The Dogs of Cuba

 

I don't know what I enjoyed seeing more, the love these dogs have for each other or the unconditional love written all of over the faces of their owners. This book was a wonderful collection of photographs taken by Emmy Park while she was traveling through Cuba. Even though she was actually there to cover a skateboard tournament, she quickly noticed the amount of dogs wandering the streets. It's no surprise that dogs are cherished in America more than almost any other country. Now, I just got back from living in Korea for 2.5 years and can attest to the previous statement. It pained me to see dogs chained up to porches and businesses, or just running along the street looking for their next meal. But this is the only life they've known. Of course, each place has exceptions. Some people truly love their dog more than anything in the world. Which is true for me; my dog is my baby, so I could never imagine putting her through something like that, even though she was on the streets before she had me.

Regardless, the photos in this coffee table book are absolutely stunning and are well worth flipping through!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Schiffer Publishing, and Emmy Park for an advance copy of this book!

The Dogs of Cuba hits shelves September 28, 2019!

Two To Die For

So this book is actually two books in one.

We have Spiral, a novella from the Lucy Kincaid Series and Retired, a novella from the Maxine Revere Series. I've never read the Lucy Kincaid series but I did read the crossover book starring both Lucy and Maxine and it was phenomenal. So when I saw there was a dual novella book on my kindle, I snatched it right up.

Let's start with Spiral.

Lucy and her new husband Sean are honeymooning in one of his gifts to her, a cabin in Vail. That's right, he bought her a cabin. They've been relaxing, making love, and getting to know the area. It's so cute watching two very tough, independent people come together and do all the cute couple-y things that are expected on a honeymoon. But obviously, trouble follows them and they can never turn away someone in need. When their neighbor's dog shows up late one night, they know something is wrong. The question becomes, "Where is Hank?" The next day they start a search and rescue to find Hank and uncover a whole slew of mystery that must be solved. Romance aside, they jump into action.

Moving on to Retired, I love Maxine (you guys should definitely all know that by now). I love how I just spent all day intrigued by a potential murder in a retirement community. Max has taken on the role of Maxine Adler, art restorer and "granddaughter" to Lois Kershaw. Lois called her after the death of her dear friend, Dotty. Her hope was that Max wouldn't think of her as a senile old woman, but instead as a concerned citizen who suspects her friend has been murdered. With the help of Lois, Flo, and Beau; Max starts her undercover investigation to find out why so many senior citizens in the Del Sol community are dying after showing improvement from the supposed flu they all had. Max knows who to look at right away. It's just a matter of getting the proof she needs to take her investigation to the police.

Looking for the rest of the series?
Maximum Exposure (Maxine Revere prequel)
Notorious (Maxine Revere #1)
Compulsion (Maxine Revere #2)
Poisonous (Maxine Revere #3)
Shattered (Maxine Revere #4)
Abandoned (Maxine Revere #5)

Parkland Speaks

First day in my new city and I saw this sitting on the feature shelf at the library!

You best believe I walked over to the front desk, applied for a library card, and checked this book out.

I then read this entire book the same day.

So we all know what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

February 14, 2018 is going to be a day that these students and faculty will never forget.

Nikolas Cruz brutally murdered 17 people that day.

He turned their school into a crime scene.

Parkland Speaks was organized by Sarah Lerner, a journalism teacher at MSD.

She gathered these short stories, poems, and journal entries from students and teachers who were there that fateful day. While the whole thing was incredibly painful to read, there were two that had me in tears. Journal Entry #1 by Jack Macleod details what it was like to be outside of a classroom during the shooting. What it was like not knowing if they were going to survive or not. Understanding that if any of those doors opened for them, other student's lives would be in danger. He describes their fear with such intensity that it felt like I was watching it unfold without any way to help. The other that really got to me was kind of similar, but on the opposite side of the door. Nothing Bad Ever Happens in Parkland, Stacey Lippel's testimony before congress detailed her nerve racking experience as a teacher trying to protect her students. She talks about how painful it was to hear her students screaming in the hall as they were shot down. She talks about seeing her fellow teachers in pools of their own blood. She talks about hurling her body over her students to protect them after she had already been grazed by a bullet. It was harrowing.

Reading the stories told by survivors themselves is incredible.

It's heartbreaking that at 14-18 years old, these kids that to experience such fear and trauma.

It breaks my heart that this keeps happening.

But it warms my heart to see these same kids trying to make a difference in the world.

Looking for other books on Parkland?

Parkland

Glimmer of Hope

The Heiresses

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading The Heiresses.

