WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens

December 14, 2018

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From the publisher:

#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

 

The publisher’s description doesn’t begin to do this book justice. It came out last summer and I missed it completely. I started hearing about it from my library patrons and was surprised to discover a very long waiting list for the book. I finally got it and read it in one night. It was unputdownable.

Kya is a most unusual character and we meet her when she is about five years old. Her coming of age is an astonishing story and beautifully told. The writing is simply superlative, the descriptions just bring this unusual setting, a marsh in rural North Carolina, to life.

The story is written in two timelines which are easily followed, and eventually meet. There is a mystery at the heart of this story and the ending was a shocker.

I haven’t taken Reese Witherspoon’s recommendations very seriously but I will now. Where the Crawdads Sing is perfect for book discussion and anyone who enjoys a good story, engaging characters and beautiful writing. I loved it.

11/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens. G.P. Putnam’s Sons; First Edition, First Printing edition (August 14, 2018). ISBN 978-0735219090. 384p.

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DEEP WAR by David Poyer

December 13, 2018

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Dan Lenson Novels, Book 18

This is a continuation of novels dealing with a war between the United States and China. Poyer utilizes several characters involved in the combat as a means of centering the action to areas selected by him as most important to the story. Chief among these is admiral Dan Lenson who is selected to lead an important attack on Chinese installations.

The actions involved; the attacks, the combat and the behind the scenes maneuvering are well done. The biggest problem that I have in enjoying “Deep War” as much as I have other books by this author is the time and space dedicated to going into detail about the nomenclature for the weaponry and systems used in the war. The author has an excellent knowledge of carrying out a modern mechanized war with the very high tech equipment utilized in the fighting. The reader will immediately get Poyer’s opinions that future war will be fought with cyber attacks as well as central roles played by Artificial Intelligence (AI). I feel that the overabundance of description devoted to the weapons rather than the people involved with the fighting takes the novel from perhaps a good short story to an overly lengthy novel.

A concept is used which was once a science fiction idea is for the Chinese government to be using a thinking computer to direct the war for them. Termed “Jade Emperor” the AI, as it is, anticipates and counters moves by the allies. It thinks ahead and is able to postulate scenarios with appropriate counter measures and order such action by the Chinese military. Poyer has made the argument that with such entities virtually on the horizon it would really be national suicide for nations to make war on each other. Perhaps this concept described by the author will finally become the deterrent mankind needs to avoid armed conflict and use reason.

12/18 Paul Lane

DEEP WAR by David Poyer. St. Martin’s Press (December 4, 2018).  ISBN 978-1250101105. 304p.

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover

December 12, 2018

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A Memoir

From the publisher:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • O: The Oprah Magazine • Time • NPR • Financial Times • The Economist • The Guardian • Newsday  • Refinery29 •   Real Simple • Bustle • Pamela Paul, KQED • Publishers Weekly • LibraryReads • Library Journal • New York Public Library  • PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S SUMMER READING • ONE OF BILL GATES’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE

An unforgettable memoir about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University

“Beautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Tara Westover’s] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?”—Vogue

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

The accolades for this book keep rolling in and what can I say, they are all well deserved.

It was a difficult read at times, the abuse Westover went through and the accidents that happened to family members were often told in gruesome, albeit necessary, detail. Unfortunately, I know first hand what it is like for a daughter to be estranged from her father. This is a book that will stay with me for a very long time.

I have spoken to many people who have read this book, and not one could say anything negative about it. It is a difficult story, beautifully told. Dr. Westover gave us all a gift, and I am most appreciative. Don’t miss it.

12/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

EDUCATED by Tara Westover. Random House; First Edition edition (February 20, 2018). ISBN 978-0399590504. 352p.

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NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg

December 11, 2018

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From the publisher:

The feel-good book of the year: a delightful novel of friendship, community, and the way small acts of kindness can change your life, by the bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv

Lucille Howard is getting on in years, but she stays busy. Thanks to the inspiration of her dearly departed friend Arthur Truluv, she has begun to teach baking classes, sharing the secrets to her delicious classic Southern yellow cake, the perfect pinwheel cookies, and other sweet essentials. Her classes have become so popular that she’s hired Iris, a new resident of Mason, Missouri, as an assistant. Iris doesn’t know how to bake but she needs to keep her mind off a big decision she sorely regrets.

When a new family moves in next door and tragedy strikes, Lucille begins to look out for Lincoln, their son. Lincoln’s parents aren’t the only ones in town facing hard choices and uncertain futures. In these difficult times, the residents of Mason come together and find the true power of community—just when they need it the most.

