Update on THE BANKS OF CERTAIN RIVERS (2014)

 I originally reviewed The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison in May of 2013 when it was only available as an e-book. Since then it has been picked up and released in paperback format.

Paperback: 366 pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (September 23, 2014)
Genre: Fiction
ISBN-10: 1477825231

The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am leery about original E-books. I was encouraged to review this one  by a colleague, realized I could use my Prime membership at Amazon to 'borrow' it, and reluctantly started to read.

There is nothing more magical than discovering a new author with the gift of memorable storytelling.  The Banks of Certain Rivers, Jon Harrison's debut novel, is well-written, plotted, and edited! The characters that Harrison has carefully drawn for us are our friends, family and neighbors.

Read the introduction that sets up the story and you will be hooked. Immediately you become vested in this very special family.

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended

After his wife Wendy suffers a tragic accident and is institutionalized, Neil Kazenzakis is left alone to raise his son Christopher. Neil is a respected and well-loved high school teacher, but his world goes spiraling out of control when he is accused of attacking a student. Complicating matters is his secret relationship with girlfriend, Lauren, that he has hidden from Chris for two years.

With great humor and a sure hand, Jon Harrison attempts to answer these questions: What do you do when your beloved wife is in a nursing home and will never recover? How do you hold your life together when you are falsely accused? How do secrets impact relationships with those you love?

Written in the first person, we take the journey with Neil. The author uses an interesting technique to allow Neil to communicate with his wife.

Since I have been a Michigander over thirty years, the fact that this story is set here is an added bonus. The author describes recognizable places in the northern part of the mitten. He has a keen eye for the details that matter and sketches them with words in ways that make them come alive. Over and over again things in this story connected with my own life.

Some of the plot twists at the end of the book are a little over-the-top but by that point, it's irrelevant. This is a book you will want to recommend to your friends whether they have a connection to Michigan or not.

You can purchase the book from Amazon for $3.99 and it's worth that and much, much more. It was published March 19, 2013.

Biographical information on Jon Harrison is limited. "A native of the Midwest, JON HARRISON currently lives with his dog Jasper in the Northern Rockies. When not writing, he enjoys skiing, running, and climbing." from the book and from the website.

THE SECRET PLACE (2014)

The Secret Place by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been reading Tana French since receiving an ARC of In the Woods back in 2007. It went on to win the 2008 Edgar for best first novel by an American author among other awards. Since then I have highly anticipated each new entry in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

Unlike many series, you don't have to read these titles in order. Each one is unique but all are chain-linked by a lesser character from one book being elevated to center stage in another. Each one introduces a different way of life. In the Woods (2007) was haunting, The Likeness (2008) seductive, and the Faithful Place (2010) holds a mirror up to the past as does Broken Harbor (2012).

Available beginning September 2, 2014 French's most recent title is The Secret Place (2014) and once again she has taken us somewhere unexpected.

A master at mixing police procedural with psychological thriller, French sets this tale at an exclusive girls' boarding school in Dublin where a year earlier a young man from the neighboring boy's school has been violently murdered. This 'locked room' mystery focuses on eight young women who could be responsible. French carefully draws each suspect in ways that keep the reader guessing until the end. Her ear for how teens communicate seems very real.

The story takes place during one very long day for two newbie detectives trying to make the grade. Alternating chapters reveal significant events with reminders of how long Chris Harper has left to live making sure the reader is never lost.

With complex issues of friendship and loyalty, this literate mystery will keep you turning pages past your bedtime.

Bottom Line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Title: The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad Series)
Author: Tana French
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Viking Adult
No. of Pages: 464 pages
ISBN: 0670026328
Copyright: September 2, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon

"Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and has lived in Dublin since 1990. She trained as a professional actress at Trinity College, Dublin, and has worked in theatre, film and voiceover." (from the author's website)

My Current Net Galley Titles

Initially I found I got a little over eager when I first discovered the wealth of titles available through Net Galley. I requested books and then couldn't find the time to read them.

Recently I have been doing better but September had me stumbling a bit.

Right now I have the following four books on my 'shelf' all with publication dates in September:

1. The Secret Place by Tana French (9/2/14), which 'drops' tomorrow, and which I may actually finish today! FINISHED 9/1/14 10:30 pm
2. Audition Hell by Peter Skagen (9/15/14) promises insider rants and guidance about working as an actor in the film industry.
3. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (9/16/14), a gender-bending suspense set in Detroit.
4. The Sweetness by Sande Boritz Berger (9/23/14) is the intertwined story of cousins on different continents and how WWII changed the course of their lives.

