**In Need of Support from my Readers**

Hi everyone,

A lot has been going on recently so unfortunately, my blog has been neglected.

It's a long story but after some soul-searching and a painfully honest comment, I see now that these reviews do not show the passion for books like I thought they did; they only show a boring, cut-and-dry, black-and-white book review with no love infused into it.

I am still reading and always will be but until further notice, I will not be writing any book reviews for my blog.  However, those same reviews have been more successful on Amazon or GoodReads so keep an eye out for them there.

If anyone enjoys my book reviews, PLEASE leave a comment below.  If enough people enjoy my reviews, I will write more on here.  If that doesn't happen, then you'll have to be patient for when I post them on my own.

To wrap things up, I'm not closing my blog; I'm just warning you that my reviews may become even more sporadic than usual.

If I ever needed love/support from you guys, my readers, it would be now; I just need a little reassurance that all of the time I have poured into Shelly-Bean's Book Reviews has been put to good use.

Happy reading and I hope to hear from you all soon.

~Shelly-Beans

Follow Your Heart: 21 Days to a Happier, More Fulfilling Life by Henri Junttila

Genre: Self-Help

Date of Publication: December 3, 2013

Memorable Quotation: “Fear can keep you from joy, or it can be the door to it.  It’s a door with a lot of special effects, but once you walk through it, you’ll see that it was all for show.” (pg. 20)

Lasting Impression: One of the most important books you’ll read this year.  With Junttila’s simple steps, you can follow your heart with more courage and less fear; helping you live a better life overall.

Similar Titles: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Accessibility: A+

Content: A+

Creativity: A-

Layout: A-

Overall Grade: A

For those of you who feel lost and need a guiding light, this book definitely provides that sense of guidance and hope that we all so desperately need at times.   Through 21 chapters, Juntitila shows his readers how to let go of their fears and follow their hearts.   He covers quite an array of topics, including, “Notice Your Reactions,” where he helps you not to be so quick to anger or irritation, “Open Your Heart,” where he reminds you that everyone could use a smile in their direction, “Make Right Decisions,” where he shows you how to make the right decisions thoughtfully, not on impulse, etc.

The chapters are very short and easy to relate to (only 3 pages each), which made reading a breeze.  It was also refreshing that the author spoke directly to the reader, not in the lecture fashion that would have turned this book sour.  I definitely feel a major difference within myself after reading Follow Your Heart.  I feel calmer and think more rationally about feelings when processing certain situations and if you are someone who, like me, felt lost and needed reassurance that you’re not alone, read this book.  It just may give you the epiphany you’ve been searching for, because after all, what is a happy life without following your heart?

~Shelly-Beans

Touch by Alexi Zentner

Genre: Fiction

Date of Publication: April 4, 2011

Memorable Quotation: “There is something about clear nights in the winter, the perfection of snow and ice in the light from the stars and the moon that always reminds me of the existence of God.” (pg. 163)

Similar Titles: The Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman and The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

Lasting Impression: Love the writing style, hate the lack of premise.

Storyline: B-

Pace of Story: B-

Characters: B

Ending: B-

Overall: B-

I almost didn't finish this book.  The story REALLY began to drag about half way through but my rule for reading is if I can get half way through it, I can finish it. This time it was tough because normally, books speed up toward the end but for Touch, it only seemed to slow down.   

The village of Sawgamet is one that has seen much tragedy and hardship in its days, and our narrator Stephen takes us through it all.  The town was originally founded by his grandfather, Jeannot, and with his bare hands he created a house that eventually flourished into a village due to the Gold Rush.  We meet Stephen’s other relatives both from his childhood and adult perspective which gets confusing after a while because Zentner doesn't do much to differentiate the two narrative voices. 

Throughout the entire book, it is unclear as to what the plot of the story was; the only thing keeping my interest is the vivid imagery and the quiet nature of Sawgamet that draws the reader in.  The other thing that frustrated me about this novel was that there was no summary of the novel’s premise, only raving reviews declaring the book as being “haunting” and “full of ghosts haunting the wood,” which lead to me to a false vision of what the novel contained. The prose was beautiful and the characters were eloquent and simple but when there were mentions of ghosts, I was disappointed. 

Although I say a lot of negative comments about Touch, this is a great winter read so if you are looking for something to curl up with and watch the snow fall, this would be a great companion for you.

~Shelly-Beans

Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

Genre:  Murder Mystery/ Fiction
Date of Publication: February 4th, 2013                                                                            
Memorable Quotation: "Life, she said, "isn't a race that can be won.  The end is the same for all of us- we die...it's not about winning the race, Jacqueine. It's about how well you run." (pg. 227-228)
Similar Titles: Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath and The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

Lasting Impression:  Although Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is as sensational as ever, the title “Bloody Mary” certainly lives up to it’s name by having an unnecessary amount gore and violence that may turn a lot of readers away.

