The Survivors: A Novel
by Jane Harper
Another great mystery from Jane Harper (12/22/2020)
Jane Harper continues to write winners. The Survivors is her fourth book and although it is hard to pick a favorite, this might be the best one yet.
The setting for this book is a small coastal town in Tasmania. Kieran Elliott returns home to help his parents move. He brings along his girlfriend Mia and baby daughter Audrey. We learn that twelve years prior a terrible storm happened and several people died, including Kieran's brother Finn and his partner. Kieran blames himself for these deaths because of a stupid error on his part.
Shortly after Kieran's return a girl is found murdered on the beach. As the murder is investigated, old secrets and resentments surface.
Harper masterfully reveals the past and present connections between characters in the book. She is also good at creating a small town atmosphere. The red herrings were great and I was kept guessing up to the end.
I highly recommend the book and I can't wait until her next one!
The Wolf and the Watchman
by Niklas Natt och Dag
Avoid (11/19/2020)
I'm sorry to say this book is just horrible. Stomach-turning grisly violence. I'd hate to be in this author's head. I have no idea why someone would write a book like this unless they enjoy knowing they gave the readers nightmares.
American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins
Moving immigration story (8/23/2020)
A compelling story about a mother and her young son fleeing violence in Mexico. With so many stories about immigrants these days, it was good to read a book that described the harrowing journey immigrants must make when there is no other choice but to leave their homeland.
This book is a page-turner. The characters will stay with you and unless you have a heart of stone, you will come away with a deeper sympathy for those who must flee.
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking
by Bill Buford
A book to savor and devour (8/23/2020)
A fabulous food memoir written by Bill Buford. This book and his other book "Heat" have convinced me that Buford belongs in the pantheon of great food writers (he's a great writer anyway). I loved this book about his adventures moving himself, his wife and their twin boys (age 3 at the time) to France so that he can learn French cooking. He figures they will stay for a few months, but that turns into five years. He chooses to live and learn in Lyon which is considered the epicenter of French cuisine. There he apprentices in various restaurants and a bakery.
He details his experiences with great humor and his passion for food is clear. He reminds us that cooking and eating are basic and should not be rushed. Here is a great quote from the book that explains the title: "We learned the taste of good food. That comes from a place, as it has for thousands of years, from a soil that is a testament to its ancient history. Good food tastes of itself."
Great book for a food lover, cook or anyone who loves good writing.
The River
by Peter Heller
Good adventure story (7/8/2020)
Best friends Jack and Wynn embark on a river trip which should be idyllic but is not. We know from the first sentence that there is a fire up the river. As they are traveling in their canoe, they meet a pair of Texans who are camping out and who seem unconcerned about the fire. As they head on they overhear a couple having a heated argument.
Thus begins a good action, adventure story. The author is clearly an outdoors man and his descriptions of the river and surroundings are beautiful. I loved the pace of this book which builds into a thriller. You are likely not to put the book down until you are finished.
I do think the author's descriptions of the Texans were somewhat stereotypical and I wanted to know more about the arguing couple (especially the husband) and their relationship. The reasons for violence in that marriage didn't make sense to me.
This book is a great read and one that I think most men would enjoy. I'm always looking for a good "guy" book and The River is now on that list.
Catherine House: A Novel
by Elisabeth Thomas
Slow Paced and Unsatisfying (3/16/2020)
This book was touted as a "seductive, gothic-infused debut of literary suspense." I do not agree. I guess you could call it a slow burn when the real mystery part doesn't unfold until you are 30 pages from the end. Every time I thought there was a bit of suspense building up, it would vanish by the next sentence. I can't begin to count the number of times I was left up in the air thinking about abandoning the book.
The main character arrives at an isolated boarding school and from then on, I wondered if it was because she was a zombie. I couldn't tell if she had feelings or didn't have feelings. I think the book would have been improved greatly had the author created a more likable character.
There is something mysterious going on in the school, but we never find out completely what it is. It has something to do with mind control, I guess. The main character sleepwalks through daily life and that's about all the narrative deals with. Every now and then something potentially dramatic happens, but there is no follow through.
