Cosmic Queries Blog Tour: Review

Cosmic Queries
Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: National Geographic
Hardcover: 312 Pages

In this thought-provoking follow-up to his acclaimed StarTalk book, uber astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world's most important philosophical questions about the universe with wit, wisdom, and cutting-edge science. 

For science geeks, space and physics nerds, and all who want to understand their place in the universe, this enlightening new book from Neil deGrasse Tyson offers a unique take on the mysteries and curiosities of the cosmos, building on rich material from his beloved StarTalk podcast. In these illuminating pages, illustrated with dazzling photos and revealing graphics, Tyson and co-author James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia--How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone?--and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.  

Populated with paradigm-shifting discoveries that help explain the building blocks of astrophysics, this relatable and entertaining book will engage and inspire readers of all ages, bring sophisticated concepts within reach, and offer a window into the complexities of the cosmos. 

For all who loved National Geographic's StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and Space Atlas, this new book will take them on more journeys into the wonders of the universe and beyond.

 

Purchase Links:  National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

National Geographic has proven it's the best in blending science, facts and fun along with stunning photography and fantastic illustrations. This book is focused on a variety of subjects including philosophy, science, history, astrology, and so much more for both beginners and those who have been studying these topics for awhile. The book covers the top questions most people have: What is life? How old is the universe and how did it all begin? Are we alone in the universe? How will it all end? and so many more. There's a ton of information packed into this book. I learned a lot just from reading through it once and I know I'll be referring to it again and again for more interesting tidbits to learn about. The photography is nothing short of gorgeous, which I've come to expect from National Geographic. Every single page of the book is packed full of valuable information, intriguing side notes, historical facts, and lots of photos and illustrations. Anyone who has ever been interested in the cosmos, philosophy, and science should definitely pick up this book!

Legendary astrophysicist NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON is the host of the popular podcast StarTalk Radio and Emmy award-winning National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos. He earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia. The author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Tyson is the first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.

  

Backyard Guide to the Night Sky Blog Tour: Review

Backyard Guide to the Night Sky
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: National Geographic; 2nd edition Paperback: 288 pages 

Description:

Explore the star-studded cosmos with this fully updated, user-friendly skywatcher's guide, filled with charts, graphics, photographs, and expert tips for viewing -- and understanding -- the wonders of space. 

Stargazing's too much fun to leave to astronomers. In these inviting pages, "Night Sky Guy" Andrew Fazekas takes an expert but easygoing approach that will delight would-be astronomers of all levels. Essential information, organized logically, brings the solar system, stars, and planets to life in your own backyard. Start with the easiest constellations and then "star-hop" across the night sky to find others nearby. Learn about the dark side of the moon, how to pick Mars out of a planetary lineup, and which kinds of stars twinkle in your favorite constellations. Hands-on tips and techniques for observing with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope help make the most out of sightings and astronomical phenomena such as eclipses and meteor showers. Photographs and graphics present key facts in an easy-to-understand format, explaining heavenly phenomena such as black holes, solar flares, and supernovas. Revised to make skywatching even easier for the whole family, this indispensable guide shines light on the night sky--truly one of the greatest shows on Earth!

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

National Geographic has once again proven it's spot as the best in blending facts and fun along with stunning photography. This book is a guide to stargazing and so much more for both beginners and those who have been studying it for awhile. The book covers everything from all the planets in our solar system and their various characteristics, to the earth and the moon, to the sun and beyond. There's a ton of information packed into this small book - a lot more than I expected. I learned a lot just from reading through it once and I know I'll be referring to it again and again for more interesting tidbits to learn about. The photography is nothing short of incredibly gorgeous, which I've come to expect from National Geographic. Every single page of the book is packed full of valuable information, intriguing side notes, historical facts, and lots of photos. Anyone who has ever been interested in stargazing or astronomy should definitely pick up this book!

 

Playing With Fire Blog Tour: Review

Playing With Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts
Author: Billy Hallowell
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: September 8, 2020
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Description:

What is our fascination with the other side?

Join investigative reporter Billy Hallowell as he delves into the strange phenomena of supernatural activity. Themes of demonic possession have overtaken Hollywood, with countless films and TV shows delving into the age-old struggle against evil. Why?

Yet, with so much focus on the topic there seems to be very little public knowledge and discussion about the real-life nature and reality of demons.

