I really like this author. This is the third book I have read by her and I love how fast-paced they are. The setting of this story is actually creepy, to start things off. Leonora (aka Nora, Lee and Leo) Shaw joins a good friend, Nina, at an old friend's bachelorette party, or as the British call it, a "Hen" party. Nora has not seen their mutual friend, Clare, for ten years, since she was 16 years old and still in school. Nina, who is a doctor, has not seen Clare for three years. They are both invited to Clare's hen party regardless. Nora is confused by this invite, especially since she was not invited to Clare's wedding. (Nina was). She doesn't really want to go, but Nina tells Nora that they can go together.
So the setting is a "glass house" deep in the woods. Since it's isolated from other homes and has a long, unpaved driveway, it's the perfect setting for mayhem and murder. At night, the woods get extremely dark and the guests at the hen party feel like they are "on stage" at night when the lights are on in the house. Throw in fresh-fallen snow (it's November); mysterious footsteps in the early morning hours before anyone is (presumably) awake; a gun loaded with blanks hanging on the wall; a Ouija board; a party activity shooting clay pigeons at a shooting range; drugs and alcohol; sarcastic wit; cruel jabs; secrets; old unresolved feelings between some of the guests; and you have a nice set-up for a scary story.
Nora has never been able to move on from an event that happened when she was 16 (the last time she saw Clare), so Nora spends a lot of time regretting coming to the party. In fact, one of the other guests, Melanie, leaves the party early. No one can get service on their cell phones and the landline service gets cut off after the first night. Melanie, being a new mother, can't handle not being in touch with her husband and baby and leaves after one night. Lucky her. The rest are "stuck" there with Clare's seemingly disturbed best friend and maid of honor, Flo.
The weekend ends with a death, although whether it's an accident or murder is not clear at first. Nora also loses her memory surrounding the events of their final night due to a head injury after being involved in a car crash, which she can't remember either.
There is foreshadowing and clues thrown in throughout the story. I definitely picked up on most of them, which Nora did not. I guess she was too emotionally involved. ;) It was a good read.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Friday, May 1, 2020
The September Society by Charles Finch
This is the second book of this series with Detective Charles Lenox. Lenox lives in London and it's 1866. His best friend, and love of his life, Lady Jane, lives next door to him. This is actually the book where Lenox acknowledges that he loves Lady Jane as more than a friend and that he wants her to be his wife. It takes him the entire book to get his nerve up to express his feelings to her though. ;)
What I love about Lenox is that he is not easily rattled in his detective work. He seems to take everything in stride. He gets woken up at 4am and he simply gets up, gets dressed, and goes downstairs to meet his unexpected visitor. In this case, it's Lady Annabelle Payson. Her son George has gone missing at Oxford. Lady Annabelle had also discovered George's cat, dead, in his room. I find it interesting that Lady Annabelle doesn't involve the police in this matter - and neither does Lenox. He simply takes a train to Oxford, his old stomping grounds, to see what he can discover. I am not sure if this is the way things were actually handled in the 1800's in London, or if it just makes these stories more interesting.... Of course the police (Scotland Yard) is eventually called in after George's dead body is discovered in one of the college's courtyards.
Lenox is a man of clues and lists. He simply writes down each clue and studies it. He has a couple of helpers in his sleuthing. His butler, Graham, helps him by questioning servants and other people of his similar "station" in life. Servants know a lot about what goes on around them! Graham is Lenox' "Holmes" so to speak. We also get introduced to a new helper in this book. His name is Dallington. He is the third (screw-up) son of a prominent family. He comes to Lenox to ask him if he can be Lenox' detective apprentice. Dallington has decided that being a detective is what he is called to do. Lenox likes Dallington, despite his drinking and womanizing, and agrees to this new arrangement. There is also Lenox' best friend, Thomas, who is a doctor (and alcoholic) who always assists with the medical issues surrounding each death. So, Lenox is building a solid team.
Lenox is also extremely interested in politics and has always wanted to be a part of the London Parliament, like his older brother. I am not exactly knowledgeable about the 1860's British government, but it is discussed quite a bit in these books. I read it all, but the political activities and parties that are important to Lenox don't really sink into my brain. Ha!
