Review: The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: September 2013



Joe is thirteen years old and he and his family live on a reservation in North Dakota. When Joe's mom is attacked, she goes into lockdown in their house refusing to eat or speak to anyone about what happened. Joe doesn't think the adults are working hard enough to find out what happened to his mother, so he takes it upon himself to find out what is going on. Will Joe be successful in his attempts or will his mother stay shut down forever.

This was our book club selection for April. I have seen this book before, but wasn't really something that I was interested in reading.

I can't imagine what I would do if someone were to hurt the person who I loved most in the world. I remember one time when I was maybe 10 or 11 years old and I was staying with my grandmother for the day. She got a call from my mom that she had been in an accident and would be late picking us up. This was long before the days of cell phones. So when I finally saw my mother, her clothes were all ripped up from were the paramedics had checks for any external injuries. I was so scared I didn't know what to do.

Joe enlists the help of his friends and other members of the reservation to help find out what happened to his mother. This journey takes him from a boy to a man in ways he never would imagine. At the beginning of the book he's picking small trees from the cement outside of his house and by the end he's driving across the country with friends.

While this book wasn't the best for me, I encourage you to read it just for Joe's story.


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Review: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: May 2013

Cormoran Strike is a Private Investigator, who has just been hired by John Bristow to investigate the death of his sister Lula Landry. Lula is a model in England and she has had her share of issues, but no one expected her to commit suicide. Cormoran hasn't been very lucky in life himself as of late, and this case is exactly what he needs to get a jump start. The police have been all over the evidence and there is nothing to support any other outcome for this case, but Cormoran is determined to find out the truth. Will he be surprised by who the killer is or will he find out quickly? With the help of his temporary assistant Robin, the case with all it's secrets will reveal the true killer.

I was not a very big fan of Harry Potter so I was excited when J.K. Rowling decided to try other writing. I'm glad she chose a pseudonym, because I don't think I would have read the books as J.K. Rowling.

When I first started listening to this book, I got quite confused. Each section starts with a Latin phrase. I had to be sure I had the right book. But I will say I was drawn in from the very beginning.

Everyone knows who Lula Landry is and everyone was affected by her death. Her brother doesn't believe she would have committed suicide even though she has serious depression. Her friends don't think she would have done it either. But if she didn't jump from her balcony and no one saw anyone else with her, then what happened? Cormoran interviews everyone who was involved with Lula and some of them twice. He enlists the help of his temporary assistant Robin, who proves to be quite useful.

I think from the beginning Cormoran had an idea of who the killer was. There are little things that happen throughout the story that give you that idea when it's all said and done. I'm very interested to know what is going to happen next in Cormoran's life and what other adventures he and Robin will find themselves on.



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Review: Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: May 2013


Sarah and Jack have been married for many years, but Sarah doesn't know about all the secrets Jack is keeping. But when his Aunt Julia is injured after falling down the stairs, Sarah and Jack make the trip back to Penny Gate where Jack was born and raised and hasn't been back to since. Aunt Julia raised Jack and his sister Amy after the death of their parents. So Jack feels compelled to return to Penny Gate, even though this is the last thing he wants to do.

Sarah has never been to Penny Gate and has mostly communicated with Jack's family by phone. But when she arrives in town, she finds out a lot about her husband and his family that she never knew. Why did her husband keep these secrets their whole marriage? And will the unveiling of them destroy it?

I really enjoyed reading this book. From the very beginning, I wasn't sure who was holding all of the secrets that Sarah was trying to find while in Penny Gate, but there was a part of the book, that gave me a glimpse into who it could be. This book keeps you guessing until the very end. Heather Gundenkauf gives you a good story that will leave you wondering until the very end.

I read this book as a part of a group read. This is the first book I've read by Heather Gudenkauf, although I have a signed copy of her book Not a Sound . I look forward to reading more books by this author.

