Ever read anything by Liane Moriarty? Now, if you're like me, you see Moriarty and think Sherlock Holmes. Nope. Liane Moriarty is an author from Australia. Yes, I agree, still a very enjoyable accent. Just ask my niece who has a "thing" for the British actor Hugh Grant, because of his accent. Don't ask me, it would take me a year of blog posts and I still might not be able to explain it. Fortunately this is about books not movies, back to our hero Liane!
There are seven books by Ms. Moriarty: The Hypnotist's Love Story, What Alice Forgot, Big Little Lies, The Last Anniversary, Three Wishes, The Husband's Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty. Unless you've been living under a rock or without a tv, you're familiar with Big Little Lies, which was turned into a mini-series for HBO with Nichole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, etc. The series was interesting but nothing is ever as good as the book. Frankly, I'd read all of her books before seeing the series so I am a bit biased.
I'm a thriller girl. I read slowly, so I need something to grab me right from the beginning and rocket me to the end...no stopping to clean the bathroom, buy groceries and certainly not to vacuum! (To be honest my vacuum is broken so that is impossible anyway.) Many of Liane Moriarty's books are not big "hook" books for me. Luckily my first read was The Husband's Secret, a woman is in her attic and comes across a sealed note written by her husband that says to open upon his death. Hubby who is not home, calls and blows it off telling his wife not to open it. As we all know, temptation is a hard thing to deny, ask Laura Petrie and that darn inflatable raft! So there was my seat on the roller coaster, I was in...for that one. However, some of her books start much more slowly. Hey they can't all be thrillers, but for a thriller reader non big start books can seem ho hum.
If you like a good story, if you can trust the author literally (pardon the pun) putting your valuable time in her hands, Liane Moriarty WILL deliver. Her stories are about average everyday people, often neighbors doing something as normal as having a barbeque. You wouldn't think there is a book in that but she proves you wrong, you just have to trust. Know that in the end you'll be amazed that someone could make such a wonderful tale out of nothing. I think a great many people, non-authors, could make an acceptable story out of a power house idea, but Liane Moriarty can make a wonderful story out of common situations. Because her stories are often so "everyday" you feel included, it could be your block, people you know....you.
If I were starting to read these wonderful books, I'd start with The Husband's Secret, I'm partial to Three Wishes as it is about triplets and I have three sisters that actually are triplets, Truly Madly Guilty kind of reminds me of the book A Man Called Ove, and don't be afraid of the Last Anniversary which I thought would be about death but isn't. I think if I had to rank all her books, my favorite would be Truly, Madly, Guilty and my least favorite The Hypnotist's Love Story. Anyone of these books would make a great summer read, just remember to trust the author, you'll be happy you did.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Negative Reviews
Before we go any further, or anybody actually starts to read this, (perhaps nobody ever will) I think we should address negative reviews. If there are no negative reviews, would you really trust the reviewer? Is it possible that everything you've read is your taste? I say no way! Not possible. Everyone likes something different. If I give something a negative review it by no means is an indication that the work is no good, or that you wouldn't enjoy it. The only meaning to take from my feelings, is that it wasn't my cup of tea. The book business would be pretty darn boring if we all liked the same thing, so long live the negative review. That being said, I have very few negative reviews, having reviewed books in my head for years not that have been published here since this is....for the zillionth time....yeah ....shut up April we know, it's new already blah blah blah. Hey! Stop dismissing me! I was going to say that I like most of what I read because I know what the book is about before I buy it, and frankly, I have some authors I just plain ole' trust to deliver.
Ahem, the aforementioned disclaimer intact, I would like to say something negative about Stephen King. Gasp all you want, I'm serious. For me, the more books that Stephen King writes, the more issues I have with them. My first problem was with the end of It. I'm not saying anything about what the book is about, no spoilers, I'm just saying when I got to the end I wondered what happened. I was totally into the story then...what? Really? That? Are you kidding me? Did you like the "you know what?"
Next negative, still on poor old put-upon Stephen King, is it me or is he getting way wordier? Is he getting paid by the word suddenly? Now, I've recently read a book by another author that had zero plot and they put every adjective they could in to stretch it....I mean what each person took in their coffee, which shelf on the fridge each item was on. You get the point. It's like when you were in second grade and the teacher asked you to write 50 words. You wrote about the red ball, that was bouncy, shiny, big, rubbery, you get my point. But Stephen King always has great plots so what is with all the extra words?
Now I have a bone to pick with The Dome. That dome comes down, I'm totally in. Like clear my schedule, the chicken can cook itself, tell hubby to eat a peanut butter sandwich all weekend IN! Then we are introduced to no less than 45 million characters. Oh yes, I counted, 45 million exactly! I realize the dome came down over a town but I really don't need to know every single resident.
All of this grief about Stephen King, let me regroup and say he IS Stephen King. STEPHEN KING. A God among authors and frankly, I adore him. Now remember on one hand he's, you know, a legend, and on the other I can make a great stuffed braided bread. Judge for yourself. Although I will be cooking nothing as he has a new book out, The Outsider, which looks fantastic and I must go read immediately!
Ahem, the aforementioned disclaimer intact, I would like to say something negative about Stephen King. Gasp all you want, I'm serious. For me, the more books that Stephen King writes, the more issues I have with them. My first problem was with the end of It. I'm not saying anything about what the book is about, no spoilers, I'm just saying when I got to the end I wondered what happened. I was totally into the story then...what? Really? That? Are you kidding me? Did you like the "you know what?"
