Tropical Girl Reads

Book Review – She is Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel

Hello all! Tuesday means it’s thriller time! I will be doing a book review on a Swedish thriller, She is Never Coming Back, written by Hans Koppel.

Mike Zetterberg lives with his wife Ylva and their daughter in a house just outside Helsingborg. One evening, Ylva isn’t home as expected after work. Mike passes it off as a drink with a work friend, but when she’s still missing the next day, he starts to worry. As Mike battles suspicion from the police and his own despair, he is unaware that Ylva is still alive, just a stone’s throw from his own home. Ylva has been drawn into a twisted plot of revenge and tragedy that leads back into her and her abductors’ shared past…

Pages:- 400

Language:- Swedish (original) translated into English

Genre–Mystery/Crime/Literary

Hans Koppel is a pseudonym for Petter Lidbeck, an established Swedish author who was born in 1964 and lives in Stockholm. It was revealed that Petter Lidbeck is the author behind the name in August 2010.

So I have read some Swedish novels which practically are all mystery novels. If you have followed my blog, you would notice that I have written a blog on a book called The Asylum which is a Swedish novel so this is my third time reading a Swedish novel. Still my favorite is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson.

So here goes my review but first, let me start with the things I liked

Things I liked

To me the plot is intriguing and interesting. Mike Zetterberg’s wife, Ylva goes missing on the day and Mike thought Ylva is hanging out with her colleagues from work as Ylva had told him she was going for a drink. It takes time for Mike to realize that his wife is actually missing and he becomes a number one suspect (which is typical) but not realizing that his wife is being held as a captive in a house just close to his own house and that his wife is observing Mike and her daughter’s life through a TV screen in the room she is being held captive.
The story begins with a man named Anders who is about to meet a woman he has met online, to be attacked by a man who introduces himself as Annika’s Dad (which made Andres flinch and we wonder why) and the man brutally kills him. The reader ponders why the man and his wife (identity is revealed later on in the book). Ylva was also kidnapped because of what she had done to this Annika girl some twenty years ago and we wonder what did Ylva and Anders and the other two boys had actually done to Annika. We also wonder why Annika’s parents are so bent on seeking revenge, particularly on Ylva.
Many characters are complex. Take Mike for example who is a vulnerable and over-sensitive husband who wants his wife back. Ylva who must have done something awful to this Annika girl that she is regretting what she did some twenty years ago and at the same time thinking about reuniting with her family. Last but not least is Annika’s parents, Gosta and Marianna Lundin who are still suffering from their daughter’s suicide and is trying to avenge for what happened to their daughter. You have no idea to which character you hate most or like most.
The story overall is dark, depressing, depict some real-life situations as what would you actually do. Hans has written very well.
The plot overall is intriguing, interesting, something most mystery addicts would love with twists and turns.

Now, the things I didn’t like…

OK, I know this book is translated from Swedish to English, but the writing is slightly sloppy and there are some parts that are confusing. For example, the author used all chapter numbers so we are not actually sure if it happens on a present day, past year or a memory. Example, chapter 1 begins with Anders death and the last chapter ends with what really happened to Annika some twenty years ago. It would have been nice and neat if Anders death could be written as a Prologue and Annika’s rape scene could have written maybe as a Epilogue–Twenty Years Ago.
There are some unnecessary characters, particularly the journalist part.

Overall, I rate this book as

Plot is interesting but sadly a three star because the writing is sloppy and confusing.

Stay tuned for my next book blog–Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon!!

Tea Planter’s Wife–Book Review

Hello all! How’s everyone with the lockdown? Well, I am fine.

Today, I will be doing a review on historical fiction/romance book, Tea Planter’s Wife, written by Dinah Jeffries.

#1 International bestselling novel set in 1920s Ceylon, about a young Englishwoman who marries a charming tea plantation owner and widower, only to discover he’s keeping terrible secrets about his past, including what happened to his first wife, that lead to devastating consequences

Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper is newly married to a rich and charming widower, eager to join him on his tea plantation, determined to be the perfect wife and mother. But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected.

The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbours treacherous, and there are clues to the past – a dusty trunk of dresses, an overgrown gravestone in the grounds – that her husband refuses to discuss.

Just as Gwen finds her feet, disaster strikes. She faces a terrible choice, hiding the truth from almost everyone, but a secret this big can’t stay buried forever….

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (June 20, 2017)
Language: English
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Women’s Fiction

Dinah was born in Malaya in 1948 and moved to England at the age of nine. In 1985, the sudden death of her fourteen year old son changed the course of her life, and deeply influenced her writing. Dinah drew on that experience, and on her own childhood spent in Malaya during the 1950s to write her debut novel, The Separation.

