A Caller's Game - J.D. Barker

 A Caller's Game - J.D. Barker

She read

I won’t detail the plot; you can read the descriptions on Amazon or Goodreads yourself. But, if you must have a synopsis, the publisher’s description is perfect: “talk radio meet Diehard”. 

At one time, I would have thought this book quite fantastical.  However, since Jan. 6, I find it much less so. J.D. Barker makes one take pause and think about the repercussions of all the talk radio, shock TV  and the ethics and decency that are compromised in the  pursuit of ratings, as well as the danger of the alt militia groups that seem to have formed all over our country.  A suspenseful, character driven novel that was a quick, enjoyable read.  

****

The Smash-Up - Ali Benjamin

 The Smash-Up - Ali Benjamin

She read; she recommended that he read

After 9/11, Ethan, co founder of a successful media firm who has sold his share of the business and Zo, a documentary filmmaker, escape from Brooklyn to rural Massachusetts.  Here they start a new life with their challenging ADHD daughter, Alex.  It is now 2018, and Zo has banded together with fellow female resisters after the shocking election of 2016,  while Ethan is questioning his life and Alex is on the verge of being kicked out of her very expensive private school.  As the country seems to spiral out of control, so does their life together in this modern take on the classic novel, Ethan Frome.    

I really liked this book. I felt the author accurately captured and portrayed the time and the feelings of many.  Her thoughts on aging, the world we live in and scary revelations about what social media is doing to us are perception and provocative, as is her question about what kind of world is being left for the next generation. The book begins with the question, “what happened?” and Ali Benjamin does a good job in showing how we got to where we are today and what has become of our society.  

*****

Trio - William Boyd

 Trio - William Boyd

She read

It is 1968 and two of the trio of the title are involved in the world of filmmaking in Brighton.  The third is a once successful writer, married to a film director. Despite her descent into alcohol, she is experiencing an extended dry spell with her writing. Various other people whose lives intersect with the trio round out this character rich novel.  All of them are living lives full of angst, yet there is a poignancy as each one comes to find some resolution, some peace.  

I liked this better than I thought I would.  The description made it seem somewhat of a farce; but it wasn’t.  Yes, there were moments of humor, but also wry observations of life during an era when “the times they are a changing”……

****

The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles

 The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles

Based on the real American Library in Paris (ALP), this story alternates between German occupied Paris and 1980s Montana.  Odile, a true bibliophile, is thrilled to be offered a job at the ALP and we meet many colorful characters who both keep the library functioning and those who patronize it during World War II.  Fast forward to the 1980s, and we are introduced to Lily, a young girl who strikes up a friendship with the mysterious Frenchwoman, Odile, who lives next door.  The story then unfolds, alternating between the two timeframes. 

It seems I’ve been reading a lot of books about the women who lived through World War II  in Europe and they start to be redundant.  This was a refreshingly different take on that time period with the added benefit of seeing into the future.  

Yes, this is a story about the power of books to unite people, to heal, and to inspire, 

but it is also a tale of relationships, morality, human nature, triumph over adversity. 

Well written, engrossing…., I loved this book. 

*****

In a Town Called Paradox - Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks

 In a Town Called Paradox - Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks

He and she read

Due to her mother’s untimely death, Corin is uprooted as a young teenager from Yonkers where she had an idyllic life as the daughter of a zoo veterinarian to live with her aunt in the red-dirt desert town of Paradox, Utah.  Resentful and sad, life takes a turn to the positive for Corin when Paradox becomes a haven for Hollywood studios and their westerns and she blossoms into her own woman in the late fifties and sixties.  

Noah, nicknamed, Ark, is the son of British missionaries who send him back to Britain for schooling.  He is fascinated by the stars and American westerns.  After his parents are killed and he finishes school, he has an opportunity to travel to Paradox where he meets Corin.  

There is so much more to this novel than just a depiction of life in the west or a girl meets boy story. There is racism, sexism, free will, human rights, a broad range and depth of human emotions, the organization of the cosmos.

Well written, with vivid descriptive language and character development, there is much to think about here.   There may be times when some readers feel that some of the side stories (collecting semen from a bull!) bogs you down, but stay with it, the story is well worth it.  As a side note, as someone who as lived in both the east and Utah, I really related to the descriptions of Utah’s dust and its effects; the authors captured it perfectly!

He read

 Initially, he was wary of the book; he thought it started slow and was just another static story of coming of age in the west.  As different characters and dimensions were added, he really, really liked the book.  

*****

 

Finlay Donovan is Killing it - Elle Cosimano

 Finlay Donovan is Killing It - Elle Cosimano

She read

My feelings changed about this book as I progressed through it. It started out kind of funny but then just got stupid and I thought that it just wasn’t for me, but stuck with it.   But then it gelled a bit and was a little less stupid.  It is a quick read, amusing, and if you don’t mind a bit of absurdity, an OK read.     

***

Every Waking Hour - Joanna Schafhaussen

 Every Waking Hour - Joanna Schafhaussen

She read

This is the fourth book in the Ellery Hathaway/Reed Markham mystery series; it is the second one I have read. As a young teenager, Ellery was kidnapped, raped, and tortured; she was rescued by FBI Agent Markham. Now an adult, Hathaway has become a police officer and has formed a close relationship Markham.

While he is visiting Ellery in Boston, he gets caught up in a missing child case assigned to Ellery and her training officer.   Ellery, who has many emotional scars from her ordeal years ago, is a bit overwhelmed when she has to share her living space with Reed, his daughter, and her half sister who turns up uninvited at her door.  All the while, she frantically searches for the missing child, hoping to save her as she had been saved.  

Ellery is a flawed character and Reed may have his own savior complex to deal with.  But, they make a good team and the story is can’t put down engrossing. An intriguing plot, twists and turns, and strong character development make this another good read in the series.  And, best of all, the ending sets up a sequel.   

*****