Hard to believe, but it has been nine months since I’ve written any book reviews for publication! This doesn’t mean I have not been reading; job responsibilities, household tasks, travel, and family fun often take me away from sharing my thoughts on novels I’ve finished reading. Because I’ve read so many books in the past several months, I’m doing something different and writing this posting as a compilation of short reviews designed to steer potential readers in the right direction. Most of my reading comes to me through listening to digital versions of novels. I also read some books on either an old Kindle or through the Kindle app on my iPad. Sometimes, I still pick up a print novel and read it as well. I find that when listening, however, I pick up on certain nuances the author creates that I might have missed because of my hasty reading speed.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes: This is a wonderful, sad “feel good” read that covers characters in both the past and present, and novelist Moyes does a terrific job stitching the two timeframes together. Reach for this if you enjoy historical and contemporary romance, novels about art and artists, and books that aren’t afraid to allow their characters the occasional “do over” when mistakes have been made. In essence, this tale is about a lonely woman, grieving the loss of her beloved husband. Liz has barely begun to pull her life together when she learns that her most favorite object in the world (a painting her husband purchased on a whim) is being claimed by a family in another country as the last-surviving artwork produced by their long-lost relative. Liz isn’t about to give up the one thing that helps her hang onto the memory of her husband; the family demanding the return of the painting aren’t about to let this last piece of their ancestor stay in the wrong home. Get ready for tears as you find out more about the mysterious painting and why it engenders such passion from its owners.

Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman: historical romance about a young girl in England who meets the wrong sort of fellow and finds herself pregnant and desperate. Follow her journey to Australia, where she encounters extreme poverty, prejudice, and hardships as she tries to make some sort of decent living in order to feed her child. Somewhat like the novel described above, the main character’s past story is interwoven with the current day story threads about her future relatives. This book reads quickly and easily while also telling a compelling story. Read it if you enjoy books about the past, as well as books set in Australia.

The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill: Wow! This book just blew me away and sucked the breath right out of me. I predict that men may like this story more than women. It is about a British street kid named Wolf who rises above it all to become incredibly successful, and how his eventual downfall provided him with plenty of prison time to contemplate how to obtain the sweetest revenge on all of his enemies. Oh my! The deviousness, the planning, the conquests! I thought about this one for a couple of weeks. I recommended it to a good friend in his 60s and he devoured it in one day. Good stuff!

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley: Well, I seem to have gotten stuck on a certain “type” of book as evidenced by The Winter Sea and reviews #1 and #2 above.  It must have been that wretched winter of 2014 that made me want to curl up by the fire and lose myself in historical tales. In this novel, historical writer Carrie finds herself on the Scotland coast in a tiny flat near castle ruins as she researches the exiled Prince James of Scotland. This is what drew me to this book – I have an interest in the land and the historical events. As Carrie conducts her research, she begins experiences losses in time. When she awakens from these “black spaces” she finds she’s written pages and pages about the events occurring at the castle. Is she travelling back in time? Why does this particular place pull at her heartstrings so? Read this somewhat unsettling historical romance and let yourself travel back in time to a place when castle intrigues ruled all.

Roots: The Saga of An American Family by Alex Haley: This is simply excellent storytelling, although events are based on many truths uncovered by the author. Since the book was published, others have disputed Haley’s claims that he is descended from the main character, Kunte Kinte. In any case it is obvious that Haley did a tremendous amount of historical research to tell the story of his ancestors. From young Kunte’s communal life in Africa with his family, to his journey across the ocean to the slave blocks, to the many horrors, triumphs, joy, and love experienced by his family, you will be taken on a ride that will leave you exhausted and more cognizant of a large chunk of U.S. history. The mini-series is also impressively well done, even though it leaves out whole sections of this book.