NO SAFE HOUSE (2014)

No Safe House by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you read a book you like but aren't inclined to read others by the same author. It was the particular story or setting  or characters that attracted you.

Sometimes you read a book and can't wait to get your hands on the next story that the author writes.

That's how it is for me with Linwood Barclay. I've read or listened to a half dozen of his books and all of them have delivered the goods. His mind works in devious ways that are absolutely delightful in a thriller!

Since I couldn't track down a preview copy of No Safe House, I actually pre-ordered it for my Kindle so I could read it as soon as it was released. Even having read the prequel No Time for Goodbye a while ago, I needn't have worried that I might not be up to speed. Barclay is a master at making sure the reader knows exactly what she/he should be aware of and makes sure the reader doesn't know the rest until the appropriate time.

In No Time for Goodbye, 14 year-old Cynthia awakes to find her entire family gone.  Twenty-five years later, with her husband Terry and young daughter Grace, she agrees to a TV documentary that will reopen the case. The aftermath is terrifying.

It's seven years later in No Safe House and we find the family still coping with issues that are causing problems. Cynthia decides to live apart from Terry and Grace while she struggles with her demons. Grace is hanging out with a young man who convinces her to so something illegal and we are off and running.

Barclay tells his tale in alternating chapters using Terry's voice in the first person followed by third person narrative about what's going on elsewhere. Sometimes the timing overlaps, which is a neat trick to pull off so successfully.

Barclay has been referred to as the 'King of the Suburban' thriller. His characters' lives don't seem much different from ours before unexpected things start happening. The good guys sometimes make questionable decisions and the bad guys sometimes do the right things.

There is  a lot of suspense and threat in his stories but Barclay seems to have a great feel for just how much violent description the reader actually wants or needs.

Some reviewers have found fault with the story for being a stretch. I haven't read a thriller yet that wasn't. A little suspension of disbelief is what makes the story such a roller-coaster ride. It's just plain fun. Can I confess that I actually cried at one point?

Bottom Line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Title: No Safe House
Author: Linwood Barclay
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
No. of Pages: 464 pages
ISBN: 0451414209
Copyright: August 5, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon

Bestselling author Linwood Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada just before turning four years old when his father's job took the family across the border.

Linwood obtained an Honors B.A. in English at Trent University, in Peterborough, Ontario.
Initially he began working for a number of local newspapers, eventually landing a job at the Toronto Star in 1981. His break came with No Time for Goodbye in 2007. It became a runaway bestseller in the U.K. selling a million copies there and elsewhere.

SMALL BLESSINGS and Simple Gifts (2014)

Although I love thrillers and mysteries, I seem to be following a course set for me by my father, who in his later years preferred to re-read favorite authors and seek out gentler stories. He did not care for the highly descriptive sex and violence that was coming into vogue, instead preferring a good, well-written story, where much is left to the imagination of the reader and the good guys win in the end.

In her debut novel (August 12, 2014), Martha Woodroof has given readers many small blessings and I, for one, am thankful. Her writing is easy and graceful. Her characters are charming and quirky. Perhaps you've dreamed of living in the small town she describes? It even has an independent bookstore! And there's just enough mystery to make you wonder what is going to happen next.

The story is a simple gift. Tom is an aging, kind, and unexciting professor of Shakespeare at a small Virginia college where the faculty live in close proximity and think they know everything about one another.

Tom's burden is his wife Marjorie, who has suffered with mental illness for many years forcing Tom and his mother-in-law Agnes into roles as caregivers.

Small unexpected changes ripple through the community when the charming and mysterious Rose is hired at the local bookstore. (I have a suspicion that author Martha Woodroof is actually Rose.)

The book jacket reminds me of Shaker art and brings to mind the words of the song Simple Gifts. And so everyone “comes down where they ought to be.”

I hate to reveal more of the story. I hope you will be as delighted and surprised by this book as I was. It is so much more than it seems on first glance.

Every time the reader thinks the story is settling into a familiar track, it isn't. Not only does the story surprise, the “characters never stop surprising themselves, and each other.”

