The German House by Annette Hess : review.

I cannot say I enjoyed it, it was a very difficult and sad novel, but the worst part of it was that it was based on true events. The German House is one of those books you need to read in order not to forget history and not to repeat it.
There was one sentence in the book I think I will never forget: They want us to console them. If you read the book, you will find it almost at the end and I'm sure it will give you food for thought as well.

The Mother-in-law by Sally Hepworth :opinion.

It's a really undownputable book about quite a dysfunctional family. I didn't like some of the characters and I disagreed with some of their opinions and the way they handled problems in the family, however, I continued reading until the end.

I expected this novel to be a suburban murder mystery although it turned out to be more about family dynamics than about murder. The murder is just something that happened among many other life-changing events. Perhaps not the most interesting part of the plot for some readers.

This novel will make you think about the role both children and parents should play and whether parents are supposed to give their children everything they want.

The way it ended was a shock for me, I certainly hadn't seen it coming and I truly wish that in real life such a terrible outcome could have been prevented.

I recommend this book to members of large families who will probably relate to one or more characters and to anyone who is about to meet their significant other's family for the first time.

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston reunite for The Morning Show.

The Power of Nunchi: interview with Euni Hong.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Believe or not this is Holly Jackson's first novel and for a debut book, it's pretty amazing. It has a gripping plot that will keep you reading until the very last page and the characters are quite well developed.

Pippa lives in the small town of Kilton and for her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), she's is researching the disappearance of Andie Bell, a local girl who went missing five years ago and is thought to be dead. Pippa is a strong young woman with an uncanny sense of humour, who won't give up easily. In her quest for the truth, she's helped by Ravi, whose brother was accused of killing Andie. A young man whose life was turned upside down by the events.

Don't expect a book about two teenagers running around asking stupid questions and finding the truth by sheer chance, this novel is much deeper than that. You'll read about picture-perfect girls and families who are not what they seem, about how quick we are when we judge somebody and how important it is to trust your instincts.

I strongly recommend this novel to fans of YA novels and to readers who see beyond appearances.

Rated by Melissa Grey

Imagine a society in which everything you do has a positive or negative rating. Wait a moment!. We already live in that society, in fact, this very website is about liking and unliking.
But, what if all our future depended on these ratings? The novel shows a world where your whole life is determined by an unfair rating system. A school where pupils are constantly being watched and pushed to obtain higher ratings.
Most readers will probably relate to at least one character. They are teens whose lives are far from being perfect and who unwillingly embark on a quest to solve a riddle.
I liked the novel and truth to be told all the characters, but I wish it had been longer. In my opinion, it ends quickly and I found it lacking in world-building.
All in all, I recommend it to fans of YA dystopian novels.

Midnight at the Blackbird Café: opinion

A delightfully heart-warming novel. All the readers who love, hate, regret and long will relate to this story of hope and forgiveness. I'd move to the wonderful village of Wicklow in a heartbeat if I could.

A must-read for book worms. If you can, read it with a piece of fruit pie, it will make it even better.

Recursion by Blake Crouch: review.

One of the best sci-fi novels I've read in a long time. The kind of book that if it wasn't so well written, would make many people DNF it because the plot is really recurring. After reading it I felt that I had read more than one book.
I had very low hopes for it because of the author's love for vivid descriptions of horrific details but I just kept reading and it didn't disappoint me. I wouldn't say it's an easy book to read, it's very hard at times but there is always hope.
I strongly recommend it do sci-fy fans, even to readers who don't like the author since it's a novel you won't forget easily.

Best Airline Safety Video Ever! : ANA kabuki fun on board.

Not only is the food on All Nippon Airways delicious for Japanese cuisine lovers but the safety video is also the most entertaining one I've ever seen.

Nyxia and Nixya Unleashed by Scot Reintgen

An interesting novel to read for fans of YA Sci-fi. I found the world-building quite good and the characters appealing and well developed. Lots of action, some romance and twists that will surprise the reader at the very end.
As soon as I finished, I read the second part Nyxia Unleashed and then I read the last book of the series. I must say that the first was the best one but the other two are worth reading if you get hooked on the plot.

