IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS by ERIK LARSON

This is the newest book by the author who wrote The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. If you are a history aficionado like me, especially if you are intrigued by Germany during the time of the Third Reich, then this is the book for you. Through the eyes of the American ambassador to Berlin and his adult daughter, Mr. Larson shows in stunning fashion how the world was determined to ignore the warning signs, and thus the true intent of Hitler and the Nazi regime in Germany, until it was too late. This book certainly told a powerful tale. I am giving this one 5 stars, not because I loved the story, but because it made an impact on me and I will continue to think of it for quite a while.

REBELLION by RACHEL COTTERILL

Although fantasy is not my usual genre of choice, I enjoyed this book a lot. For one thing, unlike most fantasy books, this book contained no magic or magical and mythical beings.  Just a lot of humans who had to rely on solely on their wits and intelligence to survive.  Other than the lack of magic, though, it followed the classical fantasy set up.  For one thing, the story takes place in an alternate world where swords and knives are the weapons of choice, and horses, carts and ships are the methods of transportation.  In addition, the plot centers around a girl, who is the first female to be allowed into the secret assassins academy.  She must compete against a number of males, some of which have been raised with the whole purpose of becoming assassins.  How she uses her intelligence and her totally human skills to survive is a great story.

In addition, this book is the first of a trilogy.  I am looking forward to the next installment to see how the story progresses and the characters develop.

THE SNOWS OF KILAMANJARO AND OTHER STORIES by ERNEST HEMINGWAY

OK, It is official. Ernest Hemingway is just not for me. I read this book because I am doing a three month "Give an author a second chance" challenge, and I couldn't think of anyone who I needed to give a second chance more than Hemingway. I have only read two books by Hemingway in my whole like, The Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises. Both of those were a long time ago. So I thought, how perfect for the challenge. At first, ans I started the book, I was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't as bad as I remembered, but every time I would really start to get into a story.....BAM, he would slap me upside the head with one of the traits of his writing that drive me crazy, thus reminding me why I don't read Hemingway. 

For example, in one story he spends a whole page having the two characters say 

"Watch the game with me." 
"No, I'm going to pray." 
"Watch the game with me." 
"No, I'm going to pray." 
"Watch the game with me." 
"No, I'm going to pray." 
"Watch the game with me." 
"No, I'm going to pray." 

Literally, a whole page. Or he describes something in the most undescriptive way possible. Or he doesn't describe it at all. In my opinion the man has no imagination at all. The only things that he writes about are old men who are womanizers, like to either hunt or fish, and want to commit suicide. In other words, himself. I will not be running out to get any more Hemingway anytime soon.

NETSUKE by RIKKI DUCORNET

I  have to say, I really couldn't decide at first what to give this book, but ending up deciding on 4 stars. This was a really interesting book, only 128 pages, and every one of them both appalled me and enthralled me at the same time. It is about a psychoanalyst who has a lot of erotic encounters, and frankly, needs a psychoanalyst himself. As I read through this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pretty sure that I was watching someone's life turn into a train wreck. And the ending really stunned me. 

I am giving it four stars mostly because as disgusted as I was by the main character, I couldn't stop reading the book. It was like a really bad reality show. You know, the kind that you know you shouldn't be giving legitimacy to by watching, but you just can't stop yourself. Since I am pretty easily turned off by graphic sex, the fact that I even finished this book surprised me, and I figure if a writer can get me to finish a book like this, he must be a good writer. 

All in all a very weird, weird, little book. Did I enjoy it.....I wouldn't say that, but I will say I couldn't put it down. 

BURN OUT by debut author TRACI HOHENSTEIN

Great New Mystery/Thriller 

Wow. This is a great new book by a debut author. At just 170 pages it is a quick read. At first I was afraid that would limit the story, but it definitely did not. I was surprised and pleased that this story included everything that I would expect from a much longer mystery/thriller. The author does a great job of letting pieces of the story out slowly, keeping the reader's interest. The story definitely includes enough action to keep you turning pages, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. In addition Traci Hohenstein's characters are well developed and interesting. I love that the main protagonist runs a missing person investigation service. That is a fresh approach for mystery thrillers, as is using firefighting as a backdrop. I don't know if this book will be part of a series, but just think of the possibilities presented by using missing persons as a theme. And if further stories were as good as this one, I would jump on them quickly. 

While I read many different genres, mysteries have been a favorite of mine since high school when I discovered Agatha Christie, and thrillers a fave since Mary Higgins Clark came on the scene. This book holds up with the best of them, IMO. It gets 4.5 stars from me, and I look forward to reading more from this debut author.