In many foreign countries, however, supernatural activity is often recorded and discussed

• Government officials watch a nine-year-old boy walk up a wall
• A sheriff hears a demonic voice over his radio
• Doctors witness a child exhibit extra-human strength

It’s no surprise international media took note. Quite often, though, many people remain silent about their experiences or resort to quietly whispering about what they’ve seen, heard, or felt for fear of being labeled insane or crazy.

The truth is, even pastors, priests, and clergy who have observed firsthand accounts of possession and deliverance can succumb to the strange and terrifying effects of intense spiritual warfare.

For people of faith, Playing with Fire will address these core questions:

• Are demons active today?
• If they do, indeed, exist, what are they? Are they fallen angels? Nephilim?
• Can demons inhabit human beings?
• If they exist, what can be done to stop them?

Playing with Fire will explore the theological underpinnings surrounding demonic forces. Relying on firsthand accounts, newspaper reports, and Christian experts, Billy Hallowell will take readers through the various views and perspectives surrounding supernatural activity.

Playing With Fire is a fascinating look at our culture's seeming obsession with the supernatural and evil as well as investigating where these ideas come from and whether they could be real or not. 

I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and anything related to it, so I was really excited to read this book. I was intrigued to learn about the history of these things and to see what the author had to say about the truth behind the stories we see and hear about on TV, movies, and books. The author is very educated when it comes to everything discussed within the book and presents tons of information along with notes and a bibliography for those who want to learn more. However, I personally couldn't get excited about the topics because it all seemed very dry. It felt like just a bunch of facts, sources, quotes, and other information and it was presented just as boring as they sound. Don't get me wrong - there was great information and I found a lot of it interesting and made notes of things to look up later, but I felt it lacked personality or wasn't presented in an interesting way for me. These are my personal opinions and don't reflect on the book or writing as I'm sure other readers will love it and disagree with my thoughts. As I said, I was excited when I started reading but it fell flat and dry for me within a few pages. I appreciate all of the credible sources and information presented and I did learn some things from the book. I would recommend it to fans of nonfiction, the paranormal, the topics of evil and demons, and for readers who are looking for an informative book on the subject.

Purchase Links:

Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Billy Hallowell has been working in journalism and media for more than two decades. His writings, interviews, and social commentary have appeared in Deseret News, TheBlaze, Human Events, Mediaite and FoxNews.com, among other outlets. He has served as the faith and culture editor of TheBlaze, senior editor of Faithwire, and he has written four books. Hallowell has a BA in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York, and an MS in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Instagram Tour:

Monday, September 21st: @jessicamap

Tuesday, September 22nd: @sweetbookobsession

Wednesday, September 23rd: @bookpairings

Thursday, September 24th: @_ebl_inc_

Friday, September 25th: @spookypumpkinqueen

Saturday, September 26th: @thecityofdarkclockwork

Sunday, September 27th: @fearyourex

Monday, September 28th: @ve_xo

Wednesday, September 30th: @one.chapteratatime

Thursday, October 1st: @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf

Friday, October 2nd: @thebookend.diner

Saturday, October 3rd: @nurse_bookie

Review Tour:

Monday, October 5th: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Tuesday, October 6th: A Dream Within a Dream

Wednesday, October 7th: @the.magicalpages

Friday, October 9th: Well Read Traveler and @wellreadtraveler

Monday, October 12th: Mom Loves Reading and @mom_loves_reading

Tuesday, October 13th: The OC Book Girl and @theocbookgirl

Wednesday, October 14th: PhDiva Blog and @thephdivabooks

Thursday, October 15th: Books Cooks Looks

Friday, October 16th: @readinggirlreviews

Monday, October 19th: Hallie Reads and @h.szott

Monday, October 19th: The Lit Bitch and @thelit_bitch

Tuesday, October 20th: Tabi Thoughts

Wednesday, October 21st: @brabsandbooks

Thursday, October 22nd: From the TBR Pile

Friday, October 23rd: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Monday, October 26th: The Hi Reader and @thehireader

Tuesday, October 27th: Barks Beaches Books and @barksbeachesbooks

Wednesday, October 28th: @dropandgivemenerdy

 

 

The Playground Blog Tour: Review

The Playground
Author: Jane Shemilt
Release Date: December 30, 2019
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Paperback: 384 pages

Description:

"Beautifully written and suffused with dread. Jane Shemilt's domestic settings are seductively vivid, and the final outcome is profoundly shocking and terrifying." — Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny  

Big Little Lies meets Lord of The Flies in this electrifyingly twisty follow-up to Jane Shemilt’s breakout debut The Daughter. 

