At it's heart, this is really an examination of friendship, if you can believe that from a horror novel, but those friendship aspects tugged at my heartstrings a little bit. Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time ... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep-flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old. The Scalpel, the Sword: The Story of Dr Norman Bethune – Ted Allan & Sydney Gordon (MCCLELLAND & STEWART) When I was a teenager, [my grandfather] told me that one day I would meet a woman who would change my life forever.” THE RETURN was a generally enjoyable, quirky, small-town story with grief, illness, bees, romance and that signature lament. It was pretty wholesome and it left a good feeling on completion.

TREATMENT: We gave her “Shining”s signed copy and poured a big glass of wine to shout her up! And of course we stole her dancing shoes so she is not gonna scare the other unhappy readers ( We have a huge group stopped by lately who recently read “Testament” and they’re in big pain right now!!! Terribly sorry for big Handmaid’s Tale fans!) Julie - Goddamn, I hated her. It’s really hard to talk about Julie without revealing anything because, as should be obvious by the synopsis, she is the main conflict and, in the end, plot twist. Let me just say that I hated her guts and we’ll leave it at that. Elise, Julie, Mae and Molly have been best friends since college. As with many such relationships, as time goes by, the ladies have begun to drift apart. I did not care about the love story at all. Trevor was too full of himself and Natalie was annoyingly secretive for no reason. Like, just tell him about your husband. The whole town already knows. I realize Sparks used this to further the mystery, but it did not intrigue me in the slightest. The love was rushed anyway. There wasn’t even enough time for me to get invested in their love story because they weren’t telling each other anything truthful and only met like 3 times. Speaking of information dump: the talk about PTSD, CBT, and DBT felt forced and like I was reading a textbook. And again, that would be more interesting than reading The Return.The government man works for a newly formed agency that helps to repatriate into the world of the living With a captivating cast of characters and a thought-provoking plot, The Returned is a poignant read that makes the reader question what they would do were a loved one to return from beyond the grave. A beautiful debut from Jason Mott whose unique style of story-telling will no doubt cement him as one of the most impressive writers around. About The Returned I have no aspirations to ever write a novel, but if I did, it would probably be similar to this. Take from that what you will. I did enjoy this story, but I wanted WAY more details about the romance and much less discussion about bees. I did however learn a lot about them and the different roles that they play in the hive, as well as things that their stings and honey can cure. The dog had teeth the size of bacon.” Like what? Just long pieces of tooth hanging down? Like tusks on a walrus. Wait. Would a pitbull with bacon teeth look like a walrus?

Callie’s life is a country song: rare disease, runaway, brother killed, dad lost his job, family fighting, house burned down, mom got skin cancer, sold the house. The Return” by Rachel Harrison is a mystery/horror novel that started out going in one direction and then took quite the turn. One I was not expecting and was not prepared for. If I had to describe this novel in one word, I would describe it as strange. It was wholly unexpected and threw me for a loop. In the end, I think this was the case of my being the wrong reader for this novel as there are a lot of reviewers out there who enjoyed this books’ twists and turns more than I did. After reading this book, I'm amazed that I ever liked any of Nicholas Sparks books. In hindsight, I realise that I perhaps liked the movies better, because of the added factors of music and good-looking faces. If this book is like any of his previous books, then suffice to say that these stories are abysmally boring and pathetic, and if you like Nicholas Sparks and hate on twilight, then you are literally worthless and have zero appreciation for good writing.

Books read for Research

I wish I could say that I loved this romance but I just can't. The insta-love killed it for me. They met a couple of times and Trevor was in love with Natalie already. Poet and debut author Mott has written a breathtaking novel that navigates emotional minefields with realism and grace.

Once all the women have arrived, they joke and laugh and try to make the best of their uncomfortable surroundings.

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The Return] should be required reading for anyone going to Spain this year…the historical tale is powerful stuff” Life endlessly offers us chances to set new directions and in the process we grow and change; when we look in the rearview mirror, we catch a glimpse of former selves who sometimes seem unrecognizable.”