THE HUNTER'S MOON by O. R. MELLING

 was trolling the stacks at the library, looking for a book to satisfy a mythology/folklore part of a challenge when this book called my name. I love faeries, werewolves, vampires, wizards, and all things urban fantasy. In addition, I have always had a burning curiosity about all things Irish. This book seemed to be a good combination of the two.

First let me clarify. This book is YA fantasy, not urban fantasy. It is all about the world of faeries and how it interacts with the mortal world. The setting is modern day Ireland. The main protagonists include and Irish American teen, an Irish teen, and the King of Faerie. Included is a whole host of supporting characters including a leprechaun, the hereditary king of Inch Island, an old Irish soothsayer, and many more. It reads as part fantasy book, part fairy tale, and part Irish folklore. What it mostly does is work. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was written by an Irish author. It included a large amount of Irish Folklore, which was explained in the back of the book. As well as a lot of Irish Gaelic, which was also explained in the glossary in the back. The characters were lovable. The story line kept my interest and, although it wasn't anything earth shaking, neither was it totally predictable. The ending surprised me a bit and was a fitting ending to this story.

As a result, I am torn between giving it 3 and 3.75 stars. This author is a new author to me, and I am looking forward to reading other books by her.

FAITHLESS by KARIN SLAUGHTER

Number five in the Grant County series by Karin Slaughter. This one has another thrilling story line. A girl buried alive in the woods, a religious cult, weird wacky characters, more secrets revealed by the main characters, a side story about battered women, and more problems for Lena.   And even more important, less of the Jeffrey/Sara soap opera. I really like this series for the wonderful story lines that the author includes. They have twists and turns, some endearing characters, some that you love to hate, the villains are sufficiently horrible.   I also like the way that the author uses the titles to reflect both the thriller story line, and the continuing story line of the main characters.  BUT PLEASE: Sara and Jeffrey need to grow up. I could really do with out that aspect of the stories. 3.5 stars.

JULIET by ANNE FORTIER

One of my book groups voted to read this book for a group read. I have to admit, the synopsis of the book intrigued me. A modern day re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, which is one of my favorite stories of all time. Couple that with a Dan Brown Da Vinci Code type mystery (I have read everything Dan Brown has written and loved them all) and I was sure it would be a good book. In fact, the book was different than I expected. Yes, there was a mystery, but not on the level of a Dan Brown book. What there was instead was a double re-telling of the story of Romeo and Juliet, one in modern day Siena, and one in 14th century Sienna. I found both stories fascinating, and actually had a hard time deciding which story line I liked the most. I might have liked the ancient story line a little better, but mostly only because I am a historical fiction buff and love reading about medieval times. 

The Characters that Anne Fortier included in her book were interesting. I felt that the medieval characters were a bit more intriguing, but again, that could be my love of history and medieval times talking. The current story was enjoyable, too, but a little more predictable. At one time, I felt that the modern story line lagged, but it was not for long. 

All in all a great read that I would highly recommend. I hope that Ms. Fortier continues to write stories of this ilk.

HIDDEN WIVES by CLAIRE AVERY

he idea for this book really drew me in. Two sisters who grew up in a polygamist sect in Utah are finally of marriageable age. They are about to be married to elders in their community. Sara, the youngest, is a rebel in the eyes of her community. She loves to read and learn, far above what is expected of a girl in this society. Rachel is the beautiful one, the one that everyone wants, the sweet one, and also the one that doesn't question the teachings she has been fed for her entire life. Until now. What happens to make Rachel begin to doubt her faith and for Rachel and Sara to eventually leave the only home they have ever known is what this story is based on. 

I must say, I began reading this book with a lot of anticipation. The fact that there are still societies in the world who subjugate women justs amazes me. The fact that some of them operate in the United States astounds me. I was very interested to see how the author approached this subject and represented the lives of the women involved. While I feel that she did an okay job and enjoyed the book overall, I was disappointed in the outcome. It seems to me that a story involving this particular subject could really pack an emotional punch. Instead what I found here seemed to just graze the surface and the rich subject matter that could have been highlighted ignored. This was most apparent in the last part of the book and the ending, where every loose end was tied up in a happily ever after ending that that I felt missed so many opportunities. 

The story that was told was a good one and the characters were engaging, so I feel that I can recommend this book. Just don't be looking for a hard hitting emotionally packed story that deals with the subject of life in a polygamist sect in America.

