Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Everything I NeverTold You by Celeste Ng

We know Lydia is dead from the first page, but we witness her family discover she is missing, learn she is dead and then deal (or not deal) with their grief.  Lydia, the middle child of the Lee family, was the favorite child.  Each family member has a different picture of Lydia, each thinks they know her, but we learn that no one really knew her.

We meet the family in the seventies as the two eldest children are in high school.  The Lee’s are a multi-racial couple (he is first generation Chinese-American, she is Caucasian).  Today no one would bat an eye, but then in rural Ohio the Lee children are the only non-Caucasians in their school.  Lydia is under pressure from both parents to succeed where they believed they failed in their lives but she feels she needs to hide what she thinks her parents will see as faults. 

I was expecting a thriller, but this was more a study of a family in crisis.  Lydia is a complex character, living her life for others more than herself.  The end hits hard because the reader learns everything Lydia hasn’t told anyone else because she never got the chance.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Jenna is thirteen and on a quest to find her mother who disappeared ten years ago after a tragic night at the Elephant Sanctuary run by her parents in New Hampshire.  The story is told by four people: Jenna; Virgil – a police detective now private investigator; Serenity – a psychic who no longer has contact with spirits; and Alice – Jenna’s mother and scientist studying grief in elephants who tells her story and what led up to the night she disappeared. 

I really enjoyed the readers of the audiobook, I liked that all four narrators were read by different people.  Alice’s parts, all the background information on elephants, did drag a bit, but overall it was enjoyable.  That said, if I were reading it I think I would have given up about pretty soon after starting.

The book, naturally, has the twist ending as all Picoult’s books do.  This one isn’t as shocking as some others, but some readers will be really annoyed by the ending.  Not her best, but not her worst either.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on theTrain by Paula Hawkins

This is the book that I’ve hearing buzz about since the spring for all those fans of psychological thrillers like Gone Girl.  Yep, that’s exactly who would love this book. 

Rachel Watson takes the train to work every day and watches the houses go by through the window.  The train typically stops at the same spot every day and Rachel arranges her seating so she can look at this one house and see the couple who live there.  One day, she sees something unusual out the window.  The next day she discovers that the woman has gone missing.  Rachel desperately wants to help but events from her life make her hesitant to speak out.

If you are a fan of unreliable narrators then this is the book for you.  You can’t believe anything anyone tells you (and there are three narrators) because they all have their own perceptions of reality.  You do learn early on that Rachel has a problem with alcohol (a huge problem actually) but that is just the start.  She is a complex character that I found myself disliking intensely then warming up to as the book went on and I learned more about her past and present.

Place your holds now since this book isn’t being released until January 13^th.

Helsinki Noir edited by James Thompson

Helsinki Noir edited by James Thompson

Finland is a weird place.  I love Iceland and all things Icelandic because of their “otherness” but Finland may even be a bit stranger.  Since this anthology was put together by an American who moved to Finland and has lived there for a long time he understands the uniqueness of the country and the things to emphasize that Americans would find odd.

Most of the stories in this collection are strong.  I especially enjoyed “Kiss of Santa” a story about an undercover security person working as a Santa in a department store to discover who is robbing from them.  “Stolen Lives” was simply hard to read because it was dark and heartbreaking at the same time.  The other entries are all quite good, even the confusing financial trading one that I was surprised I enjoyed, but there are a few where you can predict the ending but I think that would happen in almost any anthology to anyone who reads a lot of mysteries.

Of course this is a noir collection and Finland is painted as a shady, dark place because of the genre.  Doesn’t mean I don’t really want to go there anyway.

Compulsion by Martina Boone

Compulsion by Martina Boone *YA
Reviewed by Cassandra, Teen Librarian at Mary Jacobs

Compulsion is a compelling, emotional debut YA novel set in a Southern Gothic atmosphere and revolves around a young girl whose mother passes away and she is sent to live with her only surviving relative, her mother's sister Lulu in South Carolina. Barrie knows that her mother ran away years ago from her family home but does not know the reason why.

Barrie moves to South Carolina with little information about her history and her family so she immediately begins to investigate and learn about her family. She has heard the stories about Watson's Landing that say it is cursed but doesn't know the details surrounding the myth.

