Lost Light by Michael Connelly

Lost Light by Michael Connelly
Mystery

Former Detective Harry Bosch has finally retired but can't let one case go. The case was from four years prior and involved a murdered actress and a $2 million heist, taken place within a week. Bosch is forced to hand the investigation over to another team and within a year of the case, the two lead investigators are caught in a shoot-out. One dies and the other becomes paralyzed.

Bosch visits the paralyzed cop to try and get more details about the case and then is warned off by his old partner because there are bigger forces at work. The FBI soon warns Bosch off and he is taken and held in a cell for half a day as a "warning". That doesn't convince Bosch to give up because he can't let this case go.

This wasn't my favourite book in the Bosch series but it was still good. I found the FBI part of the case a bit over the top and got tired of everyone tailing Bosch around. When it was finally revealed who the culprit was, I didn't find it too satisfying because Bosch had spent so long chasing other leads that felt pretty unrelated.

First Line: "The last thing I expected was for Alexander Taylor to answer his own door."

Rating:
(3.5/5)

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
Fiction/Literature

The O'Keefe's try to be a normal family with their children Amelia and Willow. Amelia is the older of the children and when her mom Charolette met her step-dad Sean, the two got married and eventually had Willow. Willow is an incredibly smart and whity five year old who has OI, a disease that causes her bones to break with as little as a sneeze. Everyone has to be very careful around her to make sure that she doesn't break another bone.

The family decides to take a carefully-planned trip to Disneyworld since they don't manage to go on vacation much. Willow ends up in the hospital with a break, Amelia in a foster home because they suspect abuse, and the O'Keefe adults in jail. When everything is finally sorted out, Sean wants to sue everyone possible for the embarrassment and inconvenience. His lawyer doesn't think much will come of that, but when he learns that Willow wasn't diagnosed in womb until past the 18th week, he thinks there might be a case there. Unfortunately this means that they will be suing Charlotte's best friend, who was also her ob-gyn.

The family is put under a lot of strain during the lawsuit. Sean doesn't know if he agrees with the lawsuit, Amelia feels invisible, and Willow thinks that her parents wished she wasn't born.

The similarities between this book and My Sister's Keeper are striking. A family with 2 children, one very sick. A lawsuit is involved and there's a similar twist at the end. Despite the fact that I felt like I had read this book before, I still couldn't put it down. If you were not a big fan of My Sister's Keeper, you probably won't enjoy this one either.

First Line: "Things break all the time."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Historical Fiction

This is a beautiful story about an elderly woman, Marina who is losing touch with the present due to Alzheimer's and re-living her past.

Marina was a docent in the Hermitage at the time of the Nazis' siege on Leningrad. The staff removed the paintings from the frames for safekeeping. Marina was able to remember every single brushstroke and re-create each painting in her memory. Dean is able to describe these paintings with breath-taking detail. Amid the starvation while the city is under siege and the horror of the constant attacks, amid the close calls with death and the grotesque deaths of close friends and relatives the paintings are a way to keep her sanity.

This book shifts between present day and the past just like an Alzheimer's patient does. Marina is taken by her daughter to a grandchild's wedding where she is slipping away from reality. Dean captures the horror of this disease extremely well.

Where I thought the book could have been improved is in the development of the characters in the present and what occurred after the war was over. A little too much was skimmed over.

Overall, a wonderful story and well worth reading.

First Line: "This way, please."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

What Do You Say to a Naked Elf?

What Do You Say to a Naked Elf? by Cheryl Sterling
Romance

Jane Drysdale accidentally runs over a rabbit, which in actuality is a shift changing elf. A band of elves kidnap her and take her to their land of Sylthia for the crime of running over the little bunny. Charlie is the lawyer in charge of helping Jane out. Boy meets girl or rather elf meets girl. Troubles and then love. Typical romance with a little twist.

Jane is a most annoying character who sells sex toys in real life and speaks her mind without thinking. I think it was supposed to be funny but I found Jane more stupid than funny. The plot is thin but romances are not known for their great plotlines.

First Line: "Kabloom!"

Rating:
(3.0/5)

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
Historical Fiction

The year is 1691 and Susanna is an outcast because her family is richer than most of the rest of Salem, MA. She wants to join a group of girls that meet at the Reverand's house but knows that they won't accept her. A neighbour tells her that there is suspicious activity going on in the house, including the slave reading palms to tell the future. Since Susanna's brother is lost at sea, she asks the slave Tituba to read her palm and finds out that she will see her brother again.

Shortly after this, the group of girls start acting afflicted by convulsing and wrestling with invisible people. They claim that witches have put curses on them and start naming names. So starts the Salem Witch Trials. Susanna knows that these girls are just acting to get attention but she was they threatened to name her family if she told anyone. In the end, as we know from history, nineteen people died before the witch hunt came to an end.

This isn't the best written book, and the story isn't the most captivating, but it really gives you an idea of how quickly things can spiral out of control. This book is meant for a younger audience but I'm sure there's better literature out there for young teens to read.

First Line: "I have come early this afternoon to sit, before anyone else arrives, in the quiet of the Salem Meetinghouse."

