Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson -- Reshelved Books

Hello again, Dewey Readers!

There's snow out there. 

Another day, another book review! 
I read Peter Swanson's Her Every Fear in one day.  That's how good it was.  Needless to say, I did read it during a snowstorm, but still.  I could not put it down. 

This novel is about two cousins, Kate and Corbin,  who live in London and NYC respectively.  The cousins have never met before, but they make an arrangement to trade apartments for a period of 6 months.  Kate has terrible anxiety, and she isn't sure if she should be worried or if it's just her mind that makes her worried.  She also suffers from terrible panic attacks that make her feel like she is going to stop breathing and die.  But she knows the panic attacks will not kill her, and that the attacks will eventually pass.  However, it does not stop her overwhelming fear that there is something out there that WILL kill her.  

Having suffered from panic attacks myself, I sort of related to Kate.  I get where she's coming from and and how the attacks can make her anxiety escalate.  However, unlike me, her panic attacks stem from trauma that she experienced.  Previous to the novel's start, Kate had been in an absuive relationship with a man who as jealous and violent.  After Kate broke up with him, she came home one day to him sitting on her bed with a gun.  He locked her in the bedroom closet and committed suicide outside the closet door.  Kate was locked in that closet for days until she was found.  

Now in NYC, Kate walks into the midst of a crime scene where her would be neighbor was violently murdered, the body mutilated.  Police suspect that her cousin may or may not be a suspect.  It is also possible that the killer is on the loose and perhaps has killed women before.  Kate has the suspicion that something isn't right in her apartment. Doors that she felt like she shut are slightly ajar, the eyes of portraits that she drew aren't quite the way that she remembered drawing them... but she tells herself it's just her anxious mind.  

This novel is as much of a thriller as it is about trusting yourself and your instincts.  Jillian and I both hated the last thriller we read (check out our Battle Book Reviews of the Lying Game) but this one was refreshingly fast paced and different.  I also liked how while parts of the novel took place in London, more than half of the novel took place in the U.S.  perhaps this kept me culturally in tune...  

So Dewey Readers  I leave you with a review of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  If you're thinking of reading a thriller, pick up this one.

~Jessica              

Every Day by David Levithan - Reshelved Books

Deweys... 

I just finished a wonderful YA novel. 

And I'm itching to share it with you!! To me, this book is something beautiful.  I loved the concept.  I loved the way that the story was told. 

I just loved this book.  It's as plain and as simple as that.

Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of "A" and Rhiannon. 

When "A" wakes up each morning, "A" has a new body and it's never the same body twice.


When we meet "A", we find "A" waking up as a 16 year old boy named Justin. It's during this day as Justin that "A" meets Rhiannon. 

"A" is instantly taken back and captivated by Rhiannon.

Now here is the thing about "A", when "A" wakes up in a different body, "A" usually sticks to following the daily tasks of that body.  "A" doesn't like to cause disruption or any change. 

Once "A" meets Rhiannon that all changes.... 

Rather quickly, "A" started to throw caution at the wind and make decisions that were rather reckless.  The impacts of some of "A"'s decisions did negatively affect Nathan.  Nathan woke up on the side of the highway, in his parent's car- unaware of how or why he got there. 

In 16 years, "A" never once has had an encounter where discovery is the end result. 

In a weird twist of events, "A" comes close to jeopardizing all that "A" has known. 

Will "A" become known? Will Rhiannon and "A" be able to sustain their relationship? 

What will happen with "A", Nathan and all of the commotion that Nathan is causing? 

Well... I'd suggest that you read the book to find out! 

For a book that's worth 4.5 coffee beans, I think that's pretty fair!

I feel that Every Day is a good representation of the power of love.  You can see how much "A" does love and care for Rhiannon and how much "A" is willing to risk. 

I liked how there was no protagonist (I say this because Nathan is able to move forward past his experience). When the reader looks at the book as a whole, there were three main characters.  The bodies that "A" visited daily, those were just extra (if that makes sense).  Yes, we got to learn a little bit about the bodies but after meeting Rhiannon, "A" was just using those bodies as vehicles. 

Don't get me wrong, the "bodies" that Levithan wrote for "A" to visit were very diverse. Male, female; boy, girl; black, white, Asian; and poor, rich. The family dynamics and the background stories for each body were all different. You got to see bodies who had "perfect" families, bodies who were suffering from mental illness (Kelsea who wanted to take her own life) and the body who was suffering from a drug addiction. 

I loved the ending.  I thought it was beautiful.  I loved how "A" was able to find the perfect representation in a body that would be constant and consistent for Rhiannon.  I loved how "A" took the time to make memories for Rhiannon and Alexander.  I also was proud of "A" and I liked how as the reader, you were able to see that "A" was able to grow.  

