Black Fridays by Michael Sears

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Jason has spent two years in jail for illegal trade accounting. After his release the FBI wants him to investigate a huge firm to find out who and how they are skimming millions of dollars. He also has ex-wife problems and a young child with problems. 

Audio:  11 hrs. 2 min.

Print:  432 pages

A Wanted Man by Lee Child

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Jack Reacher is hitching a ride to Virginia but ends up in a conspiracy of national importance, he is wanted or hunted by both sides. After all, he is in Kansas City, Mo hitching a ride to Virginia.  405 pages.

Inside Out and Back Again

Author: Thanhha Lai
Pages: 272


Cover Blurb:

No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

I would recommend this book, it is eye opening and charming. This book is about starting over and doing the best you can with the circumstances you find yourself in. It's about the human spirit.

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

Author: David Sedaris
Pages:275

Cover blurb: From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten.

As always, I am never disappointed and always glad I read one of Sedaris' wonderful books. I would recommend!

Alex Cross Run by James Patterson

The latest in the Alex Cross series finds the detective pursuing not one, but two serial killers, while himself being the target of a third.

Alex is so busy trying to find the two murderers before they strike again that he hasn’t noticed someone stalking him.  He begins to have confrontations with a man who claims to be a reporter but has no credentials from an established organization. Then he discovers that this man has a blog on which he claims to be a watchdog keeping tabs on corruption in the D.C. police force. He seems to be focused on Alex Cross, and writes accusatory blogs about him regularly. He continues to show up at crime scenes, taunting Alex until he gets a reaction, then publishing photos of the resulting scene.

As usual, Patterson has devised an imaginative and suspenseful plot. It is fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. The blogger story line is very relevant to what is going on with today’s media, and may be even scarier than serial killers.

432 pages

The Butterfly Mosque by Willow Wilson

The Butterfly Mosque by Willow Wilson

In this memoir, Willow Wilson, who was raised by atheist parents, describes her search for religion after a serious illness. She was a college student when she fell ill, and as she began to investigate religions, she decided that she was a monotheist.  Islam seemed to her to be the choice she would be most comfortable with. She began to take college courses in Islamic Studies and other Middle Eastern courses.  After she graduated, she talked a girlfriend into moving to Cairo, Egypt with her to teach in an   English-language high school.

She converts to Islam once there, and begins to immerse herself in the culture and religion. It is a lot more difficult than she anticipated. She meets Omar, a young man who resents Western influences in his country. They forge a fast friendship, and begin to spend most of their time together.  In that culture, men and women do not date, so their relationship is challenging as they try to navigate the two cultures. Eventually they marry. Wilson records her struggle to forge a “third culture” that will accommodate her values without compromising them or alienating her friends and family at home, or those she comes to value in Egypt.

She offers insights into Islamic culture, distinguishing carefully between the radical fundamentalists who hate the West and the majority of peaceful Muslims. An interesting look at an often misunderstood and polarizing faith.

320 pages

A Little Help From My Friends…And Other Hilarious Tales of Graying Graciously by Jean Carnahan

 

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Jean Carnahan, having attained the grand age of 77, decided to share her experiences with those of us coming along behind her. In a series of 38 essays in which she converses with her imaginary friend Edna, she addresses such topics as malls, manners, makeup, beauty secrets, bras, airport security, grandchildren, habits, health, and much, much more.

“We’ve tackled the aggravations of aging the only way we knew how,” says the former U.S. Senator, “with sunny abandonment.”

She reveals the 100 Signs that You May Be Getting Old, the 30 Laws of Inevitability, the 47 Things She Misses from the Good Old Days, and the 31 Things She Doesn’t Miss at all. Fortunately, as she says, laughing at life never gets old.

 

I found this a thoroughly enjoyable and very quick read.

