Throwback Thursday: Looking for Alaska by John Green

 

Throwback Thursday

 

This weekly feature is hosted by Renee (Its Book Talk). Throwback Thursday offers a way to share some of our old favorites as well  as sharing books that we are finally getting around to reading that were published over a year ago.

I joined NetGalley in July, 2016. So far, I have reviewed 154 ARCS. However, in the past one year, my own TBR has been neglected a lot.  I have finally gotten my ARC addiction under control and so I will be reading more of my own books. I decided to join Throwback Thursday to help me achieve this goal.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.

Review

Looking for Alaska is my second book by John Green. The first one was The Fault in our Stars. This book begins with the MC, Miles heading the new school, Culver Creek. Miles is a shy, introverted young man. He is the kind of quiet kid who doesn’t have too many friends. However, things soon change at the new school where he meets his roommate, Chip (Colonel), Alaska, Takumi and Lara.

I liked Miles’ character. I loved the fact that he was obsessed with people’s last words. There is a time that I used to follow crime libraries and read last words by death row inmates. Miles wasn’t interested in death row but he knew a lot of last words. What I didn’t like about his character though was how he was influenced by his friends at the new school. I would have liked it if he remained his unique, weird self. I didn’t buy the sudden change into vices though I did like that some of his awkwardness remained.

I read this book without having read the blurb first. Needless, to say, I was curious when I found out that there was a character called Alaska. I mean, the title is Looking for Alaska so naturally I wanted to know, where did Alaska go or why are people looking for her. The book has chapters counting down to an event. I kept waiting to find out what the event was. After the event itself, the after chapters reveal how the character’s lives changed. I enjoyed the before but I was a bit bored by the after. It felt repetitive like nothing much was happening. And the plot sort of started dragging a bit.

As you can tell, I am somewhere in the middle as far as my feelings for this book go. I liked aspects of it but others didn’t work for me.I can’t say much about the book because I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for those who haven’t read it yet and going by goodreads reviews, this is one book that you have to experience for yourself. Readers don’t seem to agree on much concerning it. Some loved it, other hated it(1 star reviews). Others like me loved the first section while others preferred the second one. Anyway, if you like issue-based YAs then you may enjoy this one.

 

 

 

WWW Wednesday #August 30th

 This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. To take part all you need to do is answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So here’s my 3 W’s for the week.

Recently Finished

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Walls by Hollie Overton

Another wonderful reading week. I was able to read an old book from my TBR. Looking for Alaska by John Green has been on my shelf for a quite a while. Look out for my review tomorrow. My review of The Walls by Hollie Overton will be up next Monday.

 

Currently Reading

The Lost History of Stars by Dave Boling

In turn-of-the-century South Africa, fourteen-year-old Lettie, her younger brother, and her mother are Dutch Afrikaner settlers who have been taken from their farm by British soldiers and are being held in a concentration camp. It is early in the Boer War, and Lettie’s father, grandfather, and brother are off fighting the British as thousands of Afrikaner women and children are detained. The camps are cramped and disease ridden; the threat of illness and starvation are ever present. Determined to dictate their own fate, Lettie and her family give each other strength and hope as they fight to survive amid increasingly dire conditions.

 

I am currently reading this historical fiction set in South Africa in 1900. It is good though a heartbreaking read so far but I wish I had read it sooner.

 

Reading Next

Hush Little Baby by Joanna Barnard has some really good reviews on goodreads. I hope that I will enjoy it.

Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult is a book that I have always wanted to read. I will finally get to it this week.

I am really excited about reading older books from my TBR. In the coming weeks, you will be seeing more of these books on my WWWs. I will still be posting about ARCs because who am I kidding, I can’t stop getting new books. However, I hope that my reading for the rest of the year will be more balanced.

So, what are you reading? Let me know in the comments section.

Happy Reading!

Review:Wicked Fallout (Pretty Wicked #2) by Kelly Charron

Convicted of six murders when she was just fifteen, the notorious Ryann Wilkanson hasn’t been able to act on her darkest, deadliest urges for twelve years. She’s exhausted her appeals and has little hope of ever getting out of prison and back to hunting.

Until a media-hungry legal team mounts a campaign to do the impossible—get her immediately released with a commuted sentence.

Forensic psychiatrist Nancy Clafin has mere weeks to evaluate Ryann’s current mental state against her grisly past to determine if she’s changed. But under the shadow of her own questionable history, it’s not easy to separate her personal life from her professional duty.