Rating:
(3/5)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Mystery/Thriller

Dan Brown is back for a third installment of the Robert Langdon series. This time Robert stays in the USA and is called by long time friend and Mason Peter Solomon to give a speech in Washington, DC. When Landon walks in to the area where he was supposed to give his speech to find his friend's severed hand, so starts his race to save Solomon's life. Langdon is told he must help uncover one of the Mason's oldest secrets and it starts with deciphering symbols found on Soloman's hand.

Langdon quickly becomes involved in the mysteries of the ancient brotherhood of Masons. This includes learning more about the architecture and history of the Washington, DC area. Langdon and Solomon's sister Katherine run from the CIA as they attempt to uncover the mystery.

Dan Brown sticks to the same formula that made The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons such a success. It doesn't get old in this book and makes for yet another page turning read. I didn't find the ending of this book as satisfying as the other two, as I was expecting for a more concrete resolution. Instead things got a but philosophical which I wasn't overly happy with. I also found there were a couple of instances where Brown dragged on explaining history or science for much longer than I cared to read. The negatives aside, this book was still a thrilling read!

First Line: "The secret is how to die."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Christmas Journey

The Christmas Journey by Donna VanLiere
Religious

This is a re-telling and elaboration of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. This age-old story is given a more personal outlook by describing the era and the thoughts of Joseph and Mary. Joseph's fears about the immaculate conception and his fears about how to raise the Son of God. Mary is very serene even while she is in a lot of pain from the labor. People have not changed throughout the ages thinking the worse of Mary and her pregnancy before wedlock.

The illustrations by Michael Storrings are wonderful. Although this book is quite short and might be considered a children's story, younger children may not understand or empathize with the personal thoughts of Mary and Joseph. However, it is still a story to be enjoyed by all ages.

I usually pass books on to be read by others. However this book will not be passed on as I would like to read this every Christmas Eve to my children and grandchildren. A book to be kept and treasured.

First Line: "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world."
Buy this Book

Rating:
(4.5/5)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Fantasy

Richard Mayhew lives a normal, boring life in London. He's got a good job and is engaged. When walking to a dinner with his fiancee, he finds a woman laying on the sidewalk covered in blood. Richard takes this woman back to his apartment because she refuses treatment. Suddenly, Richard's world starts to change. A rat delivers a message to this woman, who is named Door, in his apartment and when she finally leaves, Richard becomes essentially invisible. He can't hail a taxi, the subway won't take his change, and his office is empty at his job.

Richard goes on a hunt to find Door and figure out what has happened to him, which leads him into the world of London Below. All the people that live in London Below are people that have fallen through the cracks. Richard finds Door but she's on the run from two contract killers trying to finish her off, after her family was murdered. Richard wants to determine how to get back to his regular life and Door wants to avenge her family's death.

This novel was very creative. There were small fantasy elements but for the most part it was just like reading about another world that could be. I was a bit confused when I first started reading it but I quickly got in to it and really enjoyed the book.

First Line: "The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself."

Rating:
(4/5)

The Night Shift

The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman
Non-Fiction

Dr. Brian Goldman is an emergency room doctor at Mount Sinai in downtown Toronto. He is also a Radio medical journalist having his own show on CBC. In this book he goes through one of his night shifts highlighting the various cases.

One case is about a woman who is giving birth having never realized she was pregnant. Also highlighted are the people who come in in search of a 'fix' and the creative ways they attempt to get their drugs. Although Mount Sinai does not get the gun shot and knife trauma there is more than enough interesting cases.

I found some of the way our health care system works to be very troubling. For instance, older people have more difficulty finding a GP because GPs do not want to deal with the increased health demands of an older person. It is much faster and more economical to treat a younger person with one problem than an older person with a host of problems.

Dr. Goldman seems to be a doctor who really cares about his patients and our health care system. He is basically working on two careers and how he finds the time to do both and write a book is phenomenal.

First Line: "Some people choose to work nights."

Rating:
(4.0/5)

A Break with Charity

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
Historical Fiction

Susanna English sees a group of girls meeting at the pastor's house and desperately wishes she were included. The year is 1706 and the place is Salem. Mass. Susanna lives in the Puritan colony where there is little fun and life is arduous, tedious and boring. The group of girls continues to grow but Susanna is still not included.

The pastor's slave is from the Caribbean and the girls have been listening to her stories when their parents are not around. The girls start to have 'fits' and carry on and tell the village folk it is the fault of witches. Therein starts The Salem Witch Trials.

Susanna figures out that this is all a hoax and her family is threatened if she breaks charity (tells) with the girls. Of course, anyone who has done harm to these girls or their families or is different is named as a witch. Eventually Susanna's own family is named.

I found this story to be truly interesting, especially how an action can get so out of control. I did not know about the Witch Trials and truly wonder how so many people could have been taken in. Susanna is not a particularly likable character as she is such a wimp even to the extent of causing her own family grief.

First Line: "I have come early this afternoon to sit, before anyone else arrives, in the quiet of the Salem Meetinghouse."

Rating:
(3.5/5)