And what is a plasm pin anyway?
I think the author has talent and perhaps her next book will be better.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
by Erik Larson
Entertaining Light History (2/24/2020)
Winston Churchill was not exaggerating when he said that the future of Western civilization depended upon the outcome of the Battle of Britain. Late 1940 and early 1941 truly was an historic time in the life of the world, and for those wanting or needing a refresher, this book is a good one.
All of the stories in the book have been told before by others and better, but Mr. Larson performs a service by telescoping them into one compact book. The book has its flaws: little is written about the Battle of the Atlantic, the importance of Churchill's speeches is underplayed, and it glosses over some of the major strategic considerations that went into Churchill's decisions, but we learn quite a lot about what life was like in London during the bombing Blitz that Hitler and Goering unleashed on the British Isles in the mistaken belief that the British would crumble and seek a peace deal with the Nazis. Clever use of German propaganda minister Goebbels's diaries also remind us — a useful reminder — of how easily some government officials find it to lie.
Mr. Larson relies mostly on secondary sources, but the ones he uses are reliable. Far more detail is available in any good Churchill biography, but those tend to omit stories about everyday life in London. Knowing what Londoners found to eat, the sexual license of the times, the nights of terror, and the unadulterated courage of the English people provides much needed context. And Larson is, as ever, an entertaining writer.
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck
You Taught Us How to Fly (1/19/2020)
When the United States entered World War II it had been only twenty years since American women were allowed to vote. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that in 1942 the male power structure, especially that of the Army Air Force, believed that women could not fly airplanes.
That was nonsense, of course, as this oral history of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) aptly demonstrates. It is a well written story of the women who ferried practically every kind of airplane the United States built during the the war all across the country. They were pioneers in the air, but also pioneers in the women's movement and the struggle for equal pay and equal rights which continues.
I wish the book had more historical context. I would have liked to read not only about the women who flew these planes, but also the women who built them, and how women generally fared during the war. It would have been good also to have some information about what happened to women in the military between the sad, unnecessary disbandment of the WASP and U.S. Air Force Major Nicole Malachowski, the first female USAF Thunderbird pilot who addressed these WWII pilots at their last reunion. Hopefully, Dr. Sharp Landdeck will write that book too.
This reviewer assumes the final edition of the book will have an index which the review copy lacked. It needs one.
Women in the United States had come a long way by the time we reach the most moving part of the book. In June 2009 the preeminent American politician of the early 21st Century, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, Nancy Pelosi, said to them, "We are all your daughters; you taught us how to fly."
The Weight of a Piano
by Chris Cander
Good but falls short (12/24/2019)
I wanted to like this book more than I did, so my feelings about it are mixed. 3.5 would be my ideal rating.
I have always wished that antiques (in this case a piano) could talk and tell us their history---where they have lived, who owned them and what they witnessed.
It is 1962 and Katya lives in Russia and is given a Blüthner piano. She becomes a gifted pianist, but when her abusive husband insists that they move to America to better their lives, she is forced to give up her beloved piano.
Fast forward to 2012. Clara lives in California and works as a talented auto mechanic (I never could figure out why the author made her an auto mechanic). Her father gave her the Blüthner for her twelfth birthday. Shortly thereafter her parents die in a house fire. Clara's current relationship is coming to an end and she decides she needs to sell the piano.
It is after this that the stories start to converge and we learn the connections between the characters and the piano.
The narrative alternates back in forth by chapter and by character. (I'm getting really tired of this method of story-telling, but so many authors seem to adopt this technique these days.)The story felt forced and implausible at times and why do authors feel they need to throw in a sex scene or two? (I'm tired of that too.)
There were times when the book was a bit of a thriller and I would get hooked into thinking that it was going to be a page-turner, but that never happened.
Clara was not a terribly likable character and is perhaps one of the reasons the book fell short for me.
And finally I hated the ending.
The Sympathizer
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Grim (12/15/2019)
If you hate quotation marks, love depressing books, need more reasons to hate America, like upsetting scenes of torture and killing, then this book is for you.
