1. nimrodiel gets Trigger Warning offered by GateGypsy
2. VeganMedusa gets Moloka'i offered by meshe
3. lmn60 gets Company of Liars offered by spiderchic
4. intry gets The Golem and the Jinni offered by nimrodiel
5. Potok-fan gets The Storied Life of AJ Fikry offered by Sunlightbub
6. butterfly-noir gets Elizabeth is Missing offered by Potok-fan
7. spiderchic getsElizabeth is Missing offered by camis
8. Marlene gets This House of Grief offered by lmn60
9. giz-angel gets A Spell of Winter offered by Tsjara
10. itpdx gets Frozen in Time offered by Marlene
11. LoriPed gets The Lost Garden offered by catsalive
12. zosime gets Scottsboro offered by cheesygiraffe
13. camis gets I'll Give You the Sunoffered by xallroyx
14. KathyB gets The Fifth Wave offered by Lemonitsa
15. elsi gets Along the Way offered by Kiri
16. PepperVL gets Prayers for Sale offered by Booksforever
17. needmorezoloft gets When offered by Amberkatze
18. BooksnBeer gets Promise of the Wolves offered by azuki
19. meshe gets Dead Girls are Easy offered by needmorezoloft
20. catsalive gets The Bees offered by VeganMedusa
21. Tsjara gets Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day offered by giz-angel
22. HoserLauren gets The Water Knife offered by msjoanna
23. cheesygiraffe gets Queen of the Tearling offered by KathyB
24. GateGypsy gets The Blazing World offered by butterfly-noir
25. Booksforever gets Fablehaven offered by PepperVL
26. shaunesay gets Things Half in Shadow offered by CheriePie
27. Lemonitsa gets In the Shadow of Blackbirds offered by shaunesay
28. xallroyx gets The Vagrants offered by Therubycanary
29. msjoanna gets How to Fly with Broken Wings offered by elsi
30. azuki gets Baba Yaga Laid an Egg offered by zzz
31. zzz gets The Hummingbird offered by HoserLauren
32. Amberkatze gets Girl on the Train offered by supertalya
33. CheriePie gets Maresi offered by intry
34. Sunlightbub gets All the Light We Cannot See offered by itpdx
35. Therubycanary gets Nothing to Envy offered by zosime
36. Kiri gets The Martian offered by BooksnBeer
37. supertalya gets City of Dragonsoffered by LoriPed


