What I've Been Reading...(January 2021 Edition Part 1)

I thought that I would try something different this year and share my thoughts on the books that I read each month all in one go.  Maybe I will have months where I read a ton and split the posts up or I might let things carry over from each month.  I just really, really want to get into the habit of sharing about ALL of the books that I read and not just some of them.  I might share full reviews for certain books depending on if I have more to say...but we will cross that bridge when I come to it. EDITED to add:  I started this post off completely optimistic thinking I would share about ALL of the books that I read in January - and then never finished the post.  We will see how the year goes on but here are my thoughts on the 1st two books that I read in January:

Summary from Goodreads:

"Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone."

My Thoughts:

Wow, wow, wow!  This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021 and it definitely didn't disappoint!  I absolutely loved this book - it's just that easy to say!  All I can think is that if this is the author's debut, then I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!  If you read the above summary, the premise for me was just irresistible.  The comparison on the back of the book to The Blair Witch Project was spot on when it came to the atmosphere that was present throughout this book.  I just knew that I needed to pick up this book, and see what in the heck was going on.  Let me just say that I was not disappointed in the answers that I got!  But what made this book absolutely brilliant for me was the creeping dread that the author built up in this book from the very beginning pages.  This book was a slow burn in the best of ways.  I am HERE for all of the creepy, slow burns like this so please give me all of your recommendations.  Simply put: I need more books like this in my life!  One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was the premise.  The idea of an entirely abandoned village was just delightfully creepy to think about.  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was told in two parts.  One was in current day with Alice and her crew and the second part was told in the past from the viewpoint of a woman named Elsa.  I really liked the way that these two storylines tied together.  The feeling of dread that just kept building especially towards the end had me reading as fast as I could.  And the ending was perfection in my opinion.  It's a month later and I'm still thinking about this book.  What a way to start off my year of reading in 2021!

Bottom Line:  A standout way to start off my reading year - I would be very surprised not to see this book on my best reads list at the end of 2021!

CW: Murder, abuse, religious elements (hard to explain without spoilers so message me if you need to know more)

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Summary from Goodreads:

"Along the ever-changing border of gentrifying Los Angeles, a seventeen-year-old girl is found dead at a construction site, hanging in the closet of an unfinished condominium. 

Homicide detective Elouise “Lou” Norton’s new partner Colin Taggert, fresh from the Colorado Springs police department, assumes it’s a teenage suicide. Lou isn’t buying the easy explanation. For one thing, the condo site is owned by Napoleon Crase, a self-made millionaire… and the man who may have murdered Lou’s missing sister thirty years ago. 

As Lou investigates the death of Monique Darson, she uncovers undeniable links between the two cases. She is convinced that when she solves Monique’s case she will finally bring her lost sister home. But as she gets closer to the truth, she also gets closer to a violent killer. After all this time, can he be brought to justice… before Lou becomes his next victim?"

My Thoughts:

Land of Shadows is the 1st book in the Detective Elouise Norton series.  I've read two of this authors books previously (both standalones) and enjoyed them so much that I knew that I wanted to dive into her backlist.  I'm really glad that I did because I enjoyed this book a lot.  Lou's character is one that I instantly liked.  She didn't take crap from anyone and knew that she was good at her job for a lot of different reasons.  I love a mystery series focused on a strong female lead detective - this is like my reading catnip.  Lou has a darker past though because years ago her sister went missing and she still doesn't have the answers she has been searching for.  Then she gets assigned to this case and it seems like the two cases are tied together even though her sister went missing so long ago.  This book was a definite page turner!  I found myself really hooked by the premise and the way that this book was set up.  Parts of the book were set in the past leading up to Lou's sister's disappearance and then the other parts of the book were focused on Lou's current investigation.  I had no idea where it was all going and I couldn't stop reading as I just had to find out.  My one complaint with this book was there was a bit of inappropriate language (I really don't know how else to explain it).  This is an older book - it was published back in 2014 - so maybe it wasn't considered offensive back then but I did want to mention it.  One of the things that this book did so well though is that it made me sit back and think.  The author makes a point of looking at the reasons why the police didn't really look into her sister's disappearance that closely - it's a poignant look at how differently these types of case are treated when it is a girl of woman of color that goes missing.  I definitely will be continuing on with this series.  Rachel Howzell Hall is an author not to be missed!

Bottom Line: A really solid beginning to this new to me mystery series!

CW: Suicide, murder, cheating, derogatory language, loss of a child, death

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Honest thoughts are my own.

The Return by Rachel Harrison (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"An edgy and haunting debut novel about a group of friends who reunite after one of them has returned from a mysterious two-year disappearance.

Julie is missing, and the missing don't often return. But Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and she feels in her bones that her best friend is out there, and that one day she'll come back. She's right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her."

