#ARC – Page 4 – Donna's Reading Chair

First Line Fridays: February 8th

As always First Line Friday comes courtesy of Hoarding Books Blog. I discovered this magic thanks to Crystal at Must Love Reviews.

Today I am just going to jump in and see if you can guess what I’m reading…ready?

“You do a lot of thinking in jail. Especially when you’re locked in the box that’s your cell.”

Here’s a hint…this is from an advance reading copy book.

Ready???

So far this book is really interesting and has taken hold of my full attention! If only I wasn’t so busy and tired I could be finished with this book by now, ugh, life stop getting in my way!!! What are you reading right now?

First Line Fridays: February 1st

As always First Line Friday comes courtesy of Hoarding Books Blog. I discovered this magic thanks to Crystal at Must Love Reviews.

This week I have started & finished reading this lovely advance reader copy courtesy of Celadon Books!

Amazon //\\ Goodreads

“July 14

I don’t know why I’m writing this. That’s not true. Maybe I do know and just don’t want to admit it to myself.“

Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads…

Promising to be the debut novel of the season The Silent Patientis a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive…

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

Should be a good one (*note: I wrote this and scheduled it before I finished reading it…see previous post, haha)! What are you reading right now??

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday comes courtesy of Lauren’s Page Turners. I thought this was a neat idea so each Monday I will randomly pick a book on my Goodreads to read shelf. Every Monday will have a cover picture and Goodreads description. If you have read the book, let me know! I will move it up on my TBR list! Maybe this will also help me tame down my to read shelf!

Quick Goodreads Stats

305: To Read Shelf

57: Read Shelf

1: Read 2019 Shelf

My Pick This Week

The Life We Wanted by Kelsey Kingsley

Expected Release: February 1, 2019

Current Goodreads Rating: 5 stars (4 reviews)

Goodreads Summary

“You have too many rules.”
“And you don’t have enough.”

Sebastian Moore thought he had it all.

A drumming gig with one of the world’s biggest up-and-coming stars. The looks and charm to get him any woman he laid his eyes on. All the friends he could ever ask for.

But something was always missing.

That is, until he receives a letter, telling him that he’s a father to a fifteen-year-old boy.

Now, with the addition of his son, a love interest he never expected, and a whole new set of responsibilities, Sebastian finds himself happier than he’s ever been.

But old habits die hard, and when life finally gives him everything he wanted, he’ll have to find a way to keep his past from ruining the present.

My Thoughts

This week I organized my want to read shelf by picking the book with the highest rating. This book only has 4 current reviews and it is not yet released. I am actually on Kelsey Kingley’s Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) team, Team Dearie, as of January 6th and I will be receiving an advanced copy of this book shortly to read and review (so look for that SOON). I thought it was appropriate my first Goodreads Monday will be a book I *WILL* be reading very shortly! I’m super excited now! I also love the plot and that makes it all that much more exciting!

I hope you have enjoyed my first Goodreads Monday and you’ll think about doing it too! If you have done it, leave the link to your post (not your actual blog) at the link below. Put your name, @, and the name of your blog! Let’s get through those massive TBR piles together!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Next week I will have YOU decide which book I will pick. Simply pick a number between 1 and 305 and I will pick that number on my to read shelf and do that book! Let me know if you are looking forward to reading this pick too!

Book Review: The Girl Without Skin

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have ever read that has been translated. While reading this book I could tell it had been translated as some parts didn’t quite make sense, but, it did not detract away from this book. There are a lot of Greenlandic names as this book takes place in Nuuk, Greenland. Those names took some getting used to and by the end of the book they were a breeze!

The story begins with Matthew Cave, a journalist who has sought out a new life in Nuuk; one where he doesn’t have to remember his pregnant wife. He gets called to go out and report on the uncovering of a Norseman (pre-Viking) mummy. Little does he know what he is about to stumble upon.

Slight spoiler alert: the mummy is not that of a Norseman, but of a recent murder.

Trigger warning.This book details sexual abuse in young girls. As the story progresses we find a link to this mummy and a few unsolved murders from years ago. Matthew meets Tupaarnaq, a young woman accused of killing her family (her time was served in prison), and together they dig deeper in to what is really going on. The mummy disappears and another is murdered as Matthew starts to investigate. The story begins to be told in 1973 and present day (2014) as Matthew believes the current murders are connected to the disappearance of police officer Jakob Pederson and a sex abuse ring he was investigating. I won’t delve any deeper as I don’t want to ruin the book for you!

