Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King

Series

Sadly not every book in this series grabs my interest.  I had high hopes as the story started out with a case of amnesia after the cliff hanger ending of Pirate King, but it led into quite a bit of the political turmoil of Moroccan history during the struggle between France and Spain's control over Morocco.  It did not hold my interest and quite often I found myself mentally drifting away and losing track of the plot.

The 13th book in the series, Dreaming Spies takes Russell and Holmes to Japan - maybe the change of scenery will have me intrigued again!!

                 The One True Ocean - Sarah Beth Martin

                          New Author


Secrets, love and loss, suicide and lies.

Jenna loses her husband, her mother is and always has been distant.  To try to understand her life, Jenna goes back to her childhood home in Maine and uncovers some of her mother's secrets, the truth about her biological father, her aunt's accidental death or suicide.

Not as psychologically dark as I thought it would be but maybe I just wasn't able to really get into the story line.  As usual, I came away with the feeling that keeping secrets that affect other people's lives should be told , not kept.

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore

Debut Novel

I find myself drawn to books that center around a group of Southern black women (Secret Life of Bees, The Help).  They are strong, funny and have a bond like no other!  While this novel didn't have the depth of Bees or the Help, it was still a fun and touching read.  I would love to walk into Earl's and sit and chat with the Supremes!

Quote:  "She thought to herself that if this was what it was like to have a mistress  - a night of thoughtful gifts and good sex, then your lover is out of your hair by breakfast time - ..."

                      Day after Night - Anita Diamant

                           Historical Fiction

Based on actual events that occurred October of 1945.
Told by 4 Jewish girls , all who have different, horrible experiences during the persecution of Jews in many countries across Europe. Here they all are in a detainment camp in Israel for "illegal" immigrants run by the British.  This camp is just a little better than a concentration camp but still surrounded by fencing and barbed wire.

Little by little we learn what Shayndel, Tedi, Leonie, and Zorah, all Holocaust survivors, had to do to survive. And how it might have been for them after they thought they had escaped.

Once again Ms. Diamant brings to life these characters in such a way that the reader feels like she is right there with them.

        Power Play  -  Joseph Finder

                   Guilty Pleasure


Good high-stakes thriller.  As usual with this author.

We start off with Jake Landry, a peon in a high power company ( a company that builds very expensive aircraft), substituting for one of the top honchos at the annual retreat.  The retreat is in an extremely remote area in British Columbia, Canada.  Of course, there is not reception of any kind.  The perfect, stress-free weekend. Or is it??

  Trouble erupts and everyone at the lodge is held hostage by a band of backwoods hunters. These armed men seem to think they have stumbled upon the perfect scenario to get a really big ransom.

Jake was unwanted by all the other executives to go on this trip but now he might be their only hope of getting out alive.
This is a hard-to-put-down book,  some twists I didn't see coming but also a little predictability. Still, all-in-all, a good read.

                     The Mistress of' Nothing - Kate Pullinger

                                   Debut novel


This was actually the author's American debut novel but I am going with it anyway.  It could also fall under historical fiction,

The story is based on a 19th century English lady by the name of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid, Sally Naldrett.  It is Sally's story more than Lady Gordon's.

Lady Gordon travels to Egypt because of ill health and Sally goes with her, giving up everything she is familiar with in England. Egypt is beautiful, exciting and freeing for Sally and she finds love in Egypt.  When Sally brings disgrace to the household, Lady Duff Gordon turns on her,  even though Sally has been a faithful and attentive servant to Lady Gordon for many decades.  Sally had forgotten her station in life, enjoying too many freedoms and Lady Duff Gordon reminds her that Sally is the mistress of nothing.

,

      Everything Must Go  -  Elizabeth Flock

                      Alphabet author  -  F

I was so disappointed in this book!!!!   After reading this author's first book   "Emma & Me",   I was looking forward to reading this one.  But what a letdown for me.!!

We meet Henry Powell, a not very exciting character, and follow him around thru his little, pathetic life.  He isn't very likeable, he doesn't even like himself most of the time.

He also lives a lot in the past.  Everyone else in his life moves on except for him.  Classmates, girlfriends, even his brother.

Maybe it was my state of mind or the fact that I have just read a really , really good book that this one was just not my cup of tea.

      Little Wolves  - Thomas Maltman

                      New Author


Setting - A small town in Minnesota.    Era -  1980's

Clare is a young minister's wife expecting their first child.
She is haunted by her father's stories of local folklore and the mystery of her mother's disappearance.  How much truth is there in these stories she has heard all of these years?.           So when her husband has the opportunity to preach at a church in the small prairie town her mother came from, she insists that he take the position.   There she meets Seth, who kills the local sheriff.  As Seth's father, Grizz, tries to understand why his son would do such a thing, many secrets are uncovered
Including those surrounding Clare's own mother.

