13 Ways Of Looking At A Fat Girl by Mona Awad

Mona Awad has captured every woman's feelings about her body in various stages through following Elizabeth over the years.  Lizzie starts as a young girl who is fat as she is starting her relationship with men.  Since she is not desirable to them, she lets them take liberties she probably wouldn't otherwise.  She forms relationships online and tries not to have to send pictures.

Once she meets Tom online, she decides before they meet in person to lose weight.  That starts a years long fight with her weight, where every ounce of food is measured and weighed.  Long grueling workouts are undertaken.  The weight slowly comes off, but the price is unwavering vigilance and continuance of her spartan lifestyle.  Her weight is the consuming battle of her life and she changes her relationships and even her name depending on the numbers on her scale.

Awad knows this territory.  She talks about how women view clothes and the shame of having to buy larger sizes.  She deals with how weight impacts women's friendships with each other.  She knows how it is an overwhelming part of romantic relationships and how those who struggle with their weight are supposed to be grateful for whatever romantic interest is shown to them.  She deals with the shame of giving up and gaining back weight that took months to take off.

Is there a woman who doesn't struggle with weight?  Most women feel they are too large or too small.  They feel that their lives would be better if they could only lose weight or gain it.  They spend enormous amounts of time and energy dealing with this one issue.  As such, women can relate to this anthology of thirteen stories that follows Lizzie throughout her life.  Awad has an MFA in fiction from Brown University.  This talented debut introduces a fresh new voice to literary fiction.

The Cellar by Minette Walters

When the Songoli family moves to London, they have a secret.  In addition to their two sons, there is another member in the family who no one knows about.  Yetunde, the wife, made a trip to an orphanage before they left.  There she claimed a young girl, saying that she was the girl's aunt.  The truth is much more sinister.

Muna, the girl, has been taken in order to be the family's slave.  She is forced to clean and cook all day, her only refuge a stained, ragged mattress in the cellar with no light or heat.  She is beaten regularly by the wife and later, as they grow older, by both the boys.  She is abused sexually by the husband.  She is not allowed to have any schooling, or even to speak.

But things have a way of changing.  When the family's younger son goes missing and the police come to the house to investigate, things take a turn for the better for Muna.  She is moved upstairs into her own bedroom and claimed as the family's daughter.  They need Muna to validate their stories so slowly fall into her debt.  As the weeks go by, the family starts to realise how strong Muna really is and the lengths she will go to as she wrecks her revenge.

Minette Walter is one of the finest mystery and suspense novelists working.  Her books have layer with the story being told prosaically and then a lower level where evil things dart about and where the lies of the top layer are slowly peeled back and revealed.  Her sense of timing is immaculate and the reader is never disappointed when the story is finished.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Kindness by Polly Samson

Julian had a stellar academic career ahead of him.  But he threw that all away once he met Julia.  It was an instantaneous connection and he couldn't imagine anything he'd ever want more.  They scrape by and things get better as time goes on.  Julian becomes an author of children's books and Julia becomes a landscape architecture.  They have a child, Mira, who is the center of their existence.  When Firdaws, Julian's ancestral home, comes on the market, they even find a way to purchase it and move there.

But paradise rarely lasts.  It all falls apart when Mira is diagnosed with a life-altering disease and it isn't clear whether she will even survive.  The two turn to anything that will help them through and do things that are unforgivable in a relationship.  They split and Julian removes all traces of Julia and Mira from Firdaws.  His family and friends rally around him to help him get through the breakup and the loss of all he holds dear.

Samson has written a book that slowly uncurls and reveals the dark secrets that tear families apart.  As the reader discovers each secret, it becomes clear how little communication Julia and Julian ever had and how the secrets have ruined any chance they ever had together.  Each secret is as surprising to the reader as to the people learning them for the first time.  Samson is an English author and not well known here in the States.  Those that read The Kindness will make sure that she becomes more well read as her books become available here.  This book is recommended for readers about family relationships and those who prefer literary fiction.

