THE BOOK OF BIRDS by ROBERT MACFARLANE AND JACKIE MORRIS

 

THE BOOK OF BIRDS by ROBERT MACFARLANE AND JACKIE MORRIS (Pgs 384)

Goodreads Review: The Book of Birds is a field guide with a difference: It shows readers not just how to identify birds, but also how to identify with them. Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris conjure the unique spirit of nearly fifty once-common species: avocet to yellowhammer, kestrel to kingfisher, skylark to nightingale. In lyrical and incantatory essays, Macfarlane describes each bird’s habits and habitats, their patterns of flight and patterns of song, how they hunt or fish or scavenge or gather, how they nest and raise their chicks, the myths that attend them, the threats that shadow them—and how their lives intersect with our own. On every page we encounter Morris’s exhilarating artwork, painted from life in watercolor and gold leaf, and animated with an extraordinary attention to detail. The Book of Birds is a love letter to the thrilling variety and mysteries of birdlife, and a clarion call to halt the rapid depletion of our skies.  

This book was interesting, in part because it was written in a completely different way than I expected. It is almost lyrical in style, and it conveyed the deep love the author has for his subject matter.

THE DINNER PARTY: A Pick Your Own Poison Adventure by FREIDA MCFADDEN

 THE DINNER PARTY: A Pick Your Own Poison Adventure by FREIDA MCFADDEN (Pgs 196)

Goodreads Review: Choose from over 20 possible endings in this Pick Your Poison Adventure story!

You're broke. You have no way to pay your rent and you're about to be evicted.

Fortunately, your friend has offered you a job working as a waitress at a dinner party... at an isolated mansion way out on Peyton's Peak. The money will be enough to cover two months' rent and get you back on your feet. It's a golden opportunity that will solve all your problems.

But the whole thing sounds really sketchy. The money is great, but there's got to be some sort of awful catch. You should probably turn it down.

Right???

As it turns out, the choice is yours. YOU get to decide if you want to go to the creepy dinner party or stay home and read a book. YOU can decide if you want to pick up the disheveled hitchhiker on the side of the highway. YOU can choose to go left or right at the fork in the road. For once, the decision is entirely in your hands.

So what are you going to do?????

Well, let's just say that I died a few times!😉 This was a quick read but I wasn't very impressed with the writing. This is the second "short" story from this author that I read and was not too impressed with. I guess it is time to read one of her more popular, full-length books! Maybe the Housemaid? Or what about The Coworker? 😁

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - 389 pages

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Summary (From Goodreads)

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the `80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Review

I read this one for the Anything Goes Book Club.  There were definitely some twists I didn't see coming, particularly regarding why Evelyn chose Monique specifically to be her biographer.  The pacing was a bit slow for my liking, but if you like morally grey characters and complex interpersonal relationships, this is the book for you!  

Mercy House by Adam Cesare

 

Mercy House by Adam Cesare - 255 pages

Welcome to Mercy House, a state-of-the-art retirement home that appears perfectly crisp, clean, and orderly . . . but nothing could be farther from the truth. In Adam Cesare’s thrilling novel, the residents will find little mercy—only a shocking eruption of unfathomable horror.
 
Harriet Laurel notices the odor at Mercy House as soon as she sets foot inside, brought there against her will by her son, Don, and his wife, Nikki. In the early stages of dementia, Harriet has grown resentful of Nikki, blaming her daughter-in-law for failing to supply grandchildren. Yet even Harriet must admit that her mind becomes clearer as soon as she crosses the threshold. If it wasn’t for that annoying smell.
 
Arnold Piper is an eighty-five-year-old ex-Marine, a proud man who has cared for himself his whole life. But no longer. Betrayed by his aging body, Arnold is learning that the trials he survived long ago in war-torn Korea pale beside the daily indignities of growing old. Little does he know that his greatest nightmares are still ahead of him.
 
Sarah Campbell is an idealistic nurse whose compassion has been stretched to the breaking point at the chronically understaffed facility that is Mercy House. But now Sarah’s list of unpleasant duties is about to take a terrifying turn. For something wicked is brewing in Mercy House. Something dark and rotten . . . and deadly.

This wasn't bad, it's an interesting premise that something in the old folks home makes all the elderly turn into monsters.  The chapters alternate different characters' perspectives, including those that have changed.  It's pretty gory, which is fine by me but heads up in case it's not your thing.

Nimona by N. D. Stevenson

Nimona by N. D. Stevenson

272 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

368 pages

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Jane is incredibly plain. Everyone says so: her parents, the villagers, and her horrible cousin who kicks her out of her own house. Determined to get some semblance of independence, Jane prepares to propose to the princely Peter, who might just say yes to get away from his father. It’s a good plan!

Or it would’ve been, if he wasn’t kidnapped by a mermaid.

With her last shot at happiness lost in the deep blue sea, Jane must venture to the underwater world to rescue her maybe-fiancé. But the depths of the ocean hold beautiful mysteries and dangerous creatures. What good can a plain Jane do?

Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn (Adapted by Scott E. Peterson, Meredith Laxton, Russ Badget)

Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn (Adapted by Scott E. Peterson, Meredith Laxton, Russ Badget)

160 pages

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When their mom remarries, Molly and her brother, Michael, try to make friends with their new stepsister, Heather. But Heather only wants to make trouble for them. She lies and tattles and misbehaves, and somehow they always get the blame. They know she's trying to drive a wedge between her father and their mother so she can have her father all to herself--and it seems to be working.

Then, Heather starts playing in the graveyard behind their new house. She claims she can talk to a ghost named Helen, and her behavior gets even stranger. Michael doesn't believe in ghosts and thinks their new little sister is just looking for more attention. But Molly isn't so certain, especially when Heather threatens that Helen is going to come for them and make them sorry.

It seems as though things can't get any worse--but they do.

When Helen comes.