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Friday Book Whimsy: The Girl in the Spider’s Web

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searchThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, and the two subsequent novels that made up the Lisbeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist trilogy, were a thing a few years ago. It was hard to find anyone who reads mysteries who didn’t tackle at least the first of this trilogy. Movies were made, both in Sweden and the United States. I read all three novels, and enjoyed them. Lisbeth Salander is a character the reader is unlikely to forget, whether you like her or dislike her.

So, I was excited but surprised when I came across The Girl in the Spider’s Web a few months ago. The title had a familiar ring to it (the other two books in the trilogy were The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest), but I was certain it couldn’t be a new novel by Stieg Larsson because, well, the author had died.

These days, however, that doesn’t stop sequels from being written. Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels have been continued by a new writer despite the fact that Parker had died. The same holds true for Vince Flynn’s iconic Mitch Rapp series. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Lisbeth Salander has reappeared, penned by a new author, David Lagercrantz.

In this latest installment, a genius named Frans Balder has been developing artificial intelligence that could turn the world upside down. Surprisingly, he drops it all to take care of his 8-year-old son who is autistic. He contacts investigative reporter extraordinaire Mikael Blomkvist and requests a meeting to tell him about his work and to express his concern that he is being followed by bad people trying to steal what he knows. Unfortunately, he is killed before the meeting can take place.

Blomkvist of course is intrigued and seeks out his friend, Lisbeth Salander, herself a computer genius and all-around tough guy, only to find she is already deeply involved, but for her own reasons. What follows is an intricately crafted story of murder and mayhem.

There are very mixed opinions on how good a job Lagercrantz did in continuing the series. As far as I am concerned, he did an excellent job. The novels have always had an odd tone to them, largely perhaps because they are a translation from Swedish. Still, the novels have always had an unusual way that they present the characters, and I would not have been able to tell the difference if I didn’t know it was a new author. I think perhaps Lagercrantz’s stories were less sexually explicit. I thought he did a good job of capturing Salander’s complex nature.

I wouldn’t recommend that a person pick up this book if they haven’t already read the others. While I applaud Lagercrantz’s writing, I believe it is necessary to read Larsson’s depictions of Salander to truly get a picture of her character.

The Girl in the Spider’s Nest entails a lot of detail about computers and complex math concepts that I found a bit tiring. But I also found it interesting and somewhat frightening.

If you are a fan of the original series, this is a must-read. If you haven’t read Larssen’s trilogy, start with those.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: The Persian Pickle Club

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searchI recently reviewed A Quilt for Christmas by Sandra Dallas who is one of my favorite authors. The reason I mention that book in this review is that though A Quilt for Christmas was written later than The Persian Pickle Club, the characters are connected. Specifically, the members of the Persian Pickle Club that is the foundation of the book by the same name are the granddaughters of the characters in A Quilt for Christmas. Because I liked that book so much, I chose to reread The Persian Pickle Club since it had been years since I originally read it.

I am surely glad I did. I needed a pick-me-up, and The Persian Pickle Club was the answer.

Harveyville, Kansas, is facing the same hard times as the rest of the country during the Depression of the 1930s. Crops are drying up, people are losing their jobs, and money is short. But a group of women meets every week to work on a quilt and share stories. Queenie Bean is a lifelong resident of Harveyville, and she looks forward to this weekly gathering just as much as the rest of the women.

The addition of a new member stirs things up, and a series of events lead to the revelation of a secret that has been held in sacred trust for many years.

The characters are lovely and the story is unforgettable. Though times are tough, these Midwest farming women are tough too.  But underneath the thick skins they must have to survive is a gentle nature and kind and loving ways. Queenie Bean, who narrates the book, has a sweet nature and a funny sense of humor, keeping the reader engaged.

I dare you to read this book and not be smiling at the end. And I mean down to the very last sentence.

It’s a wonderful book, as I think all of Sandra Dallas’ books are.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: The Lake House

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51irgNzUDAL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_I love Kate Morton and have awaited eagerly the publication of her newest book, The Lake House. I had the publication date penciled onto my calendar so that I could access the book as soon as possible. Sometimes when you are so excited about a particular book, your heart can break because it’s not nearly as good as you’d hoped.

