The Savage City by T.J. English

The Savage City is the exploration by T.J. English of the forces driving the dynamics of New York City in the sixties and early seventies.  This was the time of hippies, peace and love, protests against Vietnam.  It was the peak of the Civil Rights movement with Martin Luther King, Jr. as the Afro-American spokesman.  There was also an underside; racial discrimination, the rise of the black liberation groups such as the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army to combat racisim, and the police that often were more interested in the graft they got than any kind of even-handed dispirsement of justice.

On the day Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., two white girls were murdered in their apartment. Emily Hoffert and Janice Wylie were exemplars of rich young women working on careers and their deaths were shouted from the front pages of newspapers for weeks on end. 

English uses this case as the filter through which he follows the lives of three men:

1.  George Whitmore was a young, unsophisticated black man who had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was swept up by the police in another borough and before he managed to win his freedom ten years later, had been charged with the Wylie-Hoffert murders and those of two other women.  His treatment by the police was one of the key cases that led to the establishment of the Miranda warning.

2.  Bill Phillips was a New York City policeman and part of the "blue wall".  He spent as much time finding ways to make money on his beat as he did solving crimes and was part of the corruption in the police force that became evident. 

3.  Dhoruba Bin Wahad, a black man hardened by his time in prison, was an influential member of the NYC Black Panther party.  His views on the white police and power structure led him to a series of crimes that controlled his life.

T.J. English has done a masterful job of research these divergent lives and bringing them together into a cohesive whole to explain the environment of these times and the factors that influenced everyday life.  This book is recommended to those interested in reading how social mores influence our lives, as well as those who lived through these turbulent times.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

The newspapers are full of a shocking story.  The artist, Robert Oliver, one of art's modern up-and-rising figures, is arrested in a museum where he has attacked a painting; the painting that is the image of Leda and the swan.  He gives no explanation, in fact, he refuses to talk at all.

Andrew Marlow is the psychiatrist in charge of the mental hospital where Oliver is confined.  He takes Oliver's case himself as Marlowe is also a painter and thinks it may help unravel the mystery surrounding Oliver.  For Oliver is mute, and refuses to talk to anyone.  As the weeks go by, Dr. Marlow becomes more and more intrigued by Oliver.  Desperate to understand Oliver, he begins to research his life.

Marlow takes a trip to the mountains of North Carolina where he spends time with Oliver's ex-wife.  She tells of their lives together, first in New York and then later at the college in NC where Oliver is put on staff.  The ex-wife talks about the early signs of Oliver's mental illness, but also about her growing suspicion that there is another woman.

Marlow also finds this woman and learns more of Oliver's life.  Oliver paints one woman over and over and Marlow finds clues about her and the importance to Oliver's life, but there is no definite knowledge to be found.  He makes trips to Mexico and later to France where he finally discovers the secret to unlock the bars of the mental prison Olivier is caught in.

Elizabeth Kostova has written a complex, intriguing tale.  The plot unfolds slowly and the reader learns about the characters a bit at a time, like a stripteaser slowly revealing her charms.  Along with the plot, the reader is exposed to the art world and how painters relate to the world around them.  This book is recommended for readers of modern literature and those interested in love stories that change lives.

Bad Boy by Peter Robinson

Fans of Peter Robinson's series featuring Inspector Alan Banks will be interested to know he has written another.

Banks has gone on a vacation to the United States.  In his absence, horrors take place.  Bank's daughter, Tracy, gets involved with a local charmer.  Jaff is the son of the local bookie and a gorgeous Bollywood Indian actress.  He dabbles at the fringes of mob activity; a little money laundering, a little drug dealing.  He is charming and good-looking and the boyfriend of Tracy's best friend, Erin.  When Erin gets into police trouble by taking Jaff's gun, Tracy goes to warn him and ends up going off with him.

What seems like a lark at first and a chance to get to know Jaff better turns into a nightmare as she does just that, gets to know him better.  For Jaff is a true bad boy; narcissistic, ready to harm anyone who gets between him and anything he desires.  Tracy goes from a willing participant to a hostage as the situation gets more and more serious.  Inspector Banks returns home to find a crisis with his daughter in danger.  Can he resolve things and save her life?

Peter Robinson and his Inspector Banks series are well-known and respected.  He has been a finalist for the Los Angles Times Book Prize, a "Best Book of the Year" recipient by Publisher's Weekly, a "Notable Book" winner by the New York Times and a "Page Turner Of The Week" winner by People magazine.  Robinson has won numerous prizes including the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award and the Grand Prix de litterature Policiere.  This book, although the latest in a series, stands alone, as it was the first of Robinson's books that I'd read.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers who enjoy police procedurals and an inside look at how police forces really work.

Birdie's Book by Jan Bozarth

Birdie is excited and scared.  She is off to visit her grandmother, who she doesn't remember at all.  Her mother and grandmother have been estranged for years.  Birdie doesn't know why as her mother refuses to discuss it.  But her father thinks Birdie should know her family so he has sent her to visit while her mom is traveling on business.

Birdie has one overriding interest, plants.  She knows them all, their characteristics, how to grow them, their Latin names.  Imagine her joy when she discovers her grandmother lives on a large piece of land with hundreds of varieties of plants, and a greenhouse.  She makes her living selling various plants.  Her land has large gardens, with mazes and some of the largest trees Birdie has ever seen.  While exploring, she discovers the tree that is the heart of the land, but also discovers that it is dying.

This discovery leads her grandmother to tell her of her family history.  They are the guardians of the plants, but the plants are slowly dying.  The trouble started when the Singing Stone was broken in half.  That night, Birdie has a dream that takes her to another land, Aventurine.

She is confused about why she is there, but meets friends along the way.  There is Kerka, another girl who is there to help Birdie in her mission.  The girls meet river maidens (known as mermaids elsewhere) and fairies.  Each reveals another piece of Birdie's mission and how she can achieve it.  She must heal the land, and to do so, she must heal the Singing Stone and the heartland tree.  Can Birdie heal the land, and her family at the same time?

This is the first book in Jan Bozarth's Fairy Grandmother Academy series.  Elementary and middle-school girls will be entranced with this story.  There is a related website with games, places to write dreams, meet friends, etc.  At this point, four books have been written in the series.  This book is recommended for young readers, and for parents and grandparents looking for books to buy for their daughters or granddaughters that are exciting and provide a good message about what we are sent to do in the world.

Phone Kitten by Marika Christian

Emily Winters has a problem.  Well, several problems, but they really aren't her fault and anyhow, she can explain it all.  Emily has always hid her light under a basket, it's safer to be ignored.  But after being fired from her newspaper job unfairly, she starts to take control of her life.  She's losing weight, working out, going back to school and has even met the man of her dreams.  Is it fair that things don't work out for like she planned?

Since she lost her job, she had to have money, right?  Being a phone sex talker isn't a job you write home to mother about, but it's money and you never have to see your clients.  It couldn't possibly be her fault if one of her customers gets himself killed and she just happened to be in the restaurant he was dining at his last night, could it?  What can a girl do?  Why, obviously, she should take up detecting and solve the murder herself!

