The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown
          Debut Novel

I have to say  I did not like this book.  The most interesting thing was it was told in first person plural,  so it seemed like all of the sisters were telling the story.

The sisters, Rose, Bean, and Cordy, all come home when their mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. But they are so consumed with their own failures that they are really not much help or comfort.  They also spend a lot of time on the characteristics of birth order. The ending was a littler too pat.

I did like one quote by Father Aiden-------
  "There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we can not change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the furture."

Stay Close - Harlan Coben
              "C" - Author


A typical  and predictable thriller.  Maybe too predictable.
Megan has it all. Perfect husband, two kids, great life in suburbia and a secret past.  A past that she ran away from and is now haunting her.

Not one of Coben's best and the plot was identical to a James Patterson novel I also just read. 

Julius Winsome by Gerard Donovan

New Author

I think the reviews on the book jacket built up Julius to be something more than he is - a very dysfunctional individual!  I enjoyed Donovan's writing style and he certainly kept me intrigued, but I can't say I enjoyed the overall plot once it was all said and done.

Quotes:  "...he was a dog run through with happiness, for they lead short lives and have an extra sense for each passing moment.  They eat with all their hearts, they play with all their hearts, they sleep with all their hearts."

"...people can sometimes come close enough to discover that they are strangers."

"...some men must create pain in others to feel less of it themselves."

"You cannot believe in survival of the fittest but want to decide first who is the fittest to survive."

The Boy in the Suitcase  -  Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis
         New Author

Nina is given a small key to a locker by a good friend. When she goes to the station to retrieve the contents of the locker, she finds a suitcase with a 3 year old little boy inside.  Hours later, her good friend is murdered.
Who is this little boy???   Why was he hidden in a suitcase??  Now, who is after Nina and who can she trust????

A good mystery but being set in Denmark, I had trouble really knowing how far away the bad guys where when they were tracking us down.  All in all, a good read.

Doc   -  Mary Doria Russell

  Historical Fiction

Doc Holiday was a southern gentleman, a dentist, and a gambler and as the opening line in the book says," he began to die when he was twenty-one."  He not only lived during a hard time out west, he also was suffering from tuberculosis.  A very slow death, it took 15 years before the disease took his life.  

A slow moving book but Ms. Russell paints a very vivid picture of Dodge City, the Earp brothers, the brothels, and the cowboys.  

The Game   -      Laurie R King
                   SERIES

  The 7th in the Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series.  This time we head off to India, 1924.  The sights, the smells, the sounds of India all come alive for the reader as we travel by ship then train and even in native disguise..  We  are on a mission for Mycroft  , Sherlock's brother,   to find Rudyard Kipling's son.  I loved it when Mary asked Sherlock of this son of Kipling's was real and Sherlock answers "As real as I am."   I really like the humor in Laurie King's books.  I look forward to traveling again with Mary and Sherlock!!

Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Vacation

I typically don't pick up romance novels but this one intrigued me.  Thirty-something unexpectedly dumped by her husband, claiming they've grown apart, but actually it's yes, another woman (men can be SO predictable!).  Not only was there something relate-able about the plot for me, but the idea that she finds her true self in baking bread was comforting.  I'd love to have the time and skills to bake as this character (and author) does!  I may actually try a recipe or too that she provides and see what happens!!!
I will recommend this book with a disclaimer that there is some sappy romance, but overall she displays a rather strong female character.  I look forward to her other books.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

Historical Fiction

I stopped and started this book due to my schedule, so I'm not certain if that is what prevented me from becoming absorbed in the story of if the story itself simply did not captivate me.  I was often lost among the characters, never felt connected to any of them and it seemed much of their stories were left unfinished.

The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day

Vacation

I'm such a sucker for any story that has an elephant!!!  I enjoyed this tale as it follows either the characters of the circus (and their offspring) or the circus town itself (Lima).  Not quite a collection of short stories as they made more sense and felt complete by the linking of them together, like circus wagon trains!!

Quotes:  "But she also knew this:  When men steer women through crowds, they need to believe they are at the helm.  Women must apply subtle, imperceptible pressure with their fingertips. In this way women lead while appearing to be led. This is the way of the world."

"'It's a horrible thing, taking things away from where they belong to put money in a man's pocket'"

"I just can't be funny anymore, Ollie [clown] realized.  I might as well get married."

A Brief Lunacy by Cynthia Thayer

Vacation

I felt as if I might go insane reading this book.  For being "brief" there was a lot of "lunacy"!  Too many unrealistic reactions - at least in my mind; who knows how a mind works in a captive situation, but this wasn't a memoir, so the author could have written it differently.  Not a favorite.

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Vacation

What a good good book!!!  I had forgotten that this was a memoir and not a fictional pig story!
If I wasn't a vegetarian before, I would have become one after reading this book!! I realize not every reader will fall in love with Christopher Hogwood and have the same reaction, but hopefully readers will make wiser food choices and know where their food comes from.
So much was learned from Christopher Hogwood ~ if people would step away from their egos and the idea that we (humans) are the superior race we could not only learn from our fellow man (no matter their race or gender, etc.) as well as from all the creatures with whom we share this planet.

Quotes: "The stories reflect a sophisticated understanding of ecology.  The tiger protects the forest: fear of the tiger keeps woodsmen from cutting down all the mangroves. The mangroves protect the coastline: their limbs and leaves soften the winds of cyclones.  Their roots form nurseries for fish, which feed the people.  The people understand that without the tiger, Sundarbans could not stay whole."

"...the social strata of the high school: there were the popular jocks and jockettes, the freaks, the poseurs (who pretended to be something they weren't), and the "froseurs" (fake poseurs, every week pretending to be the new different thing they weren't)."

"The word compassion means "with suffering".  To have compassion is to willingly join in suffering - to show those you love that you will not let them suffer alone. And this is the most you can do: offer your presence."

"He taught us how to love.  How to love what life gives you - to love your slops"

"But one thing I know for sure: a great soul can appear among us at any time, in the form of any creature.  I'm keeping my eyes open."

The Wrong Man by David Ellis

Vacation

GOOD!!!  Some of it was predictable but mostly it was suspenseful and engaging.  Little lengthy on the legal technicalities, but accurate and gave authenticity to the story.  Recommendation worthy and will continue to follow this author.

Quotes:  "...the United States had the worst system of justice in the world, with the exception of every other one"

"He thought the hardest part would be finding recruits, people who detested the government and were willing to take up arms against and risk their lives in the process.  He was surprised to learn that this was the easiest part."

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

20th Century

I've wanted to read this book for years and while I'm glad I can finally cross it off my list, I can't say I enjoyed the book.  I did enjoy the portion of the story that was the motorcycle trip (makes me want to fulfill the item on my bucket list of learning to drive a motorcycle), as well as the relationship between Chris and his dad.  I did glean some inspirational gems from the philosophical aspects but most of the time I was just lost.  When Pirsig got into the history of philosophy I felt it was incredibly rushed and I lost interest quickly.
Some of the gems I gleaned:

"Government...is sustained by structural relationships even when they have lost all other meaning and purpose....the system demands it and no one is willing to take on the formidable task of changing the structure just because it is meaningless"

"You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in...When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt."

"...it's also a brand-new person who's been renewing himself continually and I'm going to have to get to know him all over again"

"You want to know how to paint a perfect painting?  It's easy.  Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally."