Morgan's October Picks

Drizzled with Death by Jessie Crockett

Come meet the author! Jessie Crockett will be at MainStreet BookEnds on Sunday October 13th from 11am to 2pm enjoying the Warner Fall Foliage Festival and signing copies of her new book Drizzled with Death. This fun murder mystery kicks off her new Sugar Grove Mystery Series and takes place in a fictional New Hampshire Town. Sure to please the discerning mystery lover and syrup aficionado alike the book even includes delicious recipes which I haven't tried yet but that I sure intend to when I pick up some delicious local syrup at Festival. Be sure to join us for this fun event and a great festival.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I rarely read or recommend two books by the same author back to back but in the case of Jojo Moyes I had to make an exception because her two books were somehow totally different in genre, feeling, language and subject matter and yet both were incredible and worth recommending! The Girl You Left Behind is split between the narratives of two women, one in WWI era occupied France and one in modern day London. The women are united in strange ways both emotionally and in their connection to an incredible painting. I loved both women as they were interesting, very human and strong in their own ways. Both stories are love stories although not in the traditional sense.

The book begins in German Occupied France at an inn staffed by the main character, Sophie and her sister. Both of their husbands are away at war and to keep their livelihood they struggle to keep their inn open and must make peace with serving the German soldiers in their town. This story is heartbreaking as are most WWI stories and pauses about halfway through the book leaving the reader hanging on wanting to understand what has happened to Sophie and her missing husband.

Then the book then picks up with the story of Liv, a young widow in modern day London who is struggling to make ends meet while honoring the legacy of her late husband. Here the reader begins finding crumbs of information about what may have happened to Sophie and we struggle alongside Liv to understand what really happened all those year ago.

This book keeps you engaged and guessing at the conclusion right up until the very end. An amazing piece of historical fiction and contemporary literature I would definitely recommend picking up a copy.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

This classic retelling of the stories of King Arthur is fantastic. It had been on my to read list for awhile and at the urging of some friends I moved it up to the top. I'm so glad I did. It is an enjoyable book as all of the stories we know and love about King Arthur come to life through the eyes of all of the women we often don't hear much from in other versions. The characters are I think the best part of this book because they seem completely real. They are flawed but endearing and each undergoes an important transformation. I was also struck by the feminist undertones of the book as it is impressive to accomplish writing strong, believable female characters who lived during this time period. A must read.

Morgan's September Picks

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was on my to-read list mostly because I had read a few cute reviews and it seemed like a good end of summer, relaxing book. It certainly was all of those things. The characters are definitely cute characters but they are also complicated, conflicted and flawed. There is more than meets the eye behind all of the characters and they keep you guessing through the entire book. I imagined it would be a good romantic beach read and it also met by expectations here but again in a more complex and interesting way that I had anticipated.

The story centers around two characters, one a young woman stuck in a dead-end job and a seemingly dead-end life and a young man who is left crippled by a tragic accident. Together they rediscover what it is to be a friend, to live your life to the fullest you can and to explore the many options we are given in this life. The story takes place in England and there is a lot of that quick English wit and sarcasm but there are also extremely endearing moments and utterly human stories from many of the secondary characters.

With the characters we face difficult moral questions and enjoy the ridiculous business of being alive. We are also challenged with the toughest question of all. What makes your life worth living?

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness

If you are in the mood for a more fantasy based love story try A Discovery of Witches. As a young adult fantasy fan I am always excited to try adult fantasy novels. This book is the first in a trilogy (the second book in the trilogy just came out in paperback) so if you are looking to commit to a few stories check this out. I definitely have a lot of questions after the first book and want to pick up the second one. The writing itself was nothing much to write home about but the story is interesting and I think it promises to heat up in the next two books.

The book centers around a 1500 year old vampire and a 30 something year old witch who find themselves caught up in a incredible web of mystery, magic and science that promises to cause a lot of controversy among the non-human species: Vampires, Witches and Daemons. 

I liked how the author had clearly done a lot of research into myth, magic, science and history to write this book. Much of the legend in the book links to other fantasy novels I have read but it has some interesting twists on the mechanics involved in making vampires, witches' families and daemons.  The book also has some undertones of allegories of racial prejudice and segregation that I found interesting.

Mostly a romantic story there were times when it could get a little sappy and overly descriptive but I was able to plow through those sections with the promise that I would find out more of the underlying intrigue going on in the story.

Definitely something for a fan of Twilight, the Outlander Series and The Night Circus these are 500 pages that seem to fly by.

