Last Known Victim

Lasy Known Victim by Erica Spindler
Mystery

Captain Patti O'Shay had lived through Hurricane Katrina. Her husband was killed probably because he witnessed a crime. There was a grizzly discovery of hands in a refrigerator slated for demolition. Patti has been on the case for 2 years now but the evidence is hard to come by.

Patti is unnerved when another body is found with her husband's police badge underneath. The case is re-opened. Who is the victim?

This book has lots of twists and turns and was a pleasure to read. I also liked that some of the personal relationships of the people involved were examined and there was a touch of romance.

First Line: "The gods were watching over New Orleans"

Rating:

(4.0/5)

If You Could See Me Now

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
Romance

Elizabeth is a fastidious, extremely well organized, interior decorator. Elizabeth has always been the responsible one in her family. She helped raise her sister when her mother left. She now is raising Luke, her sister's son. Elizabeth has a ton of responsibilities. Her father is constantly looking for his wife to return and her sister is an alcoholic. But Elizabeth is not fun and has no idea of how to play with her nephew and as for an imagination, she doesn't have one.

When Ivan from 'Ekam Eveileb' comes to visit Luke, Elizabeth doesn't at first see him. Ivan considers Elizabeth 'gnirob'. Elizabeth needs Ivan and his perspective on life. Life is fun!! Ivan teaches Elizabeth to let go of her disappointments and start living. What Elizabeth does not know is that no one else can see Ivan.

Ivan falls in love with Elizabeth but it is an impossible love. The job of imaginary friend is fraught with problems. I loved the concept of this job and the inner workings of being an imaginary friend. This is a cute romance story.

First Line: "Elizabeth's heart hammered loudly against her chest"

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
Genre of book

Greg Mortenson was a mountaineer and set out to climb K2, the world's second highest peak. He didn't quite reach the top before he had to turn around due to bad weather and trek back down the mountain. At some point, he was separated from his team and his guide and wandered aimlessly through Pakistan, trying to find a village or someone that could help him. When Mortenson finally does come across a village, he learns a bit about their culture and sees that the children of the village have to learn outside, and only when it's not winter because it would be too cold. Mortenson vows to return to the village and build a school for them.

Once home, Mortenson writes hundreds of letters to try and get the money to make good on his word. He eventually flies back to Pakistan with just enough money to build a school. The rest of the book shows his trials and tribulations with funding, building, culture, connections, ignorance, and terrorism.

Mortenson's story is amazing. Talk about a mission in life! Mortenson gives a strong message of promoting peace through education, particularly of females. As one of his friends from Pakistan says: "the enemy is ignorance". The argument is presented that if we were to educate rather than drop bombs, we'd likely be much more successful at preventing terrorism. Mortenson's wife should also be commended for putting up with his continuous absences so that he can help make the world a better place.

This is the best kind of advertisement that Mortenson could ever hope for his organization. Mortenson is an inspiration and it's great to know that people are out there doing things like this for the world.

First Line: "The little red light had been flashing for five minutes before Bhangoo paid it any attention."

Rating:

(5/5)

Bright Shiny Morning

Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey
Literature/Fiction

This work of fiction is about L.A. It is partly non-fiction. There are some very interesting tidbits; such as a male boss can not be alone in a room with a female sub-ordinate. There are a lot of vignettes about the people who reside in L.A.

A homeless man who is allowed to live in a washroom on Venice Beach tries to help a young female out with her problems. A male big box movie star is not all what he seems. He is a homosexual trying to appear as a loving family man. Frey shows how the rich and powerful can abuse the system and the people who work for them. A young woman of Mexican descent and huge thighs goes to work as a domestic. She is treated like a Mexican illegal but ends up thumbing her nose at her employer by falling in love with her son. A young couple run away from home to L.A. only to end up working for gang members. They seem never to catch a break.

I found the book very interesting and hard to put down.

First Line: "On September 4, 1781, a group of forty-four men, women and children who called themselves the Pobladores establish a settlement on land that is near the centre of contemporary Los Angeles."

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Kira is a disabled girl in a society that does not accept anyone that is not perfect. When her mother passes away, Kira's belongings are burned and an elder tries to take her land away from her. When the issue is taken to court, elder Jamison is appointed to represent Kira since she is too young to represent herself. Jamison takes on each claim that has been brought against her and disproves them. Kira is told she can not keep her land, but that she will not be banned from the society. Instead, she must take on the job of preparing a ceremonial robe that shows the history of the society.

Kira must learn how to dye threads before she can repair the stitches. She walks out to the forest of an old lady that lives alone to master the art. Meanwhile, she makes friends with a carver around her age that is also living in the main building. However, after hearing a child's crying during night and other odd things happening, Kira begins to wonder if there is more to what she is doing and how her society operates.

This is meant to be a compliment to The Giver by Lois Lowry, however I think The Giver is a better novel. This read easily, as it should for a teen novel. I enjoyed it until the ending, which is the only reason why I wouldn't recommend this book. If you don't mind a book just ending half-resolved, then you might like this book. If you like a solid resolution at the end of your book, don't pick this one up.

