The Reading List by Sara Misha Adams

I really loved the premise of this book. The same list of books is found by different people at different times in different places. The list of books, in order, include To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved, and A Suitable Boy. The list is headed by the sentence, "Just in case you need it." Since I have read all of these books except one (A Suitable Boy), I found the story even more relatable. I do believe that books - and the messages within them - can be very influential on a person's life. Looking at the list initially, I wasn't sure what the common "theme" was, since these are all very different stories. Each reader gets different things out of each story though, and it also depends on the age of the reader and their life experiences.

One of the two main characters is Aleisha, a 17-year old living at home with her older brother, Aidan, and their mother. Their father left years ago and now has a new family. Aleisha & Aidan are their mother's caregivers. Leilah (mom) experiences pretty severe mental health symptoms that are left untreated. Aleisha & Aidan take turns working and taking care of her. It's a pretty depressing life for both of them, not to mention their mother. Aleisha starts a summer job at the local library, which is where she discovers the Reading List. As a non-reader up to that point, deciding to start reading the books on the list opens up her world.

The second main character is Mukesh, who lives alone since his beloved wife died. He has three daughters (who each call him daily) and three grandchildren. The grandchild he spends the most time with is Priya, who is a voracious reader. Mukesh is lonely and boring. He decides to try to connect with young Priya by going to the library to check out a book to read. The first person Mukesh encounters at the library is Aleisha, who is the new employee. She doesn't want to be there; she doesn't read; and she is incredibly rude. Fortunately, Aleisha feels bad about how she treated Mukesh and she tries to make it up to him by recommending the first book on the Reading List, To Kill a Mockingbird. She reads it at the same time - and then tries to stay ahead of Mukesh as they both read the books on the list.

As much as I liked the book, it was confusing at times because different characters (who find the Reading List) have small chapters throughout the book that don't seem to connect with the main characters. These chapters would throw me off. Do I know who they are? Did the author mention them previously? It's a small London town they all live in, with a very small library, so I guess in that respect they are all connected through someone, but still.... Also, the main "theme" that ties all the books together is "loss". So, although the book ends with the characters feeling hope for their futures, there is a lot of sadness. I am still incredibly sad about a significant loss that happens in the book. :( I can't stop thinking about it.

Wendy's Rating: ****

A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch #7 - and my introduction to Terry McCaleb. Since I am specifically reading the Harry Bosch series, I was not familiar with McCaleb. Maybe I will read his series later! Anyway, McCaleb used to work for the FBI, until he had a medical crisis and retired. Now he is living on Catalina Island with his wife, adopted son, and baby daughter. He owns a boat called The Following Sea and runs a charter business with his partner, Buddy. McCaleb is approached by Sheriff's detective Jaye Winston one day unexpectedly. Winston asks McCaleb to look at the murder book of a case she has been working on because the case has stalled. McCaleb's wife is adamantly opposed to McCaleb going back to work. The job is too dangerous, even if he didn't have his medical (heart) issues. So, of course, he can't resist and soon he is heavily embroiled in the case. The case involves a man found murdered, bound & gagged with a bucket covering his head. There is a plastic owl looking down at him, which seems really out of place in the room he is found in. McCaleb picks up on this right away.

Meanwhile, Harry is in court, sitting at a prosecutor's table, trying to take down Hollywood movie director David Storey. Bosch is the major witness for the case against Storey, and the case goes well. Probably too well, which the prosecuting team figures out soon enough. David Storey is accused of murdering a young woman after they go out together and then have sex at his home. She is never seen alive again. Her death is initially ruled accidental due to autoerotic asphyxia, but Harry believes she was murdered by Storey. Bosch also believes Storey murdered Gunn (from a previous murder case.)

As luck (bad luck for Harry) would have it, McCaleb's case leads him to Bosch. Bosch begins to emerge as a key suspect in McCaleb & Winston's murder case. Once Bosch figures this out, the race is on to try to convince the jury of Storey's guilt before Bosch himself is discredited in court by being charged with the murder of McCaleb's victim.