Anyway, Lenox' mission in this book is to find two missing young men, George Payson and his best friend, Bill Dabney, and then figure out how their disappearance connects to a military "club" called The September Society. These current events also connect to a previous death of an officer in the military (murder? suicide?) from 19 years ago. Lenox is successful in this mission. ;)
Wendy's Rating: ****
What I love about Lenox is that he is not easily rattled in his detective work. He seems to take everything in stride. He gets woken up at 4am and he simply gets up, gets dressed, and goes downstairs to meet his unexpected visitor. In this case, it's Lady Annabelle Payson. Her son George has gone missing at Oxford. Lady Annabelle had also discovered George's cat, dead, in his room. I find it interesting that Lady Annabelle doesn't involve the police in this matter - and neither does Lenox. He simply takes a train to Oxford, his old stomping grounds, to see what he can discover. I am not sure if this is the way things were actually handled in the 1800's in London, or if it just makes these stories more interesting.... Of course the police (Scotland Yard) is eventually called in after George's dead body is discovered in one of the college's courtyards.
Lenox is a man of clues and lists. He simply writes down each clue and studies it. He has a couple of helpers in his sleuthing. His butler, Graham, helps him by questioning servants and other people of his similar "station" in life. Servants know a lot about what goes on around them! Graham is Lenox' "Holmes" so to speak. We also get introduced to a new helper in this book. His name is Dallington. He is the third (screw-up) son of a prominent family. He comes to Lenox to ask him if he can be Lenox' detective apprentice. Dallington has decided that being a detective is what he is called to do. Lenox likes Dallington, despite his drinking and womanizing, and agrees to this new arrangement. There is also Lenox' best friend, Thomas, who is a doctor (and alcoholic) who always assists with the medical issues surrounding each death. So, Lenox is building a solid team.
Lenox is also extremely interested in politics and has always wanted to be a part of the London Parliament, like his older brother. I am not exactly knowledgeable about the 1860's British government, but it is discussed quite a bit in these books. I read it all, but the political activities and parties that are important to Lenox don't really sink into my brain. Ha!
Anyway, Lenox' mission in this book is to find two missing young men, George Payson and his best friend, Bill Dabney, and then figure out how their disappearance connects to a military "club" called The September Society. These current events also connect to a previous death of an officer in the military (murder? suicide?) from 19 years ago. Lenox is successful in this mission. ;)
Wendy's Rating: ****
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
I love reading memoirs, but this was a difficult read for me. I am always incredibly disturbed by all the abuse that goes on in our world: abuse of children, abuse of minorities, abuse of animals, abuse of the disabled, abuse of power. My heart breaks for those most vulnerable in our society when they have no one to protect them or stand up and fight for them. Enter Bryan Stevenson. This man has dedicated his career - and his life - to being the voice for those that have no voice due to a miscarriage of justice. This is a very powerful read - written by a man who puts his money where his mouth is. He walks the walk, despite the pain that it causes him.
I am always astounded, and deeply impressed, that people like Bryan - and all the other lawyers, interns, researchers and other staff who work at Equal Justice Initiative, choose to make a difference in this world over money. Many of the lawyers working at EQJ came from Ivy League law schools. These intelligent and dedicated lawyers could be making a lot of money being corporate lawyers, tax attorneys, criminal lawyers, financial advisors, but instead they sign on to EQJ to work very long frustrating hours for minimal pay. This practice runs on donations. The EQJ does not charge a fee to represent any of their clients. Their clients are men, women and children who are on death row, or children who have been sent to prison with no hope of parole.
Bryan is against capital punishment in general, and he fights to make it unlawful, especially the inhumane ways it's been implemented. He also fights for the release of innocent people, people in prison who are disabled or mentally ill, people who are poor and children. He has gone before the Supreme Court five times (as of the writing of this book) and has brought about significant change nationwide, but particularly in Alabama and other states in the deep south where prejudices run deep against African Americans and other people of color.
I am humbled by this man. Bryan states that he learned from Walter McMillian, the innocent man he worked tirelessly to get released from Death Row, that "...mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion."
Just Mercy.
Wendy's Rating: *****
I am always astounded, and deeply impressed, that people like Bryan - and all the other lawyers, interns, researchers and other staff who work at Equal Justice Initiative, choose to make a difference in this world over money. Many of the lawyers working at EQJ came from Ivy League law schools. These intelligent and dedicated lawyers could be making a lot of money being corporate lawyers, tax attorneys, criminal lawyers, financial advisors, but instead they sign on to EQJ to work very long frustrating hours for minimal pay. This practice runs on donations. The EQJ does not charge a fee to represent any of their clients. Their clients are men, women and children who are on death row, or children who have been sent to prison with no hope of parole.
