bookreviewblog – Exclusory Style

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

Let me give you a summary taken directly from Goodreads before I get into my review:

Dr Noah Alderman, a widower and single father, is finally content after marrying Maggie. And they’re both thrilled when Maggie gets an unexpected chance to be a mother to Anna, the daughter she once thought she’d lost forever. But when seventeen-year-old Anna arrives, everything changes – and the darkest turn of events will shatter their lives in ways no one could have imagined.
Goodreads

Now let me start off by saying that I bought this book from a used bookstore in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada this past summer for $1. The book is in perfect condition and I can’t believe what a bargain I got! This made me realize that I need to go to used bookstores more often, not just because of the bargain I got on the book but rather how relaxing and therapeutic walking through a bookstore teeming with books in every corner you look is.

Here’s a photo I took at the used bookstore in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada where I purchased this book from (it obviously was not in this section of the bookstore since this novel is not a contemporary romance novel, although one could make the argument that it is). I would place this book as a psychological thriller.

For over half of the book, I literally could not put it down. Any time during the day when I had free time, I picked this book up and read it for as long as I could. Scottoline has an incredible grasp of how to write a thriller. The character development was my absolute favourite part, as well as the back and forth between the present and the past in each chapter, which was enthralling.

I felt as though the book kind of fell flat after the major plot twist was revealed closer to the end of the book, which I will not delve into, and this is why I gave it a 4/5 stars. I would still highly recommend it though. I find it somewhat difficult to write reviews for thriller / mystery novels as I don’t want to give too much away because that will ruin the surprise(s) so I’ll leave it there. Let me know in the comments if this book is something that you’d be interested in reading.

It’s been a while…..

…..since I’ve posted on this blog. I honestly really missed it and considering I finally have time to read regularly again, I think I’m going to get back to writing book reviews. I am literally flying through books these days despite working full-time and studying for the LSAT. I mean, when you’re reading a good book, you really just can’t put it down.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (My Thoughts)

What a legendary start to an incredible book series! Rather than writing a review, I’ll be writing about what I thought about this amazing book because there is quite honestly no way I could adequately review such a renowned novel. First off, let me just say that I know that I’m most definitely late to the party regarding reading this novel, but better late than never, right?! I was hooked right off the bat as JK Rowling just has a way with words that is so eloquent and imaginative.

My favourite part of this book (and believe me, this was hard to decide on because I loved the whole book) was when Mr. Dursley was purposefully trying to ensure that Harry did not read the Hogwarts letter. The lengths he went to, so as to ensure that the letters did not reach Harry, are quite hilarious. But how can a muggle match up to a wizarding school? He actually thought he had a chance in making sure that Harry never received his letter. As if!!!

After reading the first book, I would say that my favourite character by far was Harry Potter (surprise, surprise)! I just love his personality and how he defeated ‘You Know Who’ when he was a baby. Let’s see if my favourite character changes once I read the next book.

I’m the kind of person who reads a book before watching the movie, but this wasn’t the case for this series unfortunately. I watched all the movies (not in chronological order) prior to deciding to read the novels. I truly regret this decision because I know tad bits of information about the future storyline while reading, but this does not hinder my curiosity to keep reading and immerse myself in these books. Now that I’ve started reading the books, albeit quite late, I have decided to read the book first and once I’m done, I watch the movie with my family to clear up any questions I had regarding the things I didn’t understand when reading. I feel as though this is the best way to truly understand and enter the wizarding world.

I guess you could say I’m a little obsessed at this point. I get so excited when I pick up the book. Reading is a fabulous stress reliever for me, now that university is back on. Reading these books helps me escape the real world, even if it’s just for a few hours, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.

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