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 – 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 – 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 – My Murder

I have had Katie Williams’ My Murder on my “To Read” list for some time. I kept waiting for it to show up on Libby or Hoopla. That way I could listen to it on the ride to and from work. I haven’t seen it on either platform.

On a recent trip to the library with my kids, I noticed it on a shelf and picked it up. I chuckled when I took it to the desk and saw that it was the “large print” version. All these signs I’m getting older just keep coming.

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

Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.

Now it’s not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she’s always enjoyed–she must also figure out the circumstances of her death. Darkly comic, tautly paced, and full of surprises, My Murder is a devour-in-one-sitting, clever twist on the classic thriller.

Honestly, this book was not what I expected. I guess I thought that the story was going to be told by the ghost of the main character or something. The “being brought to life” aspect was an interesting angle. Bringing back the other murder victims made it more interesting.

Obviously, if they are bringing people back to life, there is a futuristic science fiction aspect to the story. It may take place in the future, but it has a current feel to it.

I’m not sure I feel it was “darkly comic,” but it was definitely full of surprises. There is a big twist about halfway through the book that takes you on another trail. That was unexpected, but it really made the story more thrilling.

I’m glad that I finally bit the bullet and just read the hard copy of the story. I don’t know much more about the author, but I think I am going to see what else she had written and check it out.

3.75 stars out of 5.

Book Recommendation – The Woman in the Window

I am really behind the times with the book I just finished. I found out that it came out in 2018, and actually had already been made into a Netflix movie.

The Woman in the Window was recommended to me by the owner of a used book store I frequent. We were talking about our recent reads and she asked if I had read it.

The Author AJ Finn wrote End of Story, which I really enjoyed. The Woman in the Window was his debut novel. Before I offer my thoughts, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother and their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

As I read this book, I kept thinking about Hitchcock’s Rear Window. I suppose that is what the author hoped for in that the main character loved old movies. She references them often throughout the book.

There were quite a few surprises along the way. I really found myself on the edge of my seat a couple times. The end was certainly not what I expected, but in a good way.

Finn does a fantastic job describing the fears of agoraphobia in the main character, Anna. Her character made me think of the main character in Sorry, Wrong Number. At times she is calm, at times she is frantic, and other times she is lost in despair. She is a very complex character and along the way, you find out why.

At one point I remember reading what seemed to be the “wrap up,” but I knew it could be because of how many pages were left. Where the story went from here really had me turning pages.

The Netflix movie stars Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Juliette Moore. I’ve heard good and bad about it, so I may or may not decide to see it. As far as the book, it is worth the read.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder

This is another book that I read because of the title. I admit that at first I assumed Lenny was a male character. I’m not sure why, but it sounded to me like a crime novel. It wasn’t.

I suppose if I had looked at the cover, I might have figured out that Lenny was female. Anyway, with that being said, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder was actually a good read.

Before I give my thoughts, here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.

And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail—and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny’s careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life—but what if her past catches up to her first?

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne’s stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who’s simply unforgettable.

For a debut novel, it was really good. I won’t give away too much, but with a title like “Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder,” I assumed the “murder” would happen towards the beginning of the book. It didn’t.

Because I was waiting for it, at times I wondered when it was going to happen. This distracted me a bit, but once I was able to put the expectation of a murder out of my mind, things fell into place nicely.

If I had to describe the book, I would say that it is like The Maid Meets Desperate Housewives. Let me clarify:

I say The Maid because Molly, the main character is a bit odd. She has autism and is very particular about her schedule and routines. Lenny isn’t autistic per say, but she has those tendencies. She is innocent and quiet and likes her routine.

I say Desperate Housewives not because of the drama on the show, but in the way that the story will bring up something or someone that you forgot about. There were times where I was like, “Oh yeah, that guy…”

The book focuses mainly on present day Lenny, but at times there are flashbacks that shed light on what is going on in the story. I would agree with the synopsis in that there are some scenarios that are heartbreaking and as a whole, heartwarming.

Does the title of the book give away the ending? You should read it and find out.

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – The Book of Cold Cases

A friend of ours is always good about sharing books that she enjoyed with my wife and I. My wife actually read this one first, and I was able to read it this week. I went into this book only knowing the title and that it had a “true crime” aspect to it. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James did not disappoint.

I’ve always loved shows that talked about cold cases. Back in the day it was Robert Stack talking about them on Unsolved Mysteries. There was also a series that aired from 2003-2010 called simply Cold Case. The most famous show was A&E’s Cold Case Files which has aired sporadically (1999-2002, 2005-2006, 2017, 2021-2022, 2024-2025). True crime is fascinating to me and many people, and I started reading this with those shows sort of on my mind.

Let’s look at the Goodreads synopsis:

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect–a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases–a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

This book was very good and kept me asking questions and on the edge of my seat at times. There were elements of the story I had not expected and at first I wasn’t sure about how to take them. In the end, however, those elements were what added the extra “suspense” for me.

As the summary states, the story bounces from the past to the present. There was no trouble keeping the characters straight. There were surprises and twists, too. I’m not sure I would categorize this as a mystery (which is what I thought it was), but I’d definitely call it a thriller. I found myself hating to have to stop reading at times. I wanted to know what happened next.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – Paranoia

Every once in a while I need to bump a book on my “To be read” list up. This happens for various reasons. Sometimes the audiobook becomes available sooner than expected. Other times it is because I really have waited to read the book. This one – well, it was the book my wife got me for my birthday. It was Paranoia from James Patterson and James O. Born.

My wife had been out shopping and saw the title and cover. She read the back of the book and thought it might be something I’d enjoy, so she picked it up for me.

I was a bit worried about reading it because I found out that this is actually the 17th book featuring the character of Michael Bennett. There have been a lot of “series” that I stopped reading because the books were often half recaps of previous books and half new story. I didn’t know what to expect. My hope was that it would read well as a stand alone story. Thankfully, it did.

Thinking back on it now, I can see where some of the things that were briefly mentioned might be familiar to readers of the series. As a new reader, I took those things as something used to further the story.

Here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

NYPD Detective Michael Bennett will stop at nothing to protect family: his wife, his kids—and his fellow officers—in the latest psychological thriller from bestselling author James Patterson.

At every death scene, Bennett says a prayer over the victim. But recently, too many of the departed have been fellow cops.
“I want you to look at these deaths on special assignment,” NYPD Inspector Celeste Cantor says. “Report only to me.”
Bennett excels as a solo investigator. But he’s chasing a killer who feeds on isolation… and paranoia.

The synopsis doesn’t really say much. So I will expand just a bit, which may make it more intriguing to you.

Deaths tied to drugs and gangs are commonplace in New York City. They are nothing out of the ordinary. Strange and multiple deaths of retired police officers, however, raise a red flag. As the deaths pile up, it becomes clear that the dead police officers and the dead drug/gang members have something in common – an interest case from the past.

When Bennett is approached by Inspector Cantor to “look into the matter,” he does so. The more he investigates, the more complex and odd the case becomes.

The book was actually quite good. I had my suspicions about characters who may or may not be involved in the murders throughout the first half of the book. My pick changed a bit throughout the story, but I was able to figure it out. The fact that I did, didn’t make the rest of the story a bad read.

Will I go out and pick up another Michael Bennett book? Maybe. It was good, but it wasn’t necessarily a character that I was like, “I gotta read more about that guy!”

3 out of 5 stars.