Shelfari 50 Book Challenge discussion
Bev's 180 Book Challenge
A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton
3 stars
I've been wanting to give this series a try for awhile and I'm glad that the first book was just short and sweet--a nice taste of what, I hope, is to come in the following volumes. My library actually lists this as the first in the series but Goodreads says it is 15.5. I don't know, but I think it was a good book to start with, it gave me a good indication of what the lead character, Hamish MacBeth, will be and I really liked what I saw. It's Christmas time in the highlands but it doesn't appear as if anyone is really celebrating--no decorations, no caroling, no festive foods. Constable MacBeth goes on about his daily activities. A elderly lady's cat has gone missing, Christmas lights and a massive Christmas tree are stolen from a nearby town, the local nursing home needs some entertainment for the holidays and a young student at the local school has few social contacts and her "older" parents just take it for granted that she acts like a small adult and is happy about it. How do all these things combine to make for a feel good holiday read? You'll just have to read it to find out. Just a cute, quick read.
Haunted Connecticut by Cheri Farnsworth
2 stars
I don't know why I continue to think that one of these days I'll read a book that says it's going to tell me "haunted" stories and I'm just going to be scared silly or at least get a little goose-flesh. This book was fine. It broke Connecticut down into different sections and then told about the ghosts, witches, aliens or odd happenings (like the death of thousands of frogs) that occurred there. But is there any evidence that ghosts (or whatever) are at the bottom of any mysterious happenings? You guessed it, no. I will say that there were some interesting stories, some historical information and some fascinating scientific explanations for what was considered paranormal happenings during the 1700 and 1800's.
Shouldn't You Be in School? Lemony Snicket
3 stars
The 3rd, and as far as I know, final book in the "All the Wrong Questions" series. Although I enjoyed this one, it seemed much darker than the 1st two. I enjoyed the word play that Lemony Snicket is famous for and he always provided definitions for the more complex words as usual but I just didn't find myself smiling as much. Lemony and his friends in Stain'd-by-the-Sea are trying to find out who is burning buildings down. And why are all the books in the library completely blank? It seems that all of the school children in town are in danger and everyone is getting way too much laudanum. If you've read the first 2, read this one but just be aware that you may not find it as entertaining as those.
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
5 stars
I don't know how to even go about talking about this amazing book. I think I read somewhere that it was an example of magical realism but it struck me almost like a fairy tale, with a surprise element that I've never read about in another book. A beautiful but misused young girl, Rosa, suddenly appears in Bone Gap. Two brothers, Sean and Finn O’Sullivan, who have been abandoned, live together and are making their way in life and they help Rosa by giving her a safe place to stay. One day, at the local fair, Rosa is kidnapped. People in town think she left on her own, that she wanted to leave...but she didn't. Finn knows who took her but he can't describe the culprit so no one believes him. Finn wants to find Rosa but doesn't know how to go about it until his relationship with the local bee keeper's daughter reveals an unrealized side of him that will change everything. That's all you get, you'll just have to read the book!! Enjoy it!
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
4 stars
I read this for my Cover to Cover book discussion group this month. It is the first book in a trilogy written by Ben Winters who lives in Indianapolis--just south of where I grew up. The premise is that an immense asteroid is headed straight for earth. The date is already set and in the course of the book the reader is also told the location of the strike zone. With only 6 months left, the world has gone a little crazy. Some people have deserted their jobs to undertake finishing up their "bucket lists" and others have just decided to end it all on their own terms. Hank Palace, just recently promoted to Detective, is investigating one of these apparent suicides and decides that maybe it's just a little suspicious--this may be staged. Not everyone feels the need to continue doing their job properly in the short time they have left to live but Hank Palace does and within the course of the book, Hank solves the case. It will be interesting to see where the next 2 books take the reader--I'm very intrigued.
Richard III by William Shakespeare
3 stars
I read this play for my Page Turners book discussion group this month. I can't say that I'm wild about Shakespeare but after reading the play, reading the analysis of the various parts and now listening to a full cast audio, I at least feel ready for the book discussion next week and seeing the play next month. Since I'm not into politics (court or otherwise), manipulative people and/or bullies, this is just not my cup of tea but the historical significance made it worth my time to become familiar with it. I also understand that in May we are going to be reading Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time" which has some basis in this play. These folks at the library are really trying to make this "old" person think!!!
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
3 stars
This was much more interesting than I thought it would be. The book, which is a family saga, brings the lives of the von Trotta family to life during the time frame just before World War I. The 3 generations covered start out with Lieutenant Trotta, who during the Battle of Solferino actually knocks Emperor Franz Joseph I off his horse to keep him from being shot by snipers. The Emperor rewards Trotta by making him a Baron. Although he doesn't take himself too seriously, those around him now consider him a nobleman. Baron Trotta proceeds to encourage his own son to get involved in government rather than having a military career and so the second Baron Trotta becomes a district commissioner. When the third Baron Trotta reaches the age of majority, his father wants him to become a cavalry officer. His military career kind of devolves into wine, women and gambling, almost to the point of ruining his life but he is then financially bailed out by none other than Emperor Franz Joseph I, who his grandfather had saved. It was interesting to me how many times, the Radetzky March was actually mentioned in the book. Composed by Johann Strauss, it was an extremely popular piece of music at the time.
