Salvage the Bones: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward
Salvage the Bones (8/7/2011)
Salvage the Bones is not a happy tale. The story centers around a poor family in rural Mississippi, struggling after the death of the matriarch leaves them without direction. The siblings seem to live separate lives, but come together when needed. When life goes from bad to worse, the best comes out.
Heat Wave: A Novel
by Nancy Thayer
Heat Wave (5/15/2011)
Heat Wave is an easy summer read, not a lot of depth to the story. The ending seems rushed and all too perfect. Some of the emotion one would have expected given the circumstances seem missing or hollow. It also seemed odd a couple of main characters are in limbo in the end.
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
by Glynis Ridley
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret by Glynis Ridley (2/8/2011)
The book was not what I expected. I was expecting more of a "story", but the book is more of a history text. The historical information was interesting and helped explain why some of the events would have been perceived differently in the historic context. The information was hard to get through and I felt the what I wanted to know (the story of the first woman to sail around the world) got bogged down in too many details.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel
by Tom Franklin
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (10/18/2010)
Tom Franklin's book draws the reader in from the very first sentence. Is the monster real, or a manifestation of the evil within? The present and the past draw together to answer this question. An enjoyable read, filled with memorable characters, and real feel for small town life in rural Mississippi.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel
by Lola Shoneyin
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives (6/28/2010)
The story surrounds the impact the addition of a fourth wife, Bolanle, has on Baba Segi's household. Bolanle is university educated, something the other wives are not. Not all is as it seems as jealousy and a family secret threaten them all. The book was a little difficult to read, as the chapters are written in first person from the view of each of the wives, and it is not always easy to determine which wife is "speaking".