I could not put the book down. Each chapter had a new, unexpected surprise. The characters are so wonderfully written and just grab you and take hold. Compulsion took me on an intense and emotional roller coaster ride. The southern charm and atmosphere of the book was the perfect setting to go along with the mysteries surrounding Watson's Landing. Fair warning: it is book 1 in a series.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Apparently very few people saw The Princess Bride when it was first released on the big screen back in the 80s.  Neither the producers, the director nor the actors knew that their wonderful movie would become a classic in the videocassette age and become a favorite of mobsters, popes and presidents.  I was one of those few that did see it on the big screen when it was first released.  My friends and I all dressed as characters from the movie that Halloween.  I can joyously recite all the famous lines along with the movie and have no idea how many times I have seen it, but you don’t have to be a fan like me to thoroughly enjoy the book.

This is the story behind the movie.  You go behind the scenes with Cary Elwes as he relates funny off-screen (and on-screen) antics and stories.  Many of the reminiscences include Andre the Giant who was the loveliest man as described by all the cast and crew.  Most amazing are the fond memories from all the cast members, not just Elwes, who are honored to repeat their famous lines over and over again to this day for fans. 

To make this wonderful book even more wonderful (can you tell yet that I’m a fan of everything about this film?) the audiobook is read by Cary Elwes with guest narration by many of the cast.  Need a fun listen that will produce a few belly laughs?  As you wish.

A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney

A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney *JYA
Reviewed by Cassandra, Teen Librarian at Mary Jacobs

Thomas Ward from the Last Apprentice series is back for a new adventure in A New Darkness. Battling creatures of the dark is the job of the local spook. However with Master Gregory gone the job has gone to Tom Ward who never finished his apprenticeship. With a new monster terrorizing the county it will not be an easy task for Tom. Especially since the only person who seems to know anything about the monster is Jenny, the 7^th daughter of a 7^th daughter who will only share what she knows if Tom takes her on as his apprentice.

This new, exciting arc of the Last Apprentice series hooks in where the series ended. It is fast paced, full of adventure, horror and mystery as a new type of monster threatens the villages of the county.

The Good Sister by Jamie Kain

The Good Sister by Jamie Kain *YA
Reviewed by Cassandra, Teen Librarian at Mary Jacobs

The Fault in Her Stars meets The Lovely Bones, only Sarah’s leukemia is in remission and she knows who is responsible for her death. The Good Sister is a fast-paced young adult novel.

Sarah, the oldest of the Kinsey sisters, draws us into her purgatory world in the opening chapter. We understand from the start, there is more to her death than meets the eye. Did Sarah fall to her death on the rocky coast, or did someone push her? Only one other person knows what happened to Sarah on the trail high above the Pacific Ocean, and she’s not talking.

Rachel, the middle sister, and Asha, the baby, take turns with Sarah, telling the story of their lives, sharing their feelings for one another and their experiences growing up with hippie parents in a carefree lifestyle. Pieces of the puzzle come together and we learn of the shocking events that led to Sarah’s death.

I didn't love the story but I can see the attraction. Just a fair warning this is a young adult book with all the trappings of a young adult book: alcohol and intense relationships. 

That Night by Chevy Stevens

That Night by Chevy Stevens

Fifteen years ago Toni’s younger sister was murdered.  Toni and her boyfriend Ryan were accused and convicted of the crime.  Now Toni and Ryan have been released from prison and are trying to form new lives for themselves.  They are not supposed to have contact, but years later feelings between the two are still strong, and they unite to uncover who really killed Toni’s sister.  It seems that there are members of the small Vancouver Island community that don’t want the real killer named, or refuse to believe that the convicted could actually be innocent.

This was one of those very rare occasions where my mother and I were reading the same book at the same time.  I will admit she named the murder before the end of the book.  I did not: point to mom!

It was a good murder mystery, but I liked the whole sociological aspect of the plot.  An innocent woman goes to prison as a young adult and comes out fifteen years later.  What must that be like?  Forget the whole incarcerated while innocent thing, how did prison change her?  And what did she have to do to survive?  And how do you find a normal life after being out of society for so long?  The changes Toni underwent, and the way she suffers even after paying her debt to society were what made this book so interesting to me.