I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case with The Lake House. It was everything I’d hoped for, a wonderful book.

Morton’s books are as delicious as eating cold, sweet watermelon on a hot summer day. They are always intricately told stories that take the reader to places they’d like to visit with people with whom they would like to spend time.

The Lake House actually tells several stories in one book. In fact, it’s hard to give the plot because the story comes from many directions. But I’ll try.

Alice Edevane is a 16-year-old girl, part of a loving family living in Cornwall, England. She intends to be a writer, and in fact keeps a book of her writings. She is smart and romantic and full of life. The story begins on the day that her family is giving a big summer party. Afterwards, it is discovered that her brother, a precocious 11-month-old toddler, is missing, and it appears it can only have been by someone in the family.

Decades later, Sadie Sparrow, a detective in the London police force, is forced to take a leave of absence following her apparent mishandling of a case on which she was working. She decides to visit her grandfather in Cornwall. She learns about this decades-old unsolved missing child case. In an effort to prevent boredom, she begins looking into things.

What follows is an interesting and compelling story involving a myriad of family and friends. Sadie eventually meets Alice Edevane who is now a successful septuagenarian writer living in London, and together, they begin to get answers to questions that have been left unanswered for many years.

I loved the characters in this book, and found the story to be interesting. As an avid mystery reader, I am rarely surprised by endings. I admit this one kept me wondering. The author dropped hints throughout, but the hints led the reader nowhere.

The Lake House is a satisfying read that I highly recommend. I hope Morton doesn’t keep me waiting as long for her next book!

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: Career of Evil

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searchI wonder why authors choose to write under pseudonyms. Perhaps it’s to avoid having the reader approach a novel with preexisting expectations. I don’t know. J. K. Rowling – the author of the Harry Potter series – didn’t call me and ask me what I thought before she began writing a new series under the name Robert Galbraith. The result is that every time I talk about one of the books in the Cormoran Strike series, I feel compelled to remind you of the real name of the author. So consider yourself reminded.

And I hope I have to do it 10 or 11 more times, because the Cormoran Strike series is so well worth reading. Galbraith (wink, wink) is an amazing writer, it’s true. But I mostly enjoy this series because I find the characters so, well, interesting and realistic.

Strike, the protagonist, is not your typical private detective. The author’s descriptions call to mind a most unattractive and unappealing man, overly large, unattractively dark and hairy and infinitely grouchy. He’s grouchy because the prosthesis that replaces one of his legs is always extremely uncomfortable. My heart goes out to him in every book.

Career of Evil, the third in the Cormoran Strike series, begins with Strike’s likeable secretary/assistant Robin receiving an unexpected package which turns out to be a woman’s severed leg. Strike immediately recognizes that the person who sent the horrible package is trying to send the message to him that those closest to him are not safe. He immediately isolates four people in his life who he believes evil enough and with enough hatred of him to do such a thing.

His hunt for the responsible party makes up the bulk of the story. The author takes a bit of an unusual turn this time by including chapters told from the point of view of the killer. I found that to be creepy but somewhat annoying. The killer sounded too much like Buffalo Bill (the real bad guy in Silence of the Lambs, something often forgotten because of the horror of Hannibal Lector’s presence). There was an awful lot of talk about cutting off limbs and pieces of his victims. Thankfully, Galbraith never has us experience an actual atrocity.

The best part of this book was that the reader got the opportunity to get to know Robin (Strike’s assistant) much better and to see her grow as a character. The worst part of this book, as with the other two books in my opinion, is that Galbraith uses way too many words. The books, I believe, are overly long. Even though his/her writing is extraordinary, I believe it takes too long to get to the parts that are really interesting.

Nevertheless, I am a devoted fan of Cormoran Strike, and will never, ever miss one of his adventures.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: The Gates of Evangeline

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24875394In 2014 and early 2015, every thriller was marketed as being the next Gone Girl. Suddenly that changed. Now every psychological thriller is purported to be the next The Girl on the Train. I guess that’s how an author knows he or she has made it – you become the gauge by which all similar genre are measured.