Marika Christian has written a light, frothy detective story with an engaging heroine, a believable cast of characters, and laugh out loud situations.  Emily is a can-do kind of gal, never at a loss for an idea of what to do next and brave enough (or naive enough) to follow through on her plans.  Readers will laugh out loud and immediately look for  more of Marika Christian's work when the last page is read.  This book is recommended for mystery and chick-lit readers. 

The Believers by Zoe Heller

Joel and Audrey Livinoff have been lions in the radical and socialist circles of New York, always at the forefront of every political demonstration, determined to champion the rights of the downtrodden. Now Joel has been stricken; the victim of a stroke suffered in court. He survives, but is left in a vegetative state for months.

Zoe Heller’s The Believers follows the Livinoff family during this time of turmoil. Audrey has been married to Joel for forty years. She is still fiercely committed to the principles they have spent their lives defending, passionate about ideas but much less so about her family. Like many caught up in the fight for mankind, she doesn’t actually like individuals very much at all, finding everyone deficient and not committed enough. She castigates those around her for failing to live up to her ideals.

The three Livinoff children are working through their own struggles as adults. Rosa, the child most like her parents, has returned from four years in Cuba where she lived in a dirt hut, strangely disoriented and unsure what she believes in. Surprisingly, this daughter of fiercely atheistic parents is drawn to discover what Judaism is about, to find out if it’s tenets are what she can believe and commit to.

Karla is a social worker, married to Mike and constantly sure that she doesn’t measure up as a woman, a child to her parents, a sufficient wife to her husband. Unable to have children, she and Mike are trying to adopt. Along with this struggle, Karla struggles to make peace between the fiercely fighting members of her own family.

Lenny, the Livinoff’s adopted son, is a recuperating drug addict, who has never made his way in the adult world, and who seems always on the verge of another relapse. Strangely, the independent Audrey is most closely attached to Lenny, and refuses to hear anything negative about him or about her enabling of his dependence.

Then there is the scandal that emerges during Joel’s long hospitalization. The secret makes each of the Livinoff question what their family stood for, and what the truth of their relationships are. Audrey is unsure if her marriage has been nothing but a farce, while the children wonder if their parents are responsible for their adult difficulties.

Zoe Heller has written an incisive book that examines the morass of family relationships and how tangled they are and what effect they have on the participants’ life choices. Readers will examine their own lives in the shadow of the truths that are become evident as the Livinoff family and its conflicts are laid bare. This book is recommended for readers interested in family dramas and how these first relationships have lasting effects on adult lives.

Take Good Care Of The Garden And The Dogs by Heather Lende

Heather Lende writes a weekly newspaper column for the small town of Haines, Alaska.  She also writes the obituaries for the townspeople.  Take Good Care of the Garden and The Dogs is a series of essays illuminating her life in Alaska as well as the lives of her neighbors and friends.  The reader is transported to this different way of life, and emerges understanding what draws people to this remote location.

The essays talk about various items, often touching on tragedy.  There is a chapter about Lende's bicycle accident.  She was run over by a truck and her pelvis was crushed, nearly killing her.  Since Haines has no hospital, seriously ill or injured people have to be airlifted to the States.  She spent three weeks away from home and then months recuperating at home.  She writes honestly about her feelings, how she felt towards the man who drove the truck that injured her (being a small town, she already knew him) and her gratitude for her recovery as well as the guilt of seeing others who did not survive illness and accidents.

Essays talk about local tribal customs of the native people who make up much of the town, of such disparate items such as bear hunting, peace marches, making raspberry jam, cooking, religious ceremonies, sailing, choirs, and exercise.  Throughout every essay runs the thread of the pioneering, study spirit that characterizes the population of Haines, Alaska and the surrounding land.

Readers will be instantly charmed by these narratives.  In addition, there is much food for thought and how the reader would process various items.  A common reaction to the book is mine; as soon as I turned the last page, I went out and bought the author's other work as I couldn't stand to have my time with this town ended.  This book is recommended for all readers.

Revelations by Laurel Dewey

Jane Perry is yanked from her work world as a Detective in Denver by her boss.  He tells her that she will be accompanying him to the small town of Midas.  A fifteen-year-old boy, Jake,  has been kidnapped and the police chief has requested their assistance.  The chief is an old buddy of her boss, and he has promised their help.

When they arrive, Jane quickly finds that all is not as you would expect.  The chief is openly hostile to her, and argues with each discovery she makes.  The parents don't seem to be as upset as one would expect, and even seem to be working against the police by refusing to allow Jake's picture to be put in the paper and by pulling the reward money.  They are close-mouthed and fight against any information being released about their family and it's secrets.

They are in the right place to guard secrets.  Midas is full of those with secrets and everyone is fine with that.  Those whose secrets are known are scorned.  The top suspect in the kidnapping case is Jordan Copeland.  Copeland spent more than thirty years in prison for killing a young boy, and his land abuts the bridge that was the last known location Jake visited, so he immediately falls under suspicion.  When Jane meets him, he stuns her by forming a connection with her and telling her that the case will never be solved until all the secrets are out.  Can Jane discover the truth before it is too late?

Readers of Laurel Dewey's other Jane Perry books, Protector and Redemption will be glad to read this newest episode of her work.  Jane's personality and secrets are further revealed in this book, and the secrets that make up the framework of the book are steadily uncovered without straining credulity.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop

The Last Letter opens as Katherine Arthur opens her home reluctantly to her dying mother and her sister, Yale.  Katherine has been estranged from her mother for years, bitter about how their family fell apart after attempting to homestead on the plains in the late 1800's.  But, with her mother dying, Katherine discovers letters between her mother and father, and between each of them and their neighbors that opens a door of understanding for her.  She looks back at that time with the eyes of an adult rather than those of a child.

The Arthur family comes to the plains in disgrace.  Wealthy businessmen, the Arthurs were successful bankers until it became evident that they had used the money to finance their lifestyle.  Bitter at the scandal her father caused and the loss of all their money, Jeanie Arthur moves from a mansion to a dugout on the plains; she, her husband Frank, and their four children crammed into a hole in the prairie.

Jeanie attempts to make the best of things, but the plains are harsh and unforgiving.  There are bugs and snakes, burning heat, sudden weather changes such as tornadoes and blizzards, and what seem like Biblical plagues of grasshoppers.  Life is brutal and a daily struggle to survive.  The Arthurs would not survive without their neighbors, and the friendship of the other women is all that holds up Jeanie in this difficult challenge.  But tragedy strikes, and the family leaves the plains and splits up.  Can Jeanie and Katherine be reconciled?

Kathleen Shoop makes the lives of the pioneer women come alive.  The dirt and disease and hard work that is a part of daily life are outlined in a way that is uncommon, transporting the reader to that time and place.  She also recreates the interdependency between neighboring families and how strong those friendships were.  This book is recommended for historical fiction readers, as well as readers interested in family dynamics.

