The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Hello everyone.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. To quote the magician in Frosty, things here are "busy, busy, busy" as I suspect they are for you.  For the rest of the year, I'll try to hold back on the jibber jabber and get on with thoughts about books instead of housewife stuff. I know your time is extra valuable this time of year!

A few months ago I read The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. I delayed writing any reviews on this book as I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  Finishing this story I felt ....blah....on the other hand I was satisfied.

This is the story of woman, Avery, who lives in a coastal town in Maine. Avery handles vacation rentals in this paradise for the wealthy. Suddenly, Avery's friend Sadie is found dead. The police insist Sadie's death is a suicide but Avery is not so sure. The story is easy to read, engaging from the very beginning and all around pleasant as far as who-dun-its go.  I really liked it. Yet when I completed The Last House Guest, I was underwhelmed. Since I knew the story was good, I couldn't figure out why. I think the issue for me is that this book is listed as a thriller. I actually googled the genre "thriller". This certainly qualifies. For me, though, a thriller is when I can't stop flipping pages; when my heart is beating fast because someone is running for their life or is hiding in a closet about to be found out. Something quick and tense. This book is not like that. For me, this is a really good story with a big old mystery at the heart. Once over the lack of adrenaline rush, I realized I really did like this book.

If you want a great mystery, this is definitely a book to check out. If you want your heart pounding so fast you almost faint, take a look at my kitchen after holiday cookie baking....it's the worst kind of thriller!

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Hello everyone.

I don't know how my parents managed. How could they take care of a three year old child and have newborn triplets? If you knew my sisters you'd know that it is an even bigger feat than you think!  I'm not saying they were, and continue to be, a pain but....  Anyway, I remember my parents each sitting at one end of the sofa, with me sitting on the floor watching tv. They were each giving a child a bottle and the third was sitting, leaning against me, with my arms wrapped around her so she couldn't fall over. I am still not sure how my mother coped when my dad was at work, three cribs lined up in one bedroom with screaming, I mean delightful, babies wanting attention. Since both sets of grandparents were local, I suspect my grandmothers were the key. Otherwise, a nanny would have been a huge help.

I just read The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. This is the story of a young nanny who works for a family in a remote "smart house" in the Scottish Highlands. The homeowners and parents of four children have to go out of town immediately after the nanny, Rowan, is hired, leaving her to figure out the electronic gizmos and the often unruly children. As the house begins to have a mind of its own, with unexplainable things happening, the reader becomes entranced in the story.  Add into the mix a dark history for the isolated house along with the legend of ghosts, and the story is off and running in true Ruth Ware form.

This book is full of mood and description without being wordy. It puts you firmly into this bizarre home, feeling everything from the terror of things going bump in the night, to the cold of the Scottish evenings.  As usual the author stays on topic, with a strong plot drawing the reader in deeper and deeper into the story until it is impossible not to read to the unforgettable end.  As I said with The Death of Mrs. Westaway (June 2, 2018), I've read all of Ruth Ware's books and each one is better than the last, leaving me to wonder what she will do next.

Be forewarned, if you read this, you may well chuck your electronic assistant (Alexa) into the trash.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Hello everyone.

It seems early but it must be summer. I had to turn on the air conditioning. My husband says I'm so cheap I squeak. He's wrong (on a lot of things but I digress). I'm not cheap, I actually spend way too much money. However, I want to spend it on good stuff. Who wants to spend precious cash on utilities when there are wine and books to be purchased? And...read the following the an exaggerated eye roll... let us not forget how I am rolling through dishwashers like most people do underwear. Now that I've managed to work eye rolling, wine and underwear into a book review back to the topic at hand. No not books, my air conditioning. I am a firm believer that no a/c should come on before June 1st and certainly not before my neighbors. (Heat should not be used until November has begun.) I have to be the one to tough it out. Did I mention I'm in NC, where it is hot and so humid even your hair sweats? Well, I am and it is.

I don't think it is the least bit unreasonable to ask for a solid month of pleasant weather in spring and fall to provide utility relief and let me just open the windows. But NO, this year it has been oppressively hot since the first week in May. How dare it! Last week, the temperature hit 100. I said 'to hell with the neighbors' and 'screw the bill' and in a puddle, swearing even my book was sweating, turned on the glorious air. I didn't stand over the grate in the floor letting that cold air billow up my leg like hubby did, but I was tempted. Too much info? I thought we were close! So spring has been gone for a month and summer has begun full force. You know what else has been taking off this year? Summer reading. Have you looked at new releases headed our way? It is absolute reader heaven. So many great books, I'm practically giddy, bouncing up and down while clapping my hands together like a little kid.

