Dust by Patricia Cornwell

My latest is another from the Kay Scarpetta series.  This one takes place just after the Sandyhook massacre and Kay has just returned to Boston after working in assisting with the autopsies of the children.  She is spent, exhausted and sick but alas, another seemingly impossible murder lands on her doorstep.  Compound all that with the fact that the murder is pointing towards another serial kill, and her work is cut out for her and her team.

I have to say - I do love Patricia Cornwell but I'm wondering if she isn't getting to rote, too quick in producing her novels.  She certainly is thorough in her knowledge but is it reasonable that the events that take place, do so in a matter of hours?  I'm not so sure that's realistic...even for a work of fiction.  That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and would continue to recommend the series to anyone who likes a who-done-it. 

We Are Water by Wally Lamb

My latest is the 4th novel I've read of Wally Lamb's.  (He's had non-fiction I've read as well). As usual - he doesn't fail to amaze in his writing.

We Are Water is a novel that centers around Annie Oh and the life-changing decisions she's made at a time when most people are settling in to middle age.  A time when most people are starting to take a breath after the hard work it sometimes takes to get to middle age.  Instead, Annie has decided, after 27 years of marriage, to leave her husband and marry Viveca, her wealthy, Manhattan art dealer.  A woman.  The lead up to their wedding follows Annie's uncertainty as her past seems to be catching up to her...as secrets start to chase her. There are many side stories in We Are Water and all of them keep you turning the pages.  It's a beautiful account of one woman's attempt to bury a painful past and the futility and harm that can result.

Once again, Wally Lamb doesn't fail to impress and his writing is beautiful.  There are a handful of writers out there (in my humble opinion) who make words sing and dance across a page and make me so enamored of their talent.  Wally Lamb is high on that list. (Pat Conroy, John Steinbeck are some others). Read this and if you 've not read him before - pick up all his books...you'll want to read them again and again.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

You know, I say I'm not a sci-fi fan but then I loved the Hunger Games trilogy and enjoy me some sci-fi films so, when I found a website that listed the "must reads before you see the movie" Ender's game (as well as Divergent and the City of Bones) were on the list.  I remember dating Bob in the 1990s and he raved about this book but of course, back then, being the "English Major" that I was, I was too good for sci-fi...God I was such a righteous ass back then.  Anyway: the premise:

Ender Wiggin is a brilliant 6-year old...the youngest (a "third) in a family of geniuses. Future Earth, has survived two attacks by an alien race called Buggers.  It is well-known, however, that a third invasion is coming and the results of this one will either be complete triumph or total defeat. The government is scrambling to make sure this never happens by training the next set of star fleet commanders from childhood.  Based on Ender's accomplishments and his keen mind, he is chosen for Battle School.  Here he learns military strategy and how to be a leader.  The cost, however, is the loss of his childhood, seclusion and loneliness.  The question:  Is Ender the one?  Can he be the savior for all humankind?  And what's real and what is the Game?

I LOVED this book...and again...sci-fi has apparently never been my thing.  I know I may be a 43-year old woman (God, am I really that old?  I still feel like I'm 25!  Except for the aches and pains in my hips sometimes and the fact that I can't sit Indian-style for very long anymore) but there's nothing quite like the complete escape from a world that doesn't seem possible.  Even if you think sci-fi isn't your thing, try this book out...I guarantee you will like it!

Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini

Round Robin is the 2nd in the Elm Creek Quilt Series.  This one focuses a lot more equally on all the ladies from the first novel but it's just as good as the first...maybe even better.

At the end of The Quilter's Apprentice, Sarah McClure and Sylvia Compson have come together to start a quilting camp at Sylvia's estate.  They enlist the help of their friends as well to help teach classes.  In this novel, the quilters decide to surprise Sylvia with a round robin, and in passing the work-in-progress to one another, their stories unfold. Sarah is struggling with her relationship with her mother and a mid-life crisis her husband Matt seems to be going through. Gwen must accept that her daughter wants to work at the quilt store rather than attend graduate school. Diane is trying to cope with her teen-aged sons, one of whom seems to be on the road to delinquency. Bonnie finds out her husband is about to embark on an affair and she struggles on how to deal with that. Judy is confronted with a family she never knew she had.  Finally, Sylvia, whose health is deteriorating discovers hope in new love.

