2018 Challenge - Book #23 - Mr. Mercedes

23 books in the month of January.  Pretty proud of that number.  Don't know if I can keep up the pace, but I am going to try.  So many books out there waiting to be read.

Today's review is for:

Mr. Mercedes
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 448

The novel opens with people lined up for a job fair.  Eight innocent bystanders are killed when a Mercedes plows through the crowd.  15 people are injured.  The killer gets away with the crime.  Bill Hodges was the cop on the case, but has recently retired.  Now he fills his days with afternoon TV and dinners for one.  He doesn't feel like he has much to live for until the Mercedes killer reaches out to him and baits him.  Hodges decides he isn't done with this case, and as a private citizen starts to investigate.  Hodges knows this killer will strike again if he isn't stopped, so he wants to catch the guy before that happens.

Typical to my buddy Stephen King - this was a good book.  I have read almost all of King's writings, and I would say 90% of the time I enjoy what he writes.  We know who the killer is right from the beginning - even thought Hodges does not - but that does not take away from the story.  The book is about the chase to see who is going to come out ahead - the ex-cop or the killer.

This is a trilogy, so I think I will read the next two books.  I am anxious to see where the story goes.  (yes - this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger).

Stars: 4

2018 Challenge - Book #22 - Ghost Boy

Today's review is for:

Ghost Boy
Author: Martin Pastorius
Pages: 288

This is an autobiography of Martin's life.  Martin was a normal, healthy boy until the age of 12.  Martin started to lose the ability to speak, walk, eat on his own, and see.  Doctors from all over the world ran every test, but a diagnosis was never found.  After spending years in the dark, Martin starts to wake up.  He still cannot speak and cannot defend himself, but he is aware of his surroundings.  Finally in 2001, 13 years after he fell ill, he finally learns to communicate with the help of a computer.  He can start to tell what he wants and what he needs.  He even finds love and gets married.  His life completely changes thanks to the help of a computer that gives him a voice.

This was a pretty good book.  I shuddered at some of the day care center horror stories he shared.  Things that happened to him when he was aware but unable to defend himself were horrifying.  But he finished high school, went to college, got a job, and found love.  I looked him up and he is still married and living a full life - even though his voice never returned. 

I love true stories and especially ones with happy endings.  It is hard to be critical of a book by a person who has been through so much.  He definitely isn't a writer, and his story where he found love is a bit too drawn out.  But all in all - good read.

Stars: 3

2018 Challenge - Book #21 - These Are My Words - The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine

Today's review is for:

These Are My Words - The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine
Author: Nancy Turner
Pages: 416

This is a historical fiction piece about Sarah who traveled to the west in the late 1880s.  She is a teenager at the beginning of the story - traveling with her family to find a new home.  The story is written as her journal - keeping track of her journey as she becomes a young woman, gets married, has children, and settles into her new life in Arizona.  The story is full of hope and tragedy as it details 20 years of Sarah's life.

This was a pretty good book.  It is easy to tell it is historical fiction because it writes more like a story than an actual journal.  Unlike most women, though, that crossed the country in search of a new life, Sarah is tough, knows how to shoot a gun, and does almost all the chores - both those for male and female - on her new ranch in Arizona.  Although many tragedies happen to her along the way that might cause her to lose faith, she pushes on to make a good life for her family.

I suggest giving this book a try.  Knowing it is fiction and not a true journal of a woman of this time period, goes a long way in making the story enjoyable.

Stars:  4

2018 Challenge - Book #20 - Where'd You Go Bernadette

Today's review is for:

Where'd You Go Bernadette
Author: Maria Semple
Pages: 352

Bernadette Fox - a McArthur award winning architect has moved with her family to Seattle.  They own an old girl's school that they always planned to fix up, but never got around to it.  Bernadette is an introvert genius who doesn't like to be around people.  Most of all, she despises the mothers (she calls gnats) at her 15 year old daughter's private school.  Her husband is a Microsoft big wig and the complete opposite of Bernadette.

Their daughter gets into a prestigious boarding school, and as a present, she asks her parents to take her to Antarctica.  They agree, but as the trip nears, Bernadette starts to panic about being on a boat with people she doesn't know.  She enlists the help of an online assistant to help her book the trip and do errands for her. 

Then one day, Bernadette disappears without a trace.  It is right before the family was supposed to go to Antarctica.  Her daughter, Bee, begins to try and piece together where her mother went, and figure out who her mother was.

This was a good, but strange book.  All the characters are a bit strange, and some very unlikable.  (although they are supposed to be unlikable).  Bernadette - the strangest of all - is a big of a rambler, and it is hard to follow the dialogue sometimes.  The book is a series of emails, letters, and correspondence among the characters, which is a unique set up.  It is a bit of comic satire, and I did chuckle at some of the dialogue.  The ending is a bit long and drawn out with a letter from Bernadette to her daughter. 

