THE RECKONING by John Grisham

October 25, 2018

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The novel opens with Pete Banning going over to the Methodist Church he and his family attended and shooting and killing his friend the Reverend Dexter Bell. We immediately know what happened and basically what Grisham’s novel revolves around;  it says so on the book’s flap as well as on any description written about it. 

The why becomes a fascinating study in human relations and what factors can cause one man to kill another. The book is centered in a small town in the state of Mississippi just shortly after the end of World War II. Pete Banning has returned home a decorated hero, wanting only to resume his life with his beautiful wife and two children.  His is important enough to the story for Grisham to detail the facts behind his bravery. 

This is a well researched look at the events unfolding in the Philippinesat the time of the Bataan death march. A portrait of the horrid conditions in the internment camp in which Pete is held coupled with his heroic actions later in fighting the Japanese upon his escape is extremely well done. His character is molded by this phase of his life and may supply clues to his motivation in committing murder.

Pete’s children, his wife and his sister are effected by his actions. They are completely surprised at his lack of interest in defending himself at the trial convened to try him for murder. 

The novel is John Grisham at his peak exercising a literary talent second to none.  When is the next book coming out is the only question remaining for the reader and I second that opinion. 

10/18 Paul Lane

THE RECKONING by John Grisham. Doubleday (October 23, 2018).  ISBN 978-0385544153. 432p.

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ONE DAY IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver

October 24, 2018

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I loved the premise of this book – it’s based on love at first sight – literally. And I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Laurie is riding the bus in London and at one of the stops, she looks out the window and sees a man. He looks at her, too, and something passes between them. She tries to get off the bus, and he tries to get on, but neither are successful.

After that, Laurie looks for him at every bus stop and cafe. for a year but never finds him. Every man she meets just doesn’t measure up to “bus stop man,” as her roommate and best friend, Sarah, has dubbed him. Then Sarah meets a man that is really special, Jack is the love of her life, and she can’t wait for Laurie to meet him.

Of course, Jack is “bus stop man.”

Laurie is determined not to come between Sarah and Jack, and they both pretend they don’t know one another. Laurie finally meets someone else and life goes on for all of them. For ten years Laurie and Jack are friends, but that attraction is still there, and you just know it is going to blow up somewhere down the line.

Lots of hurdles to jump over here in this charming read before everyone gets to their happy ending. It made me laugh, it made me cry – it’s a heartfelt, emotional read that I enjoyed immensely.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver. Broadway Books (October 16, 2018). ISBN 978-0525574682.  416p..

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MARILLA OF GREEN GABLES by Sarah McCoy

October 23, 2018

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Anne of Green Gables was one of my favorite books as a child, and I re-read it while taking “History of Children’s Lit” class in library school and loved it even more. So when I heard about this book, a prequel to the classic but written for adults, I was very excited.

The book didn’t quite meet my expectations but it wasn’t a disappointment, either. We meet Marilla when she was about the same age that we meet Anne, so that was interesting. I thought the character was a bit one dimensional though, and I didn’t always understand her motivation. I did enjoy meeting her family, besides her brother Matthew, especially her aunt. I thought I would learn about the start of the bad blood with Gilbert Blythe’s family but that plot line was plodding at times and it seemed forced.

There was quite a bit of politics throughout the book, about slavery and U.S. and Lincoln and more. It often felt like filler to me but it was interesting for the most part. I was not aware of the role that Canada played in the Civil War and with the Underground Railroad.

If you haven’t read Anne of Green Gables, I’m not sure why you would want to read this. I understood the impetus to write it for adults, although it certainly would be fine for young adults as well. While I much preferred BEFORE GREEN GABLES by Budge Wilson, which is a prequel about Anne’s early life, ultimately I did enjoy my visit back to Green Gables.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MARILLA OF GREEN GABLES by Sarah McCoy. William Morrow (October 23, 2018). ISBN 978-0062697714. 320p.

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THE FOX by Frederick Forsyth

October 22, 2018

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This twisting and turning look into international espionage is Forsyth’s latest well researched and engrossing novel.  Following the trend begun in his “The Day of the Jackal,” it is a story of the clashing of several resolute wills and delineating  the thinking of all sides opposed to each other. 
The principal characters involved are basically well fleshed out and their actions based on what such individuals would probably do in real life. The style utilized in “The Fox” is one of description of events rather than the movement back and forth between individuals. Their motivations are described in this style which in the author’s hands does lend itself quite well to understanding them.
     
