Lottery by Patricia Wood

An enchanting story about a mentally-challenged young man who was given to his grandparents at an early age. One grandparent dies before the story begins.
He works in a marina, once owned by his grandfather. He has an interesting array of friends who look out for him.

What makes this story a bit unusual is that the author takes the reader into the mind of the young man with all his mental and emotional deficiencies and enlightens us.

After the demise of his grandmother AND after years of playing the lottery, he actually wins 12 million dollars and therein lies the heart of the story.

A good read!

Ladybookbug!

Power Play

Power Play by Joseph Finder

I picked this book up because I thought the premise was intriguing. Actually at the end of the book this author states that to his knowledge nothing like this has happened YET!

A group of high-powered executives travels to a lodge in the mountains of Canada for a high-powered retreat. They are asked not to bring blackberries, laptops, cell-phones, radios…no communication devices. At dinner the first evening, a group of men in camouflage with guns breaks into the lodge and then the “power play” begins.

This is a well-written entry into a field I’m not at all familiar with and I found it interesting, frightening and realistic. At one point I wondered if it was all a ruse perpetrated by company executives to see who was loyal. Read it and find out.

In all fairness, I did read some of this author’s previous books including Killer Instinct and Company Man and I found them to be laborious however your opinion may differ.

Ladybookbug!

The Long Walk Home by Will North

I'll admit it---I'm an incurable romantic (not that I EVER want to be cured). I love candlelit dinners, bouquets of freshly picked flowers, wine and meals cooked to perfection AND stories of soul mates meeting and falling helplessly in love. The Long Walk Home by Will North has it all, except the flowers.

This is the story of Fiona, wife and mother and owner/operator of a bed and breakfast on a farm in North Wales. Fiona is married to David who has suffered for several years from the debilitating effects of chemical poisoning to the point where he has to live in a separate cottage on the farm. Enter Alec an American who comes to this remote mountain to scatter the ashes of his deceased ex-wife and best friend.

The cover and the end-flap drew me to this book. In addition, this is the author's first novel. I was reminded of The Bridges of Madison County when I first began reading, but the character development is more grounded and I found it to be a much more interesting story.

Will North is a very descriptive author and I think I am safe in saying he has had some experience in the kitchen as well. This story was a lovely journey into true love.

I'll look forward to seeing more from Mr. North in the future.

Ladybookbug!

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

This book surprised me! I did not expect to like it and I did. The premise is not something I would naturally gravitate toward--football--but although I skipped over some of the descriptive plays, I enjoyed the story.

First let me say I really appreciate authors who take the time to describe minute details in a story. I also salivate over wonderful adjectives which enhance my enjoyment of eating. Mr. Grisham, perhaps you should consider writing a cookbook?

The story is about a has-been NFL quarterback whose claim to fame was about as memorable as wrong-way Johnson. He is referred to as "the goat" by all who loathe him. His agent lands him a contract to play football in Parma, Italy. At a considerably less monetary reimbursement than he is used to, he accepts. And therein lies the story. This story is about much more than a negligible football player, it is a story about personal growth and getting over past mistakes but it is NOT pretentious, nor is it fluffy. Grown men AND women may like it.

Thanks Mr. Grisham for stepping out of the lawyer box again!

Ladybookbug!

Hide and Seek by Fern Michaels

Several years ago Ms. Michaels started a series about seven women who joined together to form a "sisterhood". This small group of women sought revenge for the injustices they experienced. Some observers might call them "vigilantes". Nonetheless their forays into the world of subterfuge have given readers a glimpse of the strength and fortitude of women.

The author states on the back flap of the book jacket that her fans clamored for more adventures from this group of renegades and so she wrote this latest entry.
It finds the Sisterhood atop a mountain in seclusion for they are being pursued as fugitives from the law--but they do come down and do seek retribution from the assistant and soon to be director of the FBI. It is a classic game of cat and mice and the mice win.

Although I am not an avid Michaels' fan, I have enjoyed the stories about this group of savy women and this entry is not a disappointment.

Ladybookbug!

Necessary Sins by Lynn Darling

Necessary Sins by Lynn Darling

I’ve often thought I’d write a book, at the very least a memoir, perhaps even resurrecting my dog-eared diary under lock and key in that old cardboard box in the attic. But Get Real! (An out-of-date teenage expression, I’ll admit).

The fact is I did not marry anyone famous, nor did I suffer unmentionable abuse as a child, nor was I deprived of shelter or food and forced to accept handouts on the street and I was not born into a privileged family so perhaps I don’t have anything worth writing about or at the very least information that would compel someone to read about.

Necessary Sins does attempt to draw one in by the title and I guess it does as our copy has been out several times. Ms. Darling was married to a famous correspondent for the Washington Post and she is a prolific writer of articles for a variety of well-known magazines and this coupled with an affair with a married man resulting in a complicated marriage relationship and ultimately a lovely child born of that commitment results in this memoir.

I’d have to admit the latter part of the book that speaks about the debilitating effects of cancer on both the physical and emotional bonds of her marriage is well written. However, I suspect were it not for the fact that the husband was a famous correspondent and the wife a known writer, this entry might well have been published by a vanity press and relegated to the shelves of family members.

Ladybookbug!

Compulsion by Keith Ablow, M.D.

Compulsion by Keith Ablow, M.D.

I “discovered” this author because a patron requested books that had Nantucket as the scene of the crime. This book takes place at that romantic location, but the story is anything but romantic.

The mysterious demise of an infant child opens this book. There is one obvious suspect and several more subtle entries into the foray. The insertion of several personality flaws as each suspect is introduced in the story leads the reader to various assumptions, some of which are totally incorrect.

The author, in addition to writing mystery novels, has also published several non-fiction books about the medical profession.

I would like to read everything he has written and I intend to start right now. I have ordered the following titles: “The Architect” and “Denial”.

Ladybookbug!

Dead Tide by Jeanine Kadow

Dead Tide by Jeannine Kadow

And here’s another new author to me. This book was copyrighted in 2002. As of then, this author had written two other titles, Blue Justice and Burnout. She is a former television news reporter and anchor. According to her website she is a culinary critic for the Aspen Daily News, commercial photographer and former VP of TV Sales for Warner Brothers. Obviously she is a very talented person and this title certainly gives evidence of that.

Dead Tide opens with a prologue exposing the reader to a murder in progress. Then we are transported to the personal reverie of Lacie Wagner, a television news reporter as she re-visits some of the horrors she has experienced in the past.

Lacie has recently purchased a home on Nantucket and as part of her recuperation has elected to jog across the beach at 3:30 pm each day. On one of her jaunts she has the misfortune of discovering the dead body of a young woman in a wetsuit. The victim has an uncanny resemblance to Lacie and so the mystery begins.

The author is very descriptive in regard to the physical condition of the victims in this realistic thriller. My only complaint is that I find it hard to believe that a series of deaths is not unmasked until Lacie points it out toward the end of the book. Other than that, this book kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

In addition, I think this title would make an excellent movie.

Ladybookbug!