Marti's September Picks

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure 

This is a fast moving book, that captures your attention. The setting of Occupied Paris is richly drawn as is the lure of survival. The main character, Lucien is a character who changes as the novel moves, but not without struggles and betrayals. What he is doing is very, very dangerous and there is one German who is determined to capture this man who tricks and deceives the Germans.

Lucien Bernard is an architect who is struggling, but then so many people are in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Although he does not care about the Jews, he too is aware that the Gestapo is ruling Paris with a heavy hand. He is married and has a mistress, neither of which are particularly caring of him. He luckily begins to find work with a rich industrialist designing factories for the "French" people to "help" with the war. He is convinced to help devise a hiding space for a large sum of money for the industrialist - who has a friend. Lucien is able to design very clever hiding spaces within the confines of buildings, while he continues to build factories and other buildings for the industrialist and his German handler (member of the army who is in charge of increasing production). Lucien begins to do this for the money, then he begins to do this for the challenge of being clever, and then because he knows they are people.

The Paris Architect is very powerful in its portrayal of a city and population under occupation. To me, the book shows the dichotomy of the situation sharply. I found this book to be particularly insightful in describing how many of the French population struggled to save themselves, while others struggled to save themselves and hide the hunted. I had not known a great deal about Paris when occupied, but within this book I saw the best and worst of the situations. The author also showed some of the ambivalence of the Germans toward the focus on the "Jewish situation" while capturing the viciousness of other Germans

This is a book to read! Not to savor, even though it is written beautifully. Not to mourn, even though so many people were annihilated without reason. But to remember, even in the midst of horror there is grace.

** I received this book for free from Main Street Book Ends, my local independent book store in Warner NH. The only caveat was to write an honest review.  This book is to be published in Oct of 2013.

Her Last Breath by Linda Castello

Her Last Breath by Linda Castello is the fifth book in the series about Kate Burkholder. Kate Burkholder is a troubled police captain. An incident happened that transformed her from a happy trusting Amish girl to a very troubled woman alone in the world when she was in her teens. Kate managed to move into the law enforcement area and ended up being a police captain in the area she was raised. Only now Kate is no longer Amish and has been shunned. This is a unrepairable strain on her relationship with her brother and sister. Linda Castillo allows the audience to see more of Kate's early life before she was shunned, through her relationship with her old best friend, Mattie.

Mattie's husband Paul and two of her three children are killed in an accident. Kate not only has to tell Mattie about their loss, she has to investigate the murders. On top of this, old evidence from Kate's past has been dragged up and Kate and her family are nervous about it. Adding to the situation is John Tomasetti, Kate's on again, off again guy. John has been there for Kate as she has been there for him, but he would like to move the relationship into the living together stage and Kate is terrified. With all that is swirling around Kate's life, she tries to focus on the murders and maintain an even keel. Not an easy task.

Linda Castillo's series about Kate Burkholder and nice reads. The pace is quick. The characters are human. The book's descriptions of life in this part of Ohio (at least to my eyes) is accurate. Kate is a complex person, molded into someone who presents as calm and focused, while inside emotional struggling with the relationship piece. A very good read.

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory's book The White Princess was eye opening to me. I have followed the series pretty religiously and found in each book some surprises. In The White Princess I have found Elizabeth Yorke Tutor to be extremely resilient and surprisingly in love with her husband, Henry VII. I did not know much about Henry VII, so found this book to be quite enlightening.

To me Philippa Gregory always makes history come alive. In the case of the War of Roses or the Cousin's War - I am just astounded by the animosity and cruelty. The battle lines are so clearly divisive that I am unsure any monarch could keep the country together. Add to the mix Henry VII worry about his crown and the plot thickens. His wife Elizabeth who is a York has to straddle the fine line between her husband and her family. He does not trust her and is constantly questioning her on what she knows. I am in awe of her strength of character and her ability to straddle a difficult line - knowing she is a royal princess/queen first.

I do not like Henry's treatment of her. Emotionally, he was a yo yo with her. I admire Elizabeth of York much more than I thought I would. AND don't even get me started on Richard of York and his death!

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole

I now have a new gold standard for a book and a love story. Letters From Skye. This novel from Jessica Brockmole was written using a series of letters to tell two separate stories that eventually worked together into another story. (That is the best way I can think to describe it without giving anything away.) The main characters of Elspeth and David wrote letters during WWI and her daughter Margaret wrote letters to Paul during WWII. 