Alas Babylon by Pat Frank: I vaguely remember friends having to read this book in college, and I never paid it any attention. What a shame! It is an excellent novel that presents a nuclear holocaust within the setting of a small Florida town and shares details about its inhabitants, who struggle through learning to live in a world that has changed forever overnight. This book was written in 1959 and reads beautifully even today. This book will make you think, and if you have ever lived in Florida, you’ll enjoy the descriptions of life in central Florida. You’ll also enjoy it for the way the main characters learn how to survive through their own grit and the bounty of the land around them. Classic!

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore: This is the perfect beach or vacation read. Awkward, unattractive, and poor, Mabel manages to wrangle entry into a snooty college, where she meets her icy-cool, uber-rich, blond roommate Genevra. Although Mabel professes to dislike everyone, she is secretly thrilled when Genevra invites her home to summer at the family’s estate in Vermont. During her time there, Mabel comes to discover creepy and sordid secrets surrounding Bittersweet, and becomes determined to help the family who has allowed her to slip into their shining kingdom. Little does she know that she’s is playing with fire, and that is burning white hot!

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King: Let me say from the get go that I adore, adore, adore Mr. King and will read anything by him. Having said that, this is a fun, beach-read novel without any true depth, but with some good storytelling. Years ago, a nutcase murderer plowed a stolen Mercedes into a crowd of job seekers lined up at an employment fair. The person who committed this crime, killing several innocent people, is getting geared up to do something evil again, and the only thing stopping him is a crusty old retired cop who has enough time on his hands to begin unraveling the threads that the killer has so neatly woven. Good fun, and minor gore (for King). Definitely some weird family dynamics going on here…

14 by Peter Clines: Straight up horror, and enjoyably palatable in spite of the violence and gore. Nate, who has the most boring job in the world in an office, moves into a new apartment that he’s renting for nearly nothing. Thing is, there are all sorts of weird things happening in his new building, including glow-in-the dark cockroaches, locked up apartment doors, bizarre neighbors, and an oppressive feeling that something big and bad is about to come down and shake up everything. Think: Peter Straub. Watch Nate and his new friends tear into the secrets surrounding Apartment 14 – mind blowing!

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf: This book depicts every parent’s nightmare - a child gone missing. One morning, downtrodden Antonia wakes up to find that her precious daughter Callie is missing, as is her deadbeat drunk of a husband. Stranger still, Callie’s best friend is also missing, and as the hours tick by, all sorts of family secrets and suspicions begin to fly alongside bitter accusations and regrets. I’ll admit that I figured this one out pretty early on, but it still made for an entertaining contemporary fiction read. File this under “beach read” or “doctor’s office” material. You’ll be entertained, but I wouldn’t expect you to ruminate on the finer points of this novel for more than an hour.

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin: This book is an oldie (1953), and someday I want to watch the movie. Bud, a handsome, slick college student from a working-class background, tries to stay one step ahead of the law as he plots to climb over anyone who gets in his way of success and riches. The author details what we now know today as a sociopath – someone who carries no regrets and only wishes to fulfill his needs and desires. Watch Bud as he plots, carries out actions with evil charm, changes his plans to fit various situations, and practically glitters in his quest to get exactly what he wants. Chilling!

The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman: This is the final book in Grossman’s fantasy series about young magicians, their somewhat Potteresque magic school, the lands and creatures they discover, and their trials and tribulations as they try to make something meaningful out of all they have learned. I thought this final installment was perfect, especially the ending. The author kept surprising me, and did an awesome job revisiting past characters and places to pull together all of the story strings into a final, neat package. I was sad when I finished reading it. I’m not a huge fantasy reader, but I loved the Chronicles of Narnia series when I was a child, and this book will remind readers of that experience, with the allowances of adult characters and their interesting proclivities. If you want to learn more, please read the first book The Magicians, before you even think about this novel! A lot of reviewers complain about Quentin, the main character, but I found him to be totally believable and charming in his own, awkward way.  The stories-within-stories storytelling format was also enjoyable. I waited a long time for this final novel, and it was so worth it!