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

Deb and Chip are honeymooning in the British Virgin Islands when they discover mermaids on a snorkeling trip.  What follows is a scarily realistic depiction of what may actually happen if mermaids were found to be real: denial, hate groups, exploitation by tourism, etc.  Then things get really weird.

This is a good choice on audio because the narrator captures Deb.  She is a narcissistic, shallow woman, or so we are led to believe, but there is more to her.  For the first disc or two you will be listening to her wedding and honeymoon preparations and you will doubt her depth as a character and her likability.  It was amusing listening to her ponder her life and honeymoon choices so I continued to listen.  Then, early in their honeymoon, Chip and Deb find the mermaids and she becomes more dimensional, but still a little odd.  In fact, everyone is odd, but when all gets really weird, it all makes sudden sense.  Definitely one of the more left field endings I’ve ever read.  But for all that it still fit. 

How would the world react to mermaids?  I’m sure leaving them in peace would never be in the cards.

The Forgers by Bradford Morrow

The Forgers by Bradford Morrow

A man is found dead, hands severed (and never found), in his home surrounded by priceless first editions and precious signed novels, most terribly damaged.  His sister Meghan is devastated and wants to know who could have possibly wanted to harm her brother Adam.  Meghan’s boyfriend, Will, is a convicted forger and when visiting Adam’s Montauk bungalow he recognizes many tools of the trade.  Yet Will refuses to begin doctoring books with forged signatures again, no matter how much money he could be making.  Until he starts to receive threatening letters, letters cleverly written in the hand of dead authors; this forger may be as good as Will once was.  What does this person possibly want with Will?

I listened to this book, but I was very fortunate to also have the print copy checked out at the same time.  There was a point early in the book where I swore I missed something, but I didn’t.  I was just confused.  And my confusion continued.  I can’t say why, it would ruin the book, but my puzzlement carried throughout.  Which wasn’t a good thing because when the big reveal happened I felt like somehow I already knew it, hence my confusion.  I’m sure after reading this paragraph you are perplexed – my apologies.  In summation, save your confusion for a twisty thriller that confuses on purpose with a big shocking reveal. 

Maplecroft: The Borden Dispatches by Cherie Priest

Maplecroft: The Borden Dispatches by Cherie Priest

Lizbeth Borden, made famous because of the double homicide by axe she was acquitted of at trial, has moved to the outskirts of Fall River, Massachusetts with her sister Emma.  Their house by the sea, Maplecroft, is ideal for their current activities: saving the people of Fall River from the creatures that sometimes come up from the sea as well as the ailments that occasionally affect the hapless residents.

Each chapter in the book is voiced by another character including Lizzie, her girlfriend Nance, the local doctor, Emma and other characters like a Professor from Miskatonic University.  For those in the know that reference to Miskatonic U. made you smile because it’s the fictional creation of H.P. Lovecraft many of his Cthulhu stories reference in one way or another.  So Lizzie and her axe are saving us all from the tentacled denizens of the deep.  It’s a neat concept and I did enjoy the mashup.  It was also really interesting to have an apocalyptic type of feel to a story that takes place in the late 1800s.  While technology is still in its infancy it is the heyday of amateur scientists and naturalists and hearing how they test and observe new life forms is disconcerting knowing how things would be done now, but interesting nonetheless.

The Ghost in the Electric Blue Suit by Graham Joyce

The Ghost in the Electric Blue Suit by Graham Joyce

It’s the 1970s and David takes a summer job at a resort in a decaying seaside town on the coast of England.  He chooses the location because the resort’s name is on the back of a faded photo of his father, a man who died when David was only three.  At the resort David is a green coat, one of the members of the entertainment group which organizes and runs activities for children and seniors.  He makes friends, some who seem more scary than friendly, and tries to find his place in this medley of characters.  Underlying it all are the apparitions of a well-dressed father and son that only he can see.  What tie do these figures have to his past?

