saltygalreads's reviews
306 reviews

The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young woman struggling to find her place in the world while coping with debilitating depression. It is set in the 1950s, with its restrictive traditional social mores regarding gender roles. Like many young women in their early twenties, Esther Greenwood struggles to define her life and find the right path. It is still a man's world in the 50s and Esther chafes against the chauvinism of her male acquaintances. The difference is that Esther is trying to cope with a deep depression, and to find the kind of clinical help she needs.

It is a strange little novel indeed. The depiction of depression rings true, given that the author knew her subject well. The world of the 1950s feels like a strange planet of its own - nice to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. Something is lost in translation in reading a 50s novel in the 21st century I think. The ending is poignant and a little sad given the author's suicide weeks after its publication. It is one of those books I am glad I read, but I couldn't honestly say that I enjoyed it.

Dead Winner is a treasure hunt mystery with a love story. Or is it? It is the story of a lonely, cautious lawyer, Rory, who has the chance to step out of his monotonous life to become the hero he pretends to be while playing interactive video games. When Rory's college friend Tom and his wife Monica discover they have a winning lottery ticket with a jackpot of 60 million, they approach Rory to help establish a trust to manage the money. The following week Tom is found in their luxe highrise apartment dead of a gunshot wound to the head, an apparent suicide. Why would such a lucky man kill himself? Is the beautiful Monica a murder suspect? And where is the winning lottery ticket?

This is a fun novel and a quick read with lots of twists and turns. There is a cast of colourful characters and a cheeky tone to the writing. For some reason, I am reminded of watching old episodes of Columbo or Magnum PI (the Tom Selleck version) - it has that same fun and mischievous feel to it.

Many thanks to the author and Coffee and Thorn Booktours for my copy to review.

Stoicism is a philosophical approach that teaches the ability to cope with life and its difficulties through ethical principles rooted in nature. It teaches the ability to deal with self-destructive emotions and behaviours, from ancient teachers like Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.

It is organized like a 90 day course with a quote from one of these ancient philosophers, a question or situation to reflect upon, and room to journal and work through the issues. Of course as it is a digital copy, I obtained my own journal.

Taking time to deeply think about my own thinking patterns, beliefs and behaviours, and then journaling about it has proved to be extremely helpful. The teachings and beliefs of the Stoics are really meaningful to me and feels right - it works and bring a meditative peace. It is quite helpful to have an approach to restore peace and acceptance in the mind. If this sounds like something you are looking for, then I can highly recommend this journal.

Jamie and Clare are fifty-somethings who appear to have it all. They live in a wealthy, established neighborhood in London, and experience the best of everything - food, wine, travel. Kit and Melia are millennials who are struggling to establish themselves in a career and make ends meet. An unlikely friendship forms between the couples, but as they get to know each other, darker sides appear. Clare owns everything and Jamie nothing at all, having left his job after a nervous breakdown. Kit and Melia fight viciously and are sitting on a mountain of debt. You soon get the sense that this friendship will not end well.

I thought I knew where this novel was going and that I had these characters figured out. Nope! What a crazy and enjoyable ride this book was. None of the characters is particularly likeable, which for me made the ending that much more fun. I am surprised this was never made into a movie, because it would make a fantastic thriller for any of the big streaming services. If you enjoy a domestic thriller with unpredictable characters and a sucker punch ending, then this is for you!

The Cloisters is a story about a young graduate student, Ann Stillwell, who wants to escape her stifling life in a small town and take a coveted summer position at The Met in NYC. However when she arrives, she finds her original position is no longer available and so she is offered a job at The Cloisters, a gothic medieval-themed museum, archive and garden. Ann meets Rachel Mondray, who also works at The Cloisters. Rachel is wealthy, accomplished and stylish, and she quickly takes Ann under her wing, helping her to adjust to life in the city and work at The Cloisters. Their research at The Cloisters takes them back in time to Italy in the middle ages, searching for clues about the use of tarot as a divination tool. Ann also becomes aware of an undercurrent at The Cloisters - of secrecy, hidden passions, and a connection between the curator Patrick, Rachel and the gardener Leo, which she cannot quite understand. Over the course of the summer, Ann becomes the fourth in their little group and is pulled into their secretive and surreal world.

I didn't know what to expect of this book since I have seen very mixed reviews on it. However I can say that I enjoyed this book immensely and actually have a bit of a book hangover now that I'm done. I would consider this a dark academia book and certainly a slower pace as more of a character-driven drama. If you are a fan of a quick pace with thrills and chills you won't find them here. However there is much to enjoy - a thoughtful appreciation of atmosphere and subtle, yet revealing conversation between characters. The storyline reveals itself to you slowly, throwing out hints of what is to come. The conclusion didn't really come as a surprise to me, but rather feels inevitable and right, as if it should not have ended any other way.

For a debut novel, this was exceptional in my opinion. 4.5 stars.

The Witch of Tin Mountain is a generational tale of "wise women" and their persecution by enemies both human and supernatural. If you are expecting a story of witches flying on brooms and stirring boiling cauldrons, then this isn't that book. The witches in this book are women of traditional knowledge and healing, that were a source of comfort and natural medicine back before the medical profession was established and began to discredit traditional healing. It is a story of multiple generations of witches - Anneliese, Dierdre and Gracelynn - and the relentless pursuit of their powers by a deceitful and plotting "preacher".