This is a very engaging read. The two cases merge - and Harry & Terry eventually end up working together to find the truth. They don't exactly part on friendly terms at the end of the book though. I think this is a short-term issue however. Terry is very judgmental when it comes to how Harry handled the Gunn situation (and eventual murder). He tells Harry that they are "no longer friends". Harry responds that he does what he has to do - and questions Terry about doing the same. Terry does some "soul searching" and realizes that Harry is right. I suspect the two of them will be friends again soon enough.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Donna Tartt is an intelligent and engaging writer. Although I didn't like The Goldfinch as much as I thought I would based on it's reviews, I DID love this story. Her characters are always unique individuals. Some I like better than others. Some leave me wondering what the true intent of their action is. This author always does a fantastic job with character development in her books, including someone's decline in character.

This is the story of a small, eclectic group of college students who study Greek under one professor. There are only six students: Henry, Francis, Charles & Camilla (twins), Bunny and Richard. The original five were good friends. They eventually accepted Richard into their group after their professor Julian (truly an enigma himself) was convinced to allow Richard to join his class. Richard was basically "out of his league" with this group. He was poor with no family support. The rest of them were insanely wealthy - or at minimum, their family presented as being wealthy. Richard made up his history in California, which is where he grew up. He made his life more interesting than it really was. The rest of them had genuinely led privileged lives. The college they all attended was called Hampden and it was located in Vermont.

Henry was pretty much the ringleader of the group. He seemed to be the most intelligent and the wealthiest. Francis was also wealthy, but a closeted gay man (at least as far as his parents were concerned). Charles & Camilla lived together and seemed to have a co-dependent relationship. We find out later that their relationship is even closer than they presented to the world. Bunny is the screwball. He's a party animal, fun, wicked, engaging. Richard is definitely "the outsider" for a long time. Which isn't a bad thing, all things said and done!

The original five decide they want to experience an "otherworldly" event of a spiritual nature. Everything they did involved A LOT of alcohol and other assorted drugs, and this "event" was no different. Something awful happened during the event, which ended up only involving Henry, Francis, Charles and Camilla. When Bunny finds out about it, he starts to blackmail Henry, and relentlessly taunts the rest of them, threatening exposure. Even I came to dislike Bunny intensely. At this point, Richard is still a peripheral part of this group. He honestly doesn't know what's going on between the other five. Soon though, Henry informs him of their situation. They decide that they need to "do something" about Bunny before he destroys them all.

This is a story of one thing leading to another; one bad decision leading to another bad decision. The reader experiences the negative results in an impactful way.  I would say that it's difficult to read about their lives falling apart, but the writing is absolutely compelling and convincing. I read the last 250 pages in one sitting. Very well written!

Wendy's Rating: *****

Fences by August Wilson

I saw this play as a movie starring Denzel Washington years ago. Denzel portrays Troy Maxson, who is not a very nice man. But, after reading this in play format, I developed a deeper understanding of who Troy is and why he does what he does. His own father was a troubled and abusive man. Troy's mother left him when he was 8 years old. One thing Troy's father taught him was the value of hard work. Troy does the best he can, only knowing his own childhood trauma, and finding a way to survive it.

Troy has two sons, Lyons (34) and his teenage son, Cory, who he shares with his current wife, Rose. Lyons perceives himself as a musician, but he doesn't seem to work overly hard at it. He is always asking his father for money. When Troy tells him to get a job, Lyons explains that he just wants to live a life that he enjoys. This infuriates Troy, who wants Lyons to make something of himself. Troy also pushes Cory to get a job, even though Cory wants to play football and even has a recruiter interested in him. Troy refuses to even meet with the recruiter, since he believes that the world of athletics caters to white athletes and that even if Cory got recruited to play football in college, he would just sit on the bench because he's black. Troy himself was a talented ball player, but couldn't get anywhere playing baseball because he was black.