At least that’s what Ryann is counting on.

Behind the cold steel doors of a Colorado maximum-security prison, will Nancy find a cold-blooded killer or a newly redeemed woman determined to right her past wrongs?

Review

Wicked Fallout by Kelly Charron is the second book in the Pretty Wicked series. However, this book can be read as a standalone as it contains a lot of the information about the first book. We get to rehash details about Ryann’s crimes mainly through the sessions with her shrink as she revisits each of the crimes that Ryann committed.

The story is narrated through the two POVs. Ryann’s narrations contain information about her imprisonment. We get to learn about her life behind bars and her relation with other inmates. However, for the most part, we learn about her current appeal as her relationship with her shrink takes center-stage in this nail-biting page turner. The other narrator was Nancy. I liked the fact that her story wasn’t just about Ryann. Nancy’s life is in a bit of a mess and this provides a second although minor story-line. Her personal and professional life intersperses and this helps in understanding her interactions with Ryann.

The tension in this book was quite high. At some point, I felt like rushing to the end to see how things work out. Will Ryann get out or will Nancy make a recommendation against her release? As the story progressed, so did the tension as we learn more about Ryann, twelve years after her killing spree. I liked the fact that the characters from the first book are also present in this one. They all play a role in the case. Most don’t want her to get out. Needless to say, this made me even more invested in the case. I just needed to know Ryann’s fate.

Wicked Fallout by Kelly Charron is a brilliant psychological thriller. The villain in this series is different. She was only fifteen when she became a serial killer. Her character is what makes this series so addictive. This book has the perfect ending. The kind that leaves you screaming at the characters. I can’t wait for the next book. I have a feeling that the series will keep getting better. If you enjoy psychological thriller, you really do need to start reading the Pretty Wicked series.

You can read my review of the first book, Pretty Wicked, here.

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder @bookouture

Two sisters. One secret… A lie that could destroy them both.

When her father dies, Josie is devastated to uncover he led a secret life: another house, another family and a half-sister called Valentina.

Both with red hair and icy blue eyes, Josie and Valentina could be mistaken for twins. But the similarities end there…

Josie – Sweet, reserved, jealous, thief.
Valentina – Care-free, confident, dangerous, liar.

Two sisters. One survivor.

Review

I have been looking for an addictive thriller. Sadly, most of the books that I have read ended up not quite meeting my expectations. However, that changed when I started reading The Good Sister by Jess Ryder. I started reading it last Sunday after church and ended up getting through it in just one sitting. I didn’t do anything else that afternoon.

The story begins with the death of Josie’s father. Soon afterwards, Josie discovers that her father had a secret family and she has a sister. The two ladies look very alike. However, they lead very different lives. Valentina is on the wild side with her all black outfits and love for the party life. She is jobless and basically surviving on handouts from friends and family. On the other hand, Josie comes from a good, stable family. She lives with her boyfriend Arun, has a great relationship with her parents and has a good job. How different can two sisters be?

This book is so full of twists. Everyone had a secret. And just when you think that the revelations have ended, a new secret comes up. I was knocked off my feet/seat a couple of times and kept screaming, ‘Whaaat!’ at each reveal.  The twists were that good. Other times, I was just screaming at the characters. It was frustrating how trusting one of the sisters was. One of the characters just annoyed me with her crazy antics. Yes, I was that emotionally invested in the narrative.

The story is told through alternating chapters narrated by Valentina and Josie. Each chapter starts with a Viking fact which I really enjoyed. Some of the facts set the pace/tone for the chapters and hence heightened the excitement of getting into each one. The chapters are not labeled using narrator names so you have to read-on  to find out who the narrator is. Towards the end, chapter narrators remains a mystery until later on. I had my suspicions about the narrators but I still enjoyed the reveals.

This book is brilliant and Jess Ryder created a masterpiece psychological thriller. I loved everything about it, the mystery, writing, twisted characters and all the secrets. The final scene was epic. Seriously, it was! If you haven’t read any books by Jess Ryder, you really should. She does seem to like the themes of lies, secrets and deceit which she tackles masterfully. Okay, just read this book.

Here is my review of her previous book, Lie to Me.

 

Book Review: The Sister by Louise Jensen @littlebookcafe @Fab_fiction @thecrimevault @bookouture

Exciting News!

