Thursday's Review: What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby

Copy of book was provided by the author in exchange for review

Published: March 31, 2013
Publisher: Bent Line Publishing
Price: $14.00 Paperback
               $ 3.99 e-Book
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

There is just something about a Bette Lee Crosby book that allows the story to just slide off the pages. I think that I have read almost everything that Bette has written, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. What Matters Most is another enjoyable and charming read from this master of southern literature. 

Louise and Carl have an established life in New Jersey. He has worked at the local bank for his whole working career, she has successfully raised two children and is active in the local scene. That is until Carl's Uncle Charlie leaves them a house in Florida. Suddenly their life is in upheaval.

Like all of Bette's books, this story was easy to get into and flowed quickly for me. She has a wonderful voice which makes me feel like she is sitting in front of me telling me the story, rather than being miles away while I am reading her book. In addition, Bette's characters are always full of personality and pizazz. There were several characters in this book that really fit that bill, and although I had a bit of a hard time identifying with the main characters of Louise and Carl, there were several supporting characters who I identified with right off the bat. It's not that Louise and Carl were not great characters, they were. It was just that, in the beginning, they were not very likable. In fact, I remember thinking several times that they had to be the most self centered, clueless people in the world....but that was the point. As usual, Bette painted this picture in a true to life way that everyone can enjoy. 

As I said, overall this book was thoroughly enjoyable. The story itself was told with Bette's customary charm and wit and the characters were incredibly real. My only regret is that I only have one more of Bette's books left to read. I can only hope that she writes and publishes more soon, so I don't have to wait too long.

Tuesday's Review: Parallax View by Allan Leverone

This book was provided by the author in return for my review. 

Released: March 26, 2013
Publisher: Rock Bottom Books
Price:  $ 13.95
                 $  3.99 Kindle Edition
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Tracy Tanner is a CIA operative who is tasked with what she feels could be the easiest operation she has ever been assigned to. All she has to do is deliver a letter from the head of one superpower to the head of another. What could be so hard about that, right?

Put yourself into late 1980's, back when the US and USSR were the "Superpowers" and the balance of the world depended to a large extent on their relationship with each other. I remember this time period quite well -- the interplay between President Reagan and Premier Gorbachev, the famous "Tear Down the Wall" speech, and the subsequent dismantling of the USSR. InParallax View, thriller writer extraordinaire Allan Leverone has crafted an action packed and explosive back story to these events that definitely kept me riveted. The story that Mr. Leverone presents in this book is not only riveting, but entirely plausible, which only made it more exciting in my mind. From the first chapter to the last, I was never quite sure what was going to happen next, but I certainly knew that I couldn't wait to find out. 

The setting of this book and the story were not the only things that drew me in, either. As he has in prior books, Mr. Leverone has thrown into the mix a cast of interesting characters that I quickly came to love or hate as the story dictated. CIA operative Tracy Tanner is the type of heroine I love to see in books. She is a strong female with many skills that has no trouble "keeping up with the boys". On top of that, she can really kick ass. On the other hand, Air Traffic Controller Shane Rowley is a surprise. Ordinary to the extreme on the surface, there is much more to him than you at first expect. As the book progressed he quickly became my favorite character, and in my mind, the hero of the story. By the time the book ended, I was wishing he was real....I really would like to have met him. 

And then there is the author. Allan Leverone has quickly established himself as a thriller author extraordinaire, partly through his ability to write noteworthy books across several genres. Whether you are reading one of his psychological thrillers, mysteries, horror thrillers, or politically based thrillers, his work is always top notch with lots of twists, explosive action (and I do mean explosive), riveting story lines and masterfully crafted characters. His current novel, Parallax View, definitely fits this profile and is another successful chapter in his career. 

I have been thinking lately that I missed reading the Tom Clancy political thrillers that I used to love so much. This book would hold it's own with any of them and definitely sated my appetite. Many thanks to Mr. Leverone and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book for making this book available to me. 

