Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes manages to deal with a serious subject and still be tremendously entertaining. The serious subject here is an addiction to drug and alcohol. Rachel Walsh's life disbands as she cultivates her addictions and after losing her employment, her boyfriend, and her best friend, Rachel finds herself back to her home land of Ireland in treatment. The story that follows are Rachel's comical misadventures as an addict in denial while in treatment, interspersed with flashbacks of how she became an addict. I love Marian Keyes and her writing style.
5 Stars

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes is a fun collection of very short essays. I'm a big fan of Marian Keyes so when I saw this I couldn't resist it. This is a perfect book to share with people by reading out loud. I took this book to work and when things got to be a little too much I would share a story and we would burst out laughing. This one gets a definite five stars.
5 Stars

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns is the story of a 14-year -old boy, is a cross between Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield, who lived in Sassy Tree, Georgia, in 1906. I was annoyed by the Southern pronunciation spelling but I found the story quite compelling especially when Will Tweedy was on a almost killed on a railroad trestle. This was a very interesting read but I found it to be long and drawn out.
3 Stars

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker immediately draws the reader into the eccentric town of Aberdeen and its residents. The reader's point of view is from Truly who due to her physical appearance suffers repetitive humiliations and yet she is still able to view the world with wonderment, affection, and a deep understanding. Truly and her sister Serena Jane are complete opposites of each other yet their lives intertwine in many ways. I was instantaneously drawn into Aberdeen and found myself fiercely defensive of Truly. Little Giant of Aberdeen County is a novel that will absorb the reader so that you will think of it for hours if not days afterward.
5 Stars

Blood and Gold by Anne Rice

I was very disappointed by Blood and Gold by Anne Rice. The story itself was bizarre with so much detail in places where we didn’t need it and so little in the places we did. Rice is very knowledgeable in the ancient Egyptian origins of the story, and the birth and duty of Marius, but she does not know a lot about the history in which Marius passed. Marius comes across as a self-serving ego-maniac the whole time. He envisions himself as a great teacher and cannot stand it when his pupils actually begin to learn. Not as good as Armand’s story.

3 Stars

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas is a fascinating story recounting the life of the vampire Dr. Edward Lewis Weyland. The book reads more like a series of interconnected novellas than a novel but I liked it. The first three sections are told through the points of view of three people who come into contact with Weyland and know that he is a vampire. The last two sections are told from the Weyland’s point of view as he envisages his increasing cognizance of human nature. It's a persuasive story that abjures all the allure and sex so frequently accompanying with vampire novels. In Weyland, we see both monster and man and neither side is particularly compassionate.

5 Stars

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Recipient of the Native American Youth Services Literature Award, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a charismatic book that teenage boys (including my teenager) everywhere will relate to. Alexie’s wit and jocularity are right on target and he is able to get right into the mind of a 14 year old boy. There are very significant themes in this story including bullying, alcoholism, and poverty. This was a very quick read and I definitely recommend that parents read it before handing it off to your teenager.
5 Stars

Five Patients by Michael Crichton

I work in the healthcare field and I thought that I was getting a fiction book my Michael Crichton. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I had a non fiction and interesting read. The funny part is that I had no clue that this author actually created the TV series ER. The story encompasses five patients, a construction worker in his fifties who is seriously injured in the collapse of a scaffold, a middle-aged railroad dispatcher who develops a high fever that makes him wildly delirious, a young worker that nearly severs his hand from his arm in an accident, a woman who while traveling alone develops persistent chest pain and is treated by a doctor on a TV screen and a mother of three who is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Five Patients has abundant detail, decent medical knowledge and insight into the health care business all told in layman’s terms.
4 Stars

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Explosive Eighteen is one of the best Stephanie Plum books I have read. At the end of Smoking Seventeen Stephanie was off to Hawaii but we were unsure with whom, this one starts out with her trip home, she mentions she left both Morelli and Ranger in Hawaii and has a tan line on her bare ring finger that she is unwilling to explain. This was so hard to not jump ahead and find out what happened. It took all my effort to just read and let the story play out. I believe that Stephanie is starting to finally realize that she has to make a decision between her two loves though I am hoping for a big surprise and maybe Diesel will steal her right from under their noses. Laugh out loud funny !!