192 pages

On the Run by Lorena McCourtney

Invisible little-old-lady Ivy Malone is on the move, trying to escape from the Braxtons who have her murder on their mind. She hops into an RV and heads to parts unknown, not even letting family and friends know where she is going. Still, it is not enough to keep her out of trouble. This time she winds up on an emu farm where she stumbles across not one, but two dead bodies. I highly recommend this lighthearted, Christian mystery series.  320 pages.

Mad River by John Sanford

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Teens in a small town attempt to steal diamonds, have shot a woman during a robbery. They kill and rob until they are murdered by the local police. They were trying to surrender, so the cops are covering up something bigger.

Audio:  10 hrs. 50 min.

Print:  400 pages.

"Scrap Metal" by Harper Fox

Nichol Seacliff has spent the past year on the Scottish sheep farm where he grew up to help his grandfather keep it going.  It's just the two of them left in the family after his mother and older brother were killed in an accident out of the country.  Nichol had been at university working on his doctorate but dropped out to move back to the farm on the Isle of Arran.  It's been a hard adjustment, especially since Nichol and Harry do not get along.  One night, Nichol discovers a stranger in one of the barns, a starving young man who needs a place to hide from a gang in Glasgow.  Cameron Beale is so scared and desperate that he agrees to stay on and help for only room and board.  As Harry and Nichol work to turn the city boy into a decent farm hand, Cam and Nichol begin to have feelings beyond friendship but more tragedy and Cam's past may derail their future.

You know how it feels when you read an author for the first time and the writing is so good that you have to go back and reread parts of the book again?  That's what "Scrap Metal" was like for me.  I'd read praise for Harper Fox over the past several years, so when I saw that she had an e-book available for free, I was anxious to read it.  It surpassed all expectations!   She has a lyrical way with words that captures not only the emotional voices of the two main characters but also how it feels to live on an isolated sheep farm where failure is inevitable and near.  Lots of Gaelic phrases were mixed in along with their translations, which made this emotional story even more poignant.  The farm itself became another character, and there were lots of interactions with animals, too.  I can't wait to read more by this author.  Highly recommended.  258 pages (Kindle edition).

"Downtime" by Tamara Allen

This is a well written and affecting story about Morgan Nash, a NYC detective who is accidentally transported back to 1888 London by Ezra Glacenbie, a shy medium who communicates with the dead.  Unfortunately, the book with the spell that brought Morgan into the past has been taken from the library where Ezra works, and neither he nor his friends can remember the title.  As they all try to find the book, Morgan realizes that he's been plunked down in the time of Jack the Ripper, who is still on the loose.  He decides to use his skills and knowledge from the present day to try to catch the killer and drags Ezra along with him.  But Ezra has his own personal problems that he's trying to deal with, including an unwanted engagement to pacify his domineering father and to hide his homosexuality. 

This is a wonderful book full of well rounded characters, suspense, and deep emotion.  We experience Morgan's confusion and helplessness trying to live in a world so different from the present as well as his desperation to leave.  The reader is also treated to the evolution of a friendship to romance that turns out to be surprisingly tender and poignant.  Highly recommended.  504 pages (Kindle edition).

Mum's the Word by Dorothy Cannell

Since I enjoyed an earlier book in the Ellie Haskell series by Dorothy Cannell, I thought I would continue on in the series. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in this one. The lovable support characters introduced in earlier books make at best a token appearance here. Ellie and  husband Ben leave them behind as they head to America where Ben has the chance to become a member of the Mange Society.  We are introduced to a ton of new characters, and for me, the chemistry was lacking. A definite disappointment. 263 pages.

Jack Reacher’s Rules by Lee Child and Val Hudson

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

In the short time it takes to read this book, you will know why he is tough, rough, honest, and no one you would want to tangle with.

Audio:  1 hr. 29 min.

Print:  160 pages.

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

His young brother knows the location of many places in the world, because he has the ability to map and remember streets around the world. This book also involves murder and assassinations are done. 

Audio:  14 hrs. 45 min.

Print:  498 pages.

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

Author:David Sheff
Pages: 336



What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets. David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the rehabs. His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic.