The End of Her by Shari Lapena

Hello everyone. I hope you are well.  Last week we had a little issue here.  I was reading the new book by Shari Lapena, The End of Her.  I think I've read everything she's written. For some reason, I thought she was from upstate NY, maybe because that is often the setting of her books.  She isn't, she is from Canada.  Anyway, being originally from upstate NY myself, I often know the areas mentioned and have a strange camaraderie with her stories. I was very anxious to read her latest.  The story was full of twists right from the beginning. Often I'll read portions to my husband...someone has to hear the exciting stuff besides me.  Well, I progressed too far into the book to read him anything.  Frankly, if it continued all twisty and turny I thought he might someday want to read it himself...so I said nothing.  Yeah, I guess I uttered "oh my gosh" one too many times. Pretty soon he wants to read it...not later...now! While I'm reading it! The nerve! Did I mention I've read all of her books and had been waiting for The End of Her? I had been waiting and was finally reading it...waiting and reading.

If you're old enough, you'll remember Battle of the Network Stars, well here last week we had battle of the marital bookmarks.  Every second I put down the book, he snatches it up. I practically became dehydrated avoiding liquids trying not to have to go to the bathroom.  Then the weekend came and I felt guilty for not letting him read it.  He works all the time, really, I mean all the time, until all hours of the morning on weekdays so I felt like it was my wifely duty to let him have the book.  Yes, I know it means something far more to most people, but in this household it means giving up the brand new, highly anticipated Shari Lapena book.  Of course, you know what happened, while I'm watching him read, waiting, postulating my ideas about who did what in the story, he finished the book.  Then while I finish it, he is constantly asking where I am and has this coy little smile plastered to his book stealing face. 

The End of Her is one of those thrillers I love where every character is unreliable.  You not only have to figure out what happened but who is telling the truth.  This is the story of a woman, Stephanie, who has twins that have colic and offer her no time to rest. Things start happening, are they real or a symptom of lack of sleep?  Then her husband is visited by someone he knew long ago, from the other side of the country. What is she doing here? Secrets are revealed, but which retelling of those tales are true? This book is nicely written, fast paced and full of directional turns. My favorite of all Shari Lapena's books and I've enjoyed them all.  Obviously, my husband liked it too.

When you read The End of Her, do yourself a favor. First, stay completely silent, don't express any surprise. Second, I suggest hiding your book within a magazine about house maintenance, that should keep your book safe for your enjoyment.

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

Hello everyone.  How many of you are married? A show of hands?  Come on, you can raise your hand, nobody is watching. Okay, how many are as happy as you were when you first wed?  Do you like how things get more comfortable or hate it? I'm lucky, I can honestly answer I am happier with our marriage now than when we first tied the knot.  It's something to think about...what makes a good marriage or a great one...what makes it last?

I recently read A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight, It's my first book by this author but I promise you it is not my last.  This psychological thriller also has a legal side, but not overwhelmingly so.  This story follows Lizzie, a lawyer, who is questioning her troubled marriage.  One night, while working late, she receives a phone call from her old friend, Zach.  Shockingly, Zach is calling from Rikers prison where he is an inmate, charged with killing his wife.  The story, full of characters who aren't what they seem and an ever changing possible murderer, this book flies from beginning to heart pounding end. I hesitate to divulge too much and ruin the fun. Suffice it to say, this might possibly be my favorite book of the year with twists, turns and surprises in plentiful supply!

You'd think this story might make me think about my own marriage, but no, it just makes me want to buy more books by Kimberly McCreight!

Karen White's Tradd Street series

Hello everyone.  I hope you are all having a great week.  Gosh, there sure are a lot of things to beware of right now.  Besides the bad stuff going on in the world, which is always heartbreaking, in the USA we have tons of Covid, heat warnings, multiple other problems and I can't forget my nemesis...hurricane season.  In addition, we have bats in our attic. No, nothing fun like saying it is the Scooby Doo house or we are about to send out the bat signal. Nope, ugly, real bats. By law they can't be removed until August 1, but the removal guys are too busy because everyone has to wait until that date, so it will be weeks before they can get to us.  Worst of all I can't get the theme song to the old Batman tv show out of my head!  Needless to say, it's been a great time to read as I'm in need of a big escape.

I recently read The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White, the most recent in a series of six books:

The House on Tradd Street

The Girl on Legare Street

The Strangers on Montagu Street

Return to Tradd Street

The Guests on South Battery

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street

All the books follow Melanie, who is a real estate agent in Charleston, SC. Melanie can see ghosts, of which you can imagine in an old city like Charleston, are plentiful. Each book involves a different mystery, old houses, and interesting people.  As the books progress there is love, hate, family, villains and the constant backdrop of Charleston.  The stories move beautifully from one book to the next, leaving the reader attached to each character.  While ghosts are definitely a huge part of these books, they aren't overdone.  You won't have nightmares or find yourself laughing at someone in white carrying clanking chains.  The reading is comfortable and fast paced,  returning to White's world for each successive book is like putting on your favorite worn, snuggly, sweatshirt.  I think you'll find these books a pleasure to read and will likely leave you craving a trip to Charleston, as real streets, stores, etc. are used as locations. 

