Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

After reading this book I almost feel like taking up running myself. This is an amazing true story of one man's search for the best way to run without injury. As a writer for Runner's World he embarks on a journey to find the elusive Tarahumara tribe who live in the Copper Canyons of Mexico and are reputed to be some of the fastest runners in the world. In the course of telling his story, the author gives some history of long distance running, and of the development of running shoes. As it turns out, the more running shoes were used, the more injuries occurred. McDougall also tells some of the science of running in an easy to read and understand way.

McDougall was able to finally run without injury as he studied and adopted the style of running learned from some of the best runners and coaches in the world. The whole idea is that people are designed to run. We don't need the shoes with the extra support. They actually work against the foot's natural running ability. There's also a sort of mystical aspect to running in which the best runners are the ones who are the most unselfish and run for the pure joy of it.

This should be a must-read for anyone who runs, but also for anyone who enjoys a tale of a fascinating life.

The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen

What an interesting, thought provoking book. It's the story of a young French engineer, Henri Poincare, who the 1970's has designed a dive platform for searching for a sunken ship off the coast of Germany. While there he meets and falls in love with a German woman, Liesel Kraus from a wealthy industrialist family which got its start during WWII making steel for Hitler and the Nazis. Henri is hired by Liesel's brother, Anselm, to develop a way to extricate gold from old computers, but is troubled by the murky history of the family. When his adopted uncle, who had survived a concentration camp, dies, Henri is compelled to find out the story of the past that his uncle was never able to talk about. During his exhaustive research, Henri discovers connections between the Kraus family and the Nazi war effort, though 10 witnesses, who are now strangely dying off, declared that Otto Kraus, the family patriarch, had been of great help to the Jewish slaves who worked in the mills.

Along the way Henri has questions not only about the Kraus family, but about his own ethics as well. Is the expedient thing also the right thing, or is that only something he tells himself? How Henri deals with the truths he discovers was as fascinating as the mysteries he solved.

This book is a prequel to the author's previous book, All Cry Chaos, in which Henri is an older man, working for Interpol and on the verge of retirement. I hadn't heard of this book before, but now must read it!

Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani

I really liked this book. It's a novel that follows the lives of children of political prisoners in Tehran, Iran, following the revolution in the 1980's. Some of the children were born in prison, then separated from their mothers. Others watched as their parents were arrested and jailed. Some parents were killed in mass executions, others returned to their families after many years. The children were raised mostly by relatives.

The story encompasses 3 generations....the grandparents and relatives who cared for the children when they were young, the politically active parents who were jailed, and the children themselves as they confronted the reality of life in Tehran as they grew to adulthood. The chapters are each from the point of view of one of the characters. At the beginning it is a woman prisoner in labor, giving birth in a prison hospital,  having her baby with her for a few months, then having to give the baby up to relatives outside the prison. Then we read of a father who sees his child once or twice, several years apart, and is finally killed. There is a chapter about an aunt who helps raise her nieces and nephews. Later chapters are about the children, both as children and as adults. All the characters lives touch and are intertwined in one way or another, as relatives or neighbors or friends or prison mates.

The story traces these lives through different regimes in Iran, and describes in such a personal way how people's lives were affected, how they suffered both from being silent and from being politically active and how the young people growing up dealt with so many frightening things in their lives...loss of parents, lack of freedom, fear of arrest, failed relationships, and so on.

I was especially interested in this book after having read Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. There were many parallels, particularly in the lives of the women and the oppression they suffered. Reading Lolita is a true story.  Children of the Jacaranda Tree is a novel but I think based on the life of the author who was herself born in Tehran's prison. Delijani has told this story in a rich, poetic, and powerful way. I highly recommend it.

Pinocula The Creature From My Closet by Obert Skye

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this children's book. It was funny and smart and sarcastic and thoughtful all rolled into one. The main character, Rob, a middle school student, occasionally is visited in the night by creatures from his closet. In this story the creature is Pinocula who teaches Rob something about lying. Besides the printed words, in a really cool font, there are lots of little funny cartoon illustrations. I spent almost as much time reading the tiny print words in the cartoons as I did reading the story...they were hilarious.

