Some Can See by J.R. Erickson
Some Can See
Author: J.R. Erickson
Published: November 27, 2018
275 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
The dead have stories to tell. Are you listening?
On a sunny August morning, in 1935, thirteen-year-old Sophia Gray finds her friend, Rosemary wandering in the woods. Rosemary’s yellow dress is tattered and stained, she walks with a strange lurch, and her eyes are vacant and glassy. She beckons to Sophia, desperate to show her something, and Sophia follows.
In an abandoned cabin, beneath a tattered blanket, Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body.
It was not Rosemary who led her there, but Rosemary’s ghost.
Step into the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane
Twenty years after Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body, she finds herself trapped in the sprawling, and eerily beautiful, Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane, in the hands of a malevolent doctor who preys on patients who exhibit paranormal abilities.
Sometimes the dead don’t rest
In present day 1965, Hattie, much like her mother, thirty years before, is led by a ghost. A newspaper hidden in an attic reveals a secret that has shaped the lives of Hattie and her siblings. Hattie with her sister, Jude, embark on a crusade to remedy the wrongs of the past and discover the tale of deception that stole their mother a decade before.
Hattie and Jude are in a race against time to discover a murderer and save their mother from a horrific fate.
Get lost in a uniquely chilling story that spans the life of a family and the ghosts who haunt them.
Kim’s Review:
An asylum!!!!! Y’all know I love them!!!! My only real issue with this book, and unfortunately it’s kind of a big one, is that not much of the story actually happened in the hospital! I was expecting an AHS Asylum type story where most of the plot unfolds within the hospital. I’m hoping that if I keep reading the series (filled with stand alone stories), I’ll get to learn more about the asylum and this mysterious brotherhood that operates within the Michigan medical community.
But the story itself was interesting and I mostly liked Hattie and Jude. I sympathized with them easily and I was excited to see the resolution of everything. It kept me guessing and there were plenty of creepy happenings to make my inner horror fan happy. I’m not sure if this is labeled as YA or not, but I wouldn’t actually recommend this to younger readers. There are objectionable elements that would keep it best for more mature audiences. Overall, this was a great book and I can’t wait to continue with the series!
Blog Blitz: Children’s Book: Five Minutes, Alfie
Today I am sharing my review as a part of the blog blitz for the children’s picture book Five Minutes, Alfie by Lily Mae Walters. This is a fun children’s book that will wake the kids up! There is also a giveaway going on for a paperback copy of the book (UK Only).
Book Description:
Alfie snuggles down in bed,
dreams still in his little head.
He dreams he’s a king going out for a ride.
“A dragon sleeps in front of the gate,” they cried.
How will they succeed in waking him up?
By helping each other and lots of luck.
Five Minutes, Alfie
Author: Lily Mae Walters
Illustrator: Jack Foster
Published: February 14, 2020
60 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Date Read: March 19, 2020
Jessica’s Review:
Five Minutes, Alfie is a fun read for young children that has colorful pictures. This is a children’s book to NOT read when you are trying to get the kids to go to sleep as they may become excited about the story and want to know what is going to happen at the end. I have to say the book has a dragon in it as well which makes it even more exciting! What kid doesn’t like having a story with dragons?!?!?
At the beginning of the book Alfie’s mom is trying to get him up for the day, but he just needs a few more minutes to finish his dream, after-all, he is a king! The problem Alfie’s kingdom is facing is this: there is a huge sleeping dragon outside the castle and no matter what the people do, they can’t wake it up! This story will have the kids in anticipation if the people will be able to get the dragon awake and what will happens when it wakes up?!?!?!
Five Minutes, Alfie rhymes which makes it fun to read aloud. The CGI pictures are bright, colorful, and definitely add to the enjoyment of the story. This book will keep the kids wide awake and ready for their next adventure!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
About the Author:
Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honour of her beloved grandparents who also star in the Josie James series.
She is married with two teenage children, and two huskies that are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books.
Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories.
Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up throughout the series.
Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.
Contact Lily Mae:
Instagram @lilymaewalters
Twitter: @LilyMaeWalters1
**UK Giveaway**
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
[Top]Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Firefly Lane
Author: Kristin Hannah
Published: February 5, 2008
479 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.
So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.
From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.
Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .
For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.
Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.
Kim’s Review:
Welp, it made me ugly cry and poor Ivan had to deal with me. It was a quick read and kept me engaged and entertained. The story was filled with crazy ups and downs and just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I didn’t and something else happened. I decided to give 4 stars since I did enjoy reading the book and I’m glad I read it.
However, I will say that I severely disliked most of the characters in this book. Tully was insufferable from the beginning. I hated the way she bullied everyone into giving her whatever she wanted and then dared to play the victim. She also completely ignored Kate’s authority as mother when dealing with Kate’s kids. Kate thankfully wasn’t quite as bad and I identified with her more. She was Tully’s shadow and support and spent her life knowing she was just second best. But she spent a lot of that time just being a doormat.
How Hannah wrote an entire book based on such a toxic relationship, I’ll never know. I also disliked how we never saw certain portions of their lives. It’s like Hannah got tired of writing so she just put “a few years later …” and then left it at that. Overall, I’m glad I read Firefly Lane, I actually enjoyed it … but if I ever meet women like Tully and Kate, I’m running the other way!!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
