will arrive soon!

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: Brother, by David Chariandy

Brother, by David Chariandy

Penguin Random House Canada Audio - 2017
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Joseph Pierre

4 Hours, 9 Minutes

Short-listed for CBC's 2019 Canada Reads, Winner of the 2017 Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize, Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee 2017

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story of a first generation Canadian - a young black man, and his family, living in a cycle of racism, poverty and violence. A wake-up call to to Canadians who think that racism is not an issue here.

Michael and his brother Francis were both born in Canada. They were being raised by their mother who immigrated from Trinidad in hopes of a better future for herself and her children. That promise of a better future and all the hopes that went with it remained unfulfilled though. Their father left the family when the boys were very young, and poverty, racism, and violence were everyday experiences for the family - a cycle that some die from, and few escape from unscathed.

Told in shifting time lines, the story follows Michael as he recounts growing up at the side of his big brother Francis, as close and loving as brothers can be, and the days leading up to Francis' death in an act of violence.
 
"He was my brother. The one who told me about lightning and girls. The one who crouched beside me in hideouts when we were little. His shoulder thin and bare against mine, his body always just a skin away."

Beautifully written, this bittersweet story could be the story of any one of thousands of immigrant/first generation Canadian families. It is a story of unfulfilled potential and promise and a story of grief. It is also a story of love and hope and resilience. It is a story that reminds us of how society shapes the future of our youth. While the characters and events in this story were fictional, the social issues addressed in this story are very real.

While the subject is heartrendingly sad, it is told with beautiful prose. Short but emotionally intense, I can see why it was chosen as one of the  short-listed books for this year's Canada Reads on CBC, with this year's theme being "One book to move you". I can certainly say that I was moved.

This book was narrated by Joseph Pierre. Cadence and tone were pleasant and he performed with a good range of character and emotion. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Ramblings: Sherlock Holmes Day / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Birthday

Sherlock Holmes Day / Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Birthday

Today - May 22nd, marks the birth date of one of Crime literature's most beloved authors - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22nd, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. While he was educated as a medical doctor, he became famous for his work as an author. 

His first story featuring the iconic detective was A Study In Scarlet, published in 1887. In total, he wrote 56 short stories and 4 novels featuring Sherlock Holmes. At one point he grew tired of writing Sherlock Holmes stories and he considered writing a death for Holmes. Feeling some pressure from his mother not to kill the character, he instead started charging a much higher amount to the publisher for Sherlock Holmes stories, thinking that would discourage the publisher from wanting more, but the publisher was willing to pay the increased price without issue, making him one of the highest paid authors of his time. Ultimately he did write a scene in where Holmes seems to go over the side of a waterfall with his nemesis Professor Moriarty - but later wrote more stories passing the scene off as a diversion to Holmes other enemies, and saying only Moriarty actually went over the falls.

Doyle also wrote in other genres, including; Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Poetry, History, and Non-Fiction, as well as plays.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died July 7, 1930 of a heart attack. Since then there have been many authors who have written stories featuring the iconic detective, as well as movies and T.V. 

Happy Reading, 

Christine