This book is third in a series of The Creature From My Closet books. I'm sure the first two are as funny as this one. I highly recommend it for all young readers.

The Kill List by Frederick Forsyth

This is the story of a hunt for a modern day terrorist, the Preacher, who is responsible for using the internet to urge followers to each kill some notable person serving 'the great Satan' and then kill themselves. After a series of killings in both the US and Britain, a marine colonel, Tracker, who works in TOSA (technical operations support activity) is commissioned by the highest authorities to find and eliminate the Preacher. The story tells in great detail of the use of high tech computer technology to search for the terrorist and then on the ground intelligence to finally kill him.

Though the search becomes personal for the Tracker when his own father, a retired marine general, is shot by one of the fanatics, there isn't any real character development in this story. It doesn't matter, however, because the way the search is carried out is so interesting. I had a feeling things would conclude satisfactorily at the end, but was kept on the edge of my seat wondering how it would happen. I don't know if all the technical and military things were accurate, but they were so detailed they certainly seemed to be.

The book doesn't explore any moral or ethical  dilemmas which might be associated with the killing of terrorists without trial, but just tells what happened in this particular situation. It was another book I couldn't put down.

Some other reviewers have said this book isn't as good as some of Forsyth's previous novels. That really makes me want to read them too.

Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois

This is the story of a young college student, Lily, studying in Buenos Aires who is arrested for the murder of her roommate. The book says it's 'loosely' based on the Amanda Knox real life story, but I do think it's more than loosely based. At any rate, I found it a really interesting psychological drama. I wasn't sure until the end how it would play out, so I couldn't put it down.

Rather than just a simple murder mystery, this book delves into the characters in a much more in depth way. It examines the 'truth' from all sorts of points of view, leaving the readers to find they actually kind of believe all of them at various times. Or maybe disbelieve. The characters are portrayed  with both good and bad characteristics that we can sympathize and empathize with on the one hand and feel disdain for on the other. Some of the characters are very unusual, such as the boyfriend, Sebastion, others act entitled, some had lives colored by tragedy, but all were fascinating.

Jennifer duBois has also written A Partial History of Lost Causes which I haven't read yet, but now feel I must.

Accused by Lisa Scottoline

This is another of Lisa Scottoline's Rosato and Associate's novels. Bennie Rosato is the senior partner of her law firm, and her associate, Mary DiNunzio, has just been made a partner. This story is about a case of Mary's. The firm is hired by a young 13 year old girl to free a man who she feels has been wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her sister 6 years ago. The girl's parents strongly oppose the girls actions and do everything they can to get Mary off the case. But Mary is determined to see it through. Along the way Mary deals with issues in her own life as well as handling the case on by herself.

It's a good story, interlaced with bits of humor particularly involving Mary's Italian family and their old friends. I enjoyed reading about how Mary tried to solve the case and I liked that I hadn't anticipated the outcome. There's not a lot of interaction among the women of the Rosato firm in this book as there has been in past Rosato books, but Mary was still a believable character with doubts about both how she deals with the case and about whether she should marry her boyfriend, Anthony. I thought Anthony seemed a little unreal, but maybe I'd learn more about him in other Rosato novels. I've read and enjoyed a couple others in the past, but don't remember his character.

At any rate, this was an enjoyable, quick read, a fun mystery without much of the gore that's often found in other murder mysteries.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I loved this book! What a wonderful story. I've always liked reading war stories, not so much ones about how the war was fought, but rather personal stories about how the wars affected the life of an individual, and this book is a very personal story. It's the story of two young women who both fought desperately for what they loved the most.  It begins in 1916 during WWI and the German occupation of France. There we meet Sophie, whose husband painted a beautiful portrait of her which she hung in her home, an inn. When her husband was missing in the war, the painting was a comforting reminder of him, even after the Germans took over her village and forced her to cook for them. She does what she can to make things a little easier for her family and fellow villagers, but ultimately makes a great sacrifice in the hopes of being reunited with her missing husband.

