It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Back in 2011, I was an avid reader who had somehow lost my way with reading. Between working and being a full-time student, reading for pleasure had slowly fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to change that. So I gave myself a New Year's resolution to read one book every week for a year. I started A Book A Week on January 1, 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable and share what I was reading along the way.

I didn't quite reach my goal that first year, but I kept reading. I kept reviewing. And all these years later, I'm still here, looking forward to whatever book comes next. Some years I crush my goals, some years I don't, but my love for a good book has never wavered.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

I'm a lifelong reader with a particular soft spot for mysteries and thrillers. I've always loved the genre, and I credit those stories—the twists, suspense, and need to know what happens next—with keeping me a reader as an adult. My reading has taken me in all kinds of directions since then, but I'll always come back to a good mystery.

I love creepy horror novels. A fascinating work of nonfiction can completely pull me in, too. And I've found plenty of favorites in science fiction, literary fiction, romance, and other genres I might never have picked up when I first started the blog. That's part of the fun. I never quite know what kind of story is going to grab me next.

When I'm not reading or writing reviews, you'll usually find me at home with my husband and our pets. I'm a classically trained musician and composer, an enthusiastic home cook, and a backyard gardener. There's usually a trip to look forward to or some new project that has caught my interest, too.

At the end of the day, I just really love books. There's nothing quite like discovering a story I can't put down or finding an author I can't wait to read again. Even when a book doesn't quite work for me, I still enjoy thinking about why and putting those thoughts into words. That's what keeps me reading, reviewing, and sharing it all here on A Book A Week.

Honest reviews, always.

Some of the books I review are ones I've purchased myself. Others are provided by publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. Either way, what I write here is always what I really think.

Not every book is going to work for every reader, and that's part of the fun of talking about books. I'll tell you what worked for me, what didn't, and hopefully give you enough to decide whether a book might be right for you.

Good, bad, or somewhere in between, you'll always get my honest take.

Let's Connect

I'm always happy to hear from readers, publishers, authors, and fellow book lovers.

Review Copies

I'm always open to considering books for review. I read across a pretty wide range of genres, though mysteries and thrillers tend to be particular favorites. If you'd like me to consider a book, send along a little information about it and why you think it might be a good fit for A Book A Week.

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How far would you go to make your dream a reality? Alex and Leslie Twisden seem to have it all. Money is no issue, and they live in a beautiful home in New York's Upper East Side. Despite everything they have, beginning a family of their own has completely evaded them. The pair have agreed to have a child no matter what the cost. Now having exhausted almost every option in conceiving a child, the couple is desperate. When a colleague at work recommends a treatment Alex has never heard of, he's eager to share the news with Leslie. For her part, Leslie is skeptical at best. The expensive procedure will be performed by a doctor that hasn't appeared in her extensive research, and she's not exactly sold on flying to a foreign country to meet with this expert. However, her desire for a child persists, so she finally agrees to go along. Their experience will be traumatic but effective.

From the outside looking in, twins Adam and Alice Twisden seem to have perfectly normal lives. They live in an affluent neighborhood, attend a good school, and have parents who love them. Behind closed doors, though, things aren't what they seem. Each night without fail, the Twisdon Twins are locked into their bedroom by their reclusive parents. What are they being secured from? The twins aren't exactly sure, but they do know that they hear strange noises coming from their parent's room, noises that are more animal than human.

I've had Breed on my TBR shelf for nearly a decade. At the time I purchased it, I was reading through many of Stephen King's classic works, and I was hungry for more horror novels. Author Scott Spencer, writing under the pseudonym Chase Novak, has written a chilling novel that more than kept the pages turning. The first half deals with parents who are desperately traveling to the ends of the earth to conceive a child. The cost of their desperation leads to side effects that are downright horrifying. There's a sadness to the situation that Novak deftly handles. We can't help but empathize with the characters as they do anything and everything to get their wish. The second half of the novel is less narratively cohesive than that of the first. It was fun to see the kids dealing with the reality of their family, but it was far more inconsistent in tone than the opening half. Still, Breed succeeds as a solid popcorn read with just the right amount of spookiness to satisfy readers this time of the year.

For more information visit Amazon and Goodreads.

(2022, 46)

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18 Comments

Comments

LarkOctober 21, 2022 at 11:32 AM
You've got me curious about those twins! And popcorn reads can be a lot of fun if you're not expecting too much. :D
BlodeueddOctober 22, 2022 at 3:33 PM
Wow for a decade! At least you finally got to it
Shooting Stars MagOctober 24, 2022 at 10:13 AM
This sounds intense. I'm definitely curious what these crazy side effects are!

Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
Tanya @ Girl Plus BooksOctober 24, 2022 at 11:31 AM
Wow, this sounds like some horror fun. My imagination is running wild with the implications of whatever was done to have the children. Perfect time of year for this one!
Kimberly @ Caffeinated ReviewerOctober 24, 2022 at 12:26 PM
You have me curious. Perhaps I need to make some popcorn.
Rachel @Waves of FictionOctober 24, 2022 at 3:39 PM
Doesn't sound like anything good can happen from that fertility treatment! I'm worried about those poor kids! Glad you found a nice spooky read for the season!
Mary KirklandOctober 24, 2022 at 4:41 PM
It's always fun to see what kind of creepy side effects an author will come up with in order for a couple to have a child.
Carole's Random LifeOctober 27, 2022 at 7:15 PM
This sounds exactly like something that I would pick up. You have me really wondering exactly what happened to these people in their quest to have children.
Esther @ BiteIntoBooksOctober 29, 2022 at 6:49 AM
This sounds like a fun Halloween read! :)

A Book A Week

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About Me

It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

Honest reviews, always.

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