The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

I never used to read mysteries or thrillers, I didn't like heart pounding feeling they gave me so I steered away.  But I have a friend who reads nothing but thrillers and frankly, now I'm addicted.  I still read my tried and true literary fiction but now have tendency to mix in a blood curdling murder or two.

The Lying Game is the story of four bratty and self absorbed girls, Isa, Kate, Thea and Fatima who all end up at a questionable girls boarding school for different reasons.  They exert their power over the other students by creating the lying game and only the four of them know the rules.  It eventually gets them all expelled.

Seventeen years later Kate summons the rest of the group to her home near the school.  She needs them.  Bones have been found near her property on the beach.  Isa now has a young baby, Fatima is a doctor and practicing Muslim and Thea, well she's yet to figure out what to do with her life.  Within a day, they have all dropped their regular lives and appeared on Kate's doorstep.

I can't tell you any more of the plot, only that for the most part, The Lying Game is a page turner.  But don't expect to like any of these characters.  They haven't grown up or left their teenage aspirations behind.  Isa, who narrates the story, has a wonderful partner, Owen at home and she criticizes him every chance she gets.  She whines a lot and it gets annoying. Kate is a control freak and Thea may have anorexia.  Meanwhile, Fatima won't drink alcohol and prays 5 times a day and yet she still inserts herself into this aging, immature clique.  Maybe that will make sense to some readers but it didn't to me.

I've read several other Ruth Ware novels and here's how I would rank them.  Number one is The Woman in Cabin 10, next is In a Dark, Dark Wood, third is The Lying Game and lastly The Death of Mrs. Westaway.  If you are in the mood for an edge of your seat thriller any of these will fit the bill.  They are all good, some just more satisfying than others.  You'll have to decide.  

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay is a new release I couldn't wait to read.  I read in Time Magazine, it took Markus Zusak 13 years to write.  I am a slow writer myself but that's a long time to be involved and engrossed in one story.  But the story is complex, he needed to take his time with it.

Bridge of Clay is the story of the Dunbar family.  The parents, Michael and Penny have five sons.  Matthew who is the narrator of the story, Henry, Rory, Clay and Tommy.  They are a family immersed in love.  Michael and Penny's love affair began when her beloved piano was delivered to the wrong address.  The piano serves as a character in the story.  Michael wrote "Marry Me" on the keys and those letters, though faded remained during the years.

What I loved about this book are the characters.  All the boys are rich and vibrant.  Their feelings, likes and dislikes, emotions are felt as painfully by the reader as they are for the boys themselves.  Penny is the glue that holds them all together.  Her drive to make something of herself in a new country is shared not only with her children but with the students she teaches English to in school.

What I didn't love was the structure of the story.  It goes from the present to the past to the future and twirls all around in between.  I never had a good sense of the places that were important or where they were in relation to the story.  It skipped around so much I had trouble following what was going on.  My kindle said I'd read 30% of it and I still didn't know who was who or what was what.  And when I turned the last page, I had to say to to myself I just didn't get it.

My sister loved Bridge of Clay.  She said Clay was the bridge that held them all together.  Okay but did I need to read 500 plus confusing pages to come to that conclusion?  She did and I didn't.  

Bridge of Clay is full of wonderful stories of love and grief.  The descriptions and character development are superb.  Don't get me wrong.  There are portions that are absolutely brilliant.  It was fitting the pieces into the puzzle that drove me crazy.  But if you're of a different mindset, like my sister, you might not feel the same way.  If you're a lover of The Book Thief, as I am, you will want to decide whether to invest the time in Bridge of Clay.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I found this title on a list of must read books. I can't remember where but I quickly dismissed everything else on it.  Having recently returned from a fabulous trip to Japan and having made some purchases in the abundance of Japanese convenience stores on every corner, I was intrigued.

Keiko, at age eighteen takes a part time job in the Smile Mart on its opening day.  Having never found acceptance in her life, she finds happiness in the structure of the Smile Mart as laid out in its operation manual.  She greets every customer, stocks the shelves and is the top seller of the daily specials.  Managers come and go and Keiko stays.  Suddenly she finds herself at 36 still working in the convenience store.

Convenience Store Woman is a quick read with not much of a plot.  It's translated from Japanese so keep in mind it was initially written for a different audience.  I found these stores in Japan to be clean, with good food and efficient check out.  While 7 Eleven does have a Japanese version, an American store, it is not.  Not even close.

I loved being immersed back into the Japanese culture I had come to love.  But you have to keep an open mind if you plan on understanding what it's like to be a Convenience Store Woman.

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

The Big Burn is history but as enjoyable a read as your favorite fiction, full of political struggles, interesting characters  and unthinkable tragedies. The main topic is a wildfire of 1910 in the Bitteroots of Montana that turned into the perfect storm of drought, hurricane force winds and lack of land management.

Leading the charge for conservation in the west was Teddy Roosevelt. He used his political know how to circumvent his opponents.  But that didn't mean that his ideas, such as starting the National Park system were well received.  Most people thought conservation wasn't necessary.  And the inhabitants of the still wild west felt no respect for the newly formed forest service who struggled to keep brush fires under control and homesteaders off the government owned land.

The stories of dedication and heroism in fighting this devastating fire illuminated the true backbone of America.  The most interesting things I learned however, were that we haven't learned from our mistakes.  No matter what political party you belong to, there is still infighting and underhandedness between those we elect to represent us in Washington.  And believe it or not, even in 1910 severely injured people lost everything because of the high cost of medical care.

If you love history, The Big Burn is fascinating.  The story is so well told that you will be able to see the fire race over the mountains, hear the thunder of the wind whipped flames, and feel the scorch on your skin.  You will find yourself fanning the flames as you quickly turn the pages.

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.