Category: Book Thoughts

This is not a book I would typically pick up and read and as such I was pleasantly surprised.  This book by Barbara Kingsolver is a book to teach you a bit about history, to leave you thinking “hm”, to want to find out more.  The book is based on a fictional character in the midst of a very tumultous time, from WWII to the McCarthy era.  I learned a lot about these times that I hadn’t read before.  The story of how his writing was first adored and then reviled all because of the words of one man was definitely something I could see happening.  It was a very scary time during the McCarthy witch hunts, something I can see once in a while in current days too.  We all like to point fingers and we all are scared of the unknown around the corner. We also sometimes trust too much in a single news source, it is hard to go out and search for the truth among the weeds at times.

One theme that came out in the novel that was pointed out during a discussion at the Naples Philharmonic Book Club was the way that art is woven into the story.  The book starts in Mexico when the main character, Harrison Shepard, is a young man. The style is as if you are reading a series of journal entries that have been transcribed by his friend and secretary.  It is a very unusual style.  But anyway, one of his earlier acquantices is Diego Rivera and his wife Frida.  In Mexico, art was a part of the political and cultural fabric of the country.  But when he came to the United States, that isn’t seen anymore.  The US doesn’t really hold art in the same way that other countries do.  We have art, but art isn’t woven into our politics or our social fabric.  There isn’t an artist that is seen as a hero in this country the way that Diego was in Mexico.  It makes you wonder why that is?  The question was also raised on what is “American art” anyway?  There is one important nexus in this book where what the politicians wanted to see as American art didn’t fit with what the cultural staff they hired thought it should be.

Anyway, I am really not doing this book justice.  It is not a sit down and read straight through book, it is a sit and think, take a break and come back for more type of book.  I did enjoy it all in all and have to thank my mom for getting me into it.

Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton is a disturbing read, and a definite thriller.  There are so many questions based around the ending too, is there something to the stories and history of the population  in question?  You wonder…

Set in the Shetland Islands, the story centers around some of the legends brought to this area by the Scandinavian settlers many years ago.  The starting line is – “The corpse I could cope with, it was the context that threw me”.  The story jumps right into the fray when the main character (Tora) is digging a grave for her beloved horse that just passed.  In the process she uncovers the body of a young woman and off the story goes.  First, discovering her identity and also the discovery that there was a second death of a young woman who may be connected.  It is these connections and her husband’s history on the island that lead to a dark, grim story. 

This was a mystery book club selection and one that I definitely enjoyed.  The one comment we had in common was that the life and atmosphere of the island itself doesn’t come out as well as we would have liked.  Although it is a good story and you get something of a sense of the lives of the main characters, the general feel and look of the island and its people doesn’t come through.  How Tora, a doctor, came to this island and was trying to fit into the community from which her husband came was interesting though.  How the hospital culture worked is different from what we have here in some ways.

This is the first of a series and one I will pursue in the future, as I find time!  🙂  Too many books, not enough time.

I read this book by Karen Harper while sitting home sick over the weekend and it ended up being a nice, cozy read.  Set in an Amish community it is centered on a genetic researcher looking into a disease that is fairly unique to the Amish community.  The disease is loosely based on a true disease, progeria which basically results in children aging very fast and dying at a young age.  Could you find the gene that triggers this and reverse it, leading to a way to extend life?  That is the question that those trying to research on the sly are trying to discover.  The main character is basically a doctor, looking for an explanation and a way to help these children. 

The peek into the Amish culture and their beliefs was enjoyable.  It also seemed realistic in that you could see how easy it would be to exploit these people as they tend to be isolated and try to work within their own community when problems evolve.  Unfortunately, with the greed and cruelty in this world, that can’t always work.  A good weekend read, but not a gripping thriller.

This book by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer is definitely a wild ride.  It was fun and a fast read!  Definitely not a mystery.  🙂  The book centers around an eclectic group of people who are the “Guardia” and the demons that they guard are in “Dreamland”.  Yes, they are in an amusement park complete with Tunnel of Love, carousel, fortune tellers tent and all.  The main character is an off-beat gal (Mary Alice Brannigan or Mab for short) who restores old amusement park rides and equipment.  The story starts with the restoration of a 7-foot tall iron-clad clown. 

To start Mab and the other newbie (Ethan) refuse to  believe in demons or the mystical properties of the park.  The opening where the clown actually started walking, called her by name and knocked her down is just a hallucination is pretty funny and the whole tenor of the book is set by this sequence of events.  I love the idea of waffles and ice cream while sitting here at breakfast time.  The main cafe has this as their morning special with a variety of yummy sounding ice creams.  I definitely wish this place was real!

If you are looking for a fun, romantic, rollicking ride over a bleary weekend, this is a great choice.  It will definitely bring a smile to your face.

This was October’s selection for my mystery book club and it was a good one.  I think we all agreed that in general the story itself was great, the setting was interesting and we were all satisfied with the selection and the discussion.  However, there is one back story within that not all of us were comfortable with, and without giving away a part of the story I can’t really say much more than that.

