The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

My rating: 3.1

Rose Baker is an orphaned young woman working for her bread as a typist in a police precinct on the lower East Side. When Odalie begins work at the precinct Rose finds herself falling under the new typist's spell. As the two girls' friendship blossoms and they flit between the sparkling underworld of speakeasies by night, and their work at the precinct by day, it is not long before Rose's fascination for her new colleague turns to obsession.

The author does a great job of foreshadowing so you know there is a twist waiting for you long before you get there....although I wasn't quite sure what the twist meant and reading others interpretations see it can mean a couple of different ways. Maybe this was too long as the story line and characters seemed to drag. If this had been a little more condensed it would have flowed better for me.

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain

My rating: 4.8

This is the 2nd book in the Chelsea Cain series. This is a fun serial murder book (ok, I can't believe I just typed that lol!) It has good characters and plot and is so twisted you want to keep turning the pages.

This second book explores other murders while continuing to delve deeper into the very bizarre relationship between Detective Archie Sheridan and the serial killer Gretchen Lowell.  I will probably take a break from this series for a bit but will read more in the future.

Bookmarks Magazine - Mar/Apr

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - and unfortunately I am slammed with work.  I did manage to make the time to glance through it this morning over a cup of coffee and here are the reads that jumped out at me that I am going to put in my queue: (all book covers are clickable and take you to Amazon....but I found all the books at my online library)

This one is out of my comfort zone but, the review was so intriguing I added it to my library queue.

      

 Let me know what books you have in your queue (whether from Bookmarks or some other source)

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

My rating: 2.5

In the early 60's, Eileen works in a boys prison by day and takes care of her drunken father at night. This book was very depressing and all of the characters were pitiable and despicable and the plot drags. It is definitely a character focused book.  At 80% of the way in there was a twist that could have possibly redeemed the book but, alas, it didn't. This would have worked better as a short story as it definitely dragged.

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

My rating: 4.8

When this book opened, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it.  I thought this was going to be a formula serial murder book. I am so happy to say that I was wrong. This novel is extremely well written with characters that have depth and a plot that has twists to mention it is set in fabulous Portland Oregon. 

Two years ago, Gretchen Lowell kidnapped Detective Archie Sheridan and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life.  This book opens on the scene of 

I have heard this described as the next "Silence of the Lambs" and I can understand the comparison. It kept me glued to every word till the end...and then I immediately checked out the second book in the series to devour.

The Girl With A Clock For A Heart by Peter Swanson

My rating: 3.5

George knows his first love/college sweetheart Liane is trouble but when she reappears in his life, he still can't say no. 

Every decision George makes you are screaming "Noooooooooooooo!" at him and yet, I went along with him every step of the way. It was a fun ride.

I don't like books that are tied up in a neat bow but, at the end, I definitely want more closure.  This book reminded me of Swanson's newer book The Kind Worth Killing. Both books are optioned for movies, I think you can tell that The Kind Worth Killing was a higher caliber book.

The House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

My rating: 1.5

This was a more challenging read than I am up for right now...and maybe ever. This is called an 'interactive' book.  Some pages have one paragraph.  Some pages have one word. Some are written upside down. Some are written in columns. There are LONG footnotes that go on for pages. It is said that if Blair Witch project was a book, this would be it.

Despite this being very well written, my brain just was not up for a piece of work that is challenging.  You can see by the reviews that people either love or hate this but, since I didn't finish it, I can't way.  Let me know if you read it what you thought.