Over the course of a long, hot summer in London, the lives of three very different married couples collide when their children join the same tutoring circle, resulting in illicit relationships, shocking violence, and unimaginable fallout. There’s Eve, a bougie earth mother with a well-stocked trust fund; she has three little ones, a blue-collar husband and is obsessed with her Instagrammable recipes and lifestyle. And Melissa, a successful interior designer whose casually cruel banker husband is careful not to leave visible bruises; she curates her perfectly thin body so closely she misses everything their teenage daughter is hiding. Then there’s Grace, a young Zimbabwean immigrant, who lives in high-rise housing project with her two children and their English father Martin, an award-winning but chronically broke novelist; she does far more for her family than she should have to. As the weeks go by, the couples become very close; there are barbecues, garden parties, a holiday at a country villa in Greece. Resentments flare. An affair begins. Unnoticed, the children run wild. The couples are busily watching each other, so distracted and self-absorbed that they forget to watch their children. No one sees the five children at their secret games or realize how much their family dynamics are changing until tragedy strikes. The story twists and then twists again while the three families desperately search for answers. It’s only as they begin to unravel the truth of what happened over the summer that they realize evil has crept quietly into their world. But has this knowledge come too late?

 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Playground is an adrenaline-fueled mystery full of twists and turns that fans of domestic suspense thrillers will definitely enjoy. The cast of characters is pretty large - consisting of three sets of parents and their children. There are quite a few people to keep track of and it could get a bit confusing if you didn't have a good grasp of who was who from the beginning. I found that most of the characters - the parents and the children - were all rounded and definitely complex and overall realistic. They each had flaws and make mistakes, which made them easy to empathize with and connect with. There were so many various characters that each had so much potential but not enough pages to get to really know or understand them. 

 

The major plot isn't a new one - it's one where three families become very close over the course of the summer and things go downhill and become downright crazy by the end of the book. I did like how the author made each of the characters unique and each of their situations realistic. It was all very easy to imagine it happening in real life. There were parts that had me in complete disbelief, lots of twists and turns I didn't see coming, but there were also parts that I figured out way in advance and could see coming a mile away. I wish that the book had more twisty parts that kept me guessing - that's my favorite kind of mystery/thriller. Overall, it's a good domestic suspense that fans of that genre and readers who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, contemporary fiction, and suspense will enjoy.

While working full time as a physician, Jane Shemilt received an M.A. in creative writing. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbit award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize for The Daughter, her first novel. She and her husband, a professor of neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol, England. Follow Jane on Twitter and Instagram.

Epic Journeys Blog Tour: Review

Epic Journeys
Release Date: October 22, 2019
Publisher: National Geographic
Hardcover: 416 pages

Description:

From rafting the Zambezi River's 23 stomach-flipping rapids to hiking the Inca trail and sailing from island to island in Greece, the travel experts at National Geographic reveal the world's best adventures in this stunning--and practical--treasury. 

From navigating the class-five rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to sandboarding the slopes of a volcano in Nicaragua to dogsledding in the Arctic, this beautiful and comprehensive book offers trips of a lifetime for explorers and adrenaline junkies alike. Filled with more than 300 vivid photographs, this inspirational guide reveals over 225 of the planet's best destinations for hikers, skiers, divers, rafters, and more. You'll also find everything you need to know for the ultimate epic journey: what to see, when to go, and what to do. Combining adventure with cultural experiences--for example, a safari through Madagascar or visiting the ruins of Buddhist temples after sea kayaking the warm waters of Vietnam--this one-of-a-kind collection, complemented by top ten lists and adventurer essays covering everything from the best hiking trails to the top wildlife parks, will lead you to new heights of exploration. 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Amazon.ca

National Geographic has done it again with this incredibly gorgeous and informative reference book that readers of all ages and interests are sure to love. I'm a huge fan of travel and I always enjoy discovering new places, cultures, rituals and ceremonies, festivals, landmarks, and everything else I can. This book truly takes the reader all across the globe introducing them to a wide array of countries and environments they might not have even known existed. Since the book is all about journeys, it highlights some of the best destinations for different activities and travelers. From hikers and skiers to scuba divers and white water raters - there's something that will appeal to everyone inside these pages.