Storyline: B-
Pace: A
Characters: A+
Ending: C-
Overall: B  

*NOTE:* Even though this review received a B, this novel’s negatives outway the positives. The only reason this novel received such a high grade was because I liked the story; it was a comment the author said that really made the novel worse but I will explain that in a minute.

Let’s start with the storyline, which was great, especially because the characters were the same one’s from Konrath’s first novel, Whiskey Sour. The story opens with Lieutenant Daniels working on another spine tingling case, with a killer leaving random body parts with a piece of Daniels’ belongings in various places around the Chicago area. You find out early that this time, the murderer is a fellow cop and things get even more complicated when the cop blames his poor actions on a brain tumor that was recently found, but Daniel’s gut tells her otherwise.  As she tries to prove the truth, things become messier as the corrupted cop comes after her with a bloodthirsty vengeance, which means Daniels must dig deep to fight off not only the killer but also her personal demons that could lead her to her demise.

Konrath’s characters are painfully realistic and the dual narratives between the cop and the killer, once again, give the novel a great, full bodied feel. BUT, as I said before, the negatives REALLY outway the positives in this one.  

It’s always a bad sign when you turn the page toward the end of a novel and realize the book is over, and you think, “That’s it? That’s the ending?” Similar to The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson, the ending is rushed and sloppy; no closure brought to anything, including the whereabouts of the characters or an idea of what will occur in the novel to come.  Now usually, a novel that has a poor ending can get away with a good rating, but this novel has a bigger problem. 

I’m not a big fan of gore, but I can deal with it better in novels than I can in film. I say this because in the introduction of this novel, Konrath writes, “…a word on graphic violence. These books have none. Though Jack chases some very nasty villains, the violence happens off the page. It’s horrible, but not gratuitous. So if you think the books are too descriptive, it’s actually your imagination filling in the nasty parts.” So as a reader, I take that as fair warning that there may be references to the killings, and I appreciate the forewarning.  

So, I go on to reading and soon see that Konrath was WRONG.  The scene that I learned how deceitful Konrath was is on pg. 41. Please, dear reader, please let me know if this scene sounds like a piece of graphic violence that “happens off the page." 

The killer had taken an escort into his private "plastic" room and described how, "Severing her head is harder than he'd have guessed.  He has to prop his knee up against her back for leverage, and then use a sawing motion with the garrote to get through the spine."

HOW CAN YOU JUST ‘IMAGINE’ THAT?! Those are some pretty DIRECT images, and even though I know I would have been disturbed by them either way, I am even more disturbed at the fact that the Konrath says that he is not putting those images into his reader’s heads; their IMAGINATION is! 

It pains me to give Bloody Mary such a bad review when I liked Whiskey Sour so much more, but it isn’t the novel’s fault; the characters did what they were told.  Konrath needs to get back on his game and stop giving false evidence of what his books contain, or else his readers are going to start dropping like the poor victim’s of his killers.

-Shelly-Beans

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Genre: Mystery/Literature

Date of Publication: August 20th, 2013

Memorable Quote: "...Cordova could no more be held responsible for Any Andrews gruesome death than the beef industry giving Americans fate heart attacks.  As much as some people would like to believe, for their own peace of mind that the appearance of evil in this world had a clean cause, the truth was never that simple." (pg. 29)

If you liked these, you'll like this: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Lasting Impression:  Pessl displays an emotion in her writing and characters that is so life like, so easy to connect with, that by the end I swore I had seen all of Cordova's films and he was a real director. 

Storyline: A+

Pace: A

Characters: A+

Ending: A
Overall: A

This is the most visual novel I have ever read. Literally! The evidence, articles, and pictures Pessl displays through the story gives the book a credibility that really made me second guess if this was a work of fiction or not.

The story is centered around Scott McGrath, an interrogative reporter who questions the sudden suicide of cult film director Stanislas Cordova's daughter, Ashley.  With two unlikely companions, McGrath scours New York City for answers but as things get out of control, he realizes that some mysteries are best left unsolved.

Scott's first person narrative was very easy to follow and even though every character was fantastic, Scott McGrath was extremely interesting because of the transformation he makes through the events that happen over the course of the book.  You could say that about any "coming of age" story, but the richness in detail and the way Scott's perspective and narrative changes as the story progresses is quite an accomplishment.

The only problem I had with the story was that all of the evidence McGrath and his comrades find is never collectively put together; like jigsaw pieces that never fit altogether perfectly to display the whole picture.

Besides that small piece of negativity, I am truly amazed with what Pessl has created, especially with the creativity behind creating Cordova and his beautiful yet horrifying films that can only be properly described by "Cordovites" as sovereign. deadly. perfect.

-Shelly-Beans