Tuesday's review: Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley

This book was provided by the publisher in return for my review

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Price: $25.99 Hardback
              $11.00 eBook
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Religious Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The current cultural spotlight on polygamous cults has peaked my interest in the subject, and it was for this reason that I decided to accept the invitation of Little, Brown and Company to read an ARC of Amity & Sorrow: A Novel ,Peggy Riley's debut novel, and review it. I started the book with trepidation as several of my friends thought that it was just okay. At first I thought I would agree, but the more I got into the story, the more that I realized that this book was going to be one that spoke to me on a certain level. 

The success of cults in our culture is a subject that has fascinated me for quite a while. For this reason I am drawn to books where the cult phenomena takes center stage. I admit, my purpose in reading these stories is to try to shed some light on why cults are so successful. 

Amaranth is the first wife of Zachariah, the patriarch of a polygamous cult. The central story in this book revolves around what happens to her when she decides to flee the cult and take her two daughters, Amity & Sorrow, with her. The three of them end up in Oklahoma, stuck on a farm in the middle of nowhere with the man who owns the farm, his father, and his adopted son. The compelling story of what transpires between the girls, their mother, and the inhabitants of the farm, and how it transforms the lives of everyone involved, is only half of the story, though. The other half of the story is about their life in the cult, which is told through the memories of the three characters that escaped the cult. It is this part of the story where the author attempts to answer the basic question about the psychology of a cult that is my prime fascination. These two sides of Amity & Sorrow's story and the way that the author was able to successfully entwine them was what drew me into this book. 

I also liked the way that the author used the characters of Amaranth, Sorrow, Amity, Bradley, his father, and Dust to represent the various layers of the story. Through the individual stories of these characters we see the contrast between the world of the true believer, the world of the non believer, and the world of those still trying to make up their minds. 

When discussing this book with friend, the most common negative comment that I came across was the author's unconventional writing style. I do admit, the writing style was different, and for the first few chapters I found it a bit distracting. After I got into the story, though, it ceased being something to overcome and became an integral part of the story as a whole. In fact, as the story continued, I felt that the author's writing style, like the behavior of some of the main characters, became less strange and more -- normal, for want of a better word. 

All in all, I found this book, its characters, and what it had to say about the psychology of a cult interesting. It showed me various sides of a question that fascinates me, and took me on a journey that I was glad to take. I thank Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review it.

Celebrating the Short Story: General Thoughts

I don't have a short story or book of short stories to review today, but I am working on several of them.  I find that I am really enjoying focusing on one aspect of reading and celebrating it.  The particular challenge that this feature of my blog was inspired by, to read a short story for every week of the year, was introduced by Laurie Upson, one of the moderators of the GR101 group that I belong to on Goodreads.  I started reading short stories for the challenge and found I was enjoying them so much, that I decided to celebrate the short story for the rest of 2013.

Now that I am almost 6 months into my love affair with the short story, it occurred to me that almost every story that I had read so far was in the mystery genre.  Either a paranormal mystery, mystery/thriller, or cozy mystery.  While the mystery genre is definitely one of my favorite genres, I began to feel that just reading and discussing mystery stories and novellas was not doing justice to the whole genre of  "short stories".  With that in mind, I did some research at my local library to see what types of books I could get to help me branch out.  The following books are ones that I have on tap to read and discuss in future weeks.









Women of Mystery - Stories from today's top women mystery authors
The Short Stories of Jack London: The Authorized One Volume Edition - What it says it is
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - Scifi-fantasy and horror from one of the best
The Doll: The Lost Stories by Daphne du Maurier - One of my favorite authors and a definite "find"
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith - Shooting in the dark on this one, but it looks intriguing
Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer - I have always wanted to read this author, so what better way to start than with short stories.  Besides, who can pass up that title.

Tuesday's Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Book furnished by Publisher in return for review

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children
Price:  $17.99 Hardback
                $ 9.99 Ebook
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whenever a book becomes hugely popular, there are bound to be a lot of copy cat books that occur. With the huge success of The Hunger Games, the market has been inundated with dystopian books targeted to the Young Adult market. In that respect, The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is no different from the rest. It is definitely a book based on the very successful formula used in the Hunger Games trilogy. There are, however, some differences. These differences, coupled with the author's obvious talent for writing, make this one copy cat that is well worth the read. 