If you like Charleston and old houses, you better put this series on your tbr list for this year.  Karen White has stated she will be writing one more book about Tradd Street to finish up the series.  Once you begin your journey with Melanie, don't blame me if you start talking with a bit of a southern drawl.

The Shadows by Alex North

Hello everyone.  I hope you are all well.  It occurred to me that despite this being a housewife's blog, I've never actually given out any recipes.  Frankly, most of them it takes me a while to develop so I guard my secrets.  I'll include an easy, well-known recipe today but will put it at the bottom so you that don't speak "kitchen" can avoid it.

I've been reading up a storm and have many books to tell you about.  Today I want to talk about The Shadows by Alex North. If that author's name rings a bell you're not crazy.  Well, you very well may be a loon but you like books, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, awhile ago I received an advanced copy of The Whisper Man, by Alex North. When I opened the package the book came in, it started to sing a creepy song.  After such an unusual introduction to Mr. North and really enjoying The Whisper Man, I was very excited to read The Shadows.  The two books are very different. I viewed The Whisper Man as a true thriller. I always had that creepy "the call is coming from inside the house" feeling....you know like something is about to jump out of your closet at a moments notice. The Shadows is much more of a slow burn. The book has an elaborate story and the feeling is very dark and atmospheric.  Hubby repeatedly asked me if I liked it, I kept saying it was the "Eeyore" of settings in an Alex North kind of way....eerie and unsettling. Still you can't stop flipping pages.  It's about kids that were into lucid dreaming and the evil things those young men used it to accomplish.  Years have passed but now those acts, murders to be specific, are happening again. Is it somehow one of those young men now twenty-five years later or a copy cat? The story is unusual, creative and certainly enthralling.  The characters are interesting and well defined. In addition to a plot I obviously enjoyed, let me pause to take a moment to praise the writing. An interesting story could easily grab my attention without great writing, but in this case the reader is treated to both making the journey to the exciting end all the better.  A very unnerving novel, one you don't want to miss.

On to the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

you need:
one boxed spice cake mix
one can of pumpkin, 15 ounces (plain pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all together.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Makes 14 muffins.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Additional thoughts:

You may think these won't mix together without some other kind of moisture but they do! 

I use paper muffin liners.

You can add more or less chocolate or change the variety. I usually use dark chocolate chips as it's bold flavor seems to stand up better to the spice and pumpkin.

I often throw in a couple handfuls of cinnamon chips, if I have them.  You could use cinnamon chips and no chocolate.

My sister loves these muffins without anything but cake mix and pumpkin and she puts them in mini muffin pans (adjust cooking time downward).

They would make great cupcakes. Leave out the chocolate chips and instead add a buttercream or cream cheese frosting.  You could even put a bit of cinnamon in the frosting to make it nice and fall-ish. 

Experiment with what your family likes, these are a great place to start and are very forgiving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins would be perfect while reading the disturbing and oh so good, The Shadows!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Good morning everyone.  Hope your day is off to a good start.  I have to tell you about something I did a few years ago that still bothers me.  Frankly, I'm ashamed.  Hubby and I went to upstate New York for his birthday. We went to visit my grandmother. All my sisters were in town.  So, I stopped at a party place and got little kids toys, like squirt guns and get the bb through the maze, and made little silly party favors.  When there, I didn't want my grandmother to cook, we were already invading her house, so I brought take out chicken. We had this cute little birthday lunch for my husband and got to spend time with my siblings and beloved grandmother all at the same time.  All the rest of family from the area had either passed away or moved away.  Well, except one person, my mother's cousin, Joe.  He was my grandmother's, brother's son, hence my mother's first cousin.

Joe was so good to us. His family came to our house every Christmas and he would always be the one to grab the new toy we wanted to play the most, read the instructions, set it up, and teach us how to play.  Then Joe and my mom would play games as long as we wanted.  Every year he played, and yes, he was an adult he just did it because he was so kind.  At our wedding he took over five hundred pictures and gave them to us, so we would have plenty of candid shots that the photographer would undoubtedly miss.  He knew it was a day I couldn't get back. He even came to my parents house the morning of the wedding to make sure we didn't need anything.

So, back to my grandmothers house for hubby's  birthday party.  Joe somehow found out we were in town and came over, seeing the empty plates with food scraps and eaten cake. He had a gift for my husband's birthday.  Hubby is a train nut, Joe brought him an antique pocket watch that belonged to a conductor on a train. It is beautiful.  Oh my gosh, I forgot to invite Joe.  He must have had his feelings hurt knowing he had not been included.  I wanted to crawl into a hole.  He died shortly after and I have regretting my letting him down every day since. What does this tear-jerker have to do with books?  I made a rotten guest list, some people have very interesting lists.