The witches have a complex relationship with the townspeople, who both love and loath them. They help birth babies, provide cures and a sympathetic listening ear to the people, particularly women. Yet when things go wrong in the town, they are the first target of the town's wrath - a fear born of ignorance and misogyny.

The author's love of the Ozarks, its history and the people who reside there shine through the entire novel. It is a work of pure love and it certainly shows. The characters are flawed and realistic, and the themes are timeless. It is a wonderful blend of storytelling, supernatural legend and historical experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to Suzy's Book Tours and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to enjoy.

The Golden Spoon combines the art of the murder mystery with the art of baking - providing a murder mystery for fans of the Great British Bakeoff. Betsy Martin is about to host the tenth season of the wildly popular show Bake Week at her palatial gothic mansion. Betsy has a public persona as America's benevolent baking grandma, and had always been the solo host of Bake Week until the introduction of Archie Morris, a tanned, slick, winking womanizer, added to "modernize" the program. The six contestants arrive for the competition and then a very subtle sabotage commences - substitution of salt for sugar, a refrigerator door left open, a stove burner cranked to high - until tensions rise and someone is dead. The carefully hidden secrets of the contestants and the hosts are about to be revealed...

I had a lot of fun reading this novel! I couldn't help but picture Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood while reading, although I am sure that "any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental" etc., etc. The story is told from multiple perspectives and the reader finds out what the characters really think behind their polite, TV-ready public faces. It doesn't take a master detective to figure out who was behind the murder, but that isn't a deal-breaker in my view. The fun lies in enjoying the interactions between the competitors and the hosts, and in discovering the backstories of the characters. If you enjoy a cozy mystery and are a fan of competitive baking shows, then you will enjoy this one.

This short novella tells the story of Santiago, the old fisherman who heads out to sea in his little skiff to catch marlin all by himself. After days of struggle he finally manages to land it, only to lose it all to scavenging sharks on the journey back home.

It is a simple story, simply written, about a humble old man trying to make a living off the sea and the struggles he faces doing that. The most beautiful thing about the story is Santiago's attitude towards life and hardship. He fights nobly and so does the marlin he catches. When he loses it to the sharks, he does not whine and complain, but accepts it with a stoic attitude, attributing it to the mistakes he made and also to bad fortune. He then takes his rest, resolving to do things differently and better the next time.

In many respects, this feels like a love letter from Hemingway to Cuba - the people, the pleasures of a simple life, and to the fishing that he loved to do. I am glad that I took the time to reread it and appreciate the beautiful, simple prose.

One long ago summer night which changed lives forever. Neve, Sandra and Bailey were friends as teens. One night of drunken misbehaviour changed everything. Now Neve has returned with her daughter Ashley to her childhood summer home to recover from the trauma of a violent home invasion that left them both physically and mentally exhausted. Then a woman's body is found in the lake next to their house, and Neve begins to question whether they escaped the danger at all.

This thriller had me in its grip! The story jumps between flashbacks and present day, and is told from multiple POV including the shadowy figure behind the violence. I loved the overlay of the supernatural element in the novel, and Detective Lambert's personal history which added richness to the story. I found the conclusion a little drawn out, but overall this was a page turner! Thanks to NetGalley for this copy to read.

The description for this novel captured my imagination and I had high hopes for it.

When Theodore Trumbull was 10, he and his family visited St. Louis and stayed at The Baldwin Hotel. During this visit, Theodore, a fan of quantum physics, has a strange and life-changing incident when he uses the elevator and steps into a parallel universe where he sees things that haven't happened yet in the other version of his life. When he returns, he isn't believed by his parents and is subjected to ECT and dubious treatment by psychiatry. This teaches him to stay quiet about what he knows, but doesn't change his belief in it. Theodore uses the existence of the parallel universe to try to change outcomes in his life and prevent terrible things from happening to people he loves. But every action has a reaction and sometimes the changes have unforeseen consequences. As an adult Theodore becomes a video game designer and when he is hired by DreamCo, he thinks he has finally made it. But there at DreamCo is the same facade from The Baldwin Hotel and inside...the same elevator. The president, Frank Cantwell, acts very strangely towards him and seems to know Theodore already. Have their paths crossed before? And what will happen if Theodore ventures into the parallel universe again?

It is a great concept for a novel and I really liked the ethical questions that it poses for the reader. Is it acceptable to prevent harm to someone you love by harming someone else, even if that person is a criminal? It is wrong to take advantage of the knowledge one could gain by entering a parallel universe - for example lottery numbers or occurrences in the stock market? What about if your actions prevent one type of harm but result in a different kind of harm to other people, or more people?

However the execution does not live up to the promise. Where the novel falls very short is in the character development. Because we have so little insight into their motivations, backgrounds and desires, it is difficult to be invested in them. I found some of them quite baffling - for example, Theodore's brother Linus is very unlikeable and strangely antagonistic toward Theodore until we get to understand him slightly better at the very end of the novel. Likewise, the character of Frank Cantwell comes off as simply unhinged, talking to himself and with an unexplained venom and hostility toward Theodore.

The flow of the novel is problematic, as it is very disjointed and choppy. As the storyline flips back and forth between the two worlds, it is clear that Theodore struggles to keep track of what was said and done in each one, as one bleeds into the other. This is an interesting point, however it should never be that confusing to the reader!

As previously noted, I really did want to like this one, however there were too many issues with the execution. Many thanks to NetGalley for the copy to read and review.