The Seven Stages War has left the Earth devastated. It is in this environment the the new United Commonwealth finds itself trying to survive. To meet this goal, the UC needs to discover the best and the brightest that its various colonies have to offer. Their talents and skills, along with a coveted education at The University, are needed to rebuild the Earth. To aid this process, the government of the UC has devised The Testing. 

Like the Hunger Games and others, the story in The Testing relies on Young Adult protagonists who are thrown into a do or die situation which they must navigate by using their skills and intellect. Another similarity to most of the books of this type, their is romantic interest between some of the characters. The most important similarities to the Hunger Games, though, is the author's ability to craft characters that the reader can identify with. People that you want to win and survive. In addition, the author's ability to tell the story in an engrossing, intriguing way that draws the reader in is another similarity. 

To me, though, the similarities that this book had to the others, especially the Hunger Games, were less important than what it had that its differences. Although survival is a big part of this story, it is not the only attribute that is important. For example, I really liked the way that The Testing was structured. I found the author's use of testing environment that looked at the participant's academics, decision making abilities, problem solving skills, and team work skills, set this story apart. The fact that the characters needed more to accomplish their goals than just survival skills was more to my liking. In addition, I really liked the way that the author included the understanding of several scientific abilities in the main characters arsenal, and the fact that they were able to discuss these abilities amongst themselves. There were some other differences that I particularly liked as well, but most of them were things that would spoil the story if I listed them. All of these differences, though, went a long way toward allowing me to feel that this story had its own identity. 

Even though I knew where this book was heading, could guess most of the twists, and was not surprised by any of the situations, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. In fact, I found it as enjoyable as the Hunger Games and think that the fact that the stories are so similar one of the things that I particularly enjoyed. Reading this story felt like visiting an old friend, but yet there was plenty to discover at the same time. I give it 4 stars. 

Passing it on: 25 ways to tell you are addicted to books.

I just saw this on another website and I had to pass it on.  For all of us who are addicted to books, this is priceless.  I certainly see myself in several of these steps.  I think, though, that my favorite part is at the top where it says. "The first step is to admit it.  The second step is to keep right on reading."
Here is the link:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/signs-youre-addicted-to-books-reading

Hope you all enjoy and get as many laughs as I did.  Thanks to BUZZFEED for this one.  You made my day.

Thursday's Reveiw: Life in the Land of IS.....the amazing story of Lani Deauville, the world's longest living quadriplegic by Bette Lee Crosby

Book provided by author in exchange for review

Publisher: Bent Line Publishing

Price: $16.99 Paperback

               $6.99    eBook

Genre: Biographies and Memoirs

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Like every Bette Lee Crosby book that I have read (and I have read all of them except two), Life in the Land of IS...the amazing story of Lani Deauville, the world's longest living quadriplegicwas an enjoyable read. You may ask how a book about the life of a quadriplegic can be termed enjoyable. Well, there are two main reasons why I see this book as an enjoyable read. 

The first is it's subject, Lani Verner Deauville. Lani became a quadriplegic in the 1950s, in a time when people with severe disabilities largely retired from life. It was the time before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Political Correctness, or Equality and Equal Rights. Lani Deauville was different though. A diving accident left her in critical condition, her doctors holding out little hope for her. Not only did she survive, though, she went on to live an extremely full life and eventually become listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and the longest living quadriplegic. 

When I first decided to read this book, knowing that it was about the life of a quadriplegic, I expected a book filled with angst, fighting against the odds, frustration and guilt. Instead what I found was Lani, a woman that is as upbeat and positive as a person can get. Yes there were many instances where she described herself fighting against not only the odds, but the societal paradigms that relegated most of the disabled to the back burner of life. What there wasn't though, was a lot of angst, frustration, or recriminations. In fact, I think that Lani actually had a more positive view of life and its possibilities AFTER her accident than she did before. Her spirit and enthusiasm certainly shine through in this book, making her story one that I enjoyed reading and will not soon forget. 

