Blogger Book Club – August Book Review

So yeah, I’m a total Blogger Book Club Member failure.

If you recall I did not read the book club book for July, and it pains me to admit that I did not read the book for August either. The difference is that I did not read July’s book (America the Beautiful by Ben Carson) because I couldn’t find it in stores; and I did not read August’s book (START by Jon Acuff) because I had no interest in reading it. Truth. I just can’t read a nonfiction book if the topic holds no interest to me, which this one really didn’t. So, I apologize to all of you who may have been expecting a review of START. Instead, I’ll share what I’ve been reading lately and a couple of books that are on my reading wish list. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in!

 

ZOO, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

 So this book pretty much gave me nightmares and yes I could not put it down. From the James Patterson website: “All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.”

How’s that for a hook, right? So this biologist (who has seen this thing coming for years, but nobody would listen) is trying to get various world leaders to sit up and pay attention to what’s happening, and of course nobody will listen to him until it’s too late. I don’t want to give away what happens, but what scared me was that the scenario Patterson has created is completely believable and scared me half to death. Seriously. For the next week I was scared of any animal that crossed my path, included squirrels and dragonflies. Totally worth the read.

11th Hour, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

 

Yes, I may have gone through a mini James Patterson phase this past month. That seems to happen – weeks will go by without touching any of his novels and then WHAM! I’ll pick up one and end up reading three or four in a row. What I love about Patterson is that he’s that good. And he writes like thirty books a month, so I always have new ones to look forward to!

11th hour is (obviously) the 11th book in the Women’s Murder Club series – and follows Lindsey Boxer on her latest case. I have to admit I didn’t think this book was as good as some others in the series. I felt it moved too fast and didn’t have as much emotion as he normally packs into his books. Still, it was entertaining and I read through it in a few days.

Angel Sister, by Ann H. Gabhart

I picked this book up at the lending library in my office, completely on a whim. I needed something to read while I was waiting for The Husband to pick me up and before I knew it I was hooked. Angel Sister takes place in 1936 and follows the lives of the Merritt family as they deal with alcoholism, a dire financial situation, and a little girl left on the steps of the local church. I’m only about halfway through but my fingers are itching to pick it back up so I can find out what happens! It’s beautifully written and I love historical fiction, so it’s a total win. Check it out!

Some other books waiting on my “to read” pile include:

 The House I Loved, by Tatiana de Rosnay

 

   The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown

 

 Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

   The Aviator’s Wife, by Melanie Benjamin

 

What good books have you read lately? Any recommendations?