The Woman in White by Wilke Collins
4 stars
Considered to be one of the first mystery novels and I thoroughly enjoyed this. The first line of the book absolutely sums up the story--This is the story of what a woman's patience can endure and what a man's resolution can achieve. Walter Hartright briefly meets a mysterious woman in white under strange circumstances. When he then becomes the art instructor for Laura Fairlie, he is shocked to see such a strange resemblance to his "woman in white". They fall in love but she has been promised by her uncle to Sir Percival Glyde, who seems to be an attentive and charming gentleman--older than Laura. Through various observations by different characters in the book, it comes to light that Sir Glyde may be more interested in Ms. Fairlie's money than he is in her. I'm not comfortable trying to summarize any more of the book for fear of spoiling the story line but it's a great story!! I listened to this and it was read by Josephine Bailey and Simon Pebble. I thought that both of the readers did a wonderful job.
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil
3 stars
This book for our Knitting and Reading book club discussion this month was just OK. I think my biggest problem with the book was the overuse of f*** and Christ. It's not that I have virgin ears or anything like that (although I'd prefer not to see Christ used as a swear word) but I just don't think they needed to be used so often in a book that was supposed to be about friendships, children and the needlearts. Jo Mackenzie, our protagonist, is mother to two young boys and has recently been widowed. Her husband died in an automobile accident not long after he announced that he wanted a divorce. She decides to move back to her hometown, outside of London, and take over her grandmother's knitting shop--which needs a great deal of renovation. She soon makes new friends, expands the services and merchandise in the store and begins getting on with her life. There are some genuinely funny bits in the story and it's easy for the reader to identify with a struggling mother who while trying to pull it all together is having to deal with her feelings about her husband's death and two rambunctious little boys. I did have a little bit of a struggle with some of the English terminology but it didn't slow me down too much!! A quick read.
Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper
3 stars
I enjoyed this book for the most part. The psychic aspects of the story were very interesting, with the main character, Cassie Neill, able to slip into the mind of ruthless killers to establish clues to help the police solve the crimes. The book, which is the 1st in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit novels, starts with Cassie being involved in the middle of tracking a child killer but he was able to distract her long enough to blur his path. Cassie leads the police to the wrong location and because of that, another victim is lost. Cassie then decides to move to the small town where her aunt used to lived, in hopes of escaping the stress of her psychic gift. Not long after her arrival, a young girl from this small community is murdered and, of course, Cassie feels obligated to help the police do whatever she can to help out. Within just a few days, 2 more women turn up dead, each murder more gruesome than the last. Cassie is drawn deeper and deeper into the investigation and into the mind of this new serial killer. She is also falling in love for the first time. Personally, the author could have left the romance aspect out of it and the book would have been better in my opinion, but there wasn't a lot of romance and I know many readers enjoy that, so if you like psychic thrillers with a little bit of romance, this might be a good book and/or series for you.
The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
4 stars
I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead and I really enjoy graphic novels so why it took me so long to decide to read this series, I don't know. I was at Barnes and Noble today and decided to take a look at them and talked myself into buying the first one. Now I've ordered the next 2 from Amazon. The beginning of this story took me right back to watching the first episodes, remembering how the group came together and thinking about the characters that were lost early on. I am really looking forward to reliving the entire series through the medium of the graphic novel. With these, at least I can't hear that annoying sound the Walkers make all the time!!
The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel
3 stars
I picked this book up during our "blind date with a book" week at the library. When I first started reading I was having a really difficult time getting into the book but it's hard for me to abandon anything and I'm glad I stuck with it. Once I hit just about the middle of the book, I just couldn't put it down even though there were a couple of things that I saw coming way before they were told to the reader. Langston Braverman has decided to quit pursuing her college education, walking out of her final exam. She moves back home to small town Indiana to live with her mom and dad in spite of the fact that there are few creature comforts (i.e. air conditioning) and her relationship with her mother is less than ideal. She really just wants to be left alone so that she can attempt to write a book. Her mother is bound and determined to get Langston reaquainted with the social obligations of small town life and attempts to take along to all of the funerals, weddings and gatherings that are available. Langston is able to avoid most of these but one day her mother determines that Langston is now going to babysit the 2 young daughters of one of her childhood friends who has just died because "it's the right thing to do and those poor girls don't have anyone else to care for them". No one, including Langston, could ever have believed how this would change their lives.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5 stars
This was just an outstanding read. I've read quite a bit of World War II literature but this one came at such a different angle that it was fresh and lovely. Marie-Laure and her father live in Paris. She is a teenager and blind. Her father works at the nearby national museum. When Marie-Laure lost her eyesight at 6, her father built a miniature of their town, not only as an amusing pass time for her but also to help her memorize her surroundings in case she every had to get around on her own. When the Nazis come to occupy Paris, she and her father go to stay with her great uncle Etienne in a towering home by the seacoast. Meanwhile, in Germany, Werner and his sister are growing up in the orphanage. Werner has a great interest in radios and so develops an immense talent for fixing them. With his skill set, he is brought into the academy for young men being trained to aid Hitler in his takeover. As both of these young people grow and learn to deal with the trials of war time, their stories grow closer and closer until they finally meet. What I loved about this book was that although it concerned a horrible time in our history, the overall tone was of hope and the redeeming quality of human kindness.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
5 stars and a favorite
I read this for my Mix It Up book discussion group this month and I loved it!!! A wonderful family saga (which I'm a sucker for) which includes mystery, fairy tales, strong women, wealth, privilege and a 4 year old child who is left to sail to Australia, by herself. I thought the characters were well drawn and the setting descriptions were so wonderful that I could really picture where everything happened. Even though this story jumped back and forth through time and to both sides of the world and spanned 5 generations, I thought the story line was so well done that I rarely had to go back to see who a character was or how they fit in--and that's surprising for me, I'm easily confused!!! And I really enjoyed the plot twists because just when I thought I had things figured out, something new would come to light and I'd have to rethink my conclusions. I am not even going to try to go into a plot summary other than to say that the 4 year old child I mentioned earlier ends up on the wharf in Australia and is adopted by the wharf master and his wife. They name her Nell. On her 21st birthday, he tells Nell the story of how they found her and made her part of their family. The rest of the book takes us through the journey of the unraveling of the mystery of who Nell really is. Read it--it's wonderful!!!!!
