Book Review: The Other Life by Susan Winnacker

The Other Life by Susan Winnacker

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Publish Date: May 15, 2012

Hardcover, 352 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopian, Zombies
 ISBN: 9780761462750
The Other Life #1

My Review:

I now realize that although I seem to like zombies, I haven't read many zombie-type books.  However, The Other Life is not completely about zombies, they are just part of the story.  The part of the story that keeps Sherry and her family sealed in a bunker until the food runs out and the story begins.

As you know since reading The Hunger Games I am completely sucked into the dystopian young adult or post-apocalyptic genre, both are similar, yet different.  I guess this falls more into post-apocalyptic, but both feature something bad happening and the world changing.  Here it seems that there are zombie-type people who were infected roaming the streets and those that weren't infected want to avoid them at all costs.  But Sherry and her father need food.  Then things go very wrong and Sherry's life changes.  While reading I was envisioning the life of the TV show Survivors from Britain.  We watched it on Netflix and it was great.  The book had that feeling, but Survivors didn't have zombies of course.  I think it was the living arrangements of the people that Sherry meets that gave me that feeling and the fact that I read this not long after I finished watching that show.

I enjoyed the story and kept turning the pages to see what would happen next.  I also felt invested in the characters.  I liked Sherry and watching her develop and grow more brave in the outside world.  I also liked Joshua and learning about him and look forward to learning more in the next book.

The plot moves along quickly.  It kept me interested from beginning to end and I definitely want to read the next book.  There are some interesting developments that make this really stand out to me even a couple of months after reading it.  I love the conspiracy feeling and even though that part doesn't come up until later in the book, I was already reeled in so Ms. Winnacker had me in  even deeper when she introduced these extra levels to the plot.

A very interesting post-apocalyptic read with fascinating characters and a well-paced plot.  Lovers of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre will want to read this one and then be on the lookout for the next book in the series as well.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life.

Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Susanne Winnacker studied law and lives with her husband, a dog and three bunnies in the Ruhrgebiet, Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals.

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FTC Information: I received this book from through Teen Book Scene for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository, Alibris and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Book Review: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain

The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: MIRA

Publish Date: April 24, 2012

Trade Paperback, 368 pages
Fiction, General Fiction
 ISBN: 978-0-7783-1346-5

My Review: This is one of those books that you finish and you just stop and think.  I fell in love with the book from the blurb and had to read it and then a few chapters in realized that part of the book was taking place in the town I live in.  I was completely sold at this point. It's really fun to see the small town you live in brought to life in a book, especially when the author gets it right and even mentions establishments you know or renames things you are familiar with.  Okay back to the review, that was just a little aside about the joy the book brought me being partially set in Beaufort, NC (great job with the old cemetary Ms. Chamberlain, I love that place and could visit it time and again!)

Now to the actual book and how I felt about it.  The book revolves around several stories and how though they seem unrelated at first they begin to be linked together.  How does a woman who lost a child in Raleigh, a man with a child from Carolina Beach and a woman about to marry the future mayor of Beaufort all link together.  Well that is for you to find out, but the main characters are Travis, his daughter Bella, Erin and Robin.  The story is told from each of the adult's point-of-view all through the story.  I loved getting to know each one, learning the history of each one and watching the choices they made, watching them grow and watching them make decisions that would shape their future life.  All three adults were different but made fascinating characters to watch during the book.

The plot was magnificent.  Ms. Chamberlain was able to weave together the three adults tales so seamlessly and believably.  I was taken in from the first page.  I thought I knew where it was going only to be surprised at times.  Yes at times it was predictable, but that was okay, because I still didn't know exactly how things would play out and how the characters would react and change and that was the main thing that interested me.  The Good Father was difficult to put down once I started it.  I had to know what Travis, Erin and Robin would do next and how sweet little Bella would react as well.  I fell in love with each character and cared enough about each one to want the best for them in the end.

The Good Father is an amazing book.  Not only are the characters real and believable, but Ms. Chamberlain creates them so you care about them.  The plot moves along quickly and the setting changes around the beautiful state of NC for interest.  Be sure to pay attention to Beaufort and come visit my wonderful town.  If you love general fiction this is a great book for you.  I think it would make an excellent beach or vacation read so pick it up and enjoy!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:

A beloved daughter. A devastating choice.

