Critical Mass, by Sara Paretsky

Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

V.I. Warshawski's friend Lotty Herschel came to the U.S. via London while escaping the Holocaust. When Lotty hears from Judy, the daughter of Kitty - who escaped to London, then the U.S. with Lotty - saying that her life is in danger, Lotty asks Vic to help Judy in Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky.

Critical Mass begins with a flashback to Lotty's childhood, bringing in bits of her escape from Vienna as a child; these flashbacks throughout the book give substance to Lotty's life and how Kitty, Judy, and Judy's son Martin fit into the story.

Vic is pulled in several directions: First, she treks to an old farmhouse where Judy - a drug addict with a past - had been hiding out, and where she'd since left when someone started shooting up the drug addicts in the house, which is where we first find Vic. She then must find Kitty in order to get a little more background, and to try getting a lead on where Judy might be. Judy's son Martin has also disappeared, leaving a good job where he used his skills as a software designer.

As Vic struggles to find Judy and Martin, Kitty is killed by those wanting to kill her daughter and grandson. It becomes a race as to who will find the two first, Vic or those wanting to silence the two.

For anyone wanting a fast-paced book, especially but not exclusively fans of Sara Paretsky V.I. Warshawski series, Critical Mass is sure to please.

View all my reviews

At Risk, by Alice Hoffman

At Risk by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever gone back to reread a book that you were first introduced to, and found that it still holds up? Then you'll know how I felt upon rereading At Risk, by Alice Hoffman.

Written during the 1980s, during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, the book follows Amanda Farrell, an 11-year-old gymnast who dreams of being a pupil of Bela Karolyi. Her parents, Ivan, a scientist, and Polly, a photographer, take Amanda to her meets, bringing along her eight-year-old brother Charlie, whose fascination with dinosaurs (and science, in general) rivals Amanda's love of gymnastics.

The book opens with Polly getting ready to bring the children to one of Amanda's meets, as Ivan heads for work. Amanda has been fighting what her parents thought was a summer cold that lasted a little too long. It is after the meet when Polly goes to find Amanda that she and Ivan realize that it might be more than just a cold. In fact, it turns out to be AIDS, picked up from a blood transfusion during an appendectomy, several years earlier.

The book follows the family's first few months of Amanda's illness, and the small New England town's dealings with the family.

While science has advanced to where people living with HIV/AIDS are able to live a longer, more productive life, the book shows how the disease affected patients during the 1980s, letting the reader see that no one "deserves" the disease.

For anyone who has never read the book, or hasn't read it in years, Alice Hoffman's At Risk is well worth the read.

View all my reviews

11/22/63

Note: This was originally posted February 8, 2018. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For years, I wouldn't read anything by Stephen King, as I had never been a fan of horror stories. But after devouring King's Dolores Claiborne one rainy day, I learned what Stephen King fans have known for years: King is a wickedly good writer.

While 11/22/63 is not King's longest novel, by far, its 849-page length might put off readers. However, the only thing about this novel that one needs to fear is the inability to put the book down once started; it captivates the reader, holding one through its final paragraphs.

Thirty-five year old high school English teacher Jake Epping earns extra money teaching GED classes in the evening. An essay by student Harry Dunning describing the night his father killed his mother and siblings, and nearly killing Harry, leaves its mark Jake.

Shortly after Harry receives his GED, Jake gets a call from his friend Al, who owns a nearby diner. Turns out Harry was not the only one with secrets: Al insists on showing Jake the diner's storage room which has a portal to 1958.

Jake has wondered how Al has aged so rapidly in such a short period of time, until he learns that no matter how long someone is in the past, when that person comes back through the portal to Al's diner, only a few minutes have passed in the present time.

Al, who is now dying, has one request: for Jake to stop the assassination of President John Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald. Jake goes through the portal several times, sees how changing one or two lesser histories affect the present, then agrees to try to stop JFK's death.

The one thing that Al warns Jake about is that every time one goes through the portal to 1958, the previous changes are erased: a girl who was saved from a paralyzing gunshot in one trip is reinjured after Jake reenters 1958, as well as several other changes.

Jake spends five years in the past, manages to save JFK, but at a heavy cost to himself, as well as those around him. And the present he comes back to is drastically different from the one he left. Does he go back through the portal to reset history, or leave it as changed?

I highly recommend Stephen King's 11/22/63 to anyone looking for a good read. The book is sure to become one of King's fans' favorites; for those readers who have avoided King's works as I did for years, this book is sure to change one's mind into wanting to read more of King's work.