Small Blessings put me in mind of the world author JanKaron has created in her Mitford tales, although with an absurdist twist, where foibles and human failings are recognized and tolerated with love. I hope that Martha Woodroof's characters will appear again. I missed them as soon as I read the last page.

Bottom Line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Title: Small Blessings
Author: Martha Woodroof
Genre: Literature
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
No. of Pages: 320 pages
ISBN: 1250040523
Copyright: August 12, 2014
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Amazon

Disclaimer: A copy of Small Blessings was provided to me by St. Martin's Press/Netgalley for review purposes.

MARTHA WOODROOF was born in the South, went to boarding school and college in New England, ran away to Texas for a while, then fetched up in Virginia. She has written for NPR, npr.org, Marketplace and Weekend America, and for the Virginia Foundation for Humanities Radio Feature Bureau. Her print essays have appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times, The Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Small Blessings is her debut novel. She lives with her husband in the Shenandoah Valley. Their closest neighbors are cows. (Source: Amazon)

SILENT SISTER (2014)

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although she has written quite a few books, this is the first time I have read Diane Chamberlain. Scanning the descriptions of her stories, it seems to me that they all feature young women who have secrets complicating their lives.

More suspense than thriller, Chamberlain's work has been referred to as chic-lit. In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has come home to New Bern, North Carolina to handle her beloved father's affairs after his sudden and unexpected death. Although her troubled brother Danny lives off-the-grid in the community, he won't help. Having lost her mother years earlier and a sister who committed suicide in the past, Riley feels very much alone and overwhelmed.

As she goes about trying to make sense of all the bit and pieces of her father's life, she begins to discover facts that are at odds with the life and family she thought she knew.

The reader is drawn in and it's hard to put the book down until the truth is exposed. Suspension of disbelief is helpful in stories such as this and not every question is answered at the end, but Diane Chamberlain writes a darn good story. I can't wait to read another!

Bottom Line: The book caught and captured my interest immediately and I finished it in just a couple of days. It's definitely a worthy beach read (for next year since it doesn't come out until October 4, 2014) or perfect for a cold winter night in front of the fire.

Title: Silent Sister
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Genre: Suspense, Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250010713
No. of Pages: 352 pages
Copyright: October 7, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

DIANE CHAMBERLAIN is the international bestselling author of twenty-two novels. She lives in North Carolina with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her shelties, Keeper and Cole. (Source: Amazon)

PHANTOM LIMB (2014)

Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery by Dennis Palumbo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dennis Palumbo now has four thrillers (as of September 1, 2014) in the Daniel Rinaldi mysteries set in Pittsburgh, where he grew up. That is one of the features that drew me to the series since I lived there happily for a number of years. It isn't necessary to be familiar with Pittsburgh; but if you are, it's fun to recognize the locations the author describes.

Daniel Rinaldi is a psychologist who reluctantly gets called in by the police from time to time, to help with difficult cases needing his skills. His specialty is traumatized victims of crime including sexual assault. But never fear. Since author Dennis Palumbo is also a psychologist in real life, he never goes too far with the violence or the sex. The focus is on one heck of a good story.

In Phantom Limb, things start off with a bang. Set in Pittsburgh, this roller coaster ride of a thriller is a worthy fourth entry into the series. Hollywood Starlet Lisa Harland now married to a very wealthy older man is kidnapped as she leaves her session with Rinaldi, who of course gets knocked out. Why does the kidnapper insist on Dr. Rinaldi being the one to make the ransom drop?

I tend not to tell too much of the story since part of the fun of thrillers is the surprise and unexpected plot twists. And Palumbo precisely lays out the various story lines, carefully pulling them together at the end. Except, of course, those things that MIGHT be part of the next book.

If you start with the first book in the series, you will feel like the reoccurring secondary characters are old friends. Palumbo has filled his stories with people that are memorable, quirky, cranky, and fun.

I read lots of thrillers and have to say that Dennis Palumbo is one of the best writers in the genre and he gets better with every new entry in this series.

Bottom Line: If you read and enjoy thrillers, add Dennis Palumbo to your list of authors to follow. You won't be disappointed! It's not necessary, but I would still suggest reading the other three books first. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Disclaimer: A copy of Phantom Limb was provided to me by Poisoned Pen Press/Netgalley for review purposes. Dennis and I were in a community theater production together in Pittsburgh many years ago.