As much as I dislike the term, this truly is a coming of age story.  David is a young college student who learns about love, loss and politics while working at the resort.  The time period and setting bring to life a very politically charged time in England that mirrors some of the issues we were battling in America.  It is a quick read, and a good listen, I jumped between both, that will bring a bit of summer sun to your winter nights.

A Good Marriage by Stephen King

A Good Marriage by Stephen King

Darcy is home alone because her husband of twenty-seven years is on a business trip.  Her favorite show starts in mere minutes and the television remote stops working.  She heads into the garage in search of AA batteries and trips over a box.  In it are the catalogs she loves (darn her husband for not giving them to her!) and something disturbing.  She knows she should leave well enough alone but she looks around some more and finds so much more.  Turns out that even after twenty-seven years there are things you don’t know about your spouse, even if you have a good marriage.

A short listen (only three discs!) based on one of the novellas in his 2010 collection Full Dark, No Stars which has been made into a movie.  Looks like the movie will be MUCH different than the book based on the one sentence synopsis I read: could be interesting to compare the two.  A fun but disturbing listen from Uncle Stevie.

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins

The Gigantic BeardThat Was Evil by Stephen Collins

I heard about this graphic novel a few months ago at a conference and it kept popping up on various social media posts. I was intrigued by the title alone, the buzz just made me decide I had to check it out. I’m glad I did, and even if you aren’t a graphic novel reader, you should too.

David is a typical resident of Here that tries all he might not to think about There, the scary land beyond the sea that is not ordered like Here. But David’s thoughts keep drifting to There and what might be There and what exactly is so great about Here. What is the purpose of anything? Then David’s beard (facial hair is unheard of in Here due to its untidy nature) just starts growing. And growing. And growing. Nothing David or anyone else in Here can do will make it stop.

The art is all black and white pencil drawings using shading to create muted, but detailed and beautiful illustrations. The story is understated, but profound.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Literature professor Jason Fitger has a reputation as being the most prolific writer of Letters of Recommendation (LORs) at Payne College so, naturally, students, even those he has never actually had in class, ask him for assistance. Fitger also conducts his day to day griping in the written form penning some of the most classic passive-aggressive missives I have ever had the pleasure to read.  Not to worry, there is a plot (of sorts) behind all the letters.  Fitger desperately pleads the case of his most promising graduate student to every program he can write an LOR to and we learn about the professor’s personal life as he writes to his ex-girlfriend and ex-wife (also members of academia) for their advice, forgiveness and help.

Some of the phrasing in his LORs are laugh out loud funny and were a delight to read.  Interspersed with these gems are the “plot” letters where you learn more about Fitger and his goals and dreams.  It’s a really interesting way to write a book and in less talented hands it may not have worked.  If you need something completely different that can be read in short increments (great for all the running around we’re faced with this time of year!) pick this one up.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Molly Ayer is seventeen, a foster child living in Maine nearing the end of her time in the system.  She has to fulfill a community service requirement to avoid being sent to juvie for stealing a library book.  Molly’s boyfriend helps introduce Molly to Vivian, a ninety-one year old widow needing help to organize and sort the numerous items in her attic.  While working together on the project of sorting decades of memories Molly and Vivian realize that they have a lot in common.  Vivian is also an orphan.  She was sent on an orphan train out of New York City in the late 1920s into the Midwest where strangers chose a child to bring home to adopt, or to use a free labor.  As the two go through each box more of Vivian’s past is revealed and Molly becomes determined to help her new friend discover some of the secrets of her past.

The dual stories make the story come alive, more so than if it was a linear retelling of Vivian’s experiences.  By comparing the brutal hardships of Vivian’s young life and the current uncertainty of Molly’s the reader hopes that just Vivian’s life gets better there is also hope for Molly’s life getting better as well.  A quick engaging read – I read most of the book while waiting for an extremely delayed flight and if you can focus on a book while sitting in a busy noisy airport you know it must be a compelling read.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

It’s been a long while since Danny Torrance escaped the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.  The now middle-aged Dan is finally getting his life together after stumbling into a small New Hampshire town.  He is firmly on the wagon after being persuaded to join AA by some great friends he makes in town and has a job that he enjoys working at the local hospice where he gets the nickname Doctor Sleep.  Not all is idyllic.  Twelve years ago Dan started getting visited by a person with the shining.  A young girl named Abra with immense power he thinks may be in danger.  He and Abra must find each other and team up to defeat the evil coming their way.