The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel
by Kate Morton
Huge disappointment (7/4/2019)
I love Kate Morton's books and was so excited to start reading this one. It was a disappointment. It was disjointed and hard to follow. Every time I thought it would pick up and get "mysterious", it failed to deliver. I will, however, read Morton's next book as she is a good writer. Hopefully this book was just a one-off.
Nothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson
A sweet gem (6/15/2019)
When I read the blurb about this book, I knew I had to read it. Children who spontaneously combust? Who can resist that?
The book is funny, poignant and definitely quirky. Kevin Wilson has created memorable characters that stick with you.
It's a delightful read and I recommend it.
More News Tomorrow: A Novel
by Susan Richards Shreve
Lost opportunities (4/21/2019)
Georgianna Grove is about to celebrate her 70th birthday when she receives a letter that takes her back to a trip that occurred when she was four years old. During that trip her mother was murdered and her father confessed to the murder. She decides to recreate the canoe trip and takes her reluctant family with her. Can she find the answers to her mother's murder?
I think there were too many characters in the book which resulted in no character being fully fleshed out. I had to re-read parts of the book to try to figure out who everyone was and how they fit into the story.
The author goes back and forth in time and uses different narrators.
There are themes of racial discrimination and bigotry and these too are not well-developed.
Without giving anything away, I found the ending wholly unsatisfying.
Happiness
by Aminatta Forna
Happiness may not be what you think (12/31/2018)
Loved this book. Wonderful complex main characters and interesting minor characters. Many themes, including man vs nature, pain and suffering, grief, loss and love, are explored in this beautifully written book. It is a meaty and smart book. I know I will read it again.
Force of Nature: Aaron Falk Mystery #2
by Jane Harper
Another great book by Jane Harper (12/24/2018)
I enjoyed reading The Dry and was anxious to read this book. It did not disappoint. Harper does an excellent job of creating believable characters. A group of women goes on a retreat in the Australian bush and one of the women goes missing---or so it appears. The story shifts back and forth from the search to a gradual unfolding of what happened to the women. Well plotted and a good mystery. I am now a fan of Jane Harper and look forward to her next book.
Don't Look Back: An Inspector Sejer Mystery
by Karin Fossum
Great mystery from Norwegian author (8/26/2018)
A friend recommended this mystery to me and said she had just discovered Norwegian author Karin Fossum. This book is in a series of Inspector Sejer mysteries. Now I'm hooked!
Fossum creates a tension and feeling of dread in the very first chapter. Filled with psychological suspense, the book is about the murder investigation of a young woman. Inspector Sejer uncovers the secrets and hidden relationships in what appears to be an idyllic town. Lots of twists and turns.
I recommend it!
An excellent mystery and I want to read more of her work.
The Woman in the Window: A Novel
by A. Finn
Melodramatic (8/18/2018)
The Girl on a Train meets Rear Window. Alcoholic agoraphobic traumatized main character with nothing to make her sympathetic. Not recommending this one.
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Feather Obsessed (7/26/2018)
A fascinating story about a daring theft of rare bird feathers and the obsession behind it. Reads like a whodunit.
Black Rabbit Hall
by Eve Chase
Good Gothic Read (3/14/2018)
I tend to love mysteries that involve old houses with some kind of secret history. Black Rabbit Hall is such a place. The story is woven between generations, the first being the Alton family in 1968 and present-day Lorna who is looking for a venue for her upcoming wedding. Life seems simple and good for the Alton family until tragedy strikes. The past and the present unfold until the stories collide at the end. The characters are believable and have interesting interior lives. I was kept guessing up to the end. If you are a fan of Kate Morton you will like this book.
Less
by Andrew Sean Greer
Less is More (3/8/2018)
My favorite thing about this book is that it made me laugh. Arthur Less is about to turn fifty and his longtime partner is going to marry another man. In order to avoid the wedding he decides to accept all the invitations he has been offered and travel around the world. With each stop we learn more and more about his past. The writing is wonderful and the book is witty, poignant and tender.
Power Reviewer