The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill

Sir Wilfred Hadda, known as Wolf to his friends, leads a charmed life.  He has risen from a poor childhood where his father was a woodcutter on a lord's estate, to wealth and power.  He has married his childhood sweetheart, daughter of the lord who ran the estate where his parents lived and worked.  He is a baron of industry.

All that changes one morning when he awakes to find the police at his door.  They believe that he is guilty of child pornography.  Desperate to clear his name, he runs from the police, straight into traffic, where he is hit.  He awakes from a coma months later, minus an eye, most of one hand, and crippled.  His trial for child pornography and financial fraud is quick and he is convicted.  His wife divorces him and marries his lawyer.  All his friends now despise and revile him.

Hadda is committed to a psychiatric hospital where hard cases like his and various serial killers are kept.  He is a model prisoner, totally disconnected from his surroundings.  That changes when he is assigned to the new doctor at the hospital, Alva Ozigbo.  She helps him delve into his past, and when she is satisfied that he has faced his crimes, she helps get him released on parole.

Hadda goes back home to his parent's small house, which is one of the few things that he still owns.  He goes about his life, walking the woods and talking with no one.  But those involved in getting him imprisoned start to have incidents occur to them.  Is Wolf taking his revenge for his conviction?  Was it a fair conviction or was he railroaded?

Reginald Hill cannot write a bad mystery.   Most readers know him from his wildly successful Pascoe and Dalziel series.   His books are full of believable characters and the plot moves along rapidly.  Readers will be compelled to like Wolf against their will and end the book by cheering for him.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum

Karena Jorge is a successful reporter; most people would love to have her life.  But she is thirty-eight and has no outside life; no husband, no lover, no children.  Her father is in a nursing home and she doesn't have a relationship with her stepmother, dubbed The Widow.  Strangest of all, she hasn't seen her brother in twenty years.  Her brother, the person she was closest to her entire childhood and teenage years, her twin.

Then a phone call changes her life.  A hospital calls to inform her that her brother was admitted.  Charles has been living under the radar since his family had him admitted to a mental hospital when he was eighteen after a suicide attempt.  He is bipolar; his obsession tornadoes.  He lives as a stormchaser, moving from town to town to witness their fury.  Off-seasons he works a series of cash jobs to finance his obsession.

Karena is determined to find him this time and have him back in her life.  She joins a stormchaser tour group as a reporter and follows them on a journey to find storms.  These aren't Karena's first storms; being Charles's sister meant that she had experienced others.  But she was terrified then and the experience hasn't changed for her with one exception.  She is drawn to one of the tour leaders, Kevin. 

Jenna Blum has written a compelling story of what it means to be a sibling; what we owe to our family and how much we should be willing to sacrifice for them.  The reader learns much about the people who are stormchasers and what draws them to focus on such a dangerous activity.  Readers also explore the meaning of being bipolar and what effect it has on those around one with the disorder.  This book is recommended for all readers.

Ferral's Deathmarch Army

In Prince Kristian's Honor, Tod Langley gave readers the opening book of an exciting new fantasy series, the Erinia Saga.  Ferral's Deathmarch Army is the second book in the series and lives up to the promise of the first book.

As the book opens, Kristian's army has been defeated and he and only two comrades have survived the battle.  His fiance, Allisia has been captured by the evil sorcerer-king, Ferrell, who swears to make her his own, but only after torturing her to force her to comply.  Kristian flees to regroup, but what is left to do?  Who can supply the men and arms to help him?

Ferrell has raised an army the like of which has never been seen.  His evil powers have allowed him to reanimate the dead and his army is composed of dead men, women, and children.  The dead feel no pain.  They need no supplies.  They never stop fighting; if hit, they rise again.  There is no sophistication in their fighting; it is all brute force, but brute force wins when it is overwhelming in numbers and determination to never stop. 

As Kristin and Mikhal flee to regroup, they are joined by several individuals representing two warring tribes.  Although the tribes are sworn enemies, having fought ruthlessly for a thousand years, there are those in each tribe that recognize that Ferral is their common enemy and if he is not defeated, no one will exist in any land. Kristin is also joined by Cairn, a mysterious swordsman who travels the land, taking revenge for the deaths of his family and love.  Can this ragtag group hope to defeat the powerful Ferral before he destroys anything?

Fantasy readers will be well-advised to read this second book in the Erinia Saga.  Kristin has matured since the first book, and there are interesting back stories and threads that Langley skillfully weaves together to move his story forward.  The pacing is excellent, and the reader finds themselves quickly reimmersed in the saga.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

Prince Kristian's Honor by Tod Langley

Prince Kristian, soon to be ruler of Erand, has been sent on a mission.  Rumors have been circulating that Erand's ancient enemy, Belarn, is preparing to go to war and try to conquer the kingdom.  Kristian has been sent to Duellr, where he is to propose to the princess Allisia, and cement a relationship between the two countries so that they can oppose Belarn.

Kristian is a young, spoiled man, unloved by his country due to his superior attitude and determination to have to his own way regardless of the merit of his plans.  He is furious at having to propose to please his father, the King,  and be used as a pawn in the country's future plans.  When he actually meets Allisia, though, he is instantly charmed and pleased at her beauty.  He proposes and is disconcerted to realise that she is no happier about the marriage than he is.  But as they talk, they begin to form a relationship, and Kristian starts to realise that he has a long way to go in terms of likeability and interactions with others.

Then tragedy strikes.  In Belarn, the mad prince, Ferral, has used his unholy knowledge of the dark arts to kill his father and take the throne.  He undergoes a ceremony that brings a demon-woman to life, and sends her to Duellr.  The demon appears in court, kills the Duellrian king in front of Allisia and Kristian and then kidnaps Allisia, taking her back to Belarn where she is under Ferral's control.

Pandemonium erupts in Duellr.  Kristian realises that it is time for him to grow up and take leadership, whether he is ready or not.  He rallies his guard and the Duellrian army, and they start to Belarn to defeat Ferral and rescue Allisia, leaving word for his country to raise an army and come to their support. 

Still headstrong and unpracticed in military matters and leadership, the war does not go well.  Kristian makes decisions against the advice of his military staff, and along with the evil magic of Ferral, these decisions lead to a massacre of the troops.  Reeling from the disaster, Kristian and two of his military staff flee, the only survivors.  Can Kiristian grow up and take control as he is destined to do?  Will he be able to rescue Allisia from Ferrel's control before she is killed?

A new voice in fantasy, Tod Langley has created an exciting new world.  Krisitian is not the typical hero.  He is vain and stubborn, detested by the men he needs to lead.  The other characters are skillfully drawn, and the plot is engrossing.  Prince Kristian's Honor is labled Book One of The Erinia Saga.  Readers will be well advised to wait for the rest of the series to see if Kristian can become the ruler and man that he needs to be.  This book is recommended for fantasy lovers.