The Walking Dead, Vol. 2, Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman
4 stars
Got the 2nd volume in the mail today and read it this afternoon. It's fascinating to me how similar these are to the television show and yet how different. By the end of this second volume, the group has already found the prison and in the show I think that was season 3 or later before they moved in there. But, if you're a Walking Dead fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed by these. I should be getting the 3rd one later this week. Looking forward to it!
The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert
3 stars
I picked this book up randomly (because of the cover color) to fit a challenge I was working on and was pleasantly surprised with this heart warming cozy. A group of ladies who live in Darling, Alabama who love to garden, cook, help their neighbors and now...solve mysteries. The Darling Dahlias Garden Club has just inherited a lovely home from a recently departed member and are intent on fixing up the gardens and the house, much to the irritation of the woman's nephew by marriage who believed the house would be his. There has been talk about the cloaked ghost who shows up in the back gardens on moonlit nights looking for her lost child, or the family silver or a pair of shoes but most of the ladies are untroubled by these reports. As each member goes about her daily business, the reader starts to learn about the make up of this small town...how folks glean their news by listening in on their party lines and how families are "making do" during these years of the depression. As with all small communities, there are always those trying to hide their secrets and soon some of the ladies of the club are dealing with the knowledge that there's an escaped convict in their midst and a young cosmetics salesperson is dead in a stolen car. The garden club ladies put their best feet forward to really "dig up the dirt" and solve these mysteries and find out who that cloaked figure digging in the back gardens really is. My favorite thing about this book was the way it made me feel like I was actually living in small town America in a simpler time.
Edge of Evil by J. A. Jance
3 stars
I'll be attending the Southern Kentucky Book Fest in a little over a week and J. A. Jance will be the featured speaker so I thought I should read at least one of her books before I saw her. I picked this one which is the first in the Ali Reynolds series. It was a quick fairly light read, which is not what I expected from the title. There was some suspense and a couple of people end up dead and another gets beat up but the descriptions were pretty tame. The evil just was not what I consider evil but still a decent read. Ali Reynolds was a reporter on the daily news until all of a sudden she was considered too old and they let her go. At the same time she loses her best friend to what is pronounced suicide and then finds out her husband is dating younger women--2 to be exact. Her son says she should start a blog to help her set down her feelings and keep her busy as she decides what to do about the changes in her life. She is soon busier than she ever thought she'd be. The posts that she's responded to on her blog have created some stir with one woman's husband in particular after she advises the woman to take her child and get out before he can harm her. It never occurred to Ali that giving out sensible advice could possibly put her own life in danger. I did enjoy seeing a strong female character who is able to take charge of her life at a time when it seems as if everything is falling apart around her. The audio was read by Susanna Burney who did a fine job.
Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart
3 stars
Bailey Ruth and her husband died in a boating accident and now, still very much in love, enjoy their heavenly existence. Now she is attempting to get a position in the Department of Good Intentions so that she can help others, still living in the earthly realm. She gets the job at a probationary level but before she can memorize the important precepts relating to her performance, she is sent to earth for an emergency situation. She is thrilled when she discovers she's been sent back to her own hometown. Heaven has sent a rebel to earth because although Bailey Ruth wants to help anyone she can, she is not very good at following rules. Soon the small town of Adelaide, in addition to trying to solve the murder of one of their citizens, are also spotting small objects floating around unaided, hearing disembodied voices and wondering who the new policewoman with the flaming red hair is. Almost every action that Bailey Ruth takes breaks one or more of those pesky precepts. She just knows that any minute the Rescue Express will be picking her and taking her back to heaven--with no further jobs on earth in her future. This was just a short, cute read that made me chuckle a number of times even though it was fairly predictable.