The Elm Creek Quilt Novels have the potential of being too sweet to stand but the writing is really very good and the characters are - as I've said in my review of the first novel - so real and so flawed that you can't help but love them and root for them despite their trips, falls and mess-ups.  I completely recommend this series but start at the beginning so you don't miss a step.

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

Here's another book from an author I've never read.  This author has been recommended to me by my mom forever.  This one is the first in the "Elm Creek Quilts Novels".

From Library Journal: "Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, have just moved to Waterford, PA. While Matt finds work with a landscape company, Sarah, an accountant, wants to try something new. With no leads and no offers, she is depressed and frustrated. When elderly Sylvia Compson asks Sarah to help prepare her family estate for sale, Sarah finds new friends, and Sylvia, a master craftswoman, agrees to teach Sarah how to quilt. Sarah's new relationship inspires an exchange of confidences; she learns about Sylvia's "family skeletons" while facing her own difficult relationship with her mother. Patiently piecing scraps of material, the quilters explore both women's lives, stitching details and solutions together slowly but with courage and strength."

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a quick, easy read with characters that were well-written and real.  I hate when main characters are perfect and flawless (a flaw in itself) - people with whom you can't identify.  Chiaverini didn't do that with her characters.  They all had issues that they were all trying to deal with and the realness of them made you root for them.  I look forward to reading the rest of this series and see where their lives have taken them.  (Next in the series is Round Robin.)

Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook

My latest read is from an author I've never read...although from the number of best selling novels he's written, I'm surprised I've never come across him until now. 

The premise of Master of the Delta: Jack Branch grew up in the Plantation section of a small Mississippi town. In 1954, he returns to his hometown at 24, to teach high school literature at his alma mater.  While conducting a class on evil throughout history, Jack discovers that one of his students is the son of the "Coed Killer" a notorious and local killer whose crime occurred a dozen years back. Jack feels drawn to this boy and feels compelled to mentor and encourage Eddie's discovery and truth of his fathers crime.  Jacks decision to do this ends up having deadly consequences and more than one persons truth is revealed.

This was quite a page-turner.  I have to say, I didn't know what to expect while reading and was forever on the edge of my seat.  Cook has a way of writing that gives amazing detail and life to his descriptions of nature, the south and his characters.  I really, really liked this book and look forward to reading another by Thomas H. Cook.  Read it - you won't be disappointed.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

My mom told me about this author long ago but I knew it was a series so I've never read her until now because I had to wait until the first was available at Half Price.  My lucky day came the last time I went shopping there. 

Big Stone Gap centers on the main character - Ave Maria Mulligan.  She is the self-proclaimed "town spinster" - although she is only 36. Her life has recently taken a turn because her beloved mother passed away after a long illness and so she is now reexamining her path.   And then on a fateful day in 1978 (yes it takes place then), she discovers that her mother kept a secret about her that would change things forever. Before she knows what's happening, the town is abuzz about her business, men are asking to marry her left and right and greedy relatives are claiming a stake in her inheritance. All of this is slightly too much for Ave and so she starts carving her way through the muck in a not so graceful way. 

Big Stone Gap is full of hilarious and lovable characters.  It's one of those novels you will read when you want to feel good.  It has it's moments of sappiness but who can't do with a little sappiness now and then.  A great and easy read...highly recommended...and the 2nd in the series that I will be hunting down is called Big Cherry Holler.

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...how excited am I when I find an AMAZING series to read?!  Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight!?  Well, thank you Jesus (or better yet, Veronica Roth) for A) this new series and B) bringing my attention to it.