First Line: "Mother?"

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Mercy

Mercy by Jodi Picoult
Literature

Police chief and clan chieftain Cameron McDonald arrests his cousin Jamie when he confesses to killing his wife, Maggie. Maggie had asked Jamie to kill her after a prolonged and painful illness from cancer. Jamie is so in love with his wife that he does as she asks.

Cameron is married to Allie. Allie supports Jamie and helps him in his defense. This book questions the right to kill someone (euthanasia). Whatever side of the controversy it is an inflamatory subject.

Allie owns a local flower shop and employs a new person to the town, Mia. Cameron is instantly attracted to Mia. This supplies more discord to Allie and Cameron's marriage.

I did not enjoy this book as much as some of Picoult's other books but it was still a great read. Maggie was selfish not committing suicide instead of insisting on Jamie's involvement. Picoult did not explain this very well.

First Line: "When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place."

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenburg

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenburg
Memoir

Greenburg lives a somewhat normal life: a life with his wife Pat and daughter Sally, an ex-wife who lives in another state, a son who's off a school, an older brother he needs to carefully take care of, and a pretty large family. When he returns home one day and notices police cars outside of his home, he thinks they must be for some other family. He soon learns that his daughter was acting erratically which brought police attention. It goes downhill from there. His daughter literally cracks up, and Greenburg is required to take her to a mental institution and leave her there.

What results is Greenburg and his family's journey through Sally's illness. His relationship with his wife is tested and he questions whether his family history has affected Sally and brought this mental illness on her through no fault of her own. They go through different stages of acceptance and treatment in what is an interesting journey.

It's hard to imagine how someone can live with the uncertainty of how a loved one is going to act at any given time. He also had to live with not knowing whether this was it for his daughter - was she ever going to be "cured"? Would she ever lead a normal life again? Quite an interesting perspective on mental illness.

First Line: "On July 5, 1996, my daughter was struck mad."

Rating:

(3.5/5)

Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
Fiction/Literature

Cassie wakes up in a graveyard and she can't remember her name or anything about herself. A man named Will helps her out, telling her that he is about to start on the LAPD after having moved to California from an Indian reserve in South Dakota. He doesn't seem to quite fit in anywhere, being half Indian, half white, but he enjoys Cassie's company; until she finds out who she is.

Cassie is an anthropologist and wife of the most famous actor in Hollywood, Alex Rivers. Slowly she starts to piece together what life was like before she forgot everything, and it's not picture perfect. What results, is a story of domestic abuse and fitting in.

As always, Picoult writes these novels perfectly. The characters are so dynamic and raw. The storyline is dramatic. I kept waiting for the Picoult twist, trying to figure out all the ways that the book could end. Picoult doesn't disappoint, however this isn't her best book. I grew to dispise Alex and despite the explanations, I don't understand how anyone could stay with someone who physically abuses them. There was one loose end though, and that is how Cassie ended up in a graveyard with no memory. Did I miss this in the book? It seems too big of a loose end for Picoult to miss. Overall a great book!

First Line: "Long ago on the shores of the Atlantic there lived a great Indian warrior called Strong Wind."

Rating:

(4/5)

Ritual

Ritual by Mo Hayder
mystery

Phoebe (Flea) Marley, a police diver, finds a severed hand in the Bristol Harbour. She finds it strange that someone could see the hand through the murky water. Her persistence in finding out where the hand came from locates its mate, also severed under the door of a restaurant. Now what about the person those hands belong to.

DI Jack Caffery has moved from London and is put in charge of the case. Jack has moved to Bristol after the death of the man who had murdered his brother. His demons are dead but they refuse to leave him alone. He can not settle. He can not form relationships except with drifters and hookers.

Flea has her own demons. Her parents lost their lives in a diving accident in Africa. The case involves drug addiction, African and tribal muti, and ritual mutilation.

I found the characters very dislikeable. In the past I felt sorry for Caffery but this time felt he was just too weird. The same could be said about Flea, just very weird. This book was not up to the caliber of Hayder's other books but still a great read

First Line: "Just after lunch on a Tuesday in May and nine feet under water in Bristol's 'floating harbour', police diver Sergeant 'Flea' Marley closed her gloved fingers round a human hand."

Rating:

(4.0/5)

Cole Family Christmas

Cole Family Christmas by Jennifer Liu Bryan
Children

This is a beautiful book about a family living in Blenham, Kentucky in 1920. The father is a coal miner and has just been promoted to foreman. This means that each of the 9 children can pick one gift from the wish book for Christmas. The children realize that they are not wealthy and it is interesting how each picks their wish.

Coal mining is dangerous and at the Christmas Eve company party the children learn their father must work that evening to load one last train. There is also a blizzard. How will Santa find his way?

Christmas morning brings gifts from the heart and what is really important in life.

The illustrations are wonderful and full of life. I just wish there were a few more of them. The book brought back a lot of memories as as a child I too was allowed one wish from the wish book.

First Line: "The Cole house was strangely quiet"

Rating:

(4.0/5)