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

Jaffy Brown meets Mr. Jamrach as a young street urchin in London.  Mr. Jamrach is a wild-animal importer, supplying zoos and private collectors.  A tiger escapes and Jaffy, entranced, walks up to him and strokes his nose, no fear evident.  Mr. Jamrach recognizes that Jaffy has an affinity for caring for animals and hires him to help in his establishment.  Jaffy loves his new job and soon has a best friend, Tim.  Tim is another boy in the yard and alternately the best friend and a cruel enemy to Jaffy.  Tim has a twin sister, Ishbel, and Jaffy is friends with her also, and feels the start of adult feelings towards her.

As Jaffy grows, he and Tim want more adventure.  They find it when word reaches one of Mr. Jamrach's collectors that a real dragon has been spotted.  He funds an expedition on a whaling ship to hunt the dragon and capture it to become the centerpiece of the collector's private zoo.  Full of excitement, Jaffy jumps at the chance.

Life as a sailor and on a whaling boat is new to Jaffy, but he soon settles in.  The work is hard, but he has known nothing more.  Birch gives great insight into what a whale hunt was like in those days, the breaching of the whale, men taking to the sea in small boats to defeat these gigantic creatures who could kill them with a swish of their tails, the brutal killing and work of extracting the oil. 

After weeks of whale hunting, the boat approaches the remote island where the dragon has been spotted.  The Jamrach expedition sallies forth and manages to capture the mystical beast.  Loading it back on the ship, they cast off to make their fortune back in London.  But the beast brings bad luck and the boat sinks, leaving a few survivors to try to make their way back to their former lives.

Carol Birch's book has been longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction for 2011, and it is evident why it was selected.  Her forte is description, and she effortlessly transports the reader to another time and place.  The reader feels what it must have been like to grow up poor in London, to fight the large beasts of the ocean, and to be shipwrecked.  She explores the nature of friendship, and what men will do to survive. The reader cannot put the book down, drawn to find out what happens to Jaffy and his comrades.  This book is recommended for all readers.

Big In China by Alan Paul

When Alan Paul's wife Rebecca lands the position of bureau chief in China for The Wall Street Journal, Paul did not hesitate to move to support his wife's career.  The family packed up their three young children and headed off for a three-year adventure.  They landed into the life the expatriate community; gated compounds, private schools and scads of servants to help with the cooking, cleaning, child care and other day to day chores.

Paul saw two reactions to the ex-pat life.  One group devoted their energies to recreating their former Western lives in every detail, training their Chinese cooks to produce Beef Wellington and shrimp and grits.  Paul chose the other route.  He and Becky wanted to experience their time abroad enmeshing themselves in the foreign culture they were surrounded with.  They chose to eat native food, take excursions far from the tourist spots and learn the language.

Paul also discovered an added bonus.  With so many traditional mooring cut loose, he and others found an amazing freedom.  People were free to try careers and follow hobbies they had not had the time to pursue before.  For Paul, that meant music.

Paul had come from a musical family; his father a doctor who played in a jazz band all his life.  Paul himself had worked as a columnist for years for Guitar World and interviewed many of the top names in music over the years.  But he had not pursued a musical career himself, figuring he could never be as talented or successful as those who surrounded him.  In China, he found himself meeting some Chinese musicians and along with another ex-pat friend, formed a band.  Originally started for fun, the band, Woodie Alan, became successful beyond his wildest dreams and blending Eastern and Western music.

Big In China is a fascinating travel book.  The reader learns about Chinese culture through several individuals who are profiled in depth.  Alan's love of adventure and his family and friends, as well as his ability to seize opportunities and live life fully are evident.  This book is recommended for readers interested in travel writing or music.

The Card by Jim Devitt

Van Stone is a lucky high-school student.  He has just landed his dream job as a batboy for his beloved Oakland A's baseball team.  As he gets ready for his first day at work, his dad, who is a research scientist and often away, makes amends by giving him a baseball card.  It is not the card of one of baseball's superstars but of a player who had a pedestrian career.  Van doesn't care, he loves his dad and treasures his gift.

Everything changes for Van overnight.  His dad is killed in a car accident.  Now Van is the man of the family and responsible for taking care of his mom.  Strange things begin happening.  Van starts to notice men in dark suits following him and his friends.

The suspense ramps up when Van gets a demand.  To keep his mom and friends safe, he must give up the card his dad gave him.  Why would anyone want that card?  The pace accelerates as Van attempts to evade his pursuers and keep those he loves safe.  Is there anyone he can trust to help?

Jim Devitt has written an interesting mystery.  The readers learns about the inner workings of a baseball clubhouse and also something of the biotechnology industry along with the mystery.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers but will also appeal to sports fans.

The Case For Falling In Love by Mari Ruti

Mari Ruti is an associate professor of critical theory at the University of Toronto where she teaches contemporary theory, psychoanalysis, gender studies and popular culture.  She brings this educational background to the study of why and how we fall in love and what works and what doesn't for women.

Ruti insists that the common advise women are given; to downplay their strengths and to consciously play games to make a make feel more powerful are instead counterproductive.  It is unlikely that a relationship based on fantasy will be long-lived or provide what the people involved need.  She goes further and says that women should consider each relationship on its own merits and understand that all may not be long-lived.  Even a failed relationship can provide benefits.

Ruti provides eleven relationship touchstones.  They are:

1.  Stop trying so hard.  You can't force or trick someone into loving you.
2.  Stop being so cautious.  The benefits of love come only when one is open to them.
3.  Stop analyzing your every move.  This goes back to the need to not play games.
4.  Stop expecting your guy to act like a caveman.  Men are not genetically programmed to act this way, although some relationship mavens insist this is so.  Men can be truly emotionally involved in giving and supportive relationships.
5.  Stop apologizing for being strong.  If a man can't handle a woman's strength and competence, the relationship is probably not going to work.
6.  Stop being afraid to have needs and vulnerabilities.  If a relationship doesn't give you what you need, you need to end it.
7.  Stop running after guys who don't want you.  You won't be able to change them.
8.  Stop looking for a guy without issues.  He doesn't exist any more than a female exists without issues.
9.  Stop manipulating the guy you love. 
10.  Stop regretting every false step you took.  It is a rare person that doesn't encounter some failed love relationships.  It is part of what makes us human and realistic about what love can provide in our lives.
11.  Stop looking at loss as a pure loss.  Even a failed relationship helps you grow.

This book is recommended for women who want to find real relationships, not ones based on artifice and games.  It helps deconstruct the myths that exist about relationships and why they work or don't.  It frees women to be themselves and expect their men to appreciate their true selves.  Mari Ruti has created a useful guide and an unorthodox way of looking at what it takes to have a successful love life and those who read this book will walk away with lots of new ideas to think through and apply in their own lives.