Overall, I am giving this book a solid 4-star rating. It is a true Scandi crime novel and an alluring one at that. I could not put this down. Nordbo does a beautiful job at painting amazing details in the surrounding environment in this book as well, I felt as if I was in Greenland myself. I did predict the ending of the book, however, there is enough action going on to keep you happy even with the predictability. If you are a fan of crime novels this is a must read for you! The Kindle edition is out now and the paperback version will be released on June 11, 2019!

Title: The Girl Without Skin

Author: Mads Peder Nordbo

Translator: Charlotte Barslund

Publisher: Text Publishing Company

Release Date: Kindle Edition- October 1, 2018

Paperback Edition- June 11, 2019

ASIN: B07DZL7PSD

IBSN-10: 1925603830

Book Review: An Anonymous Girl

This review was previous published over at Book In The Bag Blog where I guest write a review every Thursday! I wanted to start 2019 off with a bang and what better way than with my review of An Anonymous Girl??

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! This book officially comes out on January 8, 2019, pre-order it today!

As soon as I heard Hendricks and Pekkanen were penning another novel I could not wait to get my hands on it. The Wife Between Us blew me away (by the way, go get that book NOW if you haven’t read it) and I could not wait to see what else could come out of their 2 minds. I was not let down.

The story is about a young woman who ends up in a research study to make some extra money. The research is all about morals and ethics and is put together by a professor at a local, well known university, who should probably have her own morals and ethics checked out.

This psychological thriller is told by Jessica, the young woman, and Dr. Shields, the professor. They alternate chapters so it gives us a unique perspective and keeps up guessing throughout the novel. Just when you think this is going to be a predictable read, it’s not. There are not many twists and turns but enough to keep you interested. As we get further in to the book the characters grow and show us sides to them you just cannot predict to see. The book really picks up in the second half after the stage has been fully set.

I will say I was a little let down with the ending. I expected it to end with some big bang and it just fell flat for me. It felt rushed at the end and it just, ended. I did not get the closure I would have liked; however, it does let you know what happens with the relationship Jessica and Dr. Shields have. I would have like just a little bit more at the end to satisfy myself.

I am giving this book 4 stars. It keeps you going and guessing. I did think I had the book figured out before I got to the halfway point. That’s where the book really picks up and has left you with enough little pieces you have to read to see how they all fit together. I will say, Greer and Pekkanen sure do have some twisted minds! I hope they collaborate yet again, these ladies know how to throw you for a loop! Have you read either of their books?? Let me know if you’ve read either book or if you’re looking forward to this one!

Title: An Anonymous Girl

Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: January 8, 2019

ISBN: 1250133734

Quick Link To Amazon Here

My Top 5 Kindle Books To Read In 2019!

So yesterday I discussed my top 5 physical books I am going to read in 2019, today it is all about my Kindle! I have decided to start a top 5 collection on my Kindle Paperwhite so I can stay organized and focused with what I want to read next! So let’s take a look at what I have coming in store for me in 2019!

I love my Kindle Paperwhite but it sure doesn’t make for pretty pictures! Moving on…

Book One: Cold Day In The Sun by Sara Biren

I am a Netgalley user and if you read ebooks I highly suggest you join this site! Cold Day In The Sun comes out on March 12, 2019 and I am looking forward to this advance read!

Book Two: Identity Crisis by Eliza Watson

You may recognize this book from when I went through 10 Want To Read books on my Goodreads shelf. I decided to finally pull this book up and read it in 2019!

Book Three: The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman

Another Netgalley advance read, this one coming out on February 5, 2019!

Book Four: Birdbox by Josh Malerman

This book is EVERYWHERE on social media right now! Amazon had a sale on this for $2.99 so how could I pass this up?! I look forward to viewing this movie on Netflix shortly after I read it!

Book Five (and I guess Six): The Advocate and The Fifth Juror by Lori Lacefield

Fun fact: I won a giveaway from her where I won a Kindle Paperwhite and ended up receiving a $100 Amazon gift card to buy some ebooks! I have not read her books yet and I can’t wait to dive in! I bought her two books as a box set and that’s the last time I’ll do that on Amazon; I can’t separate them! Ugh! Oh well, I’ll just have to read them both back to back!

I know a lot of people do a monthly TBR but this way helps me stay focused and not be overwhelmed. I have my list of 10 books ready to go into 2019 with! I will read them as I read them and I won’t stress about it! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I will catch you in 2019!