Booksie's Shelves, Februrary 19, 2016

A huge number of books have come through the door in the past few weeks.  I'm making a little progress in my dry eye problem, so have had some success in reading and finished several books this week.  Here in NC we had what we hope was the last blast from winter this week and it was frustrating not to spend a snow day with a good book. At least I can walk tv so hopefully I'll see a victory for my Tarheels playing Duke tonight.   Here's the newest additions:

1.  The Taxidermist's Daughter, Kate Mosse, literary fiction, sent by publisher
2.  The Madwomen Upstairs, Catherine Lowell, literary fiction, sent by publisher
3.  H is For Hawk, Helen Macdonald, memoir, purchased
4.  War Of The Encyclopaedists, Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovitt, literary fiction, purchased
5   The Girl Who Stayed, Tanya Crosby, literary fiction, sent by publisher
6.  The Miracle Girl, Andrew Roe, literary fiction, sent by publisher
7.  The Pocket Wife, Susan Crawford, suspense, sent by publisher
8.  The Last Days Of Magic, Mark Tompkins, fantasy, sent by publisher
9.  Blood Infernal, James Rollins, suspense, sent by publisher
10.  Black Rabbit Hall, Eve Chase, suspense, sent by publisher
11.  Why We Came To The City, Kristopher Jansma, literary fiction, sent by publisher
12.  Sex With Shakespeare, Jillian Keenan, literary fiction, sent by publisher
13.  Mongrels, Stephen Graham Jones, fantasy, sent by publisher
14.  Speakers Of The Dead, J. Aaron Sanders, mystery, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Kindness, Polly Sampson, paperback
2.  The Empty Chair, Jeffrey Deaver, Kindle
3.  The Path Of The Storm, James Maxwell, Kindle Fire
4.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
5.  Shockwave, John Sandford, paperback
6.  Lexicon, Max Barry, hardback
7.  The Maid's Version, Daniel Woodrell, Kindle Fire
8.  The House Of Rumour, Jake Arnott, audio
9.  A Crucible Of Souls, Mitchell Hogan, paperback

Happy Reading!

Thorn Jack by Katherine Harbour

After her sister Lily Rose's death, Finn Sullivan and her father can't stay in San Francisco any longer.  They flee to Fair Hollow, New York, the same upstate town where her father was raised and where he is offered a job at the local college.  Finn attempts to start a new chapter in her life.  She attends college and meets two friends, Sylvie and Christy.

But Fair Hollow seems to have secrets.  Long a haunt of movie makers, the town seems full of beautiful people and dramatic happenings.  The most beautiful are the Fata family, extremely wealthy and consisting of a large clan of both men and women.  They don't seem to have to work and spend a lot of time having parties and exploring the deserted mansions from Fair Hollows time as a haven for wealthy families.

Finn is curious about the Fatas, and especially when she meets Jack Fata.  He is impossibly gorgeous, irresistibly mysterious, and for some reason, he seems interested in Finn.  She seems to run into him everywhere.  Sometimes he pushes her away and then he pulls her back.  She doesn't know what to think, but she knows she is falling in love.

But that's not a good idea.  For the Fata family is mysterious for a reason.  They have secrets going back centuries and they don't take kindly to newcomers.  As Finn gets closer to their secrets, she starts to realise that she has fallen into a danger even more fatal than the one that stole her sister.  Can she break free and can she take Jack from his family?

This is the first of a trilogy about The People Of Nothing And The Night.  It is lushly written and the tension builds very slowly.  The reader sees Finn's danger long before she does, but is helpless to do anything more than read as she is entwined further and further into the Fata family mysteries.  This book is recommended for young adults and those interested in suspense fantasy novels.

The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

They should be fabulously happy.  Clio, Sarah and Tate all live in New York City and have found professional success.  Yet each is stumbling in life, their professional success not mirrored in their personal lives.

Clio was the scholarship girl in an Ivy League university.  Her middle-class parents didn't bode well for her fitting in with her classmates from fabulous, wealthy families.  Clio also has childhood secrets that she wanted to hide and that even in her mid-thirties keep her from forming a committed relationship.  She has been seeing Henry, a charming Irish man who has just opened a successful hotel in midtown Manhattan.  He's ready for commitment but Clio just can't make the leap.