THE HUNGER GAMES by SUZANNE COLLINS

I have had this book for so long, but never gotten to reading it. I don't know why, other than the fact that I owned it. My friends laughingly refer to the books that I own as my "orphans" as I am always reading a myriad of library books while my own books gather dust on a shelf. If you are like me and tend to let your owned books languish, and this is one of the books, I urge you to read it! Now! This book was fantastic. A friend of mine likened this book to "a cross between The Running Man and Survivor with The Truman Show thrown in for good measure". I think that sums it up beautifully. In this book, authorSuzanne Collins takes you to a dystopian society where the each district is expected to "donate" two children each year in a battle to the death. Why? Just to prove their power over the masses. The storyline takes off from the first word and doesn't let go until the last sentence is finished. In addition, the book is filled with a cast of characters who are wonderfully endearing for the most part. By the end of the book I definitely felt empathy for all of the children forced to take part in the barbaric ritual of the Hunger Games. Even the ones that seemed less than lovable. And I was firmly convinced that the government officials were evil. 

The combination of characters and the situations that they find themselves in at the end of the book, along with the unanswered questions, leave you wanting more. Good thing this is the first book in a trilogy. I am highly anticipating reading the next book. Alas, the wait list at my library is huge,even though it has been out for over a year. Oh well. I know I will enjoy it when it gets here.

THESE THINGS HIDDEN by HEATHER GUDENKAUF

I loved the debut book from Heather Gudenkauf, The Weight of Silence so when I saw that she had another book coming out I was really excited. This book did not disappoint. It is another great read from an author that has quickly become one of my favorites. Ms. Gudenkauf writes a compelling story filled with top notch characters. The story line contains numerous issues that will leave the reader emotionally spent, including the pressure to succeed, mental illness, a terminal illness, infertility, and parental neglect to name a few. It sounds like a mish mash, and truthfully, a story that contains so many elements could go horribly astray, but this one does not. Ms. Gudenkauf ties all the issues together superbly with her excellent story telling and a cast of characters that come alive on the pages. Many times while reading the book, I found myself in tears, swamped with emotion for the characters. By the end of the book, I was not sure who I felt the most empathy for. Even those I did not empathize with are memorable. A story so filled with rich characters is a treat, one that has a great story line is even better.

A definite must read in my book and winner of the coveted 5 stars!

DARK TORT by DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON

My friend Donna recommended this series of cozy mysteries several years ago and I began devouring them.  I have been away from the series for a while, but picked up the 13th book the other day.  This is perhaps my favorite cozy mystery series as I love the characters and the recipes, and the story lines are always enjoyable. 


Another cute story from author Diane Mott Davidson in the Goldy Baer Catering Culinary series. In this story, Goldy's friend and neighbor is found murdered in the law office that she worked at....and Goldy is the one who found her. She literally "stumbles" over her. And then it is off to the races as Goldy once again tries to find the killer while keeping up with her catering appointments and trying to stay alive herself. I had put these books aside for a while, but am glad to get back to them. I especially liked the fact that this installment contained all of my favorite characters to some degree. Tom was back to being the teddy bear he is, Arch is in high school and is still shy, but no longer a moody jerk, and Julian Teller is back in all his glory. A great cozy mystery read ... Keep them coming, Diane!

CLUB DEAD by CHARLAINE HARRIS

Another good read in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sometimes books in a series get stale. How many times can the main character get in trouble? How many times can the couple break up and get back together? That is not the case with these books. This is one of those series where the main characters are continually evolving, new characters are continuing to be introduced, and we learn a little more about the supernatural world with each book. As far as series go, that is what I tend to look for. and as such, this book did not disappoint. In this installment, Sookie finds herself going to Jackson, Mississippi to try and find a missing Bill. Of course she gets in trouble, of course Eric is involved. But above and beyond that, she makes new friends, and new enemies, and she continues to learn a lot about herself and what she is capable of.

**********************************SPOILER******************************************

Even though I had heard that she and Bill did not stay together, their break-up in this book, and the reason for it, surprised me. I found myself saying that old phrase, "OH NO Mr. Bill!". I must admit, I don't really see Bill as that sort of character, and am a bit disappointed in his behavior. All in all, though, I took it as both a character development tool and a plot development tool, so I accept it.




I hear things really get interesting in the next book, so I am anticipating what will happen to Sookie, Bill, Eric, and the rest of them.  