5 Stars

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice is a book I found in the bargain bin at Book Warehouse. The story is set in London, post-WWII and tells the story of eighteen year old Penelope, her brother, Indigo, and her mother whom live in a huge house which they can not afford to maintain. Their father / husband died during the war and left them virtually destitute. While looking for a job, Penelope accepts an offer of a cab ride with the vivacious Charlotte Ferris, and they become great friends. Penelope follows Charlotte to parties and even plays a part in a farce by pretending to be Charlotte’s cousin's fiancé to make a girl jealous. The story is about coming of age in a changing world along with friendship and little romance.

4 Stars

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The Next Always by Nora Roberts contains the story of Clare Brewster, a widow with three young boys who grew up in the small town of Boonsboro, which is also the backdrop of the narrative. She moved from and then returned to the close knot community when her husband died in Iraq. Six years after her return, she has growing boys, a growing business and she catches and returns the attention of Beckett Montgomery. On the other hand Beckett, along with his two brothers and his mother, are renovating the town's historic inn. During a short tour of the ongoing project with Clare, sparks begin to fly. This is a story of second chances and how when life hands you lemons you do your best to make lemonade.

4 Stars

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan was a spur of the moment cheap purchase and I will admit that I didn’t expect the great story and wonderful characters. It just goes to show you that a good book does not have to cost a lot of money. This story is of the life of a woman that is dealing with severe social anxiety disorder. The opulence and profundity of all of the characters was brilliant. You were drawn into all their lives and I felt that I knew each and every one of the townspeople as the book went on.

4 Stars

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker does not disappoint. If you want a book that will somewhat disturb you and make you think that this is it. It is very unsual for a Christian author to write a book with such ghastly violent behavior in such detail. Dekker definitely stepped out of his box with this one. Whatever you do don’t miss his afterward, "Are You the Boneman's Daughter?"

5 Stars

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler is typical Cussler with a lot of running and shooting, well as I see it its an action movie in book form. Crescent Dawn is fast paced and has that great Cussler formula.

5 Stars

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson is my favorite of all of his writings. It tells the uncomplicated story of Paul Kemp, an average guy who is making his way through his ordinary life and his interactions interacts with other people in 1950s San Juan, Puerto Rico. This book is poles apart from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson has conjured a pleasant character who struggles his way through a humdrum career at a San Juan newspaper. I love the uncomplicated easy story of its effortless clear-cut characters.

5 Stars

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson

The Rum Diary : A Novel by Hunter S. Thompson is my favorite of all of his writings. It tells the uncomplicated story of Paul Kemp, an average guy who is making his way through his ordinary life and his interactions interacts with other people in 1950s San Juan, Puerto Rico. This book is poles apart from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson has conjured a pleasant character who struggles his way through a humdrum career at a San Juan newspaper. I love the uncomplicated easy story of its effortless clear-cut characters.

5 Stars

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Steve Jobs was an extraordinary person and truly a great man but perhaps also the hardest individual to work with in the entire industry. The book is truthful to the point of ruthlessness when censuring his person and uses superlatives generously while recounting his work. Steve Jobs has altered our lives in a primary way. The book not only encompasses Steve Jobs life but also the story of Silicon Valley and provides sound insights into running a corporation no matter the size. I feel like the book is a little soon after his death but I feel as a start of what is sure to be a plethora of books on Steve Jobs Isaacson did a good job.

3 Stars

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami was a disappointment. In all honesty, it's just a bit boring. I had no idea that this was book one of a series and I do not want to even pick up the other two. 1Q84 is a novel full of standard characters doing mind-numbing things. 1Q84 isn't horrible but it took great effort for me to finish the book. This might well be the last time I get one of his novels.

1 Star

The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman

The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman is a clever and stimulating debut novel. Makes you question what the limits of tolerance and democracy are. The characters start a tad dreary and archetypal but as the book progresses no one stays the same. All characters disclose something about themselves that the reader and they themselves may not like. I found the point that was made at the end unbelievably poignant.

