This book is what I believe would be called a 'character development' book.  It was well written about a woman who is running away after murdering her husband and her two brothers-in-law are trying to track her down.   The year is 1903 and the setting is Canada. The descriptions are lovely and the characters she meets along her journey are interesting and quirky,  but for me, it lacked a real exciting plot.  

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A Frosty the Snowman for adults.
I bought this book at  Parnassus Books in Ketchikan, AK while on a family cruise this past spring; Ivey's descriptions of the Alaskan landscape make me want to go back every season to see the awakening and blooming of spring and the stark beauty of winter.
A beautiful, mystical story about love and loss and a reminder that in a world in which we all suffer, we must celebrate and cherish the joy that does come into our life - in whatever form and for however long.

This is a debut novel by an author we met in Salem, Massachusetts. Not a bad little story set in a small town called Starvation Lake in Michigan.   Gus Carpenter returns to his hometown after failing in the big city of Detroit and begins to investigate the murder of his former hockey coach.
  The story starts out slow, a lot of info about playing hockey but picks up in the second half of the book.  Like, does what Gus remembers about his coach the truth,  what are the secrets that the people he knows are keeping and what is the town covering up??

 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

With so many references in literature, film, TV, and in society in general, I felt like I was missing something by not having read Golding's Lord of the Flies; so on my bookpile it went and I finally got down to reading it.  I'm glad I did, but what a disturbing book and commentary on human nature.  Mostly disturbing, because of how accurately it describes humankind.

We all know a Ralph, a Piggy and a Jack and sadly we see the behavior depicted in Lord in adults all over the world, to this day.  I think I'll take back all those times that I said I wanted to escape humanity by going to a deserted island; I'll stick to the imperfect civilization of which I am a part!

What Alice Forgot

Alice hits her head and when she comes to she has lost 10 years of her life.  Instead of being 39 she thinks she is only 29. Everything she is remembering isn't. The way she thought her life should be is not the way it is and she doesn't like it.  What would it be like if our younger selves were able to meet our older selves?  Would we like ourselves or be disappointed in how we turned out

Light Between Oceans

What would you do for the 'want' of a child?   What would you do for the  'love' of a child?  Isabel  ' wants' a child so much and has suffered several miscarriages, so is it  a 'gift from God' that Lucy comes into her life?  What about the guilt that her husband, Tom, carries with him, not only from the war but concerning Lucy. What would you do when there is no 'right ' answer.    Good read and thought provoking. 

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

First in the Chet and Bernie mystery series.  A quirky take on the detective genre - told from a dog's point of view, complete with naps, table scraps and peeing on trees!  It's a light easy read that resembles more of a typical mystery than suspense thriller. Reminded me of the old Benji movies where the dog seems to understand more than he possible could (or can he?? Hmmm - certainly will make me look at my dog in a different light.)  Looking forward to the next book in the fun, tail-thumping series!

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

Not on my toppling book pile, but I read it so now I review:

While I have another book by Ahern, I've not yet read it, but I soon will as I truly enjoyed this latest book by her.  The narrator is a snarly 16 year old girl that I found humorous and yearning to be loved.  There was a mystery that kept the reader guessing till the end and Ahern did a good job of tying up all the loose ends.  The book was thoroughly captivating, light but with a depth that made you think: if you knew what would happen tomorrow - would you change it, would you let things play out the way they originally would or would you rather not have a window into your tomorrows.

The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter

Considering Carter typically writes non-fiction, this was a very well written fictional story.  Though at times I felt that it dragged.  As one reviewer put it (and many agreed) "Those who enjoy a leisurely pace to their suspense...will enjoy it." (Library Journal - Jennifer Baker) There were some cliffhanger moments, but because of the unhurried tempo they often lost their momentum.  Given time to take in this tome, it is a worthwhile read.

Gone by Randy Wayne White

It's been a long while since I've read a Doc Ford book, so I can't adequately compare White's previous novels to this one, but I do recall enjoying the Doc Ford series. Sadly, I'm not impressed with his attempt at a female protagonist.

I never felt that he truly got inside the mind of a woman. He wanted her tough, but sexy and she came off flighty instead. The lesbian tangents were completely unnecessary and is more male fantasy than the true thoughts that occupy a woman's mind. Not sure if White is trying to compete with Fifty Shades, but he doesn't need even the illusion of smut in his books.

There was an erratic feel to the book due to the oft abrupt end in the action of lead characters which would be recapped through flashbacks to clue the reader in to what they had missed. It lead to a very disjointed read with the reader always wondering what they missed and how they missed it (I often was flipping back through the book to try to find what I missed only to discover that Hannah would have a flashback in a couple more pages to fill me in.)

While the ending provided some nail biting drama, it sadly wasn't enough to make the entire book an enjoyable read.

"1867, Canada - As winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson's Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime, or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a forgotten Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good"
  Good read, enjoyed the writing style and the bit of intrigue.

Chet and Bernie are a team. Bernie is a private investigator and Chet is his dog. Chet is also the narrator of the book.  In this second book of the series, Chet gets a look inside the world of dog shows  and  loses Bernie for a while.
 " That meant no one had a clue, so there was no point even thinking about it. I'm the type who can stop thinking about something in a flash, so I did"  Quote from Chet.

