C.J. Zahner's Blog
March 10, 2024
All That Is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay
Rating: 9.5
General Rating: Clever. That’s my biggest comment on this age-old did-the-husband-kill-his-wife story.
Skip factor: None. Not a word.
Who should read: Anyone who likes whodunits.
Favorite line: That’s what rich guys with small penises do. They buy Porsches. (If this doesn’t decrease Porsch buying, nothing will. I’m surprised they aren’t suing. Probably no chance of reading this.)
Summary:
This is the classic story of a wife, Jane, who vanishes and her successful attorney husband, Dan or sometimes Danny, who must have done it, right? Afterall, he shows up not long after the disappearance with a girlfriend.
Not so fast. Landay takes his readers on an unusual ride. Your’re motoring along in an ordinary he-dun-it boat when suddenly, the boat is talking to you, telling you where you are about to go and you’re confused. What’s Landay doing? He knows boats don’t talk. Is he such a good writer he thinks he can get away with it? Is the boat not in the water? What’s going on?
That’s as close I’ll get to a spoiler.
Take my humble advice. Hang in there to 55% where the murky water clears a bit. Sorry I don’t know the page number. I’m an ebook junkie. (Possibly page 180. When I went back, they magically appeared.)
I’m not saying anymore. Why? I want you to read it.
Writing
So good you’re unaware you’re reading. It’s taking a leisurely float that turns into a fast-moving ride. You’re hanging on so tightly you forget you’re on a boat. A fabulous, easy-to-read writing style. Great character development.
Read this author again? Yep, Defending Jacob is one of my all-time favorites. I suggest you read this first, and save Defending Jacob for your book club. The latter lends to GREAT parental discussion.
You know what I particularly like about this author? He doesn’t take writing lightly. I’m tired of crime/thriller writers turning books out at the rip and toss of a calendar page and publishers publishing by author rather than whether the book is good or bad—all for a buck. Landay takes his writing seriously.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
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CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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March 7, 2024
The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks
Rating: 9
General Rating: I’m not a historical-fiction fan, but who isn’t interested in the Lindbergh kidnapping?
Skip factor: Less than 1%.
Who should read: Historical fiction lovers (of course), people interested in kidnap crime, the Lindberghs, or good writing.
Summary:
This is the story of the 1932 Lindberg kidnapping as seen through the eyes of the child’s nanny.
A quiet Scottish immigrant, Betty Gow comes to work for the celebrated Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindberg. Though Betty isn’t experienced working for the extremely wealthy and the author hints something in her Chicago past is not quite right, she immediately connects with the toddler, Charles.
With this book, you’ll walk alongside Betty and be introduced to the many people working at the Lindbergh home at the same time she is. Most of us know the child is going to be kidnapped so we suspect everyone.
But when the child is kidnapped and everyone, even Betty, is suspected, her world turns upside down.
I read this for a book club and they discussed how Charles, the father, was controlling yet constantly encouraged independence in his wife, child, and staff. They discussed the difference in investigations today as opposed to then, the history of the times, and the seemingly menial conversations the Lindbergh staff had outside the home that may have aided to the crime.
I cared little about that. I was enamored with Betty Gow and loved it for the different viewing angle this gave to a famous crime.
Imagine! Loving a child (sometimes it seemed more than the parents) and then being on a list of suspects for his kidnapping. You’re recanting everything you said and did, wondering remorsefully if you somehow contributed to the abduction!
Writing
You’ll find the writing superb, character development, wonderful. I loved Betty Gow from page two.
Nelson DeMille said it best (as the Amazon blurb reveals): “A masterful blending of fact and fiction.”
Read this author again? Yes, I would.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
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CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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February 14, 2024
The Whispers of Valentine’s Day, 2024
Valentine’s Day can be hard. My husband, Jeff, and I understand.
We buried our sweet little girl, Jackie, thirty-nine years ago today. She lived only a day. And though the decades have been good to us, the memory of her lingers like a soft whisper. A quiet breath you hear but can’t make out, so you think, was there really a sound? A murmur? You’re sure there was, but the moment fades into the past, dissipating like dust in a breeze—a story told and gone forever. One you’ll never hear again. Never decipher.
Never understand.
Valentine’s Day is tough for many people, millions really, for hard reasons— a relationship broken, love extinguished, child lost, soulmate gone. Yet what mends our broken souls is the relationships that remain—the unsuspecting people who carry us through.