While it helped that I just re-read The Shining a few weeks ago, it’s not necessary to completely enjoy this book.   While not nearly as creepy as its predecessor it is a quick read with interesting villains (the True Knot who are akin to vampires, after those with The Shining to eat what makes them shine).  The gore and the creepiness are minimal compared to some of his other works, but the storytelling is still wonderful.

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

Detective D.D. Warren is back in another crime thriller.  A horrific injury (trust me, it doesn’t seem like much but the descriptions of her pain will make you cringe) at a crime scene has her off the job, but that doesn’t mean she’s off the case.  Someone is killing women and staging their corpses to mimic a mostly forgotten serial killer from years ago.  There is no evidence left at the scenes but there are plenty of avenues to explore including the children of the long dead serial killer who appears to have a new fan.

 

I haven’t found a Gardner book on audio I haven’t enjoyed.  This one is a little slower paced than her other recent titles, but it is still an entertaining listen.  There are a lot of discussions about pain, so if you think it would make you cringe you may want to go for the print version.

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

Sean creates and administers paper based mail order games in a digital world, but his small income and solitary environment are well suited to him.  Years ago Sean suffered a disfiguring accident that makes interaction with the outside world uncomfortable, but the ordered pathways of running his games and the small conversations he has through the mail are all he needs now.  Until two game players take his directions to find the Italian Trace literally and journey into the borderlands of Kansas and Nebraska and face death and disfigurement at the hands of the elements.  Now Sean is on trial and forced to leave his protective environment.

I’ll admit it.  I must have missed something.  I enjoyed the book, nominated for a National Book Award, but I can’t say I got it.  I know how Sean’s accident occurred, but not why, and I think that was the central concept and point of the book.  Maybe I was reading too much on the surface, I’ll admit I read mostly for plot, but when the time of the accident was being explained I did read more closely and still must have missed something somewhere.  Or the not knowing was exactly the point.  For those that enjoy literary fiction and not having most of their questions directly answered.

The Montauk Monster by Hunter Shea

The Montauk Monster by Hunter Shea

The east end of the south fork of Long Island, some of the most expensive real estate in the country, is about to get crazy cheap.  Slavering, deadly, toothy, mutant creatures are coming ashore in Montauk and the Hamptons and wrecking havoc wherever they go.  And if they don’t kill you outright the infection they seem to be spreading is sure to get you in mere hours.  Will anyone survive?

The author did a great job bringing this creature feature to life.  The creatures are horrific and their origin story (everyone’s favorite birthplace of disease hatching conspiracies: Plum Island) is improbable (I hope!) but well constructed.  It’s a fun-filled ride of terror complete with a high body count (don’t get too attached to any of the characters), scary monsters, island references and government cover-ups. 

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

For summer vacation 14-year old Trevor Riddell journeys to forested Washington State with his father to Riddell House, the mansion built by their timber baron forefather.  A once grand and extravagant family, the money is all but gone: only the mansion and land remains.  Trevor meets his grandfather and aunt for the first time at the decaying mansion.  As the days go by Trevor explores more of the house and uncovers the mysteries of his family’s history as well as his father’s past.  His father was reluctant to go to face his father and Trevor doesn’t understand how his demented grandfather could have been so awful that his son never wanted to return home.  The answers he uncovers, and the ghosts he meets, makes this summer vacation one he will never forget.

The book is very different from The Art of Racing in the Rain, the author’s extremely popular novel told from the point of view of a dog named Enzo.  There are no dogs in this book, but there are ghosts.  And the haunting of Riddell House is a complex one with many layers and a strict purpose that Trevor is determined to discover.  Set in 1990 the absence of technology enhances the book, we don’t have an adolescent running around trying to film ghosts and tweet his friends back home.  The isolation is complete in an age when long distance telephone calls were the only ways to communicate with distant loved ones.  Trevor, cut off from his mother by distance, and from his father by the traumas of the past, is truly alone to discover the secrets of Riddell House and try to put wrongs right.  An engaging and haunting read for those who normally don’t enjoy ghost stories as well as those who do.

