Monthly Archives: January 2014

January 11, 2014 · 5:34 pm

Marianslibrary Review of Lisa Unger’s, In the Blood

In the Blood by Lisa Unger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lana Granger has a past she’d like to keep totally hidden. 11-year-old disturbed Luke Kahn meets Lana for the first time and the events that follow spiral out of control. She might just have met her match, her shrouded history is going to be revealed and thus begins the game. But who is manipulating it? They are two totally different people but each harboring a secret….

“What was there between us in that very first moment that would have told, if observed, everything that would follow? Nothing. I am sure of it. Not anything, not a twinge of instinct, not an internal shudder. He was that good.” (Lisa Unger, In the Blood)

Where do I begin after reading In the Blood by Lisa Unger?! It was a suspenseful, psychological thriller that I totally found myself immersed in as soon I began the book.
Lisa Unger has constructed quite an intricate detailed puzzle in her newest book, In the Blood. Only she knows how all the pieces fit and interlock. As the reader, I was continually trying to fit those pieces together in the process of reading each and every sentence. (I highlighted NUMEROUS lines!) Many times throughout reading the book my suspicions were correct and the pieces to the puzzle fit. I knew I was on the right track but in an instant I’d discover I was completely wrong! I found myself shrieking at certain important revelations!!! No I’m not crazy, just a very boisterous avid reader!

Ohhh! What a page turner to the very ending! Kudos to you Lisa Unger! I highly recommend In the Blood!

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Marianslibrary Review of: The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion

“Mrs. Poole, all I can say is….. you are not who you think you are…..” (Fannie Flagg)

I never wanted this book to end and by the time I read the last sentence, tears welled up in my eyes. Fannie Flagg is such a splendid storyteller of Southern fiction and has put pen to paper to come up with all the right ingredients to make, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, a winning novel!

You’ll laugh out loud and embrace all the characters from Mrs. Sookie Poole and her domineering mother, Lenore, in Point Clear, Alabama to Fritzi & the rest of the Jurdablarinski clan up in Pulaski, Wisconsin.

The story navigates with the dual narratives of Sookie’s present day life in Alabama back to Fritzi Jurdablarinski’s life in the 1930’s & 40’s. There’s the story of “The All-Girl Filling Station, WWII history of women pilots called WASP’s, the bond of families, and mother/daughter dynamics.

Sookie thinks at age 59, after her daughters’ weddings, her life might have just settled down. Shortly thereafter, Sookie reads information in a mailed document that will alter her life as she knew it. Her discovery takes Sookie on a journey she never expected.

Life can be full of surprises!

Fannie Flagg has created a cast of memorable endearing characters that literally tug at your heart. You won’t soon forget each and every one of them just like in her classic book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe!

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January 1, 2014 · 3:59 am

Marianslibrary: My Favorite Books of 2013!

“We don’t need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They’re always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.”
― Lloyd Alexander

Before we “close the book” & “check out”on the year 2013, thought I’d go back & take a look at the 64 books I read throughout the year. Sorry for this old retired librarian’s play on words — just couldn’t resist! I chose each and every book for a special specific reason, be it, the genre, the time period, the topic, or it was referred to me by a friend.
As I reflected over my chosen reads, 15 titles stood out to me as the top of 2013 based on being most memorable! There are times when just the title of a book you’ve read will jolt your memory & you’ll say, “Oh! I enjoyed this book because…!” You want others to share in your reading enjoyment. Hope you’ll find a few to add to your 2014 list.
Happy New Year & Happy Reading in 2014!

The Book Thief by Mark Zukas