The main character is Claire, a former Army helicopter pilot, who was called to the faith after a personal tragedy and now serves as a minister in the Episcopal Church.  The opening scene is in the emergency room, right after she found an abandoned child on the steps of the church in the middle of winter  (In the Bleak Midwinter).  The story is then about finding the parents of the child and the series of events that evolve from this central story.  I like the discussion about what to call her, she settles on Reverend but her comment on how people want to say “Father” is funny, and that there really won’t be a good alternative for women until the Catholic church allows women priests.  You can’t say “Mother” as that is a nun and of course “Sister” is also a nun, so what do you say?  🙂

Although the main character is at times very naive in relation to the upbringing and experiences that she has had, all in all it was a good book and a great setting.  Reading about someone new to snow and driving an MG sportscar in the middle of a snow storm is pretty funny.  Being in Minnesota in the fall, it puts me in mind of our upcoming winter snow and that “midwinter” is not that far away!  The best part was that I didn’t figure out who the bad person was until close to the end, which was fun.

The name of this book is centered around 2 themes.  One is the  name of the plant whose seeds are found on the murder victim, the False Mermaid Floerkea proserpinacoides.  The second is the discussion and history of the selkie legends from Ireland.  The main character in this book is a pathologist who has “run away” to Ireland to research bodies that have been found preserved in the peat bogs in Ireland.  Again, the scientist in me finds this whole idea very fascinating, from the history and mythology of the seals and the selkies to the study of what is being found in the peat bogs. 

I do recommend this story.  It had a slow start for me but as the story built I became quickly interested.  The main character is a strong woman and the way she researches and copes with the back stories in the novel is good.  I had an inkling of who the “bad guy” was but in the end I was somewhat surprised and did go “hmmm”.  🙂  Erin Hart has good potential for future reading.

I just finished this nice cozy mystery this week.  Reading this brings me back to the thought that in another life, I would love to be a forensic anthropologist.  The work is detailed, meticulous and organized yet they are also looking for questions.  I like her quote that often all you find are questions and not always the answers.  The book has many twists and turns between characters which was interesting and makes for a nice read.  However, I knew who did it from the moment the character was introduced, so that was not as good.

The mystery is set in England on the edge of a salt marsh.  The main character, Ruth, owns a small house on the edge of this desolate marsh, and yet it is the place where she enjoys the mysteries that are unearthed there, both while working on an archeological dig and while helping the police solve a murder of a young girl.  The bones she finds link the mystery from the present to the question of what passed before.  Questions that we can never truly answer as we really can’t understand the philosophy and mores of a culture that was during the Iron Age.

The crossing places refers to the idea that there is a sense of power and mystery at those places that cross from dry land to water, such as the salt marsh which lies  between the land and the ocean.  There are really two mysteries wrapped into one which end up merging into one at the end.  I also like how the book compares and contrasts the worlds of academia and law enforcement.  How these two don’t always see eye to eye very well, especially when political expedience wins over archeological treasures.  Sometimes a mall is just seen as more important than a historical site, as we all know too well.

This book marks the start of a new series and I definitely plan on following up on the next entry.

I just finished this gem of a book by Tarquin Hall.  It is the first in a new series about the owner of a private detective agency and is set in Delhi, India.  I love the atmosphere and the peek into Indian culture.  The author spent a lot of time in southern Asia and the Middle East as a journalist and his wife is an Indian-born journalist, so I am hopeful that the setting is pretty accurate.  The lead character (Vish Puri) is a man who straddles the times, between the formal elder-culture of old India and the new India of call centers and computer-based businesses.  The new rich and the old rich.  Those that hold to the old traditions of living and caring for their parents and the new traditions of becoming more “Americanized”. 

There are three stories in this book.  The first is the case of the missing servant, and is very descriptive in describing the different attitudes and lifestyles between the different castes within India.  How these differences led to this sad story is the core mystery of the book. 

The second story is related to his main source of income, doing background checks for marriage suits.  The new India is becoming more isolated as the “rich” or upper middle class move into estates or walled communities.  The sense of neighborhood is being lost, you no longer socialize and get to know those who might be good marriage prospects for your children.  Plus there are so many new or rising upper class citizens that knowing their character is difficult, so you hire someone to do a background check!  This may at times be an arranged marriage, but also as in this story, it is simply a matter of making sure your daughter is making the right choice.

The third story is related to his relationship with his mother and how although he loves his mother, he doesn’t really think very highly of her intelligence (although he says it is a need to protect her).  This part was my favorite story of the book and how she resolves this mystery is very funny.

In other words, I highly recommend this book.  This was a selection for my Mystery Book Club, and a great choice.

This is the first of a book about Stella Hardesty  by Sophie Littlefield.  This is definitely a woman no man would want to cross!  After protecting herself from an abusive husband who was out to kill her, she is now on the street and working to protect those who are in similar situations.  Being the first in a series, this book had a lot to do with learning who Sophie is, what she does both in her personal life and in her “professional” life and her developing relationship with the sheriff, “Goat” Jones.  I always think it is so funny how the sheriff yet again has a killer smile and is attracted to the main character.  In this case, it is someone who is skating on the thin edge of legal/illegal in her work to protect these women.  The descriptions of how she manages this is a real hoot, definitely brings a smile to your face to see the abuser become the abused.  Being a woman who unfortunately has been in similar scary situations (although certainly never even close to this bad) in the past, it is good to think there is someone like Stella out there working to help.  The mystery was a bit far-fetched, including how it was resolved, but all in all an enjoyable read.  I have the second one in the series and hope to read it this weekend.