The Intern’s Handbook by Shane Kuhn

The Intern’s Handbook by Shane Kuhn

John Lago works for Human Resources, Inc. (HR, Inc.) which supplies free hardworking labor to major corporations.  John is the most invisible of office workers: the intern.  He gets the menial work done to please the partners and makes a mean cup of Joe awarding him entry into the inner sanctums of the most secure businesses.  This is perfect for John’s real job: assassin.  HR, Inc. is in the business of killing and their clients are always satisfied, or the intern assigned the job is reassigned, permanently.  John is nearing his 25^th birthday, retirement age from HR, Inc. (because who would believe anyone over 25 would willingly work for free).  He has one last job.  Of course this one is going to be a doozy.

The story is framed around The Intern’s Handbook, a helpful guide John is writing to help out new recruits to HR, Inc., as well as transcripts from bugged conversations John has with his girlfriend. Told in first person this is a cinematic rollercoaster ride – twists and turns and action galore!  It’s a really fun and different type of read, with generous amounts of dark humor thrown in, for fans of espionage thrillers and action movies.

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan

Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan

“Forget the cud.  They want blood.”

A secret British government agency is up to no good and a slaughterhouse in Scotland becomes ground zero when an experimental bioweapon gets loose.  During the daily routine slaughter, Terry is about to use his bolt gun on the next bovine in line when he notices a mad look in its eye.  The cow is mad.  Not like Mad Cow Disease mad, but insane and REALLY annoyed.  The crazed cow sneezes and sprays those around him with blood-flecked snot.  It is the beginning of the end.  Rampaging zombie cows slaughter the workers in the abattoir and only one human, Terry, manages to escape with his life.  Unfortunately one cow escaped with his “unlife” as well…

Crude, crass, funny and oh so scary, this is a perfect read for those that like British humor mixed with their gore.  I would have probably found it funnier if it didn’t scare me so much.  Think about it, a zombie virus that infects only mammals except (at least as far as is known) humans.  Think of all the gamboling sheep of the British countryside, now hoards of crazed killing machines.  Nevermind the bunnies.  And forget the sea of rats.   Frankly, I was extremely creeped out by this one.

If you like to laugh while you squirm, scream and cringe you may find an enjoyable Halloween read here.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Three mothers, Jane, Madeline and Celeste, all very different in every way, find themselves forming a friendship because their children are all starting kindergarten at the same time.   During orientation a little girl comes out of the classroom crying with red marks on her neck because another child was choking her.  Asked who hurt her, the little girl points at Ziggy, Jane’s small and meek five year old.  So starts a saga of bullying inside and outside of the classroom engulfing the lives of not just the schoolchildren but their parents as well.

I really enjoyed the way the story was structured.  At the end of most chapters there are brief (a sentence or two) transcript pieces from a number of adults about the murder at the Primary School Trivia Night.  The best part?  You don’t know who died until VERY late in the book.  You may guess, but if you’re like me, you keep changing your mind about who died.  And while I eventually stuck to my guns and picked the correct victim, I was blindsided by who the murderer turned out to be.

Moriarty tackles big problems like bullying and domestic violence in her long, but easy to read novel.  Those that like domestic drama, but do not like Picoult would most likely enough Moriarty because she adds one thing Picoult doesn’t: humor.  Even though Moriarty is tackling some very serious issues, and can write a very good dramatic scene, she infuses humor in a lot of the story making the story flow along.

One Kick by Chelsea Cain

One Kick by Chelsea Cain

Kick Lannigan was abducted as a young girl by a stranger and found six years later, miraculously alive, but not at all well.  Since her rescue she has been working on making a safe life for herself, her dog and her brother.  She has tried numerous therapies but the ones that work best include physical defense mechanisms.  Now 21 she is feeling better about her life but still hates herself for what she did.  Kick knows she is the reason that other kids are being abducted and used like she was.  She didn’t notice enough and she destroyed evidence, so now she notices everything.  To help in a small way she drives for hours looking for cars reported in Amber Alerts hoping to find other missing kids and bring them home. The arrival of a strange man on her doorstep changes Kick’s life; she may finally have an opportunity to do something and assuage some of her guilt.