To me, using the literary technique of the letters made the story more emotional and realistic. Not only did the letters share what was happening in their worlds but shared the confusion, hurt, pain and love between people as they determine their course in life. The raw beauty of the words in some cases were almost painful as you waited with them for the responses. The letters might seem old fashion to a hurry up and text and twitter world, but to me they allowed the author to expand on the worlds of her characters. This book made me feel like an integral part of the story, like I was one of the characters. I felt the emotional responses the acts of courage, the acts of despair...

The setting of the stories almost tells more about the stories than most books. The Isle of Skye was so well described I felt the wind blowing off the ocean with the tang of salt. During the bombing of London, I could smell the bombs. I need to leave you to find the rest of the places as some will rip at you and others hold you in their hand.

The Time Between by Karen White

“There is how we were before, and how we are now, and the time between is spent choosing which doors to open, and which to close.” Karen White

I once again fell into a Karen White book and was drawn into another world. The Time Between is named from the quote above. To me it is the crux of the story - in each case the characters had to choose which doors they were going to open and which ones to close for opportunities and life choices. So many of the characters hemmed and hawed over what they were going to do. Each character has made some major decisions and held the information back from the others - thinking they were doing what was best!

Ellie comes from a dysfunctional family where there seem to be family lines drawn about an incident in the past with her sister Eve. Ellie is hired by Finn (her boss with her 'regular' job) to help with his Great Aunt Helene who has been quite ill. Ellie agrees to spend time with her and spends time going back and forth to Edisto Island, where she lives. This is the same place that Ellie grew up and never wanted to leave. There are secrets that Ellie by accident starts to uncovers about Finn's family. The secrets start to open other secrets and they all tie back to something that happened back in Hungary during WWII. While this is all happening, Ellie becomes quite close to Finn and his daughter, Gigi. 

Karen White is a fabulous writer whose stories have such complexities of characters and secrets. I never feel I can give a full accounting of the story because there are so many intricacies that all fit in together to make her stories so readable and life like! I would highly recommend this book! 

Karrie's August Picks

Inkheart

Cornelia Funke

This is one of the most enchanting stories I have yet to be a part of. Funke transports us into the world of a young book-loving girl with a mysterious past and an even more mysterious gift. Taken care of by her single book-binder father, Meggie accompanies him on numerous trips to mysterious old book dealers while he tries in vain to find a copy of the book Inkheart. But when he finds it both he and Meggie are thrown into their own dangerous story and Meggie discovers her own extraordinary gift given to her by her father - and also the reason he will never read aloud to her. Thus begins their battle with evil and their search for Meggie's mom.

This story is full of both lovable and terrifying characters whom you will find yourself attracted to no matter their moral character. Funke introduces you to a whole new way of reading and becoming involved with a good book... you'll have to read to find out Meggie's marvelous secret!

Girls in Trucks

Katie Crouch

This is one of the best coming of age stories I've ever read. Sarah is a southern debutante itching to run. Her reluctance to become a prudent southern belle leads to her escape to the north as she attends college and then lives in New York. But as Sarah escapes she begins to realize that the lessons she was taught as a debutante in the south aren't any help when it comes to making decisions or managing her life. As she struggles to find herself through a number of mistakes, she is pulled home after the death of a family member and the announcement of her sister's wedding where she begins to learn that no matter how hard she tries to escape, she will always come from the south. And she will always carry with her the place she comes from.

****I recommend this book for anyone entering or graduating college. It should NOT be read by teenagers as there is some heavy stuff to the plot.****

Morgan's August Picks

White Dog Fell From the Sky by Eleanor Morse

This is an enchanting story told through multiple characters and points of view. It takes place in Botswana during Apartheid in South Africa and centers on a young man who is running away from there. He encounters a young english woman who has come to Botswana with her husband. Both are lost creatures suffering in different ways and each one learns incredible lessons from the seemingly magical land of Botswana and from an incredibly loyal canine called White Dog. Beautifully written and charmingly complex this is a great story and one you should pick up before the author comes to town to speak about it in two weeks at the Tory Hill Reader Series!

 

 

What is the What by Dave Eggers

I was given this book by a dear friend and expected to like it as he had never steered me wrong in the past however I was blown away by how powerful this book is. The narrator is a young man, Valentino, who is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. His story is an incredible one based on the real life journey of Valentino Achak Deng. It weaves across two continents, over many years and covers tragedy with a sense of hard-won wisdom. While at first hesitant to read this book during my summer vacation for fear it would be too depressing I instead found it funny and touching especially during some of the most difficult periods. An important work as it brings light to an often forgotten part of the world What is the What is an amazing testament to the power of the human spirit. I also loved this book because from my experience with a Sudanese professor I can tell you that it unfolds exactly like many Sudanese choose to tell their stories, slowly and with many interruptions for other (and often unrelated) anecdotes. Utterly endearing and wonderful.