So the premise - the world (which is the futuristic and much changed city of Chicago) has been re-shaped into five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). At the age of 16, children choose (based on the results of testing) the faction in which they will spend the rest of their lives.  When Beatrice Prior is given unclear results on the best faction for her, she is torn between choosing family or where she believes her talent really lies. In the end, she surprises herself in her choice and from there moves on to a training that will challenge her physically, mentally and emotionally. 

Loved, loved, loved this book.  Loved "Tris"...loved the turmoil she went through, loved how she was true to herself more than anything or anyone else.  Can't wait to read Insurgent (the next in the trilogy) and can't WAIT to see the movie (which also stars Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn).  If you read nothing else of my recommendations - read this one.  You won't be sorry. 

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

My most recent read is teen fiction but don't let that stop you from reading. 

Here's the scenario: Clary Fray is a normal 16-year old New Yorker. She lives, in Brooklyn, with her single mother (father died before she was born) and spends most of her time with her best friend Simon. When they head out to the all-age club Pandemonium, she never expects to be witness to a murder.  And more than that - the murderers are three teens covered in tattoos and wielding strange weapons. When the body vanishes before her eyes, she knows there's something strange going on.  Then, Clary's mother is kidnapped and Clary is nearly killed by what appears to be a giant scorpion. From there she's drawn into a world she's never known - a world of Shadowhunters: Warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons.  Why is she just now being made aware of this world?  What is the connection it has with her mother? What is the connection to her? 

I read this book in record time...it was quite enjoyable.  Completely supernatural and strange but the great writing kept the thrills coming.  I gave it only 4 stars because there were some things that weren't explained completely.  In a world where things are new and different with strange names, the reader isn't always given a complete explanation for what they are supposed to be imagining.  Didn't take away from the enjoyment but I can imagine some people having a hard time.  By the way - this book has been made into a movie, coming out in August (Lily Collins - Phil Collins daughter - plays Clary)...I certainly look forward to that. Read it - you'll be swept away in a world you've never imagined.

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The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson

My latest (description from Amazon): Meet five North Carolina women who are about to change the way you think about friendship. For Rhonda, a gritty, fun-loving hairdresser in tight jeans, the sights and smells of Ridgecrest Nursing Center are depressing. But before she can change her mind about working there, two residents glue themselves to her: Margaret, droll and whip-smart, with a will of iron that never fails her even when her body does, and Bernice, an avid country music fan who is rarely lucid. Together with Lorraine, their church-going, God-questioning nurse, and her daughter, April, bright and ambitious, they lock arms in courage and humor for a journey that speaks to us all—of how we live and die, of how we love and forgive.

I really loved this book.  It was truly a book on how to be a better person. It showed such a unique and improbable friendship between four completely opposite people and yet their quartet made such sense.  The common denominator between them was unselfishness and a sincerity for simply being good and honest which in turn drew them together. Their different backgrounds and ages and races made no difference when real life stepped in.  All that mattered then was an arm to hold on to, a shoulder to cry on and someone to simply hold their hand when they were scared or tired. A simple feel good book.  Read it.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

My latest is from an author I've never read before but he is now on my list...I plan on buying and reading all his books as soon as possible.

This Is Where I Leave You is the 5th novel for Jonathan Tropper. The main character - Judd Foxman - has just lost his father, he just found out his wife has been sleeping with his boss for the last year and she's just delivered the news that she's pregnant.  If that isn't enough, his atheist father made a last wish on his death bed that he would like his family to sit Shiva. This could prove bad for all involved considering his 1 sister and 2 brothers (along with his mother) haven't been in the same room without fists and insults flying in years.  What ensues is a week of shocking revelations and the beginning of a new life for some.

I mean, I haven't laughed so hard while reading a book in a long time.  I wish I were as clever with my writing as Jonathan Tropper. In fact, I wish I were as witty with my insults and sarcasm as well.  Of course if I let those fly to my own family they would disown me. But for the Foxman family - it comes from love and an fear/inability to effectively display their emotions.  So funny...you MUST read!