View all my reviews

The Art of Mending, by Elizabeth Berg

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are times when siblings growing up under the same roof experience very different family dynamics without realizing it until years later. That is the theme of The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg.

Every year, Laura Bartone and her siblings meet up at their parents' home in Minneapolis for their annual family reunion and the state fair. It's an event that is usually happy, until this year.

Upon her arrival, Laura realizes something is drastically wrong with her sister Caroline. Their brother, Steve, has trouble coming to terms with Caroline's changes, while Laura is, at least, willing to listen. The things that Caroline reveals about her past with their parents show a side of the family dynamics that rattle Laura to the core. As she tries coming to terms with her sister's truths, the siblings are thrown another curve when their father dies.

The siblings must come to terms with what they are learning; by the end of the book, Caroline's truths are proven true when their mother and aunt state how different things were for all three siblings.

The Art of Mending is written wonderfully, as is usual for books by Elizabeth Berg. This is worth the reader's time, especially if curious about family dynamics.

View all my reviews

Breakdown, by Sara Paretsky

Breakdown by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A group of tween girls, a ritual, an abandoned cemetery at night, and an actual corpse...what could possibly go wrong?

When V.I. Warshawski's cousin Petra contacts V.I. about several missing girls from a book group that Petra helps with, Vic finds the girls performing a ritual inside an abandoned cemetery, where a man has just been murdered in Breakdown, Sara Paretsky's 15th V.I. Warshawski mystery.

Several of the girls are members of powerful families, including someone running for Congress, and one of the world's richest men. The murdered man - another solo private investigator - was working for someone trying to keep secrets under wraps.

As Vic follows leads, she runs into an old law school friend, who ends up hospitalized before revealing info to Vic. Several deaths occur, including the friend; one of the girls from the book group almost dies, too, saved only because V.I. finds her.

As V.I. gets closer to finding the multiple layers of truth, she comes close to dying, saved only by someone looking for his stolen fishing boat. Murray Ryerson helps Vic out the person responsible for many of the deaths and near deaths.

If you're looking for a fast-pace read with a strong female lead, this is sure to please.

View all my reviews

Dolores Claiborne, by Stephen King

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For years, I refused to read anything by Stephen King, as I was not into horror books. Then, I discovered Dolores Claiborne.

I first read this more than a decade ago, and figured it was time to reread Dolores Claiborne, and am glad I did. This well-written book is done from Dolores's point-of-view, telling what happened both when her late-husband died and the events leading up to the death of her employer, Vera Donovan. While the book is not within the horror genre, it does have a certain grittiness and tells of several deaths that were within Dolores's inner-circle.

For those who have seen the movie on which this was based, you know the book's basic premise. Whether you've viewed the movie or not, though, this is one book that is well worth the read.

View all my reviews

Body Work, by Sara Paretsky

Body Work by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When V.I. "Vic" Warshawski decides to take an evening off to go clubbing, a woman is shot and dies in Vic's arms in a back alley in Sara Paretsky's Body Work.

V.I. has decided that if "Doctors take days off, why not PIs?" Her cousin Petra (introduced in Hardball) has started working at Club Gouge, an edgy new nightclub. A new act at the club, the Body Artist, a woman who allows people to paint on her naked body, has created quite a stir, increasing the crowd at Club Gouge. When one painter's drawings on the Body Artist cause anger in an Iraqi war vet with PTSD, and the painter is subsequently murdered, the police figure it's an open-and-shut case. The vet's parents, however, don't think their son did it, and hire Vic to prove his innocence.

At first, Vic isn't sure what to make of the murder; she had seen the vet's anger. But she agrees to sort out the facts of the case.

As she gets closer to finding out who really shot Nadia Guaman, and the threads connecting the vet, Ukrainian mobsters, an angry off-duty cop, and others, V.I.'s life is in jeopardy.

While this 14th book in the Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawsky series might be a little difficult to get into, it is well worth the reader's time, and won't disappoint.

View all my reviews

Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Alison

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While some people are fortunate enough to live "the good life," with enough money, food, and housing, others live a hard-scrapple life. Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison shows us the hard life of Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright.

Bone was born to Anney, an unwed teen who gives birth after being involved in a car accident that renders her comatose for a short period of time, and who, therefore, can't lie about her marital status (or lack thereof). Anney spends the next couple of years trying to get an updated birth certificate for Bone, hoping to have the term "illegitimate" is removed.