Almost 100 years later, the portrait is given to a young English woman, Liv, as a wedding gift from her husband. He dies a few short years later and the painting gives Liv comfort as it had Sophie years before. However, the painting becomes embroiled in a controversy over who is its true owner, and Liv risks everything to keep it.

The story weaves back and forth between Sophie's story and Liv's in an easy to follow way. The descriptions of life during the occupation were so vividly written, I became tied up in them almost the way Liv did in the book as she researched the provenance of the painting. The story is heartbreaking in many ways but also hopeful and satisfying in many other ways.

Jojo Moyes has also written Me Before You and The Last Letter from Your Lover. They are both on my must read list now.

(I just have to add that I really dislike the cover....I don't think it suits the story at all.)

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I haven't read any of Moriarty's books before, but after reading this one, I will definitely read her others. It's the story of 3 women whose lives intersect after one of them finds a letter from her husband to be read after his death. She reads the letter while he is till alive and this sets off a series of events that cause her to rethink her whole marriage and it greatly impacts the lives of the other women.

The author made the characters seem multi-dimensional and thus very real in spite of the extraordinary situations they find themselves in. They all face moral dilemmas, and it's interesting to read how they handle that. One main theme that is repeated throughout the story is what a parent will do to protect his or her children.

This was a great read. I couldn't put it down. I don't think I would have reacted the same way the characters did, but it was fascinating to read about them.

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

I enjoyed this book a lot. The story is written mostly from the point of view of Shandi, a young single mother who is held hostage in a convenience store hold-up, along with her son and 3 other people. She becomes entwined in the life of William, one of the hostages, who was able to save their lives. We learn in the beginning that Shandi has been drugged and raped and has a child as a result, and William is suffering from the loss of a wife and child. As a result of their close to death experience, both she and William are able to face their pasts and move in new directions in their lives. Shandi is a smart, quirky character who becomes neither overly helpless or ridiculously independent.

The story grabbed me right from the start as Shandi is staring into the barrel of a gun, and I had a hard time putting it down. Not only did I want to find out what happened and how everything turns out, but the writing was so much more than just a simple stating of the facts.

I will definitely look for the author's other books

Imperfect Pairings by Jackie Townsend

This is the story of Jamie, who works in finance for a large company in California and is trying to achieve partnership in the firm. She meets and begins an affair with Jack who is an engineer with a company that Jamie's firm is working with. Jack is Italian, but has been in America, going to school and working, for 10 years and hardly ever talks about his heritage. Jamie is a driven, fiercely independent woman working hard to reach her goals. Early on in their relationship, Jamie travels to Italy with Jack for the wedding of his cousin. While there she realizes the large cultural divide that exists between her and Jack, as he morphs into Giovanni, his true Italian self. Back in the US, Jack wants to earn his green card but it is a long process. Jamie suggests they marry temporarily to help speed things along, even though marriage was not something she ever envisioned for herself. The two live together, but Jamie doesn't acknowledge to anyone that they are married.

 

The story progresses from here as Jamie and Jack go back and forth to Italy and Jack/Giovanni becomes more and more embroiled in the family vineyards and wine business. It seemed to me that what mostly happened throughout the book was that Jamie gradually gave up all her own existing hopes and dreams to mesh with the new life Jack had chosen for himself. I never did quite 'get' the attraction between the two. Jack was very cool and remote and spent most of his time with Jamie belittling her. I failed to see how she found that endearing. 

 

I did read the entire book. I wanted to see where it was going and how it would end. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be, but in general I think the book was well written. The exploration of differences and misconceptions between the Italian and American customs and cultures was interesting. I just didn't like what happened with the main character, Jamie.