Abducted by T.R. Ragan: This is a Lizzie Gardner novel. I’m just kind of “meh” on this one. The book has an interesting premise – what if you were the one person who got away from the abductor who tortured and killed so many other young women? And then, what if you grew up to become a private investigator and became involved with the sicko all over again when he started up his new killing spree? The writing is really basic. I guess you could call this a beach read, or a quick read. There are a lot of disgusting descriptions that I won’t even go into. I think this was a freebie I downloaded as an eBook. It isn’t horrible, but it isn’t memorable either. Pick up only if you are bored and enjoy stories about killers, mysteries, and torture. Ugh.

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro: This is the first of a trilogy, and it was an exciting (if long) read. The story covers a strange happening: a plane lands and all of the passengers and crew on it are dead. Their bodies are taken to a morgue for examination, and one by one, the bodies begin disappearing. Set in New York City, del Toro’s first novel (he also wrote and directed the exquisite and dark Pan’s Labyrinth) is gritty, gory, and one hell of an exciting ride. You can’t call this a simple beach read because the storylines become complex, and writing is better than that – the story is a multi-layered tale that moves back and forth in time. The whole time I was reading this book I kept imagining it on the big screen. Apparently, a television adaptation of this novel aired this past summer on cable television, and was picked up for a second season in 2015. If you enjoy apocalyptic vampire novels with a heavy dose of disgusting gore, check this one out. I liked Kevin Cronin’s The Passage best for superb vampire chills, but still found this quite entertaining!

One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch. This book is a sweet story about a young woman who has resettled in Florida with the hopes of forgetting her terrible marriage. She becomes involved with a World War II veteran, and is determined to help him tell his story of heroism and to find his lost love. Of course, problems ensue along with a potential love interest. This is an easy-going, quick beach read with a few moments that are sincerely touching. There are some editing mistakes in the Kindle version, but they don’t really detract from the story. Some parts are quite clichéd, but the overall idea is a good one and I like that she includes elderly people in her story and embraces the idea that they still can have romantic feelings for loved ones.

The Black House by Peter May. Oh.My.Goodness. Excellent read! This guy can write and he tells such a compelling, creepy-as-all-get-out story. The main character, Fin, travels to his remote Scottish island home to help solve a murder mystery. He dreads returning there because of several events that impacted his coming-of-age years. He has recently lost a child, his marriage has dissolved, and he needs a change of pace…these are the reasons he tells himself in order to justify taking on the job finding a killer in a locale where he has terrible, nightmare-inducing memories. In reality, though, there is something on the island that is calling him back and he cannot resist the pull. There are mysteries that beg to be solved after all of these years. The section about the trip to the craggy island in the middle of the roiling sea for the ritual bird hunting will leave you breathless and happy to be on firm land. Simply terrific storytelling and exquisite writing. The Kindle version of this book is just $2.99 – a steal!

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue. Another “wow” from this author. I enjoyed reading her book Room several years ago, and expected another contemporary yarn. This story, though, is set in London’s muddy and sodden past and involves Mary, a girl born into poverty who quickly learns that being a street whore is the only way to feed herself. The descriptions are as gruesome as they are fascinating. You can tell the author did a great deal of authentic research to be able to write about the time period – the descriptions of smells alone (gag!) are amazing. Her novel is much more than just the story of a slammerkin (one word for a prostitute; another meaning involves a type of slip women wore back in the day); it delves into the concepts of transformation and forgiveness. Can you ever really change what you were seemingly meant to be? Follow Mary’s amazing, scary, and exhilarating journey as she finds herself and comes to know her true purpose in life. You won’t soon forget this extremely well-written novel. At the same time, you might want to just wash your hands because you’ll feel the stink of Mary’s horrible life sticking to them as you turn the pages. Wow!

I’m probably going to be in the minority, but I’m going to recommend Herman Koch’s The Dinner for those readers who do not require pleasant romance or drama securely tied up with satisfying endings. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with reading books like that – they are usually good fun, and often enriching. 

However, I love to look beyond the typical, and often seek out eclectic literature selections. This book will appeal most to those who enjoy thoughtful, chilling stories that don’t necessarily have likable characters and that don’t forward any truly uplifting storylines. In other words, after you finish reading The Dinner, you might feel slightly ill or walk about for a few hours in disbelief. And that, to me, is the hallmark of good writing. This book reminds me of when my middle son was reading The Kite Runner (Hosseini) when he was a high school senior. He was angry at the characters, and when he verbalized this to me I told him that he’d just read an exemplary novel in that it generated emotions in him. As another example, if you read Gone Girl (Flynn) and thought to yourself: those characters were awful people and I didn't like them at all, then you may not want to spend your valuable time reading this novel. If you got a kick out of Gone Girl and its depictions of amorality, then you may truly enjoy Koch's novel.

The Dinner takes place over a single evening, as two Dutch brothers – up and coming politician Serge and his brother Paul (dining with their respective spouses Babette and Claire) have both superficial and serious discussion over several courses of a meal served at a chi chi dining establishment. The author neatly skewers all the topical events currently discussed in today’s society (organic food, politics, preferred parenting methods, films, youth violence, racism, teaching pedagogies, etc.) while also slowly revealing the true characters that inhabit the diners.

The narrator of this novel is Paul, and I was reminded of the act of peeling an onion as he slowly revealed himself throughout the meal. Because each course of their dinner is interrupted by the overbearing, fluffy waiter who eagerly describes how every food item is carefully obtained and prepared, the reader is forced to wait for Paul’s next revelation, allowing the story to progress. This is clever writing, and it works really well for this type of storytelling.

Essentially, Paul and his brother Serge have come together to discuss a sickening crime that their 15-year-old sons are involved in, but they spend a lot of time working their way around the true events, and instead focusing on artificial matters. As the dinner unfolds, you learn much more about Paul and Claire, their strange relationship, and the love they have for their son Michel. When you come to the story’s ending, you will most likely be shocked by what has transpired, especially when you consider the initial impressions created by Paul and Claire as they prepared for their outing that night.

So, I wouldn’t call this a pleasant read. But it is gripping and intelligent, and I know that I’ll remember it for a long time. Actress Cate Blanchett is reported to be directing an American version of the novel. When it is made into a film here, I see the need for actors who can expertly emote via minute facial expressions and body language. If you check out Goodreads, you’ll see that people either seem to be fascinated by this quirky book, or to feel repelled and even angry upon finishing reading. Put me in the middle, but more closely on the “fascination” end of the continuum. If nothing else, this book is a creepy study in psychology, familial bonds, and why we make the choices we make. If you want to take your uncomfortable feelings a step further, think about your own family and neighbors and wonder for a moment about unsettling, hidden motivations that may never bubble the surface…until it is too late.

Do you like reading about complex relationships between couples? Do you enjoy digging into the twisted intricacies of how people react when their carefully created, structured lives are threatened? Are you cool with characters who aren’t necessarily appealing or nice or really even A-okay on any level?

If so, be prepared for a fun ride when you read A.S.A. Harrison’s The Silent Wife. This book is often compared to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, and I can see why. The story is told in alternating female and male viewpoints. But aside from that aspect, the two novels are quite different. In The Silent Wife, the author shows us how Jodi’s life, lived in a spectacularly decorated and maintained condo facing Lake Michigan, spins out of control when her common-law husband Todd takes his habitual infidelities a step too far, winding up with a much-younger, less-educated, and more-demanding girlfriend…who has somehow gotten pregnant. Todd loves his comfortable life with Jodi, but he needs frequent sexual escapades to keep things interesting, and when he realizes he’s going to be a father, he sadly decides to let Jodi go. Bad decision. Read this novel and see how far people will be pushed to the edges of their limits, and perhaps uncover even new boundaries they didn’t even know existed, when their worlds collide.

I’m sad the author will not be able to pen more novels; she died last spring from cancer. Don’t waste time comparing this book to Gone Girl. Just settle in for a terrific read, whether you find the characters likable or not, and enjoy the revelations as they unfold!