Along with Lani's incredible enthusiasm for life, wit, and energy,Bette Lee Crosby's incredible ability to put the story together was the other factor that made this book so enjoyable. There is just something about Bette's wonderful way of telling a story that allows me to devour anything that she writes. I swear, I think that she could write about anything and make it an enjoyable read. While many writers stick to one genre, Bette is able to write successfully across many genres, and has. In this case, she has managed to put forward Lani's story is such a way that I felt I was sitting with Lani listening to her reminiscences in person. Another plus was the way that the book interspersed experiences after the accident with her life before the accident including many stories from when she was a child. I think it is the inclusion of these stories that allow us to see what a truly amazing person Lani is and how she was programmed to overcome obstacles way before her accident. 

As I said, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a great read. It is ultimately the story of someone who has been handed a challenge, risen to the occasion, beaten the odds, yet manages to stay as normal as you or me. A big thank you to The Sisterhood of the Traveling book and Bette Lee Crosby for making this book available to me in exchange for my review.

Tuesday's Review: The Liars' Gospel by Naomi Alderman

Book provided by publisher in exchange for review

Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company
Price: $25.99  US, $28.99 CAN for Hardback
           $11.04 US for eBook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Naomi Alderman's new novel, The Liars' Gospel is definitely not a book for everyone. The book is set in the first century and centered around the life of a Jewish prophet, Yehoshuah (Jesus to us). Although it is ostensibly a retelling of the story of Jesus, I found Alderman's detailing of the political climate in Jerusalem during the rise and fall of Jesus much more interesting. The story is told from four viewpoints. That of Marym,Yehoshuah's mother, His friend and follower Ieudah of Queriot, the Roman High Priest of Jerusalem, Caiaphas, and the rebel Bar-Avo. As you read, it is easy to see that Marym is Mary, Ieudah is Judas Iscariot, and Bar-Avo is Barrabas. 

I thought that Alderman's decision to tell this tale from 4 vary different viewpoints was a brilliant idea. Each character had a different relationship with Jesus and none of them alone could have told the tale completely by themselves. The switching of voice throughout the book allows the author to cover, not only the different times periods of Jesus' life, but also the different facets of his life. Of the four tellings (or gospels, per the title) I feel the best one was the telling by Judas. It is here that we first get to see what political forces are at work in Israel between the occupying Romans and the Jews. This political background was the most interesting part of the book to my thinking. Since I am not very well versed in the history of Israel, the Jewish faith, or the Roman empire during the time of Tiberius, I found this part of the book illuminating. The idea that the political forces at work during this time period could play such a major role in allowing Jesus to gather a following, and therefore, to become both who he was and who he wasn't, was what I liked best about the book. 

One reason that I see this book as more than just the retelling of Jesus story, is that the second two "gospels" those of Caiaphas and Barrabas do not seem to have much to do with Jesus at all. Although Caiaphas was the High Priest of Jerusalem during this time, he never really came in contact with Jesus in a large way. His focus was more in the arena of the political strife between the occupiers and the native populations, and his efforts to reconcile the two. In the case of Barrabas, he went on to continue to lead the rebellion of the Jews against the Romans long after Jesus was dead. In fact, his story began with the death of Jesus and continued on with the focus on the political. For me this was the second best section of the book. 

All in all, I found Alderman to present a thought provoking work that captivated me. Both her excellent prose and her development of the characters in the books were definite pluses. Not only was she adept at fleshing out the four characters telling the stories, but her attention to the supporting cast of characters was also well done. In addition, her ability to tell the story of Jesus from and alternate perspective and make it both believable, and more importantly, not disrespectful or preachy, was appreciated. As much as I enjoyed the book, at no time did the writing make me question my faith, or give me the idea that Ms. Alderman was trying to change my beliefs. Only that she was looking at the same story with different eyes. 

As I said, this book is not for everyone, but if you are looking for something that is a little different, looks at something from a totally different direction, and has the ability to bring to light questions and new information, than this is the book for you. I am giving it 4 stars, and in fact, enjoyed it much more than I thought I might. 