“Elizabeth Berg’s characters jump right off the page and into your heart” said Fannie Flagg about The Story of Arthur Truluv. The same could be said about Night of Miracles, a heartwarming novel that reminds us that the people we come to love are often the ones we don’t expect.

This is the sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv, one of my favorite reads last year and I admit to being nervous about it. What if I didn’t love it? Would it ruin the Truluv book for me? I put my fears aside and dove in, and I am so glad that I did.

It is another charmer filled with warm, wonderful characters that we can’t help but care about. They grew and changed since the last book, but in a way that seemed natural and believable. Victory is mine, I loved it!

12/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg. Random House (November 13, 2018). ISBN 978-0525509509. 288p.

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BEST. STATE. EVER. by Dave Barry

December 10, 2018

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A Florida Man Defends His Homeland

From the publisher:

A New York Times bestseller—a brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry.

We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state’s acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ.

Join him as he goes in hunt of the legendary Skunk Ape; hobnobs with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs; and visits Cassadaga, the psychic capital of the world, to have his dog’s aura read (apparently, she’s “very spiritual”). Hitch a ride for the non-stop thrills of alligator-wrestling (“the gators display the same fighting spirit as a Barcalounger”), the hair-raising spectacle of a clothing-optional bar in Key West, and the manly manliness of the Machine Gun Experience in Miami.

It’s the most hilarious book yet from “the funniest damn writer in the whole country” (Carl Hiaasen, and he should know). By the end, you’ll have to admit that whatever else you might think about Florida—you can never say it’s boring.

I’m a long time Dave Barry fan. I read him when he was writing his column for the Miami Herald. I watched “Dave’s World,” the short-lived TV sitcom based on his life. I was delighted when my daughter found his books and read them all in a week, laughing the entire time. But I was surprised, and not in a good way, when I found out that the Literacy Coalition selected this book for Palm Beach County Read Together.

I had agreed to facilitate a book discussion at my library on whichever book they picked, as our publicity had to be in a couple of months before the selection was announced. After the announcement, the 20 or so regulars that attend my book discussions picked up their books, and shortly after that, began a parade of unhappy readers.

The book is cute, it definitely has its moments, but it is not, in any way, shape or form, a piece of literature in need of a discussion. One by one my book club participants returned the book and informed me they would not be attending the discussion. I understood, but my hands were tied. At the end, two of my regulars showed up, and half a dozen women who came because they thought Dave Barry would be there. Not my finest hour.

To make matters even more aggravating, the Literacy Coalition, for the entirety of this series, has made available on their website a downloadable discussion guide. But when I downloaded it, I found blurbs about the book, a brief, funny bio of Dave Barry, a handful of fun Florida facts and half a dozen Florida trivia questions. No discussion questions whatsoever. There is not a discussion question to be found for this book, and believe me, I looked. And it dawned on me that there really isn’t anything to discuss. There is no real substance here, and book discussion revolve around substance.

I didn’t love this book, which had nothing to do with the book discussion debacle. I found the essay on the Keys way too long and in need of serious editing. I liked the essay on the Villages and the one on shooting machine guns, gun hater that I am, because it was funny. But most of it just was Dave pointed out the silly things Florida is home to and the reasons people move here by the thousands. I was surprised to learn that Florida is the third most populous state in the nation so at least I learned something.

If you are a huge Dave Barry fan, then you will probably enjoy this book but then again, if you are that fan, you’ve probably already read it. And FYI, the reviews on Amazon are stellar.

12/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BEST. STATE. EVER. by Dave Barry. G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Reprint edition (September 5, 2017). ISBN 978-1101982617 . 240p.

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ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield

December 9, 2018

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A beautifully written book set in a small town in England sometime during the reign of Queen Victoria. The town is located along the banks of the Thames river (maybe, as Setterfield herself indicates). It is the same river passing through London,meandering by Oxford and other towns along the bank and it provides the center point for a novel describing events in and around Radcot, one of these towns during another time and place. The “Swan” is the locale near Radcot where the local folk go to enjoy drink and companionship after the day’s work is done.

One day, a man, obviously hurt, staggers into the “Swan” carrying what appears to be a dead little girl. After putting her down he collapses but later disappears. In the meanwhile the little girl proves that she is alive by waking up and astounding the patrons of the tavern by doing so. In the course of time three families claim that the now living, but unfortunately mute girl is, theirs, resulting in many differences of opinion among the residents of the area. The gist of the novel revolves about the thoughts and actions of the various factions setting up a novel written in a style reminiscent of books penned in the period described.

