Lies by T. M. Logan

Lies by T. M. Logan

OK folks!  If you pick up this psychological thriller be ready to hold onto your seat because the pages will turn so fast you may get blown away!

Joe, a high school teacher is married to Mel, a gorgeous fast moving salesperson.  He believes their marriage is on solid ground until one day their son, William, spots Mel's car and insists Joe follow it so William can see her.  He follows her into a hotel parking lot and finds her in the cafe having an argument with another man, Ben.  Joe knows him as the husband of a woman in Mel's close circle of friends.

At home Joe confronts Mel who insists she was playing tennis at the time.  Let the lies begin!  Joe falls head over heels into the trap he believes is being set by Ben.  Each lie leading him further down a road he can never escape from.  

I don't want to tell you any more of the story.  You need to experience it for yourself.  If you're anything like me, you'll be gasping for air by the end.  If you love thrillers, this is a good one.  

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A. J. Fikry is the cranky and cynical bookstore owner of Island Books, a small independent store on Alice Island somewhere in the northeast.  He has good reason to be depressed, his wife died at a fairly young age leaving him with no one to share his love of books.  Sales are slumping at the store and he has no idea how to change and no desire to do so.  Until a pushy book sales woman comes to call.

One day a two year old girl is left between the stacks in his store.  At first he wants nothing to do with her and calls the authorities.  Once faced with the prospect of Maya, a very precocious reader, being sent to foster care, he succumbs to her charms and instead starts the adoption process.  Over the years their bond grows quickly stronger and Maya is the catalyst for A. J to make amends with Amelia, that pushy salesperson he met four years earlier.

This is one of those books that tells a charming story through books of a man's loss, discovery of new love and purpose in life.  A.J.'s delightful book reviews added depth to his heart and soul and love for his daughter.  I just thought the rest of the writing was sub par.  I felt there were too many gaps in the story that could have been used to develop the secondary characters more fully.  Even though I loved A. J. and Maya, I wish the storytelling itself would have been more deeply connected.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I'm always looking at book blogs and book club lists searching for something my own book club would enjoy.  I stubbled across this title on Reese Witherspoon's list.  Even though I enjoy her work as an actress, I never thought I'd be considering any of her choices for books.  Until now.

Where The Crawdads Sing is a beautifully written story of Kya, a girl who lives alone in the march in North Carolina, having been abandoned by her family. One by one she watches first her mother, then her brother and finally her father walk down the sandy path never to return.  Knowing the secrets of the marsh, Kya manages to elude all the truant officers and social workers who come looking for her.  She scrapes by collecting mussels and smoking fish to sell to Jumpin' in his backwoods general store.

Until one day she meets Tate, a boy who loves the marsh as much as Kya.  He teaches her to read and write using discarded biology and math books he took from school.  Their loves blooms until he too, leaves her without an explanation.

Woven into the love story is the murder of another boy from town who also betrays Kya.  The two storylines move seamlessly through the book converging in a trial.  The prose is gorgeous in this book. For that reason alone, it's worth reading.  But Kya is a very dynamic character the reader can't help falling in love with.  She's never felt love in her own life and against all odds she learns to stand on her own two feet.

Reese got this one right.  I'll be looking for more great reads on her list.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonsson

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonsson


Major Pettigrew is retired from Her Majesty's Army and lives in a small village, Edgecomb St. Mary's.  He's become a reclusive widower and is devastated by the death of his only brother, Bertie.  His father, Col. Pettigrew who served in colonial India left each of his son's a rare Churchill rifle with the intent that the gun of the first son to die, would be reunited with the other.  At least that's what Major Pettigrew wanted to believe.

Bertie's wife and daughter wanted to sell the valuable guns to enrich their lifestyle.  Major Pettigrew's son, Roger agrees with them, further straining their already distant relationship.  And when the Major falls in love with a Pakistani shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali, Roger, along with most of the villagers are stunned.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is a wonderful British comedy with serious undertones about race and acceptance amongst people known to have a stiff upper lip. The characters who make up this romp through the countryside are rich and full and a pleasure to come along with. The lessons are current and real to our lives today and maybe they can more easily be learned if we can laugh along the way. 

Sister Mother Husband Dog by Delia Ephron

Sister Mother Husband Dog by Delia Ephron

I'm not sure how this title ended up on my reading list.  The Ephron sisters are all talented writers so I must have read a good review or two about it.  I'm always interested in learning how to write from people who have had success at writing.

Sister Mother Husband Dog is a group of personal stories and essays about Delia Ephron's life.  It starts out with one about her dog, Honey, who is eating her paw.  The doggie dermatologist puts Honey on a diet of kangaroo to combat food sensitivities.  I liked the story about Honey.

Then the stories became all about Nora.  Delia really wanted to convey how much she loved Nora and how sad it was that she died.  I'm sure she does love her sister, but page after page after page about how Delia took the backseat to Nora's great success led me to the conclusion that maybe she was more than just a little bit jealous of Nora.  I started skimming I became so bored with all the whining.

The most interesting essay in the book was about Delia's mother.  Now she was a bitter and interesting character who drank herself to death while her children watched.  It showed insight into alcoholism and its effect on children who are unable to escape from its daily grip.  I wish she'd written more about her mother, but I know from my own experience it's not easy especially when the relationship between mother and daughter is rocky at best.

The book contained very little about the husband, in fact I don't even recall his name.  And after Honey's grand debut, she even fell into the shadows.  Maybe Delia made herself feel better by writing this book and even though it was a quick read, I wished I'd spent my time reading something more engaging and interesting. The only thing good about Sister Mother Husband Dog was it passed the time on a long plane ride.