book review

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Book Review

April 17, 2019

It has been a long time since I have read a novel based on true events. I had heard so many incredible reviews about the Tattooist of Auschwitz and had to read it for myself.

A synopsis based on Amazon:

“This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov – an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for “tattooist”), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism – but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful recreation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.”

My personal review:

Honestly, I could not put this book down. It is the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. I was saddened, excited, happy, angry, elated…the list goes on! This book is not for the faint of heart. We all learn about WWII is school and the horrific events that changed the lives of so many during that time. The recount that the author wrote based on events that Lale Sokolov shared was written in such a way that you felt like you were actually there experiencing everything through the characters eyes.

This book is sad, and beautiful, and well worth your time to read. I highly recommend it!

Field of Graves – a Book Review

January 7, 2019

Back at it with another book review for you on this beautiful Thursday! Remember when I posted about this book written by J.T Ellison? Well I went and read Field of Graves written by her and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

Synopsis per Amazon:

All of Nashville is on edge with a serial killer on the loose. A madman is trying to create his own end-of-days apocalypse and the cops trying to catch him are almost as damaged as the killer. Field of Graves reveals the origins of some of J.T. Ellison’s most famous creations: the haunted Lieutenant Taylor Jackson; her blunt, exceptional best friend, medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens; and troubled FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin. Together, they race the clock and their own demons to find the killer before he claims yet another victim. This dark, thrilling and utterly compelling novel will have readers on the edge of their seats, and Ellison’s fans will be delighted with the revelations about their favorite characters.

My review:

As I am a fan of J.T. Ellison, I definitely enjoyed reading the first novel in a series of murder mystery, bone-esque type story line. For those of you that are fans of Bones, NCIS, and really any other murder mystery/police procedure shows and story lines, then this series is for you!

I appreciated the details about the characters written into the plot. When it comes to a series, in my mine it is especially important to really get a “relationship” with the main character…I hope that made sense haha. There is quite a bit of violence (obviously…it’s about a serial killer) so if that’s not your cup of tea then I recommend not giving a go.

I would definitely give this book a 4/5 rating. I love the plot, and the characters are likable. The only con for me was that the ending was a tad bit predictable for me. Ultimately, we all knew that they’d catch the killer, I figured out who the killer was about half way through before they were announced…don’t worry, I won’t spoil the ending for you. Despite the predictable aspect for me, I am moving forward with reading the rest of the series and I am excited to start the next one!

What have you been reading lately?

Unwind – a Book Review

October 25, 2018

I have been on a role lately! Honestly I’m kind of proud of myself for sticking to 1 book per week haha. Being able to accomplish anything for yourself when you’ve got kids, a husband, and a billion other activities to do can be tough #amiright?

Based on what books I have reviewed so far, you can probably tell that I tend to gravitate toward “young adult novels.” I am a fan of dystopian worlds and anything that involves a thrill. This week I am reviewing a novel that does not fall short of any of those descriptions – Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

The description according to Goodreads:

“The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.”

The description according to me:

First of all, I am excited that this is a series. Unwind hooked me from the very beginning and kept my interest through to the very end…I will definitely be getting the series to see what happens next! I personally listened to the Audible version which was narrated by Luke Daniels. Based on previous experience, if you have a terrible narrator, you will lose interest in a book quickly so I feel like this is a key part of any Audible experience. This book was narrated very well. Luke changes his voice for each character so you can really engulf yourself in that world and keeps your interest the whole time.

I will give a bit of a warning though – if you’re sensitive to anything involving reproductive rights, adoption, and surgical procedures, this book may not be for you. The entire book revolves around children fighting for their right to live once their parents have unwound them between the ages of 13-18, parents . Although the books description doesn’t truly give any official details away, it certainly does give you that wide-eyed, horrified feeling doesn’t it?

After reading the first book in the series I was left in a ball of emotions. I honestly had no idea how I felt other than it left me wanting more. I was angered by some of the characters behavior, saddened by one of the “bad guys” being unwound (mostly because that is the only description of the actual events that occur during the unwinding and listening to his recount of growing up actually made me well up), and rooting for the “little guys.” Unwind is very well written, well structured, and you really get to know the main characters so investing in them is easy to do.