 

I have really enjoyed reviewing some of the National Geographic releases of this year and they have all been amazing, but this is - by far - my favorite. As I mentioned, I love to travel and learn about new people and places and that's basically what this book is all about. There's so much incredible and fascinating information about various countries and destinations packed inside the pages. And then there are the photographs. They are nothing short of stunning and I honestly just went through the book and looked at all the photos and read their captions. It was amazing and I learned so much from doing just that and not even reading any of the text. I don't know if someone could sit down and read this whole book - word for word - in one day. There's so much information and (like I've mentioned) the pictures are phenomenal. It took me hours to just look through the pages at the photos and read their descriptions. This is a must have for travel lovers and those who enjoy reference books about places around the world. I definitely recommend this book to everyone regardless of age or reading preference. This is a book that transcends all of these things and will appeal to the masses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History at a Glance Blog Tour: Review

History at a Glance
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: National Geographic; Illustrated Edition
Format: Hardcover; 416 pages 

Description:

Beautifully illustrated, this penetrating book offers a sweeping view of humanity from prehistory to the modern day, presented in a unique time-line format. 

Sweeping but succinct, this comprehensive reference presents all of world history in a browsable format featuring more than three dozen maps, along with hundreds of photographs and illustrations. From the dawn of humankind to today's global complexities, this book provides a compelling reminder that history is unfolding all around us. 

The epic story of humanity on all seven continents is explored through a unique design that combines concise essays with expansive time lines that invite deeper reading on milestone moments, explained within the broader context of the era. The final chapter highlights such recent events as SpaceX's heavy rocket launch, the restoration of U.S./Cuba relations, and the historical trends that were the precursors to the state of our world today. 

Informative and richly illustrated, this authoritative take on world history will be a compelling reference you'll turn to again and again.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

History at a Glance is another gorgeously illustrated reference book published by National Geographic that will have you so absorbed in the information that you'll forget you're learning important history. This book is certainly intimidating with over 400 pages of illustrations, time lines, maps, graphs, and loads of information filling each page. I don't think it's possible to sit down and actually look through and read this entire volume in one sitting. Even if you're not a big history buff, there's something in this book that you will enjoy and end up learning from. I don't really consider myself a big history fan, but this book was so beautiful and full of cool information that I forgot I was learning about history. I was completely absorbed into the various time periods that the book is broken down into. Each has a detailed timeline to describe a variety of things happening around the world during these times. I liked comparing how different aspects of societies - like government or culture - was both different and similar across the continents. The pictures and illustrations are on every single page, some taking up the entire thing and others only a small part. But each one is amazing and includes a fascinating caption describing it or the culture/time it represents. I'd say even if someone just went through and looked at the pictures and read their descriptions, they would still get a fantastic experience and even learn some history without knowing it. This is another wonderful reference book by National Geographic and one that I highly recommend to history buffs and readers of all kinds - no matter age or genre preference.

 

Visual Galaxy Blog Tour: Review

Visual Galaxy
Release Date: October 22, 2019
Publisher: National Geographic
Hardcover: 324 pages

Description:

This compelling visual journey through our galaxy combines more than 350 photographs, illustrations, and graphics to present the universe as you've never seen it before. Galaxia is a deep dive into the past, present, and future of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. In this mind-expanding visual tour through the cosmos, spectacular photographs are converted into interpretive graphics, starting with the sun and moving outward into space where stars are born, black holes lurk, and planets of diverse size and anatomy spin through their orbit. The final chapters locate our galaxy within the known universe and add a scintillating peek of other exoplanets in the cosmos. Detailed maps and fascinating imagery from recent space missions are paired with clear, authoritative scientific information.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Amazon.ca | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Visual Galaxy is a beautiful and informative collection of all astronomical subjects - from planets and moons to galaxies and black holes. There's a ton of fascinating facts on each page along with absolutely gorgeous pictures. You learn things without really concentrating on it. I loved the pictures so much and they really intrigued me, so I wanted to know more about them. And there just happens to be information, statistics, and so many other nuggets of knowledge right there. The entire book was this way and I actually sat down and read the entire thing in one sitting. I was so wrapped up in the facts and pictures that I lost track of time and then I had finished it. I can't recommend this wonderful book highly enough to readers of all ages. There's something in here for everyone. Definitely a must-have for fans of astronomy, space, and anything space-related.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lying Room Blog Tour: Review

The Lying Room
Author: Nicci French
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Paperback: 432 pages 

Description: 

In this thrilling standalone from the internationally bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series, a married woman’s affair with her boss spirals into a dangerous game of chess with the police when she discovers he’s been murdered and she clears the crime scene of all evidence.  

