The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

New Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - O

What a neat quirky book!  Reminiscent of fairy tales and Greek myths.  A mystical tale told through the eyes of a young boy trying his best to get through childhood and its nightmares with the help of his much loved books and a strange girl named Lettie.

Quotes:  "That's the trouble with living things.  Don't last very long.  Kittens one day, old cats the net.  And then just memories. And the memories fade and blend and smudge together..."

"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are things people are scared of.  Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago  Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but they aren't."

"I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled.  I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I found joy in the things that made me happy."

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

"M" Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - P

Another book that languished on my shelves despite how curious I was to read it.  I thoroughly enjoyed this immigrant tale of Iranian sisters living in Ireland.  The story told in the midst of a brand new cafe, describing the traditional Iranian dishes had my mouth watering.  While we do not have a specific Iranian restaurant in Pittsburgh, we do have a variety of Middle Eastern eateries and I will definitely be stopping in to partake in a lunch of falafel, tabbouleh and a piece of baklava to go!

Mehran writes beautifully, lyrically; the reading was bittersweet knowing that she died in 2014 at the young age of 36.

While the book did not make an overt political statement, it is hard not to read it under the current (2018) ugly battle of immigration policies in the US.  This book (as others with an immigration theme) showed how those seeking refuge do not hate their country of birth, far from it - they love the beauty, customs, history and foods of their homelands, but are often forced to leave due to unspeakable violence and complete lack of civil rights.  Their adopted homeland can benefit from the sharing of new foods and differing views, making the citizens and the land richer.

Quote:  "The Cat spent a good three hours on the rectory's roof, lamenting lost loves and wailing into an unmarked bottle of misery,..."

#2018AtoZChallenge

XO by Jeffery Deaver

Guilty Pleasure

2018 A to Z Challenge - X

Can't say this was my favorite Jeffery Deaver.  Sure there were red herrings, some "leave you hanging" chapter endings, but much was predictable and much more was unrealistic.  A country singer is stalked, but who is perpetrating the killings based on her song lyrics??  Some items were taken right out of mainstream media, which seems a poor fallback for a creative mind like Deaver.

I basically only read this because I needed an "X" title for my challenge and those are hard to come by.  So, I doubt I'll pick up anymore in the Kathryn Dance series.  I've enjoyed the Lincoln Rhyme books and his stand alone novels much better.

#2018atozchallenge

Keeping Watch  -  Laurie R. King

      "K" author

Allen Carmichael rescues children and mothers from abusive fathers and husbands.  He relies on skills he learn as a soldier in Vietnam to do this.   We learn of his time in Vietnam at the beginning of this story and that gave me a better feeling of what our service men went through during that time.

Allen turns to the rescuing of children to help quiet the beast that began to grow inside of him during the time in Vietnam. For 26 years he lives on the outskirts of the law and saves many lives.  Now he wants to retire,  but has been asked to help one more child,  Jamie.   Jamie believes his father is going to kill him so of course, Allen must help him.

Jamie's father's plane crashes but no body is found.  Then somehow, someone, discovers where Jamie is and is hunting him down.  Allen must save Jamie again, or are they really after Allen.??

As always, Laurie King's writing puts you right into the thick of things and makes for a very riveting read. 

  #2018atozchallenge