Some Things That Stay by Sarah Willis

So my latest (this synopsis is from Amazon): "Tamara Anderson was in third grade when she found out most people stay in the same house for more than a year. Until then she thought everyone picked up and moved on a regular basis, crossing the country, leaving behind people and bedrooms and belongings. Now she’s turning fifteen, and she wants to stay in Mayville, New York. At first glance, there isn’t much to stick around for. In the tarpaper house across the road there are the Murphys, the Baptist family who upset Tamara’s atheist parents by inviting her to church. In the pasture there’s Edith the cow. And up in the attic there’s the ghost of the boy who used to live here, or at least that’s what Tamara suspects. But this time Tamara is putting her foot down, and planting it…"

I really liked this book.  It was an easy read with likable characters. Prior to reading this, I couldn't imagine how it must feel to have to move because of your eccentric parents but after finishing, I have a better understanding of the turmoil that Tamara went through.  There's so much more to this book that a 15-year olds angst but I don't want to ruin anything.  Read - you will like.

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

This was the type of book that I tried to savor for as long as possible but couldn't because it was too good.  I didn't want to put it down.

The synopsis: Arthur and Jake Dunn are brothers growing up in Struan, Ontario (a fictional in the Canadian Shield) during the 30s/40s...a time of struggle, on the cusp of war. They are the sons of a farmer and as opposite as two people could be.  Arthur is strong, solid, dutiful and set to take over the farm.  He is the pride of his father.  Jake is the younger, attractive, can-do-anything son who has the ability to wrap every person around his manipulative finger. His mother's pride and joy.  And with all this, of course there is a rivalry that is sure to tear lives apart. 

In the same town, 25 years later, there is Ian Christopherson, the son of the town doctor.  He's a good kid, with a level head who is slightly afraid of the future but more than that, afraid of falling into a rut, doing the thing that is expected of him.

Somehow, these two world intermingle and become locked together by fate.  And as sometimes happens, fate deals a shitty hand every now and then.

The cover of this book (shown) sums it up best: Heartbreak, truth, lies, tears, grief and hope. This book had reminders of East of Eden (John Steinbeck) and of course with that, the story of Cain and Abel.  You hated who you were supposed to hate; loved the lovable characters and cheered for the good to slay the bad.  Sure signs of a gifted author.  Mary Lawson can keep on writing them because I will always want to read her books.  Such amazing story telling.  A definite must read!

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

A new author for me...and I'll be adding his other books to my list.

The Synopsis: Silas "32" Jones and Larry Ott were once "friends" during the 70s. They were an odd mix, however: Larry, the son of white parents and lower-middle class and Silas the black son of a single parent, poor and sometimes homeless. They shouldn't have gotten along, should never have even met, but for a couple months, they shared a bond. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Larry took a girl on a date and then she disappeared, never to be seen again.  Larry was never charged with a crime but only because a body was never found and he never confessed.  The people of his town, however, sentenced him with the crime and proceeded to make him "pay" in tortuous ways. Silas, in the wake of the "crime" left town. Twenty-five years later, Larry is living his lonely life in the same town and Silas has returned to the town as constable.  Through similar circumstances, Larry is put into the spotlight again when another girl disappears.  Larry and Silas are once again thrust into each others paths. 

This was a superb book.  Great writing, great characters, a great mystery.  So good...I don't want to say any more because I don't want to ruin it...read it though...you'll love it!

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

From the author that wrote The Friday Night Knitting Club comes Comfort Food.  I think I should preface and say that anything with 3.5 and up stars is worth a read.  Don't let my review deter you. (More on this below).