Title: Phantom Limb: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery #4

Author: Dennis Palumbo

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

No. of Pages: 250 pages

Copyright: September 1, 2014

ISBN: 1464202540

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Dennis Palumbo is a writer and licensed psychotherapist. His first Daniel Rinaldi mystery, Mirror Image was published in 2010, followed by Fever Dream in 2011, and Night Terrors in 2013. He was formerly a Hollywood screenwriter and his credits include the feature film My Favorite Year. He also wrote for Welcome Back, Kotter.

Too Many Choices?

When I was a young mother, I remember being given the following advice. If you ask your child what they want, it can be overwhelming. You can simplify their decisions by making a selection of several things (of which you approve) and saying do you want this one or that one?

In today's world of the 'long tail', we are offered an ocean full of choices for pretty much everything.

It seems to me that this is both good and bad. Right now I am leaning towards thinking it's bad. Maybe that's because the older I get, the more I shut down when overwhelmed by choices. Emily Dickinson composed this poem in 1862.

The Soul selects her own Society -
Then - shuts the Door -
To her diving Majority -
Present no more -
Unmoved - she notes the Chariots - pausing -
At her low Gate -
Unmoved - an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat -

I've known her from an ample nation -
Choose One -
Then - close the Valves of her attention -
Like Stone -

Now my interpretation may not be what she intended, but I feel myself closing off to much of what is new and touted as wonderful. The joy of my childhood and earlier years continues to occupy much of my attention.

Instead I am inspired by the Introduction to Lillian Hellman's Pentimento.

"Old paint on a canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman's dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the painter "repented," changed his mind. Perhaps it would be as well to say that the old conception, replaced by a later choice, is a way of seeing and then seeing again. That is all I mean about the people in this book. The paint has aged and I wanted to see what was there for me once, what is there for me now."

And so I plan to limit my reading to those books languishing on my shelves. I am going to enjoy the music and theater I already love. Of course, that's not to say that there will be nothing new allowed into my life. I'm just shortening the 'long tail' so I can focus more on "what was there for me once, what is there for me now."

BUZZ BOOKS 2014 FALL/WINTER

Buzz Books 2014: Fall/Winter by Publishers Lunch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First introduced for the 2012 Book Expo America, the FREE digital Publishers Lunch Buzz Books has become the place for both industry professionals and book lovers in general to discover and read about the books expected to spark high demand BEFORE they are published!

There are 32 fall and winter books for adults in the fifth edition of Buzz Books. A second volume handling the burgeoning young adult titles is available with 20 excerpts.

The Introduction gives a nice overview of the upcoming publishing season broken down by literary fiction, debut fiction, commercial fiction, and followed by non-fiction conversation starters, memoir & biography.

What's really great is that after many selections, you have the option to follow a link and request the complete galley copy from Net Galley if you qualify as a 'professional' reader.

The fiction titles that caught my eye included Stewart O'Nan's West of Sunset (Viking, January), Louise Penny's The Long Way Home (Minotaur, August), Tana French's The Secret Place, and Becky Masterman's Fear of Darkness (Minotaur, February). These are all authors I have read and loved in the past.

In non-fiction, I'll be adding Marilyn Johnson's Lives in Ruins (Harper, November) to my list and I'm curious about Letty Cottin Pogrebin's How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick (Public Affairs, September). For memoirs, the following sound like they could be great fun: John Cleese's So Anyway (Crown, November); Neil Patrick Harris's (is there anything he can't do?) Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography (Crown Archetype, October);  and Anjelica Huston's A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in London, Ireland and New York (Scribner, October).

Only two of these books were included in the selections: Tara French's  latest mystery and the Neil Patrick Harris autobiography.

Check out Buzz Books on Amazon. Did I mention it's FREE!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR AVID BOOK READERS EVERYWHERE!

World Book Night U.S. Project Ends

Cover from World Book Night Facebook page

I first heard of World Book Night after the first event had ended. Thinking it was a brilliant idea, I pledged to be one of the 'givers' for the next year; but then I got busy and didn't get involved. Now it's too late.

Recently, after the third seemingly successful year, the announcement came out that the project had ended. You can read about it in the Los Angeles Times article date July 2, 2014.

TERMINAL CITY (2014)

Terminal City by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's been a year since I read Linda Fairstein's Dark Angel and my reaction is the same. The best part of her books is New York City and the historical details she works into the story. In Terminal City, Fairstein continues her winning formula in this 16th entry in the Alexandra Cooper series.