The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz

If you like reading about (minor) family dramas and enjoy holiday celebrations, this book is for you. It was, in fact, the description of the Jew celebrations what I found more interesting and of course, the wonderful idea that people from different religions can get along just fine.

Here is a short explanation of how to prepare a traditional dish:

Another Life

For fans of Battlestar Galactica Starbuck, here comes a new sci-fi show on Netflix. I just can't wait to watch it.

Ralph Macchio on The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai

Really Cool Notebook

La Dependienta de Sayaka Murata

“Si encuentras un trabajo que disfrutas, no tendrás que trabajar ni un solo día en tu vida “ . Esto es exactamente lo que le sucede a la protagonista de esta original novela. Keiko es dependienta en un konbini* y este trabajo es literalmente su vida.

Aunque tiene una educación que le permitiría encontrar un trabajo mejor pagado, ella disfruta de la vida en la tienda en todos sus aspectos: ordenar las baldas, tratar con los clientes y con el resto de empleados y escuchar los sonidos de la tienda. El resto de su vida está organizada en torno al horario y las necesidades de la tienda. Todo esto lo hace con un sentido del humor que recuerda a Amélie.

Hay varios momentos en esta breve novela en la que Keiko intenta complacer a los demás haciendo lo posible para llevar una vida según lo que sus familiares y amigos esperan de ella. Sin embargo ser dependienta es su verdadera vocación. En este sentido, el libro nos hace ver lo importante que es seguir nuestros propios deseos para conseguir la felicidad aunque a los demás les puedan parecer como en el caso de Keiko un poco absurdos.

Recomiendo este libro a cualquiera que haya entrado en un konbini o en un pequeño supermercado sin mirar apenas a los dependientes y dando por hecho que va a encontrar lo que busca a cualquier hora y tal vez en la otra punta del mundo. También lo recomiendo a los lectores que a veces dudan entre complacer a los demás y seguir sus propios deseos.

*Los Konbinis son pequeños supermercados japoneses, Family Mart, Seven Eleven y Lawson son las cadenas más conocidas. En ellos se puede encontrar de todo a un precio un poco más elevado que en un supermercado grande y con una calidad generalmente muy buena. Los artículos que más se venden suelen ser las comidas preparadas y las bebidas.

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson: opinion.

I thought that this was a nice little novel about a bored suburban housewife who had crazy ideas about her neighbour and I was completely wrong. This is not a cosy mystery but a chilling book and a page-turner for fans of the genre. There were twists I didn't see coming and it ended in an unexpected way. I recommend it to people who have just met new neighbours.

The Rumour by Lesley Kara

This is not a pleasant book to read and the characters didn't appeal to me very much either but the topic is engaging and it will make you go on reading, there is a plot twist you won't see coming unless you are a very thorough reader. I must confess I had to skip several pages because some of the descriptions were too vivid and I just couldn't read them.

Have you heard that saying about those who live in glass houses? Well, that's what the book is about.

Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf: review.

A frightening, chilling and deeply terrifying novel I wouldn't recommend to preteens or teens with a vivid imagination.
The plot is gripping and it's definitely a page-turner but I found it terribly unsettling, especially the last pages.

I would recommend it, though, to parents of teens who think they know what their children are up to and to those who firmly believe they are giving their offspring everything they need just because they feed and dress them.

Big Little Lies Season 2

I just can't wait until the 9th of June for the new season of Big Little Lies to start and this time with Meryl Streep in the cast. It's bound to be amazing!

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Miss Sherlock

I've recently discovered this peculiar TV show inspired by the adventures of the famous detective. If you love Japan and mystery stories, this may be a good series to watch while enjoying some sushi.

The Library of Lost and Found: review.

I have three questions for readers:

1. How much of your day is devoted to doing tasks for other people and how much time do you spend doing things for yourself?

2.Out of all the chores that are in your to-do list, how many will benefit you and how many will benefit others?

3. Is pleasing people  taking up too much of your time and at the end of the day you feel exhausted and still have a sense of unfulfillment?

