Book Recommendation – Not Quite Dead Yet

When I listen to an audiobook, I use the Libby or Hoopla apps in my car. Most of the time I will go to my Goodreads “Want to Read” list and search the apps for what is available. One thing that I have noticed is many of the recommendations on all of the apps are the same. I will see some of the same books popping up on them. I also see them being recommended by other bloggers.

One of those books that seemed to come up a lot was Not Quite Dead Yet By Holly Jackson. It has been on my “to be read” list for a bit. My wife read it and said I needed to read it next.

I won’t lie, sometimes I worry about reading a book that has a lot of hype. When it is all hyped up and it is good, it’s no big deal, but if it is hyped up and is a let down, it bugs me. I am happy to say that this one did live up to the hype.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

A twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

It was a unique murder mystery because the dead person wasn’t dead yet. We follow her from the night she is attacked through the week that follows. The police are running their own investigation, but it is not fast enough for Jet. So she sets off to do her own investigation.

The hardest part of the book for me to swallow was how much she is able to do after being injured. I even asked my wife, “How is she able to do this and that when she had that head injury?” She told me, “Well, she is a very strong and determined woman driven by the need to solve the crime.”

That didn’t deter me from finishing the book. As she goes through the week, there are things that begin to happen to her body that lets you know her time is almost up. So, I guess it’s not like she is Super Woman.

The book has many twists to it. It is one that has you believing one person did it, and then makes you think someone else did it, and then pulls the rug out from under you. I had a hunch, but kept ruling out who I thought it might be the more I read. I was totally wrong and surprised at the end.

Worth the read. Lived up to the hype.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – I See You’ve Called In Dead

Here is another example of a book that I picked up because of the title – I See You’ve Called In Dead. It is also an example of a book that I found to be funny and thought provoking at the same time.

Before I get into my thoughts, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story.

Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.

As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.

Thurber Prize-winner and New York Times bestselling author John Kenney tells a funny, touching story about life and death, about the search for meaning, about finding and never letting go of the preciousness of life.

The book starts off with a good question:

“What would you write if you had to write your obituary? Today, right now. What comes to mind? What memories, days, moments? What people and experiences? I realize, at first glance, that the idea of writing one’s own obituary while still alive may sound morbid. It’s not, though. I promise you. It’s a needed reminder of who you are, of what truly matters. Because it’s your life and there’s still time to write it. Before I have to.”

When in college, I took a class on the psychology of death and dying. One of the first assignments was to write a letter to your loved ones to be read at your funeral. THAT was a difficult assignment. We were never asked to write our own obituary, but I would imagine that would be just as difficult.

I listened to the audio book on my way to and from work. I can tell you that I am going to go and purchase a copy of this book because there were so many times I wanted to highlight things I wanted to remember. For example, at one point in the book, French philosopher Michel de Montaigne is quoted:

“We do not know where death awaits us: so let us wait for it everywhere. To practice death is to practice freedom.”

It was only after reading the book, that I found what others were saying about it:

I’ve always thought that we should tell people what they mean to us or how they impacted our lives while they are still alive. What good is it to be silent until someone passes away? I can tell you that when people come up to me who used to listen to me on the radio and say, “You made me laugh every morning!” it feels so good. Why wouldn’t we want to share those things with people?

In discussing a book with the main character, someone says,

“A character in the book is asked what the greatest wonder in the world is. And he answers … He says, The greatest wonder is that every day, all around us, people die, but we act as if it couldn’t happen to us.”

I do want to say before wrapping up, that the book is not just about death, it is also about life.

“Life prevails. How strange and wondrous. In the midst of death, life prevails, calls to us, begs us, says, Come, please, don’t you dare waste this precious gift.”

It is early in the year, I know, but this is the best book I have read so far. I highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – How The Penguins Saved Veronica

It seems that I am reading faster than I can write recommendations. I’ve read at least four books that I want to write about, and will get to them. I know some blogger friends write about 4 or 5 books in one post, but I’d rather do them one at a time. I appreciate your patience.