The Son by Philipp Meyer

A family epic focusing on 3 generations of the McCullough family in Texas from the 1830's to the present. It is the story of Eli who was captured by the Comanches who brutally murder his family. He lives with them for several years, returning to his roots when the tribe dies out. It is the story of his son, Peter, who suffers moral dilemmas over the murdering of Mexicans by his family. It is the story of Jean Ann, Eli's great granddaughter, who struggles to carry on the family traditions in a man's world.

The book begins with Jeanne Ann at age 86 lying injured on the floor of her home with her life passing before her eyes. From there the story switches back and forth in time and among the 3 main characters. As a result it was sometimes difficult to follow. I often had to go back and double check who was being written about and what year it was. At least there was a family tree printed in the beginning.

There is a lot of fairly graphic violence in the book, but it didn't seem gratuitous. The author was pretty good at presenting the points of view of not just the whites, but of the native Americans and the Mexicans as well. They all seemed equally good/bad. One group would conquer another, and then be conquered themselves.

I didn't find the main characters to be too sympathetic, but at least Peter seemed to have some crises of conscience from time to time.

The book is long, but it was well written enough that I hung in there with it if for no other reason than to find out how it ended.

Vacation Reading

I read several books while on vacation the past few weeks and will post reviews as time allows. Of these, some were the quick read murder/spy mysteries that I can't seem to get enough of on vacation, some were advanced reader copies by new authors, some were new books by established authors, and some were older books that I just hadn't read before. I particularly liked Khaled Hosseini's and Chris Bohjalian's latest books, and an older book by Joseph Kanon, The Good German (I never saw the movie).

Here's the list:

The Son by Philipp Meyer
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
The Favor by Megan Hart
The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Good German by Joseph Kanon
The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh
Blood Orchid by Stuart Woods
Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag
Cure by Robin Cook
Hell's Kitchen by David Baldacci

The Quirks: Welcome to Normal by Erin Soderberg

Yes, this is a kids book for ages 8 - 12. I received an advanced readers copy, thought it looked amusing, and read it this morning. The story is about a family, the Quirks, who have moved to the town of Normal, Michigan. Each member of the family except for one, Molly, has a magical power that makes them unique. These 'powers' have continually gotten the family in trouble, so they have moved around often. They chose Normal because they hoped that they could be normal there instead of quirky. The mom in the family can control minds to a certain extent, the grandpa can leap back and forth in time a few minutes each way, the little brother is invisible to all but his sister Molly, things in the other sister's imagination have a way of becoing real. All these quirks lead to many funny situations.

I had thought from reading brief summaries ahead of time that the book would be a little funnier than it turned out to be, but I liked it anyway. It has a nice theme for middle grade kids. The idea is that, if you feel you are different  and have a hard time fitting in because of it, stop thinking of your difference as a bad thing and instead think about how you can use your different abilities for good.

But, no mistake, there are many funny events and situations in the book which will amuse young readers. The little brother gets into lots of mischief because no one can see him. For instance he 'painted' the white picket fence around his house with a sandwich which left the fence with a pinkish tinge and a hammy smell. The sister imagined a little monster into existence which she named Niblet because of its tiny toes.

I'd recommend The Quirks to young readers. I'm sure they'd get a kick out of it. I think there will be other Quirk books in the series too.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Loosely based on similar actual events, this is the story of a little boy, Jack, who was born in captivity and remained there until he was 5 in 'Room' with his mother, who had been kidnapped and held captive for sexual purposes. The story is told from his viewpoint. Jack is very verbal and intelligent, but has absolutely no concept of the world outside. He has been able to watch tv, but thinks everything on it is fantasy.

I liked how the mother structured Jack's day and tried to see that he studied and learned, got as much exercise as possible in the confines of their small space, and ate as well as possible. I was bothered about her plan to use Jack as a means of escape.

Much of the story revolves around the post-Room life of Jack and his mother...people's reactions to them, and how they learned to integrate into the world. For the mother it was a long hoped for return, but for Jack it was a whole new world that could be quite frightening.