Sarah comes from old money.  She lives in an apartment right off Central Park, a college graduation gift from her parents, who live in the same building, as does her sister.  Clio was her college roommate and still lives with her, each hesitant to live on their own.  Sarah's younger sister is getting married in a week, a fact that fills her with envy.  She thought she had met the love of her life, but he crushed her by leaving her before their marriage.  Sarah has created her own business, but the fact that she had to get the money to do so from her father still gnaws at her.

Tate, with a college friend, created an app that they sold for millions.  At the same time, his marriage imploded and he is left without work or love.  He thinks he would like to pursue his lifelong fascination with photography.  He meets Sarah at a Yale alumni game, and although they weren't friends in college, they have an immediate connection.

Aidan Rowley knows the subject area she is writing about.  She lives in New York with her family.  She is a graduate of Yale and Columbia Law School.  She understands the difficulty in finding one's way in both personal and professional arenas, and how one must make a conscious decision to be happy.  Readers will be invested in all three character's lives and decision points, although they may question why these difficulties weren't resolved before the characters' mid-thirties.  This book is recommended for readers interested in relationships and life struggles.

Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

FBI Special Agent Mathew Roarke is on a manhunt for a killer who has escaped the best efforts of law enforcement for years; in fact, no one even suspected the killer until recently.  One of the main reasons is that this killer is a woman, a rarity most law enforcement specialists never see.  Cara Lindstrom is a survivor.  As a small child, she survived a brutal attack that killed her entire family.  The killer cut Cara's throat, but she survived, the only witness to his wanton destruction.  Sent to the social services mill, she disappeared when she became an adult, but she didn't leave to live a quiet life.  Instead, the hunted has become the huntress, killing men who use and hurt women.  Roarke is drawn to her, each encounter he has with her leaving him more confused.  He knows she is a killer but can't help but have some sympathy for her.

Now Roarke is on the hunt to put Cara behind bars.  He comes up with the idea of pretending that the killer who destroyed her family is back at work and has his staff find a recent family massacre.  The problem is that when they go to the most recent example, it appears that it is indeed the work of the man who destroyed Cara's family twenty-five years ago.  Can that be true?  Can someone that sick, that depraved, just stop killing for several decades?

As the FBI becomes more certain that the original killer is indeed back at work, Roarke and his team switch focus to track down this man who has destroyed multiple families.  In the process, Roarke knows that he is also getting closer to Cara.  Will he be able to put her behind bars?

Alexandra Sokoloff is writing some of the best suspense done today.  Her plotting is intricate and involved, drawing the reader in further and further into the world of psychotic killers and that of the law enforcement personnel who dedicate their lives to tracking and putting away such killers.  The interplay of emotions between Roarke and Cara as each is in turn, the hunted and the hunter, is mesmerizing.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Road To Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is known for his travel books.  Probably the one that most people remember is Notes From A Small Island, which was his impressions of his adopted homeland, Great Britain.  It was released in 2001.  Twenty-five years later, his family is grown and he is a famous author.  He still lives in England and decided to revisit places he saw then and visit new ones to get a sense of what has changed.

He visits the entirety of the island, from the big cities to the small villages, from the remote north to the little coastal towns to the more populous southern areas.  What he finds is that many things have remained the same while overall the country has gotten poorer, less well-educated and has less interest in the historical places that surround them.  Many of the former tourist areas are now struggling as people can just as inexpensively visit overseas.  Much of the industry has also closed, fleeing for cheaper areas in which to operate.  The population has changed with more immigrants than when he arrived, himself an immigrant as he points out.

What bothers him?  The historical areas that don't get the attention they should or the funding to remain available to the public.  The trashing of the common areas as common politeness seems to diminish.  The areas that are harder rather than easier to travel to as train and bus lines close due to lack of profits.  The closing of village shops as large superstores move in, often to move out again a few years later, leaving the area destitute of shopping choices.  The towns that now feel dangerous at night as gangs have taken over.

What does he like?  The absolute natural beauty of the land.  The amazing number of historical places that England and the other areas have, many of which are forgotten and unvisited.  The amazing higher education system, where England has 1% of the world's population and 11% of the world's most highly ranked universities.  The sheer fortitude and perseverance of the British people, pleased with what they have and disinclined to grumble about what life hands them.