Today is the day that Louise Jensen’s The Sister is being published in paperback.  It is now out in shops and supermarkets. The Sister will be available in Asda, Sainsbury’s and WH Smith from 24th and in Tesco from September 7th.

I posted my review of The Sister by Louise Jensen a year ago. It was my third ARC and the first one that I gave a 5 stars rating.

I decided to share my review just as it was when I published it a year ago. So here goes…

Synopsis (from goodreads)

Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.

But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie …or was there?

Review (no spoilers)

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

I have read and reviewed three books so far from NetGalley but this one has to be the best one yet. It is the first ARC that I have given a rating of five stars.

I really liked the balanced,easy pace of this book. I was able to get into the story from the first page. The writing and imagery was also masterfully done. The author effortlessly takes readers right into the middle of the story. The Sister by Louise Jensen is narrated in two main timelines labelled as ‘then’ and ‘now’ and both timelines are narrated in Grace’s voice.

The then tells about Charlie, Dan and Grace’s background and goes all the way up to Grace’s eighteenth birthday when some major events took place. The now takes place years later and start after Charlie’s death. The final chapters focus more on the ‘now’. The two timelines help tie up everything together and made the story more exciting. It was like fitting pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together to get the full picture.

As for the characters, I sympathized with Grace at times. Other times, I wanted to shake to wake her up. She comes off as a really weak character especially at the beginning. However, my thoughts about her changed as the story moved forward and I started to empathize with her. I liked Charlie’s character too. She was portrayed as being strong, loyal,full of life.Basically, the kind of girl who makes the perfect best-friend. I also liked some of the other characters especially Grace’s grandparents, they were so cool and laid-back, just so awesome and supportive.

The Sister by Louise Jensen book is so suspenseful that it kept me turning pages to the end. There are new revelations that occur in each chapter. Events that will keep you wondering what else could possibly go wrong for the protagonist. I love a good suspenseful novel with  drama and this one definitely delivered.

I liked the fact that I wasn’t able to guess how the story would unravel. I thought I knew Charlie’s secret but I was proved wrong. I also thought I had figured out Grace’s first stalker but again I was wrong. Again, I also tried to guess the secret involving Grace’s parents at the start, let us just say, I was wrong each time.Even when I finally managed to figure out the person behind things going wrong for Grace in the now, again another twist occurred that threw everything into a new direction.

This book definitely took me on a roller-coaster ride. It is not your typical whodunit story; it’s the kind of story that will keep you trying to figure out why things were happening as opposed to who is doing them.

Final Thoughts…

I recommend The Sister by Louise Jensen to all fans of psychological thrillers. It’s a story about secrets, deception and lost friendships all masterfully interspersed with suspense that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Seriously, if you like psychological thrillers then you should get this book. I can’t wait to read the next book by Louise Jensen

About the book

• Title: The Sister
• Author: Louise Jensen
• Kindle: 307 pages and 291 on Aldiko
• Published July 7th 2016 by Bookouture
• My Rating: 5 stars

 

 

 

 

 

WWW Wednesday #August 23rd

 This weekly feature is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.To take part all you need to do is answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So here’s my 3 W’s for the week.

Recently Finished

 

Wicked Fallout by Kelly Charron

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler- You can read my review here.

I had a really great reading week. I read three thrillers which were all addictive and simply great reads.  My reviews for Wicked Fallout and The Good Sister will be up on Thursday and Friday.

Currently Reading

Looking for Alaska by John Green

I only have 8 books remaining on my NetGalley shelf. This is great progress for me. At some point in the year, I had 30-40 pending ARCs. Now that the ARC pressure is off, I decided to read something different.

I have only read a few chapters so far but I love it. I haven’t yet read the blurb for this book so it has been an interesting journey trying to figure out what the book is about and where it is going.

update: I should have known that Green doesn’t write happy books lol. I am now 3/4 way done and it turned out to be quite an emotional read. Beautiful, interesting story but so sad.

Reading Next

The Walls by Hollie Overton

I’ll be going back to ARCs with this thriller. It has great reviews so far so I hope to enjoy it.

So, what are you reading? Let me know in the comments section.

Happy Reading!

 

 

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler

Officer Miranda Rader of the Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.

However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop—Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda. 14 years ago.

And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right—before it’s too late.

Review

Happy publication day!