I think I can recommend this book.  It is eccentric and you might find yourself shaking your head at the characters, but it is entertaining enough not to miss.

Stars:  4

2018 Challenge - Book #19 - A Fall of Marigolds

I have broken my record for most books read in a month.  I know - you are thrilled.

Today's review is for:

A Fall of Marigolds

Author: Susan Meissner

Pages: 400

This is the story of two women.  Clara - a nurse in 1911 who is caring for immigrants coming to Ellis Island.  She has escaped to the island after a fire has killed the man she loved.  The fire -where she witnessed 140 people die - haunts her, and she feels like she cannot return to the main land.  She grieves for the loss of the man she cared for as well as the life she had.  Taryn is a quilt shop owner in 2011.  She also has dealt with loss.  Her husband was killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11.  She never got to tell her husband he was going to be a father.  She was heading to meet him that day when the towers fell.

One thing binds the two women - a scarf with Marigolds.  Clara saw it first on a patient she cared for when he came to her ward.  It story unfolding as she spent time with him.  Taryn - who was given the scarf by a client.  The client wanted Taryn to try and find fabric to match it so that the client could have a scarf made for her sister.  Taryn has the scarf with her the day the towers were hit.   For 10 years, Taryn has looked for the Marigold fabic - always morning the loss of the scarf along with the loss of her husband.  

The scarf appears in a magizine article on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  This sends Taryn searching again for a link to her husband and her past.  And in the end, she also is linked with Clara.  Both women must come to terms with the loss of love and learn the ability to move forward and heal.

This was a FANTASTIC book.  I loved every sentence.  The way the women's stories intertwined, and how the scarf became a way for them to move on.  How circumstance plays a part in all of our lives and that things that happen to us help shape us who we are.  Clara and Taryn come to terms with the death of their loved ones.  They form connections through their grief, and with the scarf, that lead them to heal.

This is a definite read.  You will love every minute.

Stars: 5

2018 Challenge - Book #18 - Turtles All The Way Down

Today's review is for:

Turtles All The Way Down
Author: John Green
Pages: 304

This is what mental illness looks like.  Sixteen year old Aza is trying to be a good person, but she is stick in her mind.  She is convinced that she is going to get sick (especially from C Diff).  She has a cut on her finger that she will not let heal - sure it will be infected, and she cannot stop spiraling and convince herself it isn't.  She lives constantly in fear of germs.

In this story, a billionare goes missing.  His son, Davis, is a childhood friend of hers, and she decides to look him up to see what the story of his dad's disappearance might be.  There is a $100,000 reward for anyone with information in finding his dad.  Aza never intended to get involved, but when she sees Davis, she can't stop herself.  She starts to fall for him, but is so tortured with her own thoughts, that she struggles to have a relationship with him.  Instead, she helps Davis and his brother find what happened to their dad and with that - come to terms with her own demons.

I have read all of John Green's books.  And I have to say - I find them hit or miss.  Some of them are fantastic, and others are....fine.  This one was fine.  I loved many parts of it.  Seeing into the mind of a truly mentally ill person is fascinating.  (is that the right word?)  I found myself gripping the book as Aza spiraled out of control with her thoughts, wanting to shake her and tell her to "get a grip".  But she can't.  She can't help it.  She would give anything to not have these irrational fears and thoughts, but she cannot stop them.  And no matter what it looks like to us in the outside world, to her it is very real.

The "eh" part for me was, well....mostly the rest.  Her best friend is a bit of a jerk.  Her mom seems to only parent about 50% of the time (letting her daughter stay out until 11pm on school nights without much care, even though her mom is a teacher).  There isn't much background to Davis' father - we never really hear the whole story, but I guess to be fair - that is a very minor part of the book.    The book felt a little jumbled and scattered, but maybe that was the style he was going for.

I read the book in one day.  It is a quick read with not a lot of dialogue.  It is definitely geared toward the YA crowd, and I know for a fact my 14 year old daughter would love this book.

Hard to say, hard to say.  If you like John Green - give it a go.  I think it has enough value - especially in the world of mental illness - to not be passed up.

Stars: 3 1/2

2018 Challenge - Book #17 - Interpreter of Maladies

Today's review is for:

Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Juumpa Lahiri
Pages: 198

This is a collection of short stories.  Each story is about an Indian family that has to balance traditions with the modern world.  There is a story of a couple who struggles in the wake of a stillborn child.  Another about a woman who is having an affair with a married man.  An interpreter who works for a doctor but also drives tourist around India.  Another about a young woman with seizures that no one can find a husband for (yet this is all she wants).  A family who watches the war in India and Pakistan on TV - worrying about their families still in those countries.  And many more.

This was a pretty good book.  Most of the stories are short and entertaining.  They are well written, even though some of the stories end abruptly and go no where.  I didn't like it as well as her other books, but I am glad I read it.  It only took a few hours to read.

I would recommend it.  If you like her other books, you may enjoy this one.

Stars: 3 1/2