And now there’s no going back.

Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown had to make a life changing decision. While his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home raising his newborn daughter on his own – changing diapers and working to keep food on the table.  But he’s never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life – the reason behind every move he makes – and so far, she is fed.  Cared for.  Safe. 

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he’s worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble… 

Just when Travis is at a loss for solutions, a job in Raleigh opens up with the power to change their situation.  It has to.  But upon arriving in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a onetime criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions. 

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter’s sake.  Even if it means he might lose her. 


About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
I'm the author of 21 novels published in more than eleven languages. I like to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of my books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, my stories usually feature a combination of suspense, mystery and intrigue.

I live in North Carolina with my significant other, photographer John Pagliuca, and my shelties, Keeper and Jet--the only non-reading members of the household!

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Buy the book by clicking on any of these links (they will take you to B&N)


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FTC Information: I received this book from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository, Alibris and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Excerpt & Author Interview: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain

Today I'm hosting the excerpt stop for Diane Chamberlain's The Good Father Blog Tour.  I finished this book earlier this week and I have to say it was amazing.  My review is coming later today, so now enjoy today's excerpt, and a Q&A with author Diane Chamberlain.

Excerpt:

I thought of the gold watch he wore. The red mustang he drove. "I don't care about getting rich," I'd answered. "I just want enough money to keep me and Bella fed till I get a real job."

Follow the rest of the blog tour here:  http://bit.ly/I56ozq

Q&A with Diane Chamberlain:

1.      Where do you do most of your writing?

In the mornings, I write in a coffee shop surrounded by chatter and music I barely notice. In the afternoons, I write at home where I need complete quiet except for the music of a dramatic movie soundtrack. But my favorite writing spot is at my little beach condo, where I can watch the sea and the gulls and dolphins as I’m thinking through my next sentence.

2.      What inspired you to write THE GOOD FATHER?

I write in a coffee shop each morning, and one day a young man and little girl walked in, looking very out of place there on a weekday morning. The girl was about three years old and simply precious, but my novelist’s mind went to work right away. Why were they together? Was he her father? A kidnaper? What if he asked me to watch her for a few minutes and then disappeared? The idea for The Good Father was born.

3.      Which part of THE GOOD FATHER was the most enjoyable to write?

Bella, the little four-year-old girl at the heart of the story was a joy to create and an even greater joy to research as I spent time carefully observing my granddaughter and grandson who were the same age. Maybe Bella was so much fun and so easy to write about because, unlike all the grownups in the story, she was an open book, full of pure emotions untainted by a lot of personal history that might have weighed her down.

4.      Which part was the least enjoyable?

Trying to figure out the best structure for the novel is always nerve wracking to me. It happens with every book. About two months before my deadline, I begin to doubt the way I’ve told the story. Have I paced it in a way that will keep my reader intrigued? Have I revealed twists and turns at the right moment to surprise and excite my reader? Have I opened the book with a gripping scene? In the case of The Good Father, I realized I needed to restructure the telling of the story, so I moved a key scene from the middle of the book to the first chapter. It was a bold and scary move, but judging from the reactions of my readers, it worked!

About the Book:

A beloved daughter. A devastating choice.

And now there’s no going back.

Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown had to make a life changing decision. While his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home raising his newborn daughter on his own – changing diapers and working to keep food on the table.  But he’s never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life – the reason behind every move he makes – and so far, she is fed.  Cared for.  Safe. 

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he’s worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble… 

Bestselling author of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, The Midwife’s Confession, and The Lies We Told, Diane Chamberlain, returns with her latest and most gripping novel to date, THE GOOD FATHER (Harlequin MIRA; April 24, 2012; $14.95 U.S./$17.95 CAN.), showing the great lengths a father will go to provide for his little girl.

Just when Travis is at a loss for solutions, a job in Raleigh opens up with the power to change their situation.  It has to.  But upon arriving in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a onetime criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions. 

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter’s sake.  Even if it means he might lose her.