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."

Room by Emma Donoghue

"D" Author

Told from the perspective of a 5-year old, this book was entertaining, heart-breaking, and un-put-down-able.  Donoghue did a pretty good job of capturing a 5-year old voice (though there were times his voice was much older).  This was a unique narration and kept what could have been a boring tale an interesting journey.

Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Myers

ARC

Unfortunately this book moved too slow for me.  I enjoyed the premise and while the ending wasn't the best, it was (gladly) not what I expected.  While I would not recommend this as a general read to others, I would recommend it to married couples.  I believe it would generate much needed discussions in some relationships.

Locked Rooms by Laurie King

Series

After a couple of the books in the Mary Russell series not piquing my interest, this one brought it all back for me.  Not only did we learn something about Mary's past, but we were back in the US to some more familiar history with the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.
Really good read with mystery, history, humor and the continued development of the intriguing relationship between Russell and Holmes.

Lone Wolf - Jodi Picoult

Guilty Pleasure

Luke is a family man but lives for 2 years with wild wolves. He then has a hard time relating to his human family upon his return.
After his return, he is in a car crash and put on life support and the family must come together to make tough decisions. Ethics, morals, and personal feelings all play a part in their decisions.  As usual, a good thought-provoking novel by Jodi!!

 (This I read  Feb. 2014.  Trying to catch up with my reviews)

Anatomy of Deception - Lawrence Goldstone

Historical Fiction 

A medical thriller in 1889 Philadelphia. A young doctor, Ephraim Carroll is learning about death and autopsies. When the body of a young woman come in the surgery theater, question arise in young Ephraim's mind. He travels to many seedy parts of the city trying to find out about the woman.  The book has many interested historical facts about early medicine and the things doctors did back then. A good suspense story with some twists and turns.

(I read this Jan. 2014.  Late again)

To Fetch a Thief - Spencer Quinn

Series     

Chet to the rescue again to save Peanut the Elephant! As it turned out, he also had to save his owner, Bernie!!! Another cute adventure with this adorable super dog.  Any book with an elephant in it, is an awesome story.  This one even mentions the real elephant habitat in Tennessee!!!!

(I read this Dec., 2013.  Very late with my review)

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre

Vacation

I can't say too much without giving the plot away in this book.  It has a definite "icky" factor, and while it is a bit suspenseful, it's more about waiting for the "aha" moment than it is sitting on the edge of your seat.  It is well-written and I hadn't figured it out prior to the author revealing the plot twist.  And if it didn't like rats before, definitely don't like em now!!

Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber

Vacation

I thoroughly enjoy Huber's Lady Darby series.  The slowness of the time period of which it takes place, the flirtatious banter between the lead characters Gage and Lady Darby, and the strengthen of the single Lady Darby and of course the mysteries that they solve.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

20th Century

I have wanted to read Hemingway for quite awhile and finally got around to it with For Whom the Bell Tolls.  It is not what I expected but I did enjoy it, even if it was slow moving at times.  It was rather gruesome in parts when Hemingway described the killing of the Fascists through a flogging line and some of the bull-fighting. (I've never understood bull fighting and why it continues today).  Found it humorous that Hemingway did not write cuss words but used the term "obscenity" instead.

Quotes: "Where the obscenity have you been?"

" 'You are a very hard woman' he told her. 'No ... but so simple I am very complicated' "

The Reapers by John Connolly

Vacation

This is our annual vacation read that we read together, passing the book back and forth after consuming a certain number of pages.  Not sure how, but we missed the two (2) previous Charlie Parker series books!!  Guess this means we must go on two more vacations right now!
This was not one of our favorites as there were few scenes with Charlie and a lot of flashbacks by Louis which dragged on and led to some confusion (but had we read the two books before this maybe we would have been less confused!!).  But in all of Connolly's books so far, we appreciate the demented sense of humor he brings forth in his characters!

Bone Lake by Drusilla Campbell

"C" Author

I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I found it was a quick read and kept my interest.  The book is not full of a lot of prose, but Campbell does write some captivating scenes that keeps the reader flipping pages till the very end!  It is truly terrifying the brainwashing power and the number of people who believe in  "Christian Identity" and White Supremacy.

Eye Contact - Cammie McGovern

None of my toppling bookpile books were doing it for me so I grabbed one off the master bookshelves that looked like a quick read.

A quick read it was and I appreciated a couple of things the author was trying to do:  most importantly drawing attention to the autistic community and generate a conversation and understanding of the true needs of the entire community - parents, teachers, society and the child and his/her peers.  Secondly, in relation to the plot points, she threw in a lot of red herrings.  I understand the purpose, but I found this along with the structure of the book, with the flashbacks and interwoven cast of characters to be rather confusing. (Though it could also be my frame of mind at this point too, which has little focus and not the author's fault).  I have another book by McGovern that I will delve into and see if it's really me or if she simply is not an author I prefer.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

Guilty Pleasure

What a fun, fascinating read mixing old and new technologies (print books versus Google), combining fiction with fact and it comes with an amazing book jacket (turn out the lights!)  All of it a reminder of why I still love real books!!

Quotes: "'They figured out the circumference of the earth a thousand years before they invented printing.  Could you figure out the circumference of the Earth?'....I have no idea.  I'd probably just Google it"

"These days, the phone only carries bad news....If it's anything fun or exciting, like an invitation to a party...,it will come through the internet."

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

Historical Fiction

This was a tome (700 pgs), but very well written and a story line that keeps you captivated.  Interspersed with fascinating and little known facts of American history (at least little known to me!):  1918 influenza pandemic, 1919 great molasses flood, Babe Ruth, Boston police strike and the rise of the NAACP.  Reading about the early days of the Labor movement and following the struggles of the Boston PD in their attempts to get fair wages and working conditions reminded me of why I do what I do in helping to represent working people and Unions and how important it is.

Quote:  "Do you know the primary difference between men and gods? No Sir.  Gods don't think they can become men."