To every person who reads this. To those of you who have gone searching for the meaning of your life, or to those who have simply had a bad Valentine’s Day, look around and see the people you whispered to:
the woman you held the door for,
the person’s heartfelt post you liked,
the friend you spent time with,
the nod to that stranger,
the touch of your hand to a friend.
You won’t know until the day you die, what the whisper of your breath on their shoulder meant to them.
Thank you, my friends. These are my Valentine’s Day whisperers.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
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CJZahner is an author, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She is grateful for the people in her life who love her. She loves them right back.
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November 10, 2023
Mad Honey by Picoult & Boylan
Rating: 9.5
General Rating: Mad Honey is a book for the soul. It coaxes compassion and empathy from its readers. While fiction, its storyline is pertinent in today’s world and a widely important theme. I wish everyone would take the time to read.
Skip factor: 0%. That’s how you know it’s a good one. I nearly always skip.
Who should read: If you know someone who lacks empathy for domestic violence victims or transgender individuals, you need to introduce them to this book. If you are or know someone in one of those two groups, you’ll love this novel.
Favorite Lines: “People always talk about how their love for you is unconditional. Then you reveal your most private self to them, and you find out how many conditions there are in unconditional love.”
Summary: Asher and Lily are in love. Is there such a thing as unconditional love? Lily and her mom, Ava have a secret. Asher and his mother, Olivia, do, too.
This novel alternates between the POV of Lily and Olivia. These two mother-and-child families have traveled difficult, if not controversial journeys. This love story of Asher and Lily unfolds into a riveting life lesson, exposing the silent courage some people conceal.
Without spoiling the story, I’ll say both Lily and her mother and Asher and his mom have moved to a small town in New Hampshire to start their lives over, but it’s not always possible to forget the secrets of our past. They often lend, good or bad, to our emotions.
Writing: The merging of Jodi Picoult’s and Jennifer Finney Boylan’s writing appears seamless. The writing flows easily and the alternating of POVS through chapters is flawless. Mad Honey isn’t simply a fabulous storyline, the writing is so good that the characters draw you in, capturing your heart before you realize it. Once you put this one down, you can’t wait to pick up it up again. A great read.
Read this author again? Yes, some of my favorite books are Jodi Picoult’s, this one included, and I just reserved one by Jennifer Finney Boylan.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
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CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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October 5, 2023
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Rating: 9
General Rating: If you enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, you’ll also like The Book of Lost Names. Seventy-six percent of over 28,000 readers rated this book five stars.
Skip factor: Nothing.
Who should read: If you love good writing or World War II stories, this book is definitely for you.
Most heart wrenching line: Not that it made a difference; the only thing anyone would notice was the six-pointed yellow star stitched onto the left side of her cardigan. It erased all the other parts of her that mattered—her identity as a daughter, a friend, an Anglophile working toward her doctorate in English literature. To so many in Paris now, she was nothing but a Jew.
Summary: Eva is one of only two students in the English department to wear the yellow star—Joseph Pelletier is the other.
It’s 1942 and Eva lives in France with her parents, works at the library, and attends university. Rumors circulate that Russians will not deport French-born Jews, but one evening while Eva and her mother are babysitting for a woman down the hall, soldiers come and take her father away. She and her mother flee to France’s Free zone. There, Eva’s artistic talents help her forge thousands of documents and save the lives of numerous Jewish children. Not wanting them to lose their identity, she secretly codes a book with the names the children were born with.
Her path crosses many French, Jews, and even Russians. Her friend Joseph comes back into her life. Who can she trust?
Writing: Wonderfully flowing and keeps your undivided attention. Harmel’s superb writing will capture your heart and cajole you into loving Eva.
Read this author again? Absolutely
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
_________________________________________________________
CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
The post appeared first on CJ Zahner.
September 15, 2023
Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause
Rating: 9.0
General Rating: A wonderful story that jumps between the lives of thirty-something Valencia and eighty-something Mrs. Valentine.
Skip factor: 0% I skipped nothing. This is the second book I’ve read by Krause and I’ve skipped 0% in both. Simply, I love her writing.
Who should read: Women who like good writing and unique stories, have ever felt lonely, have even a smidge of OCD, or are helpless dreamers.
Favorite line(s): “But in real life you go around thinking that everything good is going to last forever, and it takes you by surprise when it doesn’t. And when you suddenly realize that it has happened for the last time, it’s too late.”
