Joy's Book Blog
“Daisy Darker” by Alice Feeney is hard to classify: it’s a ghost story wrapped up in a who-dun-it wrapped up in several murder mysteries, so I guess a fantasy/paranormal/mystery/thriller. What I do know is that the mystery part draws strongly from Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” and since that is one of my …
“Bullet Train” was a book I read because 1) it was on a lot of lists as one of the best books of the year and 2) I wanted to see the Netflix movie, and everyone knows you read the book first. And it’s true in this case as well; the book was better than …
I read “Blonde” after all the hype surrounding the Netflix movie. Many viewers were apparently upset that the story was not an accurate portrayal of Marilyn Monroe’s life. However, I felt the author, Joyce Carol Oates, made it clear (at least in her book) this was meant to be fiction; it was NOT meant to …
“Verity” Take Two Ok, so I’m actually writing two reviews for this one since I read it twice, approximately one year apart. The first review: This was an ….um…. interesting book. I honestly don’t know if I liked it or not for two reasons: 1. Definitely a psychological thriller à la “Gone Girl” (a book …
“The Palace Papers” was recommended to me by a friend who knows I like reading non-fiction books on British royalty, past or present. And I liked this book! It’s got an interesting premise: the book covers the four most recent women who have married into the line of succession for the British throne (Diana, Camilla, …
“Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune” was a book recommended to me by my book club. Apparently, they read it in the past and really liked it. I could see why…on the surface, this is a fascinating concept for a book. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold …
“The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family” was not a book I would have picked up on my own, which is why I’m in a book club; the chance to read good books I normally would have overlooked. And this is one! I really enjoyed this book. Told from both Ron and Clint Howard’s …
“The Stranger in the Lifeboat” was a last-minute book I decided to read because it was short and by Mitch Albom. I liked parts of this book, but not other parts. And by “not other parts,” I mean most of the book. And the ending. I really didn’t like the ending. “The Stranger in the …
“The Maid” is an interesting mystery set in the opulent Grand Reagent hotel. Molly, the main character, is a maid who has worked there for years and thinks it’s the most satisfying job in the world. Sadly, Molly has just lost her grandmother, who raised her, and now finds herself alone in the world and …
“The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett” was one of the books I read for my book club recently. It’s the story of an 85-year-old woman who is simply waiting to die; however, it’s taking too long so she decides to seek help from an assisted suicide facility to end life on her own terms. But …