Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

Cover of Snow takes place in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.  Nora Hamilton is married to Brendan, a police officer on the local force.  She wakes up one morning from a drugged sleep to discover that her husband has committed suicide.  It is a complete mystery to her.

Nora begins her quest to unravel the answers and in doing so, uncovers more than she bargained for.  Joining forces with the editor of the local newspaper, they travel into some dangerous territory.  Befriended by a garage mechanic, Nora slowly realizes that life in a small town is not idyllic as it seems.

A good first time out novel.  I hope to read more by this author in the future.

Ladybookbug!

Six Years by Harlan Coben

As a general rule, I thoroughly enjoy Harlan Coben's books.   I have often stayed up all night just to finish one that I am totally immersed in.  I didn't stay up all night for this one, but I did fit it into my daily routine.

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher met the love of his life.  He had to let her go because she married someone else.  While glancing at his computer screen one day, he sees the obituary of her husband.  Intrigued and not admitting the possibilities that this might bring, he decides to attend the funeral.  Much to his surprise, the widow is not "his" Natalie. He begins a quest to find Natalie which takes him back to his old haunts and into new territory as well.

This is a fast-paced mystery that hooks you in and you'll want to keep reading to find out all the answers, just as Jake does.

If you like Harlan Coben's writing, you'll like this one too!

Ladybookbug!

Loose Ends by Susan Moody and The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver

Okay, it's been a bit of time since I reviewed a book.  Suffice to say I haven't read anything that sparks my interest enough to write about it.

The last two books I tried to read are indicated above.  Both had sluggish starts and did not motivate me to write about them.  Both are written by new authors to me, althought both have been writing for quite some time. It may be just me on a lag in this department.  You may like either or neither one.

Loose Ends by Susan Moody is about a young women who was involved in a tragic automobile accident ten years before the start of the story.  She now works in a bar and is being harrassed by a frequent patron.  The story opens with the discovery of a body in a canal.  It has all the marks of a good mystery but it just didn't inspire me to read on.

The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver is about the lives of three generations of a family.  The setting is a small strip of land in Massacusetts.  I found several interesting characters in the story but just as I became more interested in them, the author switched to another character.  The story read like a documentary and I wanted to read a novel. 

Ladybookbug!

Benediction by Ken Haruf

A gentle story about a man dying of cancer.  The scene is a small town in the mid-western part of the country.  It's a place where people go out on their front porch during a rainstorm to get a better look.  It's a place where your neighbor knows everything about you and brings you a covered dish when you are sick. 

Dad is dying of cancer.  His daughter Lorraine comes home to help Mary (his wife) cope with it all.  His son, Frank, is nowhere to be found.  Frank and his father had words many years ago and lost touch.   A little girl named Alice moves in with her grandmother who lives next door to Frank.  A new preacher comes to town with his own ideas about what's important in life.  All of these people meld together to create a homespun story about life and death.

I was particularly moved by Haruf's description of Dad's dying days.  His attention to detail is remarkable.  He is very good about bringing the reader into the story.  It's almost as if we are hearing friends talk about someone they know.

Worth reading.

Ladybookbug!

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

It is with a heavy heart that I write this review.  The author passed away last July.

A Week in Winter is a foray into a list of delightful characters staying at a stone house on the coast of Ireland.  Ms. Binchy's descriptions are so powerful, one can hear the waves crashing on the shore and the sound of gulls in the air.

Always known for her characters, this book shows again why readers love this author.  We are drawn into the company of strangers and feel that we are privy to their secrets.  I found myself wishing I was sitting at the wooden table in the kitchen, sharing a meal with these interesting people.

I will miss your writing style and am so glad I had the priviledge of reading your stories.  I am blessed.

Ladybookbug!

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova's novels are works of art.  She takes a hard look at people who suffer from some type of disability.  She forces the reader to be introspective and it is a good thing.  Her characters are believable and interesting. 

Her latest entry, "Love Anthony" offers a closer look at autism.  The story is about two women who are both struggling with who they are.  Beth is the mother of three girls, newly separated from her cheating husband and re-discovering herself in the process  Olivia is separated, on her way to divorce and dealing with the death of her only son.  How these two women's lives become inter-twined is what this story is all about.

This was a terrific story.  I found myself crying at the end.  Each book that I have read by this author is worth reading again.  Her other titles are "Still Alice" and "Left Neglected".  Read them.

Ladybookbug!

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Imagine you are a noted orthopedic surgeon.  You have just retired and have discovered that you are suffering from the early stages of dementia.  Your life-long friend and neighbor body has been discovered and the police think you committed the murder.

That is the case of Dr. Jennifer White.  Unfortunately she doesn't even know whether or not she committed the murder.  One of the clues leading law enforcement officials to her is the fact that her friend's four fingers have been surgically removed.

This is a well-written foray into the world of dementia told from the view of the sufferer.  It is also a great mystery which keeps you guessing until the last chapter.

A first-time author for me, but this author has written five books prior to this one.  I'll probably read one of her books again soon.

Ladybookbug!