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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.