Bryson has written about many places over the years.  He and Paul Theroux are my two favorite travel writers and I've read almost everything they have written.  Both are revisiting places as they get older, Bryson with Britain and Theroux with Africa.  Both seem discouraged at how their favorite places have changed, and how the world seems poorer and more difficult than it did years ago.  The interesting thing is how much of this is due to natural aging and the loss of optimism the young have, and how much is verifiable fact.  Bryson fans will enjoy this book and those new to him will probably seek out his other books as he is addictive.  This book is recommended to readers of travel writing and those interested in visiting England.

Booksie's Shelves, February 6, 2016

Already February!  We've had our annual snow here in North Carolina and we're all done with winter and ready for spring.  My eyes are getting a little better and I've been reading more.  Our daughter is down to the time of choosing a college.  She applied to five colleges and got accepted at all five, now to make the big decision.  Outside of all that, books continue to show up.  Here's what's come through the door lately:

1.  Imagine That, Mark Fins, literary fiction, sent by publisher
2.  The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro, literary fiction, published
3.  Blood Of Innocents, Mitchell Hogan, fantasy, sent by publisher
4.  13 Ways Of Looking At A Fat Girl, Mona Awad, literary fiction, sent by publisher
5.  Why They Run The Way They Do, Susan Perabo, anthology, sent by publisher
6.  Why We Snap, R. Douglas Fields, nonfiction, sent by publisher
7.  The Passentger, Lisa Lutz, mystery, sent by publisher
8.  Welcome Thieves, Sean Beaudoin, anthology, sent by publisher
9.  The Arrangement, Ashley Warlick, literary fiction, sent by publisher
10.  River Road, Carol Goodman, mystery, sent by publisher
11.  The Daylight Marriage, Heidi Pitlor, literary fiction, sent by publisher

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  Blood Moon, Alexandra Sokoloff, paperback
2.  The Path Of The Storm, James Maxwell, Kindle Fire
3.  The Kindness, Polly Sampson, paperback
4.  The Empty Chair, Jeffrey Deaver, Kindle
5.  Shockwave, John Sandford, paperback
6.  Lexicon, Max Barry, hardback
7.  Thorn Jack, Katherine Harbour, audio
8.  The Maid's Version, Daniel Woodrell, Kindle Fire

Happy Reading!

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee

Living in Hong Kong as an expatriate is living a charmed life.  The husbands (and it's mostly husbands who work) are given lots of enticements to uproot their families and move abroad for a stint away from the mainland.  Travel allowances for the family to go back to America in business class twice a year, a housing allowance that means no housing costs, a membership to the country club, schooling allowances for the children.  Everyone has servants, a driver, a nanny, a maid.  The wives don't usually work but live a life of shopping, visiting with friends and going to the club.  It is an artificial life at times, with your friends the other people you see and the endless round of socializing.  It is reminiscent of a summer camp or college days, times when one is surrounded only by those in the same general life situation.  You share intimate things with them, but once their time is over and they disappear, they also disappear from your life.

Three women's lives are twisted together in the latest round of expatriates.  Margaret had it all, a loving husband, three beautiful children until the family went abroad for a family vacation and met a horrific family tragedy.  Hiliary and her husband are trying for a child but it isn't going well and they are looking into adoption.  At least until her husband leaves her, alone and adrift.  Mercy is the youngest, a graduate from Columbia University who can't quite seem to make a go of it after college.  Everyone knows everyone in Hong Kong, at least in the expatriate community, so all three woman know, or at least are aware of, each other.  How their lives entwine in the disasters and reincarnation of each life is the life exploration Lee displays.

Lee knows what she is writing about.  She and her husband spent ten years in Hong Kong in the expatriate community.  She was born and raised in Hong Kong so is very familiar with the area as well as the expatriate community.  Her ability to deftly dig into the lives of these women and show how they adjust to an unfamiliar world is stellar.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in exploring how people's lives mesh and how one moves on from life tragedies.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

It's a routine extended space flight.  The astronauts on the space station are ready for an extended work assignment of a year or more.  But when an event causes the moon to explode, everything known becomes unknown.  Astronomers quickly realise that the debris from the moon explosion will inevitably cause the destruction of the Earth's atmosphere and thus the destruction of all life on Earth.