Luke Jennings is a teen-aged British young man that has called attention to himself through hacking into the seemingly impenetrable computer firewalls of the U.S. agencies of the NSA, the CIA and the Pentagon. The United States demands to have Luke extradited from England to face trial in the USA. 
The British Prime Minister calls on Adrian Weston, former chief of British secret intelligence service, to attempt to intervene and prevent the extradition. Upon meeting Luke, Adrian finds that the boy is what is normally termed an “idiot savant,” a person very versed in one area but silent on everything else.  His area of expertise is mastering computer skills which allowed him to hack into the several U.S. agencies’ computers. 
The story turns on the manner Adrian manages to prevent Luke’s arrest and than using him to turn the tables on attempts by China,  North Korea, Russia and Iran to attack the west and their allies. Certain events that actually occurred are described as being prevented by Luke’s seemingly magical hacking of impenetrable computers giving rise to counter measures by the west. 
An excellent read written by one of the literary world’s master craftsmen, and again causing everyone reading his books to eagerly await Forsyth’s next novel.

10/18 Paul Lane

THE FOX by Frederick Forsyth. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (October 23, 2018).  ISBN 978-0525538424. 304p.

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EVERY BREATH by Nicholas Sparks

October 21, 2018

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for Nicholas Sparks’ first novel in two years – EVERY BREATH!

From the publisher:

In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, EVERY BREATH explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties — and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?

Sparks used an interesting literary device in this novel – he inserted himself into the story, at the beginning and again at the end. The story starts with some truth as well, the Kindred Spirit mailbox on Sunset Beach in North Carolina, where people leave letters for others to read and pass along. In this fable, Sparks finds a letter, a packet really, that immediately draws him in. It’s the story of two people who met, spent a week together, fell madly in love, then separated for many, many years. Sparks tracks down the man in the story and in exchange for helping him do some home repairs, gets the rights to his story, providing he changes the names to protect their privacy.

While I’ve always believed in love at first sight, I didn’t quite buy Tru & Hope’s story. It’s not that I don’t think two people can fall in love, a forever kind of love, in just a couple of days, but I just wasn’t feeling it here. At least, not at first. Then Hope leaves, for what she thinks are very good reasons, and Tru has to live with that. Well, they both do. And I started to feel it then. And kudos for the most aptly named characters I’ve read in a long time – Sparks obviously put a great deal of thought into every nuance of this book.

The book jumps many years ahead, when they meet again. We learn more about the years they spent apart, and oh, the tears started then. Nicholas Sparks is not King of the Weepies for nothing!

I loved the exotic setting in Zimbabwe and Botswana, and learning about life, death, the animals and the culture there. Tru’s backstory alone makes this book worth the price of admission. This is a fantastical story in some ways, but a hopeful and inspirational one, too. I have a feeling the film will be incredible.

EVERY BREATH by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central Publishing (October 16, 2018). 978-1538728529. 320 p.

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JUST THIS ONCE by Mira Lynn Kelly

October 20, 2018

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The Wedding Date Series, Book 3

From the publisher:

He can’t have her.
So he moves in with her…
What could possibly go wrong?

As heir to a chain of luxury hotels, Sean Wyse III always gets what he wants. So when he sees a freeloading roommate taking advantage of his spunky best friend, Molly Brandt, he doesn’t hesitate to step in. He kicks out the roommate…and moves himself in.

Molly loves quality time with Sean, but spending nights with him one wall away threatens to wake the crush she thought she’d gotten over. A crush Sean knows nothing about, which might be a problem…considering how hard Sean’s been working never to think of Molly that way.

The Wedding Date series:
May the Best Man Win (Book 1)
The Wedding Date Bargain (Book 2)
Just this Once (Book 3)
The Decoy Date (Book 4)

This is my first read by Mira Lynn Kelly, and I will definitely be back for more. I loved these characters and couldn’t help rooting for them. There was enough twists and hurdles to keep the pages turning, and some laughs, too.  I didn’t feel like I missed a thing by having started this series with the third book but I am looking for the previous books in the series, just because I think I will enjoy them.

If you want a fast escape and some lighthearted fare with a happy ending, look no further.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JUST THIS ONCE by Mira Lynn Kelly. Avon; Reissue edition (September 25, 2018). ISBN 978-0062741837. 384p.

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GRIN AND BEARD IT by Penny Reid

October 19, 2018

Winston Brothers Series, Book 2

From the publisher:

Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

This was the first book I’ve read from this author. It was recommended to me by one of my library patrons, we often share books that we enjoy and I was very happy she told me about this one.

The celebrity being appreciated for herself (or himself) is not that uncommon a ploy in romances, and Reid does a really good job of it here. I liked all the characters and their relationships, from Sienna’s sister-manager and co-star/ex-boyfriend to Jethro’s brothers and co-workers. Their chemistry was off the charts and even though this book was written before the current #MeToo movement and the obvious, strongly written consent in current romances, it was there (copyright 2016). And it was Jethro who was putting on the brakes, which usually makes for an unbelievable storyline, but not here. I bought it all.

