Book Review ~ In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff

Title: In The Shadow of Gotham

Author: Stefanie Pintoff
Published: 2009

Summary
Dobson, New York, 1905.

Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.

But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he’s faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon’s contacted by Columbia University’s noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley’s deranged mutterings.

But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?

This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.

Thoughts: 

This book took a lot for me to get into and it was awhile before I discovered that I wanted to know more. I did figure out who the killer was pretty early on and found I just wanted to see if I was right which is part of the motivation to keep reading. This book had some hit or miss things for me. I didn’t appreciate how easy it was to figure out. Though there was a twist that I won’t mention here. I did find that I wanted to finish it by the time the “killer” was revealed. I also found myself invested in Simon Ziele and his story. There were a few roll my eyes moments especially when we are told numerous things. I also had a hard time believing the techniques used by the detective at this time frame. However, it eventually became second nature and I got use to the writer’s style.

This is a pretty good story and I am glad I read it. I will probably not continue with the series simply because I feel that most of my questions were answered and I didn’t need anything else to feel satisfied.

Goodreads score: 3/5

Library Haul week 1

So I got some interesting reads this week and I thought I would share them with you:

First off is

Title: In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff - I got this to help with 2 challenges, Library Love and Cloak and Dagger. I have finished it and a review will be up on Tuesday!

Summary

Dobson, New York, 1905.

Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.

But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he’s faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon’s contacted by Columbia University’s noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley’s deranged mutterings.

But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?

This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.

I also picked up this one

Title: the Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Again I got it for the same reason as above and couldn't wait to read it on vacation. I am still currently reading it as it is 503 pages. I am hoping to be done by next week to post on the following Tuesday my review. 

Summary: 
Prepare for The Hypnotist to cast its spell

In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.

It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.

Once these are returned I will pick up another one... Do you have any suggestions? 

Library Love Challenge 2020

Welcome to the fourth annual Library Love Challenge hosted by Angel’s Guilty Pleasures & Books of My Heart. 

I hope you will join us in celebrating and support libraries.

If you are like us; then you like to purchase every book you want to read.  And, well that can put a hurt on your wallet.  One way to help lessen the hurt is to check out books (prints, ebooks, or audios) from the library.  If you do this, it will help save you LOTS of money $$.

Getting a library card in most places is FREE.  So, if you love to read and/or listen to books then grab your library card and join the challenge.

Details:
Runs: January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020.
You can join anytime.
The sign-up will remain open until Dec. 31st, 2020.

• Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it in the linky below.  Make sure it’s public.
• Please link back to both challenge hosts and include the challenge button in your sign-up posts.
• The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more.  While twelve is the minimum; there is no maximum limit.  See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
• Any format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.
• Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
• Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads.  The goal is to support your local library and save money.
• Monthly Library Love Email: We are offering up a Monthly Email dedicated to the library love challenge.  This email will focus on the monthly posts.  Everyone who signs up will get a confirmation email, you can unsubscribe at any time, including after the sign-up, more information at the bottom of this post or Sign Up Now.
• As an added bonus: We’re offering up MONTHLY GIVEAWAYS with this Challenge.  On the 1st of every month, a link-up will go up on both Angel’s Guilty Pleasures and Books of My Heart where you can leave your links for your reviews on the books you read from the library.  One Winner will be picked each month!! So make sure to stop by each month to enter.  More details below. 
• (Optional) Reviews: Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences.  Not sure what to write? How about something like, “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.”
• Please use #LibraryLoveChallenge when sharing your reviews, library pictures, etc…

Levels:

• Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
• Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books (I am going to aim for this one!)
• Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
• Library Addict: Read 48 books
• Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books

If interested we also have a Goodreads Group for the Library Love Challenge, where we talk, share, and discuss the books we snagged/read during the 2020 Library Love Challenge. – Click Here

If you are interested we are offering up a Monthly Library Love Email.  This email will be once a month and only feature the posts for the library love. – Click Here To Sign Up

Review ~ Everything, Everything by

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Published: 2015

Summary:
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. 