So Close The Hand Of Death by J.T. Ellison

Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson should be happy.  She is engaged to the love of her life, Baldwin, and they are getting ready to marry.  But the life of a homicide detective is rarely peaceful, and Taylor's is no exception.  Her life turns upside down when a serial killer decides that she is his next target and that he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

The killer, nicknamed The Pretender, attacks on two fronts.  He has a cadre of assistants who have fanned out across the country and are killing in homage of famous past serial killers such as Zodiac, Son of Sam and The Boston Strangler.  While the police are putting those puzzle pieces together, he acts on the main front.  He and his team start to attack those close to Taylor, her friends and co-workers, inching ever closer to the main goal, putting an end to Taylor's life.

This is the sixth book in the Taylor Jackson series.  Those who have read the others won't be disappointed in this fast-paced, gruesome tale.  Those who have not read any of the other books in the series can easily pick this one up and read it as a stand-alone, although that plan comes with a warning.  Once a reader discovers the Taylor Jackson series, they will want to go back immediately and buy the five prior books to feed their new addiction.

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

Evie and Martin have come to India in 1947, bringing their young son and their hopes for a renewed marriage.  Madly in love when they married, Martin has come home from WW II a changed man.  He is now gloomy and suspicious, and seems more remote each day.  Martin is awarded a Fulbright scholarship to go to India to study the effects of the Partition, the breaking of the country into Hindu and Muslim separate countries.  Evie is determined to go with him and try to rediscover the love she is sure they still have.

Once there, things are no better.  India is so foreign to all they have known; the people, the smells, the food, everything is different.  Far from bringing them together, they become even more separated with Martin disappearing each day to work long hours.  The political situation deteriorates when the date for Partition is moved from two years in the future to two months, escalating the tensions that accompany such a drastic change in the country and the lives of those who live there.

Evie, at loose ends, discovers a packet of letters from a former inhabitant.  The letters are between Adela Wingfield and Felicity Chadwick, two young women who wrote them in 1855-1857.  Felicity had been born in India; her parents in the British ruling class.  At seven she was sent to board with an English family to be educated and introduced to society.  Adela is the daughter of that family.  Raised as sisters, they form a bond that cannot be broken; making a pact to live in joy rather than be confined by the rules of society.  Felicity returns to India to escape a marriage she does not want, and Adela joins her there after a scandal threatens to break around her. 

Evie becomes consumed with Felicity and Adela's story, and is determined to find out more about the lives of these women.  Her attempts lead her to engage more fully with India and its people.  As the political situation worsens, Martin's actions become more remote until finally his wartime secrets are revealed.  Can these two find a way back to each other in the midst of strife and confusion?

Elle Newmark is a master of the historical fiction genre.  She writes novels with believable characters, whose hopes and dreams the average reader can relate to.  The reader is transported to another time and effortlessly learns about different times, cultures, and mores.  This book is recommended for historical fiction readers and those interested in life conflicts.

Progeny by R.T. Kaelin

Rarely, readers are honored to discover a book that is so entrancing, so fascinating, that they are carried away to another land.  Progeny is such a book, and those who read it will be changed by the experience.

Nikalys and his sister, Kenders leave their small farm to go swimming for the afternoon.  Little do they know their trip will change their lives forever.  Returning after their swim, they are horrified to observe a Sun Elf using magic to destroy their village and everyone they have known, including their parents and brother, Jak.  They flee, unsure what to do or why their village has been targeted.

Fearful, they are unwilling to trust anyone, but find themselves in the company of a giant man who somehow wins their trust.  This man, Broedi reveals much to them as they travel.  He reminds them of the story underlying their society, that of the White Lions who came together to save humanity when the God of Chaos decided to destroy the world.  The ancient stories that tell of the White Lions also foretell of new heroes that will emerge when the world needs them--the Progeny.  Nikalys and Kenders are shocked to find that Broedi is one of the White Lions and a Shapeshifter, but totally disoriented when they come to realise that they are the Progeny of the legends.

For Chaos is again making an attempt to destroy all that is known.  As they determine to fight the forces of evil, their group is joined by others.  Wonderfully, they discover that Jak has somehow escaped the carnage that destroyed the village and is able to join them.  A Halfling with magic powers becomes one of the band.  A company of soldiers that is sent by the Sun Elf to find and destroy them instead become part of the group.  They save a family out on the remote plains, and the surviving members of that family also start to travel with them.  Together, this small band must attempt to fight the overwhelming forces of evil that are determined to destroy everything they hold dear.

Robert Jordan.  George R. R. Martin.  Stephen Donaldon.  Brandon Sanderson.  These are the masters of fantasy and readers of Progeny will be able to discover a new voice that is destined to match those authors.  R.T. Kaelin has created a complex world that his original and creative storytelling manages to make realistic and believable.  The characters are fresh and engaging.  While the story of good versus evil and a band who comes together to fight overwhelming odds is a staple of the fantasy genre, Kaelin manages to make it seem new again.  He draws the reader along marveling at the story that unfolds and willing to go wherever he leads.  The book is very highly recommended for all readers, and especially for fantasy fans.  When the last page is read, readers are left satisfied, fulfilled and impatient for the next book in the series. 

Promised Valley Rebellion by Ron Fritsch

In this novel, Ron Fritsch recreates what he imagines a prehistoric society to have been like.  The characters in this society are farmers and lead an agrarian live, raising crops and dependant on the season's cycles.  Life is simple except for the hill dwellers.

The hill dwellers are envious of the valley farmers, and periodically mount forays in which they attempt to conquer the more affluent society.  The farmers, in turn, consider the hill people to be little more than animals.

While life seems bucolic, the society is strictly set up by caste.  The king and his family are absolute rulers.  He has friends among the farmers he rules, especially those who fought at his side during the wars against the hill people, but friendship only goes so far.  Although his son is friends with their children, there is a strict dividing line.  When he falls in love with a farmer's daughter, their love and marriage is forbidden.  This eventually leads to a rebellion against the strictures that confine these people.

This book is recommended for readers who loved books such as Clan Of The Cave Bear.  The same imaginative recreation of life that cannot be realistically known is seen in Promised Valley Rebellion.   Fritsch explores how societies organize themselves and how they use rules and laws to order life.  There are an interesting array of characters, and readers will be engrossed with his vision.

Finding Frances by Janice Van Dyck

Frances has led her life; raising three children and providing a partnership with her husband, Bill.  Now in her seventies, she finds herself in deteriorating health with COPD and heart issues.  Frances has always been determined to end her life on her own terms.  She nursed her father through a long painful death and does not want to either go through that or put her family through the experience of watching her die inch by inch.

The children, long scattered, come home when Frances is hospitalized.  She is determined to have no surgery or treatments.  William is the eldest son and the middle child.  He was to have been the doctor, but stopped his medical training short of that goal due to his disagreements with Western medicine.  Sugar, the oldest child, has remained physically close to her parents, and sees her mother's condition realistically.  Randy, the youngest, is an environmental lawyer who has checked out from the family emotionally years ago.  Frances' husband, Bill, is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Frances with him for as long as he can.

