Library Lovers discussion

Part 2

When I say anything goes, I mean any type of book, from anywhere, doesn't have to be a library book.

Happy Never After – Kathy Hogan Trochek – 3***
I like this mystery series. It’s a little edgier than a traditional cozy, because Callahan is a former Atlanta Police Officer, but it has many of the classic elements of a cozy. I really enjoyed the premise in this installment, especially as I was a teenager in the era of the sixties girl groups.
LINK to my review

Mr. Adam
Pat Frank
3/5 stars
In this science fiction satire written in 1946, we find Mr. Adam as the only man left in the world with the ability to sire children after a atomic plant explosion. He is whisked away to Washington to assist in impregnating women but the politicians leave him disgusted and he does the only thing he can think of to prevent him from being the only fertile man around. I think this story has held up pretty well and while not a perfect novel, I found it pretty entertaining.

Life: The Man Who Kidnapped Barbara Mackle, Gary Krist
4 stars

I wish I had read this much closer to 83 Hours Till Dawn, the victim's perspective on this same case. One always wonders what a criminal could possibly be thinking when setting out on a nutty caper like this; Gary Krist tells you his motives without leaving anything out. He's led a remarkable, interesting life but there is even more than that going on between his ears. This is an incredible portrait of how someone can be super-intelligent at the same time he's as dumb as a whole box of hammers. This book will spirit you away from the false options of "is he crazy or is he sociopathic"? Real life is more complex than that, and so is Gary Krist. Read this one! Not for readers with low vocabularies. Krist likes 25-cent words and compound sentences. He also told me a lot more about his sex life than I felt I needed to know. Even so, this book flew by for me.

Great Apes, Will Self
2 measly stars

I really didn't like this book at all. I thought -- based on the prizes it's been awarded & the jacket copy -- that it would be some sort of comment on the nature of humanity. It was just a lot of perseveration on what's going on between the legs of the characters, and what sort of drugs they're putting up their noses while trying to advance their careers. Dull as beans!

I enjoyed Deadly Deception overall -- the case was weird and horrible and well-told enough for me to give it 4 stars -- although I was slightly put off by some of the writing, which got pretty clumsy here and there.

Elephant Company – Vicki Constantine Croke – 3.5***
Subtitle: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II. The subtitle really intrigued me and I was eager to read about this particular episode, but the author gives us more than 200 pages of background before we get to World War II and the vital role Williams and his elephants played in the fight against the Japanese.
LINK to my review

Desperate Characters
Paula Fox
3/5 stars
I have never read Paula Fox and when she passed away recently, I heard good things about her writing and had decided to add her to my reading list. In this book, Fox writes about a couple who are undergoing many changes in their lives but when a stray cat scratches Sophie, this act seems to exacerbate all their problems and causes Sophie to re-evaluate her life and her marriage. Fox does a wonderful job building up the tension in and between Sophie and her husband. It is so palpable it makes the reader uncomfortably share their despair.

I enjoyed The Naughty Book of Eel Recipes: Slippery When Wet so much that when I finished it, I turned back to the first page and started over. It is primarily a cookbook, but is full of goofy little stories about Eel promoters from around the world, for instance Winston Churchill vowing that "If Corporal Schickelgruber thinks he's going to taste lady So-and-So's baked Eels he's got another think coming," apparently the main thing on his mind as the Second World War rages at his feet. The recipes are pretty goofy, too: at one point when he instructs the reader to add the elephant garlic, he adds "mind the tusks."

I think he could have added many, many more excellent Eel recipes but he stuck to a few of his favorites, several of which involve Kalamata olives, tomatoes and (shudder) capers. No simple grilled Eel with the fat poured over the rice; no Eel sushi at all, and nothing involving smoked Eels. But as far as it goes, it's a fine read. I gave it 4 stars.

Baker Towers – Jennifer Haigh – 3.5***
This is the kind of character-driven literary fiction that I love to read and discuss with my F2F book club. Haigh focuses on the Novak family to tell the story of America in the years following World War II. It’s a microcosm of American life, that encompasses many of the issues faced by the nation during the 1930s through 1970s.
LINK to my review

Fishface wrote: "I enjoyed The Naughty Book of Eel Recipes: Slippery When Wet so much that when I finished it, I turned back to the first page and started over. It is primarily a cookbook, but is fu..."