I don't think the mother's depression was explained well enough. I didn't think the way her parents treated her on her return was realistic. If it was, it was very annoying. I didn't understand how some of the family could take Jack to the mall on his first trip out. I could understand that there would be mixed feelings and misunderstandings, but such gross lack of understanding on the part of seemingly intelligent people was unrealistic.

All in all this was an interesting story that ends with a feeling of hope for the future. of Jack and his mother.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Though normally I don't care for fantasy, I did find the time travel aspects of this book moderately interesting. It was written of as a genetic defect in a way that made it seem more 'real' than if it were written as pure science fiction.

The story is about the love between Henry, the time traveler, and Clare. From Clare's point of view they meet when she is 6 yrs. old and he is 36. They meet in real time when Clare is 20 and Henry 28. The books chapters are written alternately from Clare's and Henry's viewpoints. The chapters are headed with a listing of the date and the ages of Clare and Henry at the time. Not being able to read this entire, somewhat long, book at one sitting, I found it somewhat hard to keep track of who was who, and what was when, and what had already happened, or what was in the future.

For all it's length, the author didn't really develop the personalities of the characters that much. Henry the son of musicians, was an alcoholic and did drugs, but managed to hold a job as a librarian. Clare, a paper artist,  came from a weathy pampered  background and seemed to only work on her art, apparently not needing a day job. Once the two of them met in their twenties, their relationship seemed to be based almost entirely on sex. That became tiresome when I would have rather learned something more about them as people.

I did want to see what happened, but it took a long time for the book to get there. A lot of what was written about seemed peripheral to the story, and I found myself wishing the author would just get on with it.

There was some good almost poetic writing in the book, and I enjoyed the setting in Chicago since I am familiar with many of the places mentioned.

I gave this book a 3 star rating (liked it) on Goodreads, but really would have rather given it 2 1/2.

One Day by David Nicholls

The chapters in this book each cover one day, July 15, for 20 years in the lives of the two main characters, Emma and Dexter. It's an interesting approach which jumps back and forth between the viewpoints of the characters in a kind of 'how does each one view the same events differently?' way. The tale is basically about how these two are drawn to each other but can't really admit it. We see how that affects their relationship as friends over the years.

I found the book interesting enough to finish, wondering how it would all turn out, but there were things that bothered me. Dexter seemed like such a looser who faced almost everything in his life, good or bad, with drinking and drugs. Emma was more interesting and had much more character as a person, but even she did some crummy things. I really couldn't see why she was so attracted to Dex. At one point a drunk Dexter is left alone with a baby. Wow. That really angered me.

Also there was the occasion where a letter from one to the other was inadvertantly and unknowingly left unsent, thus perhaps altering the course of the relationship. I hate when that kind of thing happens. It always seems contrived.

Then finally I hated the ending. It was also contrived. It made me feel like I had wasted my time reading through all the rest of the book.

There was some humorous dialogue in the book, but overall I did not care for this novel.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

 

This is the true story of how cells taken in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, have been used ever since as one of the most important cell lines in medical research. For some reason, these cells, called HeLa, would continuously divide, unlike any other cells previously known. They became an invaluable tool in the development of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and more.

The author has done exhaustive research into the background of Henrietta and her family. She writes about their ignorance concerning what was done by the medical establishment... they didn't learn about the cells until more than 20 years after they were taken. And she writes about the whole issue of medical ethics, dealing with racial politics and the even broader issue of informed consent.

This is a fascinating book. I was totally unaware of the HeLa cells previously, so found the story so interesting. At the same time the treatment of the Lacks family, who couldn't even afford proper healthcare themselves, while companies were making money selling the HeLa cells, was really maddening. The author writes about the family in such a compassionate way, even while talking about their foibles and faults.

At the end of the book the author has included several helpful reference chapters, Where Are They Now, an Afterword, a Cast of Characters, a timeline, notes, and an index, among others. There are also a few pages of photos of the family and the doctors.

