Thursday, November 29, 2018

What I've Been Reading: November 2018

I've been reading non-fiction and book club books, which seem to be slowing me down a little lately. That and the early evenings that make me want to retire earlier and earlier! But I've gotten a few things finished...

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, by Maxwell King. I am absolutely a child of the PBS era and have a soft, nostalgic place in my heart for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. So this, the first full-length biography of an American icon, is right up my alley. Following Fred's story from a shy, kindhearted boy through his education where he excelled at music, and told with the help of numerous interviews and archival documents, King's biography is simply perfect, thoughtful and insightful and wonderfully detailed.

How to Knit A Heart Back Home, by Rachael Herron. Herron, writer and fellow knitter, has a great knack for writing perfectly flawed characters who find each other in the most entertaining ways. Here, bookshop owner and long-time knitter Lucy has made peace with being single, choosing to live vicariously through the exploits of her socially avid best friend, Molly. Then Owen comes back to town to deal with some family issues, and Lucy goes to pieces. In high school, Lucy had been Owen's math tutor, her the nerd and him the bad boy with a tough home life. They shared one intensely memorable kiss...just before he left town. Now after close to two decades, he's back and maybe, just maybe, they might find their next steps together...

The Visitors, by Catherine Burns. Burns' debut, which was published last September, has been on my list for some time, and now I know why. This is not a comfortable read, both claustrophobic and grimly tense. Marion Zetland lives in her crumbling childhood home with her older brother John--she a timid spinster who spends her days napping with teddy bears and avoiding conflict of any kind, he a surly recluse who spends the bulk of his time in their basement, which is off limits to everyone else. Marion has spent years turning a blind eye to John's ominous deeds until one day, these heinous responsibilities fall to her and she must unravel many truths, including her own. A slow and uncomfortable start picks up a full head of steam about halfway through, and the finish is absolutely worth it. If you're looking for a novel full of dark suspense, add this to your list.

The Law of Similars, by Chris Bohjalian. Bohjalian (Midwives, The Sandcastle Girls, etc.) is a favorite of mine and I parcel his books out as stories to savor. Here, Vermont widower and attorney Leland is consumed by his job, the raising of his young daughter...and a collection of anxieties manifesting as illness. Over the counter remedies and antibiotics have failed him. It's only when he turns to homeopathy that he begins to see improvement, not least because he is instantly smitten with his homeopath, Carissa Lake. But after one of Carissa's patients falls into an allergy-induced coma, possibly because of her prescribed remedy, Leland's office begins to investigate the case. Leland is faced with a monumental ethical dilemma as love and legal obligations clash head-on. Fascinating on multiple levels, this was definitely a novel to linger over.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See. My book club's November selection, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is the story of Li-yan and her family, living in a remote village in a southern province of China where life revolves around the seasons and the farming and harvesting of tea. It is only after a stranger visits their village that Li-yan begins to venture forth, receiving an education and beginning to reject traditional beliefs. It is the birth of her daughter, born out of wedlock with a man her family considers a poor choice, that finally causes Li-yan to break away. She gives her daughter up at an orphanage in hopes of giving the girl a better life, then makes her own way in the world, choosing city over village. This is also the story of Haley, Li-yan's daughter, who is being raised by an American couple in California, and her own unique struggles with identity.

We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adapted from Adichie's much-admired TEDx talk of the same name, this long essay is both personal and eloquently argued, offering a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing on her own experiences and her understanding of the often-masked realities of sexual politics, this is both Adichie's own exploration of what it means to be a woman now, and also a rallying cry to the world. I loved it so much, I read it twice.

The Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel. This is a reread for me, the selection for my book club's December meeting. You can read my original review here.

I have nine books left to read in 2018 in order to hit 100 books in a calendar year. Think I can do it?

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Meg's Picks: December 2018, part 1

Looking for something unexpected? I've got two suggestions for you today--one, a debut with an unusual protagonist and the second, a series starter from a reader favorite.

Hunting Annabelle, by Wendy Heard. This unique debut thriller already has a lot of readers buzzing. Sean Suh has served three years in a psychiatric prison for murder, so now that he's out, he copes by avoiding interaction with other people and wandering a local amusement park as he suppresses his darker impulses. He's instantly smitten when he meets Annabelle, who is beautiful and kind. But when she is abducted while they're on their first date, he finds himself the prime--and only--suspect. Frustrated by the police's unwillingness to search for Annabelle and her abductor, Sean begins his own investigation and digs into Annabelle's past--which turns out to be far murkier than readers might have expected. Billed as delightfully dark and twisted, this is a sure bet for readers of Caroline Kepnes (You, etc.).