Thoughts: 
This book threw my world off and I am not sure if it was in a good way or not. I still am sitting back going did I like this book or not. It was good and if being honest I liked it up until they got back from Hawaii. Then it went weird and I'm not sure how I feel about it. No spoilers I promise but that was a different twist that some part of me knew was coming yet another part of me was like "no way are they going to do that!"
Before that all started I happened to enjoy the whole thought of this book. I liked the idea that the main character had a disease that was rare and then add to it she falls in love a teenage first love of all things and I'm all about that! Then it was going great secret meetings, first kisses, and true love. Then BAM all of the sudden she decides to rebel the perfect daughter rebels all for a boy. I'm still sold trust me this is getting good. Then the rebelling daughter goes to Hawaii okay I'm still sold she decides that she is going to risk her health in order to live. Yep still sold and I'm game. Then poof she gets sick but hey I'm still game. She gets home and then BAM twist and I'm like I'm out I don't care and I don't want to know. I ended up reading through skimming through the rest. 

Book TV review ~ Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
By: Jay Asher
Published Date: 2017
Page: 320

Summary: You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school one day to find a mysterious box with his name on it, outside his front door. Inside he discovers a series of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush. Only, she committed suicide two weeks earlier. On the first tape, Hannah explains that there are 13 reasons why she did what she did - and Clay is one of them.

If he listens, Clay will find out how he made the list - what he hears will change his life forever

Thoughts of TV Show:
The show is very graphic, very long and very detailed. I feel like I was almost a voyeur and it was very hard at times to watch this show. I have to say in season 1 (and no I haven’t watched season 2) I had to fast forward parts because it was too hard to watch. The show made you uncomfortable to a point that I didn’t want to watch it with others. I think that as a show it had to take a licensure with the material it was given however, I also think that it took some things too far. I liked how the characters were of different races and ethnicities which is fantastic because I am sure in the book they were not. The show was also very different and put me off from reading the book for awhile due to how graphic the show is. The show made the suicide (no spoiler it is in the summary) a huge thing and graphic, bloody, and almost traumatizing.

Thoughts on the book:
The book however, did just the opposite. We didn’t see Clay struggle as much in the book as we did on the show because he had to do it all in one day. Also, he didn’t have to deal with NUMEROUS rapes like he had to in the show. He also didn’t have to deal with the suicide aspect being so graphic or the parents like he did in the show. In the book it was a done deal and he never had to see the repercussions of it until the tapes. I think the show made Clay a stronger fighter and a righter of wrongs while the book made him a person who just accepted his fate and moved on with the chain and got it over with. The book was good and not graphic I felt more comfortable reading the books and felt less of a creep while learning about Hannah and her decision of taking her life. I also felt more of a connection to her and less of a connection to those that led to the decision since the book did not focus on them as much as the show did. The book is good and if you have a younger teen this is the route I would take with them if you want to talk about the sensitive nature of the topics but not show them.

Book-Movie Review ~ THe Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief
By: Rick Riordan
Published Date: 2006
Page: 375

Summary: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Thoughts on the movie:
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie but what I do remember from it was I didn’t like it. I know this because I only watched it once, I watched it and have never watched it again even on TV. I know there was a lot of times during the movie I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering how in the world was this supposed to work? I was annoyed with the set up and it didn’t make sense. I just didn’t feel that this was worth it. The CGI wasn’t very good, and I was annoyed by the actors. Needless to say, I think I had the mindset I had to like Harry Potter or this series not both and if I had to pick I will always pick Harry Potter.

Thoughts on the book:
The book was amazing. I have to say I stayed full 100% engaged and even though I had watched the movie first and knew who what was and what God belonged to whom and so forth I was still pleasantly surprised by the book. I really enjoyed learning about Percy and watching him come through and grow in the book. He really came into his own and matured a lot as a boy who had a lot thrown on his plate. This was an excellent first book and I can see how and why people compare this to Harry Potter series. I am looking forward to the rest of the series simply due to how much he grew in one book. The secondary characters were worth the read as well and were not as annoying as I anticipated either.

Review ~ The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Title: The Outsiders

By: S.E. Hinton
Published Date: 1988
Page: 192

Summary: The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

Thoughts:
This book was suggested to me by a co-worker and I have to say I was completely shocked by it. At first, I was certain this was going to be a quick not shrug off read but, then I started reading and BOOM I just couldn’t stop. This book made me cry, laugh, and then cry again. I was blown away by this book and I was absolutely shocked by this book. Apparently, a lot of people read this in high school and I have to say it would have been an appropriate time to read it. This is for sure a book about finding yourself and being okay with who you are and where you come from. It is a story about coming into your own and learning how to either be okay where you come from or learn how to work yourself out of it. Ponyboy has a hard life and had one coming up in his part of town. The thing I like about this story is it shows no matter what part of town you come from everyone has it hard and man this shows that. I was very happy that this book was suggested to me and I read it in one setting. This book hits you and just keeps on hitting until the end. I really liked it and will suggest it to others!