Thrilling Listen

Finished August 6
The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner read by Emily Janice Card, Kirby Heyborne, and Kirsten Potter
Sandra Jones, a young wife, mother, and teacher has disappeared. When her husband returns from his job, reporting for a Boston paper, late one night his wife is nowhere to be found, and their 4-year-old is alone in the house. After searching the house and yard for her he calls the police.
Detective Sergeant D.D. Williams is called in to the case by the local police and immediately begins to suspect the husband, Jason. She doesn't think that he is responding in the right and expected way. Instead of being frantic about his wife, he is completely focused on their daughter Ree.
Before long there is another suspect offered up, a convicted sex offender who lived just five houses down, Aidan Brewster. And once they go to her school to talk to her fellow teachers, it would appear she has a passionate defender in a grade-seven student who has been helping her with Internet research.
As the police gather suspects rather than eliminating them, and both they and Jason agree that Ree knows more than she is saying, things get more and more tense.
We learn that both Sandra and Jason are fleeing from monsters in their past, and they haven't shared the specifics with each other. We learn the terrible sorrow of the young sex offender. Things are revealed to us little by little by the different voices, and just as quickly new questions are raised.
What was Jason doing on the Internet and what shocked Sandra into taking her concerns to others? What did Ree see? Why was Sandra so scared of her father? What is Jason running from? This is a book that will keep you on the edge right until the end.

Poignant and Inspiring First Novel

Finished August 6
Amphibian by Carla Gunn
I loved this book! I could hardly put it down, starting it yesterday evening and finishing it at breakfast this morning.
The novel centers on 9-year-old Phineas Walsh, a boy who loves knowledge and is passionate about the environment. Phin has created his own world Ruell, that he writes about and draws pictures of. It is a world with a variety of life forms, interdependent on each other, but sometimes destructive (similar to earth).
He is also hooked on the Green Channel, a channel focused on the world and environment.
Phin's parents are separated, and have been for about a year. His mother is a journalist who works from home most afternoons. His father is a foreign correspondent who spends most of his time away, but phones Phin often to stay in touch. He is also close to his Granny, who is a biologist and shares his interest in the environment. Phin's best friend is Bird (Richard L'Oiseau), and he has a cat named Fiddledee.
Phin's mom thinks he worries too much about the environment and worries herself about the effect on his life. She begins taking him to a psychologist. Phin also has some issues at school with a bully, Lyle, and with information from his teacher that doesn't seem right to him (and I agree!!)
Phin caught my heart and I loved his lively intelligence. This book gets inside his head, and makes sense.

British Mystery

Finished August 5
Cold in Hand by John Harvey
DI Lynn Kellogg of Nottingham is on her way back from a hostage negotiation when she responds to an urgent call and wades into a fight. She is shot and injured as is a young woman, and another young woman is killed. The grieving father blames Lynn, and is vocal about it.
DI Charlie Resnick, Lynn's colleague and partner, is called on to assist with the murder case.
As Lynn recovers, she is called back on another case where a young woman and her child were killed, revisiting old ground in order to make some progress. Another murder case that she is the lead officer has stalled when a witness goes missing. The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is taking an interest and Lynn worries about her other witness. SOCA says it is part of an international arms case they are working on and Lynn finds herself being drawn into situations that increase her worry.
This book focuses on the police and the cases, but gives a glimpse of the real criminal world they are up against. The impulses people act upon and the mistakes people make have greater impacts than they think. We see Charlie at his most vulnerable, and like him better for it. I liked seeing how music played a role in people's lives as well. Charlie likes his jazz and several other characters have strong feelings about music too.

Funny Book

Finished August 3
Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield
I first saw Simon's cat in this video, and loved it. This book was given to me by a friend for my birthday and I really enjoyed reading it (and will be sure to reread several times).
I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Canadian Mystery

Finished August 1
Death Spiral by James W. Nichol
I was just glued to this book, because it is so different from most mysteries.
Wilf McLauchlin returns to his small Ontario town from World War II an injured hero. He was a Spitfire pilot and his plane went down over Germany in the late days of the war. He lost the use of an arm, walks with a limp and a cane due to his hip injuries and temporarily lost his sight.
Now back home, he struggles with what to do. His father requests that he come into his law office until he goes back to law school in Toronto, and so Wilf does.
But strange dark events begin to happen in the town and Wilf finds himself drawn and involved in them. As they continue Wilf wonders about his relationship to these events and why they are happening now.
This story is dark and haunting and yet gripped me completely. The aftereffects of the war, the evil present in all of us and the urges that compel are all shown here.