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler begins in Hammond in 2002; Miranda undergoes a terrible experience which changes the course of her life. 14 years later, she is in the police force. Miranda gets called into a case which reminds her of the events that took place back in 2002. Things get even crazier when her fingerprints are found at a murder scene. Soon, other events take place pointing all suspicion at Miranda.

I was able to read this book pretty quickly. Once I started it, it became really hard to put down. I was drawn in by the murder mystery. The tension escalated when Miranda became a suspect. The narration is mainly focused on the current case. However, a few chapters take readers back to 2002. I usually like dual narratives but in this case, the 2002 narration scared me. I dreaded going back there and meeting all the unlikable characters. However, I still needed to know what happened back then.

I liked Miranda and thought her portrayal was realistic. I liked her back story which made her even more relatable. It helped me understand her investment in the case and hence explained her motives. In addition, Miranda is the kind of detective that I like in crime thrillers. She is determined to solve the case and is willing to do anything to get answers. Her vulnerability and strength made her a likeable character.

I was able to predict almost all twists in the books. I knew exactly who had committed the murder. At some point, the author did throw me off briefly but I was still convinced on the killer’s identity and I was right. However, this wasn’t really an issue for me. I still enjoyed the book and thought it was quite thrilling. As a matter of fact, the only thing that bothered me a bit was some ongoing romance. Nevertheless, this was a fast-paced, entertaining thriller which I think fans of cop procedural will enjoy.

Mini Reviews: Bad Girl Gone, Reported Missing and Alphonse

I got the idea of doing mini reviews from my blogging friend, Annie (The Misstery). There are books that I usually struggle to review for various reasons. One of the reasons is because I didn’t like the book. Usually, if I totally don’t like a book, I skip the blog review. Other times, I find books that I liked but didn’t love. Finally, there are books that I don’t have much to say about. Therefore, I will be doing mini-reviews instead of not reviewing the books that fall into the above three categories.

Book 1: Not for me…

Reported Missing by Sarah Wyer

About the book

Four months ago, Rebecca Pendle’s husband disappeared. So did 14-year-old Kayleigh Jackson.Just a coincidence? Rebecca wants to believe so… But as the police start to draw parallels between Chris and Kayleigh, it’s getting harder for her to trust his innocence.

Faced with an angry town that believes Chris has abducted the teenager, Rebecca tries to discover the truth. But what she finds shocks her more than she ever thought. How well does she really know the man she loves?

Review

I was interested in reading this book because of the premise. I was intrigued by the idea of the missing girl and the man who disappeared on the same day. I was curious to know whether this was just a coincidence or did Chris really take the girl.

This book wasn’t for me because of the pacing. The story starts out slow and ends up staying that way to the last page. It mainly focuses on Rebecca’s life after Chris went missing. At first, it shows her despair although after a while, she decides to investigate and find out what happened to Chris. I thought the investigation would help move things along but it didn’t. The only reason why I kept reading the book to the last page was because I was curious about what happened to Chris and Kayleigh.

I think this book will appeal to readers who enjoy slow paced, character-driven mysteries. However, check out other reviews especially on goodreads before deciding whether or not to read this book.

Book 2: The bad triumphed over the good…

Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews

About the book

Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she s in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids. There is just one problem: she s not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents car drives right through her.

She was right. Her parents are alive but she s not.

Review

I love the cover of this one and I think the premise was unique and brilliant. Those are the two reasons why I decided to read this book. I enjoyed the first chapters especially when Echo didn’t know she was a ghost. I kept wondering how she will find out and the aftermath of that discovery. The first chapters were poignant. My heart broke for her as she came to terms with the fact that she was dead.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the ghost haunting. I thought that was creepy and fascinating. I was spooked and since then, I keep wondering if there are spirits hanging around us. Perhaps, there is one right now standing over my shoulder as I write this review…spooky! I liked the ghost adventures especially when they tackled bullies and the bad guys.

However, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I thought there would be some mystery around who killed Echo but I found the reveal to be quite underwhelming. For once, I wished my guess was right since I had someone else in mind. I don’t think that Echo was likeable and I don’t like love triangles even if they involve the living and the dead. Another issue that I had with the story was a plot-line about the mistress at Echo’s institution. I still don’t know what was going on with that angle. In the end, I liked the premise and parts of the books but didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would.