The title of the book is what peaked my interest – How the Penguins Saved Veronica.

When my wife and I got married, we went to an aquarium in Tampa. They had a penguin exhibit and for a few extra bucks, we got to see them up close and personal. My wife loves penguins, so she was in heaven.

That experience is what came to mind when I saw the title of the book, so I had to read it. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

A curmudgeonly but charming old woman, her estranged grandson, and a colony of penguins proves it’s never too late to be the person you want to be in this rich, heartwarming story from the acclaimed author of Ellie and the Harpmaker.

Eighty-five-year-old Veronica McCreedy is estranged from her family and wants to find a worthwhile cause to leave her fortune to. When she sees a documentary about penguins being studied in Antarctica, she tells the scientists she’s coming to visit—and won’t take no for an answer. Shortly after arriving, she convinces the reluctant team to rescue an orphaned baby penguin. He becomes part of life at the base, and Veronica’s closed heart starts to open.

Her grandson, Patrick, comes to Antarctica to make one last attempt to get to know his grandmother. Together, Veronica, Patrick, and even the scientists learn what family, love, and connection are all about.

This was truly a heartwarming story. You really wouldn’t know by the way it starts off, but it is a book about family. It is a story of dealing with the past and how time in nature can lead to healing.

Veronica is a “set in her ways” kind of character. There is an issue in her past that she has avoided almost all of her life. Her time with the penguins brings her to the point where she trusts someone enough to talk about her past. Through this, the reader comes to understand why she is so set in her ways. The reader also comes to understand how strong she is because of her past.

The story is an uplifting one about finding family and healing personal wounds. It lived up to the praises I read about it prior to reading it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Here is another example of my reading a book simply because the title intrigued me – Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand.

This book was just fantastic. That isn’t always the case when you start reading knowing nothing but the title. However, as the story began, I connected with the characters (Especially Ray) and was hooked with the series of events that fall into place.

Let’s look at the Goodreads Synopsis:

A lifetime ago, Ray “Spike” Thorns was a well-regarded caretaker on a boarding school’s grounds. These days, he lives the life of a recluse in a house rammed with hoarded junk, alone and disconnected from family or anyone he might have at one time considered a friend.

When his next-door neighbor drops dead on Spike’s doorstep, a case of mistaken identity according to the police, the hospital, the doctors—everyone—Spike is dead. Spike wants to correct the mistake, really he does, but when confronted with those who knew him best, he hesitates, forced to face whatever impression he’s left on the world. It’s a discovery that brings him up close to ghosts from his past, and to the only woman he ever loved.

Could it be that in coming face-to-face with his own demise, Spike is able to really live again? And will he be able to put things straight before the inevitable happens—his own funeral?

This is the best kind of feel-good it’s deeply affecting but full of clever mishaps and enough laughs along the way. It takes the message from Dead Poets Society and mixes it with the tragedy of It’s a Wonderful Life and tops it off with an ultimately lovable guy like in A Man Called Ove. The result is a heartbreakingly beautiful look at life and what we would all do if given a second chance.

I absolutely love the description of Dead Poets Society, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Man Called Ove. It really describes what you can expect from the book. I found myself jotting quotes from the book down on paper as I was listening to it.

This book follows the common format of moving back and forth between time. We see the main character as an old man, as well as his younger self. How do the actions and events of the past play into who he is as an old man? It’s that kind of thing.

There were some funny moments, some moments where you were are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what is going to happen, and moments that warm your heart and fill your eyes with a tear or two. It was really a great read. Some reviews said that the ending was predictable, but I didn’t think so.

I felt like the ending was a culmination of all I had read up to that point and then presented a wonderful surprise that had me smiling and holding back a tear. This didn’t fall into the “mystery/thriller,” “Historical fiction,” or “Based on a True Story” categories. It was simply a lovely story that deserves to be shared.

