meg reads and reads

Title: Unspeakable Things Author: Jess Lourey I will start out by saying that this book is beautifully written. Lourey's technique is pretty flawless, and I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I can't say a whole lot about this book plot-wise without giving it away completely, but I will say there is a main plot and a subplot, and I'm a little confused about which is which, or if they are interchangeable. There are heartbreaking things going on in the main character's (first person narrator's) life that are never fully resolved, but the implication that they will be was somewhat satisfying. I am not a fan of loose ends, especially when people of power are potentially involved. I want to believe justice will be served. That said, I choose to believe that all of the villains in this book get what they deserve. This book is based on true events, and makes it all the more disturbing. I am not familiar with the historical account of what actually hap...

Title: Divan of Shah Author: Shah Asad Rizvi This could have been read in one sitting, but I had to put it down for a while, because I found it confusing, and since I've been sick, I wasn't able to take it in all at once. That is neither a good nor a bad thing. Shah Asad Rizvi has arranged this book very beautifully, starting with the love of a mother and continuing into falling in love with another person, getting into a passionate relationship with that person, the relationship ending, the grief and coming to terms with the demise of the relationship, and then losing oneself in dance. I really liked the arrangement of the book. I thought it was very well done. He obviously has a very poetic mind, and I appreciate the way he views things. I think this book needed a really good editor before publication, because there are certain grammatical things that really need to be fixed. He goes between "thee" and "thy" to "you" and "y...

Hey everyone! It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted. I am actively reading, but I've started on a couple of new endeavors that I wanted to let you know about. First of all, my first book has been published. It is available on Kindle and in paperback via Amazon. You can find it  here . It's a book of poetry, poems that were written over a period of about fifteen years. I will warn you that it's pretty dark at parts. It's mostly a glimpse at some of the darkest parts of my life. But there are some happy poems in there, too, so don't be put off by that. I've basically poured my heart and soul into this book, and I would appreciate it if you would give it a read (it's short; you'll breeze right through it), and then review on Amazon and Goodreads. Second of all, in case you haven't gotten the memo, I have a podcast now! It's called MBeckelhimer Book Reviews, and you can find it basically anywhere you listen to podcasts. It's...

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: I Believe in a Thing Called Love Author: Maurene Goo I will start this off by saying that if you love K dramas, you're bound to love this book. Goo takes the adorable ridiculousness of those shows and makes a solid novel here. I enjoyed the book for the most part. I loved that it was so inclusive. The story itself was engaging and fun to read. It was cheesy, but in the way K dramas are cheesy, in the way teen romance stories are cheesy. Now to my issues. The main character, Desi, has serious self-esteem issues, to the point where she needs help. She basically concocts a list of steps inspired by watching K dramas in order to get the hottest guy in school to date her, because she doesn't think she is capable of talking to a boy without embarrassing herself. In doing this, she puts herself and the boy in danger multiple times. I think, in the end, it has a positive message overall, but I really had issues with some of the things she did just to get a guy to like ...

Title: If You Tell Author: Gregg Olsen If You Tell chronicles the true story of Shelly Knotek and her husband, Dave, how they abused and ultimately killed three (possibly four) people, and further abused their children. The abuse ranges from ridiculous to sadistic to what I would classify as sexual. What really pulled me in to this book was the fact that it was a true story. As a mother, I am truly appalled that someone like Shelly can possibly exist, that someone can be so sadistic toward her own children. I truly don't understand. Shelly and Dave received disgustingly short sentences for their crimes. Dave is already free, and I believe Shelly is set to be released from prison in 2022. Dave is a weak little worm, but Shelly is the epitome of true evil and deserves to rot forever for her crimes. I fear for her children when she is released. The descriptions of the events were tough for me to read at times. It honestly made me physically ill. I had to put the book down f...

Title: Insomnia Author: Stephen King Insomnia  tells the story of an elderly man, Ralph, who lives in the town of Derry, Maine (yes, the Derry, Maine, of IT) . After the death of his wife, he begins to have issues with, you guessed it, insomnia. As time goes by, it gets worse and worse, and he starts to notice that he is able to see a world of "auras." He eventually discovers that his friend Lois is having the same problems and is seeing the same things he is seeing. The world of auras is absolutely bonkers, in the best way possible. I love King's descriptions of what is going on there and the abilities that Ralph and Lois discover they have. The character development is stellar, the basic plot is good, the elderly romance story is absolutely adorable, but it's the length of the book that gets me. This is an issue that I have with many of King's novels. I have no problem with a book being long if it needs to be long, but there are just way too many extrane...