I would highly recommend this well written book to everyone. You will not regret reading it.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

 

 

What an enjoyable book this is. It's the story of a retired English army officer who leads a quiet life as a proper Englishman, set in his ways, in a small village in the English countryside. Though Major Pettigrew is a stickler for convention, he is still likeable. After the unexpected death of his brother, he becomes friends with Mrs. Ali, a widowed local Pakistani shopkeeper, when he finds they have much in common. This is a very unconventional friendship in a society that thrives on thinking of itself as the privileged locals, and turns up its nose at 'foreigners'.

The whole story charmingly and humorously details the budding romance of this older couple and tells how the two deal with the stodgy culture and traditions of the townsfolk and with the pressures of families who are slow to change from the way things have always been.

The story equally pokes fun at the younger generation as well as the older, at the English as well as the Pakistani, and all in a lighthearted way. I can easily see it as one of those wonderful British TV series on public television.

Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin

When I first saw this book I jokingly characterized it as a story about a guy who rows.  When I started reading it I found that it is so much more. I was intrigued right from the start.  The author weaves  a tale of struggle and loss, conflict and disconnection, and also some great triumphs and joys. The characters seemed true to life and most were able to keep going in one way or another in spite of what happened in their lives. I also think the author showed that there can be much hope in simple forgiveness.

The main character, Rob, goes to a prestigious prep school for one year after his high school graduation, to make the crew team and get the chance to attend an ivy league university. Events of that year shape his life and the lives of all who were involved. The story begins 15 years after that prep school year when Rob, an independent documentary filmmaker working for National Geographic, receives a letter from one of his former teammates. It then goes on to tell of both his struggles on the crew team in his past and his complicated relationship with his girl friend in the present.

All the characters in the story have issues, from the over-achiever who can never please his parents, to the girl trying to find her place in a man's world. We see how they all deal with these issues with varying degrees of success. Some are able to accept the events of their lives and move on, some are not. The author made the character's inner thoughts seem very realistic and true to life, and while some of their stories end badly, others are left with a sense of hope. He also obviously knows a lot about the sport of crew. His vivid descriptions of the team workouts as they strove to gain strength and speed literally made me feel the pain.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I found it hard to put down and was always eager to get back to it when I did have to put it down.

 

a lucky find (no, this isn't a book title)

I scored a few books at the dollar store today. I always wonder how good they can be if they've sunk so low as to find themselves on the back shelves of a dollar store, but, hey, they're only a dollar apiece, so I figure I haven't lost much on them.

I looked up some reviews on goodreads, and found that most of them got 3's and 4's.

The Last Will of Moira Leahy - by Therese Walsh
Hope's Boy - by Andrew Bridge
Box 21 - by Roslund and Hellstrom
Husband and Wife - by Leah Stewart

I got the next 2 because they were both about piano players (I play the piano). They both were rated a little lower, 2's and 3's.

The Leopard's Wife - by Paul Pickering
The Bradshaw Variations - by Rachel Cusk

The last one is an autobiography with an intriguing title. Sadly it has the lowest ratings, with mostly 2's. Still sounds intriguing, though.

Spent - Memoirs of a Shopping Addict - by Avis Cardella

So, these will be good additions to my summer vacation reading list...not too heavy, some mysteries, probably quick reads, and best of all, only $7 for the bunch!!

Dark Diversions by John Ralston Saul

I just finished reading this book and found that, while containing stories that did have dark aspects to them, the author told them in a rather humorous way. The book really isn't one whole long tale, but is a collection of little stories about the people and places that the narrator runs across in his globe hopping life as a writer. From dictators in foreign lands to his wealthy circle of friends, he finds incidents to write about that are both odd and sad yet at the same time quite funny. The stories take the reader from the homes of aristocrats in New York or Paris or London to meetings with dictators and exiled former dictators in places like Haiti or Madrid or Algeria.

The narrator, who is never really identified except as a single American man who is a writer, describes the homes and offices, what the people look like, how they dress, what they eat....many small details that make the people seem like regular, albeit it moneyed, folk who just find themselves in unusual circumstances. Behind their rather ordinary personas, we learn that they have secret lovers, or engage in double-dealing, or have very strange habits , or are kind of amusingly wicked.