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

I absolutely loved this book. It is told through a series of letters, notes and very silly documents shared between members of a town that seems to be rife with slightly insane individuals. At heart it is the story of a young and intelligent girl who is on the hunt for her lost mother. It crosses from Seattle to Antarctica and highlights human foibles and human brilliance. I especially liked how the past and incredible genius of the mother unfolds throughout the book. I found myself relating quite strongly to the young girl as she discovers both of her parents, their flaws and the things that make them human. It is a quick summer read that definitely doesn't disappoint.

Marti's August Picks

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

I love books that start with a well-known and accurate historical fact and then create a piece of fiction around that fact. B. A. Shapiro did just that in her book, The Art Forger. In 1990, various pieces of artwork were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Three of the missing pieces were drawings from Degas. From this we are drawn into a world of stolen art and forgeries.

The main character, Clair, is an artist, who has been maligned in the cutthroat art world. She is skilled at copying specific artists and wants to show her own paintings. Claire is asked to paint/forge a copy of one of the stolen works from the Gardner Museum in trade for a one-woman show of her work. This decision leads her to a search through history and time about the artist, Degas and Isabella Gardner. Is the painting After Bath by Degas an original or a forgery? The plot continues to unfold highlighting the controversial missing painting.

The main character, Claire, as an artist, can easily be led by her desire for exposure, can be universal in her desires. The unfolding of the plot does, at times, slow and then speeds up as in real life where nothing happens and then a waterfall of events occur almost simultaneously. The book does come to a head with a couple of surprises.

The book was an enjoyable read. There was a lot of information about painting styles and materials as well as historical information about paintings. The story did not rush to an ending and did seemingly meander at times going back and forth in time as the story unfolded.

 Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky

Barbara Delinsky has written another bestseller.  Her newest book is a testament to her story telling ability.  The novel set on a fictional island in Maine and is filled with the best the island offers: food, herbs, friends and the sweet salt air from the ocean.

The characters from the book are some of my favorites of all of her books.  I love the grittiness of Charlotte, the reticence of Leo, the determination of Julian, and the passion of Nicole.  Each character fills a need within the book, but continues to grow and change as the book moves forward in its story.

The plot is intertwined with story threads such as organic ingredients, the use of herbs, stem cell research and use as well as Multiple Sclerosis.  On top of that there is guilt, forgiveness, anger, and fear, all so strong that they are visceral. How Barbara Delinsky balances all that as well as the complex characters all speaks to her skills at writing.

The book was a wonderful read and has a deeply moving story. You can almost smell the lavender on the island with the crashing waves. The beach chair is optional.

Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand

Welcome to summer! There is a new Elin Hilderbrand book out! To me, her books epitomize what summer should be sun, beaches, small towns, and plenty of water! Nantucket sounds so wonderful in these books. Too bad the stories are not real...SIGH....

Beautiful Day is a story about a wedding on Nantucket during the summer. The Grahams and the Carmichaels have come together for a wedding between Jenna and Stuart. Beth Carmichael wrote a book of thoughts to her daughter, Jenna before she died. "The Notebook" as it is called contains all kinds of advice, ideas and other information about how to plan Jenna's wedding. Jenna and her older sister Margo follow the suggestions as closely as possible. This does cause an issue or two with the groom's family, but that seems to have worked itself out.

What hasn't worked itself out are all the last minute problems that occur when two disparate groups of people come together for a wedding. What hasn't worked itself out are last minute secrets turned into disclosures that occur when people get together. On top of all that are the issues of the complicated relationships between the step children/mothers, affairs, cheating spouses, and jealousy. It is a veritable smorgasbord of emotions, opinions, feelings in a short time and in a small space. You just know stuff is going to happen .... and it sure does!

I enjoyed seeing the wedding weekend from the variety of voices used. Each chapter has at least three voices (nicely labeled) with "outtakes" about how that person either felt about or things they wanted to say. This technique gave the book a different vibe and allowed the reader many views. One of the things I did not like was the men that were characterized as shallow, cheating and lying scums. The wedding seemed to have a number of them within the immediate cast of characters. While they certainly gave the books some twists and turns, I would have felt better if more of the characters were less ugly in their behaviors.