Summary: This novel entails two stories, one of Valencia, the thirty-something, and Mrs. Valentine, the eighty-something. Valencia has OCD and sometimes confuses her imagination with reality. Mrs. Valentine has no difficulty distinguishing between reality and the imaginary, but she has a wild imagination and tells lively, believable stories.
Characters: Krause creates two equally-lovable main characters and several likable ones:
Valencia has been diagnosed, medicated, and sees a psychiatrist for OCD. She’s a debt collector, occasionally wonders if she’s schizophrenic, and never rides/drives on the highway or boards a plane.
Mrs. Valentine is an elderly woman who invites people into her life in order to spend time telling her stories. She’s lonely and the reader develops instant compassion toward her.
Anna is the granddaughter of Mrs. Valentine’s deceased friend (whom she pretends is alive) and the new listener of Mrs. Valentine’s stories.
Grace is one of the few friends who has ever accepted Valencia just the way she is. You like her instantly.
James is someone Valencia meets over the phone and, though I liked him much, I was wary of him.
Peter, Peter, Peter. I loved him. Rooted for him throughout.
Writing: In Valencia and Valentine, Krause masters writing style, technique, word usage, and character development. Normally when you find a book that tells two stories, you like one more than the other and zip through one section to get to the other. Not so here. Remarkably, I loved both stories equally.
Read this author again? Yes, can’t wait for a third novel.
Read on!
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CJ Zahner is the author of The SuicideGene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream WideAwake, ProjectDream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels FriendsWho Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream seriesnovels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11premonition here.Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchaseher books on Amazon.
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August 29, 2023
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Rating: 10
General Rating: Kristin Hannah’s best novel. There’s a reason 81% of over 280,000 people have rated this five stars. I’m not a fan of World War books but loved this. The Nightingale should go down as one of the best war books ever written, a classic.
Skip factor: Nothing.
Who should read: Everyone. This describes female courage during wartime, both subtle bravery and gallant heroism.
Summary: Vianne and Isabelle, born in France, are the daughters of two good parents, but when their father comes home from war, he is a changed man and cannot love as he did before. When their mother dies, the sisters deal with her death quite differently. Isabelle becomes defiant while Vianne falls in love and marries young. When their father can no longer deal with Isabelle, he sends her to live with Vianne. By then Vianne has experienced the loss of several babies and is not in the best state of mind to care for her little sister.
Then the Germans invade France.
By now, Vianne has one child, Sophie, and when her husband, whom she relies on for everything, must go to war, she becomes obedient to the German rules in order to protect her daughter.
Opposingly, Isabelle is consumed with fighting the Germans and believes women should be as much a part of the crusade against Germany as the men. Someone notices her defiance and recruits her for an underground circuit that hides fallen pilots, guiding them across the mountains to safety.
She becomes what the Germans refer to as the nightingale.
Writing: Kristin Hannah is by far one of the best writers I have ever read. She relays the most intriguing stories in perfect sentences. Her cadence and beats are simple yet exquisite. She doesn’t overwrite. Her descriptions aren’t wordy. She captures a reader’s emotions and never lets go.
Read this author again? Yes, working my way through all of hers.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
_________________________________________________________
CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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July 23, 2023
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Rating: 8
General Rating: Typically, I’m not a fan of memoirs but this one is worth reading.
Skip factor: 2%. A little wordy but not much for a memoir.
Who should read: Men and women who enjoy narrative history and especially those of Irish descent.
Summary: I’ll be brief as the voice and writing kept me reading more so than the story.
Francis, Frank McCourt is born the first child (six months after their marriage) to Angela and Francis McCourt. After a series of hardships, disease, and children lost in the United States, their family sends them the money to return to Ireland.
In Ireland, their woes continue. Francis Senior jumps from job to job, always drinking away his money, forcing his wife and children to beg for food and rely on others. The story follows young Francis’s life through hardship and poverty until he returns to America.
Spoiler here: I wasn’t fond of the abrupt ending. It lowered my ranking.
Writing: Good overall writing. The clever voice kept me reading.
Read this author again? If someone highly recommended another book of his, I’d consider.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
_________________________________________________________
CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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July 6, 2023
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Rating: 9.5
General Rating: This is more than a great story. It’s spectacular writing, too.
Skip factor: 0%. Nothing. The writing was way too good to skip a word.