Murder at the Mill, by M.B. Shaw. This first mystery from bestseller Tilly Bagshawe writing under a pseudonym finds artist Iris Grey hiding away in a Hampshire cottage, taking a break from her strained marriage. While there, she accepts a commission to paint the portrait of crime writer Dominic Wetherby, who lives next door. It's only when a local's father is discovered dead that Iris discovers she's got a talent for investigating murder...and suspects abound. Fans of Bagshawe's and readers of amateur sleuths should all be lining up.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Reading Ahead: December 2019, part 4

Up for some spy games?

The Enemy of My Enemy, by WEB Griffin & William E. Butterworth IV. Latest in the Clandestine Operations series, following 2017's Death at Nuremberg, finds special agent James Cronley Jr. fighting both ex-Nazis and Soviet NKGB can lead to some strange alliances. A month ago, Cronley captured two Nazi war criminals, but not without some fallout. With the Austrian police on high alert, Cronley decides to lay low, but that only lasts until someone breaks the two criminals out of jail, putting Cronley back out on the hunt--and in the open--once more. Also available in Large Print

A Delicate Touch, by Stuart Woods. When an old acquaintance reaches out to Stone Barrington, asking for help, he couldn't possibly say no. After all, the job seems easy enough--she just needs help solving a puzzle. Until the solution reveals a much bigger, darker scandal--one that goes back decades, and a number of New York's most elite citizens are implicated. Once again, Barrington is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Reading Ahead: December 2018, part 3

What single suspense novel am I looking forward to most next month? Well I think I'd have to say it's Watching You, by Lisa Jewell. I've been a fan of Jewell's since reading The Making of Us several years ago, I really enjoy her plot twists and multi-faceted characters. If you're looking for a new twisted suspense novel this winter, Watching You should be on your list (and if you need something to tide you over, I'd also recommend The Third Wife, 2015). Melville Heights is one of the best neighborhoods in Bristol, England--the sort of area that doctors and lawyers call home. It's a place where every house holds at least one secret, but certainly not where you'd expect a brutal murder to occur. Who winds up dead, and why, and whodunnit? Jewell leads readers along through the fascinating cast and keeps you guessing right to the end.



Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Reading Ahead: December 2018, part 2

Thrillers are the name of the game next month, with some long-awaited new titles from some of our readers' favorites!

The Boy, by Tami Hoag. New in Hoag's Doucet series (following 1997's A Thin Dark Line), The Boy finds Detective Nick Fourcade in the most brutal and confusing crime scene he's encountered to date. Genevieve Gauthier's home doesn't show signs of forced entry and she is physically unharmed, inexplicably left alive as a witness, telling a story of an unknown intruder who has murdered her 7-year-old son KJ. Who would kill a child and leave the only witness behind? When KJ's babysitter, Nora, is reported missing the following day, the sleepy Louisiana community is in an uproar. Nick and his wife, fellow detective Annie Broussard, must sift through Genevieve's past and Nora's disappearance to uncover the truth.

Pandemic, by Robin Cook. Taking on a cutting-edge tale of gene modification, Cook's latest begins when a young woman collapses on the New York subway and dies upon her arrival at the hospital. With eerie echoes of the 1918 flu pandemic near the hundredth anniversary, the incident begins to show anomalies when veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton autopsies the woman. First, she had a heart transplant. Second, impossibly, her transplanted heart matches her DNA. His investigation leads him to a gene-editing biotechnology that has captured the imagination of the medical community...and the attention of its most unethical members. 

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Reading Ahead: December 2018, part 1

As usual, there's not a very long list of new books due out in December (January will be a different story!), but the ones coming are big names for the most part, and ones you won't want to miss!

Of Blood and Bone, by Nora Roberts. Second in fan-favorite Roberts's new post-apocalyptic series, The Chronicles of the One, (following 2017's Year One), Of Blood and Bone begins a dozen years after the close of Year One. Fallon Swift, now thirteen, is gifted and therefore hunted. But her training under the guidance of Mallick, whose own skills have been honed over centuries, must begin. Fallon's identity, that of The One, cannot be hidden much longer, and she must be ready for the challenges ahead. Also available in Large Print

Verses for the Dead, by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Following City of Endless Night (2018), the New York City field office of the FBI undergoes a leadership overhaul, and one of the changes made is unthinkable: the notorious rogue agent Pendergast must work with a partner. Together with junior agent Coldmoon, Pendergast travels to Miami where a series of murders has a gruesome, puzzling M.O.: all of the victims have their hearts cut out and are left, along with notes from the killer, on gravestones of women who committed suicide. As the new duo work together, trying desperately to make a connection beyond that of the graves, they realize that this particular mystery may stretch back decades, making these new crimes almost pale by comparison. Pendergast is among my very favorite characters, and this new installment will be at the top of my reading list this winter.