Contemporary Reads

Reviews & recommendations of contemporary books.
Literary Fiction, Thrillers, Feel Good Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & more…

14 February 2023 | Tuesday · 5:22 PM

Vinyl Resting Place

Vinyl Resting Place | Book Review | Olivia Blacke
Title:
Vinyl Resting Place
Series:
Record Shop Mysteries
Genre:
Mystery
Publisher:
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
302
Source:
BookForums 2023

I picked up this book at a time when some major personal aspects of my life were keeping me busy. No wonder, this is probably the longest I have taken to complete a book, all of 300 pages! Getting to the book, Vinyl Resting Place is best described as a cozy mystery and is the first in the Record Shop Mysteries series by Olivia Blacke. To be honest, I find such a sub-genre weird, but it just implies – the crime in such books is treated lightly. And so is the case here. I am not sure I would have picked this up had I known this beforehand.

The setting of the book is in a small town Cedar River…

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9 January 2023 | Monday · 5:31 PM

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It | Book Review | Elle Cosimano
Title:
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
Series:
Finlay Donovan
Genre:
Thriller; Mystery
Publisher:
Headline Publishing Group
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
369
Source:
BookForums 2023

Book #1 of the Finlay Donovan series introduces Finlay Donovan alongside other recurring characters who are sure to endear themselves to the reader. A single mom of two adorable kids Delia & Zach, Finlay Donovan is struggling to write her novel with the deadline looming, 2 young kids needing her, unpaid bills and a babysitter fired by her ex husband.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It hits the perfect note right from the word go with some utterly funny situational comic scenes and a wacky protagonist fighting her way through her daily grind. A discussion of her plot for the new novel with her agent is overheard by a by-sitter who mistakes Finlay for a contract killer & hands …

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18 December 2022 | Sunday · 9:44 AM

One Good Deed

One Good Deed | Aloysius Archer Series | David Baldacci
Title:
One Good Deed
Series:
Aloysius Archer
Genre:
Thriller
Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
416
Source:
BookForums 2023

The first book of a new series, a new character – Aloysius Archer. Having already read the two sequels, I can assure you, this is a character that shall stay with you for long. I truly have enjoyed the Aloysius Archer Series to the core.

Back from war & a subsequent imprisonment for a crime he hadn’t committed, Aloysius Archer finds himself in Poca City serving a 3 year parole. On a casual visit to the bar, he crosses paths with Hank Pittleman – a wealthy individual who virtually owns majority of Poca. The casual small talk lands Archer an assignment to retrieve for Pittleman the loan collateral from his rival Lucas Tuttle. And thereon, the story effortlessly draws you …

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8 December 2022 | Thursday · 4:09 PM

Our Missing Hearts

Our Missing Hearts | Book Review | Celeste Ng
Title:
Our Missing Hearts
Series:
NA
Genre:
Literary Fiction
Publisher:
Abacus
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
353
Source:
Book Forums 2023

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a dystopia highlighting the discrimination & injustice against the Asian community in America. Set in the years of Crisis (recession), it quiet effectively points out how the Asians (in particular China) were blamed for the situation and how cruelly the political system wrongs them in it’s name. It’s main focus is PACT, a law enforced to protect American culture & tradition from these outsiders. In the name of PACT, children were taken from their families on slightest pretext – so as to guard them against such maligned, Anti-American views. And thereof, what the child & the families go through.

The first bit of the book gets your attention with the poignant descriptions …

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27 November 2022 | Sunday · 9:24 AM

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water
Title:
How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water
Series:
NA
Genre:
Literary Fiction
Publisher:
John Murray
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
209
Source:
Book Forums 2023

Look what I found!! This is exactly how I feel having picked this book from Angie Cruz. Honestly, I had seen this book a couple of times in the past few weeks. The title seemed indicative of some self-help or better living book. But when it popped up again last week, I decided to give it a go. And boy, am I not pleased!

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water is a unique story narrated by the protagonist Cara Romero – a Dominican immigrant, in her mid 50s & having lost her job to Recession. Enrolled in a 12 session job counselling program to help procure a suitable job, she instead ends up narrating …

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5 November 2022 | Saturday · 11:00 AM

Demon Copperhead: A Dark Story With Spurts of Brightness

Demon Copperhead | Book Review

The intended similarity to David Copperfield is what drew me towards this book by Barbara Kingsolver. I usually lack the patience for a weighty 600+ pages book. But such was my ardour to read the modernized version of the classic that I pepped myself to do it.

Demon Copperhead traces the life of the protagonist Damon Fields – from the time of his birth in freakish circumstances, his life as an orphan accentuated by his journey through various foster homes, his adult life, a short lived fame and the unsavoury habits that threaten to ruin his life.

The book starts with a whole lot of promise and keeps you engaged with a vivid and realistic narration of the adversity and challenges faced by little Damon starting with his birth in the most bizarre situation. It brings to light so wonderfully well – the hardships that a child is forced …

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