by Patricia Gaffney
When Anna finds her live-in boyfriend and her boss in her bed, she goes home to Maryland to help manage the family restaurant. Unfortunately, Anna and her aunt Rose haven't been on speaking terms for years, ever since Anna caught her father and Rose together while her mother was dying.
This was a good book that didn't get too bogged down in the family drama. There were quite a few other characters that were well written and interesting, such as Frankie and Theo. Anna and Rose muddle through trying to work out their issues, while Anna also struggles to rebuild her life after her boyfriend's betrayal.
I got this book at Barnes & Noble for $6.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Saving Max
by Antoinette Van Heugten
Daniella Parkman knows her son Max. He's brilliant and fragile and autistic. But when she finds him unconscious and bloodied in the room of another boy at the psychiatric facility he's been admitted to, she suddenly isn't sure what she knows about her son. But time is running out for Danielle to save her son.
This book started off very strong and I was quickly drawn into the storyline. However, about halfway through it seemed to move into an unrealistic arena that it just didn't come back from. That Danielle is able to break into the facility more than once, that she's the only person that can unravel the mystery of Max's victim, that the random man she meets in a hotel bar later becomes the only person who can help her, that what is considered the finest facility in the country hires a doctor with less than stellar reputation, I just couldn't swallow all of it. Maybe any one of those points, but I think it was the combination of all of them together that bothered me.
This was a Kindle book for $7.55 (though I believe the price is slightly higher now).
Daniella Parkman knows her son Max. He's brilliant and fragile and autistic. But when she finds him unconscious and bloodied in the room of another boy at the psychiatric facility he's been admitted to, she suddenly isn't sure what she knows about her son. But time is running out for Danielle to save her son.
This book started off very strong and I was quickly drawn into the storyline. However, about halfway through it seemed to move into an unrealistic arena that it just didn't come back from. That Danielle is able to break into the facility more than once, that she's the only person that can unravel the mystery of Max's victim, that the random man she meets in a hotel bar later becomes the only person who can help her, that what is considered the finest facility in the country hires a doctor with less than stellar reputation, I just couldn't swallow all of it. Maybe any one of those points, but I think it was the combination of all of them together that bothered me.
This was a Kindle book for $7.55 (though I believe the price is slightly higher now).
I'd Know You Anywhere
by Laura Lippman
A letter from death row arrives for Eliza saying "I'd know you anywhere" and Eliza is instantly transported back to the summer she was 15 and abducted by Walter Bowman. What Walter wants from her now, Eliza doesn't know and she's not sure she can tell him anyway.
Told both from the current time and flashbacks to the summer she was 15, this story just moves and moves. I could not put it down. Why does Eliza survive? Why is she the girl that Walter doesn't kill? How could she not escape? And why does she agree to meet Walter now, after 20 years, when she has managed to put that summer behind her?
In a backdoor sort of way, this story also takes a look at the death penalty. It's not overpowering, but the character that acts as the go-between for Walter and Eliza has a definite opinion, but she is also drawn as an unlikable character so it's hard to take anything she says to heart.
I loved this book and have been recommending it to everyone.
This was a Kindle book for $9.99.
A letter from death row arrives for Eliza saying "I'd know you anywhere" and Eliza is instantly transported back to the summer she was 15 and abducted by Walter Bowman. What Walter wants from her now, Eliza doesn't know and she's not sure she can tell him anyway.
Told both from the current time and flashbacks to the summer she was 15, this story just moves and moves. I could not put it down. Why does Eliza survive? Why is she the girl that Walter doesn't kill? How could she not escape? And why does she agree to meet Walter now, after 20 years, when she has managed to put that summer behind her?
In a backdoor sort of way, this story also takes a look at the death penalty. It's not overpowering, but the character that acts as the go-between for Walter and Eliza has a definite opinion, but she is also drawn as an unlikable character so it's hard to take anything she says to heart.
I loved this book and have been recommending it to everyone.
This was a Kindle book for $9.99.
Strange Fits of Passion
by Anita Shreve
Mary arrives in a small Maine town with her baby daughter and a past she doesn't discuss with anyone. Fleeing her abusive reporter husband in New York City, Mary - formerly Maureen English - tries to settle in and make a safe life for them. Her affair with an older lobsterman brings her happiness she had never experienced. But when she is betrayed by another, and Mary's husband finds her, Mary must make a decision that will forever change her life.
This story originally starts as a reporter brings her noted to Mary's now college-age daughter regarding her mother's story. The story is unfolds by way of interviews and letters written by Mary and the Maine townspeople. While maybe predictable in it's climax, Mary's story is nonetheless engaging. I kept reading to find out who betrayed Mary.
This was a paperback I picked up at a book sale.
Mary arrives in a small Maine town with her baby daughter and a past she doesn't discuss with anyone. Fleeing her abusive reporter husband in New York City, Mary - formerly Maureen English - tries to settle in and make a safe life for them. Her affair with an older lobsterman brings her happiness she had never experienced. But when she is betrayed by another, and Mary's husband finds her, Mary must make a decision that will forever change her life.
This story originally starts as a reporter brings her noted to Mary's now college-age daughter regarding her mother's story. The story is unfolds by way of interviews and letters written by Mary and the Maine townspeople. While maybe predictable in it's climax, Mary's story is nonetheless engaging. I kept reading to find out who betrayed Mary.
This was a paperback I picked up at a book sale.
