The Silent Wife. Finished 11-22-16, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2013

Unabridged audio read by Karen White and Donald Corren. 9 hours.

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.  from Goodreads

I read comparisons to Gone Girl, a book I had a love/hate relationship with, and decided to give it a try because I was in the mood for a thriller.  It was…different.

Both Jodi and Todd are for the most part unlikeable.  Todd is a womanizing cheater and Jodi knows it but stays anyway.  After twenty years, Todd finally makes a mistake that will change their status quo and Jodi can’t accept it.

I went through a whole range of emotions with both of these characters.  While neither were likeable, each had their moments of being more sympathetic than I was expecting, so there were those little surprises that made this, in some ways, more enjoyable than Gone Girl.  Quieter, but just as twisted in  a more cerebral way.

I liked it. When  Jason asked me if he should give it a listen, I hesitated.  If you like the more introspective thrillers that deal with ugly topics then, yes, this book is for you.  When I told him this he decided to skip it, but that doesn’t mean you should.

After You. Finished 12-13-16, 4.75/5 stars, fiction, pub. 2015

Unabridged audio read by Anna Acton. 11 hours.

Sequel to Me Before You

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.   from Goodreads

I knew when this came out that readers were disappointed, so I waited.  I didn’t want to be disappointed but I wasn’t sure how that would work since half of the reason I loved Me Before You was gone.  Gone but not forgotten as it seems since Louisa had moved away but not moved on.  But the truth is that I loved this one too.  In a different way, sure, but Louisa was there trying to find her way and I was rooting for her.

Louisa is in London but still mourning Will.  She is trying to move on, but seems stuck.  When a relative of Will’s shows up Lou is thrown for a loop and given a purpose, a way to honor Will and she jumps in with both feet.  All is not smooth sailing (where’s the story in that?!), but she joins a support group, moves in with her quirky family for a bit, meets a cute guy and things move forward.

I love Louisa and was happy for her. I might even have a bit of a crush on her cute guy, Sam.

Practically Green. Finished 9-28-16, rating 4/5, greening your home, 224 pages, pub. 2009

Simple copy-and-clip guides that make it easy to buy smart.  At-a-glance charts and lists that break down complicated information in an easy-to-understand manner
30+ DIY projects and ideas for making-it-green yourself, including instructions for making all-natural body care products, simple sewing projects and much more
Healthy, tasty recipes to please kids and adults alike, ideas for packing greener lunches plus tips and tricks for replacing packaged convenience snacks with home-made versions
Let Practically Green guide you to a greener life!   from Goodreads

I’ve spent the past few years ‘greening’ our house in bits and spurts and thought this book was a nice guide for beginners and beyond.  I found new info and lots of reminders of things I still want to do.  I loved the layout which only added to the enjoyment.  It was published in 2009, so some of the information is common knowledge now, but mostly it’s still up-to-date.  It even has handy information sheets that you can cut out of the book for reference.

Our city has a wonderful curbside recycling program, they take almost anything, and just started providing bags so that we can recycle things like clothes and shoes too.  I feel spoiled in that regard, but even without extensive recycling you can make your house safer for your family and future families by buying less chemicals, processed foods and cheap clothing.  It’s always a work in progress around here. There are always things to improve upon.  And buy less.  We heard several times on our trip to Boston that much of the of the city is build on landfill.  The less you buy the less landfill we need to live on.

What’s it about – Greening your home through your food, your cleaners, and your clothes.

What did I learn – If everyone in the US replaced one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper with 100% recycled paper we could save 423,900 trees. About 80-90% of energy used in clothes washing comes from heating the water.  Lots of facts like this pop up throughout the book just so you have something to think about and consider.

Who would like it – Anyone who would like to start the process of living in a way that puts less of a burden on future generations.

Still Alice. Finished 9-27-16, 5/5 stars, fiction, pub. 2007

Unabridged audio read by the author.  I LOVED Genova’s narration and would happily listen to all of her books this way if she was reading them.

Last year I saw the movie with Julianne Moore and really liked it, even though it was sad.  I knew the book had been well received by bloggers but it sat on my shelf for years.  This is one of the few times when I think the movie held up well. Yes, the book was better and had more nuance, but the movie and Moore’s performance were spot on.  It was also a good time to read it since we just visited Cambridge, where this takes place, last week.  Interestingly, I enjoyed the audio even more than reading and found myself wasting time in the kitchen just so I could listen.

What’s it about – A well-respected 50 year old Harvard professor is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.  There is a fast decline and family relationships are tested.  Her husband, just as in the movie, made me want to hit him even though I could see his pain too.

What did I learn – Before I saw the movie I hadn’t really known that people got Alzheimer’s so young.  The book provided even more details about the choices of treatment and support (or lack of, really).  I also had no idea that there was a gene that you could be tested for and was surprised that her daughter could use in-vitro and eliminate the risks of passing it on.

Who would love it – Anyone who loves or has loved someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease would appreciate the insight.  I think anyone, like myself, who enjoys a great story even if it’s depressing.

I did a comparison of the movie and the book if you’d like to weigh in.

The Steel Kiss. Finished 11-6-16, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2016

Unabridged audio read by Edoardo Ballerini. 14.5 hours.

Lincoln Rhyme series #12 (1st-The Bone Collector, 2nd- The Coffin Dancer, 3rd- The Empty Chair, 4th- The Stone Monkey, 5th- The Vanished Man, 6th- The Twelfth Card, 7th- The Cold Moon, 8th- The Broken Window 9th- The Burning Wire, 10th-The Kill Room)

Amelia Sachs is hot on the trail of a killer. She’s chasing him through a department store in Brooklyn when an escalator malfunctions. The stairs give way, with one man horribly mangled by the gears. Sachs is forced to let her quarry escape as she jumps in to try to help save the victim. She and famed forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme soon learn, however, that the incident may not have been an accident at all, but the first in a series of intentional attacks. They find themselves up against one of their most formidable opponents ever: a brilliant killer who turns common products into murder weapons. As the body count threatens to grow, Sachs and Rhyme must race against the clock to unmask his identity–and discover his mission–before more people die.                   from Goodreads

So, it happened.  I got behind in this series and skipped one.  I was not happy when I started listening and realized that I was missing some information.  Sure enough I missed #11.  I almost stopped, but since it was the only thing I had to listen to I soldiered on.

Lincoln Rhyme was a brilliant criminologist for the NYPD until he was injured in the line of duty and this series takes him from suicidal to productive to hopeful.  He is a quadriplegic who works from his townhome in New York City with his trusty aide and detective girlfriend by his side.  At the beginning of this book we find Lincoln not working for the NYC police department because of a case that happened in the last book (the one I missed :(), but through some of Amelia’s sly moves they end up working on the same case anyway.

Amelia’s ex is back in the picture as is a new wheelchair bound intern for Lincoln.  The escalator scene at the beginning of the book will have you reassessing the moving stairs when you’re out and about this busy holiday season.  The main story was good but it was subplots that kept the book moving for me.  I always enjoy my time with Lincoln and his friends.

I recommend this series for those of  you who like police procedurals and appreciate a different kind of protagonist.  Start with The Bone Collector though since it sets it the series nicely.