But having liked both Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, I was interested in The Gates of Evangeline by first-time novelist Hester Young, and purported to be the next The Girl on the Train. For one thing, in addition to being marketed to fans of The Girl on the Train, it is also called a southern gothic mystery, and that label will grab me every single time.

As it turned out, while not nearly as compelling as The Girl on the Train, I found The Gates of Evangeline  to be a worthwhile read for lovers of mysteries.

Charlotte (Charlie) Cates, an ambitious divorced career woman who lives in New York City, is stopped dead in her tracks when her 5-year-old son suddenly dies of a brain aneurism. Now she struggles just to get up every morning. The novel opens with her trying to get her life back together.

An old friend who is the editor of Cold Crimes Magazine comes to her rescue by asking her to investigate and write a subsequent article about a 30-year-old cold case at an old plantation in Louisiana called Evangeline. A child has been missing for three decades and is presumed dead. A body, however, has never been found and no one was every charged. Faced with a bleak future spent mourning the death of her son, Charlie is tempted by this offer.

About this same time, Charlie suddenly begins having dreams that accurately predict terrible things happening to children. This, coupled with her ongoing depression, lead her to accept the challenge and move to Louisiana to live on the estate with the family of the missing child.

What she finds are a lot of family secrets, mysterious and mixed reactions to her presence, and a spark of romance.

Though somewhat predictable (I was able to come up with the ending long before the book was over), I nevertheless enjoyed the story very much. Young developed interesting characters and I enjoyed her storytelling.

I look forward to her next effort.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy-Thursday Edition: Favorite Books of 2015

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I am often astounded at how many books some book bloggers read each year. Some post a book review almost every day. Of course, their blogs are devoted to book reviews, so it is incumbent upon them to read, read, read. I think that I read a lot, and yet I never seem to break the 100-books-in-a-year mark. This year my total was 93 books.

Oh well, I’m telling myself. I do have a life beyond books. Say, friends and family. Oh, and now crocheting.

I post a book review every Friday, but I read many more books than those for which I post a review. For example, I generally don’t post books (almost always mysteries) that are part of a series unless I found the book particularly compelling or I’m begging you to read the series. And since I’ve already admitted that my reading motto is Life is too short to read a bad book, I start many books that I set aside because I simply didn’t like them. That is why most of my book reviews are positive. So, sue me.

Having said all of the meaningless babble above, here are my five favorite books I read in 2015 for which I posted a review.

5. The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell
An unexpectedly upbeat and pleasing read about a quirky family with an unhappy past joined together simply because they love one another. An interesting element of this book is that the mother is a hoarder, which definitely defines the family members and impacts the plot of the book. It isn’t, however, what defines this interesting story. I was surprised at how much I loved this book, which I wouldn’t have picked up if someone hadn’t so highly recommended it to me.

4. Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon
Karon’s Mitford stories are like eating dessert first. They are simply delicious and not to be missed. The characters, the setting, the stories — all mix together to make for a wonderful read. Her latest novel involves the marriage of two favorite characters, and allows readers the opportunity to get to know better some who previously were only marginally present. Pour a cup of coffee or tea and settle down for a pleasant experience.

3. The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Talk about a book I can’t believe I liked so much! This story takes place in Cambodia, which is the only reason I read the book (a daughter-in-law is from Cambodia). Based on a true story, the family — mom, dad, and little boy — lives in a municipal waste dump in Cambodia and they survive on what they make from scavenging the dump each day and selling the wares. That’s the setting, but the story is about friendship and loyalty and what it means to love someone. It was a truly beautiful story that I highly recommend.

2. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
My heart broke year before last when one of my favorite authors — Kent Haruf — passed away. Our Souls at Night was his final gift to those of us who love his writing. The book is once again set in the fictional Colorado town of Holt. Septuagenarian Addie Moore, a widow for many years, marches over to her equally-aged neighbor Louis Waters’ house and suggests they, well, hook up. Sleep together. Just see how it works out. The result is a surprisingly beautiful story about love and friendship. I enjoyed Haruf’s stories for his characters, and while not as good as his first novel Plainsong (nothing could be), it was a wonderful book.

And my favorite book of 2015…..

1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Dang, I hate being predictable. The Girl on the Train is likely to be the favorite read of 2015 of many book reviewers, but it’s for a good reason. I couldn’t put down this book. The author doled out the pieces of the mystery little by little, keeping the readers in constant suspense. The final pages were delicious. The characters were interesting, imperfect, multifaceted, and realistic. I can’t wait for Hawkins’ next effort. This one will be hard to beat.

I’m looking forward to many more good books in 2016. Maybe that will be the year that I finally beat that 100-book challenge.

This post linked to the GRAND Social 

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Friday Book Whimsy: A Quilt for Christmas

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searchAware that I am prone to superlatives, I will nevertheless tell you that Sandra Dallas is one of my favorite authors. Part of the reason is that she lives in Denver, having graduated from one of my alma maters – the University of Denver. The main reason this is important to me is that many of her books take place in Colorado. I think it’s safe to say that most of her novels take place in the West or the Midwest, often during the 1800s. Think Willa Cather.

A Quilt for Christmas is, plain and simple, a wonderful story. Quilting is a somewhat common theme for Dallas’ novels, and while I’m not a quilter, I love the stories of pioneer women gathering together to collectively create something beautiful, sharing stories as their hands work.

While the book’s main character is Eliza Spooner, the real star of the show is the quilt she makes for her husband Will. The Spooner’s farm is in rural Kansas, and they are successful enough to eke out a satisfactory living as long as weather cooperates and they’re willing to work hard. Will has left to join the Kansas volunteers to fight with the Union in the Civil War. Eliza sends Will the quilt as a Christmas present to keep him warm as he fights in Virginia. Like many volunteers, Will doesn’t make it home, but through a circuitous route, the quilt does.

Eliza, who is a wonderful character – one of my favorite characters of all time – takes in a mother and child who have also lost their loved one in battle. The newly-formed and somewhat odd new “family” personify friendship and love and the real meaning of Christmas.

While the story takes a sad turn as Eliza learns early on about her beloved husband, A Quilt for Christmas is not a sad book. Rather, it is a joyous story, and I was sad when it ended. I learned through a bit of research that Dallas decided to make the characters in this book the grandmothers of the characters in one of her most well-known books, The Persian Pickle Club. I read that book eons ago, and am already prepared to reread it.

I heartily recommend this lovely book. It will leave you feeling good about humanity.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: A Cedar Cove Christmas

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searchI always say when it comes to reading, I am a cheap date. Having said that, I will admit that I’ve never been a Debbie Macomber fan, nor a fan of her seemingly endless Cedar Cove series. I even gave the Hallmark-produced Cedar Cove television series a shot, and just couldn’t get engaged. It doesn’t matter, because Macomber has a deeply devoted following and doesn’t need me, thank you very much.

But hey, it’s the Christmas season, and so it’s no holds barred, right? It’s not a time to read a deeply moving dramatic novel or a terrifyingly psychotic thriller. It’s a time for light reading where everyone gets along and all problems are solved by the end of 250 pages.

And light reading definitely describes Cromber’s A Cedar Cove Christmas.

Mary Jo Wyse is unmarried, pregnant, and very close to giving birth. Without telling her three brothers (the three Wyse men; are you getting the picture?), she travels to Cedar Cove, a small community on an island near Seattle from which the baby’s father hails. There, she not only cannot find the baby’s father, but she can’t find any place to sleep for the night. She runs into the town librarian, who agrees to let her stay in the apartment she and her husband built above the barn. It should come as no surprise that Mary Jo gives birth in the barn and the three Wyse men follow a star to find their sister.

Obviously, Macromber is not very subtle when it comes to copying the Christmas nativity story. Still, A Cedar Cove Christmas is full of holiday cheer and paints a lovely picture of a town that has put on its best attire for the holidays. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with a quick, cheery read full of holiday spirit and Christmas joy.