In an aside in the middle of the book, in a chapter called 'the narrator pauses to reflect', the narrator takes the opportunity to explain to the reader his role as narrator. Other chapters are 'conversations with dictators' (or in one case, 'chatting with a dictator's assassin') or stories of friends such as 'the cripple' or 'a victim of romance'.

After my initial puzzlement at the seemingly unrelated chapters when I first started reading, I soon settled in to the idea of the compact short stories. It was very handy to be able to complete a chapter or two in one sitting and not have to concern myself with remembering who and what I was reading about the next time I had a chance to pick up the book. I enjoyed reading this. I found it interesting and amusing. I'd look for other books by this author and would recommend this one.

The Rathbones by Janice Clark

In the whaling town of Naiwayonk, Connecticut in 1859, a young girl, Mercy Rathbone, sets out on a voyage to discover the story of her family's mysterious past. From that simple beginning, proceeds a tale that is very strange, to say the least. It's part mystery, part fantasy, part fairy tale, part sea shanty, part history, part mythology, part coming of age.  If you like these things, this is the book for you.

For me, it was just too weird. We come across pet crows, a reclusive teacher who appears old but isn't, strange women who seem like sirens, a mother who barely speaks to her daughter and at one point slices a dress off her, a father who has seemingly been away at sea for 10 years, a whaler who has many wives one after another, so he will have sons to sail his whaling ships. There is much more, but I wouldn't want to give anything away. There are many horrible things that happen throughout the story, yet the girl, Mercy, seems oddly unaffected by them. I found it difficult to keep track of when the story was being mystical or when it was being realistic.  It went back and forth between the two quite randomly. I didn't feel any sympathy or connection to any of the characters. None of them told anyone the truth, but rather spoke only in half truths or metaphor, if they spoke at all.

The author was good at describing the scenery and the ships and sea, but I could never quite figure out the architecture of the rather strange house that the Rathbone family lived in.  I was interested in finding out how the story ended, so the author managed to keep me intriqued enough to finish the book, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I do think it was well written, though, and should appeal to those who like mystical fantasy type books.

You can't have too many books

I feel uncomfortable if there isn't a stack of books waiting to be read....not just one unread book, but many. I want to have choices when it's time to start a new book. I might be in the mood for a good mystery, or some historical fiction, or a gothic romance (yes I admit it), or a new recent novel, or something political, or maybe a biography (though for some reason, when asked, I always say I don't particularly care for biographies, yet I really liked every one I've read, and there have been several).

I just stocked up on a bunch of new to me books at a recent rummage sale (what would I do without rummage sales and thrift shops?!) in anticipation of my upcoming summer vacation. This has added nicely to the pile of unread books I already had, which was running perilously low...only about 20 books. Usually on vacation I read a book a day, so I need to have a steady supply to choose from.

The books that take me only a day to read are generally murder mystery, spy novel type books....authors like Harlan Coben, John Lescroart, John Sanford, Kay Hooper, Iris Johanssen, etc...books where I can't figure out who did it. I like mysteries with twists and turns and surprises and nothing obvious to give away the ending ahead of time. Some books have a recurring character with interesting personality traits who I like to follow from one book to another. Jack Reacher in the Lee Child books is one of them. I don't consider any these books great literature, but they are really fun and entertaining reads.

Then there are books that I'd consider meatier...really good novels for instance. I usually spend more time with these. There's more to think about while reading them. Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini would fall into this category (I'm anxiously awaiting Hosseini's latest book, And the Mountains Echoed),  the Chris Bohjalian novels, Sarah Dunant's books, and so many others....the kind of books you remember. I haven't mentioned some of the  classics like Jane Austen, or Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald or Hemingway. Those were all read long ago.

So, I'm off to hunt for a few more treasures, just to be on the safe side. There's a nearby used book store that's calling my name.