5 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – Joy Moody is Out of Time

Most of the books I read are because of book suggestions on Goodreads, BookTok, or book blogs. I honestly don’t know what made me add this to my “To Read” list. I may have thought this was a time travel novel, I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, I recently finished Joy Moody is Out of Time.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Strange things are happening behind the bright pink facade of Bayside’s premier laundromat, Joyful Suds; home to Joy Moody and her twin daughters.

For much of their lives, Joy has been lying to Cassie and Andie. What started as a colorful tale to explain how the twins came to live with her grew over the years and was always something she meant to set straight. Joy really did think she had more time. Worse still, Joy is struggling to define the truth from the lies.

The girls have long believed they are vital to the future and must stay hidden to stay safe. Joy has told them that their impending 21st birthday is significant; they will step into their roles as daughters of the future revolution and life as they know it will change. Joy was right – everything will change, just not in the way the expected. On Andie and Cassie’s birthday, Joy Moody is found dead and her girls face a world they are not prepared for without their mother. Joy Moody is out of time… in more ways than one.

There is a sense of mystery throughout the book. You get the feeling that Joy has done something, but you’re not sure what. You also get the feeling that she is a bit weird and overprotective. She seems to have a reason for everything she does, even though it is a bit bizarre.

Right from the onset, you know that Joy is going to die at some point. No spoiler here, as it is in the synopsis. What happens after her death is where things fall apart and come together. There were some stand out characters who you either like or dislike. There is one point in the story where I got the sense that what is going on is something strait out of a predictable Hallmark movie.

I suppose I expected something a bit more from this. It wasn’t bad, it was just average.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – Kill For Me, Kill For You

I always love when I can write about a book that I really enjoyed. That is the case for Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh.

When I saw the title of the book, my thoughts immediately went to Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. Come to find out, that film inspired the book and plays a small role in the story itself. I’ll tell you my thoughts after you read the Goodreads synopsis:

For fans of The Silent Patient and Gone Girl, a razor-sharp and Hitchcock-inspired psychological thriller about two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink.

One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect plan: if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?

Intricate, heart-racing, and from an author who “is the real deal” (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Kill for Me, Kill for You will keep you breathless until the final page.

The synopsis mentions The Silent Patient and Gone Girl, both of which I haven’t read. So I don’t necessarily know how it compares to them. What I can tell you is that I really hoped that this would not be a literal copy of Strangers on a Train. I am glad to say that it wasn’t. There were similarities, but I suppose that’s where the inspiration comes from.

I could not put this book down. There was always a sort of “what happens next?” at the end of each chapter. There were times I was surprised, times that I was suspicious, and times that left me questioning what had just happened.

This was another one of those books where everything and everyone comes together in the final chapters. No spoilers from me, but I can tell you the ending was one I never saw coming.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – Dark Matter

After seeing this book come up as a recommendation on Goodreads, Facebook and Tik Tok, I finally had the chance to read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

I was on the fence as to whether or not I wanted to read it. I wasn’t sure I could get into the “sci-fi” of it. I kept seeing people saying how great it was and how it was the best book they had read all year, etc.. So when I saw it on the shelf at Goodwill for a buck, I figured I would pick it up.

It sat on my “To read” pile for a while before I began to read it, but I recently finished it. Before I give my thoughts, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human–a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad book. It certainly held my interest and I wanted to see how it all wrapped up. At times, I felt the scientific jargon was a bit over my head. I found myself reading a paragraph twice a couple times to be sure I got what was being said.

Honestly, as much as everyone loved this book, I didn’t feel it lived up to the hype. I went into it expecting to really be blown away by the story. I wasn’t. I’m not saying it was a waste of time to read, I just expected more based on the reviews and suggestions. If I had gone with my gut and what I felt before seeing all the hype, I probably wouldn’t have read it.

If I had to compare it to something, I would say it is like comparing it to your favorite TV show. I love the Twilight Zone, but there are episodes that just didn’t live up to those classic ones. This would compare to the “not so good” episodes.