I don't think I will read this but it definitely sounds very interesting and I love that they added stories to go along with the recipes.

Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder, Melanie Thernstrom
5 stars

This was a heartbreaking read about a Harvard premed student's steep decline into mental illness, the university's complete failure to notice or do anything meaningful to help, and the disastrous events that followed. The author, who has studied and taught at that school and even lived in the dorm where the murder-suicide occurred, was able to tell us a great deal about the people involved, and the role of Harvard itself in the events. This book is a powerful statement about the destructive power of isolation, the ways pain can destroy a person's life or make it more powerful, and the different ways people deal with the unbearable. This story will stay with me a very long time. If you loved The Dead Girl, be sure to read this one too; the author tells us something of what it's been like for her to cover another college murder so close to where her best friend was buried after being murdered at college.

Sycamore Row – John Grisham – 3***
A wealthy man commits suicide and leaves the majority of his estate to his black housekeeper. Why would he do such a thing? John Grisham can certainly write a thriller, and his courtroom scenes are entertaining, suspenseful and informative. I liked the various characters, or more accurately, I like the way Grisham writes these characters, even the smarmy attorneys hired by Seth’s children and Lettie’s n’er-do-well husband and distant relatives.
LINK to my review

They Were Strong and Good – Robert Lawson – 2**
Lawson tells the story of his parents and grandparents, and how they came to help shape the history of America. He accompanies the stories with detailed pen and ink drawings, for which he won the Caldecot medal. I realize this is a product of its time, but I am disturbed by the racism within.
LINK to my review

I gave 5 stars to Whipping Boy: The Forty-Year Search for My Twelve-Year-Old Bully. This was an outstanding read. The author, wanting to work through his Swiss-boarding-school-bully issues, sets out to find the roommate who made him so miserable in 1971 and 1972. Like every book I attempt to read that supposedly has nothing to do with crime, this one turned into an epic of true-crime investigative journalism -- but this one was touched with a strange magic. No matter where this guy went and how unwelcome he was when he got there, he discovered that all doors opened for him as soon as he told them his reason for being there. "I had a bully, too," they all said, handing over the information he wanted. Written in a light, tongue-in-cheek way that made the book speed by. Full of remarkable coincidences that make the story seem almost fated to happen this way.

Fishface wrote: "I gave 5 stars to Whipping Boy: The Forty-Year Search for My Twelve-Year-Old Bully. This was an outstanding read. The author, wanting to work through his Swiss-boarding-school-bully..."

This sounds really interesting and I can relate to that problem! No matter how long the bullying took place, it still resonates with the person bullied for the rest of their lives.

Bliss – Kathryn Littlewood – 2**
The Bliss family’s special Cookery Booke is full of ancient recipes for treats such as Cookies of Truth and Singing Gingersnaps. I think some middle-grade readers will be entertained and enjoy this, but I found it really awful. A few entertaining scenes and recognition that I am NOT the intended audience cause me to give it 2 stars.
LINK to my review

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener – M.C. Beaton – 3***
This series is growing on me, as I get to know Agatha better. She’s a smart woman in business (apparently), but she is woefully bad at relationships. It takes a long time to get to the murder with all the relationship drama, but once Agatha discovers the body, her curiosity keeps her nosing about. All in all a satisfying cozy mystery.
LINK to my review

The Book of Speculation
Erika Swyler
3/5 stars
Simon Watson, a librarian and his sister Enola have seen plenty of tragedy. Having lost both parents, one by drowning, they now live separate lives. After he loses his job, Simon receives an unusual book in the mail about a traveling circus that includes a story about a mermaid who drowned. Who sent him this book and why? Does this have anything to do with his mother's tragedy? Interesting read!

Julie wrote: "
The Book of Speculation
Erika Swyler
3/5 stars
Simon Watson, a librarian and his sister Enola have seen plenty of trage..."