This book was provided to me by Little, Brown and Company through Netgalley in exchange for my review. I would like to thank them for the chance to read a book that I would probably not ever looked at on my own. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thursday's Review: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

 This book was furnished by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Publisher: PanMacmillan Australia

Price: $17.99 Hardcover, $9.99 eBook

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

 A Corner of White is the newest book by best selling authorJaclyn Moriarty. I was drawn in by the publisher's review of the book that I read online. It talked of a book that is "rousing, funny, genre-busting" where the characters exchange messages across worlds -- through an accidental gap" and hinted at "even greater mysteries...unfolding on both sides of the gap". That was enough to entice me into reading the book, and I have to say, I'm glad that I gave it the time. 

The two main characters in this book, Madeleine and Elliot, live in two separate worlds. Madeleine lives in Cambridge, UK, in our world. Elliot, however, lives in Bonfire, The Farms, in the Kingdom of Cello. Both characters are wrestling with family issues, and issues regarding their place in their worlds when they start communicating through a gap that exists between worlds. Sounds like a typical young adult fantasy book, right? Here is where the genre-busting part comes in, though. This book is as much a coming-of-age book as it is a fantasy book. 

There was so much about this book that really drew me in as I read it. Not being familiar with Moriarty's work in general, I had no preconceived idea about what a character in her book is typically like. What I found, though, is that her characters were all kinds of things. They were quirky, like Jimmy the deputy who can solve missing person cases with an uncanny success rate, or Holly, Madeleine's mom who is hooked on a quiz show, but cannot answer a single question correctly. Some of the characters made me laugh, like Jack and his fascination with Byron the poet, some tugged at my heart-strings, like Elliot's cousin Corrie-Lynn. In fact, there were a number of top notch characters in this story. 

Moriarty's choice to include two separate worlds as the backdrop for her story was the stroke of a master. At times things between Cello and Cambridge seemed so similar, and yet they were completely different in most ways. Yes one world, Cambridge, is rooted in reality and the other, Cello, in fantasy, but there is more to it than that. Both worlds contained things that seemed as normal as apple pie, and things that were distinctly different from most people's experience. Both contained things that seemed grounded in reality, but also things that were unexplainable, mystical, or even magical. One thing I really liked was the way that Elliot's friends, although they were living in the "fantasy" world had mostly "real world" characteristics, while Madeleine's friends, living in the "real" world of Cambridge had characteristics that one would normally expect to find in a "fantasy" world. 

Also included in the book were a number of plot devices that really helped to round out the story. My favorite was Moriarty's use of the correspondence between Elliot and Madeleine to illustrate the differences between worlds and highlight important factors. Another was Madeleine's fascination with Isaac Newton. 

If there was anything that might be a bit off about the book, it would be the beginning. I know a number of people that found it either slow or confusing. In fact, in most of the reveiws that I read where the reader did not finish the book, their complaints about the story would have been answered if they had kept reading until the end. Although the slow start did not affect me personally, the fact that it kept some readers from finishing a book that, judging from their comments, they would have liked, is a negative. 

I liked the way that Moriarty developed the story slowly allowing me to get familiar with the characters, the Kingdom of Cello, and Madeleine's world in a way that built a growing appreciation of them all. I also liked the way that she did not reveal everything at once. It was like pulling apart a set of nested boxes, and finally getting to the present in the middle. And what was the present in this case? I would have to say it was the ending which was surprising....both in it's revelation and it's appropriateness. It definitely left me wanting more. 

All in all this was a deliciously strange book whose best qualities were the voice of the narrative, the complexity of the characters, and the crafting of the end. It is a top notch set up for the trilogy which is certain to get a number of readers on board and highly anticipating the next installment. I give the book 4.5 stars and am definitely putting it on my "Recommend" list.

I huge thanks to PanMacMillan Australia and Netgalley for making this book available to me in exchange for my review

Celebrating the Short Story: Anthologies

Up until now, I have largely been discussing short stories of the stand alone variety, some large enough to be termed novellas, others just small morsels designed to keep the reader hooked while waiting for the author's next big effort to be published.  There is, however, a whole section of books containing short stories.  These books are most often referred to as anthologies.  There are two major types of short story anthologies that I have come across in my reading.  The first is the collection of stories, all by the same author.  Some current examples of this type of work is Side Jobs, in which author Jim Butcher has collected all of the Dresden File stories that he has been publishing on his website between the release of the major Dresden File books.  This book is an excellent read and just the thing for any Dresden Files collector like me.
The other type of anthology is comprised of a collection of stories by different authors, but all related either by genre or subject.  My most recent foray into this type of anthology is comprised of books like First Thrills an anthology of mystery/thriller stories compiled by Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series, Women of Mystery, a collection of stories by some of the most popular female mystery writers of today, and A Study in Sherlock, and collection of stories that are inspired by the Holmes canon.  Here is my current review of this book:

