The Confession by Charles Todd

This was the first Charles Todd book I’ve read and I did not know that it was a series so I was worried the book would not hold up well on its own. From the first passage I was pulled in to Rutledge’s realm of being solving crimes. A man walks into Rutledge’s office and confesses to a murder that he committed five years earlier. The problem is that Rutledge hasn’t even heard of that murder and the man who confessed is found dead a few days later.

5 Stars

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan

In the novella Last Night at the Lobster, Stewart O'Nan delves into the closing night for the Red Lobster in New England. The weather has prevented customers from coming in and the next day the restaurant will close its doors forever. O’Nan creates the perfect ambience to listen in as employees gather together and discuss the difficulties of living in today’s economy on a tight budget with a small circle of friends. The manager relates the minute-by-minute events of the last evening, the snow falling, the troubled staff, and the customers who drift in. This was a very quick and somewhat depressing read for me.
4 Stars

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

Packing for Mars is a hilarious account of the space program and sending people into space. It's filled with all types of facts from how to go to the bathroom and a fact that I find really disgusting in that you wear the same space suit for WEEKS… The book also has a great synopsis of how astronauts are selected and qualified and what they go through during an actual space flight.
4 Stars

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

In Assassination Vacation Sarah Vowell does a brilliant job of bringing humor to a of a shadier side of American history. She takes the grisly stories of presidential assassinations and makes them clear and comprehensible.

5 Stars

In the Woods by Tana French

In the Woods by Tana French is either a love or hate book and I hate to say this but I loathed it. There were some parts that moved so slowly that I struggled with putting the book down (I really really wanted to but my brain has a problem when I leave a book unfinished). You have to read closely to pick up on all of the pieces that takes way too many pages to come together and actually make sense.
1 Star

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

In The Patron Saint of Liars Ann Patchett seamlessly tells a story in three parts and from three perspectives, from the single mother Rose, from the daughter, and from the second husband. I wasn't as crazy about the lead character, Rose, in this novel as I've been in other books, but in further reflection, I'm not sure I'm supposed to love her. If Rose had done things the way I wanted her to do them all through the book instead of it playing out the way it did I would have been happier but in the end that is all a part of what makes this story excellent.

4 Stars

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis is an entertaining and enlightening book. Ellis takes six moments in time, and then fills in the circumstances for that event that includes brilliant character studies. This is the past I love, the stories of individuals, as well as the societal influences, and how they interchange.

5 Stars

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis is an entertaining and enlightening book. Ellis takes six moments in time, and then fills in the circumstances for that event that includes brilliant character studies. This is the past I love, the stories of individuals, as well as the societal influences, and how they interchange.

5 Stars

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky

History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky explores the repercussion on the family dynamic after Bialosky's youngest sister Kim commits suicide. The novel is instantly affable and so open-minded that the reader is solidly invested into the Bialosky's family's anguish and loss. This account also includes Kim's personal letters in order to better explain her struggle. This book is also sure to educate readers about suicide.
3 Stars

Say Her Name: A Novel by Francisco Goldman

Say Her Name: A Novel by Francisco Goldman tell the story of how Goldman fell in love with a much younger Aura, a graduate student from Mexico who was studying literature at Columbia University. They ended up married and living an almost perfect life though it ends up being very short lived. While on vacation in Mexico Aura has a tragic surfing accident and dies. Goldman is distraught and his pain is made more excruciating by Aura’s family who blames him for her death, and vows that he will pay for what she thinks that was foul play, and not only does he have to deal with his loss, he has to deal with the anxiety about possibly being arrested for Aura's death. Goldman puts his grief out on each and every page and it is hard to read at times. Say Her Name takes the reader on an candid, passionate journey.
5 Stars

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I usually don’t read or like historical novels but Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is prudently researched and full of English folklore. I enjoyed reading the story though at times I encountered problems trusting I had the right character in the plot.
3 Stars

What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire by Charles Bukowski

Bulowski is always on my list but I never seem to find the time. Well, What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through The Fire was in my to be read box and since I made a pact with myself that I would read whatever book I pulled out so I really had no choice and I read it. The anthology contains poems from the Bukowski collection and is not his best work but if you like Bukowski you’ll like the book. The title alone should make you want to buy it. The poems were written between 1970 and 1990, and the subject matter ranges from Bukowski’s feelings about notoriety to his musing about youth to his thoughts on aging.
3 Stars

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King is an anthology of horror. I have always loved King and as I was unpacking boxes of books for my newly renovated bedroom which is now also a library, I couldn’t help but sit a read for a spell. Several stories in Skeleton Crew gave me shudders. I found "The Monkey," "The Reaper's Image," "Uncle Otto's Truck" and "Gramma" spine-chilling, while "Survivor Type" was absolutely shocking. "Word Processor of the Gods" was my favorite, as I love the idea of a word processor that I can use to change things to the way I wish they would be (of course I would be altruistic). This was a great way to spend an hour with an old friend.
5 Stars

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Habibi by Craig Thompson is remarkable and stunning. The author / artist is not only a superb storyteller, he is also an incredible cartoonist. Every page is populated by thrilling elements and ingenuity while the graphic style is effortlessly a constant with the story.

5 Stars