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
3 stars
Another OK read for my Knitting Book Club. We started out being the Louise Penny book club and I loved that series but since we've read them all they decided to switch it up to knitting and discussing books--which are about knitting. There seems to be a general trend with these that the book is much more about the women who knit rather than the actual knitting, which I guess people find more interesting. This book is no different. A new shop owner, Lydia, opens a knitting shop in an area that the city is currently updating. She comes with her own set of problems, she's battled with cancer twice during her life and is just hoping to spend the rest of her currently "cancer-free" existence surrounded by yarns and other women who enjoy her favorite past time. She starts by offering a beginning class in knitting and soon has 3 students who could not possibly be any different from one another. Jacqueline is a high society woman who can barely tolerate her new daughter-in-law who has just announced her pregnancy, Carol has recently left her well paying job to concentrate all her energies towards accomplishing getting pregnant and finally, Alix is a goth kid with a tough attitude and a chip on her shoulder but with a good heart. The book moves between their lives alternating chapter by chapter. I will say that I thought that the story line was handled well and I was satisfied with the wrap up of everyone's story.
Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
4 stars (2nd read)
Read this for my East Book discussion book this week and although I liked it I had 2 problems with it. First of all, it is the 4th in a series in which Jackson Brodie, an ex-cop is featured and although it is touted as being readable on it's own, I don't like to read a series out of order. Secondly, much like the last book I read by Ms. Atkinson, there are many characters, time frames jump around and there's a stream of consciousness feel about it that I have trouble following. But--in spite of that, I liked the book. I just think I'd have to listen to it again (maybe after reading the first 3 in the series) to get the most out of it. The beginning premise is that Jackson rescues a dog and another ex-cop, retired detective Tracy Waterhouse, sort of buys a 4 year old girl who had been in the company of a prostitute. Neither the dog nor the child were being treated properly and each character believes that they can offer a better home for these abused creatures. Both discover that it isn't as easy as it seems to rise to the occasion. Of course, in the midst of this, there is also a years old crime that has suddenly raised it's ugly head again and many secrets to be revealed. This audio was read by Graeme Malcolm who did a nice job. ADDENDUM: After my second read, I decided to up my rating to 4 stars. I did get much more out of the story this time around, although I still haven't read the first 3 in the series.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4 stars
Read for my Young Adult book club this month. This was an extremely interesting book with a very unusual premise. Clay Jensen, young high school student, comes home to find a package addressed to him. When he opens it, it contains numbered cassettes that he is instructed to listen to and then forward them on to the next person that's mentioned. He has received them from a classmate, Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide and through the tapes she is mapping out the people and places that played parts in leading up to her final action. I literally could barely put this book down. There were 7 tapes that Clay had to listen to and each side revealed another person that impacted Hannah's life and her feelings about herself--so 13 people (one blank side). I really had to concentrate on this one as well because we read what Hannah has recorded interspersed with what Clay is thinking and doing. Luckily, Hannah's part is printed in italics, but I was reading so quickly that I sometimes missed the transition and had to slow down and go back over parts to be sure I knew who did what. Just a wonderfully fresh idea and although the overall tone of the book comes off as horribly sad, it certainly raises another aspect of teenage behavior (in addition to bullying) that young people should be thinking and talking about.
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
4 stars
We read this for my Page Turners book group this month. I had only read Kindred by Octavia Butler previously and really enjoyed that book but had not sought out others, so I'm glad that this was our assignment. I really enjoyed this book as well. It actually put me in the mind of The Road by Cormac McCarthy only with more people. Lauren Olamina lives inside the walls of her small community. The walls are there to keep everyone else out, the poor who have nothing and will do anything to get what they need. So, as the need outside the walls becomes greater, there are more and more breaches to their protecting fences. Finally, on one terror filled night, Lauren realizes that she must travel and attempt to find someplace safer. As her journey progresses, she sees the possibility of a new religion for humanity to adapt to. Something that may finally offer hope in a hopeless world.
The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel
3 stars
I have been meaning to read this ever since I saw the movie but it turns out that this was the rare instance when I enjoyed the movie more than the book. The book itself was fascinating but filled with so many different characters and so much historical information that it was difficult for me to keep everything straight. Following the movie was so much easier because you could identify the individual Monuments Men by sight rather than trying to remember all their names and backgrounds. Of course, having seen the movie made it a little easier to follow but it had been so long ago that it didn't help a lot. Still, the overall intent of the book, which was to give the reader an overlook at the amount of artistic treasures that were confiscated from their rightful owners and the enormous amount of work and valor that went into saving a large portion of those treasures. The audio was read by Jeremy Davidson, who did a great job.
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson
4 stars
We read this for my Mystery book club this month. It's the 2nd book in the series and I hate to read out of order but I just ran out of time and couldn't get the first one done prior to reading this. As far as I could tell, it did not seem to make a difference. Fortunately, my husband and I had watched the series on A & E (I think), so at least I was familiar with the characters. I enjoyed this mystery very much, especially the native American influences in the tone and setting. A Basque woman dies at the local nursing home just before Christmas. The incident seems pretty cut and dried to Sheriff Walt Longmire until a friend insists that there's something suspicious about the death. Turns out Walt's friend had been married to this woman for about 3 hours back in the day but he's never stopped caring about her and he's sure she was murdered. The convoluted tale keeps you guessing as more people in Absaroka County, Wyoming are attacked, involved in mysterious accidents or killed. This was a great read and I hope to get to the first book, "The Cold Dish", very soon!