One little secret between a married woman, her lover, and a killer. 

It should have been just a mid-life fling. A guilty indiscretion that Neve Connolly could have weathered. An escape from twenty years of routine marriage to her overworked husband, and from her increasingly distant children. But when Neve pays a morning-after visit to her lover, Saul, and finds him brutally murdered, their pied-à-terre still heady with her perfume, all the lies she has so painstakingly stitched together threaten to unravel. 

After scrubbing clean every trace of her existence from Saul’s life—and death—Neve believes she can return to normal, shaken but intact. But she can’t get out of her head the one tormenting question: what was she forgetting? 

An investigation into the slaying could provide the answer. It’s brought Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching, and Neve’s worst fears, to her door. But with every new lie, every new misdirection to save herself, Neve descends further into the darkness of her betrayal—and into more danger than she ever imagined. Because Hitching isn’t the only one watching Neve. So is a determined killer who’s about to make the next terrifying move in a deadly affair…. 

 

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Lying Room is a twisty domestic thriller that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. I haven't read any of the author's other books, so I didn't have any hopes or ideas going in. I've obviously heard of the author before, since one of my favorite genres is thrillers, so I guess I went in with a bit of a higher expectation than normal. It was a well written novel with complex characters and a tightly wound mystery that unravels nicely over the course of the book. I was left a little disappointed though. When you've read a ton of books in a certain genre, you've basically seen it all and it's hard to be surprised anymore. That's one of the problems I had with this novel which is completely my own experience and certainly won't be the case for other readers. The other issue I personally had with the book was the writing style. I almost always prefer the first person point of view, but this story was done in the third person POV from Neve's perspective. I never seem to connect as deeply with the narrator when the third person POV is used and that happened with this novel. Along the same lines, the first person allows me to lose myself inside the main character's world and inside the story itself, and this writing style just can't do that for me. So between not being to lose myself inside the story and really connect with Neve, this turned out to be just a good book for me - sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I was going to. Again, these are just my own opinions and other readers aren't going to have the same thoughts or issues as I did, but I wanted my review to be truly honest and share my thoughts and experience with everyone. If you're a fan of this author or this genre, you should definitely give it a try.

Nicci French is the pseudonym of English wife-and-husband team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Their acclaimed novels of psychological suspense have sold more than 8 million copies around the world. 

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Sudden Traveler Blog Tour: Review

Sudden Traveler
Author: Sarah Hall
Release Date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Custom House
Hardcover: 144 pages 

Description: 

“Sarah Hall is one of those rare writers whose short fiction has the same luminosity as her novels. But the short form allows her more room to probe and roam, to experiment with form, to sink her fingers into the earth.”—The Observer (London)  

Featuring her signature themes of identity, eroticism, and existential quest, the stories in Sarah Hall’s third collection travel far afield in location and ambition—from Turkish forest and coastline to the rain-drenched villages of Cumbria. 

The characters in Sudden Traveler walk, drive, dream, and fly, trying to reconcile themselves with their journeys through life, death, and love. Science fiction meets folktale and philosophy meets mortality. A woman with a new generation of pacemaker chooses to shut it down in the Lakeland, the site of her strongest memories. A man repatriated in the near east hears the name of an old love called and must unpack history’s dark suitcase. From the new world-waves of female anger and resistance, a mythical creature evolves. And in the woods on the border between warring countries, an old well facilitates a dictator’s downfall, before he gains power. 

A master of short fiction, Sarah Hall opens channels in the human mind and spirit and takes us to the very edge of our possible selves.

 
Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sudden Traveler is a new collection of short stories by award winning author Sarah Hall. This is the first book I've read of hers and happened to be short stories, which aren't always my strong point. I normally don't read short stories because they don't interest me the same way a novel does. I don't like the short amount of time spent with the characters and the plot, along with all the other aspects. So, I did start off with a bit of trepidation towards the book.

