Reported by Laura
The
books read this week were pretty evenly matched between fiction and nonfiction.
The content was of a wide variety of genres.
The
first book reviewed was The Rainmaker by John Grisham. This is the story
of a new lawyer who hasn’t been able to find a law firm to hire him and finds
himself stuck with no money and a mountain of debt. Consequently, he decides to
take the risk of a potentially lucrative case--should he be able to win it. This
inexperienced young lawyer decides to take on a big insurance company who
refused a claim that could have saved a man’s life. The reader loved this book
so much, she is now checking out all the Grisham she can find!
The
next book was a military history, The Last Days of the Third Reich by
James Lucas. This is an account of the revenge taken by liberated Hungary,
Rumania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia on the surrendered German army. The
reader found it very interesting on the human side and shocking that the German
army was marched until almost all were dead. It also details Hitler’s suicide
and exactly what happened to his remains.
The
Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan was recommended as a really good book. The
mother remembers a time when she would find bones and use them for medicine and
ink. It turned out that the bones may have belonged to The Peking Man and be
worth a lot of money. This is just one of the many memories she tries to hold
on to as her clarity fades. As in a lot of Ms. Tan’s work, the story does a
good job of focusing on the generational struggles between a daughter and her
Chinese mother.
The
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is a good book, but the reviewer found it hard
to read due to the time frame. Set during WWll, it tells the story of three
different women and the varying ways their lives are affected by the war. One
is a socialite, one a doctor at a concentration camp, and one a Polish teenager
who is sent to the notorious women’s camp, Ravensbruck. Crossing continents,
these women’s lives intertwine as they each experience a world changed by war.
Our
next book, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, tells
the story of a man who owns a book store on an island off the coast of
Massachusetts. A.J. Fikry is something of a book snob and his shop begins to
lose business after the loss of his wife. Things go from bad to worse
when his first edition of poems written by Poe (and extremely valuable being
only one of 50) is stolen. But then… someone leaves him a package that changes,
not only his outlook, but his entire life.
Of
Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende tells of Irene Beltran, a young woman
who was raised in wealth, but chooses to become a magazine journalist. Over
time, she grows to rebel against the oppressive regime of the Latin American
country where she lives. Then she meets and begins to fall for a photographer
whom she joins in his search for missing people. The reviewer loves books by
this author!
Gods
in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson was really good! Arlene is raised in the
south, but escapes up north as soon as she is able. Despite repeated pleas from
her Aunt Fran, who raised her, she resists returning to her roots, and keeps
that vow until her fiancé insists on meeting her family. To save her future
marriage, she returns, but comes face to face with the buried secrets she ran away
to escape from in the first place.
Our
next nonfiction offering was Charlatan by Pope Brock. This intriguing story
covers the rise and fall of medical con man Dr. John Brinkley. During the 20’s
and 30’s, this shyster became known as the “goat gland” doctor. Pretending to
have studied medicine, his claim to fame was inserting goat testicles into impotent
men. “Doctor” Brinkley had a radio show and was a pioneer in the use of
advertising on the air. Interestingly, he helped to launch the career of
several country legends, including our own Carter Family!
David
Baldacci’s Redemption was a page turner. Amos Decker is an FBI agent who
returns to his hometown to visit the grave of his murdered daughter on what
would have been her 14th birthday. While there, he is approached by
a man he helped convict of murder 13 years ago. The man has received
compassionate release due to a terminal cancer diagnosis and is still
reiterating his innocence. That same night, the man is killed and Decker is
faced with the possibility that he may have helped to convict the wrong man.
The
remainder of our reviews were of nonfiction books. Our reviewer loved The
Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road by Finn Murphy and found
it to be a page -turner. This book is a socialized study of truckers and the
people who haul furniture. Murphy has many stories to tell of his long haul
trips across the country in the 18 wheeler he calls “Cassidy.”
Note
to Self is a collection of inspiring essays originally shown on a popular
segment of CBS This Morning. Gayle King has gathered the best of the best from Joe
Biden to Kermit the Frog. The premise is what you would say to your younger
self to help navigate the pitfalls of life. Our reviewer found it interesting
and thought provoking as it made her think about what SHE might say if asked to
write such a note. What would YOU say?
Our
last review is for The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis, a quick read and
wonderful book. Mr. Lewis is a risk expert and covers the top risks facing our
country. Data has been collected for years from various sources, including the
National Weather Service. The greatest risk is what we don’t see coming! The
fifth risk is identified as the risk posed by incompetent government leaders.
This book comes highly recommended.