Bryan is against capital punishment in general, and he fights to make it unlawful, especially the inhumane ways it's been implemented. He also fights for the release of innocent people, people in prison who are disabled or mentally ill, people who are poor and children. He has gone before the Supreme Court five times (as of the writing of this book) and has brought about significant change nationwide, but particularly in Alabama and other states in the deep south where prejudices run deep against African Americans and other people of color.
I am humbled by this man. Bryan states that he learned from Walter McMillian, the innocent man he worked tirelessly to get released from Death Row, that "...mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion."
Just Mercy.
Wendy's Rating: *****
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling continues to be one of my very favorite authors. She is an amazingly prolific writer whose character development is beyond comparison. I think I have said this before too, but the deeper she gets into her characters, the longer her novels are as well! Lethal White is quite long for a mystery novel at 647 pages (hardcover). I could easily have read another 600 pages about Cormoran and Robin though. Unfortunately, I have to wait until September 2020 for the next installment.
Lethal White Syndrome is an autosomal (non-sex chromosome) genetic disorder found mostly in the American Paint Horse. The foals appear normal at birth and they are white, or nearly all white, with blue eyes. But they have a nonfunctioning colon and will die within days of birth. Since it's a painful death, the foals are often humanely euthanized. So, what does this explanation, and title of the book, have to do with this story? Well, I have spent some time thinking about it, and I'm not entirely sure. Certainly horses are prevalent in the story since the man who hires Cormoran, Jasper Chiswell, has a wife who owns nine horses; a significant painting in the story is of a mare and her dead foal; the skeleton of a dead pony is discovered; a young child is presumably strangled by "the horse" and buried in the dell.
While I was pondering the meaning of the title, I also wondered about the quotes that prefaced each chapter of the entire book. They were all quotes attributed to "Henrik Ibsen, Rosmersholm". So, I googled it since it was not familiar to me. Rosmersholm is actually a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was published in 1886. It is described as "one of Ibsen's most complex, subtle, multilayered and ambiguous plays...." It's a story about an ex-parson, Rosmer, a man of high ethical standards, and his housekeeper, a "free spirit". They are haunted by Rosmer's wife who died of suicide, due to the housekeeper's "subtle influence". These two people "contaminate" each other and the play ends in a double suicide.
So....keeping all of this in mind, Jasper Chiswell, who hires Cormoran because he is being blackmailed, ends up dead by presumed suicide. Cormoran and Robin believe it's murder, but it takes time to figure out who had both motive and the ability to pull it off. In addition to the murder mystery, Robin & Matthew's marriage is falling apart (after only one year); a pregnant Charlotte enters Cormoran's life again; Cormoran is involved with an incredibly lovely (and patient) woman named Lorelei; and then finally there are the unmentioned feelings between Cormoran and Robin. Seriously good storytelling!
J.K. Rowling is incredibly creative and intelligent. She is also British, so I enjoy reading her British terms and slang that I have no idea what they mean. Ha! As long as she is writing novels, no matter what the genre, I will be reading them.
Wendy's Rating: *****
Lethal White Syndrome is an autosomal (non-sex chromosome) genetic disorder found mostly in the American Paint Horse. The foals appear normal at birth and they are white, or nearly all white, with blue eyes. But they have a nonfunctioning colon and will die within days of birth. Since it's a painful death, the foals are often humanely euthanized. So, what does this explanation, and title of the book, have to do with this story? Well, I have spent some time thinking about it, and I'm not entirely sure. Certainly horses are prevalent in the story since the man who hires Cormoran, Jasper Chiswell, has a wife who owns nine horses; a significant painting in the story is of a mare and her dead foal; the skeleton of a dead pony is discovered; a young child is presumably strangled by "the horse" and buried in the dell.
While I was pondering the meaning of the title, I also wondered about the quotes that prefaced each chapter of the entire book. They were all quotes attributed to "Henrik Ibsen, Rosmersholm". So, I googled it since it was not familiar to me. Rosmersholm is actually a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was published in 1886. It is described as "one of Ibsen's most complex, subtle, multilayered and ambiguous plays...." It's a story about an ex-parson, Rosmer, a man of high ethical standards, and his housekeeper, a "free spirit". They are haunted by Rosmer's wife who died of suicide, due to the housekeeper's "subtle influence". These two people "contaminate" each other and the play ends in a double suicide.
