Connie's back with four good suggestions.
We can't keep "The Woman In the Window" in stock.
Enjoy.
You might notice,
for the 2nd time in a row I have a non-fiction listed. Hmm maybe a
trend. Probably not, but this one worth the pick-up.
My apologies to
those of you who read and loved …Wolves. Let us agree to disagree.
The History of
Wolves by Emily Fridlund (out 11.07)
If you eliminated
the stories here of Linda at 25 and 36, this would be a YA read. And one of
those reads that you shake your head while reading realizing how messed up
parents can result in a messed up a child. At times I became annoyed with
Linda, until I acknowledged that she’s supposed to be a teenager or later as an
emotionally damaged adult. 14 yr. old Linda lives with her exhippie
parents in what had been a commune in northern Minnesota – no indoor plumbing
and limited electricity. She becomes the babysitter for a family where she
finally feels like she belongs only to be swept up in their non-conforming
life. Oh and along the way she has a teacher accused of child pornography and
having sex with a minor. Ya, that kind of read.
(Interestingly I
absolutely loved the next middle grade book I picked up after read and it also
had an idiot parent. For heaven’s sake, maybe there should be a test or at
least a class for perspective parents though I probably would have failed)
Bobby Kennedy a
Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews (out 10.31)
I am neither a big
biography reader nor a big political reader, but assigned for book club I
picked this up. Fascinating. While having lived through almost all of the
period covered, my parents either didn’t talk about politics or watch on
television or I was oblivious (probably the later). One criticism I read of the
book is that is deals so much with Jack (John), but it would be impossible to
tell Bobby’s story any other was as he was so invested in Jack’s career. I hope
there’s not a quiz as there’s no way I remember all the characters (and some
were very much characters), back room /behind the scenes conversations, and
wheeling & dealing that occurred. But I learned (relearned) so much. And
amazing how much in Washington hasn’t changed – maybe the names, but still the
same. A really good read.
White
Chrysanthemums by Mary Lynn Bracht (out 01.30) ****This one is going to
be a winner!!
In much the way
Lilac Girls graphically brought the horrors of WWII Germany to us, so too does
this debut novel as it tells the equally horrific and often untold story of
Korean women during the Japanese occupation. Chapters alternate between Hana in
1943 as she’s abducted from her island and forced to be a “comfort woman” for
the Japanese soldiers and 2011 in Seoul as her sister Emi remembers her shame
at feeling she was to blame for Hana’s disappearance. So ashamed, her children
are unaware their mother even had a sister. Historians believe between 50,000
and 200,000 Korean women were taken with most never returning. And like Lilac
Girls, you are not apt to forget this book.
The Woman in the
Window by A.J. Finn (out 01.02)
Agoraphobic woman
watches the house across the street – apparent crimes and creepy stuff happens.
For you psychological thriller readers who need a fix.
This book takes off like a bullet. Maggie O'Farrell shares her
17 brushes with death, some frightening, some just bad luck. A message to her
daughter who lives with life threatening allergies to realize we
are all on the edge of death everyday. It reaches your
heart. Poignant.
Homegoing - A compelling novel spanning eight generations from the Gold Coast of Africa to the plantations of Mississippi. Fabulous read!(Eve)
Beneath A Scarlet Sky -
Wonderful story of young Italian hero during World War II.(Sarah)