I've read a few of Sara Shepard's YA series (PLL and The Perfectionists) and felt like those two stories were one in the same. But this new adult series...wow. It does have the same feel as her YA work, but it's juicier than normal.

We meet the Saybrooks in The Heiresses and that's essentially what they are, heiresses. They all grew up into an amazing jewelry industry that basically set them up for life. But not all of the Saybrooks want their inheritance. Not all the Saybrooks want their dirty laundry plastered all over the internet. One of them may not even want to be alive anymore. But the question is.....who is doing this to them?

Throughly enjoyed book one and am patiently awaiting for the rest of the series to be announced!

 

Looking for other fiction books by Sara Shepard?

Reputation 

 

Looking for YA books by Sara Shepard?

Ali's Pretty Little Lies (Pretty Little Liars Prequel)

The Perfectionists (Perfectionists #1)

The Good Girls (Perfectionists #2)

Maximum Exposure

So, my husband and I just moved back to America from Korea this week!

I started our 3 day trek home with Maximum Exposure, the prequel to the Maxine Revere Series by Allison Brennan!

Obviously, if you guys have been keeping up with my reviews since college, you know how much I love this series. When I saw there was a prequel available, I knew I had to grab a copy.

In this prequel, we get to meet Maxine Revere and learn a little bit more about who she is and why she's dedicated to solving cold cases. I will say, it was a bit weird without David. But seeing her friendship with Ben grow into what we eventually see in the other books was a fantastic addition!

This was an incredibly quick read.

I mean, I read this entire book on my 2 hour flight to Japan!

But if you love Max, you'll love this.

Looking for the rest of the series?

Notorious (Maxine Revere #1)

Compulsion (Maxine Revere #2)

Poisonous (Maxine Revere #3)
Two To Die For (Maxine Revere novella)

Shattered (Maxine Revere #4)
Abandoned (Maxine Revere #5)

Hold Me Closer

There's only one word to describe this book: G A Y.

I mean that in the best way possible. I mean one of the first songs in this musical novel is called "A Big Gay Baby". Which basically begins the start of Tiny Cooper's life.

So Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story is the musical companion novel to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which I absolutely loved. The idea behind this book is that Tiny wrote a musical about all of the boys he's ever loved and all the boys he's lost. It deals with him trying to find his place in the world and trying to find someone to share it with.

Written in musical format, it goes through everything he's been through. From the beginning of his life to the end of his last relationship with his 18th boyfriend, Will Grayson. What I loved most about this was that the music numbers were so cheesy and fantastic. He even suggested a "homoerotic baseball scene" and compares it to "I Don't Dance" from High School Musical 2 and I was DYING as I pictured it.

So if you loved Will Grayson, Will Grayson, you're bound to love Hold Me Closer too!!

Looking for the rest of the series?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Will Grayson #1)

Looking for other books by David Levithan?

Every Day (Every Day #1)

Another Day (Every Day #2)

Someday (Every Day #3)

The Realm of Possibility

Answers in the Pages

Lust Killer

So, this is actually the first true crime book I've read that had a serial killer with an actual fetish.

Jerry Brudos - ladies shoes extraordinaire.

Oh yeah, and that's partly how he chooses who to rob, murder, and rape.

At 16 years old, he assaulted the neighbor girl and instructed her to pose for nude pictures. But that was just the beginning of his fantasies. They soon went from naked women, to having a sex slave, to dressing in women's bras, garters, and slips, but mostly...it was just the sight of high heeled shoes that drove him absolutely crazy.

But here's the craziest part about Jerry..... he was married and had two kids!

His wife, Darcie, had no idea who this man she married was. I mean, she was 17 when they met and got married after finding out she was pregnant, three months into knowing each other. She was essentially his slave. He kept Darcie in the dark about everything he was doing. He quite literally locked her out of their "shop" which he claimed was a darkroom for developing his photography (which is was but it was much, much darker than your average darkroom).

He had turned this shop into his own torture chamber.

He kept several victims in there, just feet away from his wife and kids.

He would abduct these women, lock them away, strangle them to death, and then proceed to have sex with their dead bodies. It was gruesome.

The way he confessed his killings to law enforcement was chilling. He showed little to know emotion as he bragged about is crimes, even confessing to crimes they didn't even know he was tied to. They knew they had the right guy when he was giving exact details of car engine (used as weights to submerge the women's bodies in water), that one victim was on her period at the time of her abduction, and several other things that he didn't realize they would be able to use against him.

In the end, he was given three consecutive life sentences in the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Looking for other books by Ann Rule?

The Stranger Beside Me

Lying in Wait

Without Pity