So....keeping all of this in mind, Jasper Chiswell, who hires Cormoran because he is being blackmailed, ends up dead by presumed suicide. Cormoran and Robin believe it's murder, but it takes time to figure out who had both motive and the ability to pull it off. In addition to the murder mystery, Robin & Matthew's marriage is falling apart (after only one year); a pregnant Charlotte enters Cormoran's life again; Cormoran is involved with an incredibly lovely (and patient) woman named Lorelei; and then finally there are the unmentioned feelings between Cormoran and Robin. Seriously good storytelling!
J.K. Rowling is incredibly creative and intelligent. She is also British, so I enjoy reading her British terms and slang that I have no idea what they mean. Ha! As long as she is writing novels, no matter what the genre, I will be reading them.
Wendy's Rating: *****
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Exile by Shannon Messenger
This is the second book of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. We still don't know who Sophie Foster's parents are/were, but we find out that she was "made" by the Black Swan group, which is why she has so many different abilities. She is asked to go to Exile with Alden (by Alden) because Alden receives a message suggesting that he should take Sophie when he goes to Exile to talk to Fintan, the Pyrokinetic, who is suspected of creating the Everblaze in the first book and attempting to destroy the human race. (In book one, Sophie was able to bottle the Everblaze, one of her many talents - therefore saving the human race). Alden goes into Fintan's mind to attempt to discover his secrets and who is behind the rebellion. Sophie is there to bring Alden "back" so his mind doesn't break in the process of breaking Fintan. Unfortunately, no one knows that Sophie herself has "malfunctioned", so not only can she not prevent Alden's mind from being broken, but she also enters Prentice's mind (who is also in Exile since his mind was broken by Alden previously) and although she discovers a "pocket" or "nook" of positive thoughts in his mind, she is not able to save him either.
Sophie spends a lot of this book in pain actually. She gets blinding headaches, especially around light and she has a difficult time sleeping. She seems afraid to go to Elwin with her concerns however, not that Elwin would have known she was "malfunctioning" anyway. They are all just trying to figure out "Sophie", one event at a time, including Sophie herself. She discovers more of her abilities, like teleporting though. And she discovers that she was "made" to be able to restore broken minds like Prentice's. She also finds an alicorn, named Silveny, an extremely rare glittery winged horse, which she is able to bring back to Havenfield in an attempt to protect and prepare her to enter the Sanctuary, where the only other alicorn (a male) lives. For some reason, Silveny and Sophie are able to transmit their words and feelings to each other internally.
In the first book, Sophie spends a lot of time with her best friend, Dex, while pining after Fitz. In this book, she is still pining after Fitz, and her best friend is still Dex, but she spends a lot of time with Fitz's best friend, Keefe, and Keefe is her main support after her adventure to Exile. I am not sure why that is. Keefe seems to have "a thing" for Sophie; along with Dex and Fitz. So I am not sure which direction Sophie's personal life is heading. She is only 13 years old though, so plenty of time (and books) to figure that out.
I am really enjoying this series. Although they are longer books (like Harry Potter), they read fast for adults. The writing style in engaging and the story is easy to follow.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Sophie spends a lot of this book in pain actually. She gets blinding headaches, especially around light and she has a difficult time sleeping. She seems afraid to go to Elwin with her concerns however, not that Elwin would have known she was "malfunctioning" anyway. They are all just trying to figure out "Sophie", one event at a time, including Sophie herself. She discovers more of her abilities, like teleporting though. And she discovers that she was "made" to be able to restore broken minds like Prentice's. She also finds an alicorn, named Silveny, an extremely rare glittery winged horse, which she is able to bring back to Havenfield in an attempt to protect and prepare her to enter the Sanctuary, where the only other alicorn (a male) lives. For some reason, Silveny and Sophie are able to transmit their words and feelings to each other internally.
In the first book, Sophie spends a lot of time with her best friend, Dex, while pining after Fitz. In this book, she is still pining after Fitz, and her best friend is still Dex, but she spends a lot of time with Fitz's best friend, Keefe, and Keefe is her main support after her adventure to Exile. I am not sure why that is. Keefe seems to have "a thing" for Sophie; along with Dex and Fitz. So I am not sure which direction Sophie's personal life is heading. She is only 13 years old though, so plenty of time (and books) to figure that out.
I am really enjoying this series. Although they are longer books (like Harry Potter), they read fast for adults. The writing style in engaging and the story is easy to follow.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Monday, April 6, 2020
The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts
This is Book 3 of the Chronicles of The One. Since I read Book 1 in 2018 and Book 2 in 2019, after I finished this book, I went back and read what I blogged about Books 1 and 2. The main characters from Book 1 that I missed in Book 2 returned for the final "chapter" of this trilogy, which I liked. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time remembering who they all were at first. That's what happens when you have to wait for each book to be published before reading. This third book doesn't disappoint. Yes, there are good people who die, but freedom isn't free.