Publisher: Random House
Price: $36.00 for the Hardback, $11.99 for the eBook
Genre: Mystery  and short story anthology
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What more could a true Sherlock fan want than a book full of "Sherlock" stories by some of the best writers on the current scene. A Study in Sherlock: Stories inspired by the Holmes canon is just such a book. It is edited by Laurie R. King of the Mary Russell series fame. Ms. King seems the perfect person to such a book, since she is the author of the Mary Russell books, a series that features Sherlock Holmes as one of the main characters. What she has put together in this book is a number of stories, mostly written in the same style that Arthur Conan Doyle used when writing the original Sherlock Holmes serial. One thing that really drew me to this book was the writers that Ms. King was able to get to join in the effort. I was excited to see stories by such authors as Lee Child, Neil Gaiman, S.J. Rozan,Laura Lippman, and Jacqueline Winspear. I do have to say, some of the stories were better than others, and some of them followed the Holmes canon much more closely than others, but all of them were enjoyable. Even the ones that did not really follow Doyle's writing style were quite good and worth the read. For example, The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story. 

If you are a Holmes purist, this book would probably not be up to your standards, as several of the stories veer from the canon completely. If, like me, though, you just get a kick out of the way  that Sherlock solves mysteries I would say to give this one a chance.

Tuesday's Review: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

A copy of this book was furnished by the publisher in return for my review

Publisher: Little, Brown
List Price: $27.99 for Hardback Edition
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I think about what to say regarding  Life After Life by Kate Atkinson,  the word "Wow" keeps popping into my head.  To begin with, my only reference for Kate Atkinson before I read this book was my desire to read her Jackson Brodie books.  I saw that this book was a standalone book, but with my limited knowledge of the author, I made the assumption that it was a mystery story.  Therefore I was totally surprised once I started reading it.

The story centers on the life, or many lives, or Ursula Todd. Ursula is the middle child in a typical family living in the British countryside during the first half of the 20th century.   Since I was expecting a totally different type of story, the first couple of chapters of the book caught me off guard.  It didn't take me very long, though, to get caught up in the story that was unfolding.  The more that I read, the more I became hooked.  I don't think that I have ever come across a story with a premise quite as intriguing and original as this one.  I loved the way that the author used the many lives of Ursula, to illustrate her premise.   The fact that none of her lives were exactly the same and the author’s use of “echoes from the past” to illustrate her point was brilliant in my opinion. I know that on the surface this is a story about Reincarnation, but even more than that, it is a story about the choices we make as we live our lives, and how they affect, not only us, but everyone and everything around us.

Atkinson's writing style was the perfect vehicle for this story. Everything from the structure of her writing, to the way she builds Ursula’s story in successive waves , to the choice of wording that she uses, all blend together to make the story fly off the pages.  She made excellent use of historical reference, beautiful prose, and a dry wit to pull the reader into the story and make them fall in love with her premise.  The characters in the book were amazingly well done, too.  Although they were all typical in some ways, they each had their own little quirks and unusual personality traits, which I loved.  In addition, the way that they interacted and blended throughout Ursula’s many lives lead to many questions about life that I found incredibly intriguing.

If the book had any downfalls at all for me, it was the amount of time that Atkinson spent on the dark parts of Ursula's life.  At times I found myself wishing that I was not so immersed in this part, but in the end, I realized that becoming immersed in this part of her life was as necessary for me as the reader as it was for her.  These were the parts of Ursula's life that had the most impact and that drew both her and I to the ultimate conclusion.

At first upon finishing the book, I rated it 4 stars, but the more time went on and the events in the book kept popping into my mind, spurring questions and making me look at life in a different way, the more I realized the book actually deserved 5 stars.  In fact, I have had some of the best discussions that I have participated in for a long time in reference to this book.  In addition, it is one of the first books in quite a while that I would anticipate reading more than once.

