Shelf Indulgence Book Club

T he Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult delivered an original story line I had never read before.    The main character, Dawn, was once a PH-D candidate for Yale Egyptology program.    Years of loss, love and life pass her by and she finds herself married with a teenage daughter. Dawn has a seemingly fulfilling life until she’s involved in a plane crash, causing her to re-think choices. The story switches from past to present until beautifully coming together. With interesting Egyptian lingo, Picoult fulfills another great book.  I give The Book of Two Ways  5/5 stars. From the moment I received  this book I simply could not but it down. Interesting, relatable and delivered all of the “good book feels”. I would recommend this book to friends and recently lent it to my father to read. Jodi Picoult has been a favorite author for years, but this is my new favorite.  Reviewed by book lover:  Bailey D.

Mother vs Daughter. Crazy vs Crazier. Who will win in the end?  Darling Rose Gold is a psychological thriller about an extremely dark and twisted mother-daughter relationship.  5 years ago, 23-year-old Rose Gold Watt’s mother, Patty, was convicted for aggravated child abuse. Patty, who has Munchausen by Proxy, abused her daughter for years. Under her mother’s care, Rose Gold became violently ill, suffering from malnutrition and a host of other ailments as a result of her mother's abuse.  Patty served 5 years in prison, and with her release date looming, Rose Gold wants to reconcile. However, Rose Gold’s suffering has taken its toll. While she has recovered physically, mentally she is far from healed. Mother and daughter seem to try to repair their relationship, but underneath the surface of their reconciliation, they are playing an underhanded game of cat and mouse which results in pure insanity! I found the subject matter of this book to be fascinating--I couldn’t put it...

Hopeful, heart-wrenching, and bittersweet! The Return sweeps you away to the small town of New Bern, North Carolina (Nicholas Sparks actual home town!!) and into the life of Trevor Benson, a young doctor and wounded war vet who inadvertently stumbles across a mystery and unexpectedly falls in love when he heads to his late grandfather’s home to regroup, refocus, heal and prepare to move on. The characterization is well-developed with a wonderful cast of characters that are multilayered, strong, secretive, and endearing. It's been a long time since he dove into a mysterious plot and I think he handled it well. The plot is a tender tale full of life, love, heartache, healing, kindness, community, the intricacies of beekeeping, and a sliver of mystique. Overall, The Return is an absorbing, charming, incredibly touching tale with a real undercurrent of heartbreak, loss, loneliness, and grief. I read it in one singular sitting. Even though in classic Sparks style it had me a little tear...

The Silent Wife   is book number ten of The Will Trent series—a series that follows special agent Will Trent and others from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GBI.  It's important to note, that it’s not necessary to read through The Will Trent series beforehand. Most of our book club had not, to my knowledge. In fact, Slaughter’s storytelling lays out the details you need to know throughout every book. The Silent Wife  is a disturbing story that will satisfy crime, police procedural, and thriller lovers everywhere. Told in both the past through Jeffrey Tolliver’s (one of the main characters in the Grant County series) point of view (POV), and in the present through the characters of Will Trent, Sara Linton, Faith Mitchell, and Amanda Wagner, Slaughter blends this story together seamlessly.  It’s evident that Slaughter takes her time to research everything she writes about, down to the last detail. I’m amazed at how thorough she is in her storytelling of violence a...

It is easy for readers to dismiss this novel for its unlikable maybe even unredeemable characters and the author’s propensity to spoon feed the reader.   These faults are true enough, the characters can come off as flat and the reader doesn’t have to put in any effort to figure out what is going on, however, none of this diminished my enjoyment of the book and the story it told.   Perhaps that is because, as an avid reader, I sometimes need a break from the dark, or deep, or thought provoking novel.   This novel provided that break while still being enjoyable.   Reviewed by book lover: Gretchen G.  

No one expected that  Stephen Chbosky ’s follow-up to  The Perks of Being a Wallflower  — a generationally defining coming-of-age story — would be a horror novel. But in many ways,  Imaginary Friend , the first novel from Chbosky in 20 years, is the obvious follow-up to  Perks , combining two of his loves: “heart and horror.”  If you need some fall reads to kick off the season, Imaginary Friend is the ultimate book to put on your fall reading list. This book veers towards the spooky/horror side and definitely sent chills down my spine! It starts strong and I loved the character development between Christopher and his mom. At 705 pages, I was intimidated, but this is a page turner! I flew right through. I highly recommend.  Reviewed by book lover:   Bailey D.

Samantha Downing's debut novel, My Lovely Wife, is dark and disturbing and impossible to put down. An easy read despite the gruesome subject matter.   It will leave you wondering how 2 sociopaths can randomly end up married, successful in their careers and raising two children. The plot of this domestic thriller will seem impossible and plausible at the same time. The characters could be your neighbors.   Make sure you leave time because you will not want to put it down until the last page is turned!   Reviewed by book lover:  Meryl Lynn L.