Moves:
nim starts the game with revealing Talya's The Girl on the Train
VeganMedusa reveals lmn's House of Grief
lmn reveals zzz's Baba Yaga Laid an Egg
intry steals House of Grief from VeganMedusa
Vegan ask Sunny to reveal The Storied Life of AJ Fikry
which Potok immediately snatches
So Vegan tried again and askd Hoserlauren to reveal The Hummingbird
Butterfly swoops in and steals Baba Yaga from LMN
lmn asks Cherie to reveal Things Half in Shadow
Spider Steals The Girl on the Train away from Nimrodiel
Nim reveals Kiri's Along the Way
Marlene kicks Intry's and steals House of Grief
Intry asks Camis to reval Elizabeth is Missing
Which Giz promptly steals...
Intry in grief takes Marlene's This House of Grief
Marlene asks Amber to reveal When
itpdx steals This House of Grief from intry
intry askes GateGypsy to reveal Trigger Warning
LoriPed steals Things Half in Shadow from lmn60
lmn60 steals Baba Yaga back from butterfly-noir
butterly joined different kind of swarm in Vegan's The Bees
Zosime asked PepperVL to reveal Fablehaven
Camis steals Girl on the Train from spiderchic
Spiderchic steals Elizabeth is Missing from giz
Giz steals When from Marlene
Marlene steals This House of Grief from itpdx and out of the game!
itpdx pulls the Trigger on intry
intry reveals shaunie's In the Shadow of Blackbirds
Kathy steals When from giz
Giz steals The Bees from butterfly-noir
Butterfly steals Things Half in Shadow from Lori
Lori request Elsi's reveal of How to Fly with Broken Wing
Elsi steals The Bees from Giz
Giz steals When from KathyB
KathyB steals "in the Shadow of Blackbirds" from Intry
Intry has MsJ reveal The Water Knife
Pepper steals When from Giz
Giz steals The Bees from Elsi
Elsi asks Kathy to reveal "Queen of the Tearling"
NMZ steal When out of the game from PepperVL
Pepper steals Queen of the Tearling from Elsi
Elsi steals The Water Knife from intry
Intry steals Trigger Warning from itpdx
Itpdx steals The Water Knife from elsi
Elsi asks for itpdx's reveal All the Light We Cannot See
BnB steals Things Half in Shadow from Butterfly
Butterfly asks cheesy to reveal Scottsboro
Kiri asks ruby to reveal The Vagrants
Meshe steals The Vagrants from Kiri
Kiri steals Things Half in Shadow from BnB
BnB swipes The Water Knife from Itpdx
Itpdx steals In the Shadow of Blackbirds from KathyB
KathyB takes The Girl on the Train from Camis
Camis steals Trigger Warning from Intry
intry steals The Water Knife from BnB
BnB steals The Bees from Giz
Giz asks Marlene to reveal Frozen in Time
Cats decides one move is sufficient & steals The Bees out of the game
BnB asks Lemmy to reveal The 5th Wave
Tsjara steals The Queen of the Tearling from Pepper
Pepper asks tsjara to reveal A Spell of Winter
HoserLauren steals The Water Knife from intry and out of the game
Intry asks catsalive to reveal The Lost Garden
cheesy steals Queen of the Tearling from Tsjara
Tsjara asks nim to reveal The Golem and the Jinni
GateGypsy steals Baba Yaga from lmn60
lmn took Along the Way from nim
nim steals In the Shadow of Blackbirds from itpdx
itpdx asks intry to reveal Maresi
Booksforever steals Fablehaven from zosime
Zosime steals The Hummingbird from VeganMedusa
Vegan steals A Spell of Winter from Pepper
Pepper steals the Golem and the Jinni from tsjara
Tsjara steals Trigger Warning from Camis
Camis steals The Fifth Wave from Booksnbeer
BnB steals In the Shadow of Blackbirds from Nim
Nimrodiel steals Trigger Warning out of the game from Tsjara
Tsjara steals The Storied Life of AJ Fikry from Potok
Potok steals The Golem and the Jinni from Pepper
Pepper asks xallroyx to reveal I'll Give You the Sun
Shaunie steals Things Half in Shadow away from Kiri and out of the game
Kiri in a panic resorts to the Red Abbey for solace - taking Maresi from Itpdx
itpdx watches the weather and takes Frozen in Time from Giz
Giz dashes in to steal The 5th Wave
Camis steals I'll Give You the Sun from Pepper
Pepper steals The Golem and the Jinni from Potok
Potok steals Maresi from Kiri
Kiri decides to reveal Loriped's book City of Dragons
Lemonitsa sneaks in and snags In the Shadow of Blackbirds out of the game
booksnbeer takes The Fifth Wave from Giz-Angel
Giz steals A Spell of Winter from VeganMedusa
VM steals Baba Yaga from GateGypsy
GateGypsy swipes I'll Give You the Sun from camis
Camis asks Giz to reveal Mrs Pettigrew lives for a Day
Xall steals The Vagrants from Meshe
Meshe steals A Spell of Winter from Giz
Giz asks Meshe to reveal Moloka'i
MsJo steals Queen of the Tearling from a distraught cheesy
cheesy steals City of Dragons from Kiri
Kiri asks Butterfly to reveal The Blazing World
Azuki steals Maresi from Potok-fan
Potok-fan asks spiderchic to reveal Company of Liars
supertalya steals City of Dragons from cheesy
cheesy slowly makes her move but finally steals Queen of the Tearling out of the swap
MsJ steals Company of Liars from Potok-fan
Potok-fan asks Needmorezoloft to reveal Dead Girls are Easy
zzz steals Maresi from azuki
azuki steals The Golem and Jinni from Pepper
Pepper asks azuki to reveal Promise of the Wolves
Amber steals The Fifth Wave from BooksnBeer
BooksnBeer steals Company of Liars from MsJoanna
MsJoanna steals The Blazing World from Kiri
Kiri is bumped for 12 hour rule
Cherie makes one big move and steals Maresi away from zzz and outta the game
zzz steals The Hummingbird from Zosime
Zosime steals Mrs Pettigrew Lives For a Day from camis
Camis steals I'll Give You The Sun from GateGypsy
GateGypsy asks Zosime to reveal Nothing to Envy
Sunlightbub steals the Sun from camis
camis steals Girl on the Train from KathyB
KathyB steals The Fifth Wave out of the game!
Amber Steals The Girl On the Train out of the game!!
Camis steals I'll Give You The Sun out of the game!
Sunlightbub steals How to Fly with Broken Wings from LoriPed
LoriPed steals The Lost Garden from Intry
Intry steals The Golem and the Jinni away from Azuki and outta the game!
Azuki steals Baba Yaga Laid an Egg out of game!
VM steals A Spell of Winter from Meshe
Meshe steals The Vagrants from Xallroyx
Xallroyx quietly steals Molokai from Giz
Giz steal A spell of WInter out of the game
VM steals Promise of the Wolves from Pepper
Pepper asks booksforever to reveal Prayers for Sale
Ruby steals Moloka'i
xallroyx steals All the Light We Cannot See from Elsi
So Elsi steals Along the Way from lmn60
lmn50 steals Company of Liars from booksnbeer
BooksnBeer steals City of Dragons from supertalya
Supertalya is bumped after 12+ hours
Kiri asks BnB to reveal The Martian
Super T takes The Hummingbird from zzz
zzz steals Company of Liars from lynn