I recently read The Guest List by Lucy Foley. This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last.  This is the story of an elaborate wedding taking place on a private island off the coast of Ireland.  We follow several members of the wedding party and guests, each seeming to have their own secrets.  When someone ends up dead, everyone appears to have a motive, some tied together.  But how can that be, for many of the guests this is their first time meeting.  This book is full of atmosphere, from ancient ruins, to peat bogs that swallow bodies, to a creepy old graveyard, a storm blowing in and, of course, no cell service. The story is a fairly quick read.  While I wouldn't call it a page turner like many thrillers, I would agree that this is an excellent mystery.  It kind of reminded me a bit of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, only The Guest List is set in reality and much easier to follow with far fewer characters.  Many people are comparing it to Agatha Christie's books.  I read The Guest List immediately after the thriller Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.  I admittedly had my doubts it would hold my interest, especially after a haunted estate thriller.  There is something about The Guest List that makes you come back to read more. I don't know exactly what it is, the different voices from the wedding party, or the shortish chapters., I can't figure it out.  The book is remarkable how everything becomes together at the end, it is masterful.  You'll find yourself nodding your head, saying "aaaah" out loud, as the pieces fall into place.  A very enjoyable mystery.

By the way, Joe MADE me a beautiful vanity complete with mirror, when I was eight years old. Yes, I feel terrible. Don't worry, I won't be in charge of your birthday party guest list.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great day.  Let's jump right into it, as I have a chicken to bake (certainly my seven thousandth). I just finished Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.  If this book isn't already on your radar, it is about a woman, Maggie, who inherits an old mansion in Vermont. When her family lived there years ago they found it to be haunted, so haunted that one night her family flees with nothing but the clothes on their back. Maggie was five years old when her family left and doesn't remember much.  The knowledge she has about the house comes from a best selling book her father writes after they flee, which Maggie believes is a complete lie.

Written with alternating chapters following the present day Maggie, and actual chapters from the book written by Maggie's dad, Ewan, the reading is quick.  Many sections end in a cliffhanger or revelation, propelling the reader forward.  It is full of atmosphere, a bit spooky, and in one section, quite gross.  It contains several mysteries and as thriller lovers prefer...many twists. If you are a romantic comedy reader, this isn't for you. However, if you like horror, mysteries, or thrillers, this, my friends, is the book for you. It's a wild ride that will grab you from the very beginning and doesn't lift the overhead harness until the very end.

Now the bad news, Home Before Dark isn't going to be released until June 30th.  I have a finished, hardbound copy. It isn't an advanced reader copy/galley. How did I get it so early (June 1st)? Book of the Month, that's how. Wait, don't close your laptop, I swear this is not a commercial. I get no kickback, they have no idea who I am.  Several years ago I received a gift subscription and have renewed it for several years. Books end up costing $14.99 hardbound.  Have you priced books lately, never mind, I know you have a reading addiction too.  Well for you library dwellers let me tell you they run from $26 to $31. That is more than a quarter of a hundred dollars for one book.  That just shocks me.  Anyway, Book of the Month (BOTM) gets you a discount because you're basically paying ahead. AND you can get up to two additional books each month.  Trust me here, any add on books, pay for instead of using credits. Credits cost $14.99 but add ons at $9.99, so save those credits for each months BOTM.

My mom used to get BOTM ages ago, thankfully, it is much better now. If you don't want a book, just skip a month. Nothing is sent automatically. There are five new books to choose from each month. Usually there is a thriller, but the choices are varied. One of June's choices was Home Before Dark, which they got early for their subscribers. My description is probably clear as mud, but their web site is much better. My husband said I looked like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw Home Before Dark as a choice.  What can I say, I've been waiting for this to come out and to get it early and at a discount, it's housewife heaven.

By the way, if you're thinking, like I was, that this might be a reworking of The Amityville Horror is isn't.  Riley Sager's novel is much more involved and so good.

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Hello everyone. Hope you and your family are safe and healthy.  As you might guess by my absence I have been sick and hospitalized again, not with the virus but an infection. To say I am tired of being poked, prodded, and needles everywhere is an understatement. On to happier topics, like reading!

I recently read You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I read the other two books by these talented ladies, The Wife Between Us  and An Anonymous Girl, and enjoyed them both. Finally, I was able to get my hands on their latest and it was worth the wait. This thriller follows a young woman who meets two sisters, but she doesn't really know them as the reader discovers. The story opens with a huge "gotcha", which I always love as it makes me feel like I am in for a huge rollercoaster ride. In this case, the main character, Shay, is on her way to work in NYC when she witnesses someone jump in front of an oncoming subway. I was hooked immediately and although the remainder of the story isn't filled with such drama, it certainly holds your attention.

Most chapters change perspective, being told by a different person and sometimes from a different time period. I didn't find this way of storytelling a problem but liked how it helped the book unfold. The characters are interesting and you will find yourself cheering for Shay, as she discovers her internal strength. A definite thriller right to the end.

If you're in NYC and read this book, you just might find yourself "social distancing" in the subway station, between you and the edge of the platform!