Apples Never Fall

Title:  Apples Never Fall

Author:  Liane Moriarty 

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co.

Date Published:  September 14, 2021

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Stan and Joy Delaney have recently retired from running a prestigious tennis school. They have four adult children with very different and distinct personalities. Each of them could have become famous tennis stars, but they left the sport to pursue other things. One day, Joy disappears, and the only thing she left was a text message that is absolute gibberish. Her family is very concerned, but they are hesitant to call the police. After various clues and evidence start to pile up, Joy's disappearance is considered a murder, and the number one suspect is her husband. 

-    Moriarty is an expert at dangling that carrot in front of the reader. She lets us smell it and get a little taste, and we continue to chase that carrot on a stick with eagerness and anticipation. I love it!

-    I was hooked and obsessed with the story from the very beginning. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the story and eager to return. I was so enthralled with the family and their individual lives. 

-    I love the humor that Moriarty sprinkles in between the suspense. I was giggling out loud during certain parts. The family dynamic and the relationship between Joy and Stan is so relatable, and I love that Moriarty makes it so real and something we can laugh about. 

-    I wish I could talk more about the story without giving anything away. The ending! Oh the ending! It was hilarious, heart warming, and angering all at once. 

-    Spoiler Alert! <Savannah is a total psychopath! She needs to go to prison and be away from society. There are no excuses for the things she is doing.>

Trigger Warning: Heavy Language, Child Neglect, Divorce, Infertility, Sex (nothing explicit), Domestic Violence

Killing Patton

Goodreads Says:    General George S. Patton, Jr. died under mysterious circumstances in the months following the end of World War II. For almost seventy years, there has been suspicion that his death was not an accident—and may very well have been an act of assassination. Killing Patton takes readers inside the final year of the war and recounts the events surrounding Patton’s tragic demise, naming names of the many powerful individuals who wanted him silenced.









My Thoughts:

-    I love these books. I learn so much and they are fun to read. History should always be written this way.

-    I didn't understand all of the military stuff. I'm not military savy, but I don't feel like it took anything away from the overall story.

-    I'm SO glad Patton was on our side!

-    I liked the insights into Hitler's life, politics, etc. I didn't a lot of things about Hitler, especially his poor health. 

-    I also liked the chapters about FDR. I learned a few things about our past president.

-    I knew Stalin and the Russians were bad news during WWII, but dang! Things were more horrific than I knew. To me, Stalin was worse than Hitler. I agree with Patton that it would have been just as bad for the Russians to take over as it would if the Nazis had won. 

-    Thompson should have been punished! How did he get away with what he did? He was breaking all kinds of rules, AND he killed one of our most valued generals. What the heck!?

-    I'm not a big nonfiction reader, but I really enjoyed this. 

Companion Books:

(covers are linked to my thoughts)

 

Killing Kennedy

Goodreads Synopsis:    A riveting historical narrative of the shocking events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the follow-up to mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln

More than a million readers have thrilled to Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln, the page-turning work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

In January 1961, as the Cold War escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of Communism while he learns the hardships, solitude, and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. Along the way he acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and Alan Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  In addition, powerful elements of organized crime have begun to talk about targeting the president and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

In the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, Kennedy is gunned down by an erratic young drifter named Lee Harvey Oswald. The former Marine Corps sharpshooter escapes the scene, only to be caught and shot dead while in police custody.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader.  This may well be the most talked about book of the year.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly, so I was super excited that he was doing another one about Kennedy's assassination.  It didn't disappoint. 

-    Every history book should be written this way!  It would make History one of the favorite subjects in school! 

-    The PT-109 experience reads like a good castaway book.

-    I  learned a lot about what kind of man JFK was, and let me say, it wasn't good.  He was a very vein guy and very immoral.  I can't believe he was able to keep all of his philandering a secret.  

-    I think JFK handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well, and I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know about that crisis.  

-    I just learned a lot period.

-    I KNEW IT!!  I knew Martin Luther King Jr. was a scum!  I'm so glad the book addressed that.  

-    I was sad to learn some things about Peter Lawford.  He is one of my favorite MGM stars.  He had a nice voice.  Too bad he didn't have a nice life.  

-    I wish O'Reilly would write a book about all the President's and their time in office.  It would be fun to learn about each one.  

-    The book was so interesting, and even though I knew what the outcome of many things were, I still loved it and it kept me turning pages.

-    Lee Harvey Oswald was a messed up guy!  He just didn't know what he wanted in life, so he took someone else's.  YES!  LET IT BE KNOWN THAT LEE HARVEY OSWALD WAS THE MAN WHO KILLED KENNEDY!  I also believe he acted solo!

-    Even though, I don't really like Kennedy (or his family), I was still sad when I read about his death.  It was a terrible thing.  I feel bad for Jackie.  I can't even imagine seeing my hubby's head explode.  

-    If you love history, and even if you don't, I highly recommend this book.  It is good to know about your country, and this is a book anyone could enjoy.  

Series Info:

Killing Kennedy is a companion book to Killing Lincoln.  Click on the photo to read my review.  

Killing Lincoln

Goodreads Synopsis:    A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly

The anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased.

In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action,Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.

My Thoughts:

-    This is not your typical history book.  It is very captivating.  I was hooked from the beginning, and it is a great time of year to read something like this!  

-    All history books should be written like this.  I think it would be more effective, and it is definitely more interesting and entertaining.

-    You need to be familiar with certain things in history to understand some stuff.  It throws a lot of names, events, and places around without a lot of explanation.  I didn't have too much trouble following what was happening though.

-    I love how descriptive the whole day of April 14 was.  It was so gripping and interesting to know what happened in such detail on that day.  I really enjoyed reading what Boothe did that day.  

-    Wives rule!!  I laughed so hard when the book described how Lincoln and Grant had so much power and prestige.  They could command armies, but when it came to their wives, they were helpless.  Hilarious!

-    The book happens over a short period of time.  It starts 14 days before Lincoln's Assassination, but it is packed full of so much stuff.  It was so awesome to read about all the details I didn't know about the whole event.

-    Boothe's ego is HUGE!!  I can't believe he thought he was going to be a hero for killing Lincoln, and I can't believe he wanted to be so theatrical about it!  

-    I didn't know Boothe had so many people working with him.  There was a lot that went into his plan.  I can't believe his conspiracy was funded!

-    I really enjoyed the pictures and maps that were provided.  It was really cool to put faces to names, and see a diagram of things.  

-    I loved the whole the book.  Everything was so well done.  I am more aware of what happened on one of the most memorable days in history!  Anyone can read this and understand it.  It is so gripping, and I loved reading about our history this way.