I received this as an ARC from Random House and Netgalley. I'm not sure I would call the book enjoyable, because it ends on a dark note and I wished there had been a different ending. But the author has done a masterful job meeting her stated intentions (in her notes afterward) and draw attention to the issue of child disappearances without sensationalizing it or turning it into a serial killer type story. Her ability to get inside the head of her pre-teen narrators was fantastic. If you enjoyed the non-fiction Behind the Beautiful Forevers, or the novel A Fine Balance, you should like this too.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Bookbrowse for giving me the chance to read this upcoming novel. And thanks to Linda as well! After reading an excerpt, I worked so hard to obtain an ARC of this title, I eventually ended up with two!

This is a fantastic slant on the immigration story and of course, very timely. The author's choice to center the story around a middle class mother and son, with a reporter husband, is what made it so compelling to me. I felt that I could really relate to them more than some of the other immigration tales I've read recently. Their frightening and adventurous journey will keep you turning pages late into the night, rooting them on at each step.

But it was the end of the story, including the author's afterword that brought tears to my eyes. A reminder of our shared humanity and that people and their individual stories cannot be summed up in soundbites. I highly recommend this to all.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this novel. I enjoyed this a lot. It paints a nuanced picture of the aftermath of a racially based set of tragedies, modeled on the killing of a black teenage girl by a Korean business owner in the early 90s. I remember the coverage of that crime, and much of this book brought back vivid and visceral memories for me. I recommend this book.

I read this book earlier in the year when it came out in hardback. I can’t remember what caused me to be interested, but my records show I actually bought it on my Kindle. Something or someone’s review must have convinced me to try it! I really do not like Westerns and I would at least partially classify this novel as a Western novel, albeit set in Australia. The mystery of the story was great, well-plotted and intense. I couldn’t stop reading. And the descriptions of the landscape were amazing. I frequently found myself stopping to imagine the landscape and the vast distances described by comparing them to distances more familiar to me. Overall a great read and I’ll be looking for more by this author.

A masterpiece of the oral history form. I try not to use hyperbole but I don’t think that statement is. Of course, it’s as heart-rending as you might expect. This narrative style gives a visceral “you are there” feeling more than anything I’ve read about 9/11 (I also rated Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 a 5 star read earlier this year, but this book really exceeds that). So many parts just took me immediately back to that morning, sitting with my co-workers on the other side of NY State, stunned, scared and heartbroken in front of the TV. The author did a great job only inserting his own narration in very small amounts at the start of sections, letting the participants tell their story of the day. I consider this a must read book.

Thanks to Ecco and Edelweiss for the ARC of this book. If it wasn’t trying to be a serious thriller, I think I would term this book as silly. Perhaps inane is a better choice here. While this is a thriller along the lines of other biological contaminant-based stories, it somehow lacked in the “thrill” part. True, I kept reading because I was curious to see how it ended, but the things that happened to the characters and choices they made were frequently unbelievable. I would still recommend this if you’re looking for a quick kind of fluffy read in this genre.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Goodreads for the ARC for review. The writer of “The Killing” TV series (which I enjoyed) has written his first novel. Definitely a must read for fans of Scandinavian crime stories, like the Harry Hole novels. I thought this book was very good, if not up to most of the Jo Nesbo novels (but they’re not all 5 star works either). A bit formulaic and I figured out the WHO about 2/3 through, although not the WHY until it was revealed. I’m not sure if that was because it was a strained reason, or if I was just a bit slow on the uptake, but maybe the former. It will definitely keep you turning pages once it starts and I would read a sequel if there is one (the ending sets it up as the possible start to a series, but no worries, no cliffhanger).

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this upcoming mystery. Overall, it fell flat for me. I didn’t find the mystery story that compelling and yet still felt it was wrapped up rather quickly towards the end. The main character is a detective and I hear this is going to be a new series. I’m not that interested though in reading more about him. I found him rather irritating. Well, all books are not made for all. I’m sure readers of British mystery series may like it.

Thank you so much to Random House Ballantine and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this book. Wow. What a novel. It’s definitely given me a book hangover because I know the next thing I pick up will not compare. I have read a number of refugee novels over the past few years. None of them grabbed me and moved me like this. I feel like my eyes have been opened and I have an entirely different level of empathy and understanding (as much understanding as one can have sitting in my comfy couch in my middle class American life). The writing and descriptions are beautiful done, so vivid I could see everything. This is ironic based on the author’s stated goal of the book, explained in an afterword. I would give this all the stars x 10. Please read this book.

I’m starting to think Colson Whitehead is a god. The fact that he can write so well, on so many topics, and entertain and get a message across, it’s just a WOW for me. This is a pretty dark story and I’m sure some will not like it for that reason alone. Read it anyway, even if you start hearing about how depressing it is. It’s based in facts and unfortunately these things happened. Although Whitehead has of course written a fictional book, it’s close enough to the truth to make it important. He is a wonderful writer and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

This book was recommended to me in May 2018 at an event at Northshire Bookstore in Vermont so I bought it. Then it sat in a pile of others. And sat. I finally got around to reading it early this year and loved it! The concept is so great, historical fiction and zombies! I think I found the juxtaposition of those two things to be surprising but thoroughly enjoyable. You don’t have to be a Walking Dead fan and if you enjoy historical fiction, I really think you will like this.

So you might have guessed by my title that I did not like this book. I found the main character shallow, and did not find her asserting her agency strictly through sex to be interesting or admirable. I got very tired of reading about her sexual exploits, as it seemed she didn’t do much else of significance. The only character I found interesting was her aunt (or was she a cousin?), the theater owner. I’m not sure what Ms. Gilbert was going for here, but I don’t think she succeeded. I do not recommend.

I would say this was a 3.5 star read for me, rounded up. I was dying to read this after seeing a glowing review from the owner of the Northshire Bookstore, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. The plot line was interesting and kept me surprised and reading, but overall I disliked some of the characters. They were self-centered and acted in ways I didn’t find credible. So overall, I’m not sorry I read it, but didn’t find it to be anything amazing.