Troy loves Rose, but that doesn't stop him from seeing another woman (Alberta) on the side. Even when Troy's best friend, Bono, tells Troy that Rose loves him and doesn't deserve what he is doing to her, Troy explains that he loves both women. Troy and Rose have been married for 18 years when Troy tells Rose that he is going to be a father again. Rose is deeply hurt, as she should be. Rose had allowed Troy to consume her during their marriage, giving him her whole self, to the point that she doesn't even know who she is anymore. When Alberta dies in childbirth, Troy brings the baby girl (Raynell) to Rose and asks Rose to raise her. Since Raynell is an innocent child, Rose agrees to become Raynell's mother, but declares she is no longer Troy's wife.

The other significant person in Troy's life is his brother, Gabriel. Gabriel suffered a traumatic brain injury in the war and received $3,000 for his pain and suffering. Troy takes that money and buys the home he lives in with Rose and Cory. Gabriel lived there too, until he decided he wanted to live more "independently". Troy feels guilt over using Gabriel's money, but also feels he is responsible for Gabriel. Which basically, he is.

Troy is a complex man. An angry man. A hard working man. He would be very difficult to love. With that being said, he manages his life and his family the only way he knows. And at the foundation, he loves his family and feels an undeniable need to take care of them all, in his own way.

Wendy's Rating: ****

Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

What a fantastic book to start out the new year! Stephanie Dray has a wonderful, engaging writing style and Frances Perkins is a fascinating and impressive historical figure that I definitely didn't know enough about. It's so motivating to read about strong, intelligent women who are forces of nature. I was also intrigued by a young Franklin D Roosevelt. When I think of FDR, I think of a former president who was in a wheelchair. I never thought of him as a handsome, charismatic, young man who charmed the pants off the people around him. I also loved reading about how much he matured in his thinking as he aged, and certainly after polio left him wheelchair-bound. I loved his undeniable faith in, and support of, Frances Perkins. For FDR to want a woman appointed to his cabinet in the 1930s is truly remarkable. Even when Frances sometimes caused trouble for him, due to her own strong views, his support of her was unshakeable. I'm just not sure we have these kind of role models in today's society, much less in today's political system.

To be totally honest, I had no idea that it was Frances Perkins, and her husband, Paul Wilson, who came up with the idea of Social Security. Like many (most!) Americans, I have never thought about a time before Social Security. It's just always been there. When I think of the drive, ambition, determination and fearlessness it took for her (with the support of FDR) to push this idea through Congress, the House and the Senate, it's hard to fathom. 

On top of her work, Frances had a challenging personal life as well. Paul was a good husband for her because he supported her intelligence and independence at a time when women were supposed to stay home, have babies, and take care of the home. He accepted her for who she was. Paul was deeply intelligent in his own right. Unfortunately, he was also mentally ill, which presented itself years after they were married. They both wanted several children, but after losing one to miscarriage and one to stillbirth, they were only able to have one daughter, Susanna. Susanna took after her father, beautiful and intelligent, but saddled with mental illness. Frances felt guilt her entire marriage as she tried to do right by her family and also the American people.

Frances had an eclectic group of close friends that she was deeply loyal to: repeat presidential candidate Al Smith (although she eventually chose to support FDR over Al Smith), Mary Harriman Rumsey (a millionaire socialite who she lived with once her husband was sent to live in an asylum) and Sinclair Lewis (who seemed deeply in love with her for most of his life).

I highly recommend this book! Definitely impressive!

Wendy's Rating: *****

Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

Allen Eskens is a talented writer. He is wonderful with character development in his stories, so the reader really cares about them and what happens to them. This particular story is about 15-year old Boady Sanden, living with his single mother (in Missouri) who seems a bit detached from life. She cares about Boady, though, and when he started getting into some trouble at the local public school, she decided to send him to a private school (St. Ignatius High School) instead. Boady is pretty much an outsider at this school, bullied and lacking in friends. Boady and his mother have no money (his dad died when Boady was 5 years old), so they both work a lot to survive. Boady is saving up money to leave town as soon as he has enough money, not even planning to finish High School.