I am so reading this.

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi – 4****
This memoir was written when Paul Kalanithi was in his mid-thirties, about to finish his training as a neurosurgeon, and had been diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer. I was interested and moved by his story.
LINK to my review

The Book of Speculation, Erika Swyler
5 stars!

An outstanding read and an outstanding addition to my "Family Secret" and "Piscatorial Love" shelves. The author intertwines a here-and-now personal crisis with a family history dating back to just after the American Revolution, as revealed in a very old book mailed to the protagonist by a total stranger. The writing drew me in immediately and kept me involved until I was spat out on the shore, gasping like a fish. I was sorry to see the story end. I long for a sequel. Where does the family go from here??? The book is impeccably put together and the only mistake I found in it, stem to stern, was the verb "prophesies" used in place of the noun "prophecies." Don't miss this one.

Fishface wrote: "The Book of Speculation, Erika Swyler
5 stars!

An outstanding read and an outstanding addition to my "Family Secret" and "Piscatorial Love" shelves. The author intertwines a here-..."

I too wondered what will happen to the brother and sister and felt that she left the story line hanging at the end. Perhaps she has a sequel planned.

Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery
Fred Van Lente
3/5 stars
Interesting modern take on Agatha Christie's original book with a title I can't print here but than titled Ten Little Indians and even later titled And Then There Were None. Van Lente changes up the original premise by using ten comedians that are being murdered one by one on a island. The ten comedians in the book are thinly disguised characters of some real life comedians which makes the book more fun to read. Not the greatest book I ever read but I found it a entertaining and fast read.

Sworn to Silence – Linda Castillo – 4****
First in a series. This is a tight, fast-paced thriller. I really like Kate; she’s intelligent, resourceful, fiercely protective, determined and a strong leader. Readers looking for a “cozy” Amish book should look elsewhere. There is a violent sexual predator on the loose and the victims endure torture and physical violence. I will keep reading this series.
LINK to my review

Julie wrote: "I too wondered what will happen to the brother and sister and felt that she left the story line hanging at the end. Perhaps she has a sequel planned."

*crosses fingers, eyes and toes*

My Mrs Brown – William Norwich – 4****
This is a lovely, charming story of one woman’s quest, at once modest and outlandish: to own an Oscar de la Renta sheath dress with jacket. Mrs Brown’s genuine goodness and politeness serve her well. Despite being the target of mean-girl behavior at work, and some serious setbacks, she perseveres quietly and consistently. It’s a wonderful fable, and I just love Mrs Brown.
LINK to my review

I buzzed thru LIST OF 10: The True Story of Serial Killer Joseph Naso and gave it 3 stars. The prepositional phrases really need work in this book, but it's a succinct read about a case that took at least 30 years to start falling into place. I was kind of appalled to learn that there is different information in different formats of the book, so I don't know how much I'm missing that I really, really, really want to know.

Morning Glory
LaVyrle Spencer
3.5/5 stars
It is the late 1930's and Elly Dinsmore, a recent widow and mother of two with one on the way, was desperate. She could not take care of her family and her home by herself so she advertised for a husband. Will Parker, a drifter, who served time in prison and could not find a steady job was also desperate till he sees her ad as his last chance to redeem himself. The two try to make a go of it though many obstacles keep getting in their way. I am not much of a romance reader but I really enjoyed this sweet novel about love and redemption.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest – J Ryan Stradal – 3.5***
A debut novel that shows the writer’s promise. The story is told in roughly chronological order, but each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. Through them the reader gets to know Eva, “the mysterious chef behind the most sought-after dinner reservation in the country.”
LINK to my review

12.21
Dustin Thomason
3/5 stars
December 12th, 2012 is well known for doomsayers and in this mystery thriller about the possibilities of the end of the world, a man comes to the ER in California, dying due to sleep deprivation from an unknown cause. Dr. Stanton, who investigates infectious diseases is called in to see this patient. In the meantime, Chel, a young Mayan researcher has received a rare, illegal codex from a Mayan ruin. As their paths collide, Chel and Dr. Stanton have to race to find the cure before the deaths of millions of people. Enjoyable read though you may need to suspend some disbelief while reading this story.