Fallon Swift teams up with the New Hope founders (her mother Lana & friends), her father (Simon), brothers (Travis, Colin & Ethan), her mentor (Mallick) and the love of her life and his twin sister (Duncan & Tonia) to fight against all that's evil in the United States. Their goal is not just to destroy evil, but to rescue all the persecuted who are being held as prisoners. Many of the prisoners are raped, tortured and experimented on. Their goal is a more peaceful country where all humans and magical people can live in harmony. This is an admirable goal, which is ultimately achieved at great cost. One thing that I don't really understand (or don't remember) is why Fallon, Duncan and Tonia are so powerful together. I get the significance of the number "three" in magic, but what connects these three specifically?
As I mentioned in the earlier books, it surprised me again that Allegra & Petra don't really appear in the novel until the very end. They may be the "ultimate evil", but Fallon ends up only having one battle with each of them. She spends the rest of her time drawing up battle plans for taking New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, etc. back from the enemy, which includes the self-elected President.
So in the end, good wins over evil and love conquers all. There is nothing wrong with ending a trilogy like that! I very much enjoyed it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Fallon Swift teams up with the New Hope founders (her mother Lana & friends), her father (Simon), brothers (Travis, Colin & Ethan), her mentor (Mallick) and the love of her life and his twin sister (Duncan & Tonia) to fight against all that's evil in the United States. Their goal is not just to destroy evil, but to rescue all the persecuted who are being held as prisoners. Many of the prisoners are raped, tortured and experimented on. Their goal is a more peaceful country where all humans and magical people can live in harmony. This is an admirable goal, which is ultimately achieved at great cost. One thing that I don't really understand (or don't remember) is why Fallon, Duncan and Tonia are so powerful together. I get the significance of the number "three" in magic, but what connects these three specifically?
As I mentioned in the earlier books, it surprised me again that Allegra & Petra don't really appear in the novel until the very end. They may be the "ultimate evil", but Fallon ends up only having one battle with each of them. She spends the rest of her time drawing up battle plans for taking New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, etc. back from the enemy, which includes the self-elected President.
So in the end, good wins over evil and love conquers all. There is nothing wrong with ending a trilogy like that! I very much enjoyed it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Friday, April 3, 2020
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
This book is considered youth fiction, but I really enjoyed it myself. I love the idea of the Native American Circle Justice. It was a much more effective way for Cole to change his life than prison would have done. He probably would have come out of prison angrier and more violent than he already was.
Cole is a 15 year old who caused serious injury to a classmate, Peter, by beating him up and smashing his head repeatedly into the concrete sidewalk. Cole was pulled off his classmate by others. Cole had so much anger inside of him and the only way he dealt with his feelings was through physical aggression. Cole's father was beaten as a child, so he in turn beat his own son, Cole. Cole then took that lesson and beat up others whenever he felt angry.
Cole was given the choice of going to prison for his actions or participating in Circle Justice. Choosing Circle Justice would mean that Cole would be taken to a deserted island and dropped off to live by himself for one year. He would be given supplies and food, dropped off on a regular basis. Cole chose Circle Justice, thinking that he could escape his punishment once he was on the island.
What I love about this book is the multiple themes that are explored. Two significant ones are "Karma" (what you do to others, you do to yourself) and "Life is a Circle" (what goes around, comes around). These are important lessons for all pre-teens/teens. Who am I kidding. Adults too!
Wendy's Rating: *****
Cole is a 15 year old who caused serious injury to a classmate, Peter, by beating him up and smashing his head repeatedly into the concrete sidewalk. Cole was pulled off his classmate by others. Cole had so much anger inside of him and the only way he dealt with his feelings was through physical aggression. Cole's father was beaten as a child, so he in turn beat his own son, Cole. Cole then took that lesson and beat up others whenever he felt angry.
Cole was given the choice of going to prison for his actions or participating in Circle Justice. Choosing Circle Justice would mean that Cole would be taken to a deserted island and dropped off to live by himself for one year. He would be given supplies and food, dropped off on a regular basis. Cole chose Circle Justice, thinking that he could escape his punishment once he was on the island.
What I love about this book is the multiple themes that are explored. Two significant ones are "Karma" (what you do to others, you do to yourself) and "Life is a Circle" (what goes around, comes around). These are important lessons for all pre-teens/teens. Who am I kidding. Adults too!
Wendy's Rating: *****
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