Eden Close
by Anita Shreve
Andrew returns to his childhood home in upstate New York to bury his mother. Next door lives Eden Close and her mother, two women still suffering from the loss of Eden's father, who was killed by the person that broke into the house and raped Eden 20 years before. Eden, now blind, continues to live with her mother, in spite of a difficult relationship when Eden was a child. As Andrew prepares his mother's house for sale, he and Eden rekindle their relationship and uncover the secrets of that long-ago night.
This was a good book with a great story. It moves along and leads you in one direction before taking a turn and leading you somewhere else. Eden is a mysterious character for much of the book and the reader only sees her through Andrew's memories. I didn't find the ending unbelievable as some of the reviews I've seen suggest. The entire book leads to the ending and all the pieces fit.
This is available as paperback (as I read) or for the Kindle.
Andrew returns to his childhood home in upstate New York to bury his mother. Next door lives Eden Close and her mother, two women still suffering from the loss of Eden's father, who was killed by the person that broke into the house and raped Eden 20 years before. Eden, now blind, continues to live with her mother, in spite of a difficult relationship when Eden was a child. As Andrew prepares his mother's house for sale, he and Eden rekindle their relationship and uncover the secrets of that long-ago night.
This was a good book with a great story. It moves along and leads you in one direction before taking a turn and leading you somewhere else. Eden is a mysterious character for much of the book and the reader only sees her through Andrew's memories. I didn't find the ending unbelievable as some of the reviews I've seen suggest. The entire book leads to the ending and all the pieces fit.
This is available as paperback (as I read) or for the Kindle.
Go Ask Alice
by Anonymous
For more than 25 years, this diary of a drug-addicted teen has served as a warning for teenagers about the dangers of experimenting with drugs. Try as she might, the writer is not able to stay away from drugs for any length of time.
I remember seeing this as a play in junior high school back in the early 80s. It was intense then and is still intense in written form. Whether it is an actual diary or a work of fiction is still being debated, but either way, it's a good read.
For more than 25 years, this diary of a drug-addicted teen has served as a warning for teenagers about the dangers of experimenting with drugs. Try as she might, the writer is not able to stay away from drugs for any length of time.
I remember seeing this as a play in junior high school back in the early 80s. It was intense then and is still intense in written form. Whether it is an actual diary or a work of fiction is still being debated, but either way, it's a good read.
Island of Lost Girls
by Jennifer McMahon
Sitting in front of the local convenience store, Rhonda Farr witnesses a little girl being a abducted from her mother's car by a six-foot bunny. This abduction brings Rhonda back to 1993, and her best friend Lizzie who later disappeared. By revisiting the events of that summer, Rhonda sees through her adult eyes the secrets she didn't see as a child.
Another great book by Jennifer McMahon. She manages to tell the story both in the current time and that long-ago summer without any confusion or loss of storyline. I especially liked how the way that Rhonda perceived things as a child shaped into what she believed happened as an adult. It's only when Rhonda is able to understand what really happened that she is able to move past that fateful summer.
This was a paperback I got from Amazon for $6. It would have been worth paying more.
Sitting in front of the local convenience store, Rhonda Farr witnesses a little girl being a abducted from her mother's car by a six-foot bunny. This abduction brings Rhonda back to 1993, and her best friend Lizzie who later disappeared. By revisiting the events of that summer, Rhonda sees through her adult eyes the secrets she didn't see as a child.
Another great book by Jennifer McMahon. She manages to tell the story both in the current time and that long-ago summer without any confusion or loss of storyline. I especially liked how the way that Rhonda perceived things as a child shaped into what she believed happened as an adult. It's only when Rhonda is able to understand what really happened that she is able to move past that fateful summer.
This was a paperback I got from Amazon for $6. It would have been worth paying more.
Port Mortuary
by Patricia Cornwell
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back, along with her regular crew of husband Benton Wesley, niece Lucy and ex-cop Pete Marino. This time she returns home to Boston, where a man is found mysteriously murdered near her home. Before long, Scarpetta's military background comes back to rear its ugly head and she finds that as usual, nothing is what it seems.
I'm a long-time reader of the Kay Scarpetta series. The early ones are by far the best, but I dutifully read each installment as it is released. This one, however, was a chore for me to finish. There was less action and more inside Scarpetta's head. Pete Marino and Lucy have both become somewhat unlikable characters and it's hard to care about them much. Benton is so full of "I can't talk about my patients" that it's hard to understand why he's even included in the story. This group of characters seem to have outlived their early connections. I guess being at the top of her field has made Scarpetta less able to accept help from anyone.
If you haven't read any of this series, I would recommend the early ones. The most recent are vastly different, in my opinion.
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back, along with her regular crew of husband Benton Wesley, niece Lucy and ex-cop Pete Marino. This time she returns home to Boston, where a man is found mysteriously murdered near her home. Before long, Scarpetta's military background comes back to rear its ugly head and she finds that as usual, nothing is what it seems.
I'm a long-time reader of the Kay Scarpetta series. The early ones are by far the best, but I dutifully read each installment as it is released. This one, however, was a chore for me to finish. There was less action and more inside Scarpetta's head. Pete Marino and Lucy have both become somewhat unlikable characters and it's hard to care about them much. Benton is so full of "I can't talk about my patients" that it's hard to understand why he's even included in the story. This group of characters seem to have outlived their early connections. I guess being at the top of her field has made Scarpetta less able to accept help from anyone.
If you haven't read any of this series, I would recommend the early ones. The most recent are vastly different, in my opinion.
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