If you've answered yes to any of the previous questions, you need to take a break and read this book.

Martha is a middle-aged woman who believes she has wasted her life, working for peanuts, taking care of her demanding parents and doing a wide array of favours to very ungrateful so-called friends. She just does not have a life of her own. As a child, she received little bits of conditional love and that's the way she thinks love is: you are worth how much people appreciate what you do for them. But then she finds a book and everything changes.

The Library of Lost and Found is in my opinion about the second chances we can give ourselves and about self-love. That's what I loved about the novel, the way Martha manages to turn everything around focusing on herself first. She doesn't become a selfish person, she becomes self-aware and starts living her own life.

For Better or For Worse by Margot Hunt: opinion.

Natalie and Will are a middle-class couple of attorneys who have to endure one of the hardest tests as parents and at the same time deal with a crumbling marriage. Their beautiful boy has been abused by someone they trusted.

Even though the topic of child abuse makes me sick, I finished the book and I didn't regret it. You will feel enraged when you read it and you will want the worse to happen to those who committed that horrendous crime. Well, the way it ends (view spoiler)[can be considered quite satisfactory (hide spoiler)] and may make you think what you would have done in the same circumstances.

I recommend this book to readers who believe that no crime should go unpunished.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen : opinion.

Set time aside to read this novel because it's really hard to put down. You'll probably start questioning the morality of the characters and then your own one. If you have a therapist, you may even begin to wonder how honest that person is. This book will definitely give you food for thought.

When I finished reading it, I realised that the character I had disliked at the beginning was the one I pitied at the end.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading.

Come Find Me by Megan Miranda: opinion.

I wouldn't call this an entertaining book, it was certainly engaging but not fun to read. In fact, I found it quite blue.

Two teenagers whose lives have been shattered meet each other and are willing to believe they are receiving signals that will finally make everything make sense.

I guess I misread or misinterpreted what the book was about and was expecting some sci-fi or paranormal twist but I only found wishful thinking and real-life drama.

In spite of what I wrote before, I truly like the way Megan Miranda writes so I would recommend this novel to young adults and fans of the genre.

Best Songs Nominees 2019

Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus: opinion.

This is my second novel by Karen M. McManus and it won't be the last one. If you like YA mysteries with good character development, this book is for you.
The Corcoran twins Ellery and Ezra move with their grandmother and end up immersed in a mystery that goes back to the time their mother was at high school. Missing girls, murdered teenagers and secrets galore will keep you wondering whether the small town of Echo Ridge is as idyllic as it seems.

The novel is very entertaining and although I figured out who was to blame before it was revealed, there were still some surprises in the plot that made it worth reading.

I strongly recommend it to fans of YA mysteries.

The Couple by Sarah Mitchell: review

Surprising until the very last page. The Couple has a gripping plot that will captivate mystery and romance lovers. You just don't know what's going on. There were pages I had to read twice because I couldn't believe my eyes.

The main character Claire is an immigration lawyer with a dark past whose job makes the story even more interesting. In spite of being engaged, she isn't besotted by her fiance Angus, a serious hotel owner, so they are a bit far from being the perfect couple. They buy a house from an attractive man and Claire's life changes in unexpected ways.

The book is full of twists an turns and even if it is fast-paced you should read it slowly or you may not be able to understand how complex the story is.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Becoming by Michelle Obama: review.

Politics aside, Michelle Obama is a woman I have always admired for being strong, brave and most of all for fighting for what she believed in. After reading her novel, I admire her even more. The resilience she showed in the face of adversity is praiseworthy.

What's more, she tried hard to make her "Let's Move!" campaign work, contributing to the well-being of a whole nation.

The novel is not entertaining, I don't think it is meant to be, but it is interesting and enlightening. I just wish it had had a happier ending.

The Hairy Tale by Baby Chanco: isn't she adorable?

This beautiful baby was born in December 2017 with a head full of hair. Her Instagram account has been having a growing number of followers after two articles in AOL and  People Magazine made her known worldwide.

 Now, she's become the youngest Pantene model in Japan for  2019.

Baby Chanco appears with Sato Kondo, a popular TV host.