I honestly can't clearly tell you how I feel about the individual stories contained in the book. Most were incredibly weird and I was so confused trying to figure out if things were symbolic or not and if things were real or fake. The writing was well done, if you like that type of style. I'm not against it at all, and I think that if the stories had been done in a more common way, then I probably would've had a much better reading experience. That being said, the majority of the stories had me incredibly confused, my mind reeling, and at the end of each story I found myself asking "What in the heck did I just read?" The author's writing style is one that you instantly love or you read it enough times that you adjust to it and can begin to understand it more. However, for a first time reader like myself - not knowing what to expect - I was confused from the first story to the very last one. I don't like the feeling of not knowing what's going on - not like a mystery where you know it has to unravel over time - but just in general not knowing what was what. Was it symbolism? Was it realism? Or science fiction? Or just take it at face value and don't read into it so much. Like I said, this will be a great fit for fans of the author's other works and those who enjoy giving different types of writing a try.

Sarah Hall was born in 1974 in Cumbria, England. She received a master of letters in creative writing from Scotland's St. Andrews University and has published four novels. Haweswater won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (overall winner, Best First Novel) and a Society of Authors Betty Trask Award. The Electric Michelangelo was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Eurasia Region), and the Prix Femina Étranger, and was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Daughters of the North won the 2006/07 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the James Tiptree Jr. Award, and was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction. How to Paint a Dead Man was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Portico Prize for Fiction. In 2013 Hall was named one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists, a prize awarded every ten years, and she won the BBC National Short Story Award and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Find out more about Sarah at her website, and connect with her on Facebook.

The Nanny Blog Tour: Review

The Nanny
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Genre: Adult Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: William Morrow  
Format: Hardcover; 400 pages

Description:

"The Nanny kept me in white-knuckled suspense until the very last page. Gilly Macmillan’s breakout thriller is a dark and twisted version of Downton Abbey gone very, very wrong." — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author  

The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another. 

When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind. 

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew. 

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother... 

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.  

 Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Nanny is a dark and twisty mystery that will keep readers on their toes until the end. I'm a huge fan of the genre and I've read some of the author's other books, so I was pretty excited for this one. I definitely wasn't disappointed. I think it actually went above my hopes and expectations, which doesn't happen very often.

The story was incredibly well written with tons of twists and turns, lies, and secrets that had me reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. Every time I had a theory of what had happened or who had done what, a huge twist would happen and put me right back at square one. Which I loved, because I read so many thrillers that almost nothing surprises me anymore. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't go into much detail without revealing anything. 

The other aspect of the story that I really loved was the writing style the author chose to use. There are a lot of main/major characters throughout the story and we get to hear from each of them. The writing style of a book can honestly make it or break it for me. I was hoping that this was going to be from the first person point of view, which is my favorite style. What I wasn't expecting was multiple narrators each telling the story from their perspective. Even though there are multiple major characters, each of them gets to tell a part of the story. What I love about this is that not only do we really get to know each of these characters on a deeply personal level, but we get a real multi-angle view of the entire story and everything going on - not just one person's perspective. This was an awesome way to write the book and I absolutely loved it. It does have the potential to become confusing, but the way the author wrote the story the reader doesn't have to worry about that. The story also contains flashbacks into the past that are an essential part of the plot but they're told in the third person POV. I normally don't care for this writing style but it helped keep the past snippets separate from what was happening in the present. Overall, I thought this was a taut thriller with lots of twists and turns that fans of the genre are definitely going to want to get their hands on.

Gilly Macmillan is the Edgar nominated and New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew, The Perfect Girl, Odd Child Out, I Know You Know, and The Nanny. She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and lived in Northern California in her late teens. She worked at The Burlington Magazine and the Hayward Gallery before starting a family. Since then she's worked as a part-time lecturer in photography, and now writes full-time. She resides in Bristol, England. 

Find out more about Gilly at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, September 10th: A Pint-Sized Life
Wednesday, September 11th: Jessicamap Reviews
Thursday, September 12th: Instagram: @sunflower_book_lover
Friday, September 13th: Wall-to-Wall Books
Monday, September 16th: Instagram: @readingmama_reviews
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Wednesday, September 18th: Audio Killed the Bookmark
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Monday, September 23rd: Bookapotamus
Tuesday, September 24th: JulzReads
Thursday, September 26th: The Pages In-Between
Friday, September 27th: A Dream Within a Dream
Friday, September 27th: Kahakai Kitchen
Friday, September 27th: Stranded in Chaos
Monday, September 30th: Jennifer ~ Tar Heel Reader
Tuesday, October 1st: A Bookish Way of Life
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