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

A book I picked up in Sanibel, intending to read and contemplate while on the beach.  Years later I finally start the beach read in beautiful Sint Maarten.  A humorous book, which quietly slips in "moments of enlightenment".  There was no "AHA!" moment in the book for me, but I think it will stick with me for some time as I do try to live more simply, more peacefully and more intentionally.

one shooter, 5 victims, absolute evidence.   So who is stopping Jack Reacher from finding out the truth .Good story, kept your interest and Jack is a very interesting guy.  Certainly a guy you would want in your corner.  The book is soon to be make into a movie. 

The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian

Wasn't what I expected and while it started out slow, it ended up being a really good book. Almost a riveting read. 

You were certainly cheering for the characters to succeed and find any happiness - no matter how small. Well, most characters anyway.

It certainly made me want to read Bohjalian again - my faith in him is restored.

Big Guys with big hearts.  Stories of animals they have saved and also bios of the guys themselves. Makes me want to go to New York to adopt one of their saved dog or cat the next time they have their open adoption day!!!! 

I do like Mary Russell and her partnership with Sherlock Holmes.  So the questions is,   is the Letter of Mary a letter from Mary's friend or is a letter from Mary Magdelene?????    And why was it worth killing for??   Enjoyable read.    Next in this series is "The Moor".

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane

Quick, easy read.  Part of the "who-done-it" was a no-brainer, but still the book kept you interested.  I enjoyed meeting the Forensic Instincts characters.  They remind me a bit of the Monkeewrench group in the P.J. Tracy novels, but not quite as colorful.
The second book in this new series just came out last month, so look for that to make an appearance on my Toppling Bookpile!

This was an early review for me and the first time that I met the character, Jason Kolarich.  I really liked him.   He is a lawyer with a sense of humor and a little ruthless at times.  As you can tell by the title of the book,  the wrong man is accused of a crime and Jason is the attorney that is representing him. Lots of twists and turns, but also some expecting events.  This is the third in David Ellis's series featuring Jason.   I will be reading the first and second in this series soon.   Enjoyable read. 

.Pageturners Book Club had a good time dissecting this book.  It followed the life of twin boys, Marion and Shiva Stone, born in Eithopia.  Their hardships, loves, and adventures.   Very thought provoking and very good discussions.

Aurora Teagarden is a small town librarian who happens to be in a murder club. Murders happen and she gets involved. Cute story but I guess I need a little more guts to a murder book.  Sort of a pun, isn't it??  lol.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Difficult book, difficult subject.  Makes me thankful that I don't have children, but pains me for my friends that do and may deal with the issues of having a bully, a child who is bullied or an innocent bystander.  I found very little empathy for anyone but the parents in this book and I'm not sure why - if it was the character development by the author or simply my own state of mind.  Maybe because most parents do the best they can, but the bottom line is that we are truly responsible for our own selves, our actions and choices.

Surprisingly this book didn't affect me emotionally as many of Jodi's do, and considering the subject matter and that it does hit a little close to home with the Chardon shooting occurring earlier this year.

I came away feeling helpless, because I just don't see a way to resolve the violence that has escalated in our schools.  Not until we all step away from the coldness of technology and social media and see each other as human again will positive change come.

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

I chose this book because I had heard good reviews about it, but I bought it without realizing that it was short stories.  Typically I do not like books comprised of short stories and sadly this collection reinforced that dislike.

The stories were a bit obscure, but more importantly they weren't complete.  They apparently needed to be a little bit longer so that they had an ending.  Yet, the author may just be setting herself up so that she can take all the stories and create novels from them (which is what she did for her novel Swamplandia).

I was really looking forward to reading Swamplandia, as I also heard great things about it, but now I'm a little hesitant.

The Moor by Laurie R. King

This is the fourth book of the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series.  While I enjoyed the growing characters, especially of Mary and the interaction between she and Holmes; this wasn't my favorite in the series.  It could have just been the setting - the Moors are dark and dreary and depressing (alas, I won't be reading Wuthering Heights any time soon).  It was interesting to discover that the a main character in this, Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, was actually a real person.
The next in the series takes place in Jerusalem, maybe not exactly a perky location, but hopefully a little more uplifting than the Moors.

Handle with Care

Another thought provoking story by Jodi Picoult. How one person's decision can affect so many lives and the consequences of that decision.  I was disappointed in the ending because ......   Well, I really can't say without spoiling it.   But really Jodi??  Really???

Bloom (ARC) by Kelle Hampton

I laughed, I cried and came away with a deeper appreciation for life.  The honesty of this memoir was refreshing.  In a world which is so focused on what is "normal" and "perfect", this woman discovered that these terms are defined within your own life and not by society.
It was beautiful to see this woman grow into a deeper and stronger person through the love of her two daughters.  It also gave the reader perspective to appreciate the  "wild and precious life" we have with all it's pain and heartache and beauty.

Set in beautiful Brattleboro, Vermont, a by-the-book detective story. For those of you who love a good old-fashioned mystery, this is a great book. A well done who-done-it mystery, but not a hold your breath suspense. This is the second in a series with police detective, Joe Gunther, who lives in Vermont. We help him solve a couple of killings in the sleepy town of Brattleboro. .

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