So the preface: Augusta "Gus" Simpson is a successful cook with a history of successful cooking shows on a national cooking channel.  Just before she turns 50, the network decides it wants to boost ratings by pairing her up with a beautiful, young (will do whatever she has to do to get ahead) Brazilian.  Gus, feeling a bit competitive, decides that she will do what she has to do to keep her status and show in the limelight.  With all that going on, Gus is also dealing with her two daughters and what she believes to be their "lacking" lives.  She's also trying to re-start her love life (she's been a widow for about 15 years). All in all the circumstances Gus is dealing with could prove to be a possible rejuvenation of her career or its downfall.

So like I said, don't let the lack of stars to deter you from reading...I liked the book...it was enjoyable and an easy, breezy read.  I just get irritated sometimes about characters (like Gus) who get too wrapped up in the ridiculous.  Like her interference with her daughters...it's ridiculous and a bit unrealistic. And that doesn't mean Gus wasn't a likable character...she was but I felt like some of the events in the book were added unnecessarily...maybe to make it longer?  I don't know...still a good "summer" read.

A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy

My latest read is Maeve Binchy’s last novel A Week In Winter. Sadly, Maeve died a short time after completing the novel. I must say – I have ALWAYS loved reading Maeve and I am sad to know that I will never get to read a new novel of hers again.

 

So the storyline: Chicky Starr has recently returned to Ireland after many years of living in the U.S. She had left her home to follow the man she loved but when he left her, she was left with nothing.  Now, she has returned so she can finally build a life worth living.  The life she builds revolves around Stone House – a place near her home of Stoneybridge - and turning it into a hotel of sorts where travelers who love nature and beautiful views can come and relax.  She recruits many people in her plans and together, they prepare for the opening of her retreat on the cliffs of western Ireland.  During her opening week – the reader is introduced to several characters: John – a well-known movie star who thinks no one knows who he is; two married doctors seeking solace after their careers have left them heart-broken; Winnie and Lillian, two mismatched ladies taking a holiday together and a few more guests to add to the mix. 

 

Maeve Binchy has become a beloved novelist in her use of characters and the way she ties these people from such different walks of life together.  Once again, she has managed to entrance and enthrall.  I loved this book.  I tried to read it slowly so as to savor but alas, I was finished with it too quickly.  Read for yourself.

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

Okay – so my latest…here’s a synopsis:

 

It’s 1954…racial tension is at a boiling point…segregation has become the hot topic in all of the South (Brown v. Board of Education has just been ruled on) and Jubie Watts (June Watts) is a 13 year-old coming of age.  On a scorching day in August, she leaves her home in Charlotte, NC with her mother, 3 siblings and Mary – their black housekeeper – for a Florida vacation.  On the trip, Jubie begins noticing all the anti-integration signs which become more and more prevalent the further south they get.  It all leads up to a shocking and horrific incident which leaves Jubie reeling and forces her into a grown-up role she wasn’t quite ready for.

 

This book held so much promise based on the description.  And I liked it, I did…3.5 stars is pretty good.  I mean, I finished the book and it certainly held my interest but there were just certain things that didn’t make it great.  I felt as though the book didn’t delve deeply enough into the characters.  I didn’t have as deep a connection to Mary as I should have had. Additionally – there was a plot line that was sort of thrown in at the end that came, it seemed out of nowhere.  This book was about Jubie and the effects that segregation and racism had on her.  It was about her love for Mary and how the racism she was surrounded by shaped her.  It was also about the shock that one suffers when  realizing that parents are imperfect, human and, in fact, very flawed. All of this was obvious but there just wasn’t enough of an emotional connection.  The book lacked flavor…it was just a bit dull.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

It's been a while, hasn't it, since I've experienced a truly deserved 5-star read? This one is certainly worthy.

Here's the synopsis: It's a lovely Friday (Good Friday to be exact), on a twisted mountain road and our narrator, high on something and drinking to boot, wrecks his car causing it to tumble down a ravine.  As he lies , trapped, upside down in the wreckage, his car bursts into flames, leaving him to burn along with it.  Fortunately (or unfortunately as our narrator sees it) there's a stream nearby that saves his life.  In the months following he recovers, against all odds and so he plots and plans for his release and a most amazing suicide. Several months into his painful recovery, a woman unknown to him (a psyche ward patient it seems), Marianne Engel, begins visiting him. She claims that they were lovers in 14th century Germany and this is his third serious burn. She's there to see him through his rehabilitation and in doing so she leads him through their years together with stories of their many past lives in Iceland, Japan, Italy and of course Germany where the journey began.  The narrator finds himself looking forward again and her stories breathe life back into an existence he thought was destroyed forever.  Their journey together is unbelievable and yet...

I had this book on my shelves for a long time before finally picking it up and deciding to read...it doesn't scream "feel good", that's for sure. The first few chapters are quite repulsive as the reader suffers the descriptions of our narrators horrible burns. It turns out, this book is, actually, a feel good book, however, one has go through a bit of suffering to get to the good stuff.  But doesn't suffering sometimes go hand in hand with love? It certainly does for our narrator and Marianne Engel.

Read this book.  It was incredibly powerful and one of the greatest love stories I've read in a long time.  LOVED!

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

My most recent read is a book about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife – Hadley Richardson. The two met in Chicago, 1920. She was 8 years Ernest’s senior. She had lived a very sheltered life in St. Louis (having been sheltered by a mother fairly worried and even obsessed about Hadley’s health) until her mother died and she paid a visit to a childhood friend in Chicago. There she met Hemingway and after a whirlwind courtship, the two married and moved to Paris. It was during this time that Ernest struggled to become noticed and where he wrote The Sun Also Rises. The two lived the high life (though they struggled financially) rubbing elbows with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda; John Dos Passos; Ezra Pound; Gertrude Stein and many more. The Roaring 20s were well underway and they lived it up to the fullest: drinking, travelling, going to Spain for the annual bullfight etc. They had a child and as often happens when a life seems so out of control, their marriage fell apart.

I really liked this book (5 stars). It is a definite must read, although I was exhausted just reading about all the boozing and dancing and more boozing this “lost generation” did. And though it wasn't a book about Ernest Hemingway so to speak, it made me want to read Ernest Hemingway again because it gave me better insight about who he was and why he wrote the way he did – glorifying such things as war and drinking and bullfighting and generally living a life out of control. Mostly, however, I loved Hadley Richardson and I felt bad for her because it was so easy to see from the minute she met Ernest Hemingway, she was on the road to hurt and loss. Such a man could never be happy or content with any ONE thing. (And this wasn't due to mental illness for he certainly suffered from that). She was always at risk for personal disaster but seeing it, she still powered through and fought. In a way, when her marriage ended, I believe Hadley finally found herself. Her whole life with Ernest was Ernest and only Ernest and when he moved on to something more exciting, she was finally able to live a fuller life. Read this...you will enjoy!

Girls In White Dresses by Jennifer Close

This is my latest book on CD. I usually pick what looks to be easy, chick-lit, somewhat mindless “reads” to listen in my car. This one was no exception and that isn't an insult (nothing wrong with mindless reads especially when they make you laugh out loud).

So the premise: Girls in White Dresses focuses on three friends, Isabella, Mary and Lauren – 20-somethings, making their way in NYC. Isabella is working in a dead-end job she hates, dating a pot-head; Mary is struggling her way through law school and dating a nice guy with an awful mother; Lauren is stuck waitressing and getting sucked into a “going nowhere” relationship with a sleazy bartender. The one constant in their lives seem to be each other and alcohol. The three are sick of brides and bridal showers and being bridesmaids and yet wish they didn't have to spend time in the dating pool. I REALLY liked this book. (4 stars only because of its lack of “depth”). Partly, I’m sure, because the woman reading was hilarious. She gave the characters such great voices but of course, that couldn't have happened without great writing. This book made me laugh out loud many times and I the characters were real and likable. I’d definitely read/listen to Jennifer Close again.