Frances agrees to have treatment when she finds out that her insurance will pay for treatment but not for hospice care if she does nothing and takes a while to die.  She gets through the initial treatment and she and her family must make decisions about life and death going forward from that point.  Who should be the final decider?  Should it be the individual involved?  Should spouses and children have a say?  How involved in research and questioning the medical establishment should the family be?  Van Dyck wraps her novel around these questions.

This book is recommended for readers who are facing this question, or know that they will in the future, and for anyone interested in ethical dilemmas and how best to solve them.  The characters are written to portray all the sides of the issue, and the reader is led through their decision processes, hesitations and questions.  This is a common issue and one that can heal or tear a family apart.  Van Dyck has written a courageous book that can help readers make the painful decisions necessary.

Lydia by Tim Sandlin

How to explain this book, Tim Sandlin's latest novel in his GroVont series.  There's Sam, living his life in Wyoming running a home for unwed mothers with his second wife.  His first wife Maurey lives right down the road where she runs a horse farm.  His daughter, Shannon has lived her life moving from man to man and now wants more and has returned to Wyoming to search for her life's meaning.  Roger is the organization's handyman; he was raised by Maurey and her husband after a friend showed up and left him there as a young boy of five.  Roger didn't talk for two years and still doesn't know his history.  There is Oly, the oldest man in town, about to turn one hundred.  Then there is Lydia.  Lydia is Sam's mother but you wouldn't really call her a maternal figure.  She is a force of nature, a woman who doesn't care what you think of her as long as you do what she wants and don't ignore her.  Lydia has just returned to town after a ten year stint in federal prison.  The government doesn't take kindly to women who send poisoned chew toys to the President's dog.

All these lives tangle together and lead towards a fateful journey.  Lydia believes she knows the truth about Roger's past and talks him into driving her to California to look for what happened to him so many years ago.  Since her parole involves her getting the oral history of Oly's life, she brings him along.  In California they will encounter Leroy, a felon who kidnapped Roger back when he was five to hurt his mother, and who is now on the loose and wants nothing more than to finish the job by killing him.

Sandlin writes a rollicking tale, full of coincidences that somehow work.  The tale swoops and soars, twisting back on itself periodically to drop another piece into the puzzle of how these lives are intertwined.  Sandlin's writing is rambling and in the genre of Tom Robbins or T.R. Pearson; reminiscent of an Americanized Salman Rushdie, a gushing torrent of words that is unstoppable in its force and that entertains as it sweeps the reader along.  This book is recommended for readers interested in an entertaining story that shows the importance of being true to those we love. 

Walking With Sophie by Adam Webb

It is Sophie's birthday and she plans to visit all her favorite places.  She starts at the ocean where she loves to gather seashells and watch the waves.  Her mother told her that every time a wave crashes on the shore, a mermaid is born (what a lovely thought!).

Next is the forest.  She loves the smells and sights there, and the fact that her father lets her ride on his shoulders, making her feel like a giant.  She next visits the bakery where she spends time with her grandmother, tasting all the sweet treats.  Finally, she finds her favorite place of all, her home with her family safe and sound there.

This book is sure to be a favorite.  The illustrations are stunning and the story is one that children will love to hear over and over.  At the end of the book, there is a surprise that will continue to amaze.  This book is recommended for the young and the young at heart.

Sons And Princes by James LePore

Chris Massi is in a bad patch.  He has spent his life trying to avoid his father's world.  His father was a stone cold Mafia assassin; the local Don's hitman.  Chris tried to go the other way.  He grew up, married, had children and had a promising career as a U.S. Attorney.  But, forces from the past keep haunting him. 

The marriage didn't last, and Chris has been on his own.  He is worried about his teenage son, who seems to glory in the family's Mafia connections.  Chris's ex-wife is the daughter of the current Don, and this Don is looking for an heir to take over the operation.  His brother is a junkie, who scams and cons his way through life, skirting on the edges of the Family.  Chris has just been disbarred.  An old friend turned enemy has vowed to bring Chris down.  This man, Dolan, is a federal prosecutor.  He was Chris' best friend growing up until Joe Black Massi, Chris's father, gunned down Dolan's father.  He charged Chris on trumped up charges of stock fraud and when Chris was acquitted, managed to push through ethical charges against him that got him disbarred.

As bad as things are, they are about to get worse.  Chris gets caught up in a Mafia power struggle and his life is in danger from the men he knew all his life.  In addition, Dolan has decided that he will take out Chris; either legally through a trumped-up murder charge or by physically killing him.  Can Chris make his way through this maze of intrigue, betrayal and violence?

This book is recommended for readers who like noir crime stories.  It portrays the world of the Mafia, and the street life that surrounds the family's operations.  The conflict that sons feel toward strong fathers, loving and hating them simultaneously is explored.  There is plenty of action.  Fans of Mafia stories will not be disappointed; this one delivers.

Iconic Poetry by Sara Lauritzen

In this book, Sara Laurtizen write poems about the items that make up our world.  There are poems about Starbucks coffee, about macaroni and cheese, about Godiva chocolates.  There are also poems about the technology that makes our world work; Ebay, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook.  There are poems about watches, famous buildings, and luggage.  There is even a poem about her favorite football player.

These poems are light and breezy.  Each is an interesting way to spend a few minutes and to reflect on the things that surround us and that we can take for granted.  This book is recommended for all readers.

Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

Did you miss the whole '60's scene? The hippie, wanna-be-free feeling of beachfront California? Fear not. Readers can revisit this environment in Thomas Pynchon's book, Inherent Vice. Pynchon fans will recognize his style here; a rambling story that meanders from cultural icon to cultural icon, taking the reader along to whatever destination Pynchon has in mind, entertaining them along the way.

Inherent Vice is the story of Doc Sportello, a private investigator who spends as little time working as he can get by on. He is visited by his ex-girlfriend, Shasta, who wants Doc to find her new boyfriend who seems to have disappeared. In the process of unraveling this mystery, Doc leads the reader through the discovery of the Internet, beach/surf music, a diabolical Eastern drug cartel, various right-wing thugs working for governmental or police agencies, Las Vegas before it was turned into Disneyland West, tons of marijuana smoking, lots of sex, and plenty of dubious characters. The whole chaotic journey devolves into a satisfactory conclusion where all the puzzles are solved and the good guys prevail.

This book is recommended for all readers. Pynchon is an American treasure, one of the authors whose work will be read far into the future. His keen eye notes the details that make up a culture while his style entertains. Pynchon fans will be pleased with this book, and those who haven't yet discovered this author will be pleasantly surprised.

Heart Of Deception by M. L. Malcolm

Leo Hoffman has led an unconventional life.  Born in Hungary, he fled to Shanghai with his adored wife after WWI.  When Shanghai fell and his wife was killed, he was able to get his daughter Maddy out and on her way to America.  Leo ended up in Cairo where his ability to speak multiple languages and willingness to be considered a shady character made him the perfect spy as WWII heated up.  On Leo's side, he was willing to take on this dangerous role for the reward offered; citizenship papers in the United States and a reunion with Maddy.