Book Three: A woman of few words…

After twenty years of riding the rails, Alphonse has earned a reputation for being a kindhearted soul always ready to help. When he helps the Sadlers, a young couple seeking a better life in small-town 1950s Indiana, he doesn’t intend to stay. But stay he does, keeping a close eye on the Sadlers and their two young sons–and an even closer eye on the town’s new priest, Father Brennon. On the surface, Brennon seems perfect for the job–but Alphonse crossed paths with him years earlier in the railyard jungle, and he knows better. Brennon doesn’t recognize Alphonse, but Alphonse has never forgotten Brennon . . . or his crimes. So when Brennon assigns the Sadlers’ son, Francis, who is now thirteen, the thankless task of cleaning and maintaining the church’s bell tower–work that often continues into the night–Alphonse immediately grows suspicious. Soon, he discovers that his worst fears have come to pass, and he races to find a way to protect Francis and reveal the truth to the Sadler family.

Review

I do enjoy a good historical fiction and was really intrigued by this story-line. The 1950s Indiana setting is what convinced me that I need to get the book. This is a sad and memorable book. It tackles heavy themes of child abuse in the church. We have all seen the media reports about priests getting convicted for child abuse. It has happened even here in Kenya. This is what this book is about. Alphonse suspects that Francis is being abused by Father Brennon and he decides to do something about it. However, people don’t really take him seriously.

There are many heartbreaking moments in this book and some sections were tough to read. My heart broke for Francis as he started showing signs of a changed personality. I could feel his struggles with what he was going through and his inability to tell. His family’s reaction at Alphonse’s revelations was also quite heartbreaking.

I did like the small town setting and most of the characters in this story although of course, not all. I really liked Alphonse as a character and his protectiveness of the Sadler’s family. As I have already mentioned, this book does deal with very heavy themes that may be a trigger for some readers so it may not be for everyone. However, if you like historical fiction then you may want to check out Alphonse by Carl Sever.

Have you read any of these three books?

Nigeria: Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John(A Book-club Review)

In far northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree. During the election, the boys are paid by the Small Party to cause trouble. When their attempt to burn down the opposition’s local headquarters ends in disaster, Dantala must run for his life, leaving his best friend behind. He makes his way to a mosque that provides him with food, shelter, and guidance. With his quick aptitude and modest nature, Dantala becomes a favored apprentice to the mosque’s sheikh. Before long, he is faced with a terrible conflict of loyalties, as one of the sheikh’s closest advisors begins to raise his own radical movement. When bloodshed erupts in the city around him, Dantala must decide what kind of Muslim—and what kind of man—he wants to be. Told in Dantala’s naïve, searching voice, this astonishing debut explores the ways in which young men are seduced by religious fundamentalism and violence.

My Review

Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John was my book club’s pick this August. I selected this book for my book-club because it covers themes that I haven’t read a lot. In addition, it is set in Northern Nigeria, an area that I haven’t seen much of in African Literature.. For this review, I will start by sharing my own views about the book and then a few excerpts from the book club discussion.

This is the story about Dantala, a young boy who ends up living in a mosque after a series of unfortunate events. It is at the mosque that Dantala meets different kinds of people and learns more about his religion. He also learns about different types of Muslims including the radicals. However, not all his lessons are religious-based; Dantala also gets to learn more about his sexuality.This is a coming of age story entirely narrated from the MCs point of view.

The book covers different themes such as religion. In this case, we learn more about the people living at the mosque like the Sheikh who Dantala was drawn to. On the other side, we learn about radicalized groups, these are people who had extreme religious views. The theme of friendship was brought alive by the relationship between Dantala and Jabril. The two were different but they formed an odd friendship that I really enjoyed reading about. I also liked the relationship between Dantala and Sheikh. Dantala adored and respected him. On the other hand, the Sheikh nurtured Dantala to be a leader. Family, love, sexuality are also minor themes interwoven in the main narrative.

While I enjoyed the book, there are a few issues that bothered me. For instance, in as much as I enjoy the first person narrations, I wish there were more voices in the story. The narrative style affected the character development in my opinion. I felt like only Dantala was well-crafted. I didn’t get to know anyone else. I would have loved to know more about Jabril or Dantala’s love interest, Aisha. In the end, I was underwhelmed by the book although I did enjoy learning more about Northern Nigeria, the people and the religion.