Now living in Gloucestershire with her husband and their Norfolk terrier, she spends her days writing, with time off with her grandchildren

There are many reasons why I took this book – Of course no.1 reason is this book is based on 1920’s Ceylon during British Colonial rule which means Ceylon is now known as Sri Lanka which is where I am from! And also this is a historical fiction even though as many of you know, I am not a fan of romance fiction. So I bought this book.

Let’s start with the things that I really liked in this book.

I really love the author’s style of writing–lot of descriptive phrases and passages.
The author seems to have done a tremendous research about tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya and also about the 1920’s Ceylon during British Colonial rule as well as caste issues and racial differences during that time (Sinhala and Tamil). She has made this story as realistic as possible using the details she has researched from the book.
I did enjoy reading the novel and towards the end, it was intriguing and was unable to put down.

Now let’s start with the things I didn’t like.

First few chapters of the book was boring but in the middle (spoiler alert!) when the main character, Gwendolyn gives birth to a colored child, things then start getting interesting.
I had a hard time liking any of the characters, including the main protagonist, Gwendolyn Hooper even though I do understand her actions. Well, it’s just me.
It is a little predictable–in the end (spoiler alert once again!) Gwendolyn and her husband Laurence live happily ever after although the colored child, Liyoni dies. It also turns out that Liyoni was indeed Laurence’s daughter since Laurence’s great-grandmother was apparently a Sinhalese.

For anyone who love reading historical fiction with a romantic twist, I recommend this book. Overall I rate this book as….four stars!

Book Review–How to Say I love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

Another YA/Romance novel book, a debut book written by Karole Cozzo. Got this book from Big Bad Wolf book fair a couple of years ago and now can’t wait to share my review with you all.

Tackling real world issues with sensitivity and grace, this is a touching contemporary novel about learning to accept yourself, speak out for others and let people into your heart.

When Jordyn Michaelson’s autistic brother joins her at her elite school, she’s determined not to let anyone know they’re related. Even if that means closing herself off to all her closest friends, including charming football stud Alex Colby. But she just can’t shake the memory of kissing Alex last summer, and the desire to do it again.

Can Jordyn find the courage to tell Alex how she really feels―and the truth about her family―before he slips away forever?

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Karole Cozzo’s heartfelt debut novel How to Say I Love You Out Loud will stay with readers long after they have finished reading.

Genre:- YA Fiction, Romance, Special Needs

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Swoon Reads (August 4, 2015)

Karole lives outside of Philadelphia, PA with her family. She splits her time between working as a school psychologist at an area high school and writing YA romance. Hobbies include running, crafting, Disney, and nursing coffee, Target, and Sugarfina addictions.

So I just bought this book for fun and then started reading this book. I am not really a fan of YA fiction but this book was OK. The plot was OK, talking about a girl named Jordyn dealing with her brother’s autism and how she thinks that introducing her brother is a social damage to her social life.

So here are the pros and cons of the books.

Let’s start with pros.

Pros

The book is simple and easy to read, suitable for any teenager as well
It’s actually a heartfelt story

Cons

I didn’t really like the main character much–Jordyn to me is spoilt and insensitive to her brother’s autism and was also quiet selfish too.
The plot of the story was OK.

Overall, I would rate this book as four stars!

The Asylum–Book Review by Johan Theorin

Today I will be doing a book review on a Swedish psychological thriller, The Asylum, written by Johan Theorin.

Anyway, before I begin with the review, just to let you know, we are on lockdown here in Sri Lanka, because of COVID-19 and practically this is the 3rd day of the lockdown. But today, the government decided to open 4 hours for the public to go out and buy the necessities before imposing the curfew again. Yeah, so practically, this is the life under lockdown. So what am I doing during this lockdown? Sewing, baking, watching TV and of course reading books!!!

So let’s begin the review

We don’t talk about sick or healthy people at St Patricia’s. Words such as hysteric, lunatic and psychopath…They are no longer used. Because who amongst us can say that we are always healthy?’ An underground passage leads from the Dell nursery to Saint Patricia’s asylum. Only the children enter, leaving their minders behind. On the other side are their parents – some of the most dangerous psychopaths in the country. Jan has just started working at the nursery. He is a loner with many secrets and one goal. He must get inside the asylum…What is his connection with one of the inmates, a famous singer? What really happened when a boy in his care went missing nine years ago? Who can we trust when everyone has something to hide?

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: Doubleday (October 1, 2012)

Language: English (Original Swedish)

Genre–Thriller, Suspense, Crime.

Throughout his life, Johan Theorin has been a regular visitor to the Baltic island of Öland, where his books are set. His mother’s family – sailors, fishermen and farmers – have lived there for centuries, nurturing the island’s rich legacy of strange tales and folklore. A journalist by profession, Johan lives in Gothenburg, Sweden.