My Thoughts:

The Return was a creepy and atmospheric read that I really enjoyed!  One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book was the feeling of wrongness that was present throughout the entire book.  It was in the characters, the hotel where they were staying at, their history with one another....everything felt just slightly off and wrong.  It made for a very sinister and creepy feeling that was present the entire time while I was reading this one.  For me, it was like the characters could sense this feeling of wrongness as well even when they were doing their best to ignore it and pretend everything was okay.  I've seen some reviews that didn't care for the characters and how they interacted with one another. I thought it creepily fit with everything else that was going on in this book.  Nothing was right and the question lingered on if it ever had been.  I really don't want to say too much more in order not to spoil anything.  This book was creepy at points but not so much that I ever felt truly scared while reading.  I just enjoyed this book and everything that the author was doing with it.  It felt at times like it could be from an episode of America Horror story where you just kind of know that bad things are going to happen.  The wait can be the scariest part!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am eager to read more by this author!  The fact that this is a debut just astounds me.  I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next (and I truly hope that she keeps to the horror/thriller type of genre because I would love to find more books like this)!  Horror readers should definitely check this one out!  I will say that this book slowly builds up with the creepiness factor so I wouldn't expect a fast paced page turner.  Instead, this is one where the atmosphere builds until it felt like I couldn't take it any more.  Then I rushed through the pages having to see how it would all end!  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  An atmospheric read that has me SO excited to read more by this author!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent."

My Thoughts:

This book well and truly creeped me out!  Like I was reading it at night in bed and had to stop because it was making me anxious type of creepy.  It has this feeling of dread from almost the very first page that I absolutely loved.  I found myself reading in short bursts and then setting it down because I just knew bad things were going to happen (and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it yet).  It was just so darn creepy!  I'm going to get into slightly spoiler-ey territory so if you aren't here for that skip on ahead to the next paragraph and my final thoughts on this one.  I feel like I went into this book knowing that bad things were happening at the Bartholomew.  The reader is probably meant to guess more on if bad things are happening or if it was all in Jules' mind.  I just was certain that there were dark things going on and was intent on figuring out what.  I spent a lot of the beginning half of the book just trying to guess what was going on.  Let me tell you that we hit that second half though and the danger Jules was in got real!  By this point in the book I was already thoroughly creeped out by this book in general.  And then something that happened that I didn't see coming from a mile away.  I honestly have no idea if I should have seen this coming or not but I definitely didn't!  I finished this book while my youngest was practicing basketball, in a noisy gym, with the threat of being hit with a basketball in the head present the entire time.  Do you think I looked up once to ensure my safety because of this ending?  Heck no!  Also, who knew that you could be terrified while reading a book in a gym full of nine and ten year olds?  Lesson learned there because this book and that ending was truly terrifying!  Holy cow!  This author is officially on my must read everything he writes list! What a book!  If you've read this one, let's discuss because I am truly curious if I'm the only one who was blown away by this book and the answers behind everything or if other readers were able to guess the answers beforehand.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and will be reading everything this author writes at this point!  It was just so darn good!  I loved the horror type vibes that Sager uses in his books.  They were present in Final Girls and they were definitely present in this one as well!  I love a dark and creepy thriller which is exactly what this book is!  I'm so glad that I listened to the hype on this one because it deserves every single word of praise in my opinion.  I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  One of the creepiest books I have read this year!  Five stars!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book originally from NetGalley but ended up checking out a copy from my local library.  Honest thoughts are my own.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"If you find one, he’s already found you.

A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen.

His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene.

Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago.

A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted?

To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues.

Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over.

And no one is safe."

My Thoughts:

This book is JUST as creepy as that summary makes it seem!  Let me tell you, I cannot remember the last time that a book creeped me out enough that I was freaked out walking into my dark garage one evening after the overhead light had burned out.  Oh but this book did exactly that!  I picked this one up but honestly was a bit intimidated by the size at first.  I needn't have worried because the pages just flew on by with this book.  It WAS SO good and I just couldn't seem to stop reading.  I do need to say that this book is considerably dark so it won't be for all readers.  And there are definite trigger warnings in here that readers will want to be aware of as well.  All of that being said, books like this are exactly why I read (and I kinda have to wonder about myself after saying all of that - ha!)  But seriously, this book felt like the perfect read to start fall off with.  It was dark and creepy with a terrifying killer.  It's a police procedural which is something that I always enjoy.  And it has these characters that maybe I didn't understand at first but by the end I wasn't ready to let them go or even see this book end.  Somebody please tell me that this is going to be the first book in a series because I will be there for it!!!  I love a book like this that just wraps you up in the atmosphere of the story that the author is telling.  I could feel the chill in the air as these two detectives tried to figure out what was going on and who the killer was.  I really appreciated the fact that I was kept guessing with this book until the very end.  I didn't see the ending coming whatsoever which boosted my enjoyment of this book that much more.  I'm at the point off gushing but this book completely deserves it in my opinion.  I need more books like this in my reading life because wow....just wow!  Also, can we please discuss that ending and what you think that it means?

Overall, this book is a five star read for me which should tell you everything that you need to know.  It was dark, suspenseful, eerie, and just one of the most twisted but best books that I've read so far this year.  I can't give it any higher praise than that!  I don't think that this book will be for everyone but I do think that this book is the perfect kind of thriller to read for this type of year.  It's exactly the type of book that I look for with my fall reading which is why I want more books just like it!  I think that fans of thrillers, horror (although this book isn't exactly horror it does have those kind of vibes), and suspense.  I highly recommend this one and am so excited to see that so many other readers have been enjoying it as well!

Bottom Line:  An easy five star read for me! I need more books like this in my reading life!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.