The expected time frame is two years and the best and brightest minds try to come up with a plan for the human race to continue.  Obviously, the best hope is space and soon every spaceship available is put into service taking up supplies, scientific knowledge and those lucky few deemed important to the human race's continued existence.  The inevitable happens and all those on Earth's surface are soon gone.  There are several thousand inhabitants in space, surely enough to continue.  However, the human characteristics of power attainment and subterfuge create a situation in which after several years, only a handful of humans survive.

Five thousand years later, those humans have survived and thrived with a sophisticated technological society and several billion inhabitants in space.  Plans are moving ahead to solve the problems of the Earth after the land destruction and new plants and animals are stocked there once the atmosphere is stable.  This is to support the eventual return of humans to Earth.  But as the plans progress, it becomes clear that there are surprises in store on Earth and that the story has other chapters yet to be written.

Neal Stephenson writes novels which explore large ideas and Seveneves is no different.  The reader is forced to consider what would be essential in a worldwide disaster and what characteristics would allow the human race to survive.  The ability to cooperate in order to survive and even thrive is explored as is the need for flexibility to handle whatever situations may evolve.  This book is recommended for readers of science fiction and those interested in survival thinking.

Avenue Of Mysteries by John Irving

Juan Diego is a famous writer, now in his fifties, living, writing and teaching in Iowa.  But that's not where he started.  Juan and his sister, Lupe, were 'dump kids' in Oaxacan, Mexico.  Their mother was a prostitute/cleaning lady for the local priests.  They lived at the dump with the dump boss, who was probably not their father.  Their friends were the dump dogs, feral animals that tended to die early.  Juan and Lupe scavenged the dump.  Juan saved every book he found, and taught himself to read.  This brought him to the attention of the priests.  Lupe could read minds; she knew everything about a person's past although she wasn't as good at knowing the future.  Neither of the children were particularly religious; they didn't feel that the Virgin Mary had come through on her promises.

Avenue Of Mysteries is the story of Juan taking a trip to the Philippines but spending his time remembering his past and all that occurred.  He and Lupe had lived at the dump, at the church's orphanage and at a circus.  All three places left their mark on him.  He eventually left Mexico with his adoptive parents.  Eduardo was a man who wanted to become a priest but fell in love with Flor, who was a transvestite.  Together they left Mexico and took Juan with them to live in Iowa.

In his most recent trip. Juan Diego meets a mysterious mother and daughter pair.  Each is a fan of his work and each is determined to arrange his life and take control of his days.  He goes along with their plans but in reality is consumed with remembering his days with Lupe and what it all meant.

John Irving is an author whom readers either love or dislike intensely.  I'm on the love side of the equation.  Fans will recognize many of his recurring themes; the meaning of love, the inevitability of the future doing what it will with you and the need to understand and validate the lives of those most unlike you.  The typical Irving devices are there; the geographic location of Iowa, transvestite, circus animals and reading.  No one hits the same chords in a reader as Irving and this novel hits those chords again.  This book is recommended for readers interested in the human condition and how our choices affect our lives.

Half In Love With Death by Emily Ross

Jess Galvin has gone missing, another teenage girl who has disappeared.  Some say she ran away while others think something much more sinister has occurred.  Her sister, Carolina, just a year younger and who shares a room with Jess, was the last to see her.  Jess said she was sneaking out for a while and for Caroline to cover for her.  By the time Caroline gets worried the next day and tells her parents, hours have gone by since Jess left.  There is no sign of her.

The family attempts to go on.  The girls' father makes a trip to California since Jess talked about going there to become a movie star.  Caroline and her brother go back to school where no one is sure how to act around them.  Her mother cleans incessantly and tries to convince the world all is fine.

The biggest secret Caroline kept for Jess was Jess's relationship with Tony.  Tony is the local bad boy, handsome and charming but the word is he's not to be trusted.  After Jess disappears, Tony starts to hang around with Caroline.  She knows her parents wouldn't approve but who else but she and Tony are willing to look for Jess?  They have the best chance of getting other teenagers to talk.  But soon the secrets that surround Tony start to scare Caroline.  When she is away from him, the discrepancies and rumors about him worry and scare her.  But whenever she is with him, he quickly wins her back to his side with his charisma.  Can the two find Jess or are the rumors about Tony more than gossip?

