Tag: book reviews

As her mother is on her death bed and not able to communicate, a woman learns that her father is not her real father. She investigates and learns nothing in her family is what she believed it was as her mother was involved in the mob in Chicago a long time ago.  Just ok… a bit long winded with an unsatisfying ending.

PJH Rating: ***1/2

A woman looks back at her summer when she was 17 and working at an old amusement park with one of her old friends.   I didn’t get into this short novel as much as the one I read earlier from Moore.  I enjoy her style and quirky characters though.

PJH Rating: ***1/2

Cormoran Strike is a down and out, ex-military private Investigator in London who is hired to investigate the death of a famous super model.  With the help of his temp secretary they investigate the usual suspects to see if the death was a suicide or murder.  Terrific writing and interesting characters make this a great read. I hope this turns into a series.  This is the novel that was published under a pen name of J.K. Rowling – author of the Harry Potter books.

PJH Rating: ****1/2

Story of Tassie, a twenty year old who just started her first year of college.  She finds a job babysitting for a family who just adopted a baby who has been in foster care for the past several years.  The novel is told in first person by Tassie and goes back and forth between her personal life, her babysitting and her family back home on the farm.  The novel is very interesting and I was hooked right away.  The characters are great and the writing is wonderful.  The story is interesting – taking on racism, sexism, and patriotism.  The section that gives the back story of the adopted couple is truly frightening. Horrific. The author has a unique style that might turn some people off as not much happens a lot of the time, a lot of rambling thoughts… but again this is my type of novel.  I’m excited to read her other books.

PJH Rating: ****1/2

A thirteen year old Chinese American boy falls in love with a Japanese girl in Seattle on the eve of World Ward II. The Japanese girl’s family is eventually sent off to an internment camp.  It was interesting to read about the history of this time, of Seattle in the 1940’s and of the awful treatment of minorities. The book, although enjoyable, was a bit too sappy for me.

PJH rating: ***

A retired British major lives in a scenic country village in England and tires of the pace of modernity…or jumps on board?, dealing with his London based son, the death of his brother, a new lady friend and the possible  destruction of his beloved village.  A fun novel.

PJH Rating: ****

Set during the onset of WW1, a young woman recently married is on her way to NYC but the ship sinks and she finds herself in an overcrowded lifeboat.  The dynamics of the group constantly shift as the situation shifts in tragic ways.  A terrific first novel that is hard to put down.

PJH ****

Dysfunctional family in rural Louisiana told from the different viewpoints of family members over two different generations.  Prequel to the popular Ya Ya Sisterhood book.  Southern chic lit.

PJH Rating: *** (but a good beach book I must say)

Latest collection of short stories and poems from David Sedaris.  Funny as usual.  I especially enjoy the stories about his family when he is growing up.

PJH Rating: ***1/2

Two women compete against each other in Olympice level cycling starting when they are 19 years old up until three olympics later when they are in their mid 30’s.  The complicated relationships involved and the one athlete’s daughter who has leukemia makes this a compelling novel.  A great book that really sucks you in.  Amazingly different than Little Bee – the author’s previous best seller – but just as good.

PJH Rating: ****1/2