I will gladly say it again that I give this book 4.5 coffee beans.  I would definitely recommend it to those who are looking for an easy and quick read that is an enjoyable yet powerful read.

~ Jillian

Radar Road: The Best of on Impulse by Nath Jones - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

The cover is just as gorgeous as the prose inside. 

Another day, another book.  Today, I am reviewing a collection of short stories by Nath Jones called Radar Road: The Best of on Impulse.  Being a poet and writer myself, I love collections of poems and short stories, so I was absolutely ecstatic when Nath Jones send a copy of her latest book to our P.O. Box for us to review.  Her book did not disappoint.  

The short stories in Radar Road all follow the themes of family relationships.  Sometimes when I sit down to read a collection of short stories I find myself lost and easily distracted.  Is it because of the language?  The format?  Or the literary based text?  I'm not sure.  However, with Jones' collection I did not become lost.  On the contrary I was so immersed within this collection that I finished it within a day and a half.  I know, sometimes I even amaze myself with my reading skills. 

The way that Nath Jones writes is simple.  She isn't overly complex with her language, but she has a certain poetic quality to her prose that reminds me of how I like to write.  I think that a lot of the time we see writers who use overly flamboyant language to decorate their ideas, but sometimes when doing so both the ideas and the mind of the reader become lost.  The way that Jones crafts language makes her points both poetic and simply direct.  It also doesn't hurt that her stories are also relatively short.   This not only helps the reader to keep pace within the text, but also shows Jones' ability to craft language effectively and concisely.  

I run a creative writing group at my library, and one of our writers is struggling with writing relatively short and concise short-stories without becoming mundane.  She's consuming herself with worrying about showing vs. telling and struggling to find balance within a small amount of space.  I think that at our next meeting I will give her my copy of Radar Road to read.  

So Dewey Readers, if you are interested in short stories, poetry, and creative writing, definitely pick up a copy of this book!  You can also check out her website here.  I would rate this book 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans ;) 

Until the next review worthy read! 

~Jessica

Check Me Out by Becca Wilhite -- Reshelved Books

Yes, those are Mallomars!

Dewey Readers!

I have found a book that is 100% and completely me.  Well, maybe not 100%, but pretty darn close to it.  Check Me Out by Becca Wilhite is about a librarian that just so happens to find love inside the poetry aisle of the library.  Ahhh well, we can dream right?  I will admit, I may linger a bit too long in the poetry aisle of book stores just waiting to see if any eligible bachelors happen to be strolling by looking for a poem.... they never are.  

This novel is marketed as a "proper romance," so all of you people out there that might be put off by the title, the library romance subject, etc. etc., DO NOT run away.  I promise you, librarians are not fetishized in this novel or anything weird like that. On the contrary, our truths and stories are praised.  What stories?  The weird stories that happen in the library all the time that people who don't work in a library just don't always understand.

This novel surprisingly had a few poor reviews on GoodReads.  I'm talking 2 star reviews.  Reviewers said it was because they felt like the little stories about library patrons were an odd attempt at trying to be funny and didn't quite fit.  Well let me tell you all, THESE WEIRD STORIES ARE TRUE.  Weird people come into the library all the time.  Sometimes it's funny.  Sometimes it isn't.  But these interactions are standard to the everyday librarian.  One example of such a story is when, Greta comes in contact with one patron who claims to see her aura, which is orange and slightly disturbing.  Does it fit in with Greta's love story?  Not really.  Does it add realism to her job? Heck, yeah it does.

Take for example my life.  I have a Blue Novel Horror Cover Man, who comes in every day, looks for me, tips his Interstate Waste Services hat, and says "Good morning dear I just came in to say...Hello."  Why do I call him the Blue Novel Horror Cover Man you ask?  Because he is looking for the title of a novel he saw for sale in a pharmacy two years ago, and all he knows is that the cover is blue and that it had a haunted house on it... I kid you not.  Everyday he spends hours on Google scrolling through horror novels with blue covers...  And that, my dear Dewey Readers is a very small glimpse into what working in a library entails.

Now in the novel, Greta befriends her Orange Aura Patron, and they meet for muffins.. that might be a little far fetched.  I don't think I'll be meeting my Blue Horror Novel Cover Man for muffins anytime soon... Anyway, back to the book.  There are two main story lines in this novel 1) The library Greta is working for risks closure.  How can Greta save the library and show everyone just how vital and important to the community it is? and 2) The love story.  One problem that Greta runs into with her poetry-man love interest is that he sounds different through text messages than he does in person.  Through text messages, he's witty, charming, and thoughtful.  In person, he's kind of boring... cute but meh.  In the era of online dating, how many times have we "talked" (through texting of course) to men who sounded 100% awesome (being a fun and witty texter is a must in my book) only to be disappointed when the voice you conjured in your head, wasn't the voice presented in front of you.... maybe it's time we brought back phone calls. 

