Circling the Sun

     Circling the Sun is a masterpiece of story-telling. It is the story of Beryl Markham and her life in 1920's British East Africa. Ms Markham is best known for her record breaking aviator flight from east to west across the Atlantic. But this story focuses on the elements of her life that led to such a courageous (fool-hardy) feat.
Born to a British colonial, abandonned by her mother at an early age, raised in Kenya more as a native than a Britain, Beryl became the first woman horse trainer in Africa, taking many horses to the winner's circle. She also became a land owner when very few women owned their own land.
This book explores the triumph and pain Beryl endured in her quest to be her own person, not owned or controlled by others. She also struggled to be in a balanced marriage. The failure of these relationships led her into various relationships; the most nortorious was with Denys Finch Hatten (played by Robert Redford in the movie Out of Africa).
This is a great story and told well by Paula McLain (also author of best selling novel The Parid Wife). If you enjoy historical novels, you will love this one. I give it 5 stars!

The Shanley Family in Free Fall

     I admit straight out that I only read about 15% of the book. It is the story of the Shanley family; mother, Deb; father, teenage son, Simon; and pre-teen, Kay. And an angry ex-lover of Jack. She prints out all the e-mails and texts sent during their torrid romance, and leaves this time-bomb at the desk of the apartment where Jack lives. Kay comes home, and the doorman asks her to take the box to her mother. Her curiosity leads her to begin reading what is in the box, she shares it with her brother, who then shows it to his mom, etc.
     It is quickly revealed that Deb met Jack while he was still married to someone else. I decided I had no desire to wade through the rest of their sordid life. Other reviews have pointed out that the book is divided into four parts, with the second part revealing how each family member turns out, and then going back to explain how they arrived where they ended.
     Ms Pierpont's writing is good. I just didn't feel like wasting my time with this family. I give it 2 stars.

The Bones of You

     The Bones of You is the story of a young woman, Rosie, 18 years old, who goes missing and is ultimately found murdered. It is the story of her family and the dynamics that have lead to this moment in time, and, of a neighbor who becomes consumed in understanding what has happened to Rosie.
     Ms Howell's utilizes the device of moving between the concerned neighbor, Kate, who has a daughter the same age as Rosie, and Rosie's observations from the hind-sight of her death. It is similar to Alice Seabold's The Lovely Bones, I do not feel that Ms Howell is able to pull it off as smoothly or convincingly. 
     While the writing is adequate, the story is so disturbing, that I did not like this novel. It was a story of pure evil, generational abuse, and how children can become lost in the abuse of their parents. For this reason, and the awkward passing back and forth between the living and the dead, I only give 2 stars to this novel.

Losing Faith bt Adam Mitzner

     Aaron Littman is a powerful defense attorney in the most powerful law firm in New York City. Poised to take over control of his firm when his mentor retires, Aaron is shocked when the most reviled man in America calls for a meeting, and asks Aaron to represent him in a money laundering case involving the Russian Mafia. Nicolai  Garkov is also a terrorist, suspects of a Red Square bombing that killed 26 people, including 3 American students.
Aaron is shaken to his core when Nicolai tells him he must convince the judge, Faith Nichols, to aquit him or he will reveal an affair Aaron and Faith had while he was trying a case in her court. Faith, on the short list for the next Supreme Court justice, has received word that a conviction will assure her nomination.
And thus begins the twists and turns that kept me page turning far into the night. Questions of fairness, justice an ethics swirl around this no-win conundrum for Aaron and Faith. There is little portrayed violence, but the threat is ever present. Make sure you have time to finish this one once you start. I give it 5 stars.

The Blanche White Series: Two Books (and counting) of Excellent Intrigue

 Blanche on the Lamb is the beginning of a sassy new series. Blanche White is an intelligent, middle-aged, African-American domestic worker in North Carolina. She is The Help in current time, with attitude. In this book, one of her employers stiffs her with a bad check which cause her checks to bounce, so she lays low by working for a rich family at their country estate. The only member of the family who seems humane and caring is the family's slightly mentally challenged Cousin Mumford. None of the others are worth the air they breathe.  The murder and subsequent antics of the family seem silly and at times comedic, against Blanche's commentary on race relations in Southern America. If you enjoy southern Gothic with attitude, you will love Blanche.


 Blanche Among the Talented Tenth tackles the ugly truth of discrimination among people of color. Her children are attending an elite private school in Boston, and are beginning to bring home uppity attitudes that Blanche does not like one bit. when the kids are invited to an exclusive Maine resort for wealthy blacks, Blanche decides to allow this romp through exclusive, black America. When one guest commits suicide, and another death leads to complicated questions, Blanche is dragged into finding the truth. This idyllic resort is littered with deceit, snobbery and generations of history, along with a bit of romance.
     Blanche is her usual sassy self, with wit and insight that uncovers secrets and a long history of racial discrimination. I cheer for Blanche once again, and for her integrity and her courage to face heart-wrenching decisions. I can't wait until the next volume is published!

Fives and Twenty-Fives

I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley in return for writing a review. This is my true and personal opinion.




This book will be published on Aug 26, and, with the current events in Iraq, could not have come at a more opportune time. The author, Michael Pitre, served two combat tours in Iraq, and while the story is not autobiographical, it has been enriched by his first hand experience.

This is the story of a Marine platoon assigned to fill potholes, usually created by IEDs that have exploded. But before they can begin their road work, they must first make sure there are no additional bombs in the area or in the hole. Everyday brings tension, and gut-ripping fear. Each person in the unit handles the pressure in their own way.