The plot is interesting and the procedural information is fascinating. What I don't like is the way Alexandra Cooper, an assistant district attorney specializing in crimes against women and children, is treated like a child. Perhaps the portrayal is an accurate picture of how women are viewed in her field, but I find it discomfiting to see her demeaned even by those that supposedly care for her.

Bottom Line: If you love mysteries and are curious about NYC's Grand Central Terminal, by all means consider reading this book.

Title: Terminal City
Author: Linda Fairstein
Genre: Police Procedural/Thriller
Publisher: Dutton Adult
ISBN: 0525953884
No. of Pages: 384 pages
Copyright: June 17, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

Linda Fairstein is an American author and former prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. Wikipedia

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Keeping Up with John Green

Although I came to John Green's writing too late and too old to be a 'nerdfighter', I fell in love with The Fault in Our Stars (and John Green) like any of his young army of fans. In fact, so did our entire book group to varying degrees. (You can read my brief review HERE.)

There is an extensive and wonderful article about him in The New Yorker called The Teen Whisperer that you really should read even if you haven't read any of his books at all. If it doesn't entice you to see what all the fuss is about, I'll be surprised.

ONE OF US (2014)

One of Us by Tawni O'Dell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who the heck is Tawni O'Dell and why haven't I heard of her before? Maybe I should pay more attention to Oprah? Apparently a couple of years back one of her selections was the author's Back Roads.

I've read a couple of other Oprah choices and enjoyed them, so I looked a little more closely when I was offered the chance to read One of Us, which won't be available until late this summer.

What initially attracted me to One of Us was that it was a thriller with settings in Pennsylvania, places where I lived or visited growing up. I probably saw the allusions to a similarity with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl too.

Sheridan Doyle, Danny to his friends, has overcome a difficult childhood and reinvented himself as a highly successful and recognizeable forensic psychologist in Philadelphia; but the minute he returns to his small Pennsylvania coal town to see after his aging grandfather, the past and his insecurities come rushing back.

Although set in the present, it is the connections, lies, and secrets from the past that intrude and drive the story. Lost Creek was the site of the hanging of a group of rebellious miners a century earlier. When a body is found on that site, things become complicated.

Told by two different narrators, we're well into Danny's account when Scarlet's version begins. Their connections run deep into the past. Danny's background is blue-collar while Scarlet's wealthy family has owned the mine for generations. The reader can't help but enjoy the descriptions of the things that these two share in common. Are they really that different?

With a dark, Gothic feel, this psychological thriller is an entertaining page-turner.

Bottom Line: Highly recommended for thriller readers. Crisp writing and some real surprises are served up.

Title: One of Us
Author: Tawni O'Dell
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 1476755876
No. of Pages: 304 pages
Copyright: August 19, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

Tawni O'Dell is a bestselling author of four novels including Back Roads, which was an Oprah’s Book Club pick and a Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection. Back Roads is currently in development to be made into a film. Her works have been published in over 40 countries.

Tawni was born and raised in the coal-mining region of western Pennsylvania, the territory she writes about with such striking authenticity. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and spent many years living in the Chicago area before moving back to Pennsylvania with her two children.

(Source: Official website)

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THEN AND ALWAYS: A NOVEL (2014)

Then and Always: A Novel by Dani Atkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can I just say that I loved this book? At first Kate Atkinson's "Life After Life" popped into my head followed by several others that have dealt with similar material, but Dani Atkins debut, "Then and Always: A Novel", is unique in its own way. Initially the fact that this book was recommended to people who loved "One Day" and the movie "Sliding Doors" was what attracted me.

After a devastating accident at the age of eighteen, Rachel Wiltshire's life alters forever or so she thinks. Five years later Rachel is apprehensively returning to her home town for the wedding of her good friend Sara and suddenly finds herself living a very different life surrounded by people, some of whom she had thought gone forever.

One might assume that because the story is about a very young woman, its appeal might be limited. Absolutely not. 'Literate chic lit' that tells a good story with implied life lessons should attract many readers.

The book will be available after May 20, 2014. Get a copy and take it to the beach with you this summer!

Bottom Line: A story that grabs you from the beginning and delivers the only ending that makes sense.