Broken April by Ismail Kadare
3 stars
This was certainly a more interesting read than I would ever have expected. The entire story revolves around the ancient tradition of the blood feud. The reader first meets Gjorg, a young man who is set on avenging his older brother's death. When this is accomplished, he is granted a 30 day truce and then expects to be killed himself. The story line then introduces a newly married couple on their honeymoon who have come to the high plateaus of Albania to study the customs of the area, including the blood feud. The young woman is horrified at the unending string of "revenge" killings and it seems to change her entire outlook on her own life. It was fascinating to me to read about all the "rules" that governed, what I considered, continuing senseless killings. Overall, a quick and easy read with an extremely captivating subject.
The Bunnicula Collection: Bunnicula, Howliday Inn and The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe
3 stars
All I can say is cute, cute, cute. I'll certainly have to remember these when my grandsons get older!! I listened to the audio collection of the first 3 in the series: Bunnicula, Howliday Inn and The Celery Stalks at Midnight. This was read by Victor Garber, who I have always liked as an actor and he did a great job as a reader as well. The stories are accounts, provided by the family dog. Bunnicula is a baby bunny that the Monroe's found while they were at a Dracula movie. They brought him home and introduced him to the other furry members of the household--Harold the dog and Chester the cat. When strange white vegetables start showing up every morning, Harold and Chester have to figure out what's going on, whether Bunnicula is a vampire or not! The other two tales just carry on with this animal attitude of paranormal events occurring and their investigations of the events. Just a lot of fun. Children must love these.
Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner
3 stars
I picked this up to satisfy a challenge task--which I never completed but decided to read anyway because it looked like a quick read (which it was) and it was laying here so why not? Just a sweet, easy read which has a very strong, likable, moral character who suffers from the same indecision and lack of confidence that almost every teenage girl suffers from. Claire Boucher is a teenage girl who lives with her family in maple country. She loves everything about helping harvest the sap to make maple syrup, she is fascinated by math, has a very close best friend and more than anything, she loves to skate on the old cow pond as soon as the ice is thick enough to take her weight. At a small local competition, she skates an extraordinary program and is spotted by a scout who is looking for talent to groom for the Olympics. He offers her a scholarship and hardly believing her luck, she accepts. She certainly never expects to have her life turned on its tail--everything has suddenly become so difficult and now she has to make a huge decision that will affect the rest of her life. I certainly learned a lot about figure skating by reading this.
One by Sarah Crossan
5 stars
I really loved this book. It was an incredibly easy read but with such a huge impact. It is the story of conjoined twins, Grace and Tippi. They have been home schooled all their lives but are now going to go to be going to classes with other kids their own age. They know it won't be easy because people have been staring at them, taking their picture and asking embarrassing questions for as long as they can remember. The school administration pairs them up with a young girl who has her own problems that set her apart and so she knows how the twins feel and they become friends quickly. But life is certainly not done handing them new problems and the girls will soon have to make a couple of the biggest decisions they've ever been confronted with. This entire book is written in the form of poems, most of them only a page a two long that take us from event to event. It really reads like a regular story and I never felt like there were any gaps that left me questioning what happened. I just thought this was an extraordinary book. Although their particular situation is certainly not common, their thoughts, emotions and dreams are like any "normal" teenagers and I thought the author presented these in a very believable way.
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
4 stars
The first book in the Longmire series. I had read the second one in the series for my Mystery Book Club last month and was trying to fill in the first book before I moved forward with the set. Although I got through the second book and enjoyed it without the background from this one, I would recommend reading in order only because this first book gives us quite a bit of background for the constant characters. If you have seen the Longmire TV episodes, then feel free to start where you will because you will already be fairly familiar with most of the characters and feel pretty much at home with them. There are a few differences. In this book, a young girl from the Reservation, who has learning disabilities was gang raped a while back and now it looks like someone is finally taking the revenge that the court was unable to carry out. The story line, along with the interesting tribal beliefs and customs and the intelligent overall character conversations really draw the reader in. I look forward to continuing with the books and the TV series.
Memory Man by David Baldacci
4 stars
I listened to this production of Memory Man and enjoyed it. It was well done by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy. Amos Decker has an unusual ability. Ever since he suffered a violent blow to the head on his very first play in his first pro game, he has never been able to forget anything. This "photographic" memory was a plus as he decided to become a police officer and then detective. One evening, on his return home, he found the murdered bodies of his brother-in-law, wife and 9 year old daughter. With the memories of that evening indelibly left for him to obsess over, his life went down the tubes and he eventually became a homeless PI. Now, a little over a year later, a man has confessed to the murders and Amos wants nothing more than to talk to this man and find out why the crime was committed. Gaining access to the jailed man, by devious means, soon leads him to believe that solving the murders of his family is not going to be as simple as he hoped. When a mass shooting in the community leads to Amos being asked to help solve this new case, everyone would be surprised at the final outcome. I enjoyed the premise of this book and the constant action. My only complaint was that I thought it became a bit repetitious. There were several times when I thought I had missed changing out the disc because I'd already heard that particular part but no...just repeating again.
