The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

 

This is a book that has been hailed as a new Hitchcock, an updated twist on Strangers on a Train, a novel up there with books by such authors as Gillian Flynn. I was given a copy at an ALA convention, and later saw write ups everywhere singing its praises.

For the first part of the book, I honestly wasn't sure all the accolades were deserved. The beginning of the book was good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't read as particularly different from a lot of other stories. Lily and Ted meet in an airport bar, and end up being on the same flight. Ted tells Lily that his wife is having an affair, and that he wishes he could kill her. Lily says it's possible. Interesting, well-written, but nothing new in the word of psychological thrillers.

But then the second part of the book began, and turned everything I thought I knew on its head. And then the third part began, and flipped everything on me again. The book successfully, beautifully, tricked me, over and over again. Just when I was getting comfortable, thinking I knew what was going on, the story twisted again.

Swanson brilliantly plays with his readers, and this book packs a punch. Once you get to the end of the first part, you won't be able to put the book down again.

4/5 stars

Whodunnit Wednesday: Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely

Wow am I tired today! Parent-teacher conferences are tomorrow, plus Halloween is coming up, so it's an especially exhausting time to be a Pre-K teacher. By the time I got home from work and had walked my dog, I had walked over 20,000 steps!

So this light fun read was exactly what I needed to curl up with on the couch.

 

This was a book I received an advanced copy of at a recent ALA convention, and it was a really fun read. The main characters, Nic and Nigel Martini, are pretty clearly take offs on Nick and Nora Charles, but I love Nick and Nora Charles, so I liked Nic and Nigel Martini quite a bit.

This book does not take itself too seriously, and it made for a funny, breezy read. It features mobsters, philandering husbands, giant dogs, Valium, lots of alcohol, rich crazy relatives, and two quick witted constantly quipping protagonists. 

The mystery is a good one, with a lot of layers, and some surprising twists. The characters have big personalities, which really works for this kind of humorous read, especially with all the bodies that start turning up.

I would definitely recommend this book for when you need something light and easy to read, and want to fictionally bond with two protagonists you would definitely want to grab a drink with. 

3/5 stars

Frightful Fall Reads: The Murderer is Among Us!!

Continuing my Frightful Fall Reads series as we build up to Halloween, one of my favorite types of scary story to read is The Murderer is Among Us. This typically features isolated locations, such as islands or snowed-in mansions, and the characters' (and readers') horrified realization that they are trapped, the bodies are piling up, and the killer could be the person right next to them.

 

These are two absolute classics of this genre, by the Queen of Crime herself. Murder on the Orient Express features a group of passengers trapped on a train in a blizzard, while And Then There Were None 's characters are stranded on a mysterious isolated island.

 

A group of guests have gathered together at a grand old estate to play "The Murder Game", but soon of them is murdered for real.

 

My absolute favorite book for the last twenty years! A group of people have all been enticed to move into a new apartment building when a murder occurs. They are snowed in, and have to take part in a mysterious game in an attempt to solve the murder and win big.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

"I am not the kind of person who gets haunted by anything."

The person Hannah projects to the world is a bright, sunny girl. But really, Hannah is haunted-by the knowledge that her best friend, Lillian, died and she wasn't able to stop it, and by the ghost of this same best friend, who continues to appear whether Hannah wants her to or not.

At the same time, young girls are turning up murdered around Hannah's small town.

What most impressed me about this book was how well Yovanoff avoided any typical tropes of a young adult paranormal romance novel. The way she writes Hannah and her love interest, Finny, feels fresh and new, even with Finny being a boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a heart of gold. The use of ghosts is clever and well-executed, and always serves a purpose. And you will think you've figured out the mystery right before Hannah does, but Yovanoff will completely twist things around on you in the last few chapters, and leave you gasping.

This is not a book that is just about one thing. It is about what it means to be a best friend, and what it means to be part of a clique, and how that effects how you act, and how you treat others. It tackles how the persona we present to the world is all too often not who we truly are inside, and how far we will go to be special in someone else's eyes. And it does all this with ghosts, and a serial killer, and a Ouija board to boot.

3.5/5 stars

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon!!

This is my first time participating in the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, and I could not be more excited!! It is the perfect day for this-chilly outside, warm inside, and this was already a day I had been planning on hibernating and reading.

This is where I will be posting my updates on what I'm reading, how many pages I've read, what I've finished, etc. I will also be posting my introductory meme below, as well as posting on my twitter account, so feel free to follow my progress there as well!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

 I am reading from Chicago! I'm curled up in my cozy little apartment with my beloved dog, Sherlock.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? 

Really, all of them! I have a stack of library books, and shelves of TBR, and I'm so happy to have a day to just curl up and read them. I'm excited to finish Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson, so that will be my first read.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

 Hmm...well, I'm making brunch for myself currently, so I would say the fried egg and veggie bacon sandwiches I will be eating soon.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a Pre-K teacher, my favorite things to read are mysteries and true crime, and my favorite author of all-time is Agatha Christie. I love tea, especially chai, and have a miniature poodle named Sherlock who is the love of my life.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? 

This is my first Readathon, and I am just so excited to spend a chilly day curled up inside reading, and to have the time to do it! Life has been really busy lately, and its so nice to have a day like this.

Readathon Updates:

Currently reading: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Unfair: The New Science on Criminal Injustice by Adam Benforado

Finished books: 
1) Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson (a book in progress from earlier this week, so started in today on page 283)
2) Darke Academy: Lost Spirits by Gabriella Poole

Pages read:  538

Frightful Fall Reads: Old-School Classics

In the weeks leading up to Halloween, I thought it would be fun to recommend some of my favorite scary stories to read, and why I find them creepy. Today features some old-school classics.

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)

• Ghosts
• Creepy children
• Practically deserted large old house in the middle of nowhere
• Unreliable narrator
• Psychological uncertainty

2-3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818); Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

• Two of the creepiest, most iconic monsters in literary history
• Murder and mayhem
• Lots of lurking in the shadows
• Psychological fear
• Being stitched from the dead/rising from the dead
• Preying on innocents

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)

• Supernatural forces
• Twisted immortality with a price
• Creepy inanimate object

5. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (1843)

• Murder and mayhem
• A haunting you can't escape from-not even in your own home
• The past never truly being behind you
• Psychological torture

6. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1902)

• Mysterious, eerie setting
• Isolated old house
• Supernatural possibilities
• Murder and mayhem
• The potential of a long-reaching curse
• Evil doings from the past
• Possible monstrous creature
• Overhanging threat of evil

Top Ten Author Pairings I Would Love to See Write a Book Together

 This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish ) is ten author pairings who I would love to see collaborate on a book.

1. Gillian Flynn & Paula Hawkins

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2. Donna Tartt & Will Lavender

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3. Joanne Harris & Christopher J. Yates 

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4. Kimberly McCreight & Jennifer McMahon

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5. Alice LaPlante & Rosamund Lupton

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6. Marisha Pessl & Donna Tartt

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7. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Agatha Christie

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8. Dennis Lehane & Will Lavender

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9. Jay Asher & Stephen Chbosky 

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10. Agatha Christie & Ngaio Marsh

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