My Own Little Book Corner

March was a pretty good month for reading. I read 11 books and half of another one that I put on my DNF pile. I enjoyed most of the books and they were a wide range of genres. I hope you can find one or two that you like. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle This is the “One Book, One Community” read for Baton Rouge. It is an easy read. Holmes and Watson are called to help solve a mystery of a death and to protect another man from death. The dead man, Sir Charles Baskerville, died of fright. The mystery is – what frightened him so? Was it the hound of the Baskervilles, a legend of a monster dog that has haunted their family, or something not as supernatural? Will the heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, suffer a similar fate? And who is behind it all? These are the questions that must be answered. If you are looking for a lighter detective book, this is the one. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris This is based on a true story of a...

I was almost finished with my reviews for the month when I hit the wrong button and deleted it all. Fortunately I had a chocolate chunk cookie to help me handle it, but the reviews this month may not be that detailed for the most part. I read 9 ½ books again. Some good ones, some so-so and one not worth finishing. Upstate by James Woods Having taken a trip to Upstate New York last fall, this book title caught my eye. I enjoyed this book. It is about the Querry family from England. One of the daughters, Vanessa, lives in upstate New York. She has suffered with depression or unhappiness most, if not all her life. It seemed to intensify when her mom passed away when she was younger. Her boyfriend contacts her sister, Helen about Vanessa’s latest dark period and Helen and their dad, Alan, fly to New York to check on her. The story is a reflective one – about current time and past in their lives, about the family relationship and about the individuals. It is a well ...

I'm back - at least for one post.   You can tell that I am usually much better at reading than writing.   So after a long break, I've decided to record my thoughts on books I have read.   Last year I didn't have many books to report on as I only read 7 all year.   This year I'm back reading - at least for a month.  :)  In January I   read 9 1/2 books.   I'll explain the 1/2 later.  So here we go - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain I read "The Paris Wife" by the same author in 2013 and thought it was a good book.   Nothing spectacular, but good.   I felt the same way about this book.   It was an interesting story about Beryl Markham.  It tells in historical fiction fashion, her life story from a young child in Kenya to an accomplished woman who is not only a horse trainer but a pilot.   While her story is interesting, it's not spell binding and of course I didn't alw...

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens I enjoyed this book.   It was a little far fetched at times - I mean how many times can you survive surprise attacks and a kidnapping?! The main character, Joe Talbert, is in college given an assignment to interview a stranger and write about their life.   He ends up in a nursing home interviewing a Viet Nam vet who had been convicted of murder.   Joe becomes drawn in by the vet and decides to figure out what is truth and what isn't.  A well told story that had more than one character that re-enforces the idea of how easy it is to judge when you don't know a person and what life has brought their way.   Nowhere is a Place by Bernice McFadden This is a good story, but I didn't like the way it was told.   It switches some between modern day and back through the years to tell the story of a family.   Their life through the generations was anything but flowers and rainbows.  It's hard to ...

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti A well written interesting story of love between a father and a daughter.  Samuel Hawley is a widower and is raising his daughter.  They have constantly moved because of Samuel's lifestyle which has resulted in him being shot many times - thus the title of the book.   I really liked this  book.   It is a touching story of the relationship Samuel has with his daughter, Loo.  It is also a coming of age story for Loo interspersed with the back story of how they have gotten to where they are.   I  liked all of the characters - even though they are not always the people I would want as next door neighbors.   Well written with an ending that helps make the story stay with you. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman I finally read this book after picking it up several times to buy and then putting it back down.   I'm glad I finally read it.   Ove immediately drew me in - I wanted t...

Stan Musial: An American Story by George Vecsey Being a St Louis Cardinal fan, I really enjoyed this book.  Years ago we went to his restaurant in St Louis and he was there.   He was walking the floor and giving out photos that he was autographing for anyone who wanted them.  Such a friendly, unassuming man.  The book really shows what a great man he was - coming from nothing, a hard worker, a great man and ballplayer.  It was interesting reading about the connections that he had - not only with other ballplayers (both on and off his team) but also with the community. A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City" by Drew Philip Ugh! This book brought many mixed reactions. It is the story told by a man who bought a house and an adjoining lot in a blighted Detroit neighborhood for $500 each and set about restoring the house. The interesting part of the book is stories about the neighborhood. The UGH part is when the ...

The Dinner by Herman Koch What a waste of time.   This book failed on many levels.   It is a nice premise - the story is mainly told during a dinner.  The participants in the dinner are 2 brothers and their wives.   But the story is as much about their sons as it is them.   There are a lot of sociopaths with anger management issues and you wonder how they were allowed to continue to behave that way without consequences.  There's also a twist of sorts at the end that made me want to throw the book against the wall,   Just a totally unbelievable story full of people I didn't like. Keeper of The Light (Kiss River #1) by Diane Chamberlain  I probably liked this book a little more than normal because I read it after The Dinner.  Plus I've read other books by Diane Chamberlain and I like her writing style.  This story is a story of love and obsession.   One of the main characters has passed away - Annie - having been shot while doi...

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr This is a book that has been on my TBR list for a while and I'm glad I finally got it.   The story started out a little slow for me, but picked up as I got to know the characters.   There are 2 parallel stories - one in France and one in Germany - during World War II.   One is the story of a family trying to survive the occupation and the other is a story of an orphan who is part of Hitler's Youth Movement.   Each story in itself is a good read and it's interesting how they intersect.  Marie-Laure is a smart French girl who has lost her sight.   Warner is a blonde headed German boy who is also very smart.   They both do what they can to help their side in the war - but Warner, unlike Marie-Laure, internally questions if what he is doing is right. The other characters in the story are interesting and add layers. It is a beautifully written story of love, morality, war, loss, friendship and life.   (Wh...

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey This is a story that took inspiration from a Russian folk tale about a snow girl who came to life.  Jack and Mabel Childress moved to Alaska and claimed land.   They are a childless couple who had lost a baby and were looking for a new start.   One night they build a snow girl.   The next morning it is gone,but a little girl, Faina appears.   She is a child of the woods.   The question that is always in the background is whether Faina is a human or a snow child.   This is a very interesting read on many levels.  A book I recommend. The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon A sort of love story.   The Book of Someday was begun by Livvi Gray when she was a young child living in what appears to be a loveless family.   As an adult, her book gets published.   That is where the main story begins.   The story involves 3 women who don't realize they are connected but different events draw them together. ...

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver I don't know why I give author's second chances sometimes, but l'm a sucker.   Actually I will try again when it is an author that other's seem to like.  So I gave Ms Shriver another shot. The main plot of the story is an older brother whom was always idolized by his younger sister.  He shows up at her house weighing as much as a house.  The long stay is taxing enough on the sisters family, but add his weight issue and things are really heated up.  The sister has to make a decision on how best to help her brother and what she is willing to pay to help her brother.  The story, even with a plot twist that left me rolling my eyes, was not a bad story.  I just don't like Ms Shriver's writing style.  She inserts too many "facts" about diet, America;'s views of obesity, types of diets, etc.   I just wanted a story - not a research paper or sermon. Lies Your Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson I liked thi...