All right, so this story is a chilling Swedish psychological novel, where the protagonist, Jan Hauger, who is a pre school teacher with secrets of his own starts his job at the Dell Nursery where it is located near a mental asylum known as St Patricia’s that holds the country’s most dangerous psychos as well. This novel divides between past and present and the author eventually helps us to get a glimpse on Jan’s thoughts. Eventually, we find that Jan is actually a disturbed young youth who had also being locked up in a mental institution himself when he was a teenager and he has a difficulty of getting connected with the people. He is also on a quest as well–he mainly took up the job simply because he wanted to find someone who is locked in St. Patricia–his childhood love named Alice Rami. Throughout this book, it simply talks about obsession as Jan is obsessed to find Rami in the institution.

So here are the things that I liked about the book

I like the writing style of the novel–the writing is engaging and well written.
There are some tense moments in the chapters that makes you wonder what is going to happen next.

Things I didn’t really like

Despite this being a psychological thriller, I feel it’s not as scary as it sounds like. Not like the Girl with the Dragon tattoo.
Cannot feel connection with the characters–all the characters seems to be having flaws.

Over all I rate this book three stars but I do recommend this book though. It has some thrilling sense in it.

Stay tuned for my next review!!!

Book Review–Bruised by Sarah Skilton

Hey all! Mondays are book review time, so today I will be doing a book review on YA novel, bruised by Sarah Skilton

When Imogen, a sixteen-year-old black belt in Tae Kwon Do, freezes during a holdup at a local diner, the gunman is shot and killed by the police, and she blames herself for his death. Before the shooting, she believed that her black belt made her stronger than everyone else―more responsible, more capable. But now that her sense of self has been challenged, she must rebuild her life, a process that includes redefining her relationship with her family and navigating first love with the boy who was at the diner with her during the shoot-out. With action, romance, and a complex heroine, Bruised introduces a vibrant new voice to the young adult world―full of dark humor and hard truths.

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; Reprint edition (April 15, 2014)
Language: English
Genre: YA Fiction

Sarah Skilton is a book blogger with Barnes & Noble as well as the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels, BRUISED and HIGH & DRY.

CLUB DECEPTION (Grand Central, July 2017), a murder mystery involving an underground magic club, is her first novel for adults.

OK, So I am going to start with the ones I liked about the book.

The book was simple to read and understandable
Deals with the real life issues how to deal a traumatic event and also a real life issue on how teenagers (most teenagers) behave.
Gives a thorough insight about the Korean sport Taekwondo

Now let’s start with the things that I didn’t like in the book.

The book was a little boring at first though it gets interesting little by little.
Maybe it’s just me but I did not like the main character much Imogen. I know she is just a teenager and is dealing with issues related to the traumatic event but still, I didn’t really like her much.

However, this book is perfect for people who like to read teen novels since it does give a lesson to all the teenagers out there.

Overall I rate this book as three stars

Favorite Genre- Part 1

Hello all!!! So let’s get away from book reviews and talk about genre for a while…

So what is actually a genre?

Genre is a noun, depicting a style or category in arts, music and literature. So in books, there are many different types of genre as we all know–thriller, romance, historical fiction, YA, literary fiction…

So today, I am going to be talking about my favorite genre, why I like that particular genre and my favorite books of that genre

So my favorite genre is….thriller/mystery!

Why do I like that type of genre???

So here are the reasons

Solving a puzzle–when reading a thriller books is like you are solving a puzzle on your own. Like who did that? Why? All these questions are coming into your head with various characters in the books looking like suspects of that crime. So that’s why I like it.
The mystery behind the character–a good thriller usually make the protagonist naive or weak with a questionable and regrettable past that seems to haunt them. So as a reader, we want to know more about the protagonist’s past.
The thrill–when reader a thriller book, you feel a sudden thriller, keeping yourself on the edge with each unexpected twists and turns in each chapter. I like that feel of the thrill
Real world–most thrillers are realistic–the stories are based on real-life situations. I like books that are realisitc.
Female protagonists–truth to be told, a protagonist female is more interesting to read than a male one.

So here are some of my favorite psychological thriller books which I also recommend to you all, if you haven’t read it yet. (some of these books I will do a review)

The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins

Image result for the girl on the train book

A very interesting book, with twists and turns. I haven’t watched the movie but would recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it.

2. The Woman in Cabin 10 – Ruth Ware

Though the first few chapters were a bit boring, it got more interesting towards the end. I really enjoyed reading this book.

3. I Let You Go- Clare Mackintosh

This is a good book, mingled with a tragic accident and domestic abuse, I enjoyed reading it (will be doing a review on this book)

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo–Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)

One of the best thrillers I have read, and I simply couldn’t put this book down. If you haven’t read the book yet, you should read it.