I’m a fan of Cain’s Gretchen and Archie series so I was interested in her new series.  Her main character is extremely damaged but oh so strong.  I was very glad the author didn’t detail what Kick suffered at the hands of her kidnapper.  We know that Kick was in many movies collected by pedophiles, but thankfully we don’t know much about them.  But what we know is more than enough and the fact that this character wakes up and faces each day seems like an amazing thing.  While disturbing it had a satisfying ending and I would read the next in the series.  And for audiobook fans this one zipped by; worked really well in this format.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ove is cranky.  He’s the grumpy old man that lives on your block and patrols the area each morning to make sure everyone is following the rules.  He loathes technology and can’t understand why people today can’t fix things themselves.  He desperately misses his wife and feels life really isn’t worth going through any more.  Then the new neighbors move in and interrupt his sadness by backing their trailer into his mailbox.  And then they keep bothering him, and he keeps helping them because they are obviously hopelessly inept.  Could Ove have found reasons to stay around for a while longer?

I am not a big fan of feel-good books, but every once in a while one will really get to me.  The dark humor of the beginning is bitingly funny and gives way to a blossoming in our understanding of the grump that is Ove.  You will find yourself wanting to talk to that cantankerous curmudgeon you pass on the street to see what his deal is.  Ove is Ove for many reasons, many of which you discover in the pages of this book.

Even though it’s embarrassing to admit I did cry at the end of this book.  It’s got a great poignant, bittersweet and funny (all at the same time) ending that is wonderful.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

 The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has it all.  She runs an extremely successful Tupperware business, has organized her house so everything has, and is in, its place and is married to a loving husband and has wonderful children.  All is perfect in Cecilia’s life until she decides to organize her husband’s things in the attic and comes across a letter addressed to her in the event of his death.  The letter was obviously written ages ago and when he phones from his business trip she jokes with him about it.  He gets very quiet and asks her to destroy it.  After much inner struggle, you know what she does.  Yep, she opens it.  And learns the secret her husband has been keeping from the world.

I can’t really say too much more about the book.  You’ll be able to figure out what the general subject of the secret sooner than Cecilia, but she doesn’t open the letter until about halfway through the book.  The writing really moves, you are caught up in the main and secondary storylines and pulled along.  Fans of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian will find a lot to like in Moriarty’s book.

The Shining by Stephen King

The Shining by Stephen King

Believe it or not, this book came out 37 years ago!  I probably read it about twenty years ago so I decided to read it again before reading the sequel Doctor Sleep.

I’m sure everyone knows the story.  A man, Jack, his wife, Wendy, and young son, Danny, become the winter caretakers for a sweeping hotel in the mountains of Colorado appropriately called The Overlook.  Bad things happen. 

If you have only ever seen the movie you should really read the book.  There is so much here that never made it to the screen.  Shining, the ability that Danny possesses is really glossed over in the movie and here you get to understand what Danny can do.  The Overlook is even scarier in print.  And you would never be able to turn your back on a hedge animal ever again!

A perfect creepy haunted house (hotel!) read!

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Mia Dennett, the daughter of a powerful Chicago judge, is kidnapped.  Her kidnapper was hired to hand her off to some thugs and he was concerned that they would kill her.  So instead of handing her over he finds himself taking her to a cabin his family used long ago in the deep woods of Minnesota.  Her mother, Eve, is frantic and her father is stoic, as per usual.  Gabe, the detective assigned to the case and warned not to mess up, grows close to Eve as they try to find her daughter.

The structure of the book is really interesting.  There are three main points of view: Gabe, Eve and Colin (the kidnapper).  Each tells their story as Before (while Mia is gone) and After (Mia returned to her family).  Having the multiple viewpoints and two timelines makes the disjointed storytelling work well to keep the reader off balance.

I listened to this book and I didn’t really like any of the readers.  I stuck with it because of the interesting structure and because no reader was reading for more than ten minutes at a stretch.  There is a zinger of an ending, but I felt it could have come sooner.  This is one I may have enjoyed it more in print format.