Outside Verdun, Arnold Zweig
5 stars!!!

All superlatives. A very fine novel about German "grunts" in the Great War, reminding us that there was far more to their lives than the war -- they were fighting all kinds of private battles, sometimes working together, sometimes opposing each other. This is also a great statement about the essential randomness and bizarrely coincidental nature of the war that gave us Dada and Surrealism. If you're interested in that sort of thing, this is profoundly Discordian reading. My edition was plagued by Spellchecky errors -- "solider" used in place of "soldier," "canon" in place of "cannon" -- that got worse as I got deeper into the story, as if someone started to correct the mess but then just gave up. That didn't slow me down.

Half Broke Horses – Jeannette Walls – 4****
In what she calls a “true life novel,” Walls turns her attention to her maternal grandmother: Lily Casey Smith. Walls is a wonderful storyteller; she really brings Lily and all the other characters to life. And what a life! The author also does a fine job of putting the reader into this time and place. I could practically smell the horses, and feel the dust on my skin.
LINK to my review

Book Concierge wrote: "

Half Broke Horses
– Jeannette Walls – 4****
In what she calls a “true life novel,” Walls turns her attention to her maternal grandmother: Lily Casey Smith...."

Great review!

Groot – Jeff Loveness (illustrated by Brian Kesinger) – 2**
Hmmm. Really don’t know what to say about this graphic novel / comics collection starring a talking tree with limited vocabulary, and a perpetually irritated Rocket Raccoon. Clearly I’m not the target audience, but I think I see the appeal. It satisfied a challenge and took my mind off my troubles for an hour.
LINK to my review

Lucky Man – Michael J Fox – 4****
Michael J Fox was barely thirty years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. This is his memoir in which he explains how and why “I consider myself a lucky man.” He is honest and forthright in describing his childhood, early career, missteps, alcohol abuse, successes, and failures. I was interested and engaged in his story. Not your typical celebrity memoir.
LINK to my review

Sleepers, Lorenzo Carcaterra
5 enthusiastic stars!

This is going to be the book to beat this year for Best Read. It's a rich, involving memoir of growing up in Hell's Kitchen and learning to negotiate the ins and outs of that world. From there the rug is yanked out from underneath the author and his best friends and they end up in a whole new nightmare. What follows is apparently also a true story, but to me -- a revenge-minded grudge-holder from way, way back -- it reads like the unlikeliest of fairytales. Beautifully written. My only unanswered question: Why was this an alternate selection for the Book of the Month Club instead of a main selection?

The Longings of Wayward Girls
Karen Brown
3/5 stars
In the early 2000's, Sadie, a young mother who after facing a miscarriage, reflects on her life and the choices she made in the past and the present day when she gets involved with a man from her youth. His return brings back the horror of a summer in the 70's when a girl went missing and reveals the extent of their culpability. There is a feeling of dread through out this story.

Endless Night
Agatha Christie
3.5/5 stars
A young heiress, Ellie meets a young man, Michael who is chauffeuring her through Europe. They fall very much in love and marry. After their marriage, Michael finds out a piece of property called Gypsy's Acre is up for sale and convinces his wife to buy it even though there is a curse on the property. Another wonderful read from the great Christie. I sped through this in a weekend because I just could not put it down.

Don’t You Cry – Mary Kubica – 2.5**
Quinn is a bad roommate, but when Esther goes missing, she’s concerned and determined to find the truth. Meanwhile, Alex is besotted with the strange woman, Pearl, who frequents the diner where he works. The plot is convoluted and complicated, yet somehow lacks suspense. I was not impressed.
LINK to my review

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
Julia Quinn
4/5 stars
Miss Miranda Cheever has a unhappy home life with a father who spends little time with her. To compensate she spends most of her time with her best friend, Olivia Bevelstoke. When Olivia's brother the Viscount Turner returns home after his horrible wife died, he runs into Miranda, who is quite lovely as a grownup. Turner and Miranda become attracted to each other but of course they have to go through quite a lot of grief before we learn their fate. I found this to be a fast read and enjoyed the romance between the two characters. If you like the romance genre, you will probably appreciate this book.