Would I recommended you read this novel?  Yes, I would.  Would I recommend you visit your local library this week?  You better.... or else....

Until the next read!
~Jessica

P.S.  The book hoarder in me wishes I stumbled across this book at the bookstore so I could keep it forever.  However I stumbled across it at work, which is perhaps more fitting for this review.  #LibraryBooksAllDayEveryDAy

The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine - Reshelved Books

Hey Dewey Readers!

Growing up and living in New Jersey, we love books that are based in our home state,  but do you know what we love even more than books that take place in Jersey!?  Books that take place down the shore.  Robin Constantine's novel The Season of You & Me is just that.  It's a young adult Jersey Shore romance that I have now read twice!  

So a bit about the novel.  This novel is told in the alternating perspectives of two main characters, Cassidy and Bryan.  Cassidy has decided to spend her summer down the shore at her father and step-mother's bed and breakfast.  She needs an escape from her home life, especially because she's struggling with and trying to come to terms with her first real heartbreak.   Is she running away from her problems?  Maybe one can say so, but she IS spending time with family in the form of her father, step-mother, and little brother she doesn't get to see that often.  So, I think it's safe to say the change of scenery is welcomed for many reasons.  Plus, I'm a firm believer that the ocean can heal just about anything.

Bryan lives down the shore.  He's recently paralyzed from the waist down after a skateboarding accident, which could have been prevented.  Rather than be bitter about his injuries, he shows acceptance and has a great sense of humor.  That's not to say that he isn't upset that he can't walk.  He is, he's just doing an excellent job of trying to be okay.  Bryan has had some romantic interests with girls that live in his hometown, but nothing has panned out.  Is it because of his injures? Is it because there was just no chemistry?  Maybe it's a mixture of both.  So when Cassidy begins to work at the same summer camp as Bryan during the day, they begin to develop....a friendship.  

More than just a summery young adult beach read that happens to take place down the shore, this novel tackles issues such as heartbreak, disabilities, divorce, family dynamics, friendship, acceptance, and so much more.  I adore this novel to the point where I am going to give it 55 out of 5 Coffee Beans, because I can.  Even my Grandma loved this novel, which just goes to prove how ANYONE of ANY AGE can read and enjoy y.a. fiction.    

I am also super excited, because Robin has agreed to come up to my library for an author visit!  You can check out all of her upcoming events, on her website.   

Now I am craving a trip down the shore.  

Jillian, can we take a day trip to Point Pleasant!? 

Until the next read!

~Jessica 

Battle of the Book: The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Hello all!

For our readers who are here in New Jersey, I hope everyone made it out of Winterstorm Quinn okay. 

I thought I would start a new series.... Battle of the Books. 
Jess and I will both be attending the "Spine Breakers" book club next week.  The book this month was The Lying Game (obviously, lol.)

Last week Jess posted a review on The Lying Game by Ruth Ware. She beat me to posting a new review! Which isn't hard to do when you have a million things going on and you only get sit down in front of your computer once a week.

I know that Jess and I usually read different genres but novels that have the same themes.  I thought though that it would be interesting for you guys to see what I thought of The Lying Game versus what Jess thought of the same book. 

You can check out Jess's review here. 

Unlike Jess, I hadn't heard much about this book prior to reading it.  I knew of two people (excluding her) who read the book and the opinions there this: one loved the book and the one hated it. 

Ware's story opens when someone finding a body. Very vague. Very creepy. 

The first character that we met is Isa Wilde, a lawyer and a new mother to a 6 month old baby girl, Freya. 

Isa receives a text message a three word text "I need you". It's not only Isa who gets this text, it's also Fatima and Thea.  
The person who sent the text is Kate. 
It's been FIFTEEN YEARS since these four women have spoken to each other. 

Fifteen years ago these four women were in a boarding school together - fifteen years ago these four women participated in something that you could easily say was criminal. 

Lies that they had spun and woven for the fifteen years are falling apart right before their eyes. 

When the girls were completing their fifth year at school, Ambrose Atagon (the art teacher, who is Kate's father) committed suicide.  No one at the time knows why he committed suicide.  What they do know is that private sketches of the girls done by Ambrose ended up in the hands of the head mistress at school. 

The actions from the night that Ambrose died, tied in with the sketches is what ultimately gets the girls kicked out. 