But the best-laid plans often go awry in war and the shadowy world of espionage.  Leo is captured by the Germans and sent to a work camp.  Years later, when he makes it to America, Maddy is a teenager, bitter that he had disappeared from her life and unwilling to let him back in.  He goes back to the world he knows and disappears once again, his whereabouts known only to his superiors at the CIA.

Maddy grows up, but into trouble.  She is torn between two men, one a boring conventional doctor whose family refuses to accept her as his wife, the other an exciting but dominating man she alternatively craves and fears.  She flees to the safety of a marriage to the doctor, but when it falls apart, she finds herself drawn back into the circle of the dangerous man she wanted to avoid.  As things grow steadily more dangerous, can Leo come back and be there for Maddy in her time of greatest need?

M.L. Malcolm has written a novel that will appeal to many readers.  It has romance, intrigue and suspense.  She artfully weaves real people, many in the early stages of the spy game, into the novel to lend it authenticity.  This book is recommended for readers who enjoy reading about life choices, where they lead, and the gift of second chances.

Memoirs Of A Widowed Mistress by Megan van Eyck

On a trip to Hawaii, Megan van Eyck sat next to a man who she felt an instant attraction to.  Although she was married, she fantasized about meeting with him.  After her return when he called she immediately agreed to meet him, and quickly fell into an affair.  He was on his third marriage with grown children.  Van Eyck had two small children and a husband she felt was inattentive.

So started a five and a half year affair.  They met daily when he was in town, having hours of sex in her bedroom or in his.  She traveled on exotic trips with him, telling her husband her girlfriends had free air travel miles and wanted her to go with them.  Since she did not work outside the home, she was able to conceal her affair from her husband.

Megan came from an abusive background.  Her father alternately showered her with affection and then ignored her, chasing other women.  She learned from him and his women that women's only value is their looks and their ability to fulfill men's desires.  Her mother had mental issues, and after a divorce from her father, fell into an existence with little food in the house, filth everywhere and total emotional abandonment of her daughter.  Megan came out of this background with an emotional makeup that constantly led her to choose men who could not or would not love her.

Megan's affair went on for five years, ended only by the death of Carlos, her lover.  As he went through a final illness, she was banished from his life as his wife was with him.  She did not get to have a final goodbye with him, and the experience showed her how little she had settled for.  After Carlos' death, her husband found out about the affair by finding the memoir on her computer.

This book is recommended for readers interested in the mindset of those willing to have extramarital relationships.  Many will be turned off by Megan and her duplicitous ways, her willingness to betray her husband and children in an attempt to find a man who loved her.  Others will question her portrayal of her husband, who she admits was a great father and who supported the family by himself.  The reaction of her sons when they grow up and read this graphic account of their mother's sex life will upset some readers.  Others will admire her frankness and willingness to tell everything about her life.  The author remains married and with her family.

The Chimp Who Loved Me by Annie Greer

Geared towards animal lovers and readers looking for a humorous read, The Chimp Who Loved Me is Annie Greer's memoir about her veterinary practice with her husband Kent, another veterinarian. 

Based in Florida, the couple treats household pets, but also work with large farm animals and even exotic animals.  The book is broken into three sections.  The first section talks about the exotic animals such as chimps, giraffes, wolves, tigers and camels that the couple has either worked on or fostered.  Annie talks about the fact that the biggest issue with wild animals is the human belief that loving an animal changes its wild nature.  Most humans who are hurt by these animals have decided to believe that the animal has been tamed, but this is far from the truth.  The recent case where a chimp almost killed a woman is one example.

The second part of the book is about the Greer's time as owners of a petting zoo and their current time as farmers with cows, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry.  Greer's love of animals shines in this section, with stories about their pet pig and a pet turkey that are heart-warming.  It also discusses the thrill of going to very rural areas in order to purchase livestock and some of the scares they have had on such expeditions.

The last part of the book relates some of the stories of strange pet owners they have encountered over the years.  Some of these stories will make the readers hair stand on end!  This book is recommended for animal lovers.  Greer has an amusing, light-hearted tone throughout, but her passion and love for animals shines through the humour. 

Case Closed? by Susan Hughes

In Case Closed?  Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science, author Susan Hughes uses ancient and more recent historical mysteries to introduce children to the marvels of science.  The book is geared to children in middle school and up.

Each case is formatted the same way.  The mystery is introduced, the historical background is given, and then the way the researchers used science to discover answers is given.  Additional cases in the same category are explained.  Finally, whether or not a discussion on whether or not the case is solved is presented.

Cases include people such as the Pharoah Hatshepsut, the Russian princess Anastasia, Amelia Earheart, Sir John Franklin (a polar explorer) and George Mallory, a mountainclimber.  Other cases discuss a city, Ubar, that disappeared, and an entire North American Indian culture, the Anasazi, who left thriving cities around 1300 and disappeared from history.  Finally, there are cases of journeys such as a trip across the Pacific on a bamboo raft, and submarines and airplanes that disappeared mid-journey.

This book is recommended for young readers interested in science, or for parents who are looking for books to interest teen readers.  The mysteries are presented engagingly, and the science is explained in such a way that it can be easily followed.  Readers learn of medical advances, imaging from space, plant analysis, forensic anthropology, DNA analysis and many more scientific fields.  The book is an interesting gateway to careers in many areas of science. 

Separate Kingdoms by Valarie Laken

A woman waiting in the hospital as her father lies dying.  A man who is trying to help his wife regain her life after a horrible car accident that has taken her leg.  Refugees trying to fit into the culture of another country.  A man left behind in his parents' house as the neighborhood dissolves into poverty and decay.  These are the protagonists in Valerie Laken's stories found in Separate Kingdoms.  Each faces a challenge that separates them from others; each struggles to find a way to span the void and reestablish contact with those around them.

Laken was born in Illinois and has lived and worked in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.  Her work has appeared in journals such as Ploughshares, the Missouri Review, the Antioch Review and the Chicago Tribune.  She has also written a novel, Dream House.  She has won a Pushcart Prize, the Missouri Review Editors' Prize and two Hopwood Awards.  Laken teaches at the Universary of Wisconsin.

Readers interested in short stories will be struck by the stark beauty of Laken's stories.  Her characters face challenges, some of them bodily, some of them isolation, but regardless of their bleak situations, a tendril of hope insists on growing and searching for connection and a better tomorrow.  This book is recommended for readers of modern fiction and those searching for an answer to how others face the everyday challenges life throws at most of us sooner or later.

Elizabeth And The Prince Of Spain by Margaret Irwin

Elizabeth And The Prince Of Spain opens with the marriage of Prince Philip of Spain to Elizabeth's sister, Mary.  Mary is the daughter of Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and she has no sisterly love for the offspring of his next wife, Anne Boleyn.  The marriage is one of political convenience for Spain; Mary is more than a decade older than Philip.  While he is polite, he has no real interest in Mary.  Mary, on the other hand, after a lifetime of no love interest, falls devotedly and jealously in love with Philip.