Next negative, still on poor old put-upon Stephen King, is it me or is he getting way wordier? Is he getting paid by the word suddenly? Now, I've recently read a book by another author that had zero plot and they put every adjective they could in to stretch it....I mean what each person took in their coffee, which shelf on the fridge each item was on. You get the point. It's like when you were in second grade and the teacher asked you to write 50 words. You wrote about the red ball, that was bouncy, shiny, big, rubbery, you get my point. But Stephen King always has great plots so what is with all the extra words?
Now I have a bone to pick with The Dome. That dome comes down, I'm totally in. Like clear my schedule, the chicken can cook itself, tell hubby to eat a peanut butter sandwich all weekend IN! Then we are introduced to no less than 45 million characters. Oh yes, I counted, 45 million exactly! I realize the dome came down over a town but I really don't need to know every single resident.
All of this grief about Stephen King, let me regroup and say he IS Stephen King. STEPHEN KING. A God among authors and frankly, I adore him. Now remember on one hand he's, you know, a legend, and on the other I can make a great stuffed braided bread. Judge for yourself. Although I will be cooking nothing as he has a new book out, The Outsider, which looks fantastic and I must go read immediately!
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Book Talk
Hello everyone or no one as is more likely since this is brand new.
I wanted to quickly address how I want to write in this blog. I don't want to give you a plot rundown of every book, let's face it, you're likely already aware. If you haven't seen the cover or dust jacket, then you've read the general plot on line. What I'd rather do is pretend that we're friends and chat in a more natural way.
So for my very first discussion let us start at the very beginning. Queue clouds opening, sunbeams shining down and angels harmonizing in unison. The very first book I can remember reading for pleasure as a teen was.....ready for it.....ready? I don't hear group cheering, I do hear my husband groaning to get on with it already especially since nobody is reading this and I'm basically putting off making dinner to type to myself! The very first I bought, with my allowance, and read was The Shining. Yes, when it was originally released. Hey, don't judge about my age, you'll be this age someday (frickin' whippersnappers). We were actually going to Myrtle Beach for Easter vacation, my whole family that is. As a teen I wanted to look oh so cool on the beach, The Shining had a very cool metallic silver cover, certain to get any boy's attention and then probably blind him for life with the South Carolina sun bouncing off that cover. But I didn't care about ruining eyesight! Of course, hubby just said my boobs got the attention, not Stephen King. He's probably right, don't tell him I said that he's right about anything. I'll never hear the end of it.
Back to The Shining by Stephen King, it was fantastic. I loved the whole thing! If you have only watched the movie, I implore you to get the book. It takes you to places that the movie never thought of going, literally, like the basement for example. The book tells you or shows you why The Overlook is the way it is and how it got to be that way. It also explains why Jack can't just up and leave when the going gets tough, or knife-welding crazy. Please, if you like to read, throw a couple bucks Stephen King's way and get it. Memorial Day weekend is coming up. Read it at the cookout when you're trying to avoid all the old people medical talk, or new parents' poopy diaper diatribes. I promise you, The Shining, will deliver like a holiday cheeseburger never could!
I wanted to quickly address how I want to write in this blog. I don't want to give you a plot rundown of every book, let's face it, you're likely already aware. If you haven't seen the cover or dust jacket, then you've read the general plot on line. What I'd rather do is pretend that we're friends and chat in a more natural way.
So for my very first discussion let us start at the very beginning. Queue clouds opening, sunbeams shining down and angels harmonizing in unison. The very first book I can remember reading for pleasure as a teen was.....ready for it.....ready? I don't hear group cheering, I do hear my husband groaning to get on with it already especially since nobody is reading this and I'm basically putting off making dinner to type to myself! The very first I bought, with my allowance, and read was The Shining. Yes, when it was originally released. Hey, don't judge about my age, you'll be this age someday (frickin' whippersnappers). We were actually going to Myrtle Beach for Easter vacation, my whole family that is. As a teen I wanted to look oh so cool on the beach, The Shining had a very cool metallic silver cover, certain to get any boy's attention and then probably blind him for life with the South Carolina sun bouncing off that cover. But I didn't care about ruining eyesight! Of course, hubby just said my boobs got the attention, not Stephen King. He's probably right, don't tell him I said that he's right about anything. I'll never hear the end of it.
Back to The Shining by Stephen King, it was fantastic. I loved the whole thing! If you have only watched the movie, I implore you to get the book. It takes you to places that the movie never thought of going, literally, like the basement for example. The book tells you or shows you why The Overlook is the way it is and how it got to be that way. It also explains why Jack can't just up and leave when the going gets tough, or knife-welding crazy. Please, if you like to read, throw a couple bucks Stephen King's way and get it. Memorial Day weekend is coming up. Read it at the cookout when you're trying to avoid all the old people medical talk, or new parents' poopy diaper diatribes. I promise you, The Shining, will deliver like a holiday cheeseburger never could!
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Hello everyone. My name is April and I'm a housewife. I like to cook, hate to clean and love to read. As you can probably guess, reading becomes a crutch to some major procrastination! I read digital books and hard copies; I don't listen to audio books. Not sure why, except I want characters to have my voice, and the author's of course. Most of the books I read I really like but I'm fairly cautious about what I buy. I lean heavily on reviews from friends, social media and from vendors sites. I think if a story really interested me, I'd pretty much read anything. However, my current my favorite genre is thrillers, but I swing wildly from that path especially when I trust the author to deliver something wonderful. I'm constantly pestering my family with "book chat" so thought I'd pester you instead. You're most likely further away, don't know any of my deep, dark secrets, and wouldn't dare pull a prank on me. This is a really safe bet since this is my first post and there is nobody here to read it. Alas, I sentence you, dear universe, to sit through my book ramblings! Sorry, but you'll wipe us out someday with an asteroid, so I figure we're even.
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