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Review: Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: 2013

Celeste is an 8th grade English teacher. She is married to a handsome and wealthy man named Ford who is also a police officer. Celeste, herself is beautiful and could be a model instead of a teacher. But teaching is her chosen profession in order to find a way to quell her affinity for 14 year old boys. During her first year teaching, she finds the perfect candidate, Jack. Jack comes from a single parent home and his father works long hours. They have lots of time to be together. But when Jack wants more, Celeste has to find a way to end this relationship without hurting Jack or exposing her secret.

This book is disturbing on so many levels. First of all, even though I've seen in on the news several times, it's hard to believe that a grown woman would have any interest in a 14 year old boy. There are a few other things that happen in the book as well, that will give away too much to talk about here. I will say this book was like a bad car crash. Where you just can't look away. It was hard to put the book down, I had to find out what was going to happen in the end. The 3 stars for this rating is due mostly to the subject matter. There were parts that were hard to read, especially as a mother to a young boy. Overall, the book was pretty good and I will read other books by Alissa Nutting.

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Audiobook Review: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2013

So apparently I have read this book before, but I don't remember it at all. I love Jodi Picoult's books and I love how they touch on subjects that are hard for us to hear about. The Storyteller is no different. Set in New Hampshire, it tell the story of Sage Singer. Sage is a Baker for Our Daily Bread and works at night so she doesn't have to be seen by many people. You see, Sage has a scar on her face from an accident and she can't see herself past the scar.

Sage is also in a grief group and has been since she lost her mother 3 years earlier. There is where she meets Joseph Weber. Joseph doesn't say much during the group, but when he shows up at the bakery just before Sage is about to start her shift, they strike up a friendship. Then Joseph asks Sage to do something that she can't imagine. When he tells her why, her feelings are mixed about what she should do. Joseph was an SS Officer for the Reich during WWII and Sage's family is Jewish. Joseph is a beloved member of the community so trying to match that person with someone who would have done so much evil in the world is hard for Sage to grasp.

Sage's grandmother had been at Auschwitz and she had never told her story to anyone, but when Sage has this decision to make, her grandmother is forthcoming with her times in Germany and how she survived. Will Sage be able to honor Joseph's request after hearing her grandmother's story, or will she leave Joseph for the authorities to take care of?

I loved this story and I don't recall any parts of it, so I'm kind of glad this is a re-read for me. This story made me want to cry several times. Most of us know the story of the Holocaust, but to hear a first hand account(even if it is fiction) really makes you feel most invested. This book makes you think, what would I do if I was in Sage's position? Would I go through with what Joseph wanted me to do? There are so many things to consider with this situation. Should she tell her grandmother that she sits next to an ex-Nazi officer during grief group? Does her grandmother know Joseph already and not realize who he really is?

If you haven't read this book you should. If you haven't read any of Jodi Picoult's books you should. She is one of my favorite authors and here is another book of hers that did not disappoint.

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Review: Mistress by James Patterson

Mistress by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Benjamin Casper has been asked by a friend of his to put some surveillance cameras up in her apartment. Shortly after he leaves her building a body is thrown from her balcony. Everyone says it's his friend, Diana and that she committed suicide, but Ben is not convinced. Trying to figure out what is really going on with Diana and what she was up to is not going to be easy. Will Ben be able to find the answers before he loses his own life? Set in the heart of our Nation's Capital, Ben fights for his life to find out the truth about Diana.

This book was just okay for me. It held my attention, but I didn't find myself dying to read it during my down time. At some parts of the book, it felt like a dog chasing its tail.

Ben believes that Diana is his friend. When he attends her funeral back in her home of Wisconsin, he's not so sure. No one knows who he is and they sure as hell don't know who Diana is, at least who she really is, but does Ben. On the quest to find out if his friend is really dead, he will lose more friends along the way. Too many people end up dead and the reason is all really kind of crazy.

This was not one of my favorite James Patterson books.  I know this review is short, but there wasn't must to go on without giving away the book.  If you like James Patterson then you should read this book, if not, then I would say find another.  So many books, so little time.

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