Although I am still excited to read her Jackson Brodie books, I am even more excited to read her first novel, [book:Behind the Scenes at the Museum|28940], which sounds like another book on the caliber of this one. This one is definitely highly recommended.

Celebrating the Short Story: A Doctor's Wife by Luis Jaramillo and Cold, Cold Heart by Karin Slaughter

Today I have two short story entries to tell you about.  One is a collection of short stories and the other is a stand along story.  Both were enjoyable reads.

Title:  The Doctor's Wife
Publisher: Dzanc Books,
Price: $12.75 for Paperback, $7.69 eBook
Genre: short stories
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I really enjoy when I happen across a book that surprises me, for whatever reason. The Doctor's Wife by Luis Jaramillo is just such a book. To call it a collection of short stories is misleading in a couple of ways. First of all, I would class the book as more of a collection of vignettes, as none of them are longer than 4 pages. Secondly, the genre "short stories" brings to my mind a collection of tales that give separate brief glimpses. In this case, you have a book of stories, told from varying perspectives, by three generations of the author's family. Each story is an interesting tid-bit all it's own, put them all together and you have a picture of a typical family living in the Pacific Northwest during the 60s and 70s. The book as a whole has a wonderfully homey feel to it, especially when the various storytellers start correcting each others tales. I felt like I was sitting in the living room of the house on Lake Steven, listening to Jaramillo and his relatives tell the family stories. It was a wonderful experience. If the book had any downfalls, it was that it was so short. I ended up wishing I could have spent more time with Luis and his grandmother, mother, and aunt.


Title: Cold, Cold Heart
Publisher: Random House Books
Price: 1.93 from Ebooks.com
Genre: Digital Short Story
Rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

Cold Cold Heart is a 24 page short story was a bit different than what I am used to from Karin Slaughter. It is the story of Pam and John, a couple whose marriage has ended. In the ensuing years, their lives go in very different directions. 

There were several things that set this story apart from the other books that I have read by Slaughter. First of all, both the Will Trent and Grant County series would be classed as mystery/thrillers, and as such there is a lot of both action and suspense. Cold Cold Heart, though, is much more subtle, the revenge much more covert. Additionally, this story does not have the wonderfully developed characters that I am used it in her full lenght novels. I mean, how much character development can you really pack into a story that is only 24 pages long. I definitely got a feel for the characters, but would liked to know a bit more about them. 

To sum it up, even though this story was different than what I expected, I enjoyed it. The ending actually made me smile. It was a nice way to keep my nose in Karin's work while waiting for her latest novel to come out.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing the copy of Cold, Cold Heart in exchange for my review.  

Monday's review: The Orchid Murder Untangling a Web of Unsolved Murders and Legal Malpractice by Christine Hunt

This book was provided by the publisher in return for my review

Recommended for: People familiar with the crime and those that are curious about it
Genre: True Crime
My score: 3 out of 5 stars

Published by Right Line Publishing 
Format: Paperback
Price:  Paperback $17.95
               eBook $9.99

When I was in high school (many years ago) I read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, which started a life long love of true crime stories. The thing is, finding really good true crime books is a bit of a challenge. Christine Hunt's The Orchid Murder: Untangling a Web of Unsolved Murders and Legal Malpracticewas an interesting entry into this genre. It is really almost a tale of two books, with very different feels for each part. 

Ms. Hunt devotes the first half of the book to describing the 1973 murder of Bob Nachtsheim, referred to as The Orchid Murder because he was found in his flower shop, lying in a pool of blood, with a flat of orchids by his side. I was not familiar with this crime or it's outcome, so I found this part of the book fascinating. In addition, Ms. Hunt's description of the outcome of the investigation, the performance of Philip Gainsley, the defendant's lawyer, and it's effect on the life of Norm Wartnick, the defendant was fascinating. Ms. Hunt's background as an investigative journalist really shined through here as her descriptions and explanations were well done. 