                      King of Lies  -   John Hart

                                Debut Novel


Jackson Workman Pickens, everyone calls him "Work", is a lawyer.  I could never decide if I liked him, felt sorry for him, or just disliked him.  Even when I was finished with the book, I still
did not know!!!!  I guess he just wasn't a strong character for me even though he was the protagonist.

Anyway, Work's father was also a lawyer and Work worked for him.  But on the night Work's mother died, his father disappeared.
Then his father is found murdered.   The evidence seems to point to him, but he is afraid that is sister might have done it.

So while trying to protect her, keep the cops off his back, he tries to find out who the real killer is.  

Not bad for a debut novel, had some twists in it , also somethings were predictable.
I will try his next novel ,  the guy has potential!!   lol

The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Historical Fiction

It's a shame that we often pass over epic tomes.  This book was just over 700 pages and because of that it sat on my bookshelf for many years.  I didn't have time at home to try to settle in with such a long book, on vacation I didn't want to read just ONE book!  It's so easy to sit with a James Patterson and his short chapters - "oh just one more chapter".

So, I'm so glad I put this book on my toppling bookpile and finally read it!  Based on the true story of a wrongly convicted man, Steven Truscott, this book goes beyond a simple historic narrative with fictionalized explanation of what may have happened.  It's a story that shows how our actions and inactions whether good or bad, whether right or wrong have lasting, permanent effects on others.  People we know, people we don't know.  How secrets can alter the lives not just of the secret holder but of those around them.

I highly recommend taking the time to read this book.  It's a murder mystery with a twist, a contemplative book about secrets, what is the difference between right and wrong, and the innocence (or not) of childhood.

The Old Cape House by Barbara Eppich Struna

Vacation Read

Picked this book up while on vacation in Cape Cod.  I was intrigued by the the story itself - a mystery based on an old pirate legend, as well as by the author, Barbara Eppich Struna.  Turns out she and her husband lived in Northeast Ohio for a time, not far from my own hometown and my mom actually went to school with the author's husband's cousin!  Another unexpected surprise was when we happened upon a book signing at the Pirate Museum in P-town and actually met Mrs. Struna!!!

The story itself is enjoyable.  I always like a pirate story and also enjoy the writing style that volleys back and forth between the present and past (provided the author can do so without confusing the reader, which Struna did).

Struna has written a sequel The Old Cape Teapot which I also picked up while shopping at independent bookstores and am looking forward to reading.  (And I learned she's currently writing a third!!)

  The Thirteenth Tale  -  Diane Satterfield

                Historical Fiction


I am not sure why this novel is considered historical fiction, unless it is because it is a story about the history of the characters in the novel.  To me it would be more of a gothic novel.

Anyway,  it was more like having a story told to me rather than reading a book.  Miss Winter is an elderly women who has written 12 books in her life.  She invites Margaret Lea, an novice biographer, to write her true life history.  She tells it to Margaret in story form.

A very entertaining read with mystery, secrets, twins, and learning about oneself.    Never did find the historical connection.

   The Language of Bees - Laurie R. King

                         Series

I learned a lot about the colonies of bees and how the loneliness they feel will make them destroy their own hives.  How sad is that??

I also traveled by aeroplane to northern Scotland in search of a religious madman.    Who knew that madman would turn out to be related to one of the main characters in this series????
So is it Russell or Holmes who has a secret in their past.???

Another good book in this continuing series.!!!!

         White Guys  -  Anthony Giardina

                            New Author


Followed 5 boys , from childhood friends to adulthood. 4 of the guys move out of their hometown and up in their careers,  1 does not.   Learned how they all questioned their lives, choices and a devastating secret.    Not really taken from a true incident, but definitely patterned after a real-life happening.

It was just an okay book for me.




                       

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Historical Fiction

I probably was expecting too much out of Chevalier's latest novel because I so adored her previous novels.  Not to say this one was bad; it just wasn't AS good as the others.

Even if it wasn't my favorite, it was still a good historical fiction read covering the Underground Railroad in Ohio (my home state!) and the Quaker faith.  I would have liked to have learned more about the Railroad, but instead the story focused on one Quaker, Honor, and the dilemmas she faces during a tense and difficult time.

Sadly, even though the time period of the novel is nineteenth century, so much of the racism and discrimination still takes place in our twenty-first century world.  Nothing saddens me more than seeing people (sometimes even those I care about) who treat others as less than the human beings we all equally are.

Quote: “...everyone has a measure of Light in them and though the amount can vary, all must try to live up to their measure.”

Errors and Omissions  -  Paul Goldstein

                    Debut

This was a legal thriller.  Not so much in the sense of courtroom suspense but more along the lines of moral suspense.