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
4 stars
A Printz Honors Book and well worth the read. I found the characters and setting both compelling and realistic. Based on the historic New London school explosion of 1937 (the worst school disaster in American history) but with a fictional love story between Wash, a young black preacher's son, and Naomi, a young Mexican girl living with her step-father and her white twin siblings. The racial lines are extremely well-drawn in this small Texas town created by the oil drilling business but in spite of everything two hearts in love will not be denied. Not an easy book to read but well written and very believable.
The Promise by Robert Crais
4 stars
I had read one previous book, the first in the series, by Robert Crais in the Elvis Cole series and was disappointed. So, when a friend said that they really enjoyed this, which is the 16th book in this series (and has by this point pulled in some other continuing characters, i.e. Joe Pike, Scott James and Maggie), I wasn't convinced but thought I'd give Mr. Crais a second chance. Turns out, it was a positive experience...I really did enjoy this book much more than the first one. This story starts out as a classic being in the wrong place at the wrong time kind of story line which pulls all of the characters together and then goes on to mostly page turning action. I enjoyed the way various scenes were described by various characters (including Maggie the dog) so that you got the different perspective of each. I enjoyed the readers of this audio (Luke Daniels and Macleod Andrews) much more than the reader of the first book of the series. Looks like I have a lot of catch up reading to do to fill in the gaps!!
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
3 stars
Read this for one of my book club discussions next month and it was interesting. A young African boy who cannot stay in school because the family cannot pay his tuition, spends his time studying books from the library. At first his intention was merely to keep up his studies until he could go back to school but, being interested in the sciences and learning how things work, he soon begins to get some ideas about building a windmill so that his family doesn't have to go to bed as soon as the sun goes down--they can have lights, stay up and enjoy their evenings. I did enjoy the various cultural beliefs and customs that were explained and I was truly impressed with just exactly how innovative this young man was but the actual electrical discussions regarding his reasons for putting the items together and getting them to work were tedious to me. Overall though, an inspiring book and quick read--if you have a few hours, you might enjoy it.
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
4 stars
A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, a German fairy tale. I read this for one of my book discussion groups this month. I love fairy tales, retold ones as well, so this was a fun read for me. It was also an easy, quick read. A young man returns from the war. Both of his parents died during the war and so he looks for shelter with his relatives. His uncle helps him get a job as a gardener at the palace. He, of course, meets the eldest of the twelve daughters and falls in love. But all is not well in the palace--every morning the twelve princesses have worn out their dancing shoes and no one can figure out why. The princesses cannot tell them what is happening and no one ever sees them leaving their rooms. The king requests that princes from throughout the kingdom attempt to discover the secret and if they can, their reward will be a marriage to one of his daughters. Just a sweet, enjoyable read.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
1 star
I only read this because it's on the 1001 list and was chosen as one of our books of the month so figured I may as well read it and get it out of the way. I had previously read Haunted by this author and it was horrible--just flat out grossening to the max. I'm just glad that this is the only book of his on the 1001 list. The premise of the book is that the main character's mother is in the hospital and he can't afford to pay all the bills so he goes to various restaurants and pretends to choke on his food. When someone saves him--as the old saying goes, once you save someone you become responsible for their life. From then on, he plays on their sympathies to get extra money for various reasons. However, to my way of thinking, there was really very little about that and mostly about his obsession sexual addiction. His catchphrase was "What would Jesus not do?". And believe me, it was worse than I could ever imagine. Not at all a book that appealed to me. The author read the audio book and he sounds like a nice guy and there were certainly a few places that I appreciated some interesting tidbits of information but they certainly didn't offset my dislike--but IMHO his mind is warped!
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
5 stars
I was thrilled when I realized that Ms. Meyer had collected all of these bridge stories into one volume. I had read several of these previously but 5 of these were totally new to me and it was great to revisit these wonderful characters and their interconnected stories. My favorite of them was "Something Old, Something New" just because the time frame is a couple of years after the end of "Winter" and just further sums up the relationships that we saw developing throughout the series. If you're a fan of The Lunar Chronicles, don't miss this...it's a treat. Included is a teaser for the new book Ms. Meyer will release in the fall of 2016...Heartless.
During the Reign of the Queen of Persia by Joan Chase
3 stars
Not at all what I thought I was going to read when this book was announced at my book club. This is a story about the women of a family told by the 4 young cousins who spend their summers with their grandmother, mothers and aunts on a farm in Ohio. Life has its ups and downs and the girls coast along with them; gossiping, playing, dreaming and watching their elders and observing how their role models handle things. This is not a page turner full of adventure but it is certainly a study of a close family of women, who are sometimes at odds with each other but always there for support, love and encouragement through thick and thin.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
4 stars
(Original review--really short and then my update):
I really enjoyed this short story although once I started reading it, I'm sure that I've read it before. But rereading has refreshed my memory and I'm glad that I did.
ADDENDUM:
This short read was selected for our Random Selection book read this month in 1001. It's such a short story but so complex that I decided to read it once again. It's amazing to me how little I remember of this horrifying tale of a woman who is slowly losing her grip on reality during a 3 week vacation. I really should try something else by this author.
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
4 stars
I have had this book on my TBR list forever, but I am really glad that I waited till now to read it. Last month I read Richard III. Then I listened to the full cast audio and then went to see the production at one of our local collages. If all of that hadn't happened last month, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much. The only problem is now I'm not sure that I think he was quite the monster that I was sure he was last month! I can't say that I fully understood all of the ins and outs of this particular historical time frame. With all the court intrigue, interrelated blood lines and what Alan Grant (who is a Scotland Yard investigator and the books protagonist) calls "Tonypandy" (which describes widely-believed historical myths), it is really difficult to keep everyone and every occasion straight--but I have to admit that I enjoyed the ride. The whole story begins when Grant is hospitalized with a broken leg. General boredom causes him to start thinking about Richard III's historical significance after a friend brings him a number of photos of people's faces and Richard's is among them. He enlists the help of a young research assistant to try and find out whether or Richard III was the horrible monster that history has made him out to be. A very enjoyable read.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
4 stars
This was a very enjoyable read, in spite of some of the story line. The compelling story of a young Ojibwe boy who lives on a reservation in North Dakota. After his mother is viciously attacked, his family life becomes so different from what it was. As a young man who is so close to manhood, he seeks revenge for her and tries to understand why people do the things they do. Along the way, the reader is treated to American Indian folklore and culture. Part mystery, part coming of age, part family dynamics...it is definitely an intense read.
That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern
4 stars
This is my second read so here is my original review and the small addendum:
A lovely book that basically reflects country life in Ireland in the 1980's. There is very little plot but the characters are interesting. The story just gently rolls from season to season and from happening to happening. The general feeling toward the end of the book is that progress is coming and this simple life is in danger of disappearing. There is a lot going on within these pages: marriages, deaths of neighbors and of livestock, divorce, friends and neighbors but it is all entwined with some wonderful descriptions of the Irish countryside. I really enjoyed the details provided that talked about taking the sheep and cattle to the slaughterhouse--not that I like thinking about that but the process was interesting. Reading about preparing a body for a wake--when there are no morticians--was also something I found fascinating--and explained the title of the book.
ADDENDUM: I will stand by my original review but I enjoyed this read much more this time around.
The Ghosts of HeavenGhosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
4 stars
This was really an amazing read. The book consists of 4 interrelated stories that the author states you may read in any order. I chose to read the book straight through and so the time line was linear. In my opinion, this is the best way to experience the book. There is a story about a young girl from prehistoric times who is one of only a small number of her tribesmen who has learned to make symbolic drawings with a stick. Next we have another young woman whose mother was cunning. When her mother passes, she attempts to take up her healing craft but the cries of "witch" are soon heard. The third story deals with a doctor who takes a post at a hospital for the mentally ill but finds an incredibly intelligent patient whose real problem is confronting a spiral staircase. And finally, an astronaut, who along with 500 plus sleeping companions, is headed for a new home but discovers that his ship may be haunted. Throughout the entire book, spirals are everywhere. I really enjoyed the way the author was able to interconnect these radically different stories.
Haunted by Heather Graham
4 stars
I really enjoyed most of the book, overlooking the mandatory 8 or so pages of sex that some authors think they have to include to make the book fun to read. I'm a big fan of the occult and I thought for the most part that the subject was well handled in this particular book. Sheriff Matt Stone is the owner of a Revolutionary War home in Virginia. Others have mentioned their run ins with the various ghosts around the grounds but Matt doesn't believe in ghosts so always looks for the "believable" explanation. His housekeeper finally convinces him to bring in an investigative team and since he has an acquaintance in the business, he calls him. To get things started, the agency sends Darcy Tremayne, a beautiful (thus the sex part) woman who has a unique link to the spirit world. Darcy soon discovers that some hauntings are not as dated as you might think and now she's not sure whether to worry about ghosts or the people she's working for. Although I actually (and unusually) figured this out before the end reveal, it was a fun read and kept me turning those pages, especially once I hit about the last quarter of the book.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
4 stars
Based on a true story about 3 women, Caroline Ferriday, Kasia Kuzmerick and Herta Oberheuser, whose lives would never have crossed if it had not been for the events of World War II. Kasia is a Polish teenager who tries to help the underground after Hitler's takeover. She, along with her sister, ends up at Ravensbrück, the only all female concentration camp. Herta Oberheuser is a young German doctor who wants to make something of her life and so applies for a position at Ravensbrück and becomes the only female physician there. Caroline Ferriday is a busy New York socialite, living in Paris working at the French consulate, never suspecting how the war will affect and direct her life. Dr. Oberheuser, conducts surgical experiments on the Polish prisoners, creating wounds and then infecting them with various materials. The hope is that it will help doctors treating the wounds of German soldiers in a more effective manner. The difference with this particular World War II tale is that it follows these 3 women into their post war lives and leads to what I considered a rather satisfying ending. I listened to the audio version read by Cassandra Campbell, Kathleen Gati and Kathrin Kana who all did wonderful jobs. The audio version also includes a very interesting statement from the author talking about how she was inspired to write the book and how she conducted some of her research.