Emily Ross writes this novel in first person and the reader is transported inside the mind of a typical teenage girl.  There are school rivalries and posturing for popularity.  There are tentative first steps at romance with whatever guy seems interested.  Anyone who has been a teenager will recognize the thought processes of Caroline and how her naivete is easily used to manipulate her.  The teenager disdain of the adults around them and the surety that they are feeling emotions that no one has felt before and that no adult can understand is captured successfully.  This book is recommended for mystery readers and readers interested in family relationships.

Wait For Signs by Craig Johnson

Fans of the TV series Longmire will be delighted to find this anthology of twelve stories about Sheriff Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka Country, Wyoming.  Readers will find other familiar characters from the series such as Cady, Walt's daughter, Henry Standing Bear, his best friend and Vic Moretti, his undersheriff.  There are divergences from the series also as some main characters in the TV series are not found in these stories.  All of the stories occur after the death of Walt's wife, Martha.

The stories display everyday details about a sheriff's life.  Walt deals with everything from a robbery in progress to an owl trapped in a Porta-Potty.  He deals with animals from a wild rodeo horse to a mama bear with cubs to a queen sheep who rustles other sheep to the dismay of the ranchers in the area.  In all of the stories, Walt's desire to be kind to those around him while upholding the law shines through and the reader is struck over and over again with how such a tough, silent man has an inner core of kindness and love for his fellow creatures.  My personal favorite was a story called Thankstaking, where Walt and Henry reach beyond themselves to discover the true meaning of the holiday.  This book is recommended for fans of the Longmire series and for any reader interested in stories of the West and how law enforcement is really done on a daily basis.

Booksie's Shelves, January 13, 2016

2016 has been a disappointing reading year for me so far.  Not that the books I'm reading are bad, but that it is almost impossible for me to read right now.  I'm going through a major flareup of dry eyes and reading even 10 pages is sometimes challenging.  If you've been wondering why there haven't been as many posts, that's the reason.  I'm undergoing treatment so hopefully something will work soon.  Here's what's come through the door:

1.  The Infidel Stain, M.J. Carter, historical fiction/adventure, Vine review book
2.  Cold Moon, Alexandra Sokoloff, mystery, sent by publisher
3.  The Portable Vblen, Elizabeth McKenzie, literary fiction, Vine review book
4.  We That Are Left, Clare Clark, historical fiction, Vine review book
5.  Mothers, Tell Your Daughters, Bonnie Jo Campbell, anthology, Vine review book
6.  Free Men, Katy Simpson Smith, suspense, Vine review book
7.  Five Star Billionaire, Tash Aw, literary fiction, purchased
8.  Where It Hurts, Reed Farrell Coleman, suspense, sent by publisher
9.  The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth, historical fiction, purchased

When I can read, here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Maid's Version, Daniel Woodrell, Kindle Fire
2.  The Path Of The Storm, James Maxwell, Kindle Fire
3.  Avenue Of Mysteries, John Irving, hardback
4.  Seveneves, Neal Stevenson, hardback
5.  Wait For Signs, Craig Johnson, paperback
6.  The Empty Chair, Jeffrey Deaver, Kindle
7.  Throne Jack, Katherine Harbour, audio
8.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
9.  The Road To Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson, Kindle Fire
10.  Lexicon, Max Barry, hardback

Happy Reading!

A Brave Man Seven Stories Tall by Will Chancellor

Things are moving along satisfactorily in Big Sur for Owen Burr and his professor father, Joseph.  Owen is an athlete at his prime, six foot eight and expected to have a place on the Olympic water polo team.  Joseph has been a professor for many years and while he isn't famous, he has carved out a good life for his son.

Then tragedy strikes.  Owen is injured in a game and loses an eye.  He can no longer play the sport that has defined him.  After hospital and rehab stays, rather than finding a new focus, he withdraws all his money and disappears.  His father is frantic and has no idea where he is.