Thank you Elin Hilderbrand for helping welcome in summer with another great read!!! ( 4.5 stars out of five)

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian is part mystery and part historical fiction. Two stories intertwine around a family and a unknown assailant. Chris Bohjalian unveils the story piece by piece describing each scene with an eye toward setting up the story. The story splashes back and forth in time drawing you to the conclusion. The writing draws you into the story and keeps your attention. There are twists.

However, I did not find the story as compelling as I have others. It contained the moral ambiguity, that is often seen from his books. The characters were interesting. There were twists in the plot. However, I felt the ending was a little ho hum and did not grab you but kind of whimpered. The ending disappointed me, which is hard for me to say about a Chris Bohjalian's book. I enjoyed the reading and the book was good, but not as outstanding as some of his other books.

I will continue to read Chris Bohjalian. His books are well written and draw you into the story. His ability to tell a story is excellent. This book is not a favorite. (three out of five stars)

The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill

This was an awesome read! The story is loosely based on the life of Maria Mitchell and her desire to study and find a comet. It contains much information about astronomy that can be overwhelming, however the information is not needed to understand the story at its heart. It is a story of longing, desire, love and acceptance in a very regimented and structured world.

The main character is Hannah Gardner Price. She lives on Nantucket and the majority of the story takes place between 1845 and 1848. Through the character of Hannah, we are introduced to the infancy of modern astronomy. However, she lives in a very strict community of Quakers, who profess to openness and understanding but who are in reality very controlling of their population. Hannah is extremely intelligent and able to complete the most complex mathematical equations of the time, however she is still expected to follow the confines of being a woman in a Quaker society. Her emotional understanding of people is stunted, as she does not have similar interests to others in her world.

Her family does not seem to support her quest to find a comet. She finds herself in deeper and deeper straits financially as she does not marry or leave the island. Hannah takes on a student to help him learn the mathematics to improve his position on a ship. A black man and a white woman – need I say more?

I found myself tearing up at times... knowing that Hannah so desperately wants to be successful in her pursuit of the stars and the barriers that are constantly thrown against her – barriers that are meant to force her to conform... I struggled with her as she learned to stand and take steps toward understanding herself, her life and her role!

I did have trouble drawing myself into the book until about 60 pages in. I found myself recoiling against some of the characters for their behaviors. Even though they are authentic and appropriate for the time. At the end, I was glad and sad... A 4+ star book out of 5 stars!

The Heist by Janet Evanovich

The Heist by Janet Evanovich is the first book in a new series. The book is a cross between the story lines of the movies The Sting and The Thomas Crowne Affair. The main characters are Katie O’Hare (FBI) and Nicholas Fox (con man).

Katie has been on the heels of Nicholas Fox for years. Each time she almost has him in her grasp, he manages to slip away... She finds him very frustrating, exasperating and always one step ahead. Nicholas Fox loves having Kate following him. He has started to become quite bold in leaving her clues and Toblerone Bars. They end up working together on a case much to Katie's disgust and the situations they get into and out of are not run of the mill.

While, I did not find this novel to be humorous, as I had hoped, I did find the story line to be interesting and at times almost comical. The suave personality of Nicholas and the caustic in your face personality of Kate brings the situations and the characters alive! The supporting characters are very well drawn and certainly not ordinary!

I enjoyed this book and would read the next in the series.  It was better than okay and not great.

Karrie's July Picks

The Unicorn Chronicles

by Bruce Coville

This series is an absolute treat. I recommend it to any middle school girl for summer reading! 

Help Cara save the unicorns as she travels from Earth to their hidden world of Luster, where she makes new friends who save her from perils and help her complete her quest. Along the way Cara begins to learn things about her own past, including things about her Grandmother whom she had to leave on Earth. Her quest carries her across the land of Luster to reach the Queen at court. During their adventure Cara and her friends face many perils including an attack from the delvers - ancient enemies of the unicorns - and being captured by the vicious dragon Firethroat. 

This grueling adventure is fun for everyone and continues in three more books! Join Cara as she helps save the unicorns and uncovers many deep and dark secrets about herself!

Blackbird House

by Alice Hoffman

If you're looking for the perfect beach read this summer here it is. This quick little book is one of the best she has ever written (in my own opinion).

It follows the story of a house built by a poor fishing family with a wife who impatiently waits for her husband and son to come back. With each new inhabitant of this little seas-side house we learn a new way to love. Each person who lives there carries a different story with them, adding to the magic. From the fisherman's wife to the mysterious man in the end, this book pulls you through the lives of many people who needed Blackbird House to learn to love again.

This book will bring you through a torrent of different feelings. It moves you in so many different ways it's hard to tell exactly what you'll feel next. But I suppose that's part of it's magic.