Book Recommendation – None of This Is True

All I can say is, “Wow!” I could not put this one down. Lisa Jewell’s None of This is True was a novel that kept me wanting to know more.

I feel like I should give you the Goodreads synopsis before I start giving my thoughts, so here it is:

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Right from the start, the characters are a bit odd. The podcaster, Alix, seems to be the most normal of them. Josie is a bit creepy, if I am being honest. The more she tells Alix, the more “off” she feels. The things she mentions, the things she says, and the things she does point to a very disturbed person.

With each chapter, you learn more and more about Josie and who she is. The thing is – you know she has done something, but you have no idea what that something is! Little by little and piece by piece the puzzle starts to come together. You get bits and pieces and I found myself wanting to know “what was that about?” “How does that tie in with what is going on?” “Did she really just ask here THAT!?”

The book reminded me of Listen For The Lie, which also revolves around a podcast. But None of This is True was even better, in my opinion. Lisa Jewell really hit it out of the park! It was a suspenseful thrill ride that I absolutely enjoyed.

5 out of 5 stars!

Book Recommendation – Listen For The Lie

Today is National Book Lover’s Day!

One of the things I love about Goodreads is that I can see what some of my other reader friends are reading. A few of my friends had read this one, and since it was already on my “To read” list, I requested it from the Libby App. I had to wait a bit for it, but I dove right in once it arrived. The book is Listen for the Lie – by Amy Tintera.

I love a good whodunit and this fit the bill. It had me guessing the entire time I listened. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

As I mentioned, I listened to the audio version of this book. They did a really good job of making the “clips” of the podcast sound like a podcast. I really enjoyed how with each bit of the podcast, you learn a little bit more about each of these characters. As a bonus, along the way it seems like with each piece of the podcast, you get these little firecrackers (not quite bombshells) that shed more and more light on what happened.

There was a bit more profanity and sexual content in this one that in some of the past books I read, but it really didn’t take away from the story. Right up to the end, my mind kept changing as to whether or not Lucy did it or if another character did. If you love a good mystery – check this one out.

4 out of 5 stars.

Broadcasting Live from the Library

I love the local library. Just recently I have checked out numerous books on tape to listen to on my drive into work. I have also checked out physical books to read as well.

Just like a stroll through the local book store, I love walking up and down the aisles looking for various titles and authors. Many times, if I don’t want to purchase a book, I will take a picture of it at the book store and then request it from the library.

Many people use the library for computer use, to make copies, or just to relax and read. There are also many other things that happen there, too. Monday, I took the kids to a “story time” session.

Ella loved being able to see other kids around her age and made new friends. Getting her to sit still while the stories are being read is a bit of a challenge though. She loved when they got up and danced along with songs, played with scarves, and played with the small parachute. She really had a blast, even though it doesn’t look like it in this picture.

Story time on my day off happens at a library near Sam’s mom and dad. So I packed up the kids and drove over that way with the kids. There was something that I was really surprised to see, smack dab in the middle of the library – a podcasting booth.

Many people have said that I should do a podcast since I have retired from radio. I have said that I really don’t have the equipment or a place to do it quietly. I suppose with the right portable equipment and the use of this cool booth, a podcast would actually be fun to do.

As surprised as I was to see this in the library, it makes sense. As I mentioned, many folks go to the library to do use computers and such. What a fantastic idea for the local library to offer a space for folks to do podcasts in a world were there are more and more podcasts being created and broadcast.

My brother has worked in a library for over 20 years. I’ve never asked if they have one of these, but he works in a major city and their library has many branches, so I suppose they do. What a great idea.

Anyone who says the world doesn’t needs a library really has no idea just how vital they are.