Where he is is Berlin.  Owen has decided that perhaps he should become an artist and that Germany is the place that serious modern art is being done.  He falls in with a group of other artists including one of the most famous modern artists and thinks things are coming together.  Unfortunately, the tribe he has moved in with are monsters and their only interest in Owen is to use him to make profit off his suffering.

After a bloody showdown with this group, Owen and a female DJ he has met, take off.  In the meantime, Joseph has gotten wind that Owen is somewhere in Europe and comes to find him.  In the process, he becomes famous, but not in a way he had ever anticipated.  The two careen around Europe, missing each other for months.  Will they be reunited and will Owen find his way in life?

This is a debut novel by Will Chancellor and it is a towering accomplishment.  Owen is a striking character who will remain in readers' minds long after the novel is finished.  His journey to find himself and where he fits in the world is a compelling one and readers will want to accompany him as he attempts to find himself.  The love between Owen and Joseph is deep and fuels the novel.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and for those interested in personal journeys of exploration.

The Walk Home by Rachel Seiffert

Graham and Lindsey meet in Northern Ireland.  Lindsey lives there, sixteen and discontent with her life living with her father who ignores her.  Graham is there with an Orange March band where he plays the drum.  It is a Protestant custom meant to show the Protestant strength in Ireland to the Catholics, although Graham is not political, he just likes playing the drum and the uniforms.

Six weeks later, when Graham has returned to Glasgow, Lindsey shows up on his mom's doorstep, pregnant.  The two get married and in due course, Stevie is born.  Lindsey is fiercely independent and determined to get her little family ahead.  This is the world of working poor, where everyone lives in government housing and the jobs are cleaning houses, driving taxis and construction.  Lindsey wants her family to do better and for Stevie to have a better life.

But things go awry when Graham goes back to the life in the band.  Lindsey's discontent with her father was rooted in his activities with the Catholic IRA and the constant tension and fighting that politics meant there.  Although Graham doesn't see his actions as political, she can't stand to be reminded of that time.  The constant fighting breaks up the family and sets Stevie astray.  He runs away and is lost to the family.

The story is told in two parts.  The first part is the story of Lindsey and Graham, starting when they meet and moving forward.  The second part is Stevie's story when he returns to Glasgow after several years on his own.  As the two stories move towards each other in time, the reader is drawn into contemplation about whether the family can also move back together and be reconciled.

Rachel Seiffer is considered one of the best current novelists.  Her first novel, The Dark Room, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.  Her second, Afterwards, was longlisted for the Orange Prize, and a collection of short stories, Field Study, received an award from PEN International.  This novel, her third, was longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Literature, formerly the Orange Prize.  This book is recommended for those interested in Irish history and those interested in how families can support each other and how easily they can be torn apart.

The Tears Of Dark Water by Corban Addison

Daniel and his teenage son, Quentin, are sailing around the world.  Daniel and his wife, Vanessa, are having issues in their marriage, and Quentin is aimless, heading towards trouble.  Daniel decides that a sailing trip for father and son will be the cure for all the problems the family is having.  Halfway through the trip, Daniel's plan seems to be working; Quentin is back to his own self and focused on completing.  Then disaster strikes.

The sailboat is attacked and taken over by a band of Somali pirates.  They are led by a young fighter, Ismail, who has taken up the life of a pirate after the wars and corruption of Somali have ripped his family apart.

Paul Derrick is the FBI's top hostage negotiator.  He is called in to broker the release of Daniel and Quentin, backed up by a huge navel presence and an elite SEAL team.  This will be a difficult negotiation as it is so bound by time.  Usually, Paul has days if not weeks to wear down a hostage taker but the boat is only four days off the coast.  The government is determined that the pirates will never make landfall where the hostages can disappear with no chance of rescue.

Derrick is making progress when Ismail goes off the record.  He finds a way to contact Vanessa and the family left behind directly and demands a ransom for their release.  Daniel's father is wealthy and well-connected and the government agrees to try the ransom.  But disaster occurs and all the participants are left to face the fallout from what happens.

