Just a girl and her books
HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD | Robert Kolker 04.07.2020 | Doubleday Books Rating: 5/5 stars The Galvin’s, a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. On the outside Don and Mimi Galvin appear to be living the American dream. Residing in … Continue reading Book Review: Hidden Valley Road
The time has finally come! No surprise to anyone, I couldn't narrow down my favorite reads to a top ten. I present you with my top 15 reads and my 10 honorable mentions! I should also point out I won't be ranking these because that's way too hard! Instead, I'll give you my top 3 … Continue reading Favorite 2020 Reads
THEME MUSIC | T. Marie Vandelly 07.23.2019 | Dutton Books Rating: 5/5 stars Dixie Wheeler’s life is defined by her past. She has carried the trauma and stigma associated with her family for decades. Dixie is “Baby Blue”, the lone survivor of her father’s murderous rage that left her mother and brothers butchered. Twenty-five years … Continue reading Book Review: Theme Music
HOLIDAY MINI REVIEWS PT. 2 KRAMPUS: THE YULE LORD by Brom: In a small hollow in Boone County, West Virginia, struggling songwriter Jesse Walker is about to have his life change before his eyes. Christmas Eve is supposed to be a time spent with loved ones, however, Jesse has recently separated from his wife. He … Continue reading Holiday Mini Reviews Pt. 2: Krampus & Ghosts of Christmas Past
TAKE IT BACK | Kia Abdullah 06.2020 (12.2020 in US) | HQ Rating: 5/5 stars The Victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by her alcoholic mother. She has accused her classmates of rape. The Defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from immigrant families. All tell the same story. Someone is lying. TAKE IT BACK … Continue reading Book Review: Take It Back
HOLIDAY MINI REVIEWS PT. 1 THE LIGHTS by Carrie Pack: Molly Monroe and her family have gone out to enjoy the town’s Festival of Lights along with her girlfriend Chelsea. As the lights go on, the town’s children start to act strangely, especially Molly’s brother, Roger. When the Monroe’s next door neighbors are killed in … Continue reading Holiday Mini Reviews Pt. 1: The Lights & ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
WHITE IVY | Susie Yang 11.3.2020 | Simon & Schuster Rating: 4/5 stars Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar, but you would never know that by looking at her. She was raised outside of Boston, where she learned to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops by her grandmother. Thieving is Ivy’s … Continue reading Book Review: White Ivy
SONG OF SUSANNAH | Stephen King (Dark Tower #6) June 2019 (first published 06.08.2004) | Scribner Rating: 4/5 stars Warning: Potential spoilers ahead In the sixth installment of The Dark Tower, our ka-tet find themselves separated and sent to different places in different years. Susannah has given over herself to her alternate personality and is … Continue reading Book Review: Song of Susannah
AGATHA CHRISTIE MINI REVIEWS: HERCULE POIROT’S CHRISTMAS:The holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder. The wealthy Simeon Lee has invited his four sons and their wives home for Christmas. This isn’t a heartwarming holiday experience and instead quickly shifts into a tense and uncomfortable situation that crescendos when Simeon … Continue reading Agatha Christie Mini Reviews
THE LUMINOUS DEAD | Caitlin Starling 04.02.2019 | Harper Voyager Rating: 4/5 stars Gyre Price has lied her way into a caving expedition where she is under the impression she will be mapping mineral deposits. The massive paycheck waiting for her at the end far outweighs the threat of cave collapses and gear malfunctions. At … Continue reading Book Review: The Luminous Dead
What Jess Reads 