Narrated by Bone, the book briefly mentions Lyle, her first step-father; Anney's marriage to Lyle produces Bone's sister. When Lyle dies, Anney takes up with Glen Waddell, eventually marrying him. The primary conflict throughout the book is between the abusive Glen and Bone.

The family - Anney, Bone, her sister Reese, and Glen - are forced to move from place to place, due to finances. They never seem to move up or down, simply to another ramshackle place. Jobs come and go, adding to the family's stress, which is also exacerbated by Glen's abuse.

By the end of the book, Bone has sustained broken bones, and more from Glen. Anney leaves Glen several times because of the abuse, but in the end, disappears, most likely with Glen. Anney's final act towards Bone is to bring her a new birth certificate with the word "illegitimate" removed, before disappearing again.

This semi-autobiographical novel is not the easiest book to read, but it is insightful, giving the reader an idea of how choices can make or break a person. Bastard Out of Carolina is a must read, while Dorothy Allison has much to say about the struggles of too many who are struggling to survive.

View all my reviews

Hardball, by Sara Paretsky

Hardball by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Several years ago, I made a concerted effort to start reading Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series in the order that they were written. I'd already read quite a few books in the series, but really wanted more of a sense of time-flow: When someone is mentioned in one book as an ex-lover, or a reference is made from an earlier book, I wanted to be able to relate.

In Hardball, by Sara Paretsky, V.I. reluctantly takes a case to find Lamont Gadsden, an African-American man who's been missing for 40 years, a case that unearths the seamy side of Chicago politics.

In 1966, a nail-studded baseball kills Harmony Newsome as she attends a civil rights gathering. Gang member Steve Sawyer is wrongly convicted, after being tortured to confess.

During his trial, Sawyer states that Lamont Gadsden has photos of who really killed Harmony. However, Gadsden has disappeared.

Fast forward to the present: Vic's cousin Petra, a recent college grad, is in town to help with a local political campaign. However, the campaign involves people who were instrumental in the death of Harmony Newsome, in the torture of Steve Sawyer, and the death and disappearance of Lamont Gadsden, and the death of a nun who marched with Harmony. Vic must unravel the threads in this case before both she and her cousin are killed in an effort to keep the truth secret.

While I've been a fan of Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series for years, I am partial to Hardball, and feel that is is one of Paretsky's best that I have read thus far. This is definitely worth reading (and rereading). I highly recommend it.

View all my reviews

Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age, by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton

Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Years ago, while wandering through the local library, I discovered The Sewing Room : Uncommon Reflections of Life, Love, and Work, by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. I didn't read the book; I devoured it, and ended up buying a copy for myself.

Since this happy meeting, I've bought other books by Rev. Crafton, including Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age.

I just finished Some Things..., a slim volume of essays written by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, a retired Episcopal priest. The essays in this volume deal with the joys (and foibles) of middle age, describing the changes we go through during this time in our lives. Written in good spirits, with a touch of humor intact, Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age is a joy to read, especially by those of a certain age. I highly recommend this slim volume.

View all my reviews

Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg

For those of us who love to read, there are a few books that we reread for a variety of reasons. Whether it's to learn more on a subject, reread a well-written book, or simply akin to revisiting an old friend, it's something we usually enjoy.

Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg is one of my go-to books when I want something quick, yet satisfying. It was the first of Berg's books that I'd read, and probably my favorite, for several reasons.

Talk Before Sleep is the story of friendship, told from Ann's perspective. Ann and Ruth first meet at a party. Ann was immediately put off by Ruth's good looks; she soon discovers, though, that Ruth has an honesty that is even more breath-taking than her looks. The book follows their friendship, shifting back and forth through past and present. The present describes Ruth's coping with terminal breast cancer, and how the two women, along with a small group of friends cope with Ruth's ongoing health issue.

The book feels as comfortable as the flannel shirts that L.D. - one of Ruth's friends - wears, while showing how distressing the disease is to the group.

A review in Kirkus several years ago states that "Berg...offers a sappy tale about a woman witnessing the death of her friend..." (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-berg/talk-before-sleep/). While the book might be viewed as borderline-sappy, it came across more as telling about how friendships can help us through difficult times.

Talk Before Sleep is well worth reading, especially if looking for a quick, satisfying read.

Mor and Me: Life, Language, and Love in Letters from Danmark, by Lise Margrete Greene

Mor and Me: Life, Language, and Love in Letters from Danmark by Lise Margrete Greene
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many of us have a desire to travel, to see the world, or, at least, the country we live in. Unfortunately, no everyone who wants to travel has the chance to do so. That's when books dealing with travel are wonderful to get lost in.

