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A remote island with a very devout population is the setting for this unique blending of old-world thinking and the inevitable lure of the modern ways of the mainland. A boat comes to the island only a few times during half the year and this time it brings an outsider widow and her teenage daughter and a handsome young science teacher and with their arrival comes change and unrest. The accusations of the Salem Witch Trials, religious sects, and seclusion, as well as the testing of boundaries that all teens go through, makes for an eerie story of lust, witchery, and power. 
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1468 England A priest travels to the countryside to replace the local parish priest who has just passed away suddenly. Soon Father Fairfax is pulled into a mysterious discovery and possible conspiracy that the church doesn't want to be shared, the locals fear and knowledge that will change his life forever. Mysterious and well written - the story pulls you in and involves you in a bit of a quandary. Is what we think of as ancient history really ancient or has it all happened before. Not quite a murder mystery or love story and one with elements of science fiction and certainly historical fiction, this is a difficult novel to pigeonhole into any one genre but it will have you asking questions. This book will attract readers from many different areas.  This was a solid three and a half stars for me. A love story written in lists is easily the most unusual format I've ever read but it was not the easiest for my non-millennial brain to process. As you bounce through the lists they are funny, relatable and very poignant. They follow Daniel Mayrock's life from November to June in this journal as he tries to take on adulthood - the desire and then the reality of his wife wanting to get pregnant, his leaving a job he hated to open a money pit bookstore that doesn't thrive and his dealing with the ghosts of the past. This book has a male Bridget Jones vibe and I found these lists to be enormously entertaining and now have a burning desire to write my own random lists for everything.  Reading Elizabeth Berg's books are like helping yourself to an extra dollop of peach cobbler. There is a sweetness to the characters but also a fragility in the way they let their flaws crumble them and makes them real. A group of women in a variety of ages and situations has a club that meets not to discuss a great book or new food recipe but a confession club where each member takes a turn sharing some deep, dark secret about themselves. Some shock but most get some good-natured ribbing and everyone goes home feeling a bit lighter. There are marriages in turmoil and a new love that might take hold but all the women and their men feel a tight connection to the town and each other. A feel-good book that will make you want to call that good friend you haven't spoken to in a while.  Boady lives in a small town in Missouri where people are slow to change their behavior and their minds and their loyalty rests with the town's bully. When a black family moves into town and has a prominent position at "the plant", tensions run high and violence is on the rise. Missing money and a missing woman who had access to that money are causing everyone to move carefully and not ruffle any feathers. There is just too much hatred to ignore and racial tension to avoid violence. A coming of age story with small-town racial hatred and politics makes for a slow burn novel with the potential for instant flames.  It made me sad to think that millenials see dating like just sex, all guys as losers as well as all women being shallow as well as, really stupid stuff like race and earning potential mattering. If that is true then we have not progressed in our dating habits since the 50s. NOT THE GIRL YOU MARRY changes that perception. Hannah meets Jack and really likes him and against all odds, Jack meets Hannah and really likes her but because of each of them trying to prove something to their bosses each sabotages the one relationship that could mean something. Fun, funny and refreshing, this story gives a high-five to guys acting decent and to women trusting them to be. The perfect rom-com for millenials.  Once again a strange alien substance is wreaking havoc on Earth. Overnight a dark monolith emerges from the Amazon jungle which sets into motion a select group of scientists. Part horror, part science fiction and just plain cool science this is just believable enough to freak you out. In a voice that echoes a science fiction great, Daniel H. Wilson does a terrific job of advancing the original story and adding some of his robotic brilliance. A must even if you didn't read the first book.  First, let me say that this book covers a lot of ground both geographically and in genres. The story is both historical, mythical and supernatural. In the late 1800s, a young doctor witnesses the brutal killing of a black boy in South Africa and is cursed with the boy's spirit chasing him forever, killing anyone the doctor cares about. The second part of the curse turns William Abbey into a "truth-teller" allowing him to hear the truth from people which he is then compelled to share. Soon this ability makes him stand out to an organization called the Nineteen who recruit Abbey and others like him to spy for them. This takes the doctor to many locations all over the world and when he does try to escape them he flees not only his spirit shadow but also this blood-thirsty organization. He can never stop or settle down too long in any one place so his journey at times feels like a never-ending sea voyage with moments of panic or awe but mostly calm endless seas.  Bob and his wife, Amy are ready for their third act but both are concocting their own version of what that will be. When tragedy strikes it will be the ultimate test of their marriage as they and their friends learn how to say goodbye. Grab your tissues you will need them. There are many lessons and great stories that you have come to expect from the other Bob books. Even though this one has an air of finality to it you can still enjoy it without having read the other two books. It will make you think, reminisce, laugh and cry and hopefully make you live every day with few regrets.  This is one of the most unusual complex yet simple fairy tales that I have ever read. Erin Morgenstern has a talent for drawing the reader in a bit at a time, luring them with just enough information to make them curious. This ALICE IN WONDERLAND type story is no exception - doorways that appear to some, books that offer clues to snowstorms that begin with cherry blossoms and bees that operate a very efficient kitchen among other things. The imagery is fantastic as we follow a select group of people recruited to join an ageless but seemingly ancient lifeline of magic. If you love stories that are curiouser and curiouser by the minute, welcome to the Starless Sea. A journey for the mind and imagination that you simply don't want to end.  |
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