5. Gone Girl– Gillian Flynn

Another one of the best thriller books I have read, with unexpected twists and turns.

So what are your favorite books in this genre?

Paper Towns–Book Review Paper Towns by John Green

Hey all! Today I will be doing a book review on YA fiction book, Paper Towns by John Green.

From the #1 bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Our Stars

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery
#1 New York Times Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
Now a major motion picture

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.

Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

Paperback: 305 pages

Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (September 22, 2009)

Language: English

Genre–Young Adult fiction, mystery

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers) and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse (youtube.com/crashcourse). You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.

John lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.

All right, so here are the things I liked

The book is somewhat a mystery sort of book–Quentin or Q and Margo goes on a revenge spree around the Orlando and the next morning, Margo goes missing, although Margo has left some clues behind for Q to find.
It is funny and there are parts in the book in which made the reader laugh,

Things I didn’t like

Ending of the book seems to be a bit rushed.
There were unnecessary parts in the books that is irrelevant in the book.

Overall I rate this book as…

Coronavirus Epidemic

The whole world is right now going through an epidemic–COVID-19 which has affected nearly every country. Right now, here in Sri Lanka, there are over 50 people diagnosed with COVID -19. Today, the government has officially declared curfew, for two days, starting today. So that means, we will be stuck indoors, virtually, even afraid of going out into the world.

So as a bookworm, your plan would be to read as many books as possible. Yeah, literally, that’s my plan. But technically, I have stopped ordering books online. Usually, I would order books through online from either BetterWorld Books or Book Depository, but now I decided I will give a hand on reading e-books, since it’s a lot safer.

Here are some tips you should do when you are outside

According to the doctors, keep a social distance of at least 1.5 meters.
Wash hands regularly.
Use sanitizing agents.
Do not sneeze or cough into your skin or hand
use a mask whenever you go outside

So far, this virus has consumed many lives and a vaccine is developing. In Sri Lanka, no deaths have reported, yet.

Happily Ever After–Book Review Off The Page, Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Hello! It’s romance genre review time! Today I will be doing a review on Off the Page, written by mother-daughter duo, Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Delilah and Oliver shouldn’t be together. But they are together. And just as they’re getting used to the possibility that happily ever after may really, truly be theirs, the universe sends them a message they can’t ignore: they won’t be allowed to rewrite their story.

Delilah and Oliver must decide how much they’re willing to risk for love and what it takes to have a happy ending in a world where the greatest adventures happen off the page.

“Off the Page is just so sweet and magical. In high school, I would have given ANYTHING to crawl inside one of my favorite books to escape the real world. I wish!”—SARAH DESSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Saint Anything

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Ember; Reprint edition (April 19, 2016)
Language: English
Genre:- YA, Teen Fiction

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, and My Sister’s Keeper.

I am a fan of Jodi Picoult’s books– I have read several of her books including The Pact, Nineteen Minutes and The Storyteller. While most of her books are based on real life situations with touching moments, Off the Page is completely different. Off the Page is written by the mother-daughter duo, Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer and is a sequel to to their first book together, Between the Lines, though it is also considered as the stand alone book.

So in a nutshell, this book is about a girl, named Delilah, who falls in love with a British prince named Oliver in the fairy tale book she was reading. The story starts with Oliver swapping places with a teenage boy named Edgar who is the son of the author who wrote the infamous fairy tale book. He enters into the real life so he can be with the girl he loves–Delilah.

So I will start with the ones I like about the book.

I don’t read much YA books but this is a YA/tween book with illustrations in the chapters where the characters are in the fairy tale world. I thought it was cool to see those illustrations in the book.
Though the book was imaginative and unrealistic, I enjoyed reading the book.
The book was funny and witty, particularly about the part where Oliver is trying to get used to live in a real life world.
The book is told in the perspectives of three main characters–Oliver, Delilah and Edgar so the reader could actually see what each of those characters think about each other.
Many of the characters in the book are likable and this brought many memories about high school life.
The book is cheesy.

Now the things I don’t like about the book.

As this is a sequel to Between the Lines, I sometimes got confused as how Oliver and Delilah actually fell in love with each other though this is actually my fault of not reading the first book.
The first few chapters were boring but soon it got interesting.

Overall, for those who enjoy reading YA novels with a good laugh, I recommend this book! Four stars!

Five signs you are a bookworm–Part 1

Hello all!!! So what are the signs that you are a bookworm???? Here are the signs that you are a bookworm

This is my motto for everyday, especially whenever I am going out, particularly to a doctor’s appointment (in Sri Lanka, doctors are never punctual)

2. Rainy days = reading day

I always read a book, whenever it’s raining and thundering here.

3. You will never leave the bookstore without buying a book.

4. You never go to bed without reading a book.

5. All you care about is fictional characters than real life ones