Title: Then and Always: A Novel
Author: Dani Atkins
Genre: Romance, fiction
Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition edition
ISBN: 0804178526
No. of Pages: 320 pages
Copyright: May 20, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

Dani Atkins lives in rural Hertfordshire, England, with her husband and two children. This is her first novel. (Source: Amazon)


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Emma Straub's New Book Out May 29, 2014

Emma Straub made her debut with Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures in 2012. Apparently I liked the book but not too much since I only gave it 2/5 stars. That doesn't sound right to me now.

On May 29th her new novel The Vacationers is available and I'm adding it to my list of summer reads especially since the following sites have mentioned it on their lists of May Reads:

Harpers Bazaar Hot List

FlavorWire

PopSugar

Bustle

Bookish

Book Riot

Like My Mother Always Said (2014)

My daughter and I were both honored to have quotes selected by author Erin McHugh for this charming collection of momisms out in time to make a perfect gift for Mothers' Day.

It's been getting a lot of press including the May issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Quotes are from all kinds of folks - some famous, most not. Quotes are of all types - some helpful and some just plain funny. ("You like what you're wearing?")

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Greg Iles at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor

Monday, May 19th at 7:00 pm Meet New York Times Bestselling Author Greg Iles for a Discussion and Signing of His New Novel, Natchez Burning 

NYT bestselling author, Greg Iles will be at Nicola's Books for a signing and discussion of his novel, "Natchez Burning", the first installment in an epic trilogy that weaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present into a mesmerizing thriller featuring southern mayor and former prosecutor Penn Cage.  Greg Iles was born in Germany in 1960, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War.  Iles spent his youth in Natchez.  While attending Ole Miss, Greg lived in the cabin where William Faulkner and his brothers listened to countless stories told by "Mammy Callie," their beloved nanny, who had been born a slave. Iles wrote his first novel in 1993, a thriller about Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, which became the first of twelve New York Times bestsellers.  More information

                       

THE WORD EXCHANGE (2014)

The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't read too many science fiction books, but the premise of The Word Exchange was too tempting to pass up. While I was reading, news articles and stories constantly popped up in the media that reinforced the possibility of Alena Graedon's imagined future being much, much closer than one would like to admit. And although you can read a hardback, I was given an electronic copy, which made the experience rather eerie.

Called “a dystopian novel for the digital age”, the story takes place in the not too distant future when print in all its forms has pretty much disappeared. People rely on an advanced type of cell phone called a Meme for all types of communication, but these devices are so closely attuned to their owners that they can sense needs and can provide an answer, a word, hail a cab, or order take-out before being instructed to do so.

Anana Johnson's father has disappeared leaving her one clue: ALICE. Doug Johnson has been close to publishing the very last print edition of the North American Dictionary of the English Language (NADEL). The search for her father intensifies as a pandemic called “word flu” takes over the city and people lose not only words but ultimately the ability to speak.

The book is divided into 26 dictionary entries and the tale is told by two characters as journal entries. In fact, everything about The Word Exchange is clever and inventive. Unfortunately I didn't feel any real connection to the characters nor was there any real sense of dread communicated even when situations might have demanded it. The work seems more of an intellectual puzzle.

Although I finished the book, it took me much longer than it should have. It just seemed to drag on. I found it tedious to check foot notes on my Kindle.

Title: The Word Exchange
Author: Alena Graedon
Genre: Speculative, Dystopian Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 0385537654
No. of Pages: 384 pages
Copyright: April 8, 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

BOTTOM LINE: I am sure there is an audience for this book, but it's not me.

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

Alena Graedon was born in Durham, NC, and is a graduate of Carolina Friends School, Brown University, and Columbia University’s MFA program. She was Manager of Membership and Literary Awards at the PEN American Center before leaving to finish The Word Exchange, her first novel, with the help of fellowships at several artist colonies. Her writing has been translated into nine languages. She lives in Brooklyn. (Source: Random House)

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Donna Tartt's THE GOLDFINCH Wins THE PULITZER!

Read more details at the LA Times website and then read my review on this site.

America's Public Libraries

National Public Radio interviewed Robert Dawson about his new book The Public Library: A Photographic Essay, the result of almost twenty years of capturing the variety of buildings that allowed access to a wider world of books and our relationships with them.

Here's a quote:

"Oftentimes libraries reflect what it is about the community that's unique, that's local, that is a place to maybe house civic memory. . ."

You can listen to the interview and find more information at the National Public Radio site.