My wish list for these books is so long. Let's face it, don't tell the ole' spouse but it's not a wish list, all us readers know what it actually is ....a shopping list. A honest to goodness, check off item by item just like the grocery store, buy everything on it, shopping list. In anticipation of summer read-a-paloosa, I read more books than usual in May and still have so many to tell you about but let's discuss a good one for the beach, lake or even plane. I recently read The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, my first from this author. I've heard so many people say what a great writer Christina Lauren is, how people practically pace the floor waiting for her next book. Now I know why. I get it. This book is so cute, it's well written, literally laugh out loud funny, and was a pleasure from beginning to end. Someone should have written her name on a post-it and stuck it to my forehead like a banana sticker. I have been missing out.

The Unhoneymooners is about a celebration gone awry where the entire wedding party and all guests get sick from the reception dinner, except the maid of honor and best man. She has food allergies and he hates germ filled buffets so they don't eat the same food as the others. Sadly, this illness will last for days. The bride and groom have a nonrefundable trip to Maui for their honeymoon. The maid of honor and best man take the trip to avoid it going to waste. One problem though, they hate each other. I'm not saying more but the writing is so sharp and as I've already said it is really funny.  The story pushes through with a strong plot not meandering off topic, making for a quick and memorable read.

Now I am wondering if all Christina Lauren's books are this good. Getting my shopping list out, I have a few additions.

** Christina Lauren is actually two authors. Long time friends, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings together make the pen name of author Christina Lauren. Makes you wonder if your friends have any hidden talents, doesn't it?

Supermarket by Bobby Hall

Hello everyone.

Ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls, I'm about to do something I absolutely hate. I am about to date myself. I know, the world is skewed toward the young. However, sometimes, yes sometimes us old farts must stand up for what we believe in. This is my moment. So to you, dear book world I say the following: Genesis was a great band, Styx was a great band, Van Halen was a great band, Aerosmith was a great band. Invisible Touch, Renegade, Hot for Teacher, and Walk This Way, are songs like nobody makes anymore. Not that I don't like much of today's music, but much of it I just don't know.

These bands I'm talking about didn't use auto-tune, or mouth the words while someone else actually sang. These were bands in the golden age of modern music.  I like older music too. Who cannot appreciate a great Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra or Perry Como song?  Heck, my mom's favorite song was Splish Splash, ever heard that? Then there is classical, too much good stuff to mention except my favorite, Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. I swear if you close your eyes during that song you can see your whole life replay in bits and pieces. Go on Google it, I'll wait......see it is amazing!

While looking at the NY Times Best Seller list one day I saw this odd book suddenly at number one on the paperback list. I hadn't heard any buzz about it, nobody I knew was reviewing or even reading it. It has a simple red front with no cover art. I quickly read the "jacket" and discovered it is about a mystery that takes place in a supermarket. Have you caught my blog name...The Fictional Housewife...yeah, grocery items and converting them into some kind of masterpiece is my life. This book seemed right up my alley, I ordered immediately. When it arrived I was surprised to see that it was written by some young rap star,  Bobby Hall, aka Logic. Really? Okay. A book is a book, I'd give it a go.

First let me say, overall I liked it. The writing was not the best, it felt a bit like a high school kid wrote it...not a talented writer with a wonderful editor. I noticed this lack of polished word play but it was not terribly distracting. The story is told in two parts. The beginning is about the main character, Flynn, and his experiences working in a grocery store. He has had a tremendous stroke of luck and has gotten a publisher to buy his first book on spec, they've paid him an advance now he must produce the manuscript. His novel is to be set in the grocery story where he works. Then in part two, still following Flynn we find that something major has happened and time has passed. I don't want to tell you more, it will ruin your experience. I found the ending pretty unbelievable, but then again, most books I read you have to push your disbelief aside and just enjoy. This is one of those books that is good, interesting, a quick read. Not genius, not my favorite of the year or even the month but definitely interesting and something I am glad to have read.

If you have time to give The Supermarket a go, I think you'll enjoy it. Oh, and if you do, I have one thing to say to you, "coffee, coffee, coffee." (You'll get it if you read the book.)

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Hello, hope you all are well and enjoying your fall. Perhaps you are doing what so many readers are, celebrating the cool weather with some spooky books. To be honest, it never occurred to me to read creepy books near Halloween. I don't know why, I reread A Christmas Carol before Christmas. I've also started getting one of those cute little holiday romances for the last few years. Though I'm not a huge romance novel lover I get sucked in by the very idea of holiday love and the always festive cover. Kind of proves hubby's idea that I am an advertiser's dream.