5 Stars

The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed

In The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed the unnamed narrator flashbacks to his tranquil and lighthearted childhood with his friends and family, before the selection of the anti-Muslim leader of Kashmir and the electoral deception that served as a trigger to the rebellion that led to conflict throughout the region. The villagers suffer great hardship and the narrator is torn between loyalty to his father, who wants his son to stay in the village, and his desire for revenge and justice for his friends and neighbors. Excellent Read !!

5 ++++ Stars

Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos

Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos is narrated by Tochtli, an 8 year old boy whose father Yolcaut is a cold-blooded Mexican drug lord who resides in a closely fortified mountain lair. The boy is also secluded to the point that he has only met a few people who work for or with his father. His closest companion is his teacher and the books that keep him engaged. Down the Rabbit Hole was an attention-grabbing read which held my interest for its 70 pages but I really think that that the length is perfect as if it had been longer I would have been bored.

3 Stars

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is a spectacular success. A history of cancer, cancer treatment, the public policy response to cancer, it is truly comprehensive in range. Mukherjee is an oncologist, and he combines both his knowledge with his poignant familiarity in treating patients. It is this combination that makes the book so satisfying, both spiritually and psychologically. I now know more about both the disease of cancer as well as the experience of the disease than I ever is thought possible. The book is not for the squeamish, the section on mastectomy surgery was especially difficult, but other than that I would urge anyone to read this.

5 Stars

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is a spectacular success. A history of cancer, cancer treatment, the public policy response to cancer, it is truly comprehensive in range. Mukherjee is an oncologist, and he combines both his knowledge with his poignant familiarity in treating patients. It is this combination that makes the book so satisfying, both spiritually and psychologically. I now know more about both the disease of cancer as well as the experience of the disease than I ever is thought possible. The book is not for the squeamish, the section on mastectomy surgery was especially difficult, but other than that I would urge anyone to read this.

5 Stars

Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes

Tales of the Madman Underground is an incredible book. All Karl wants is to be ordinary. He thinks that if he can get through the first week of school without any issues, his problems will be solved. Karl works at least 5 separate jobs, has a dead father and a mother with so many issues its inconceivable. The therapy group he's a part of, called the Madman Underground, is so brilliantly strange, tear-jerking and candid and even though they each have problems you want to hate them but you end up rooting for them.

5 Stars

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night by Sindiwe Magona

Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night is a collection of short stories divided into two parts. The first part is a circle of related, gossipy black South African women working as domestic servants for whites. The pieces emphasize the diverse personalities of each woman, and are written in first person in a conversation with one of the other women. The second part encompasses several common short stories set in the 60s through the late 80s, during the Apartheid system in South Africa. The stories are depressing, often heartbreaking, and powerful.

4 Stars

Do Me, Do My Roots by Eileen Rendahl

Do Me, Do My Roots is about Emily who is a young widow, and mother to a seven year daughter, who is clinging to her daughter, her parents, her husband's best friend who's suddenly romantically interested in her, and her sisters. There is a definite play on words in the title. The “Root” mean not only her relatives but also the primary female characters meet to touch up their roots each month, the sisters perform standard beauty shop fair as they agonize over their love lives or lack there of. They deal with family issues, health close-calls, and finding love in unexpected places. I loved this book and it made me wish for sisters (as I have none). The humor is hilarious and the sentiments are moving.

5 Stars

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

This is the first Diskworld book that I have ever read, and I surprisingly actually enjoyed it. (This is not really my genre). Maskerade is a witty take on the Phantom of the Opera story that has great characters, and tons of humor. The opera part of this story is the best, quirkiest and most hilarious part of the story.

5 Stars

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

This is the first Diskworld book that I have ever read, and I surprisingly actually enjoyed it. (This is not really my genre). Maskerade is a witty take on the Phantom of the Opera story that has great characters, and tons of humor. The opera part of this story is the best, quirkiest and most hilarious part of the story.

5 Stars

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

I have read other book by Nicholas Sparks and honestly The Best of Me was definitely not up there with his other books. The relationship between Amanda and Dawson was classic Sparks, which is of course a love that will last through a lifetime. However, the extensively comprehensive depictions of violent behavior were not what I was looking for in a Sparks book. There was also this bizarre paranormal inclination for the characters, Dawson and Tuck, commune with ghosts. What makes a Sparks book stand out is his practicality and imagery of love and heartache, so the violent behavior and paranormal was unexpected and not very well liked.