Although the entire plot of the book was built on is a very touchy subject, it’s important to note that there is always hope to grasp onto (in the book and in life). Between sheer determination, a community of people willing to help those being unwound, and the will to live, this book really contains it all. Trust me when I say, this will not disappoint!

The Life We Bury: a book review

October 17, 2018

Back with another book review this week! Just an FYI…I plan on reviewing new books each week since my goal is to complete at least one new book per week so hopefully you enjoy these. Love me some thrillers and The Life We Bury did not disappoint!

The book description according to Amazon:

“College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran–and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl’s life, especially Carl’s valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory.

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?”

My personal review of The Life We Bury:

Oh. My. WORD! Run out and buy it right now! I wish that were enough to get y’all to read this book, but, here is what I really enjoyed about the book.

This book sat in my Audible wish list for a few months before I officially got to it. After reading the description, I knew that I would love the book. The mystery, suspense, and rave reviews for the storytelling is what sold me on it. I don’t know about you, but, when I listen to any book on Audible the narrator can either make or break a book. Thankfully, the narrator chosen for this book did a superb job.

This heart tugging, suspenseful book will make your blood pressure rise and fall with each new turn of events. You will literally be on the edge the entire time. If I had the opportunity to listen to the book in a single sitting, I would have – it’s that good!

Allen Eskens is an incredible storyteller and a natural born writer! The story flows effortlessly from Carl’s life story to Joe’s back story. They seem to not have anything in common with each other, but as they talk, their stories become intertwined. The ending is a bit of a twist and 100% gasp worthy.

Thank goodness there is a sequel to The Life We Bury called The Shadows We Hide that will be released on 11/13/2018 and I have already pre-ordered it! Although this was his first book debut, he has since released 3 (soon to be 4) more books – all of which I will be reading for sure!

If you’ve read this book before I would love to hear your thoughts! Comment below with what you thought about the book!

No One Knows: a book review

October 9, 2018

I have been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. I refer to myself as an “equal opportunity book lover.” If the book is well written, the genre doesn’t really matter to me. It’s not unlike me to be reading more than one book at a time. I always listen to an Audible book as I get ready each day, and have another book either in my purse, or, on my nightstand to read as I please. My goal is always to read a minimum of 1 book per week – not always successful, but, I still try because I enjoy it.

This week I am reviewing No One Knows by J.T. Ellison.

Here’s the description according to Amazon:

“Aubrey Hamilton has been mourning her missing husband for five years, despite being even while she was considered the prime suspect in his murder. But when he is officially declared dead, there are still more questions than answers: Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered, or did he run away? And who is the new, mysterious and strangely familiar figureman suddenly appearing in Aubrey’s life? And has she finally lost her mind after years of loneliness and confusion?

No One Knows is an evocative mystery that explores the complex darkness within all of us, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins.”

Here’s my review:

First of all, I couldn’t put the book down. This is always a good sign. I loved that the book kept me on my toes all the way until the end.

Is Aubrey going crazy? Where did Josh go? Is he alive?!? What the what?!?!?

I would consider this book to be your basic thriller. There’s love, loss, death, mystery, etc. You name it, this book has all the right ingredients. Despite some of the negative reviews about the book, I really enjoyed the book…until the very end.

Don’t worry, I won’t give away major details, but, I kind of felt a little empty inside when I finished the book – definitely saying, “what the hell just happened?” During the entire book Aubrey has her own inner dialogue which is great to get to know her better. The ONLY thing I didn’t appreciate about the book is that, that inner dialogue never once revealed the truth about her involvement in her husbands disappearance. When the truth is revealed at the end, I legit said, “WHAT?!? Are you effing kidding me right now?” Which then caused my husband to give the people’s eyebrow (if you don’t know what that is, we may no longer be friends).

Here’s the deal, I totally dig J.T. Ellison’s writing style. So much so, I began reading one of her many series. She’s a great writer and really knows how to pull you into the characters lives which I appreciate. I may not have liked how the book ended, but, that’s not a dealbreaker for me. If the book doesn’t elicit some sort of emotional response (good, bad, or, otherwise), then it’s not worth reading.

Have you read No One Knows? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

**This post does contain affiliate links.**

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