Pretty Jane, in 1871, was murdered in a gruesome manner. This book describes the investigation and legal proceedings as to who the murderer may have been. The explanations were very thorough as to the details and time period practices. Also enjoyable were the glimpses of other high-profile cases at the time. Paul Thomas Murphy definitely did his homework with the details and explanations for those of us who aren't as CSI inclined.
This book will be published April 11, 2016.
Burned Bridges of Ward by Eileen Curtwright (1/5 stars)
Ugh, it just didn't make sense. Here's a small town, with competing fertility clinics (One shopping store and 2 fertility clinics- really?), and a guy who just came back into town with his millions and teaches the students in the school that selfishness is good. There's also the whole adult ADHD thing going on where they overly medicate and henceforth drool on each other, and nymphomania (my own diagnosis of the people). The characters were flat, the story line silly, and again, it just didn't really make sense. I did like Madge, the sister of the main character whose name escapes me. If you are looking for a deeper more character driven book in a small town setting, try Flood Girls.
Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (4/5 stars)
So many times you hear about children being devastated about being forced to leave their home due to unsafe circumstances and put into foster homes. But here is a book where the young girl never knew her parents, and is created by the foster care system. Until she meets Elizabeth, who loves her very much and wants to adopt Victoria. Elizabeth teaches her about the language of flowers- the meaning of a rose, of a thistle (hate). And Victoria allows herself to be swallowed in the hope of belonging. But something happens, the adoption does not happen (this is not a spoiler, as the story opens with 18 year old Victoria leaving a group home with her case manager). She is now on her own, until she finds a young man who also speaks the language of flowers, and they begin to communicate through the petals' meanings, and Victoria is forced to painfully accept a less thistle-like life.
Flawed by Cecilia Ahern (4/5 stars)
I thought that this book would be a sweet, heartbreaking romance like P.S. I Love You. It was not. My husband in his wisdom has always said, "You can't legislate morality." In this book, though, they did. But more than that, it brings up so many applications of who we view as "flawed" and basically untouchable. This book is universal to say the least.
Celestine is in a loving family, has a perfect boyfriend (his father is also in charge of determining who is flawed and how many literal brandings the person should get), and insists on a logical life. But when she makes a split-second choice, her life and everyone else's is permanently changed.
This book will be published in early April
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (4/5 stars)
Not everyone will get this book, but it is incredibly written and thought out. Bone Gap is your typical small town where everyone knows everything from the dog that never moves from the road to the teen O'Sullivan boys who were abandoned by their widowed mother. Finn, the younger of the two brothers is marked as strange and spacey, while Sean is perfect, yet bitter that their friend/love interest Roza has been kidnapped. And that's where it really gets interesting. The reader see the hole that Roza left when she was taken away, and then we see where Roza is. Or do we? Just know the title is very appropriate.
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (3/5 stars)
First of all, this book does not have the girl-comes-from-the-oppressed-side-of-the-world-but-then-figures-out-she-has-mad-skills-and-overtakes-the-world. Laia (how do you say her name?) is from the lowly Scholar faction. Her brother has been arrested by the Empire so she runs to the Resistance for help. They reluctantly say fine, but she has to be a spy for the evil Kommadant, who really is pretty sadistic. Flip side, a soldier who is supposedly the best of the best. But he just wants out due to the extreme evilness of the Empire. And then you have the typical semi-fantasy, semi-romances, etc. And you have to read the 2nd book to find out what happens. Is that the new trilogy? Just wondering.
No One Knows by J.T. Ellison (3.5/5 stars)
First of all, this would be a great book to read as a book club so that we could dissect it. Aubrey is a 29 year old who is reeling from her husband's disappearance 5 years ago. She went through a huge trial but was acquitted and now Josh, her husband, is declared dead. Pop in a 5 million dollar insurance claim, a wicked mother-in-law, and a sudden love interest, a drugged out foster brother, and you have yourself a murder mystery.
Deep down, this is really a 3.5 starred review. I read this in a day, ignored my kids and husband and set myself in my comfy chair because I had to know if Josh was really dead or not. But the ending, well, that pulled the rating down. It was interesting, but in my mind I was thinking how Part Three would be shot for a TV movie, which made me wonder if that was what the author was thinking as well. Sometimes I think they do that. And there were leaps I had to take to figure out what really was going on, especially during the epilogue.
This book will be published in late March.
Storied Life of AJ Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin (4.5/5 stars)
The only reason I haven't given this 5 stars is because it seems unfair to AJ Fikry, who was a novel snob and knew the exquisite books from the really really good ones. In a nutshell, AJ Fikry is a bookstore owner on a small island, finds an abandonded 2 year old in his store, and finds a woman who is in love with his brain. The writing is and isn't poetical- it's abbreviated but still flows. I don't really know how to describe it, and perhaps I'm still in Fikry's world trying to decipher the beauty of the book. I think everyone who loves books should read this book.