Mor and Me: Life, Language, and Love in Letters from Danmark by Lise Margrete Greene is one of those books.

Before we go further, I have known the author for a number of years. When she mentioned having written Mor and Me, I had to read it. (Writers are a funny bunch; if we discover a friend also writes, we feel compelled to read said book/article/etc.)

Getting a copy on my ereader (the book also comes as a hardcopy), I was able to start reading almost immediately, and was pleasantly surprised.

Lise's mother (Mor) was from Danmark (the Danish spelling of Denmark). Having heard stories from her mother's youth, Lise felt compelled to travel there. While there, she would email family and friends about her time there. This book grew from those emails and other writings about the country.

Without adding more (I don't want to add any spoilers here), Mor and Me: Life, Language, and Love in Letters from Danmark is well worth reading, especially for those of us who can't travel.

View all my reviews

Hearts in Atlantis, by Stephen King

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There was a time, several years ago, when I would not read anything by Stephen King. He had a reputation of writing horror books, and, well, I'm not into horror stories. Catching a glimpse of The Shining, the 1980 Stanley Kubrick movie based on King's book of the same name didn't help. If you've seen Kubrick's version, you understand; it's not something to watch if horror isn't your thing.

But several years ago, I viewed Dolores Claiborne (the 1995 movie featuring Kathy Bates as Dolores), and decided to read the book.

"Okay," I thought, "maybe it's time to give King a second chance."

That chance came with 11/22/63, back in 2017; this is truly an amazing book.

After recently watching the 2001 movie treatment of Hearts in Atlantis for the umpteenth time, and mentioning that I needed to read the book, my youngest handed me his copy.

"I think you'll like it," he told me.

Hearts in Atlantis is made up of five interconnected stories: "1960: Low Men in Yellow Coats," "1966: Hearts in Atlantis," "1983: Blind Willie," "1999: Why We're In Vietnam," and "1999: Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling". The first two stories - Low Men... and Hearts... - make up the bulk of Hearts in Atlantis. However, the other three stories fill in many gaps, tying up loose ends and giving closure.

For those who've seen the movie, featuring Anthony Hopkins, the movie follows "Low Men in Yellow Coats" fairly closely, with a couple of extra bits from the last couple of stories.

While reading Low Men, one can picture the movie (if one has watched it), seeing where the movie differs. The movie doesn't ruin the reading, any more than reading the book would ruin the movie. (Spoiler alert: at the end of this first story, Bobby gets into trouble, something not shown in the movie.)

The other four stories within the book follow other characters, with the last story (Heavenly Shades) bringing Bobby and Carol - who now goes by a different name, for reasons brought out in the other three stories - back together.

The paperback version of Hearts in Atlantis is 672 pages, not quite as long as some of Stephen King's other books, but not quite a quick one-day read. But if you're looking for a great read, this is it.

And, for the record, my son was wrong. I don't like this book; I love it.

View all my reviews

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach

Note: This is a repeat of 2017's sole post, with slight changes. I should be back to writing here on a regular basis.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

During the early 1970s, it seemed everyone read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I had read it several times, and had fond memories of it.

Several years ago, I received a copy of this slim book from two different people and decided to reread it to see how it stood up over the intervening years. Since then, I've reread it several times, usually during the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull tells of a seagull who doesn't quit fit in and is banned from his flock as a misfit. Jonathan's misdeed? He loves to fly, loves learning how to improve on flight, how to fly faster, and knows that such learning is, itself, what makes life worth living. The flock, however, has come to the understanding that flight should be merely to be used for food-gathering. Thus, since Jonathan can't comply with living beneath what he is capable of, he is labeled a misfit and cast out of the flock.

It doesn't take long for him to reach a higher consciousness, learning from those who have gone on before him. However, those gulls who teach him soon admit that Jonathan is higher than they are, and that the student has become a teacher.

Soon Jonathan realizes that he must go back to his previous flock and start teaching the newer out-casts, several of whom call him the Son of the Great Gull.

This novella, with its photos of seagulls, can be considered spiritual in nature without being preachy. It shows the reader that we all need to be the best we can be, that we should be our truest self, and while we are learning from those more knowledgeable than we are, we are also to teach those coming up after us.

This is one book that I feel has held up well over the years.

View all my reviews