If you’re looking for a meaningful read, you can let this one pass. But if you just want to sit down with a cup of coffee and read a book that will only take a couple of hours of your time, A Cedar Cove Christmas might be a good choice. It will put you in the holiday mood.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: Come Rain or Come Shine

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searchPotentially, this could be the shortest book review ever. All I REALLY would have to say is that there is a new Mitford book by author Jan Karon entitled Come Rain or Come Shine. Boom. Everyone can correctly assume that I loved the book.

The fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina, makes me happy. I am fully aware that such a wonderful community where everyone gets along and loves one another doesn’t exist. Still, isn’t it so nice to read about something like the friendly folks of Mitford instead of about pain, and murder, and bickering, and poverty, and the horrors of the real world, especially during this time of the year?

In Come Rain or Come Shine, Dooley – who we met in Karon’s first Mitford novel At Home in Mitford – has graduated from veterinarian’s school, set up a practice and is finally getting married to his long-time girlfriend Lace (who we also met in the first novel). Typical for the young couple, they want to make their wedding simple and inexpensive, and to include all of the people they love. They decide, then, to make it a pot luck affair to be held at the ranch where they will reside after they are married.

Since nothing ever goes entirely as planned in Mitford (or in real life), the novel offers a series of surprises and unexpected joys. While Dooley and Lace have to be flexible with their plans and the wedding doesn’t go as smoothly as one would hope, Karon’s story gives us a full picture of love – the love of friends and the love for and of God. The amazing and vivid trust that the people of this town have in God’s provides for a joyful read.

And let’s not forget the wonderful food that is always a part of Mitford – and Karon’s wonderful stories.

Come Rain or Come Shine was written a bit differently than Karon’s previous novels. The point of view changed with each chapter. Being an avid Mitford fan, I was able to recognize whose point of view was being presented in each chapter. However, I would think that if someone picked up the novel without having read Karon’s previous works, it might have taken some time to recognize the point of view. If I have any criticism, that is it.

One of the best parts of the novel, I felt, was getting to know Lace a bit better. While she has been part of the Mitford series from the beginning, she has never played a major role. I enjoyed learning more about who she is and how she thinks.

This is a grand book for someone wanting to read a happy story during this time of year. I strongly recommend it.

Here is a link to the book.

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Friday Book Whimsy: Hangman’s Game: A Nick Gallow Mystery

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searchAs much as I love mystery stories, I try to limit the number that I review. I avoid reviews of mysteries mostly because each book is often part of a series, and so I am reluctant to review only one of the books. I’m making an exception with Hangman’s Game primarily because it is a debut novel, though the fact that it is called A Nick Gallow Mystery leads me to assume that the author, Bill Syken, intends to make it a series.

I hope so.

Nick Gallow is a punter for the fictitious NFL team the Philadelphia Sentinels. He is a somewhat disgruntled punter. He was originally a college quarterback but was injured in a way that precluded him from continuing as a QB. At the urging and with the assistance of his football coach father, he reinvents himself as a punter, a role he has played for five years with the Sentinels.

One night, following dinner with his agent and the brand new and highly-paid Sentinels rookie, a drive-by shooting results in the rookie being killed and the agent being seriously injured. Gallow is the only witness, and he didn’t see a lot. All fingers are pointed at a self-absorbed and arrogant Sentinels linebacker as the killer, but Gallow doesn’t think so, and sets out to find out.

The author is a long-time sportswriter and editor with Sports Illustrated, and so his descriptions of the BUSINESS of football are believable. As an avid football fan, I enjoyed getting a pretty honest picture of what it’s like to be a punter – basically the low man on the totem pole that consists of plenty of prima donnas.

Reviewers have said that the reader doesn’t need to be a football fan to enjoy the book, but I’m not certain I entirely agree with this assessment. It is a very good mystery, but part of what I enjoyed about the book was the element surrounding professional football.

With that caveat, I recommend the novel, and look forward to the next Nick Gallow mystery.

Here is a link to the book.

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