Michael is an expect in intellectual property law and a movie studio hires him to get an author sign off on the rights to a movie script he wrote back in the 1950's.  But that was back when actors, writers and movie moguls were being blacklisted by McCarthy.  So who really wrote this particular movie and what should Michael do that would be ethically correct??

One Shot by Lee Child

New Author

Lee Child started his Jack Reacher series in 1997, but I didn't delve into it until now and against my normal practice of starting a series with Book #1, I picked up the only one I had, Book #9.

It read as a typical suspense/thriller.  Jack Reacher is the typical far too realistic protagonist - damaged and therefore appealing to women, action hero, elusive.

It was a decent read, but I doubt that I'll follow the series.  I'd much rather pick up a Harlan Cobin (stand alone, not the Myron Bolitar series), a Lisa Unger or a Dean Koontz (though not his King-like horror novels) that offer a bit more depth within their writing.

The Wettest County in the World   -  Matt Bondurant

                     Historical Fiction

Franklin County, Virginia.  1929.  Prohibition.   Moonshine.  Bootleggers.   Violence.    Hard times.

Matt tells a fictional story about the family facts of his grandfather and two great-uncles.  The story was good,  I just had a very had time following it because of the way it jumped around.  It was 1929 and then it was 1935 and then it was 1930.  I don't mind books that go back and forth but I still need some consistency  in the traveling back and forth .  

All in all,  living in that time period would have been very difficult and if you were in the business of moonshine, making or running it,  it was a dangerous time.

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

"G" Author

Wow!  The first half of the book did little for me.  It settled into a story of a typical teenager, adapting and trying to finding herself.  But the second half of the book - Wow!

I am simultaneously amazed and disappointed by the Human Race.  At times I think we need to step back from wanting to control and intricately understand EVERYTHING.  Sometimes we need to simply appreciate the mystery and beauty of the world we live in.  We need to put our egos in check.  While humans are a pretty incredible species, we are not superior to ALL in this world/universe.
We are too quick to judge based on misguided religious and political ideals or by our own limited knowledge and experience.  How much better our world would be if we approached everything with empathy and open-mindedness first.

Reading opens up worlds that I may never know otherwise and introduces me to characters and their experiences that allows me to go into the real world with a different perspective.  It creates in me empathy so that I may approach others with compassion and without judgment.  This is the true gift reading bestows on a reader.

Quote: "She was given the gift of adversity."

Pirate King by Laurie R. King

Series

#11 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.  This one took a bit of a turn and delved into the making of a silent film.  I found parts of it interesting and there were some suspenseful moments, but I wasn't as enrapt in this one as I have been in previous books.

Though, I am still enjoying the series and look forward to the next three, Garment of Shadows, Dreaming of Spies and The Murder of Mary Russell (hope this doesn't mean the series is coming to an end!!)

Roadside Crosses  -  Jeffery Deaver

              "Guilty Pleasure"


Kathryn Dance is the detective who is tracking a killer.  The people in danger are the ones who are posting on a certain blog.  The killer finds them there and the puts up roadside crosses letting the police know that a murder will be happening.

As usual for a Deaver thriller, there are many twists and turns in the plot.  

               

Locked Rooms   -    Laurie R. King

       "Series"

Another good read by Ms. King.  This time we travel to San Francisco, ten years after the great fire of 1909.

Mary and Sherlock go there to settle Mary's family estate.  Memories she didn't know she had begin to return in this familiar setting and she learns many things about her parents she did not know.

As always a very entertaining book.

Between the Lines

Guilty Pleasure

Fun read, just what I needed!! This isn't your typical fairy tale, but it is Oh, so much fun!  I read this in only about a day's time and don't want to say too much as I don't want to give any of the fun away.   I'll definitely read the recently published sequel, "Off the Page"

In the Woods by Tana French

Debut Novel

This book covers multiple Toppling Bookpile topics for me: New Author, Series and Debut Novel.  In the Woods is Tana French's debut novel in a series that currently has 5 books in the Dublin Murder Squad.

I'd been looking forward to reading it, but was a bit disappointed.  Maybe it was because of my own frame of mind, but I found Rob Ryan to be a terribly stressful and distressing narrator.  The story seemed to drag out more than necessary especially because I had figured out the main culprit early on (contrary to the narrator's belief that "       fooled you too")

I will give the next book in a series a chance, in case it was my own mindset that caused me to be less than pleased with this debut.

Quote: "Every single society in the world, ever, has had some form of belief system.  But now...How many people do you know who're Christian - not just going to church, but actually Christian, like trying to do things the way Jesus would've?  And it's not like people can have faith in political ideologies  Our government doesn't even have an ideology, as far as anyone can tell-"

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

"F" Author

I didn't love this book, I didn't hate this book, I simply liked this book.  There was some suspense, especially as the ending neared, but it was easy for the reader to figure a lot of the mystery out.