The Dud Avocado – Elaine Dundy – 2**
The book jacket promises “the romantic and comedic adventures of a young American who heads overseas to conquer Paris in the late 1950s. Charming, sexy, and hilarious…” That’ll teach me to believe a book jacket blurb. There are some scenes where Dundy really captures my attention – the way she describes a perfect cocktail, or the guests at a dinner party, for example – but I was bored with most of it. Sally has no real purpose and I just didn’t care what happened to her or her “friends.”
LINK to my review

Under This Unbroken Sky – Shandi Mitchell – 5*****
This debut work just about broke my heart. Mitchell’s writing is luminous and poetic in places, making the landscape and weather central characters in the drama that unfolds in the last 1930s on the plains of Northern Canada. The novel touches on the immigrant experience, the harsh realities of prairie life, domestic abuse, faith, friendship, charity, pride, survival and forgiveness. This is a book, and an author, that deserves a wider audience.
LINK to my review

Why Shoot a Butler?
Georgette Heyer
4/5 stars
This classic mystery novel by the prolific author Georgette Heyer still stands up today. Barrister Frank Amberley is on his way to a wedding when he becomes lost due to the directions his cousin gave him. He happens upon a car with a dead man in it and a young girl standing beside it. Believing the girl had nothing to do with the murder; he drives to the police station to report it and so begins his part in a murder mystery which revolves around an inheritance. Thoroughly enjoyable though the ending is a little dated.

Right now I'm reading The Golden Passport: Harvard Business School, the Limits of Capitalism, and the Moral Failure of the MBA Elite by Duff McDonald; only about half through but think I'll be giving this one 5/5.

The Member of the Wedding – Carson McCullers – 4****
Twelve-year-old Frankie Adams is bored with life and longing for adventure, for a sense of belonging to something “bigger.” Carson McCullers has a way of writing her characters that draws the reader into their very souls. Frankie’s journey through this phase of adolescence is at once painfully distressing, funny and charming. I was, in turns, afraid for Frankie and amused by her.
LINK to my review

Book Concierge wrote: "

The Member of the Wedding
– Carson McCullers – 4****
Twelve-year-old Frankie Adams is bored with life and longing for adventure, for a sense of bel..."
I read this years ago. What a nice read and it was made into a movie.

This Sweet Sickness
Patricia Highsmith
4.5/5 stars
Part of my challenge this year was to read more mysteries and as luck would have it, our library had a mystery display and on it were books by Patricia Highsmith, the talented writer of Stranger On a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. I had seen both movies so I was interested in something of hers that I wasn't familiar with and I found this 1960 book of hers that sounded so intriguing and I wasn't disappointed. The story centers around a young man, David Kelsey who is a talented scientist, however he is obsessed with a young woman he dated a few years ago. She, unfortunately, married another man but remained friendly with him. To console himself, he buys a home and lives the life he would have liked to live with her as his wife on the weekends. He returns to his job on the weekdays while living in a boarding home during that time. He also continues to contact his ex and when her husband finds out he confronts David and which sets in motion events that overwhelm David's fragile state.

Death in Yellowstone - Lee H Whittlesey - 1*
If you’re looking for a dry recitation of facts this is the book for you. If you are looking for a compelling, adventure / thriller try Night of the Grizzlies instead.
LINK to my review

Abandoned Prayers: The Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession and Amish Secrets
Gregg Olsen
4/5 stars
This is the unbelievable and horribly true story of the life of Eli Stutzman, an Amish man whose wife died in mysterious circumstances in 1977 and then years later in 1985; his son was also found dead. Many believed Eli killed them and this is the story of their deaths and Eli's wild life. Unfortunately, this ends before we find out what happened to Eli at the end of his life but there are a couple of web pages that discuss what happened to him after the book ended.

Someone from this group or one of my other groups recommended this but I cannot remember who-but thanks for the recommendation.