3 out of 5 Stars.

Book Recommendation – How to Age Disgracefully

I picked today’s book off the shelf at the book store because of the title. With a title like How to Age Disgracefully, I had to know what it was about.

This book was such a fun read. I laughed out loud quite a few times and really enjoyed the idiosyncrasies of all the characters. Before I go one, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

A senior citizens’ center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from New York Times- bestselling author Clare Pooley

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

It has been awhile since I’ve read an entire novel in less than two days, but that was the case here. It wasn’t the audiobook either. I couldn’t put this one down. It is one of those books that I didn’t want to end.

There was something unique about each of the seniors in the story. Perhaps it is because I am getting older, but there are times I could relate to each one of them. (FYI: I’m not ready for the home yet!) It was a great story that didn’t require a lot of thinking and is a perfect book to cleanse the palate before diving into another one.

I would definitely pick up a sequel, if one is written in the future.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – What About The Bodies

Today’s book was one that I just happened upon while at the local library with the kids. The title peaked my interest. I read the synopsis and thought it sounded good. The book is What About the Bodies.

The author is a new one for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Before I go on, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Carla, a single mom poised to finally break free from her cycle of poverty, must risk it all, including her morality, to help her son hide a terrible secret.

Reed, an autistic young man, sets out on a journey to keep a deathbed promise to the mother he just lost. Along the way he’ll encounter both kindhearted residents and a cold-blooded nemesis.

And Liz, an aspiring musician on the cusp of a breakthrough, needs to quickly come up with the cash she owes a brutal ex-con. If she can’t pay him, both her dream and her life will be in grave danger.

As these three compelling characters intersect, the novel ignites into a story filled with explosive twists, hair-raising chills, and boundless love.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read. I think it took me two days. Jaworowoski ended each chapter in a way that made me not want to put the book down. I love a book like that.

If I had to describe the book, I’d say that it was like merging onto the highway. You’ve got these three characters who all start off the book with their own issue and storyline. With each chapter, they get closer and closer to each other. You begin to see where one story and another connect. Finally, they all come together and intersect in a way that brings the book to a conclusion.

To a degree it was a mystery, but it was more of a suspenseful story that had me wanting more at the end of each chapter.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – My Friends

I’m a bit behind on my book recommendations, and I thought I had better post at least one of them before I get further behind.

Even though this book is a perfect summer read, it is good in any season. Today I want to suggest My Friends by Fredrik Backman.

My Friends is the sixth book by Backman that I have read. There is something about Backman’s books that I really love. Someone asked me why I enjoyed his books so much. I really struggled to explain why. I felt that his characters were real and relatable. The stories are ones that engage with my emotions.

I never felt that really hit the nail on the head. So I started to look for other reviews and came across this:

Backman “is so good because he masterfully blends humor and heartbreak, creating deeply flawed but relatable characters, often outcasts, who reveal profound truths about humanity, community, and empathy through witty, conversational prose filled with poignant observations and underlying philosophy, making readers feel deeply connected to them and their struggles. He excels at showing the good in people, even the difficult ones, and exploring the importance of connection and kindness in an often harsh world, with stories that are both funny and incredibly touching.“

THAT is exactly why I like his work.

Who doesn’t love a good story about childhood? Readers of my blog are well aware of the many childhood memories I have shared, I often wonder if I could string them together with present events to make them a good book. I probably would not be able to, but Backman does it very well in this book. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

I found this to be a very good story. Backman does a great job in giving you enough info to keep you wondering throughout the story. At times, I felt like it was slowing down, but it becomes apparent that even in the “slow” parts you are gaining information that brings everything together.

When I was in radio, my boss used to say “If you make your audience FEEL something – love, happiness, sadness, anger, etc… then you have entertained them.” Backman always makes me feel something and I connect with the characters and the story. He has certainly become a “go to” author for me.

4.5 out of 5 stars.