This small Missouri town is the home of the CORPS, which is similar to the KKK. The "mystery" of this story is "what happened to Lida Poe?" Lida, a black woman, is missing. The story is that she left town after embezzling money from her employer. Meanwhile, the Elgin family buys the large home across the street from Boady and his mother (who live in a very small house). The Elgins have come from Minnesota and they are black. They are wealthy, intelligent and kind. Mr. Elgin is the person who's been hired to take over the company with the missing money. None of this sits right with the CORPS. 

Boady becomes friends with Thomas Elgin, who is Boady's same age. Boady's mother develops a friendship with Mrs. Elgin, so she starts coming out of her shell. The other significant relationship in Boady's life is the man who lives next door to them, Hoke. Hoke is a mysterious man who seems to always be looking out for Boady. He sits on his front porch daily and Boady joins him there often, just to sit and talk. Or just to sit. Hoke is constantly journaling when he is sitting on the porch, but he never shares what he is writing.

Thomas and Boady end up finding the headquarters of the CORPS and the body of Lida Poe on their "camping adventures". Things take a dangerous turn for them after that. A neighbor's house is burnt down, the Elgin family is harassed, and men drive down their street to throw large stones at the Elgins and Boady. One of the stones hits Boady's mother in the head, which causes a serious injury (coma and TBI).

The ending is bittersweet. Boady grows up a lot, which is good. His mother recovers, which is also good. But the ending is sad. I guess that's life. Very well-written book.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Well, I really liked this book - and then there was the ending. I am a fan of Ruth Ware and have read several of her books. This is a page-turner. It's creepy. It's mysterious. There are secrets that are unveiled over time. There is everything that you need in a good book. What I was astounded by was the extremely ambiguous ending. I don't need all the answers at the end of a book. I certainly don't need everything tied up in a neat little bow. Discussing different interpretations of not-clear endings of books makes book club more interesting. What threw me with this one is how abrupt the ending was - and how many things were left unsaid. I actually went online to search on what other people thought of the ending. Ha! I was not disappointed! Lots of negative responses for sure.

The story is about a young woman (Rowan) who applies for a nanny position at a home in the Scottish Highlands. The family is wealthy, so the nanny salary is generous. There are four daughters, ages 1 (?) - 14. The oldest is away at school, so Rowan is responsible for the three youngest while the parents work/travel. The area of concern in this new job is the fact that the last four nannies left abruptly, one after one night. There are rumors that the house (mansion, really) is haunted. The original owner's teenage daughter died after eating poison berries and the owner was never the same again, due to his grief.

It doesn't take long for Rowan to find out that the girls are a handful. Another challenge is the technology. It's like a "smart" house with camera's everywhere and an iPad that controls pretty much everything. Then there is a housekeeper who is definitely not friendly to Rowan when she arrives - and a chauffeur/handyman who lives on the property who is a little too friendly (wink, wink). Oh, and of course there are two large dogs because Rowan doesn't have enough on her plate!

The house (and it's creepy sounds & missing keys & the girl's mother randomly talking to her through the speakers set up throughout the house even though she is traveling) scares Rowan. After a few days she can't even sleep in her own room she is so frightened, so she sleeps on a couch in the common area. Since the book starts with Rowan being charged with murder, it's not a spoiler to say that one of the girls dies.

Suddenly, the book is over! The author jumps ahead two years after the tragic death event, but we have no idea what happens to Rowan - or any of the remaining daughters - or their parents. It's the oddest thing. There are some "hints" (I guess you could call them) at the end, but those hints are definitely open to interpretation! I don't agree with most of the online comments though. I have my own theory, but I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who decides to read it.

Wendy's Rating: ****