Ware spins a story that follows these 4 women as they navigate the past and their lies.  There are peaks, twists and turns. There is some confusion but the story does come together at the end.

My feelings on this book? I'm feeling neutral on it.  I didn't love it and I didn't hate it.  It was just there. 

I feel like the focus of the book is Isa. 

I did not like Isa. 

I didn't like how she canoodled with Luc! I didn't like how Luc took the baby! I didn't like her character; I left like she was whiny. I was impressed with the way that Ware was able to tie the story together at the end.  I left like there were a lot of different things happening (Luc and Isa is the perfect example!!) I personally don't feel like any strings were left undone....

I also didn't feel like the book was that much of a thriller. I thought it fell both short and flat on that. I wouldn't say that it was easy to figure out right away, but once all of the evidence was presented, you could definitely follow her thought process. 

I give this book 2 coffee beans out of 5 coffee beans. Sadly, there is no conflict between our reviews for our first battle of the book!

Stay tuned to see what next month might bring!

~ Jillian

A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

It's snowing here is Jersey and not just a little dusting this time either.  It is snowing HARD.  So what better way is there to spend a day snowed in, than with a book review that takes place near, but not exactly on, the beach?  That's right there is no better way!  It just isn't possible.  

So I picked up a copy of Susan Mallery's A Million Little Things a couple weeks ago at used book store called Footnotes, that specializes in romance novels.  It looked adorable, and as you all know, I absolutely adore the shore.  Perhaps maybe even more than books.... okay maybe not.   I guess what I'm trying to say is that I judged this book based off of the cover, bought it, and brought it home.   

Jillian hasn't read this novel.  In fact, I don't think I even talked to her about it yet, but I think that the two main characters in it our our soul sisters.  The two of us are defiantly equally both of the two characters.  We're semi-insane and definitely quirky.  (Jillian, you can have it after I give it to my Grandma.  Promise.) 

So in this novel, we meet Zoe.  Zoe recently broke up with her boyfriend after she purchased a house thinking that he and his children would move in with her, they'd marry, and have a happily ever after life.  Zoe even quit her job as a teacher, taking a different job that allowed her to work from home so that she could stay home and  theoretically raise her boyfriend's children.  But then, they break up!  And big surprise, the little fantasy that she planned her life around just didn't happen.  The back of the novel says that Zoe "is more than just single - she's alone."  But she's not really alone.  I mean, she does have her cat.  And when Zoe gets stuck inside her windowless attic early on in the novel (the door with the drop down steps got stuck) her cat was stuck with her.....

Now, the other main character we meet in this novel is Zoe's best friend Jen.  Jen has high anxiety.  Her husband is a cop who recently took a promotion as a detective, and her son (I think he's 22 months old?) will not speak.  Jen is constantly worried that something bad will happen to her husband, and is equally, if not more so, worried that there's something wrong with her son.  Everyone tells Jen that there's nothing wrong with her son, but she's so anxious and hypocondriatic that it just makes her even more anxious that no one seems to take her seriously.  Jen needs to come to the crystal shop with us and buy some lavender oil.     

Unlike a lot of romance novels, which can be sappy, cliche, and really sort of dull, Mallery draws the readers into her characters and their actual lives.  Lives that don't primarily revolve around finding and keeping a man, but I guess as one always secretly hopes, does play a role.  So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans!

Happy Reading! 

~Jessica  

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware: Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

I recently joined a 4th book club.  That's right.  I'm absolutely insane!  This 4th book club meets for dinner one Tuesday a month and it's brand spanking new!  Can you guess what it's called?..... It's called....The Spine Breakers! 

So, for this book club we decided to read The Lying Game by Ruth Ware, which brings us to today's book review.  I heard great things about Ruth Ware so I was excited to pick up her latest novel, but unfortunately my excitement fell rather flat.  The opening of the book is spooky and great.  In the prologue, a woman is walking when she finds the remains of a body.  Where did this body come from?  Was there a murder? Who committed it?  

Once we move past the prologue we encounter the main characters, four women who were suspended from their fancy prep school many years ago... but why?  When one of the girls, Issa, receives a text message begging for her help, she returns to the town of the school where these 4 women were once friends.  Throw in a school dinner reunion that the women just happen to go to and a game called "the lying game" that the girls played and played well, we become immersed in their confusing world, a blending between truth and lies, where even the girls themselves can't differentiate between the two.

For me, the premise of the book was interesting but I wanted more.  I wanted to know more about the dinner, more about the lies, and more about the psychology of the four women.  Without that, the book seemed to be rushed over.  I found myself zoning out, and even now I am having trouble recalling what I actually read.

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a stale rating of 1.5 out of 5 sad little Coffee Beans.