Who should read: Women, young and old, black and white.
Summary/storyline: This is the story of twins, Desiree and Stella Vignes, light-skinned black women who grew up in a town called Mallard.
Mallard is a “strange place,” a community predominantly composed of light-skinned blacks. The residents were: “Fair and blonde and redhead, the darkest ones no swarthier than a Greek.”
Desiree, the wilder of the two twins, convinces quiet, subdued Stella to move away with her, then strangely, Stella disappears.
The story splits and follows the different paths of the twins. One lives as a black woman, the other, as white. Desiree marries a successful, dark-skinned black man, Sam, and has a baby, who resembles her father. But when Sam turns violent toward Desiree, she flees, moving back to Mallard, where her dark-skinned baby is shunned.
Stella marries a white man, Blake Sanders, and “crosses over.” I was unfamiliar with this term. Crossing over is hiding your black heritage and living as a white person. Stella has one daughter and falls into a white-privileged community, where her fear of being exposed controls her every move.
Much later, Desiree’s daughter crosses paths with Stella’s daughter, and the story unfolds, showing the many differences between being raised white versus black.
Characters:
Bennett’s character development is superb. Here, she creates two realistic women with believable lives. Supporting characters are equally authentic. Engaging. Endearing. You’ll love some and dislike others. All are interesting, unique and contribute to the story, helping to magnify the differences between a black and white life.
Writing: This writing is so good I was sorry I borrowed it from the library. It’s the sort of story a writer will read over and over for inspiration. There were sentences I studied: “She was never up to anything, of course, her days blending together into a sameness that she later found comforting.” Or “…flecks of bone and skin swirling in an urn.” Great description, literally and figuratively. Exquisite.
Read this author again? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Please! Someone let me know when her other books are on sale!
Read on!
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CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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June 14, 2023
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Rating: 10
General Rating: Cried like a baby over this one. I bought this by mistake when my book club was reading American Dirt. (I loved that, too.) BEST mistake I ever made.
Skip factor: Less than 1%. Only when I couldn’t stand to wait for the next paragraph.
Who should read: Every. Single. White. Person. Black people will love and appreciate this book, but it should be read by every white person who has little chance of being incarcerated for a crime they did not commit.
Summary: Roy is a proud black man with a college degree from Morehouse. He’s smart, determined, and has the world at his fingertips. Celestial, born to two parents who experienced an “irreversible” if not sordid love affair, was smart and artistic. Her mother and father were wealthy and Roy constantly feared he could not live up to Celest’s family’s standards.
The story then is simple yet tragic. Roy is arrested for rape, a crime he did not commit. Much of the beginning of this story is written through the correspondence between Roy and Celestial.
Enter Andre, another wonderful human being. He is Roy’s best friend and Celestial’s next door neighbor. You can see where this is going. Right?
This is the story of three decent human beings whose lives are tragically altered by fate. It describes the small incidences, trickle effects, of devastation and gives a real view of how people are forced to cope with their circumstances. I cried harder over this book than any book I’ve ever read in my entire life and I am old!
Favorite lines: As a mother and also a daughter, I was hit hardest by Roy’s statement in regard to his mother, whom he loved with all his soul. Yet. Isn’t it true that we blame our mothers for much of what is bad in our life? We never see their value until they are long gone. How inciteful of Jones:
As I watched her walk away, I made note of everything about her that I didn’t admire. I ignored the devotion that she wore like a cape, I paid no heed of her strength or hardworking beauty. I sat there thinking of all I didn’t love about her, too angry to even say goodbye.
Writing: Fabulous. I’m a writer and I will say that in reading this, I felt like a college football player waiting for a call to the NFL, never receiving one, and realizing my dream has been dashed, that I am just not good enough. That I pale in comparison to the Tayri Jones people of the world. She’s a powerhouse. Gifted.
Read this author again? A simple yes is an understatement.
To find more good books click here.
Read on!
_________________________________________________________
CJ Zahner is the author of The Suicide Gene, a psychological thriller; psychic thrillers Dream Wide Awake, Project Dream, and The Dream Diaries; and Chick Lit novels Friends Who Move Couches and Don’t Mind Me, I Came with the House. Zahner’s dream series novels were inspired by first-hand experiences. See the video of her 9/11 premonition here. Download her Beyond Reality Radio podcast here. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, or LinkedIn. Purchase her books on Amazon.
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