meg reads and reads

Title: The Radium Girls Author: Kate Moore If you are looking to try reading more non-fiction, The Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a compelling choice. It is certainly not the most joyful subject, but it is an incredibly interesting and frequently enraging account of a dark chapter in American industrial history. Moore utilizes original interviews, diaries, letters, and court accounts to reconstruct the lives of working-class women hired to paint luminous watch dials for the military. These women were taught to use their lips to point their brushes, effectively swallowing radium with every stroke. Even those who didn't use the lip-pointing method were coated in radioactive dust that they inadvertently carried home to their families at the end of every day. The physical descriptions of the radiation poisoning are harrowing. The narrative tracks a progression of horror where a woman's jaw literally falling apart is only the beginning of the tragedy. The book details a litany of suf...

Title:  The Memory Keeper's Daughter Author:  Kim Edwards Well, y'all, this one hit me pretty hard, and I wasn't prepared for it. I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for it. It starts out with a young couple, a doctor named David and his wife, Norah, who becomes pregnant. She tells her husband if they have a boy, she wants to name him Paul. If they have a girl, she wants to name her Phoebe. When Norah goes into labor in 1964, they are in the midst of a terrible snowstorm, so David carefully drives his wife to a clinic to give birth. He has to deliver himself. To his utter delight, his wife gives birth to a healthy son. His nurse, Caroline, is keeping Norah drugged, so she's pretty out of it, and surprise! Another baby comes out, a baby girl with obvious signs of Down's Syndrome. Knowing the chances of Phoebe not having a long life expectancy due to the health risks associated wit...

Title: When We Believed in Mermaids Author: Barbara O'Neal I actually really enjoyed this book. I liked the way the story slowly unfolded, keeping you interested without giving everything away. I liked the characters, even Josie/Mari. Even their mom. I liked the mystery of what happened to Veronica going on in the background. I liked the description of the landscape and culture of New Zealand. There was so much to enjoy in this book. I did have one thing that bugged me, and that was the fact that the author really likes to describe what's happening in triplicate. For example, "...he kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me." That's one example of several in the book, and she used that one more than once. It was a little distracting for me. Anyway, it was good despite that, and I give it four out of five stars. ------------------------- READING PROGRESS Ammey McKeaf by Jane Shoup: 61% Insomnia  by Stephen King: 64% Easy Go by John Lange: 66% If You ...

Title: The Dark Bones Author: Loreth Anne White It is way past my bedtime, but I simply had to stay up and finish this book. It's a kind of "whodunnit" novel with lots of twists and intricacies that keep you guessing all the way through. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out how books like this will end, but I was completely shocked at the big reveal. It was nice to get a little glimpse of Olivia and Cole again, though Tori is the only one from A Dark Lure  to figure prominently into the plot of this book. However, the plot centers mostly on Rebecca, Ash, and Ricky. I started in the beginning not liking Ricky, but the more I got to know him, the more I liked him. He's just a kid who has crappy circumstances in life. I was mildly suspicious of Ash in the beginning, but I was able to quickly put those suspicions aside. During the first couple of chapters, I wasn't a huge fan of Rebecca because of her attitude toward her father, but I quickly became a h...

Title: The Waste Lands Author: Stephen King The Dark Tower series continues to get better. Book III has been the best thus far. Eddie and Susannah are such a pleasure to read, and it's nice to have Jake back in the mix. Roland is loosening up, so he's more fun to read, too. There are a wealth of new characters to enjoy, among which include the Tick-Tock Man and Blaine the Mono. They continue on their journey toward the Dark Tower with a number of hitches in their plans. I am eager to continue this series. Five out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 76% Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 32% Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin: 68% The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White: 60% Needful Things by Stephen King: NOW STARTING

Title: Hidden Star Author: Nora Roberts This is the first book by Nora Roberts I have ever read. Before reading any of her books, I had lumped her into the "grocery store trash" genre. I am happy to report that I was completely correct in this assumption. This book is absolute garbage. The writing is lazy, and there is so much sleaze. Normally when you read trashy books, there is some humor to kind of keep you engaged, but not here. Nope. Nothing. In all fairness, the main plot is okay. But it takes you about 75% of the book to get there. If this hadn't been such a quick and easy read, there is no way I would have been able to make it that far into the book without anything actually happening. So...yeah. 2 out of 5 stars. ------------- READING PROGRESS: The Night Trade by Barry Eisler: 60% Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 10% The Waste Lands by Stephen King: 51% Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 68% Drinking and Dating by Brandi Glanvil...

Title: The Killer Collective Author: Barry Eisler So I finally am current with the John Rain series. I have mixed feelings about this book. All in all, it was a fantastic read, though I feel the ending was too neat for most of the characters and not neat enough for others. Ben - I have mixed feelings about Ben's storyline. I feel like we were built up to like him, then dislike him, then not know how to feel about him, and there's no real resolution there. Delilah - I was actually delighted (ha, word choice) to have Delilah back in the plot, and I loved the role that she played in this book. It worked for her. Hort - I don't care what Eisler does, I will never like Hort, and I don't care if we ever see him again. Larison - He's not particularly a likable guy, but his role in this book is effective and important. I was glad to have him back. My main problem with Larison is I feel like Eisler created the Ben Treven series solely to introduce Larison, so w...

