Risky Undertaking by Mark de Castrique

  This story takes place in North Carolina and features an undertaker/sherriff's deputy, Barry Clayton, who becomes involved in solving a killing of a Cherokee activist. The story centers around the mystery, but also tells of some of the political issues existing between whites and native Americans, reservations and state governments, gaming and preservation, etc. Though involving a murder, the story is presented in a sort of light-hearted, very readable way. The characters seem true to life, especially in their conversations with each other. I was kept wondering how the mystery was going to be resolved. That was good, since I'm always disappointed when I solve the mystery before the book does. This was an enjoyable book to read, and I will look for other 'Buryin' Barry' mysteries, especially for light summer reading.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

  This book is about a Chinese-American couple in the 60's and 70's that struggles with discrimination and its devastating impact on their lives. The story begins with the loss of their oldest daughter, then backtracks to tell of how the parents met, married and raised their family. The type of discrimination that affects them is not only prejudice against Asians, but against women. The family is seriously dysfunctional and the way it impacts the children is heart-rending.

 

The story is told variously from the viewpoints of all the family members, and we learn the thoughts and feelings that they kept hidden from each other with disastrous results.

The book was well-written and gripping from beginning to end. The author made the voices of each character seem very authentic. Though I didn't like some of their actions, I was able to see a little of what led them to act as they did.

This isn't an easy read, or a fun read, but is very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera

I definitely liked this book about how the civil war in Sri Lanka impacted the lives of several families, though I was bothered by a few things. I didn't get the title. Is this a name that the island is called? I found the beginning of the book a little slow going. There was a lot of family history of what turns out to be a main character later in the book, Yasodhara. Her and her family's story take up more than half the book. I was surprised at this point by the introduction of an entirely different family and character, Saraswathi, in part 2. There wasn't nearly as much history about her family. I might have liked it better if the two stories were more intertwined throughout the book. The descriptions of Saraswathi's life in the civil war really helped to describe what might lead someone to become a brutal terrorist. 

I did like that the book told the story from the viewpoint of both sides in the war. It seemed to say that the war was senseless, prolonged, brutal, and happened for no good reason. The stories of how it affected individuals on both sides of the conflict were well written. I hope this author writes more.

The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs

This story is a romance, light-hearted at times, but with a side story of horrific WWII events in Denmark. Basically a young woman chef, Isabel, is starting a cooking school at her home in Sonoma valley when a renowned journalist, Mac, comes to spend time with her grandfather, Magnus. Mac is writing a book about the history of the grandfather's interesting life.

Everyone in the story had life altering events in their past which color their present lives. Isabel had a traumatic romantic past, so is reluctant to open up to the prospect of a new romance with Mac. Mac likewise had a sad experience in his past. Magnus survived the loss of his parents in the Holocaust and his subsequent time in the Danish resistance before coming to America and becoming the owner of the Bella Vista estate where he, Isabel and her sister live, tend orchards, and keep bees.

I always find war stories interesting, particularly those about WWII, so was very interested in the recounting of  events in Denmark told in this book. The way people who were so horribly persecuted survived and went on with their lives is fascinating. And it's always interesting to read the stories from personal viewpoints, even when the characters are fictional.

I was not previously aware that this book is the 2nd in a 'Bella Vista' series. Now I want to read the 1st, though I wonder if the story will be somewhat spoiled by knowing 'future' events already. I'll just have to read it and find out.

Alice Close Your Eyes by Averil Dean

I received this book as an ARC and read it in a day, more because I was curious about how it would end than because I actually liked the story. It seemed to be a series of explicit and increasingly sadistic sex scenes, loosely tied together by a story of a woman with a difficult childhood who was out to get revenge on someone who had wronged her in the past.

It was difficult to feel sympathy for the main characters, Alice and Jack. Since the story was told from Alice's point of view, there was some writing of her thought processes, but there was none for Jack's. I really had no idea where he was coming from or why he acted as he did.

I might have liked this book if it were more a straight forward mystery/psychological thriller, and less a reason to explore the deviant sex practices of the main characters. I think the author probably felt these scenes helped underscore Alice's need for pain, but I got the idea better from the other things Alice did.