Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

This book was chosen by a member of my book club.  When asked about it, she replied it's about butterflies.  Well, it is indeed about the migration of monarch butterflies but it also about much more.

Dellarobia Turnbow is a young mother of two..  She is married to Cub and lives on a sheep farm in Appalachia, a place known to have excess poverty and hopelessness. While on a walk one day, she discovers millions of butterflies resting on the trees.  She tells no one of her find.  Eventually her family, the inhabitants of the small town where she lives and the whole world know.

People observing Dellarobia see a miracle.  They believe her exposure to the monarchs has caused a change in her.  They would be correct, although she does not see the magnitude of the change immediately.  She begins to look at her life differently.  She sees the promise in her children.  She explores the promise in her own life.

This novel takes the reader on a miraculous journey from the monarchs to the changes in the perspective of a repressed young woman, eventually causing her to blossom in her own right.  In addition, the reader is exposed to a cautionary tale regarding the misuse of the gifts of nature with which God has entrusted us.

This is a book to be read for certain but also to be savored.  It is not simply a book about butterflies, it is also about the struggle,  fortitude, and  persistence that nature and humans share in their inert will to live.

Ladybookbug!

Act of War by Brad Thor

There are thriller writers and then there are THRILLER writers.  Brad Thor falls into the second category. A prolific writer of the highest caliber his books include Black List, The Last Patriot and Takedown.  If you like to be motivated to read to the very end and aren't afraid to sit up all night to finish, then this is an author you should become acquainted with.

In his latest entry, the United States is faced with an ominous perpetrator.  It begins with six missing foreign exchange students.  Scot Harvath is enlisted to help the President get to the crux of the matter.  Two secret operations are established under code names and if the operations are discovered, all hell could break loose.

Here we have an author whose story lines are so real, the reader feels as if he is reading a newspaper instead of a novel.  I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, it is my hope that this story is never true.  At the very least, it presents the reader with another perspective regarding world affairs.

Ladybookbug!

Love Letters by Debbie Macomber

A gentle story that will make you wish you owned a bed and breakfast in the heart of Seattle where people could come for a visit and leave feeling refreshed and enlightened.   This is the third book in the Rose Harbor Series.  It is good that the author makes a connection between this series and her Cedar Cove Series.  Both are good reads.

In this novel we are introduced to Ellie who is meeting her online love for the first time.  Unknown to her there is a lot more going on behind the scenes which will affect her life drastically.  We are also introduced to Maggie & Roy whose marriage has faced several obstacles.  They are hoping a weekend away will help them reignite the flame.  And , last but not least, we are re-introduced to Mark (the handyman) and the innkeeper Jo Marie who maintains her relationship with Mark is in the "just friends" category but don't be too sure.

In my years as a librarian I was often asked to recommend a good series of books that did not have violence or sex in them and gave the reader an upbeat story that will be remembered.  I never hesitated to suggest one of Ms. Macomber's novels and I have to say no one ever came back and complained.  In fact more often than not, they wanted more of the same.

Thank you Debbie Macomber for perservering and letting God direct you to this field.  You have made many people happy.

Ladybookbug!

The Keillor Reader by Garrison Keillor

And on a lighter note, if you want to laugh out loud and enjoy a trip to Lake Wobegon, you'll want to pick up this latest entry by Garrison Keillor, the consumate storyteller.

I was first exposed to Garrison Keillor in the 70's.  I enjoyed listening to his radio program, A Prairie Home Companion.  A close friend used one of his skits in an inspirational talk which still gives me positive images of a simpler life.

In today's hectic, nerve-wrenching days of living, it is so great to have a place where one can escape and learn about family, friends and what it takes to make a success of your life.  Mr. Keillor brings us back to his early life as a teen, then in his twenties and so on.  His life does not escape the pitfalls that any ordinary life has and that's what makes him real in my eyes.

So, if you are itching for a good laugh and a great story, this one's for you.  Enjoy!

Ladybookbug!

The Competition by Marcia Clark

The Competition is part of the Rachel Knight series penned by Marcia Clark.  This is the first book I have read by this author but as I've said about some authors many times before, it will not be my last.

The story is all about young men who appear to be enthralled with the horrendous crimes perpetrated in the Columbine massacre.  Rachel Knight, LA special Trials prosecutor and her best friend LAPD detective, Bailey Keller join forces to find out who the copycats are who staged a shooting at a high school in the San Fernando Valley.

The interesting aspect of this novel is that it realistically follows the twists and turns involved in solving a major crime.  So often (and thankfully) our major exposure to crime solving is limited to an hour-long segment of Law and Order or Cold Case. We may assume that solving a case of any proportion is a slam-dunk.  Much like redoing your entire kitchen over the course of several days.  This author shows the reader a well-developed plot that is not filled with easy answers.  One may come away from this story feeling a new appreciation of detectives and other law enforcement people who work hard trying to solve crimes.

Other titles by this author include, Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees and Killer Ambition. If they are as well written as this one, you'll more than likely want to read them as well.

Ladybookbug!

Watching You by Michael Robotham

Marnie Logan's husband has disappeared.  She has spent the last 18 months exhausting all resources looking for him.  She is struggling financially and is forced to prostitute herself in payment of her missing husband's gambling debts.

Marnie would probably not function at all save for her psychologist Joe O'Loughlin who is so intrigued by her and puzzled by her reluctance to be forthcoming about her past.  Marnie's discovery of a birthday present her husband was working on leads to a new avenue of exploration.

Unknown to her, several people who are connected to her have been murdered.  The police start to look at Marnie as the culprit.

This was by far one of the most intense psychological thrillers I have ever read.  The author's development of the main character was superb.  As the reader you become enthralled with Marnie and may find yourself rooting for her.  Then when the tables turn, ever so slightly, you may question Marnie's innocence.

I will definitely read more of this author's works.


Ladybookbug!