While other readers claim that the novel is a sort of fairy tale there is enough low key descriptions of sex, murder, and evil to dispel this idea. What the book is is a well written story which will keep the reader glued to the pages. There was a long period between this novel and Setterfield’s previous book and reading this one gives rise to the hope that it won’t be that long until her next one appears.

12/18 Paul Lane

ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (December 4, 2018).  ISBN 978-0743298070. 480p.

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A PRINCESS IN THEORY by Alyssa Cole

December 8, 2018

The Reluctant Royals, Book 1

From the publisher:

From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!

Once again I read a series out of order. I read the second book first, and loved it so much I hunted down this one. If you loved the Eddie Murphy movie, “Coming to America,” you will love this book. I loved them both.

Cole is a rising star in the romance genre, and landing on the NY Times Notable books list firmly entrenches her as romance royalty. Her characters are skillfully drawn and come to life on the page, the plot moves with laughs and sex and, well, romance. Everything a good, contemporary romance should have is here in a fresh new way. Don’t miss it.

12/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A PRINCESS IN THEORY by Alyssa Cole. Avon (February 27, 2018).  ISBN 978-0062685544.  384p.

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THE MANSION by Ezekiel Boone

December 7, 2018

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Ezekiel Boone, the master of the macabre, presents his latest novel which could be a ghost story or possibly a tale about an entity run amock.

In any of the cases, it is well done and a fascinating read as the reader is drawn into a dark world and certainly a mesmerizing one. At one point several years prior to the opening of the book Billy Stafford and Shawn Eagle were partners in an attempt to create a computer that was intuitive rather than one that worked only one or zero as is common today. They worked like men possessed both nights and days while living in a country shack owned by Eagle’s family. They ate what they could scrounge and lived for the work.

Shawn began seeing a young lady and fell for her head over heels. Suddenly there was a break in the partnership and it was Billy Stafford that left along with Emily, Shawn’s girlfriend. Almost at the same time Shawn developed an advanced computing system and became an overnight billionaire. Billy and Emily married but lived in poverty with Billy falling prey to drinking and becoming a drunk.

At a point in the future Shawn decides to resurrect a next generation computer that he and Billy were working on prior to the split. He recognizes that only Billy has the skill to complete this project and proposes that Billy come to work again with him with the chance of making a fortune if the project is successful. The work is set up in a reconstructed building next to the shack they utilized years ago. The computer has been given the name of “Nellie” and what occurs with it makes for a fascinating look at either a ghost or ??

An all-nighter, the book has very well delineated characters appearing and moving the plot rapidly along.

12/18 Paul Lane

THE MANSION by Ezekiel Boone. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (December 4, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501165504. 432p.

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NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty

December 6, 2018

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From the publisher:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out…

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?

It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.

I loved most of Moriarty’s books, some more than others. The reviews on this one were mixed, but I really enjoyed it. The characters were brought to life and the setting was interesting. The book does go a bit off the rails towards the end, but Moriarty is a skillful story teller and she manages to get it back on track again. The book was almost five hundred pages yet it read faster than that, I was surprised to see how long it was.

It was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it.

12/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty. Flatiron Books (November 6, 2018). ISBN 978-1250069825. 464p.

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WRONG LIGHT by Matt Coyle

December 5, 2018

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The next entry in the popular Rick Cahill series. Rick was a member of the police force when tragedy struck about 10 years ago when his wife was murdered. At first Rick became the prime subject until the investigation against him was suddenly dropped.

Unfortunately, widespread suspicion against him still remained and his life as a member of the police force was over. He was forced to make a living as a private detective with the memory of his wife’s murder always hovering over his head.

His current case was to be hired to protect the life of a popular radio show hostess – Naomi Hendrix’s voice fills the southern California night bringing a wide audience to her station employers.

But one demented individual has begun calling her with threats on her life.and awaiting the best moment to capture her and fulfill his own twisted fantasy.
In taking the job Rick finds himself becoming very attracted to Naomi even when finding out that she has her own secrets to hide. And at the same time he looks for a missing girl whose abduction he may have inadvertently caused.

Matt Coyle has done an excellent job in creating a protagonist with his own major issues continually haunting him; while working towards their solutions

12/18 Paul Lane

WRONG LIGHT by Matt Coyle. Oceanview Publishing (December 4, 2018).  ISBN 978-1608093168. 352p.

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