Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

Falling by T.J. Newman (Audiobook)

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T.J. Newman is a former bookseller turned flight attendant. Falling is her debut novel and I thought it an interesting side note that her novel was turned down over forty times before she found a publisher. Now it’s a hit and it’s a really good thriller!

Think about this … you just got on your flight with one hundred and forty-three other people. It should be an uneventful flight to New York. Yet it won’t be because behind the scenes the pilot learns that his family has been kidnapped and he has to make the decision to either save his family or crash the plane. As another side note this is precisely why I don’t like flying. It terrifies me for so many reasons and one is that a high-jacker is aboard. That being said, my fear of flying made this an even more pulse-pounding story for me.

I listened to this audio in a day. My heart was racing and while I found a few things a little unbelievable it didn’t matter one bit. I might as well have had a seat on the plane. Narrated by Steven Weber, who was awesome, this eight and half hour audio is well worth a listen! Or, of course, a read if you prefer. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers – I loved it!


Personal copy

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Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (Audiobook)

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If I could say one thing about Anthony Doerr’s newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, it would be to say it was epic in its storytelling. I loved All the Light We Cannot See so I really wanted to listen to this one too. It didn’t disappoint but it is a different book than his previous and it hits on several different genres like science fiction, fantasy, and more. As I said, epic.

I’ll admit to it taking me a bit to get a handle on the different time periods and storylines. There are five characters: Anna, Seymour, Omeir, Zeno, and Konstance, my favorite. There are distinct storylines ranging from Anna and Omeir struggling through a war to Konstance living on a space ship. Then there was Zeno who fought in the war and Seymour with more issues than I can count. Surprisingly though by the end of the novel the reader will find these stories entwine with each other. While at times I found the story somewhat disjointed I was never bored.

This beautifully written novel truly shines in audio. It is fifteen hours of pure storytelling that pulls you into different worlds. It is narrated by Marin Ireland and Simon Jones. The two are extremely talented and brought this story alive for me!



Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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Sunday Ramblings

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Happy Sunday! My dog and his socks! I wish he loved bones as much as socks but no. I have never been able to get him to chew bones. Oh well he likes playing chase with his socks or just walking around crying with them in his mouth. It cracks me up. I’m not sure if he’s crying because he can’t decide where to bury them or some other doggie reason. Either way it’s cute.

So I didn’t really get a lot read this week. I made it through Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry. I’m still working on Fall of Giants by Ken Follett and hope to finish it this week. I’m also almost done with Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr and I’m planning on having that review up tomorrow. I had my book club meeting with my library group. We had read Watching You Without Me by Lynn Coady. The decision on that one was split. Some really liked it and others not as much. I was in the not as much group but it was still fun to discuss.

In other news I broke a piece of my back tooth off. I need to get that fixed. I think I likely had a fracture in it for a while and ignored it. I have to wait a bit though as I get sedated for dental work. On a good note though no cavities! Not much else is going on here with Covid as bad as it is right now other than a lot of visiting outside with my neighbour trying to enjoy what’s left of the warm weather while it lasts. The picture below is of my apple tree. It’s really turned yellow in the past week. Let’s see, oh I was going to mention what I was watching while anxiously awaiting the season of Dexter that’s coming. I watched one on Netflix called Midnight Mass. It was really good. Has anyone watched it?


That’s all for this week. I’m going to relax and read. It’s too cold today for sitting outside. It looks like it’s going to be too cold to sit out the whole week. Ugggh, I’m not ready for winter! Hope everyone is having a great Sunday doing whatever makes you happy!

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Past Reads Saturday – Fractured by Catherine McKenzie (Audiobook)

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Goodreads Description

Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.

After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.

My Thoughts

Catherine McKenzie is a fellow Canadian and was one of the first authors I read when I started blogging and I loved her writing style right off. As I was looking through her list of books I see I have several to catch up on. I can still remember this book and being pulled fully into the characters lives which is something Catherine McKenzie excels at. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, you should. You won’t regret it!

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Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry (Audiobook)

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I’ve read a few of Lucinda Berry’s books. I like how she brings awareness to serious issues, while delivering on a good psychological thriller! That being said there are many triggers in this book for those who are sensitive to them. There is child abuse, cutting, eating disorders and others. I think it’s important to let readers know that because while I’m able to read these types of books I understand that others struggle with them.

Emily and Elizabeth are twins. Sadly they were kept locked in a bedroom by their sadistic mother until one day they are thankfully placed with a loving foster family. The damage has been done though and coming back from some terrors is impossible. Now they’re adults and one day Elizabeth wakes up in the hospital with her last memory being of Emily on the bathroom floor. She learns that she’s in a mental health facility after trying to take her life. So begins Elizabeth’s journey to understand what happened to Emily and to learn more about herself. Sometimes though those memories have the power to destroy the fragile existence you’re surviving on.

The audiobook was really good. I found that Kate Marcin, the narrator, portrayed the emotions of the characters very well. She was easy to listen and this almost seven hour audio went by quickly. I also liked the twist at the end. I didn’t expect it but I’ll say it was a good one!


Scribd copy

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Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

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I am likely one of the few who hasn’t read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but it is on my shelf now and I hope to read it soon. Right off I’ll say I loved Miss Benson’s Beetle. This novel made me feel so many emotions and I love that in a book. This book alone instantly made me a fan of Rachel Joyce.

Miss Benson is a character and I loved reading about her and her adventures. Margery Benson is an unmarried schoolteacher who is wondering if her life will ever be anything but a struggle. She is frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that she finally hits her breaking point. Her solution is to quit her job, leave her struggles behind, and head outs across the world to Caledonia to find a golden beetle that may or may not even exist.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Margery meets Enid Pretty who ends up being her assistant. Enid is as different from Margery as one can get as she parades around in a tight pink suit and pom-pom sandals. I can just picture it! Of course the two clash and bicker but along the way they learn a lot from each other, most importantly the value of friendship.

This was actually a book I read but I’d love to one day go back and listen to the audio. I’ve heard it’s really well done and I know I would have loved it in audio. Miss Benson’s Beetle is another to make my favorites list this year!


Personal copy

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