The Kind Worth Killing Review

5/5 Stars

"The Kind Worth Reading"

On a whim I downloaded this book from Overdrive, not knowing what it was about.  And I quickly became engrossed in the web of murders and lies that is this perfectly crafted narrative.

Lily, is perhaps, one of the most complex and fascinating characters I've gotten to know through literature.  And maybe it isn't so much that SHE is fascinating... what was so interesting and fascinating to me was how I viewed her.  Here we have this confident, beautiful, demure... and homicidal woman that I can't imagine being friends with in real life.  Yet I loved Lily and I found myself justifying her past and her extracurricular activities because of what she had experienced.  The author is able to let you in on Lily's inner child and how she feels and why she has coped in the way she has.  It makes you root for her, even when that support leads you to condone murder.  Truly fascinating and outstanding that the author was able to create this relationship between reader and main character.  

I love a book with plot twists I never saw coming, and there were multiple twists that truly shocked me.  And the big twists didn't ruin the book or make me have to suspend my disbelief.  I loved that this book was unique and somewhat realistic.  You could know people like Lily or Miranda and not ever give them a second thought.  

The ending of this book was a big perfect bow that tied everything together, left you wanting more, but also provided the contentment and closure needed upon ending a delectable novel.  

I'm torn between wanting to read more by Swanson but also not wanting to read anything else by him for fear it couldn't live up to this one.

Despite my glowing review, I wouldn't claim this book as one of the top 10 I've ever read.  (I know some book reviewers ONLY give 5 stars if it's a top tier book.)  But I really and thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm very happy I read this.  If you want a book that you won't be able to put down, and that you'll have complicated feelings about after reading it, go put your name down on the waitlist for this book via Overdrive.  Cause you best believe there's a waitlist for this book.

All my loving,

Sissy GOLDEN Hair

What Alice Forgot Review

 

3/5 Stars

Apparently I 'Forgot' about this Book!

I started and stopped and started and stopped and started and stopped this book countless times.  I just couldn't get super into it!  I loved loved loved the premise of this book which is why I think I kept reading it.  (Also, the $7.99 I spent on this book and the space it took up on my nightstand also motivated me to read it.)  

I rarely read a book and rate it 3 stars.  A book is usually either really good and I rate it 4 or 5 stars, or it's really terrible and I rate it 1 or 2 stars.  Rarely is a book just 'meh' in every way (in my opinion).  But that's what this book was for me.  Forgettable.  And 'meh'.  Very 'meh'.

I liked Alice... in fact, I thought she was quite charming in the ways she navigated life after amnesia.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her relationship with Nick and seeing it bloom and reignite.  What and who I didn't love was Frannie and her letters to Phil and Elizabeth and her letters to her therapist.  I thought they were a strange tie-in to the main plot.  Of course, I know that Liane Moriarty likes to tell stories from multiple viewpoints.  I just didn't love how it was executed in this book.

I'm really happy I finally finished this book.  I don't feel in any way that it was a let-down or a waste of a read.  I just wouldn't recommend this one and it won't be something I remember when 2022 comes to a close and I think back on my favorite books of the year.

Perhaps I wasn't able to give this book a fair assessment due to the fact that I had a physical copy of it as opposed to a copy on my Kindle.  These days it's harder for me to read physical copies of books.  And maybe that's why it was hard for me to consistently read and stay involved with.  

In any case, I'm grateful I'm one book down in 2022... even thought it's a book I've already forgotten about.

All my loving,
SGH

January 3, 2022

 2 years and a day since my latest blog post.  Truly, I can't believe it has been that long.

A lot has happened in the last two years. 

grenadine, quarantine, I like you a lot.

It's LA, 'hey' on ZOOM, Target parking lot...

okay okay, I'll stop with the homage to Lana Del Rey.

But really, since my last post the world has literally turned upside down with COVID-19.

Oh, and I had a baby.  And my baby is pretty delightful.  Like, I love words... but even words can't properly convey how angelically perfect he is.

Anyhow, because of all the many nightly feeding sessions this year has consisted of, I've read a lot!  But I didn't keep track!  I'm guessing I read about 40 books this year?  And the year before I either read 50 books or like 13... I can't get my years straight!

This year, 2022, I'd love to read 50 books again.  BUT I sort of doubt that this can happen based on how busy I am with my baby and learning how to navigate life with him.  So, perhaps I'll set the goal for 35 books.  35 in 2022.  That's still remarkable, right?

And then if I get close to that I can up the ante!

I also plan to write a brief review on all the books I read.  So, without further ado, I will bid thee farewell so I can write up my thoughts on the first book I completed in 2022.

Farewell.

All my loving,

SGH