Once the focus switched to the malpractice trial brought by Joe Frieberh and Jerry Snider, though, the book fell apart for me. At first I was mesmerized by the legal maneuverings and backroom deals that seemed to be stacked against the plaintiff's and their lawyers. As the time line unfolded, though, the book began to read like a trial transcript. While this is not a bad thing in and of itself, it began to get quite repetitive and I found myself skimming large sections. I would have liked to see a little less of the trial transcripts and a bit more analysis and explanation. 

I will say, though, while reading the book, you were never quite sure which way the final outcome was going to go. In that respect, the author did a great job. In fact, my inability to tell exactly how it would end was the main thing that kept me reading. I also appreciated the follow up that was included in the end, and the numerous explanatory footnotes throughout the book. 

In the end, the book left me with a lot of questions regarding the actual unsolved murder (By the way, the title says Unsolved murders, but in fact only one murder was really addressed). I find myself wanting to research the actual murder more to see if there is any addition analysis out there anywhere. In addition, I thought the Legal Malpractice part could have been better handled. I would class this book as a recommended read, but not a highly recommended read.

Passing it Along: Her Best Books Celebration of Women and Writing

Some of my favorite female authors are celebrating women authors for the next week (April 28 - May 5) .  They are having a wonderful party with give aways, gifts, and lots of stories and blog posts about women and writing.  Here is the link to their blog:

http://herbestbooks.com/

Head on over and check it out!  It is well worth the time.

The Girl who swam to Atlantis by Elle Thorton

This book was provided by the author in exchange for my review

Recommended for: middle school students, teachers, and the parents of middle schoolers.
Genre:  Modern Historical Fiction
Score: 4 stars

With all of the "boy meets girl" and fantasy YA books out there, it is always refreshing to find a book that deals with a more serious issue. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton is just such a book. Gabrielle Winter is 13, and like many 13-year-olds, she is not sure of her place in the world. Complicating matters is the fact that Gabrielle is spending the summer at an Army base in North Caroline where her father, a general, is stationed. It is the summer of 1957 and racial tensions in the area are high.

This book was an excellent, easy read. Elle Thorton does an great job of capturing the angst of a 13-year-old trying to define who they are in the world. In the character of Gabrielle, she balances just the right amount of insecurity and exploration. For me,though, it was Gabrielle's naivete of the racial tensions that were prevalent in the South at this time that was the best part of her character. I really liked the way that Ms. Thorton used that naivete to explore the issue of race relations in the 1950s South. I thought that this exploration was done with thoughtfulness and care, exhibiting a good balance of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the author did not go into enough depth on the subject. I am aware that the target audience for this book is the middle school crowd, of which I am not a member, but even so, I felt that Ms. Thorton could have fleshed the subject out just a bit more. As it is, she touches on many subjects that will hopefully entice the young minds to explore the subject further, and that is a plus with me. I would class this book as an excellent read for the 11 - 14 age crowd. In addition, I would suggest that parents read along with their middle schoolers and perhaps use this book as a jumping off point for discussion. As such, I think this book is an excellent choice and am giving it 4 stars

Celebrating the short story: If Snow Hadn't Fallen, a Lacey Flint short story by S. J. Bolton

In my continuing quest to celebrate the short story this year, I have come across yet another story by an established author that is noteworthy. As soon as I finished Now You See Me, the first Lacey Flint book by S.J. Bolton, I knew I was hooked. I immediately went and purchased If Snow Hadn't Fallen, the short story that occurs between books 1 and 2. Although only about 92 pages long, this entry into the Lacey Flint series is perfect for those who are waiting for something to keep them riveted between books 1 and 2. in my case, that was because I had to wait for book 2 to come in at the library. Lacey Flint is one of the most fascinating characters that I have come across in quite a while. I love multi-layered characters, and with Lacey, things are never quite what they seem. My other favorite characters from the first book only play small roles in this story, but they are all there, which allowed me to get my fix while waiting to read book two. The plot in this story is typical Bolton, too, with crisp writing, wonderful details, and enough twists to keep me satisfied. Plus the book had one of the best ending lines that I have read in quite a while.  I give this story 5 stars. It was just what I needed to keep me invested in Lacey and the gang. This is my new favorite thriller series and I am anticipating book two (should be in soon) and looking forward to much more.