EXIT THE ACTRESS by PRIYA PARMAR

Although my usual is to read books that are mostly told from one perspective, I have read a couple of historical fiction books before that tell the story from the perspective of several characters. Most of them alternate the viewpoints by chapter. What is really different about this book is the use of the different mediums: the letters between the English King and his family, Those between the theater owners, the gossip column, the notes from Parliament meetings to represent the different perspectives. Although this method is unconventional, I particularly liked it because it made it easier to keep where each perspective was coming from clearer in my mind.

This book is first and foremost about Ellen Gwynn, who eventually became the mistress of Charles II of England. Underneath that story, though, Priya Parmar includes A LOT of information about many different characters. It required slower reading to get it all in. But, on the other hand, it was wonderful because we not only got to know Ellen, but got a lot of other info about English society during this period.

Some may say that there are items in this book, such as Ellen's literacy, that are not true to the times or the history of her life. The literacy issue, in particular, is addressed by the author in her notes at the end of the book. And in truth, I am not one to get embroiled in the veracity of most fictional accounts. Either way you feel, this is a great story with a strong female protagonist and as such is excellent reading.

In closing, I really enjoyed both the subject matter (Duh, history buff, here) and the unconventional writing style used by Priya in this book. I loved the characters in this story - they were all so real and vibrant. I can't wait to see what her next project will be! Well done, Priya! 

THE KING'S ROSE by ALISA M. LIBBY

A historical fiction book about Catherine Howard, the 5th wife of Henry VIII and the most enigmatic in my opinion. I am fast deciding that Catherine Howard is the most fascinating of Henry's wives. She was the only one of his wives to never have her portrait painted, which kind of symbolizes her whole marriage to Henry. It was like it wasn't even there. She was also his youngest wife, and as such, she has been portrayed as everything from a complete harlot to a naive teenager, with the truth most likely being somewhere in the middle. In this book, she is portrayed as a the naive young girl buffeted about by the intrigues of court and the machinations of the power hungry Howard family of which she is a member. As a result, it took me a while to get into the book because I had to get used to the one sided Catherine the author chose to portray. Once I did, though, the story was captivating. I found Libby's take on Henry VIII as an aging man determined to feel young again perhaps the best part of the book. 

Although the portrayal of Catherine in this book was one sided, neither she, nor the other characters were one dimensional. The portrayal of the court of Henry VIII and the various players was enjoyable. In addition, the story, while not exactly believable in all respects, was a good fictional story. The only drawback was that I had to convince myself not to get caught up in the characterization of Catherine and view her as simply a girl in WAY OVER her head. 

Just a word to the wise, also. This book is considered as a Young Adult novel, and it stands well as young ADULT. However, since it is a book that deals with the court of Henry VIII, there is a lot of instances of a sexual nature both within and without of wedlock. Although the descriptions are quite tame by today's standards, I would caution whether this a good book for 'tweens and very young teens. 

As an aside, I think it very interesting that the only two wives that Henry VIII had beheaded were both Howards.

DEAD RECKONING: THE NEW SCIENCE OF CATCHING KILLERS by MICHAEL BADEN M.D. with MARION ROACH

I belong to a book club where a member gets to pick a genre each month and we all read whatever books we want to from that genre. When I first saw the shelf for February was Science, I admit it, I groaned. Then I figured that I like thrillers, so a book on forensics might be pretty good. And I was right. Dr. Michael Baden is a forensic scientist, medical examiner, news consultant, and expert witness. He has been involved in many cases over his career, including many high profile cases. In addition, he has consulted on the forensics in such endeavors as the identification of the Romanov remains in Russia, TWA flight 800, the Thomas Jefferson paternity case, and many others. In his lectures and meetings he has come across some of the most well known people in the field of forensics including the man who teaches a class on blood spatter, the "forensic bug" guy, and Dr. Henry Lee. His chapter on Doctor Lee is especially fascinating. 

Marion Roach is a contemporary non-fiction writer. In addition to this book, she has written a book about Alzheimers, and has been published in many of todays leading magazines. She is also the sister of author Margaret Roach. She has a wonderful writing style that is easy to read and really makes Micheal Baden's stories come alive. In addition, she attended many meeting with him and classes with the experts that they profile, bringing her first hand knowledge into the writing. 

Between Marion Roach's writing style, and Michael Baden's experience in forensics, this book was a surprisingly easy read. Definitely a 4 star read and recommended for anyone who is interested in the science behind the thrillers that are so popular. 

MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS by JON RONSON

Although this book purports to be true and based in fact, one has to wonder how truthful the items in the book actually are. I found myself many times looking something up on the internet just to be sure the author wasn't pulling my leg. Especially the first half of the book, which was so over the top it was actually humorous. I found myself laughing many times. I had to keep reminding myself of the historical context, though. In that light, I can see some of these ideas actually taking shape in someone's brain. Additionally, most of what I looked up on the internet checked out in some fashion, although not in the detail that the author provides. In fact, I kept thinking of the book A Million Little Pieces, which was purported to be true, and ended up being mostly fiction. 

The second half of the book was very different, though. By that time, the author had gotten to the War on Terror. Things that he said and quoted became much more believable. In addition they became easier to verify. In fact, the uses and situations described in the last half of the book made even the beginning of the book seem more believable. By the end of the book, I was totally enthralled. 

If you are into conspiracy theories and secret and clandestine government programs, this is the book for you. To say the least, it was an entertaining read, highlighting all of the crazy people who are out there in the world taking themselves very seriously. I am now curious to see how the movie was done.

SOMEONE KNOWS MY NAME by LAWRENCE HILL

This book was a highly anticipated read. One, it is just the type of book that I really like, historical fiction. Secondly, about 5 or 6 of my book buddies have read it and they have all given it 5 stars. Plus part of the book takes place in Nova Scotia, which is a place that has fascinated me ever since Anne of Green Gables and Prince Edward Island. It is the story of Meena, an African women who is kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of 11. From the minute that she leaves Africa, her whole mission in life is to get back to the village of her birth. Through her triumphs, struggles, joys and pains, Lawrence Hill tells the compelling story of all of the Africans who were victims of the slave trade of the 1700 - 1800s. It also tells of the resilience of these people to survive despite their lot in life and their struggle for freedom. It is a must read book for anyone interested in this struggle or the history of the Africans who have ended up in North America and Europe in general. Although I have read a number of books dealing with this subject, Meena, through Hill's writing, taught me many things. I had never heard of the Black Loyalists nor their emigration to Canada and ultimately back to Africa at Freetown in Sierra Leone. I also did not know that Freetown predated the Liberian colony founded by former US slaves.

My only disappointment with the book was that I just couldn't bring myself to give it 5 stars. It was a wonderful story, and as I said above, a must read for people interested in this subject, but it did not WOW me the way some other books have. The interesting thing is that I can't even figure out why. I really feel like I must have missed something since everyone else I know gave it 5 stars. That frustrates me.

THE CONFESSION by JOHN GRISHAM

Are you like me?  A person who enjoyed [author:John Grisham|721]'s earlier books, but thought the last few were somehow lacking?  If so, this is the book for you.  With this book, Mr. Grisham is definitely back to the form that we all grew to love with books like [book:The Firm|5358], [book:The Pelican Brief|32499], and [book:The King of Torts|5356].  The story here involves a wonderful slate of characters as only Grisham can come up with.  A Lutheran minister who finds himself suddenly involved in the fight to stop an execution in Texas, a man who says he is the actual killer, the lawyer for the accused, the family of the accused, and the mother of the murdered girl.  Every character is brilliantly portrayed.  The way that they interact captures your attention from the beginning of the story all the way to the end.  Once Grisham sets up the story, it quickly becomes apparent that the story could go several ways.  At this point it becomes more and more difficult to put the book down as you feverishly turn pages in an attempt to see in which direction he will take the story.  By the last section, it is impossible to put the book down.  The result is a thrill ride of a book that will leave you breathless at the end.  I guarantee that, no matter what your beliefs are, this book will make you think long and hard about how you feel about the death penalty.

THE BORGIAS AND THEIR ENEMIES by CHRISTOPHER HIBBERT

The Borgia family has always held an allure for me since I lived on a street named after them when I was a child. In addition, I was raised a Catholic, so the Popes are intriguing to me, especially those during the period where the church was more of a political entity. When I heard that Showtime was doing a show about this family this spring, I decided now was the time to do some background reading and get the real story about the family. 

I had never read any books by Christopher Hibbert, but had heard from people in my history groups that he was a good read. I have to agree. Although this book is non-fiction, Hibbert has a very pleasing writing style. Couple that with the subject matter of the book, and you have a book that was not at all dry. These people make the modern day Organized Crime families and groups look like amateurs. Hibbert's book is filled with excellent descriptions and engrossing narratives interspersed with numerous quotes from written sources, many of which were alive at the time and knew the Borgias. 

I found this book an excellent starting place for my delve into the lives and times of the Borgia family. Although Hibbert's coverage of Pope Alexander VI and his son Cesare is extensive, his discussions about Lucrezia were few and far between, and he barely mentioned Jofre at all. I will look forward to doing more research to find out about them. All in all, though, this was an excellent read.