We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory

We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory

Five victims are brought together by a psychologist specializing in recovery after traumatic events.  Her patients are not your typical victims of violent crime.  Each feels unique and isolated, yet she brings this group together to help one another heal through the similarities in their experiences.  These people have been through a lot, one was kidnapped and mutilated by cannibals, and another had her bones scrimshawed.  (Think about that last one for a bit and try not to shudder.)  But by bringing these singular victims together will the other that has touched them reach out again?

This is a great quick read (less than 200 pages!) to get you in the mood for Halloween.  Spooky and creepy, yet it’s a really interesting dynamic between the characters at group.  Lots of twists and turns and jumps keep you guessing what will happen next.  Very much set in a Lovecraft universe with touches of Cthulhu’s tentacles even though he who must not be named is never actually mentioned. 

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

Munroe, a NASA roboticist in his past career, is the creator of the webcomic xkcd which has a blog portion called What If.  In the What If blog Munroe answers strange questions with real science broken down into layman’s terms and illustrated with stick figures.  For this book he collected some of his favorite, most popular, and some new questions and answers.   If you have any interest in physics, math, basically anything to do with science, and you have an odd sense of humor (like me apparently), you should probably give this one a chance.   I especially enjoyed his explanation of human genetics using D&D character stats and the way he explained not only the destructive end of the Richter scale, but it’s gentler side as well.

If you were that kid that always asked why? and how? this is the book that will finally give you the answers to the hard questions – like how many people would need to shoot laser pointers at the moon to make it change color and what would happen if you swam in a spent-nuclear-fuel pool?  Trust me, you want to know.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Kirsten was a child actress in the days before the collapse.  She was performing in King Lear, a non-speaking role as a younger version of Cordelia, when the famous actor playing Lear died of a heart attack at the beginning of the fourth act.  We pick up her story years later.  Kirsten is now a member of the Traveling Symphony going from town to town and performing Shakespeare and orchestral pieces on alternating nights.  Since the Georgian Flu hit electricity, order and gasoline are non-existent.  Survival is foremost on everyone’s minds, but it is now a time when surviving may not be enough.  Or as the lead caravan of the Symphony reads: Survival is insufficient.  (And yes, that was quoted from Star Trek, a member of the Symphony was a huge fan.)

Probably not the most comforting read with Ebola and enterovirus being so prominent in the news these days, but at least these diseases don’t have the over 99% causality rate of the Georgian Flu in Station Eleven.  This is a story telling of the moments before and the years after everything changed.  How life is becoming the new normal and how it’s not all bad.  And there is one heck of a glimmer of light at the end to leave you with some hope, unlike many “the world has ended” books.

This is also an amazingly well crafted book to be slowly savored.  Characters reoccur and their storylines tie in together in ways you can’t predict and don’t see coming.  What is Station Eleven?  Well, it has nothing and yet EVERYTHING to do with the story.  You’ll just have to read it to find out.

Small Blessings by Martha Woodroof

Small Blessings by Martha Woodroof

English profession Thomas Putnam is resigned to his life.  He loves his work and devotes a great deal of energy to making each class fresh and exciting.  He lives with his wife and mother-in-law; his mother-in-law is the bright spot in his family arrangement.  His wife is extremely delicate, suffering from crippling mental illness.  But Tom has comes to terms with his existence, even though he knows he could be out enjoying his life, and his mother-in-law wouldn’t blame him one bit, he stays put.  Then tragedy strikes.  His wife Marjory dies suddenly.  Thomas must deal with her death, his new life, and a myriad of other things: like the son he never knew he had who arrives on a train the night before the funeral, the book store employee he may have a crush on, and friends and colleagues having breakdowns and epiphanies.

This book really does make Thomas and the people in his life take pause and reflect on all that is wonderful in their lives: blessings both large and small.  While there are some pretty intense issues like alcoholism, suicide and infidelity, the book is humorous and light and just feels like a hug.  These people are so darn nice you want to go work at this small college down south as well.

For fans of Maeve Binchy, for the quirky characters and the goodness in people, and books like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which has odd turns of events happening to regular people.