Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

I really loved this book, minus one character that I really disliked. This is the type of character book that I really enjoy. These characters mean something to me. I actually felt outrage toward Addie's son, Gene. How dare he dictate what his mother should and should not do - and hold his own son as "hostage" from Addie until she did what he said. Gene nearly ruined my enjoyment of this charming little novel. I am glad that Addie decided to "defy" Gene at the end - but HONESTLY - why does she have to? He should mind his own miserable life - and wife. The only people hurting Jamie are his parents. Just ticks me off.

I liked how Addie and Louis' histories unfolded as they got to know each other. They both had sad and/or tragic experiences in their lives that affected them deeply and changed them permanently. Neither Addie nor Louis seemed happy in their marriages, but they both felt the loss of their spouse when they died. They both were so lonely until they found each other. How wonderful to find a companion to talk to late in life. Someone to lay in bed with, hold hands, eat lunch & dinner with, attend the theater. Everyone needs a best friend like that, no matter what age.

I felt sorry for Jamie. That's the only reason why I could accept Addie's decision to move to Denver to be with Jamie & Gene. Jamie needs Addie (and Louise, in my opinion!) in his life. She brings stability and "safety" to his life. I totally understand why Gene struggles. He feels guilty for the death of his sister, and his dad never really connected with him (forgave him?) after Connie's death, since his dad "preferred" Connie. I have never understood favoring one child over another. Never. BUT, that doesn't give Gene the right to play dictator over his mother's life! She so deserves some happiness!

I could tell that the author of this novel was older by the way it written. I guess someone in his late 60s/early 70s would be the perfect person to tell a story about two people finding companionship in their early 70s though, right? ;) I just thought it was a wonderful story (minus Gene). After I finished the book, I read the book jacket and I was sad to read that Kent Haruf died in November 2014. This book was published in 2015. I have read a couple of his other books and I really enjoyed them as well.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Last Bus to Widsom by Ivan Doig

I usually love character novels. I love getting wrapped up in each character's personality and understanding why they do what they do. I don't necessarily need a plot driving me forward all of the time. With that being said, this was a little too meandering for me. I did like the characters, especially Donal and Herman the German, a lot. I loved how Donal used his autograph book to connect with people on his journey. For some reason though, I had to force myself to pick up the book to keep reading. It felt like a college English assignment that I had to do, even though I didn't feel like it. I do feel like that analogy is doing this novel a disservice. It was quite charming, set in 1951. A young boy and his "Grandpa" setting off on a grand summer adventure. What's not to love? 

I was never in fear that Herman was going to be arrested - or Donal sent to an orphanage - because it seemed like a coming-of-age story for Donal more than anything. I thought he would spend more time in Manitowoc with Aunt Kate. I actually thought we would get to know her better, and know more about her relationship with Herman. That ended up being a brief "blip" of the entire summer.

I liked the ending. I liked that it ended, and I liked how it ended. ;) Seriously though, I am happy that Donal got to stay (presumably) with both Herman and his Grandma. It would have been so hard for Donal to say goodbye to Herman after everything they had gone through together.

I read this for one of my book clubs - and everyone else really liked it. I was the odd-person out, which is unusual - so maybe it was just my mood. This was the author's last novel, since he died the year it was published (2015). I actually felt more emotion about that fact (which I found out after I finished the book) than I did about the book. RIP Ivan Doig.

Wendy's Rating: ***

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

Although I have read other Laura Lippman novels, this was my first Tess Monaghan story. It was first serialized in the New York Times, so it's pretty short for a novel, which makes it a quick read.

Since Tess is a private investigator, it was odd that the first book I read about her she is seven months pregnant and on bed rest. It felt like I jumped in the middle of a story, which I guess I sort of did. I would like to go back and read the Tess Monaghan stories now from the beginning - to get to know the characters better. Especially Crow!

I was confused about all of Don Epstein's wives/girlfriend and how they were connected at first. I am glad that the connections were clearly explained eventually. I never really got a feel for Carole until the very end, but one thing I am curious about: did she really love Dempsey before she abandoned him? Or was she the reason he was so neurotic? I know Dempsey attacks Carole at the end, but by that time, he was protective of Tess. Don didn't seem like he would mistreat a dog, so that whole thing was weird.

I found a typo on page 49. At first I thought it was meaningful because it's a misspelled name: Danielle Messenger, Don's girlfriend. Lenhardt and Tess were swapping information and they figure out that Carole's maiden name was Massinger.  Lenhardt makes a comment that Massinger is Danielle's last name, and then in the next sentence, she is referred to as Danielle Messinger. I thought it HAD to be significant, but nope. Just a typo.