This love is both the greatest danger and the safety net for Elizabeth.  Left to her own devices, Mary would put Elizabeth back in the Tower and take her life.  Instead, to please Philip, she restrains herself, and even brings Elizabeth to court.  This is a double-edged sword.  While she pleases Philip, she now watches his every move intently, afraid that he will fall under Elizabeth's spell.

Elizabeth also faces the double-edged sword.  She must please Philip enough to retain him as her protector and keep him interested in her, but at the same time, she must keep him at arm's length.  An affair with Philip would end her life as it would be the one crime Mary would never forgive.

Margaret Irwin has written a trilogy about Elizabeth and this one is the third in the series.  It easily stands alone, however, as there is little suspense in the story of the Tudors for most readers.  Irwin's forte is characterization; her characters act in ways that are believable to the reader while retaining enough mystery to intrigue them.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

A Race To Splendor by Ciji Ware

The year is 1906.  Amelia Bradshaw has just returned to her beloved San Francisco from Paris, where she is one of the first women to become an architect.  But her return is hardly a happy one.  Her beloved grandfather has died.  Even though he left her the family fortune built with one of San Francisco's most prominent hotels, disaster is waiting.

Her father gambles away the family hotel in a drunken all night gambling spree.  Although the will states that it is Amelia and not he who holds legal title, and although California has recently passed laws giving women the right to control their own property, laws must be interpreted in courts by judges.  Amelia is unlucky enough to draw a judge adamantly opposed to the new freedoms given to women and he awards the hotel to her father's poker opponent. 

Left destitute, Amelia joins the first female architectural firm, headed by one of her college friends and mentors.  But worse is waiting.  Within a month, the great earthquake of San Francisco occurs.  The city is almost destroyed.  Amelia survives and now must do her part to make her way in the world and to help rebuild the city she loves, and the hotel she has lost to a charming scoundrel.

Ciji Ware is acknowledged as one of the best historical fiction authors, and she does not disappoint in A Race to Splendor.  Meticulously researched, she transports the reader to turn of the century San Francisco and makes them feel the devastation and the pioneering spirit that rebuilt the city.  The characters are sympathetic and the romance between Amelia and her rival is believable.  The world seems to be in another cycle of devastating earthquakes the last few years, and Ware makes the reader feel the devastation in a new light, not only the few minutes of terror, but the aftermath of months of privation and the strength needed to rebuild.  This book is recommended for readers interested in historical fiction and the start of women professional lives. 

Booksie Comes Clean!

I'm very excited about this interview at Gatekeepers:

http://www.gatekeeperspost.com/uncategorized/an-interview-with-book-blogger-sandie/

It explains how I pick a book for review, what I've read lately I loved and other topics.  Thanks to the folks at Gatekeepers!

The Beauty Of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb

Maggie Hai has come to Vietnam.  Her job is to catalog the art of a grand hotel in Saigon; her mission is to discover more about her father's life.  She lost her father early but knows he had a hard life in Vietnam.

After searching for anyone who may have known him in the pre-war days, she is directed to Old Man Hung.  Hung has lived what most would consider a life of deprivation and sorrow.  Pushed from his family by a mother who did not value him, he has made his life in the city as a pho cook.  For years he had his own restaurant but now he pushes his cart to a new location each day.  He has never married but made a family from those who surround him, taking care of everyone he encounters.

Before the war, his restaurant was the gathering place for the artists and poets and authors who made up the revolution.  They called their movement The Beauty of Humanity Movement.  They wrote against the dynasty and French government that ruled them, then after the French were overthrown, they turned their criticism against the Communists who, they said, were betraying their ideals.  That led to their downfall.  The men were brutally seized and taken to reeducation camps.  There not only their bodies were crushed but their minds also.  An artist might have his hands shattered, and that had happened to Maggie's father.  A poet might have his tongue removed.  No one knew what happened to the men once they were seized.

Hung was left as the guardian of their ideals.  He kept a shrine to Dao, a poet who took the time to educate him when he found Hung had no schooling.  As Maggie and Hung talk and she meets his friends, her father's story starts to emerge also.

Camilla Gibb has written an important book illuminating how Communism impoverished the nations it overtook.  While the material poverty was great and obvious, what was more stunning was the impoverishment of free thought and art.  The reader will experience the book as languid at first, but it slowly reveals stunning moments that will never be forgotten.  The characters are finely drawn, and the ability of men like Hung to make a life out of whatever life allows them is inspiring.  This book  is recommended for all readers.

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

Sister Evangeline is one of the few young nuns in the convent.  She was brought there as a young child by her father, and has grown up in the safety of the convent, raised in the adoration of God. 

Now something is changing.  Evangeline is learning that her family history makes her unique.  She is the latest generation of angelogists.  These men and women have devoted their lives to defeating the terror and danger of the Nephilim.  The Nephilim are the offspring of angels and humans, and have ruled the world for centuries.  They are beautiful yet ruthless and have the means to control money, lands, businesses, anything they want.  What they want more than anything is the treasure that the Angelologists have managed to keep hidden.

Evangeline is drawn into the age-old battle between the two sides.  She is reunited with her grandmother, Gabriella, who was one of the most famous angelogists of the 1940's.  That was the year in which an expedition of angelogists entered the cave in which the Fallen Angels have been imprisoned for all time, and who retrieved a vast treasure from that cave.

Now Evangeline must leave the convent to save the nuns, and find a way to help the Angelologists in their fight against those who would destroy humanity.

Danielle Trussoni has written an entrancing, lyrical, compelling book. The book gains authenticity from the historical backdrops Trussoni inserts.  It starts out slowly yet the reader is compelled to continue the story as they are drawn more and more deeply into the hunt for the treasure and the fight between the species.  By the end of the book, the tension is so high that it is frightening.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.

Blue by Lou Aronica

Becky and her father Chris created a magical land, Tamarisk, when Becky was five and fighting leukemia.  Now she is fourteen and the close relationship she had with Chis has disappeared along with thoughts of magic.  Chris and Polly, Becky's parents, couldn't take the strain of her illness and ended up divorcing when she was ten.  Now they are in a strained relationship and with limited time together, Chris and Becky can't find their way to the easy trust they had in each other.

But all of that is about to change.  Becky discovers one night that Tamarisk was not just a fantasy; it is a place that really exists.  Somehow she is transported there.  The land needs her; it is in crisis.  A terrible blight has attacked the plants there, and without vegetation, animals and humans cannot survive.  Becky feels that there is a reason she has been brought to this land created in her imagination, and after returning there multiple times, even finds a way to transport Chris with her.  As Chris and Becky fight to save Tamarisk, they also find their way back to each other, and learn to love so much that no sacrifice is too great to make.

Lou Aronica has created a magical fantasy that is guaranteed to touch the hearts of every reader.  He taps into the love between parents and children, and into the belief in magic that touches each and every person, stirring their imagination and making their life more real.  This book is recommended for readers ready for inspiration and hope.

Quick update:  Blue can currently be purchased in e-book format for $2.99 as it's price has been reduced.  Readers may want to take advantage of this offer.