Mackenzie Carose

As The Page Turns: October Edition

By Mackenzie 16 Comments

My reading was all over the place the past month including starting a book and being so annoyed by it, that I did not finish it and fumed about how awful the writing and plot line was. Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

Excellent book by an excellent author about how to navigate the world we live in now with being “plugged in” all the time. Needing to always know what is going on in the world has taken a toll on our lives mentally and has been shown to be a contributing factor to anxiety.

Vintage Hughes by Langston Hughes

Not a huge fan of poetry but Langston Hughes and his writing is timeless and oddly poignant in this day and age. Definitely recommend giving this one a read.

A Dangerous Engagement by Ashley Weaver

Another book in the Amory Ames series, this one following Amory and her husband as they head to New York in 1933 for a wedding and someone of course, gets murdered. I really enjoy this series and this book passed the time just fine.

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Y’all know how much I love Agatha Christie, but I have to say, this is one of the few books of hers where I actually like the film adaptation better.

The book that I stopped reading in disgust was a mystery novel called Gallows Court. It was awful 🙁

That’s it for me this month. Any good book reccomendations you guys have?

As The Page Turns: September Edition

By Mackenzie 14 Comments

I read some interesting books this past month, a bit of an eclectic mix if you will 🙂

How Not To Die by Michael Greger

Absolutely fascinating book regarding health and literally and figuratively, how not to die from disease. While the author acknowledges some genetic component regarding certain diseases, many can be combatted by healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. No kale is not going to prevent you from getting ovarian cancer, but a healthy lifestyle is so fundamentally important to being the healthiest person you can be while you are here. What I really found interesting was the parts of the book that talked about how doctors monetarily benefit from the pharmaceutical industry. No not all of them because I don’t like to generalize, but that information coupled with the fact that many doctors do not treat the person as a whole and only prescribe pills to treat symptoms, I found that information relevant and newsworthy.

The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter 

Such a good contemporary mystery and super weird as well. What happens when your mother writes a best-selling horror novel based on “real live events” and a few decades later, you decide to go the place where said events happened and try to uncover the truth? You get THIS BOOK. I received the recommendation for this book from an Instagram book blogger and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Slow by Brooke McAlary

Loved, loved, loved this book. If you are looking to find more meaning in life and live a simpler lifestyle, than this book is for you 🙂

1920 by Eric Burns

This book had all the makings to be an excellent book, but spectacularly fell short. Note to authors, whether you are renowned or just starting out: don’t have a book where you say you are going to write about the year 1920, and then write about all these other years instead, with only 1920 being a backdrop of sorts. Also? Editing mistakes are a big pet peeve with me, but historical editing mistakes? Really? In a history book? You can’t be a historical author and get dates wrong. Also, some of his takeaways on events are just flat-out inaccurate: it is not what happened nor did that transpire. Do not read this book. K thanks, bye.

Squeezed by Alissa Quart

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I feel that certain issues were touched on that maybe should have had a more in-depth reporting. Also, there were parts of the book that were boring statistic-wise and it was hard for me to pay attention. I though the book would really go deep but it just felt surface-y.

Well that’s it for me. Any good books that you can recommend? 😀

As The Page Turns: August Edition

By Mackenzie 12 Comments

The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

Excellent mystery, although I preferred the first book in the series better. If you are looking for a contemporary British mystery, this is your book!

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

I loved the creepy atmosphere of this book which follows a couple who move to Vermont and purposely build a haunted house. This would definitely be a perfect book for your Autumn TBR when the days are short and the nights are long.

Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths

Meh… Not one of her best and honestly, I had to push myself to finish it 🙁  Monotonous and too much detail about things that only slightly pertained, really dragged the story down.

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear

Second book in this series revolving around a female police officer in London. A definite page turner. I would recommend reading the first book in the series, Sweet Little Lies, before reading this one, as many things are referenced from the first novel that the reader might miss.

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

I love the Maisie Dobbs series which follows a special investigator in 1930’s England. This latest entry was an interesting read, with Maisie investigating the death of an American reporter while herself trying to survive the London Blitz. I did not figure out “whodunnit” and I actually enjoy that aspect in a mystery.

That’s all for me this month. Any good books that you can recommend? 🙂