I actually enjoyed the book and I was surprised by the ending.  The only question I have about the deaths is, who killed Danielle? I thought I knew, but I was thrown off by the accusations between Don and Carole in court. I thought it was weird that Whitney was enchanted by Don. When Whitney says to Tess, "Just think, it could have been a double ceremony", I was really thrown off. So, is Don a "good guy" (other than committing fraud!) or a "bad guy"? Whitney comments that he was terrified of Carole. Mixed signals. 

I always like when the main character has a sense of humor, which Tess does. All in all, a good, quick summer read.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes

I continue to love the way Jojo Moyes tells a story. In this novel she spends a long time developing the original story of Jennifer and Anthony, which was a nice change of pace. It seems like so many authors jump back and forth between two stories, which is fine, but I liked how we know one story (mostly) before we jump into the other one in this book.

I thought that Jennifer was incredibly brave for several reasons. First of all, she leaves her husband - and loses all of her friends - even though she doesn't end up with the love of her life. Wives just didn't do things like that back then. Fortunately, she had some juicy information in which to blackmail Larry! It was interesting that he made a fortune by selling asbestos. Secondly, she, a wealthy "trophy wife", actually flies to the Congo to find Anthony, at a time when the Congo was incredibly dangerous!  Third, she raises her daughter on her own and never even tries to find another partner in life, even though she believes that Anthony is dead.

Then there is Ellie, who drove me nuts. Honestly, I could not believe that she put her life on hold - and almost trashed her career - for John. He was never going to leave his wife, and she intentionally turned a blind eye (and deaf ear) on the what was really going on. I was so happy that she started developing a friendship/relationship with Rory, and then couldn't believe that she let John get in the way of that. Thank goodness for John's wife, who finally made an impact on Ellie.

I was nervous that this book was not going to end the way I wanted it to! It made me read much faster as the story moved along because I was so worried that Anthony was actually dead and Rory would leave without knowing how Ellie really felt about him. (Since I read Me Before You, I know that Jojo Moyes doesn't necessarily tie up loose ends with neat little bows!) I was most definitely shocked by what Anthony ended up doing after Jennifer left him that last day in the hotel! Small world kind of thing. ;)

I was still sad that they lost 40 years, but I was relieved that they found each other again. Whew!

Wendy's Rating: ****

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

This is the third book I have read by Erik Larson. I love nonfiction books that read like fiction books. This one really doesn't fit that category, in my opinion, but I still liked it a lot. The first half of the book we learn a lot about U-boats and ships and a bit about World War I - the Germans, the English, the Russians, and of course America under President Wilson - who very obviously does not want to join the war. I actually love reading books about war - and the people involved in the war; what they are fighting for or against; the human element. I found myself impatient for the Lusitania to sink! Since I did not have any prior knowledge of how fast the ship sunk or how many people died, I just wanted to know the details. Once they came, I couldn't put the book down. It was devastating. As Erik Larson was describing the 18 minutes that it took the ship to sink, the people jumping into the ocean without their life jackets on - or on incorrectly, the lifeboats that were unusable, the half-filled lifeboats, the dead people floating amongst the ship debris in cold water.....I could picture it all because it was exactly way the sinking of the Titanic was depicted in the movie. The water wasn't quite as cold - but obviously too cold for survival for many people.

At the end, when the author commented on the MANY things that could have occurred to prevent or avert this disaster, it was heartbreaking. Talk about a bad luck chain of events. Just one difference in timing, in the weather, in the communication, in the calculations, and the Lusitania may have never sunk at all! And I was stunned that the Admiralty knew so much more than they told Captain Turner, and yet they tried to blame him for the entire thing. Disgusting. I understand why they had to be careful not to expose Room 40, but honestly, it did seem like a conspiracy to get American to join the war against the Germans. Why didn't they send ONE destroyer to accompany the Lusitania?? Every other ship was escorted. Why not the Lusitania? It just doesn't make sense. I was happy that Schwieger only lived a little more than two years after he sank the Lusitania. Karma is a bitch.

"Getting to know" some of the passengers made the deaths much more personable. I felt incredibly sad finding out who died. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the people the author talked about, like Charles Lauriat who carried such valuable and meaningful things (the Thackeray drawings and the Dickens Christmas Carol), but after he lost everything, he sent his wife a telegram saying that he had saved the baby's pictures and that they were his mascot. How awesome was that?!

One thing that I found incredibly interesting that I didn't know previously: Captain von Trapp, of The Sound of Music fame, was an Austrian U-boat commander! Who knew? Obviously I knew he was in the Austrian military in World War II, but they really don't go into his military history in the movie.

Now I would like to read Thunderstruck and Isaac's Storm - and any other future book by this author.

Wendy's Rating: ****