Book Review - The Nightmare

For anyone who has been following my blog, the last entry was on The Hypnotist by Lars Keplar. But believe it or not, it was The Nightmare that I read first. This was the book that enticed me to go back and read the first entry in this series. After having read both novels I still believe The Nightmare to be my favorite of the two!

The second novel in the series by Lars Keplar sees the return of detective Joona Linna, this time in a more predominant role.

There is a dead lying in her bed, on a boat, drowned. Joonna has no idea what to make of this and dives into his investigation. Meanwhile, the girls sister is on the run, fearing for her life as a strange man preys on she and her boyfriend. But this man is no amateur. Someone has hired a hitman to come after them and he's as deadly as they come. With nothing to go by but a photograph, detective Joona Linna must race to solve the case and free the lovely couple from their growing nightmare. There is a dark presence hiding away in the shadows as the puppet-master behind it all. Can Joona bring him down? Or will the hitman bring him down first...

This was the best book I've read so far this year and it was definitely an improvement on The Hypnotist which was already a phenomenal book. If you haven't had a chance to get into the series or you've already read the first novel, you'll definitely love this one. Lars Keplar has a way with words that will hold your interest from the moment you pick up the book all the way through to the end!

Book Review - The Hypnotist

This is a book that's been out for awhile now, but it only recently caught my attention. There was quite a bit of hype around the book when it hit the bestseller list but it wasn't until the second book in the series titles The Nightmare came out that I was reminded of this one. That being said, I think I've found my knew favorite author!

As the title suggests, the story is based around a hypnotist. A man devoted to his career and with a fascinating talent in what he does. He is called in suddenly  to a hospital to help with the investigation of a serial killer. His patient is a 15 year old who is in critical condition and near comatose. Little did the detectives know, but Erik Maria Bark has vowed never to hypnotize anyone ever again. Due to a tragic accident, he was forced to end his prominent career and change the course of his life forever. However, the circumstances are different now and a woman's life hangs in the balance. Will he break his vow to save a life?
Delve into the mysterious past of Erik Maria Bark and the events leading up to his tragic fall from hypnosis and his current predicament. This book will shock you.

Lars Keplar does a phenomenal job of keeping the reader on their toes and gaining your interest at every turn. There was a point when the book transitioned to the past and did not make clear that it had done so. Many times confusion alone is enough to make you put the book down, but in this situation, the author writes so flawlessly that my interest never wavered. I was overall extremely impressed with both the book and the author and I'll be happy to share book two of this series next week. Get ready for Lars Keplar and The Nightmare!

Book Review - Insurgent

It's been a little while since my last post, hopefully you're all still keeping tabs on me :)

I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things and see if we can't get you all some more great book ideas! By now you've probably all read Divergent, the amazing novel by Veronica Roth. If you haven't read it, I strongly suggest you get your hands on it, both for the intriguing story and because it's the first book in the series. Don't worry, I'll keep this review spoiler free!

At the end of the previous novel, Tris found herself in a bit of a predicament. Not only was the city under duress from a particular faction, but she was in the midst of what some might call a family crisis. Insurgent is the first step towards a solution to the problem created in Divergent. At this point, the factions are becoming increasingly divided. Tris and Tobias are on the run with enemies right on their heels. As their hopes for a safe haven and a solution continue to dwindle, Tobias springs a surprise on Tris. There is someone they can go to, someone who can help. And most importantly, someone who can fight.

Tensions rise and the factions throw everything they've got at the problem. But behind the scenes, Tris is on a secret mission.. A crucial piece of information that could change their world and everything they know about it. The mission, is for Marcus, Tobias' father.

This was a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. For those of you enjoying this series as much as I am, I think we'll be seeing some more of Tris and Tobias in the near future! Whether it's on the big screen or in book number 3, the Divergent series is one to watch.

Book Review - Imagine

Imagine was by far one of the most interesting books I've ever read. If there's one thing that makes all of our lives more interesting, that thing is creativity. Jonah Lehrer compiles a number of stories about the worlds greatest breakthroughs and epiphanies, and tells us how they happened. Creativity. Lehrer brings a scientific perspective to our creative processes and has literally found a formula for you to become a more creative individual. He provides fascinating insights into some of the greatest innovators of our generation, including the late Steve Jobs. Also, the strategies they used to make their employees and their companies more creative, more collaborative, and more successful.
This book was exceptionally enticing to me because I think that creativity and individuality are some of the most important aspects of society today. And to have somebody break it down, and provide examples of such creative genius, to me, is very exciting. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those people with some interest in a scientific perspective. However, I didn't feel that this book isolated a particular type of reader. Everyone can take something away from Jonah Leher's Imagine.

Delay on Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

This book is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Normally I will have each book read within a week of finishing the last. However, because this book resonates so well with me I will be taking an extra week to get through it. This is a book that I don't want to rush through, I really want to enjoy it. That being said, I am about halfway finished right now and I will try my very best to get my review to you all by the regular time next week. In the meantime, I highly recommend you pick this book up. I find it to be very insightful. Jonah Lehrer goes into great detail about certain aspects but the concept for this book as a whole is amazing. I can't wait to share this one with everyone!

Author Bio - Jonah Lehrer

Jonah Lehrer was born on June 25, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. He is a Columbia graduate and Rhodes Scholar, who found out the hard way that any clever young man who works as a technician in a neuroscience lab is likely to wind up dirt poor as well as frustrated. Now a Contributing Editor at Wired and the author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist. He is also a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and Radiolab and writes the “Head Case” column for The Wall Street Journal. "Lehrer fancies himself – and not without reason – as a sort of one-man third culture, healing the rift between sciences and humanities by communicating and contrasting their values in a way that renders them comprehensible to partisans of either camp." His newest book Imagine is a phenomenal read and I'm very excited to bring it to you next week!

Guest Book Review by Gina Macdonald - Prisoner of Tehran

This year on Canada Reads, Arlene Dickinson championed a book called Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat. After hearing the debates and listening to Arlene speak about the book, I knew I had to read it. It was absolutely riveting. I read it in a day and a half, and the only reason I put it down was to sleep, eat, and maybe say hello to my parents. Nemat’s all-too-true story about her imprisonment in Evin was completely engrossing and sometimes read more like a horrifying novel than a memoir.

            The memoir begins with Nemat’s description of Pearson airport in Toronto, how it seemed like such a normal, welcoming place, and how she was lucky to be in a place like Canada. We are then taken back to Iran, where she describes her family life, her first encounter with her future husband, and finally her arrest after speaking out against the government at her school, at age 16. For the rest of the memoir, we learn about her trials in prison, her forced first marriage to a man she does not quite learn to love, and her relationships with the other women she meets in Evin.

            It would be impossible for me to correctly sum up the amount of terrible things described in the book as well as Nemat wrote them. As I mentioned, at some points it felt like I was reading a novel, a fictional account, rather than a true relation of these events, because it was at times too terrible for me to believe it actually happened.

            As well, this book was the first time Marina Nemat told her story; even her husband had no idea the things she went through in Evin until he read the manuscript. Prisoner of Tehran is a brave book to have been published, both because Nemat survived her ordeal and then decided to share her experiences with the world. Nemat’s strength really comes through in her writing, and it’s definitely something I would recommend anyone and everyone to read.