The Black House by Peter May
5 stars
Recommended by one of my Goodreads friends--and I loved this. It is not an easy book to read in places because some of the details are graphic and the ritual for becoming a man on the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebrides is an animal lovers nightmare, although this part is not as graphic just disturbing. Fin Macleod who was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis, is now a police detective in Edinburgh, Scotland. He had investigated a gruesome murder there so, when a similar murder takes place on his home island, he is sent to see if the murderer might be the same person. This is the first time Fin has been back in years and he is reluctant. His reasons become clear as he starts his new investigation and starts interacting with friends and acquaintances from his childhood. As we meet those folks from his past, we read about Fin's memories of that time. Slowly but dramatically, we learn about all the secrets that made him glad to rid himself of his island home as soon as he was able. It's not unusual for me to not be able to figure out the ending but I never saw this one coming. A terrific read. I am anxious to get to the second one in this series.
The Walking Dead Vol. 03, Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman
4 stars
The 3rd in the series. My son actually loaned me all 3 compendiums--wow that's a lot of poundage!!! But since I started with individual volumes and I have 2 more sets in the smaller amounts, at least for the first compendium, I'll report them individually. Again, I love revisiting the beginning of the series and am continually surprised at the differences between the TV series and the graphic novels.
At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier
4 stars
I have not enjoyed some of Ms. Chevalier's more recent offerings (although I really enjoyed Girl With the Pearl Earring and loved Remarkable Creatures), so I was happy that this was a 4 star read. The story concerns a family who is trying to build a life in a swampy area of northern Ohio. The father is attempting to grow apple trees because apples are his obsession. He buys some of his seedlings from Johnny Appleseed and some he grafts from cuttings brought from back east. He is trying to reach the magic number of 50 trees so that the family can establish their claim on the land. His wife is really only interested in drinking the applejack that is made from their crop. When I first started listening to the story, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it because the husband and wife were so hostile with each other and it was feeling depressing but as the story progressed, we leave the constantly bickering husband and wife and focus on one of the sons who has gone out to seek his fortune. Robert, the youngest of their surviving children eventually heads west and becomes involved in gathering samples of giant sequoias and redwoods and delivering them to English gardeners who want them in their landscaping. His attempts to keep in contact with his family go unanswered but the letters are part of the story telling and I really enjoyed learning about his wanderings through the letters he sent back home. I found this to be a fascinating tale of historical fiction told through the letters he wrote and his interactions with the naturalist that befriends him. His past eventually does catch up with him and it affects his life in ways he would never have suspected. The audio was read by multiple readers and was, in my opinion, very well done.
The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittag Albert
4 stars
The second cozy in this series with the gardening ladies of 1930's Darling who seem to just naturally fall into the middle of whatever mysterious incident is taking place. I really think the beauty parlor in town is the center of it all--it's where all the current gossip is shared. Just a cute series which takes us back to a slower paced life when neighbors were always there to help and always knew all your business. In this particular story 2 ladies who used to dance in the Ziegfeld Follies are attempting to start a new life in Darling after finding out they had become involved with the Mafia and took a beating for it.
Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
4 stars
I had a bit of trouble at the beginning of this book but soon starting being able to sort the characters out and understand some of their daily life. Once that happened, I flew through the rest of the book. It was interesting to me to hear about some of the beliefs and rituals of this small community who lived in one small alley in Cairo. From the man who helped other men become beggars to the beautiful young woman who is seduced with jewels and lavish clothing away from her fiancee. Each of these characters seemed so real to me and the writing certainly conveyed the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. I wanted to know what would happen to them all.
Shelfari 50 Book Challenge
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Island of Bones Imogen Robertson
4 stars
My favorite of the series so far. Set in England in the late 1700's, as workers are preparing to move the remains of 2 bodies interred on the Island of Bones in the Lake District of Cumbria, they discover a 3rd body in the tomb. Gabriel Crowther is originally from this area and being an anatomist, he is requested to come and investigate. The spirited Harriet Westerman, recently widowed, comes as well bringing her young son. We meet Crowther's sister and nephew, neither very likable. As Crowther and Westerman attempt to solve the mystery of the extra body, a stranger in town is killed and the local "healer" is suspected. Add to all of this going on, the fact that someone is looking for The Luck--which is an ancient artifact covered in jewels, a young girl from the village is kidnapped and boarded up in a mine and Mrs. Westerman's son is attempting to help the local healer without her knowledge and you just can't put the book down. Rich in fascinating characters and history, this was a great read and although I prefer to read a series in order, I think you could read this without having read the first 2. There is much more background information regarding Mr. Crowther presented in this account, which I really enjoyed and I think it made me understand him and his attitudes better. I would highly recommend this series.