Told in flashbacks intermingled with current problems adjusting to being back in the States, this gripping story kept me on the edge of my seat for 4 days as I read. I cannot imagine the psychological, physical and spiritual toll this kind of terror must wreck on the soldiers who are in country for 12-18 months at a time. Watching friends explode in front of you, or be shot by snipers as you work to make the road safe for future transit. The mundane silliness of friends when you return home, who have no idea what you have seen and experienced while you were gone. 

There is also a gut-wrenching story of the unit's interpreter, Dodge. What happened to his family when Iraq was invaded by the US, how he survived and eventually came to be an interpreter, and what transpired when the unit returned to the states.

If you want to better understand what has happened in Iraq, this is a must read. Well told with terrorizing action, poignant moments of humanity, and gallows humor, Fives and Twenty-Fives is a record of a war no one wanted, and even fewer understand.

They Are Not Me

We Are Not Ourselves is a first novel by Matthew Thomas. I have such mixed feeling about it that I give it 3 stars. It deserves 5 stars for being well written, unrelenting and strong. For me personally, I would give it 1 or 2 stars for being slow moving and incredibly depressing. This book is the story of Eileen Leary who grew up in Queens NY to immigrant Irish parents. She is left yo raise herself due to alcoholic parents who are so depressed themselves that they have little time or attention left for Eileen. So she weaves dreams of living a better life. To her this means living in a better neighborhood, having an ambitious, upwardly mobile husband, and the perfect home.Of course, real life does not unfold kindly for Eileen. The book progresses painstakingly slowly through the rest of her life as she continues to strive for her dream at all costs, and her struggle to reconcile reality.The plot moves so slowly, it reminds me of literature from a long-ago era. At times it felt as though I was watching paint dry. But the characters were so clearly portrayed that I continued because I kept hoping they would find a way to bring hope, peace and happiness to their lives.It is a vividly conceive saga of the life of many people in the Boomer generation. It also made me so grateful that I was raised and chose to live with a heart for others and not just be consumed by my own existance.

Unrelenting Sadness and Deprivation

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt is a memoir of Frank's childhood in NYC and Limerick, Ireland. It is very well written, drawing you into his life in vivid detail. It was as if I was watching a movie, not reading, seeing each setting, each person in amazing detail. It makes me want to read about what happened in his life when he returned to America as a young man.
     McCourt's story is an almost stereotypical description of the Irish drunk father, the long-suffering mother, one child born after another, with survival being a miracle, an exception to the rule. The horrible living conditions, the relentless hunger, the eventual turn to stealing for survival all contribute to a picture of a life of barely surviving. In these conditions, Frank attended school, contended with bullying, with mean-spirited adults in his life who unrelentingly told him in every way that he was no good, not worth keeping alive, a sinner doomed to hell. The few adults who were kind or encouraging shone like a beacon in the never-ending grayness of his existence.
     It is a miracle that Frank survived. I am so curious how he became a writer. Was there further education? What work did he initially find when he returned to America. My next book is Tis by Frank McCourt, the story of his early years in America.

Local Customs by Audrey Thomas

Local Customs is a story set in the 1830's and is based on true events. 

Letitia Landon is a lady of limited means who has turned her love of writing into a way of supporting her family, gaining a certain amount of notoriety in her time. She has enjoyed an active social life, but as she reaches age 36, becomes concerned that she will end up an old woman living alone with her cat.
In walks George Maclean, home on leave from his position as the governor of Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana). In very short order, they marry, and leave for the Gold Coast. Letty dies within 8 weeks of arriving in Africa. She does not have any obvious illness, insect or snake bite, but everyone has a theory about what happened.
This book is written from the viewpoint of Letty, after she has died, and several of the people around her, including George, her female companion, a local missionary, and another governor in the area. Some people did not like the style of moving from one person to another, but I liked "seeing" the situation from different points of view.
I found the book well-written and fascinating in the descriptions of the times, ideas, beliefs and behaviors. It also reinforced  my wonder at how colonial countries could really believe they were "improving" the lives of the people they conquered.
I give it a 4 Star rating. If you like historic settings, and novels based on real events and people, you will enjoy this book. I personally did not like that a definitive answer was not given as to how Letty died, but that's my personal hang-up for leaving things hanging. 
Enjoy!

Wives of the Bomb

I received a review copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for publishing a review. I have no connection to the publisher or the author. This is my true perspective.

The Wives of Los Alamos: A Novel by TaraShea Nesbit

This is not so much a novel as it is a catalogue about the experiences and feelings and perspectives of the wives of the scientists that lived in secret isolation while they built the atomic bomb. I have a small personal interest since the pastor of my church in the early 70's was a graduate student who worked on this project. His PhD thesis was so highly classified that his review committee was not permitted to read it, and therefore, he never received his PhD.
The information is interesting, enlightening, and part of our national story that needs to be preserved. This book was not my cup of tea because it wasn't a narrative. It told a story in what felt like a fairly impersonal, at times choppy, manner. I would have preferred a more traditional novel. I am interested in character development more than a list of facts and feelings. Some are calling this book ground-breaking, and the use of the "collective we" perspective innovating. So I want to emphasize that my disappointment is not echoed by all previewers.
I kept thinking about how I would have felt if I had been in the wives' shoes. I love the southwest, but I have visited for 20 years before buying our retirement home in AZ. If I were in my mid-20's, with small children, and no friends or family near me, I would have found that very painful. Add the secrecy and the deprivation living conditions, I am sure I would have struggled to remain loyal to the project or my husband. No matter what your perspective on the creation of the atomic bomb, the sacrifices made by the scientists and families was strenuous and deserves attention.