This was somehow still a hot romance, even though there were few sex scenes, but I enjoyed the humor the most, there were a lot of laughs here. If you like funny, contemporary romances, check out this book.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

GRIN AND BEARD IT by Penny Reid. EverAfter Romance (March 23, 2018). ISBN 978-1635764871. 404p.

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MR. NICE GUY by Jennifer Miller & Jason Feifer

October 18, 2018

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A writing duo writing about dueling writers brings a singular perspective to this charming New York City–centric novel.

Lucas Callahan is the eponymous “nice guy” who is new to the city and thrilled when he has his first one-night stand. Unbeknownst to him, his partner, Carmen Kelly, is a coworker at Empire magazine, where he toils as a fact checker and she is the uberpopular sex columnist. Lucas learns this when he reads about their encounter in the magazine.

Mortified, he pens a scathing response and signs it “Mr. Nice Guy.” To his surprise, the magazine publishes it, and he and Carmen continue to date and write about their encounters. The column breathes new life into the magazine, and Lucas and Carmen forge a relationship of sorts that transforms as they both change and grow. Political intrigue at the magazine adds to the drama, but there are plenty of laughs as well.

VERDICT This first-time effort from author and journalist Miller (The Year of the Gadfly) and spouse Feifer, a journalist and blogger, offers a fun read that is sure to satisfy admirers of Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot.

©Library Journal, 2018.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MR. NICE GUY by Jennifer Miller & Jason Feifer. St. Martin’s Griffin (October 16, 2018).  ISBN 978-1250189882.  400p.

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WINTER IN PARADISE by Elin Hilderbrand

October 17, 2018

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Paradise, Book 1 with a meaningli

Hilderbrand leaves her beloved Nantucket and moves to another beach community, this time in the Virgin Islands on St. John. It is a seamless transition, and this is a terrific start to a new trilogy.

There is a slight relationship to the Winter Street series; Irene Steele, our heroine, is a second cousin to Winter Street’s Mitzi Quinn. But that is neither here nor there because we are quickly drawn into Irene’s life. She’s 57 and just been “promoted” at work to a pointless position with a meaningless title, no real responsibility or decision making ability, probably in hopes that she will retire so the next generation can take over. Her husband, Russ, is away yet again on business, leaving Irene to take care of her ailing mother-in-law who is ensconced in a lovely, caring assisted living facility. Her two sons, Baker and Cash, are grown, don’t get along especially well, and are off living their own lives.

Irene is a woman at loose ends, that is until she receives a phone call telling her that her husband has been killed in a helicopter crash in the Virgin Islands. His secretary, with the unfortunate name of Marilyn Monroe, doesn’t have much information and what she has is sketchy. Then she disappears.

Irene is shocked to discover that Russ’s boss has claimed his body and had him cremated. Not to be put off, she flies to the island with her sons, determined to find out what happened. Why was her husband even in the Virgin Islands? She’s been told he has “interests” there, whatever that means.

As Churchill once said, this is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” and it makes for compelling reading. We quickly learn that Russ owns a home – a multi-million dollar home – on the beach in St. John’s, where he is known as the “invisible man.” Irene is even more distraught when she learns he had a mistress there. His secrets are unraveling and so is Irene’s life.

This was a one night read for me, I couldn’t put it down. I loved these characters and can’t wait to see what happens next – the book leaves many loose ends. I’m just sad I’m going to have to wait a year to find out more!

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WINTER IN PARADISE by Elin Hilderbrand. Little, Brown and Company (October 9, 2018). ISBN 978-0316435512.  320p.

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UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver

October 16, 2018

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From the publisher:

The New York Times bestselling author of Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, and The Poisonwood Bible and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.

How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.

In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men.

Unsheltered is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.

Anytime Kingsolver publishes a book, it is an event, especially a new novel, and this one was worth the wait. That said, it probably helps that my politics align with hers. If you are unfamiliar with Kingsolver, she gently weaves issues throughout her novels. She is adept at doing so without hitting the reader over the head with a sledgehammer; it’s more like a Nerf bat.

The book moves back and forth between centuries, and I loved the device she used of taking the last words of one chapter and making them the chapter name of the next. It was surprising easy to follow both storylines, which isn’t always the case. The characters lead both storylines and they all were well developed – I expect no less from this author and she does not disappoint.

Kingsolver looks at healthcare, the environment, climate change, racism and the politics of the day, the current administration included. Again, subtlety is the game here but her points are well made and well taken. This should be a terrific book for discussion, although they may be heated discussions – and there is nothing wrong with that. Highly recommended.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver. Harper (October 16, 2018). ISBN 978-0062684561. 480p.

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