lmn60's reveal




by Helen Garner


Book Description
"On the evening of September 4th 2005, Robert Farquharson, a separated husband, was driving his three sons home to their mother, Cindy, when his car left the road and plunged into a dam. The boys, aged ten, seven and two, all drowned. Was this an act of revenge or a tragic accident? In a tale reminiscent of In Cold Blood (1966), Helen Garner decided to reveal every aspect of this complicated and highly emotional case.In this utterly compelling book, Helen Garner tells the story of a man with a broken life and bears witness to an often uncomfortable truth."

My review
This was my 'book of the year' for 2015.
Helen Garner is one of Australia's finest writers and in this work she again gripped me - even though I knew the story and its outcome through extended newspaper coverage here in Melbourne.
This book could be classified as 'True Crime' but in Garner's hands it becomes much more than that. I found myself totally engaged by her account of the trial of Robert Farquharson - and of the individuals involved in the case. At times I cringed; at others I laughed; and at other times I found myself close to tears.
An extraordinary book about 'ordinary' people.

Other reviews
'As involving, heart-rending and unsettling a read as you could possibly find...the deep unease with which one is left, and the feelings of guilt and shame one shares with Garner about taking pleasure from such private grief, are the real legacies of this remarkable book.' --The Sunday Times

'Garner's real focus is not on the verdict but on the inner world of a doomed family. If you liked Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, this is an Australian version, with a full cast of indebted, overweight chain-smoking characters from the wrong side of the tracks. Garner shines a torch into the lives of the kind of Australians we rarely read about or see on film.' -The Independent

'Compassionate and dispassionate in equal measure, Helen Garner takes us into the courtroom and shows a melting-pot of venality. She writes with a profound understanding of human vulnerability, and of the subtle workings of love, memory and remorse' --Intelligent Life Magazine

Sunlightbub's Reveal....

I picked this book up in the charity shop in November and started reading it in the car, whilst my mum went shopping. I picked it up because the name intrigued me, but I'd never heard of it. When I got home I realised it had been a Waterstone's Bookclub choice, so I hope everyone else hasn't read it already.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin



On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

HoserLauren's Reveal



The Hummingbird by Stephen Kiernan

Deborah Birch is a seasoned hospice nurse who never gives up—not with her patients, not in her life. But her skills and experience are fully tested by the condition her husband, Michael, is in when he returns from his third deployment to Iraq. Tormented by nightmares, anxiety, and rage, Michael has become cold and withdrawn. Still grateful that he is home at last, Deborah is determined to heal him and restore their loving, passionate marriage.

But Michael is not her only challenge. Deborah's primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and fierce curmudgeon. An expert on the Pacific Theater of World War II, Barclay is suffering from terminal kidney cancer and haunted by ghosts from his past, including the academic scandal that ended his career.

Barclay's last wish is for Deborah to read to him from his final and unfinished book—a little-known story from World War II that may hold the key to helping Michael conquer his demons. Together, nurse, patient, and soldier embark on an unforgettable emotional journey that transforms them all, offering astonishing insights into life and death, suffering and finding peace.