 

Book club Review: This is what the Literary Gems had to say about the book:

Not  all members of my book club felt the same way that I did. Most of them actually loved it. Here are excerpts from some of the members during our online review:

I love Born on a Tuesday… We are so used to reading books focused on Christianity that we forget that Nigeria has a huge Muslim population and other groups(apart from Igbo) such as Hausa and Yoruba. I found this quite refreshing. The lessons in the book told from perspective of a 10year old were easy to take in absorb…the author built whoever was pivotal to the story and even the lesser characters in the book– Muthoni

I got that the main themes were religion, power and politics. Religion division came out clearly, relationship between politics, power and religion was also brought on fore. Religion was a way of controlling our thoughts and actions. The book didn’t sound Nigerian though; I felt it connected more to the Middle East– Charroh

I loved this book, though a little underwhelming. It was well told, well placed in today’s world of Boko Haram abductions and fearful terrorist attacks and well paced. Interspersed in there were a lot of revelations about life and love that did not take away the overarching theme of the book – Lyn

I liked the book though it didn’t live up to the hype I was reading online but ultimately, it was a good read. I think the author did his best in the crafting of characters. Dantala stood out for me. We first met him when he was ten and walk with him through the adulating stage.I didn’t know so much about Islam until I picked this book. I didn’t know that like Christianity, Islam has denominations– Lyndah

I loved this book, great flow of the story, not so many anecdotes. The first person narration of the book gives it authenticity– Eddah

I connected with the book. It struck a cord with the current happenings in the world. Politicians using the disadvantaged in the society to push their agenda. Dantala painted a picture of an everyday person struggling with identity while being influenced by extrenal sources – Carol

The first person narration was okay though limiting. I didn’t find the voice too convincing. There wasn’t a feeling of growth over his years. I couldn’t tell the difference between 12 year old and 18 year old Dantala. I didn’t get too much insight about the other characters apart from Dantala – Peter (He loved the book though and especially the portrayal of the theme of religion)

Shaz reviewed the book here on her blog, Booksarge.

so there you have it, as you can see from the different reviews, The Literary Gems book club recommends Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John.

 

 

 

The Accident by S. D Monaghan

One mistake could change your life forever. Tara has it all. Married and about to move into her dream home, she can’t explain why she is tempted by one last fling with her ex before she settles down.

David would do anything for Tara. So when he finds her with another man, his world starts to crumble around him. Ryan isn’t prepared for the punch David throws at him. Stumbling, he slips over the balcony and falls three storeys to the patio below.

In one split second a man will be killed. In one split second David and Tara’s life will change forever. How far would you go to save everything you have?

Review

I was looking for an addictive, fast read when I picked this thriller and that is how the story started out. It begins on a high note on the night when David found out that his wife was having an affair with Ryan. As explained in the blurb, David punched Ryan sending him tumbling down from a three storey building.  The drama begins right from the first chapter.

There is so much that happens in the story to build up tension. I could feel the frustration and terror as Tara and David’s lives got shuttered in just that one night. In addition, there are subplots within the main story. Without giving away a lot, let me just say that there were ‘friends’ with selfish motives, suspicious characters, neighbors not staying on their side of the fence, a murder to cover-up, police showing up uninvited… the drama was full-swing.

The story is narrated through two POVs. There are alternating chapters between David and Tara which helped in moving the plot forward and providing the missing puzzle pieces. The writing was quite addictive. I couldn’t put down the book until the last page. In addition, the author did a great job in providing the backstories of the MCs without taking the focus away from the main events. Another thing that stood out for me is the small cast of characters in this crazy story. There are like only four MCs with a handful support characters. This made it easy to focus on the people at the heart of the story.

However, I felt like the story was a bit rushed. I know, I know… I wanted something fast but not that way. Things were just getting crazier and I got lost a couple of times.I think that this is the kind of story that requires suspension of belief.The suspense was still there for the most part but something was missing. Another issue that I had was that I didn’t like any of the characters. Some characters were more unappealing than others but generally, I couldn’t  connect or sympathize with any of them.

Nevertheless, I still recommend this thriller to fans of psychological thrillers. If you enjoy stories that have multiple plot-lines that you may like this one. In this story, one of the plot-lines is about a marriage in trouble. There is also a murder and an attempt to get away with it plus people who aren’t what they seem and another action-packed story-line that I won’t mention so as not to spoil the book for those who haven’t read it. All these story-lines are intertwined to create this entertaining thriller.