Splintered Silence by Susan Furlong

Splintered Silence by Susan Furlong

First off I have to say I happened on this book by chance.  My sister's name is Susan Leigh Furlong, writer of historical romance novels.  I was searching for a new book titled Furious Hours when this other Susan Furlong popped up. Turns out my sister added Leigh to separate herself from this mystery writer without a middle name.

Brynn Callahan is part of a clan of Irish Travellers who live in a remote part of Tennessee.  She enlisted in the Marines to escape an arranged marriage which is common among clan members.  After Brynn is severely injured in war, she has nowhere to go but back to Bone Gap.  Her constant companion is her cadaver trained dog, Wilco, who is her only comfort and constant companion.  So when bodies start turning up in the woods, Brynn and Wilco go back to work helping the police who aren't trusted by the clan.

Most of the time Brynn was strung out on drugs and alcohol in an effort to run from the ravages of war overseas and hide from the secrets long kept from her at home.  I didn't find her a very likable kind of character even though it was clear what she was up against both internally and externally. The author went to great lengths to tell the reader that the Irish Travellers were not the gypsies and thieves  most of us believe them to be.  But I don't think she succeeded in changing our minds mainly because  the plot of Splintered Silence revolves drug dealing and murder.

If you're into murder mysteries this is a pretty good one.  Easy reading, engaging page turner and it has a couple of surprises at the end that you won't see coming.  I'm still trying to learn to love mysteries so if you're already in love with them, I think you'll like this one.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

Renee, Caroline, Joe and the youngest, the narrator, Fiona are siblings left to raise themselves when their father suddenly dies in his 30's and their mother retreats to her bedroom for more than three years.  Renee, the oldest takes over the household duties, cooking, cleaning, laundry.  Caroline finds solace with a neighbor boy who she eventually marries and Joe immerses himself in baseball.  Fiona, being the youngest, follows everyone else around.  That's what youngest girls do.

Joe's baseball coach at some point intervenes and Noni, their mother, comes out of her room and back to life.  But the scars of their childhood present themselves differently in each one of the children as they find their way to adulthood.

I related to the first part of this story.  I'm the youngest of the same pecking order, 2 girls, a boy and then the baby girl.  We were also raised by a single and very depressed mother.  On many levels I felt exactly what Fiona felt.  But then that all changed for me.  They faced their lives in a differently way some of which I felt made the story more interesting and others left me scratching my head.

The Last Romantics looks at how the things that happen to us along the way impact how we view love.  Love can be lasting which is the most rewarding kind, but love can also be fleeting and elusive.  But one thing for sure, it means something different to each of us and we never stop searching for it.  It's a well written book which some of you will love and the rest of you will hate.  A few of you may land somewhere in the middle but isn't that what love is all about?

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

I found The Feather Thief on a list of true crime books labeled as must reads. Since I'm always trying to expand my horizons, I figured I'd give it a shot. I like birds, feathers are lucky, so why not?

The first part of this book focuses on Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist in competition with Charles Darwin.  When all his diaries and plant specimens gathered from the jungles of South America land on the ocean floor after his ship headed for home catches fire, he looks for new discoveries in the Far East.  There he gathers studies previously unknown species of birds with spectacular plumage and routinely sends the skins home to England.

Fast forward to 2009 when a young, obsessed fly tier breaks into the British Museum housing Wallace's discoveries, loads them into his suitcase and walks to the train station to wait for the 3 a.m. train back to London.  Several years later the theft is made known to the writer and fly fisherman, Kirk Wallace Johnson, his goal becomes that of cracking the case.

I have no interest in fishing of any kind but I was hooked by The Feather Thief.  The history of the demand for feathers in fashion drew me in at first.  And then throw in a modern and for the most part unsolved crime, and I couldn't stop turning the pages.  This book is all that it says it is, a story of beauty, obsession and the natural history heist of the century.  You won't be able to put it down.

The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan

The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan

"Heaven was not a paradise reserved for the exclusive use of any one religion.  The Lord could not be that unfair. There could be either one God who loved everybody the same or no God at all."

The Longest Trip Home is John Grogan's of Marley and Me fame, account of growing up in the 1960's in the suburbs of Detroit.  His childhood antics, in a simpler time without cell phones or computers to distract were totally relatable to me.  I grew up in the similar Midwest suburbs of nearby Cleveland.  John's parents were devote Catholics and everything about their lives and how they raised their children was steeped in serving the Lord.  I cracked up when the altar boys finished off what was left of the communion wine after Mass.  John and his siblings often had to be on their best behavior because a priest was a frequent dinner guest.  A crucifix was a wall decoration in every room of the house.