2 Stars

Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman

Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman is a potent tale of dehumanization and dignity which graphically and appallingly portrays the the Bataan Death March and subsequent atrocities by Japanese captors in the Philippines during WW2. This book is not a military history but a instead a human story told principally through the experience of a Native American unfortunate enough to be caught up in the chaos. This is definitely not an easy read but it gives us a true account of systemic dehumanization.

5 Stars

Death: A Life by George Pendle

Death: A Life by George Pendle was so witty and pleasurable; I read it from start to finish in one sitting. I have lost many people this year including two six year olds (Neuroblastoma) so you may think it unusual that I picked a humor book about death after such a loss but after all the grief I needed to laugh through it. An account of Death's life, it made references that had me laugh out loud to the point that I had tears peeping out of my eyes. There is an educational opportunity in this book about world history, faith, and other fiction. Even though the book was funny it gave me a sense of peace.

5 Stars

Death: A Life by George Pendle

Death: A Life by George Pendle was so witty and pleasurable; I read it from start to finish in one sitting. I have lost many people this year including two six year olds (Neuroblastoma) so you may think it unusual that I picked a humor book about death after such a loss but after all the grief I needed to laugh through it. An account of Death's life, it made references that had me laugh out loud to the point that I had tears peeping out of my eyes. There is an educational opportunity in this book about world history, faith, and other fiction. Even though the book was funny it gave me a sense of peace.

5 Stars

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is an exceptional story of a fifteen year old boy, who has the medical condition of Aspergers Syndrome, who is resolute in solving the murder of his neighbor’s dog. The story changes to within the family home and Christopher finds out devastating secrets, that his father tries frantically to keep from him. Having experience of people with Aspergers I know that was very hard but add on the families had other issues and you have a heart rending story.

5 Stars

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I have been a fan of psychopath’s and serial killers for a long time because there is something about digging about in their brains that fascinates me. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson is a brilliant read that plunges the reader into the disturbing world of psychopaths. I cannot stress enough how open-minded and fascinating this book is. For a subject so disturbing, it has an amusing tenor. It is a real page turner and the subject is intriguing, and heartrending.

4 Stars

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes touched me profoundly. Some of his writing is about hypothesis that are fascinating to interpret and contemplate they are also highly personal. While I found the supposition fascinating, the personal side really left a mark. I found myself crying and it has been a long time since that has happened while I was reading a book. This book is significant reading for everyone who has served or is serving, and or anyone considering enlisting. Even if you oppose a war it’s a must read.

5 Stars

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich is a captivating story that reads more like a novel than non-fiction. The tempo was great and the story felt enthralling, even though the reader knew how it was going to end. The story of how three college interns manage to pull off a theft of an incredible enormity. The three boys/men managed to not only earn the trust of some of the brightest minds in the country but also steal moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center and NASA. The account reads much like a movie which makes sense since the author also wrote The Accidental Billionaires which made it to the big screen under the name The Social Network. Thad Roberts has a brilliant mind who takes a true story and creates a work of genius.

5 Stars

We the Animals by Justin Torres

We the Animals by Justin Torres is a perceptive tale of three boys, told from the viewpoint of the youngest, growing up in near poverty with their Caucasian mother and Puerto Rican father. The household is a whirlwind of emotion, the boys are continuously fighting, running, eating; their parents habitually display their attraction to each other but the family is also charged with the desolation of their situation and they blame and hate each other just as fiercely as they love. Torres uses vibrant words to put the reader right alongside the storyteller as he discovers his place in the dysfunctional family.

5 Stars

The Fates Will Find Their Way: A Novel by Hannah Pittard

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard is mostly about the after effects that happen to a small community after a sixteen year old girl, Nora, vanishes. The most remarkable thing about this short novel is how dissimilar it is then any other that you are likely to pick up. More than half the novel is comprised of invented circumstances about what could have happened to Nora made up by her male classmates. Even though certain basics of these made up accounts come to realization, most of it is narrative conjecture. The reader is never given a definitive answer about what happened to this girl. As it stands, the readers will either enjoy sleuthing through the possibilities or become frustrated with the lack of a classic ending.

3 Stars