Corban Addison has written a compelling page-turner.  The story is told through the viewpoints of Daniel, Vanessa, Paul, Ismail's lawyer, Megan, Ismail and his sister Yasmin.  All sides of the complicated issue are explored in depth and the reader is pulled into the controversy and left to wonder how they would handle such a volatile situation.  This book is recommended for readers of thrillers and those interested in current events.

Booksie's Shelves, December 30, 2015

Here's the last Booksie's Shelves for 2015!  Since it is after Christmas, it's a huge list.  I ask for books, people give me books, then I'm shopping for books for other people and see ones I can't live without.  All in all, it's always a Booksie Christmas.  Here's the recent additions:

1.  Island Of Wings, Karin Altenberg, literary fiction, purchased
2.  Skin, Mo Hayder, mystery, purchased
3.  Gone, Mo Hayder, mystery, purchased
4.  The Dogs Of Littlefield, Suzanne Berne, literary fiction, sent by publisher
5.  If I Run, Terri Blackstock, mystery, sent by publisher
6.  The Treatment, Mo Hayder, mystery, purchased
7.  Reasons She Goes To The Woods, Deborah Kay Davies, literary fiction, purchased
8.  A Drop In The Ocean, Jenni Ogden, literary fiction, sent by publisher
9.  Atlantic, Simon Winchester, nonfiction, purchased
10.  What She Left, T.R. Richmond, mystery, sent by publisher
11.  Be Frank With Me, Julia Claiborne Johnson, literary fiction, sent by publisher
12.  Incarnations, Susan Barker, literary fiction, purchased
13.  The Expatriates, Janice Y.K. Lee, literary fiction, sent by publisher
14.  May We Be Forgiven, A.M. Homes, literary fiction, purchased
15.  The Blue Book, A.L. Kennedy, literary fiction, purchased
16.  Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, Salman Rushdie, literary fiction, gift
17.  City On Fire, Garth Hallberg, literary fiction, gift
18.  The Borrower, Rebecca Makkai, literary fiction, Paperbackswap
19.  My Fat Dad, Dawn Lerman, memoir, sent by author
20.  A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing, Eimear McBride, literary fiction, purchased
21.  Desert City Diva, Cory Fayman, mystery, sent by publisher
22.  The Red Book, Deborah Kogan, literary fiction, purchased
23.  The Seas, Samantha Hunt, literary fiction, purchased

Here's what I'm reading:

1.  The Maid's Version, Daniel Woodrell, Kindle Fire
2.  The Path Of The Storm, James Maxwell, Kindle Fire
3.  A Brave Man Seven Stories Tall, Will Chancellor, Kindle
4.  Mystery Walk, Robert McCammon, Kindle Fire
5.  Seveneves, Neal Stephenson, hardback
6.  The Tears Of Dark Water, Corban Addison, paperback
7.  Thorn Jack, Katherine Harbour, audio
8.  The Road To Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson, Kindle Fire

Here's to a great reading 2016!

The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian

It's 1890 in London and the Scotland Yard Murder Squad is still finding its way.  Their consulting physician is excited about a way to identify criminals by the marks their fingers leave behind and he also has ideas about how to keep a crime scene untouched until he can get there.

Life has also moved on for the detectives in the Squad.  Walter Day is still recovering from the search for Jack the Ripper that almost killed him and left him with a significant injury.  His wife, Claire, has had twin girls and his in-laws have moved in to supervise, bringing a staff.  He doesn't have a moment's peace.  His sergent, Nevile Hammersmith, has even more problems.  A pure policeman who can see what needs to be done and who doesn't worry about the rules and procedures, he has also been left injured and also dismissed from the force.  He is bereft without his work as a policeman as it is what he was born to do.

Of course, crime never stops.  There is a new serial killer, nicknamed The Harvest Man, stalking the streets.  He breaks into houses and kills married couples by slicing off their faces.  There is a Ripper copycat prowling the nights.  The real Jack is still in the shadows although the official word is that he is dead.  He is very much alive and totally focused on Inspector Day, the only man to ever prove a challenge to him.

This is the fourth book in this delightful Victorian series.  Grecian has spun a complex tale that resolves satisfactorily.  Even more, his cast of characters is one that the reader comes to care about and wait eagerly for the next installment in their lives.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.