Latest in Orchid Series

Finished August 1
Kill for an Orchid by Michelle Wan
This book continues the story of Julian and Mara in the Dordogne region of France.
Julian is a landscaper designer from England with a passion for orchids, and who is particularly intent on finding the one that seems unfindable.
Mara is an interior designer with a thriving business, who came to France from Canada and who has begun a relationship with Julian.
The two are getting serious and discussing marriage, when the rare orchid chase raises its head yet again, and Julian's past comes back to haunt him.
Mara is having trouble sleeping is Julian becomes involved with a group working against a big drug company whose latest sleep medication is based on orchids. Julian is worried about the wild orchids disappearing.
As Julian gets drawn to China in his quest, his relationship with Mara falters.
There is a lot going on here, and deception and intrigue are everywhere. Despite their feelings, Mara and Julian work together to figure out what is behind it all. A real page-turner, this story will keep you reading.

Second in Series

Finished July 31
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
This is the second book in the Chaos Walking series that started with The Knife of Never Letting Go.
We start with Todd being separated from Viola and Mayor Prentiss having taking control of the town of Haven, now called New Prentisstown. He has also declared himself the President. The men and the women are separated again and strict rules are in place.
Todd and Viola are both told by Prentiss that he wishes for peace and a hopeful future, but neither of them trusts him.
Todd is paired with Prentiss' son Day and put to work outside the town.
Viola is in a healing house while she recovers from her injuries and learns a trade herself.
As we see the trust between the various players falter, and recover, only to falter again, the novel has us riding an emotional rollercoaster. Ness keeps throwing new problems into the novel and you never know what is going to happen next.
A great suspenseful read, with lots going on and the relationship between Todd and Viola developing to new levels. Looking forward to the next one.

NYC Story

Finished July 31
Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment
This novel takes place over a few days in New York City. An older Jewish couple, Alex and Ruth, is looking at selling their coop as they are worried about the stairs to their 5th floor home becoming a problem for the future.
Their elderly dachshund, Dorothy, has suddenly lost control of her rear end, causing them to rush her to the animal hospital.
Alex and Ruth are worried about their dog, their home, their future, and Alex's artwork.
With a tanker stuck in the Midtown Tunnel and everyone talking about terrorism, the whole city seems to be worried about the future as well.
With people traipsing through their home and worry over the tunnel situation growing, Alex and Ruth's concern is centered on Dorothy and her chances of recovery.
We also see things from Dorothy's point of view.
I really enjoyed this look into the life of a couple and seeing their lives up close and personal. Learning about their past, and their friends, and seeing their relationship with each brought to life made this an excellent read, and I read it in one sitting.
Highly recommended.

New Fiction

Finished July 27
Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman
This book starts with a tragedy. Between their wedding and the reception, a young couple is killed in a car accident. The rest of the book follows their families over the course of that summer in Maine, and the following three summers.
The young man, John, grew up on the coast of Maine. He went to school to become a boat designer and he and Becca are restoring a boat they intend to use to run Caribbean charters. John's mother Jane makes her living cleaning houses for the summer people. John's younger brother Matt is the first in the family to go to college. John also has a young cousin, Samantha, who was adopted from Cambodia, and who served as the flower girl at the wedding.
Becca's grandmother was from the island and her grandfather is a famous violinist whose Parkinson's has now forced him to teach rather than perform. Becca's mother, Iris inherited the family home in Red Hook and she teaches at Columbia University, so the family uses it as a summer home. Becca's father Daniel was a boxer in his youth and now teaches law at CUNY. Becca has a younger sister Ruthie, who is academically minded and has just been accepted into a Master's program at Harvard.
We see how the tragedy affects the different family members in different ways as they struggle to deal with their grief and move on with their lives.
A touching and insightful story that takes a closer look at grief and its different manifestations.

Poetry for the Real World

Finished July 26

Ballistics by Billy Collins

I have been reading this book of poetry slowly, savouring each poem. Billy Collins takes ordinary moments in life and captures them eloquently in his poems.
Each one is a gem.
It is hard to find words to describe the experience I had with this book, other than to say, READ IT, YOU'LL LOVE IT.