Told with piercing empathy and heartbreaking realism, The Hummingbird is a masterful story of marital commitment, service to country, the battles we fight for those we love, learning to let go, and finding absolution through wisdom and acceptance.

--------------------------------

My only 10/10 book this year. It had me in tears by the end, which has only ever happened twice from a book. I thought this was a beautiful, moving book about end of life care and PTSD effects on the family.

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/13586390

Cherie's reveal:
Postbellum America makes for a haunting backdrop in this historical and supernatural tale of moonlit cemeteries, masked balls, cunning mediums, and terrifying secrets waiting to be unearthed by an intrepid crime reporter. The year is 1869, and the Civil War haunts the city of Philadelphia like a stubborn ghost. Mothers in black continue to mourn their lost sons. Photographs of the dead adorn dim sitting rooms. Maimed and broken men roam the streets. One of those men is Edward Clark, who is still tormented by what he saw during the war. Also constantly in his thoughts is another, more distant tragedy--the murder of his mother at the hands of his father, the famed magician Magellan Holmes...a crime that Edward witnessed when he was only ten.

Now a crime reporter for one of the city's largest newspapers, Edward is asked to use his knowledge of illusions and visual trickery to expose the influx of mediums that descended on Philadelphia in the wake of the war. His first target is Mrs. Lucy Collins, a young widow who uses old-fashioned sleight of hand to prey on grieving families. Soon, Edward and Lucy become entwined in the murder of Lenora Grimes Pastor, the city's most highly regarded--and by all accounts, legitimate--medium, who dies mid-seance. With their reputations and livelihoods at risk, Edward and Lucy set out to find the real killer, and in the process unearth a terrifying hive of secrets that reaches well beyond Mrs. Pastor.

Blending historical detail with flights of fancy, Things Half in Shadow is a riveting thriller where "Medium" and "The Sixth Sense" meet "The Alienist"--and where nothing is quite as it seems...


My Thoughts
I really liked this book a lot! The story was exciting, captivating, and fun. I'm a sucker for all things ghostly and supernatural so it was not only the subject matter that appealed to me but also the mystery behind it--who killed the medium Lenora Grimes Pastor inside that locked room?

The author, Alan Finn, writes extremely well and has a masterful command of language and how to use it, keeping the reader fully engaged without getting too wordy or revealing too much. The timing and suspense is perfect. The author knows the exact right words to use at the right time to elicit the desired effect, and he knows exactly how to set the right mood with his words. This book's prose truly flows like like classic literature in my opinion. Just check out his gorgeous website at http://www.alanfinnbooks.com which just oozes with atmosphere.

I saw reference on his Goodreads Author page that the author is working on a sequel to Things Half in Shadow. Woot woot!! I'm very much looking forward to that.

My full review can be found on my blog, Goodreads, and Amazon.



I read this book in ebook format sent to me on behalf of the publisher. However, I will purchase and send a copy in either paperback or e-book (your choice) to whomever goes out with it in this swap.

Camis' reveal is Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey




In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging—an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences.

Maud, an aging grandmother, is slowly losing her memory—and her grip on everyday life. Yet she refuses to forget her best friend Elizabeth, who she is convinced is missing and in terrible danger.

But no one will listen to Maud—not her frustrated daughter, Helen, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth's mercurial son, Peter. Armed with handwritten notes she leaves for herself and an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth and save her beloved friend.

This singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud's rapidly dissolving present. But the clues she discovers seem only to lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II.

As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud discovers new momentum in her search for her friend. Could the mystery of Sukey's disappearance hold the key to finding Elizabeth?


I gave this 5 stars in Goodreads and wrote this as my review:
This debut novel from Emma Healey is, quite simply, outstanding. Maud knows that her friend Elizabeth is missing, but no-one will believe her. She cannot remember where she left her last cup of tea, but she can remember that something dreadful happened to her sister Sukey over 70 years ago. Maud writes copious notes to try and make sense of her life but, being unable to remember why she wrote the notes, this leads to more confusion.

Written from Maud's perspective, the modern day and historical stories are interwoven and intertwined and Maud's increasing confusion is palpable. I really felt for Maud's daughter Helen, as she tries to maintain some semblance of normality for her mother, whilst also dealing with her own emotions about the situation.

Brilliant!

Amberkatze's Reveal
When by Victoria Laurie




Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

My Review


I will send a copy via Bookdepository or Kindle if the winner prefers.