Dark Places - Eat, Tan, Read

🏅Top Shelf Tuesday 🏅

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am not having the best day myself, feeling ill and really worn down. Busy and stressful life is just taking a little toll. But I did not want to miss my next installment of Top Shelf Tuesday, I really look forward to sharing some of my great reads with you!

This week’s pick is:

Dark Places
by Gillian Flynn
Thriller
Paperback
Published by Broadway Books, October 2014

The story behind this one began about 7 years ago, when this edition was published 🙂. A work friend had joined a book club and this was their next pick. She was not really all that interested in it and was a little miffed about having to spend $10 on the book. So I offered her a deal, I would pay half and then after she was done reading it for the book club, she would give it to me to keep. She agreed, and I am so glad because I love this book! 😁

In January 1985 the Day family was murdered in their home, all but two were killed, Libby- 7 and Ben- 15. Libby testified that it was her brother Ben that killed her mom and two sisters that night. The Kinnakee Kansas Farmhouse Massacre they called it. But had she lied?

I had already seen the movie, of course, so the cat was already out of the bag, but even still this was a great read. And of course the book is significantly better. To those that have not seen the movie, you are in for a treat, you will be guessing and kept on your toes every page. I have been recommending this book to all my thriller lover friends, even if you have already seen the movie it’s worth it. This is for adults only, includes violence, language, drug use, and sexual content.

See here for full review!

My Year in Books

2020 was definitely not a normal year for any of us. It felt, at times, like we were living in one of the books we read, and not one we want to. But we made it through and are settling in to our new normal, whatever that may look like.
I, like so many, experienced an emotional tribulation that took a few months to overcome. In that time, I remembered that reading books was not a competition on how many I can get through in a month or a year but something that I love doing. I have a tendency to set goals and then obsess over them. I am working on breaking this unhealthy habit. I also don’t need to feel like I must write a blog post everyday. If I do, that’s awesome, if not, its not a big deal and people will not unfollow me because of it. There are so many other things that I enjoy doing as well and I don’t want to forget about those or spending time with the people that I love.

So, 2021 will be about having fun and doing what makes me happy every day.

2020 books completed:
36 Books
12,454 pages
My average rating – 3.9 🌟

5 🌟 Books:
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Gilchrist by Christian Galacar
What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Chasing Evil by Kylie Brant
Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection by Barbara Venkataraman
1st to Die by James Patterson
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year. Happy Reading! 😉

June Recap

June Recap:

2 Books

866 pages

Average Rating 5.0

Chasing Evil 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Dark Places 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Another 2 book month but I’m not upset. It looks worse then it actually was. I was reading 2 more books in June but one I finished on 7/3 so technically that will count for July and I am half way through IT. It is just a beast of a book, I am listening to the audio version and it is 45 hours long! I know a lot of you can blaze right through that but I am not there yet! 😂 I have a full time job and 10 animals to care for (2 dogs, 6 tortoises, and 2 bearded dragons). I used to have a commute where it would have taken no time at all to get through but with the Rona I now work at home. Not complaining about that, it is the best thing to come out of this pandemic.

June was packed full of family visits though so not a whole lot of time was spent reading. I keep telling myself not to worry that I will catch up during my vacation but my vacation keeps getting cancelled and rescheduled.😭 Originally booked in April, then moved to September, now currently set for November but if we can’t get this pandemic under control I feel it will not be happening at all this year. Then I will reach the end of the year and be no where near my 50 book goal.😫

The books this month were awesome picks however! Both Thrillers that I really enjoyed. Be sure to check out my reviews page!

Book Review – Dark Places

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thriller

“The Devil lurked nearby in our Kansas town, an evil that was as natural and physical as a hillside.”

“I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it. It’s the Day blood. Something’s wrong with it.”

In January 1985 the Day family was murdered in the home, all but two were killed, Libby- 7 and Ben- 15. Libby testified that it was her brother Ben that killed her mom and two sisters that night. The Kinnakee Kansas Farmhouse Massacre they called it. But had she lied.

Continue reading signature

Book 16: Kansas

Book 16: Kansas

“Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice” of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.”

I am half way through and thoroughly enjoying this book. I have already seen the movie, so I already know what the twisted ending is but it is still a great read.