This was a fairly simple read that has you reflect upon your actions and how they can alter another's life.  Though I struggled throughout the entire book to keep the main characters, Larry and Silas, straight in my head - for some reason I kept confusing them.

My only criticism is that there should have been a disclaimer on the book jacket: "This book contains snakes"!!

Quotes: "How what seemed like kindness could be the opposite"

"...how time packs new years over the old ones but how those old years are still there, like the earliest, tightest rings centering a tree, the most hidden, enclosed in darkness and shielded from weather.  But then a saw screams in and the tree topples and the circles are stricken by the sun and the sap glistens and the stump is laid open for the world to see."

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Guilty Pleasure

Always a big fan of Harlan Coben and this one didn't disappoint.  While I wasn't on the edge of my seat the entire story, it did have some cliffhanger chapters.  Worthy of a weekend or beach read!

Quotes:  "We fight wars for freedom, right, and then what do we do with that freedom?  We tie ourselves down with possessions and debt and, well, other people..."

"She had learned the biggest difference between the haves and the have-nots. Luck and birthright."

What Doesn't Kill Her by Carla Norton

ARC

I had the pleasure of reading Ms. Norton's first book, "The Edge of Normal" as an ARC so I jumped at the chance to preview the sequel!!  She again creates a great suspense throughout the novel and a gutsy character in Reeve.  There is a lot of recapping about the previous book, so I would not recommend someone read it without reading The Edge of Normal.

Looking forward to what I can only assume will be a third book in the series.....

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

ARC Review

The hook "If you liked Night Circus.." was all I needed to submit my request to read this Advanced Readers Copy!  I wouldn't give it the 5 stars that Night Circus garnered, but this story earned a solid 3, possibly a 4.  It was an easy read, I enjoyed the parallel stories of the carnival years ago and today's descendants.  It wasn't quite as magical as Night Circus, but an entertaining read all the same.

Quotes:  "History is a man...Future is a woman..."

"Something had broken between them; a tie he'd not realized was tenuous."

The Lake of Dreams   -    Kim Edwards

   "E" Author

Unlike Ms Edwards first book, Memory Keeper's Daughter, this novel didn't really grapped me.  It was a nice story but not as interesting to me as MKD.

Lucy goes home to visit her mother and finds some old papers in a locked trunk in the cupola of the family home.  She 'meets' Rose, a never talked about ancestor.  Lucy becomes obsessed with the lady and researches her history and finds more family secrets along the way.  She also finds out more about the accidental death of her father, 18 years ago.

Like I said, a nice little family store,  just not as gripping as I would have hoped for. 

The Watchmen by John Altman

New Author

The best part of this book was the last 30-40 pages when finally something happened!!  I'm not sure if it was the writing or just the subject matter (terrorism) that caused this book to drag for me, but drag it did!!!

Altman has been praised with writing realistic espionage fiction which may be why I didn't enjoy it - the nightly news provides all the realistic terrorism I need.

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

Series

So, one Saturday morning I abandoned all household chores, professional duties and social commitments to finish this book.  My coffee cold and forgotten as I got lost in the streets of London in a real cloak and dagger!  I fell in love with Estelle and Robert Goodman, who reminded me to take time to stop and appreciate the beauty around me, in the acorn transformed to a tea cup, (and not feel so guilty about spending my Saturday morning reading!)

The Keep by Jennifer Egan

"E" Author

I'm torn on this book.  I really didn't care for it the entire time I was reading it, there's some confusion about the narration which is essential to the mystery of the novel, but beyond that there is some supernatural/sci-fi elements which I didn't like.  She wrapped it up nicely at the end so all the pieces fit, but I probably won't be passing this along or recommending it.  It's an "eh" kinda book.

Quote:  "People are bored......What's missing?  What do they need? What's the next step? And then I got it: imagination.  We've lost the ability to make things up.  We've farmed out that job to the entertainment industry, and we sit around and drool on ourselves while they do it for us."

The OrphanMaster  -  Jean Zimmerman
                 
                Historical Fiction.

Historical fiction and a mystery all in one book.
The time is 1663.  The place is Dutch Manhatten.

Dutch inhabitants live in the part of New York that is now Manhatten.  The English "Crown" have sent of a spy to see if they can take it over from the Dutch.  They is some local Indian lore about a scary monster and then we have the sick man who is capturing the orphans and then they disappear.  Is it the Indian monster or the orphanmaster who is the evil one. Or is it someone else.  I enjoyed reading about the history of 1663, but the mystery part was very disturbing!!!!

Not a favorite book of mine!