Great mystery and wonderful story

I admit I probably wouldn't have come across The Cuckoo's Calling on my own; another mystery writer whom I follow on Facebook mentioned she had heard about Rowling being the author at a thriller writer's convention in NYC, and I promptly bought it off of Amazon. Apparently I didn't hit buy soon enough, so with the huge rise in sales it took a bit longer than typical to arrive. Interesting that the cover now states Gabraith is a pseudonym. I thought that aspect might take a bit longer. So, enough of that, onto the review.

I truly loved it. The writing, the character development, the plot lines, the exposition, the resolution....all of it are simply excellent. I loved both Strike and Robin, as well as their budding friendship.

Just as in the Harry Potter series, I am looking forward to the next in this.

I happen to think Rowling is immeasurably talented...she writes extremely well, whether it is Harry Potter, this mystery, or the sadder, truly realistic portrayal, she created in The Casual Vacancy.

Too Long

I loved the premise of Ripped, by Shelley Dickson Carr, and I enjoyed all of the characters (though it was easy to guess who Jack The Ripper was in this novel).

It was fun to learn a bit about Cockney Slang, and to learn more about the Victorian age.
I also enjoyed picturing conversations between Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker.
Katie, Toby and Collin were interesting in both the Victorian era, and in the present day. Katie's desire to change the past, and perhaps to solve the Ripper murders is, again, an interesting premise.

I fear though the novel was much too long. The resolution could have drawn to a close at about 3/4 of the length of this novel or perhaps even half. Even my most avid YA readers would probably give up on this, due to its' length. Not because they don't enjoy long novels, but this one just doesn't develop...the middle of the book goes on and on and on, without truly adding to the issues of time-travel, the solution to the Ripper murders, or Katie learning more about how to fit in, in the Victorian era.

At times I also thought there were either some gaps, or some editing glitches with continuity...perhaps this was due to the novel's length and my despair at wanting the resolution to appear sooner than it did.

All of this being said, the author does have some talent, and I will give a second story a chance.

Try a Little Tenderness

Wow...so I could title this post, "Must Read"..the book is just that wonderful. Told in alternating chapters, by Mandy and Jill, it is story that deals with love, loss, hope, tragedy, evil, good...well...life.

Both Mandy and Jill are dealing with intense issues, and as they gradually come to understand each other, through their alternating chronicles, the reader falls in love with both of them; with their stories, with their perspectives. Caring about all of the characters in this novel, is one of its' draws. (well, truthfully, two characters are awful, but described in a manner that allows you to picture them in a holistic manner).

I titled the review, "Try a Little Tenderness" because it is a central theme to the book, and the song plays an important role in Jill's life. Whenever she and her late father were arguing, one would say to the other, "Try a Little Tenderness" and the fight would stop..wow, kind of a perfect sentiment, right?

So, with Otis singing in the background, I plowed through this book. Yes, crying at the end, but these were tears of joy.

Jill's mother states about life, "be prepared for detours"...and again, how true that is. Some detours we are happy to encounter, others are tragic and throw us for a loop. The death of Jill's dad, throws her family into turmoil, but the detour they ultimately take will have you too crying tears of joy.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. So...now that I have raved about it, I suppose I should state the title:

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Great Beach Read

I thoroughly enjoyed, The Bookstore. The plot is fairly tame, but the author's ear for dialog is wonderful. A young woman, working on her PhD at Columbia, finds out she is unexpectedly pregnant. Her decisions regarding this are nicely depicted and realistic.

Her relationship with the father of the baby, is very nicely drawn out. Their dialog and interactions are often very funny, and the subtle manner of depicting his manipulative (and condescending) attitude towards Esme are spot on.

Esme fortunately has friends that support her, and the title of the book references her part-time job, at a used bookstore. The supporting characters are all nicely developed, and it is easy to see how this beach read, could translate to a summer rom-com movie.

If you want a nice, light, funny, beach read, pick up The Bookstore, by Deborah Meyler.
*it will be released August 20th...

Class is over, summer reading has commenced.

I finished my class on Tuesday, and am starting to go through a physical pile of books, interspersed with a list on my Kindle.
The first one I read was The Kill Room by Jeffrey Deaver. This is one of his Lincoln Rhyme novels, and brings back the Deaver I have known and loved. Some of his works in recent years have just been so so.

The plot is quite timely (whistle blowing and Drone killings), the main characters remain true to themselves, and the criminal players are quiet interesting. While one character seems a bit over the top, to be head of a NSA type of agency, it still seemed kind of plausible that he was in charge.

The questions raised throughout the novel are thought provoking, and actually are sticking with me. If you enjoy thrillers, political novels, and keep up with our current issues, I am sure you too will enjoy, The Kill Room

The other book I read is a non-fiction one called, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and The End of American Debate by Greg Lukianoff. Truly interesting, thought provoking and maddening. I have learned a great deal about college life since my sons entered their respective schools. One main issue has been how very different things are in innumerable ways since I attended college. Many of these differences are addressed in this book. Prior to sending your child to college, you should read the college student handbook and read this book. In addition, tell your child if they are ever brought before a student or administrative hearing, they do need to tell you..you should be there for them, regardless of what the college says.

Engaging narrator

The narrator of the young adult novel, Twerp, was very engaging, and believable. I enjoyed the plot as well, but did feel the character of Eduardo was at times unbelievable. He seemed much older than 5th grade, which was explained at one point (he is actually 14), but even at that he was still slightly too knowledgeable and "all knowing"

The premise, that the narrator is writing a book in lieu of studying assigned books in his English class, worked very well. The teacher is also hoping the narrator, will deal with a bad situation that he hasn't fully dealt with. The supporting characters are likeable and believable as well.

I will encourage my staff, and students to purchase this book.