This year I started thinking about all the scary books on my "to be read" list. Who knew I had so many! I have Stephen King (yes, again, I never give up on him), his son with a book about some possessed box, a writer from Australia that writes gobs of haunted house books, and several books about witches. Now witches are not really my thing and if they were, my preference would be for Glenda the Good. Who wouldn't want that dress, cool wand with the star and to travel by heel clicks. Obviously I haven't read the Wizard of Oz. Anyway, I seem to often pick up witch books because of my sisters. Two of the three are Salem addicts. They go to Salem Massachusetts every year for Halloween. They go to a big ball, drink pumpkin martinis, the works. Not my thing but potato po-taa-to. Maybe I always grab these books so I can pass them on to them for their reading enjoyment. You know, any excuse to buy books.

I just finished reading The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw. Since the story revolves around teenagers I suspect this might be technically a young adult book, although there is cussing and unmarried sex. The story is about a cursed town. The town, Sparrow, is cursed because 200 years ago they drowned 3 witches. Although I am still not clear if they actually were witches. They sold perfume and men liked them. Using that threshold everybody at the makeup counter in every department store, at Ulta and Sephora is conjuring some kind of spell. Thinking of past credit card bills, that could actually be true so that is a bad example. Anyway, every year these witches come back to kill boys as revenge.

I went into this book with an open mind but there was that little voice whispering Hocus Pocus (which I'm also reading). I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this book. I don't know why I get some stupid idea about a book before reading it. I'm always wrong and the book is usually wonderful. This book was completely original, had an interesting story line, some thriller worthy twists, and a plot that moved quickly. The writing was good and did not meander. A great read with a very satisfying ending.

Go grab that Harry Potter wand that I know you bought in secret and accio yourself a copy of The Wicked Deep.

Murder Mile by Lynda LaPlante

I am very glad I read Murder Mile. It is only the second book I've read that focused so intensely on the police and their efforts to solve a murder. In this case, several murders! Still, focused on just the police, I was afraid the story might be slow or even boring. I am so glad to say it was neither! By sticking to a limited amount of characters (there are still plenty), it feels like the story stays on point. I adore it when authors respect my time and stick to the plot...yet I still want a great story. Murder Mile delivers! It is detail oriented, fast paced, always interesting, and kept me guessing. Even right at the end I was convinced I knew who the murderer was, happily I was wrong. If you like police centered books, good murder mysteries, or just a great read, then this book is for you! 

This review was written for BookishFirst, a great site if you haven't visited. BookishFirst and the publisher Zaffre provided an advanced copy, this book is to be released September 4, 2018.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Imagine it's a lazy Saturday morning. You decide to stay in your pajamas all day; you're home alone, why not? Despite having slept late it is still dark outside. You have to turn on lights as you make your way to the coffee maker. Even in your sleep-induced fog, as the coffee is brewing, you realize why it is so dark. Not only is it pouring outside but there is an almost constant roll of thunder. You pick your spot on the good side of the sofa with your oil tanker size cup of coffee, grab a throw and settle in. On goes the tv, your plan is masterful - it's a perfect day for a Hammer film marathon (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy).

Suddenly, NO! There is a simultaneous clap of thunder and burst of lightning. Your power is gone, surely not to return until nearly the population of your entire town is on first. Now what? Grab your emergency flash light and The Death of Mrs. Westaway! It is dark, dreary, moody and delicious! The main character Hal, finds herself in considerable financial trouble. To save herself, Hal must head to a once stately turned creepy, huge, old run down mansion.  Now she is about to meet a cast of characters equally as unusual as the setting.

In my quest to not rewrite the plot you've undoubtedly already read, let me make these few comments. This is a fast and easy read. It compels you to move forward, wondering what will happen next. If you like mild thrillers, mysteries, haunted house books (let me be clear there is absolutely nothing paranormal here at all), books that include big houses as the setting, this will interest you. If you like the movies, Rose Red, The Haunting, or even plain ole' Casper, you may well find the mansion to be as valuable of a character as those that actually breathe.

I've been fortunate to read all of Ruth Ware's books. Each new book seems to become my new favorite, although I admit In a Dark, Dark Wood holds a special place for me since it was my first. My point is, I think she keeps getting better. Each new book seems to somehow be more confident, have better pacing and be even more enthralling than the last. The book is The Death of Mrs. Westaway and it may make you wish for a power outage!