I too, was raised in a home where my mother dragged us to church every Sunday.  We weren't Catholic but Presbyterian.  We served grape juice at communion which is boring by comparison.  But when John graduated from college and started life on his own, he began to examine his own feelings about religion and faith.  Whether it was the times or the faith based foundation, I found myself searching for the same things in that period of my life.

What sealed the deal for me in this book, was how John dealt with his father's illness and his mother's dementia in later years.  There is no guidebook for this and he struggled in the same ways I struggled to care for my parents and step mother.  He floundered at times and I finally felt that I wasn't alone because I did my fair share of doubting and floundering in similar situations too.  Our parents give us what they can and the rest is up to us.

The Longest Trip Home is a great story that I'm certain most baby boomers can find something within its pages to laugh about, cry about and reflect on.  I'm so glad I read this.

The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander

The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander

"Just as a photo album grew thick with memories of holidays, vacations, family and friends - the piano gain the weight of each owner and his or her music."

Clara Lundy has been dumped by yet another boyfriend and is forced to move her beloved piano once again.  She struggles to learn to play the piano but it's a Bluthner, given to her by her father shortly before both of her parents were killed in a house fire.  In a fit of frustration she decides to sell the piano and be done with it once and for all.  It's holding her back from the life she's longing for.

An eager buyer offers Clara more than the asking price causing her to have second thoughts.  When Greg holds her to the contract, she gets in her car and follows him.  He's a photographer with big dreams for the shots of the piano in Death Valley.  But why there?  Clara wonders as she continues to keep tabs on her piano.  And what she finds is a connection deeper than either she or Greg could ever have imagined.

The Weight of a Piano is a story of finding love as well as letting go of love.  The story goes from the past to the present and back again which allowed the story to unfold quite naturally.  The backdrop of Death Valley and all its beauty was captured with wonderful prose.  The love displayed on all different levels of life was warm, compassionate and believable.  If you're in the mood for love, you'll find The Weight of the Piano very satisfying.

There There by Tommy Orange

There There by Tommy Orange

I have not read a book this powerful in a very long time.  The characters and their stories will grip you and never let go.  All the more reason to add this title to your reading list.

The novel tells the stories of twelve characters, all Native Americans living or with connections to Oakland, California.  They range from young to old, male and female who are all struggling to understand who they are and where they fit in this world.  Many are alcoholics which is a topic that really hits home with me.  One young man overeats to compensate for what he feels he's missing.  Others turn to drug dealing.  And all feel helpless to change.

All of the characters stories converge at the Big Oakland Powwow.  I'm hesitant to tell you any more than that simply because I believe this is a book that needs to be experienced first hand.  Sometimes I had a little difficulty keeping all of the people and their relationships straight in my head but the deeper I got into the story the easier it became.  There There is an impactful look at our society and what it means to be Native American.

There is so much to be learned within these pages.  You will laugh, you will cry, you will feel happiness and anger.  You will feel sadness and compassion.  But what's for certain is you will feel differently about something when you read the last page than you did when you opened the cover at page one.

There There is a powerful book.  Read it.

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

Lucien Bernard is a struggling architect in Nazi occupied Paris.  That is until he meets a man who employs him for a very unusual reason, create hiding spaces in luxury apartments for prominent Jews being hunted by the Nazis.  Lucien is reluctant at first until he's given an introduction to German engineers wanting to build armament factories on French soil. This was his chance to prove his talents to the world even if the Germans were the enemy. Lucien didn't care.

I don't typically like to read World War II occupation stories.  I've read my share and then some and they are always very sad and heartbreaking.  The Paris Architect was no different. In fact there was a part so gruesome I almost put the book down for good.  My heart raced to an uncomfortable level and since I like to read before bed, that wasn't good.

I stuck with it and I can't say I'm overly glad that I did but I never like to leave a story unfinished.  Lucien was not a likable guy in my mind but he did show some compassion for others as the war around him escalated.  For me, however, he never completely lost his selfish ways.

The Paris Architect is without question, a page turner.  Keep in mind that the subject matter is often difficult.  We need respect and remember this portion of our history.  It's so important that we never forget these dark days. The Paris Architect is a gripping story and although often hard to read, I'm glad I did.