Title: The Killer Ascendant Author: Barry Eisler I was really excited about this book, and it was a bit of a letdown. Dox was the the main thing that saved this book for me. His sense of humor, the way he handled himself under unimaginable pressure...it was perfect for his character. Mopey John was no fun to read. He made his choices but couldn't seem to deal with the repercussions of them, and that was disappointing. And I personally thought the stunt Delilah pulled in the last book was unforgivable, so why is he still hanging around with her? Sigh. I guess we'll see what happens in Book Seven. Three out of five stars. ----------------------------- READING PROGRESS: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 16% Silent Crime by W.L. Knightly: 86% The Dark Half by Stephen King: 4% Fault Line  by Barry Eisler: JUST STARTING

Title: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Author: Diana Gabaldon What can I say? Another hit from Diana Gabaldon. This one, like the last one, was slow at parts for me, but it had enough intrigue to keep me going. There's a lot of action to make up for the slow parts. I'm always impressed by Gabaldon's historical research and knowledge of the areas that she's writing about. I know that I've said this before, but being from North Carolina, it's almost thrilling to read about places that I've been to and know well. Four out of five stars. --------------- READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 82% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection by Stan & Jan Berenstain: 80% Winner Takes All by Barry Eisler: 27% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: JUST STARTING

Title: A Lonely Resurrection Author: Barry Eisler This is the second installment of the John Rain series, and I have to say it was even more enjoyable than the first. There was lots of fast-paced action, and the crime web that Yamaoto--who I am assuming is the series' ultimate villain--seems to be involved with seems to grow ever more complex. I have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to books, just because I'm moody, but I actually read this one beginning to end without pausing to read anything else. It had me that riveted. Four out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 73% A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: 80% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection: 36% Winner Take All by Barry Eisler: STARTING NOW

Title: Rock Needs River Author: Vanessa McGrady My feelings about this book are...complicated. It's pretty well written and it feels honest. It's just that I don't know how I feel about the author. She is by turns very interesting and extremely pretentious. When she writes about her younger days, I think about how cool it was that she did all of that stuff, and then at other parts I'm thinking, "Could you be any more bourgie?" The book is at parts dull, at parts very interesting, and at parts absolutely devastating, but in the end, I felt as if the author and her daughter were where they needed to be, even if the other people involved are kind of a mess (of their own making). Three out of of five stars from me. ----------- READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 44% A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: 64% Say You're Sorry by Melinda Leigh: 83% AND NOW I'm starting something new. I don't normally read childr...

Title: The Storyteller's Secret Author: Sejal Badani Wow. I just finished reading this book, and I really have no words. But it's my job to provide them, so I'm going to do my best. Occasionally, I come across a book that speaks to me so intimately that I feel like I've been punched in the gut or that someone has their hand around my heart and is just squeezing it as hard as they can. This is one of those books. I got this book through Amazon First Reads  a few months ago, and to be completely honest, had I had any notion of what the subject matter of the book was, I might have chosen a different book. I'm so  glad I didn't. After reading the first chapter or so, it was just so much for me to handle that I had to put it down for a little while before coming back to it. But this book was worth every single ugly cry it got out of me (and it got several). The book is perfect. I don't say that often, but it is. Five out of five stars from me, but I r...

Title: The Ragged Edge of Night Author: Olivia Hawker This is the touching true story of Josef Anton Starzmann, and it was a great read. Growing up in America, when we learn about World War II, we basically hear that Germany was bad, and Hitler was charismatic enough to dupe his entire country into believing his vile propaganda. Well, this book shows that that was not necessarily the case. While it was true that Hitler had many supporters, there were several different forms of resistance going on among German citizens, even among the clergy. It's a fascinating perspective, and I'm really glad I read it. If you like history, this is definitely a great book to read. I give this one four out of five stars.

Title: What Have You Done Author: Matthew Farrell This is not a genre I read much, but it was still extremely predictable. I had the entire plot figured out before I was halfway through with the book, and there was no surprise twist at the end. I hung in there hoping to be surprised, but nope. Never happened. This was just your typical, run-of-the-mill "thriller" "mystery," but it fell woefully short of being either thrilling or mysterious. Two out of five stars.

Title: The Eyes of the Dragon Author: Stephen King This isn't even close to being one of my favorite books by him, but it's still good. My favorite part about it is that the villain--Flagg--seems to be the same person as the villain in The Stand  (which is hands down my favorite by Stephen King). Flagg is also apparently in The Dark Tower  series. I have only read the first book in that series, but I'm getting ready to start the second. I did not care for the first Dark Tower  book, though. I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just not my thing. My opinions on the other works of Stephen King aside, The Eyes of the Dragon  was a fun read. It is not Stephen King's typical writing style, which I both liked and didn't like. It was nice to have a different style of writing after spending the last three years reading the works of Stephen King, but at the same time, it wasn't really what I was wanting from a Stephen King novel. The characters were well-writt...