House Rules by Jodi Picoult

I have been meaning to read another Jodi Picoult book for quite some time and finally decided that I would try House Rules.  I listened to it on audio and it was quite a chunkster in that regard - 19 hours and 55 minutes.  It was narrated by several people - Mark Turetsky, Nicole Poole, Andy Paris, Christopher Evan Welch, and Rich Orlow.  I thought all of them did a good job with their respective characters.  So, what did I think?  I was mostly pleased, interested, and intrigued.  About like other Picoult books that I've read.  Well, I think that I was mesmerized by the first one I tried, The Pact, but that was the first and then I realized that this author has a way that she tells her stories.  And I like her way mostly, but I can't read them too close together or they do start to annoy me slightly.

House Rules is a tale of a family - a mother and two sons.  There's a father, of course, but his involvement in his sons' lives has been minimal.  Emma Hunt is the mother and she has one child, Theo, who is 15 and 'normal', and one child, Jacob, age 18, who has Asperger's.  Life is difficult or rather life is challenging, but it follows a predictable pattern because of Jacob's needs.  He is incredibly smart and gifted.  He also has all the hallmarks that over the years have become pretty well known regarding this neurodevelopmental disorder - need for structure, order, lack of social skills and empathy, sensitivity to stimuli of all kinds, obsession with facts and topics and on and on.  And Theo, well, he's a boy who lives in a family who eats blue food on Friday's and has a mother who has to devote most of her time and money to her other child - not because she doesn't love Theo, but because Jacob's condition makes things more urgent.

As our story begins, Jacob is obsessed with forensics.  He watches a certain TV show every day and he learns everything he can about all aspects of this science.  He is given a police scanner for a present and he starts showing up at crime scenes in his small Vermont town to watch the police work and offer suggestions.  And then one of Jacob's therapists, a young woman named Jess, is killed.  After some investigation, the police arrest Jacob, who was supposed to have met with Jess that day, and he is accused of her murder.  Chaos ensues and the rest of the story is spent with the investigation, the trial, and how all of this affects this family and Jacob in particular.  And I think I'll stop there describing the story.  If you've read any Picoult books, you'll know that she includes 'hot button' topics and moral and legal questions that may or may not have answers.

I said I was mostly pleased and that's true.  I did wonder how much of the Asperger's info was correct and how families that include a child with Asperger's would feel about this tale.  In looking at this author's website, I read an interview about this book.  She does have a cousin who is autistic, but does not have Asperger's.  She said she wanted her character to be verbal and speak directly to the reader and I can understand that.  I was amazed at the amount of time Emma was required to spend just having a 'peaceful' life with her boys.  And it really wasn't peaceful. It was exhausting just reading about it and I suspect that part is so very true, if not even more intensive.  Several legal issues were mentioned as well as the vaccination question.  I won't comment on any of those, other than to say that I wonder sometimes if we'll ever have all the answers as to why.  Probably not.

The last thing I thought of was to remember a family that we knew slightly about 15-20 years ago.  They had three children, two boys, and a girl.  I recall hearing that their second son had something called Asperger's, which, at that time, I had never heard of.  I had a few minor dealings with him and so when all the behaviors and challenges were mentioned in the book, it took me back to my interactions with that child.  And it explained so much.  I wish I had known then what I know now.  I know that my friends loved that son fiercely.  As they should.  However, life was difficult in a lot of ways and not just with the child with Asperger's - for his brother and sister too.  A lot of food for thought here.  And a lot of thinking about 'what would I have done if...'.

I'll now cross another off my Jodi Picoult list and probably wait a while before I try the next.  These books kind of wear me out.    

Waiting on Wednesday - The Bitter Season

This is a weekly event that highlights a book we can't wait to be published.  It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I've read Tami Hoag's books for years, but I still have several to go on her backlist.  I really enjoyed her trilogy of books set in the 1980's in Oak Knoll, California.  The characters include a FBI agent that was supposed to be one of the first profilers.  I have meant to read the Sam Kovac/Nikki Liska books that begin with Ashes To Ashes.  Have not managed that yet, but the latest book featuring those characters is my book to highlight this week:

The Bitter Season

by Tami Hoag

Publication Date:  January 12th

As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless. After moving to the cold case squad in order to spend more time with her sons, she misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter, the sense of urgency of hunting a murderer on the loose.  Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.  Sam is having an even harder time adjusting to Nikki's absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than pieces of Sam's wardrobe.  Sam is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a middle-aged husband and wife bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword.  Nikki's case, the unsolved murder of a family man, community leader, and decorated sex crimes detective for the Minneapolis PD, is less of a distraction: Twenty years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.

On the other end of the spectrum, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job.  Little does she know that a danger from her past is stalking her perfect present.  A danger powerful enough to pull in both Kovac and Liska and destroy the perfect life she was never meant to have.

Tuesday - First Chapter - First Paragraph - Crossbones Yard

Each Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea shares the first part of a book that she is reading or thinking about reading.  This week I'm sharing the first few paragraphs of Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes.  This is the first book in a series starring Alice Quentin - a psychologist who sometimes works with the police in London.  See what you think:

     I peered into the metal box without stepping inside.  It had the familiar smell of all hospital lifts, handwash and antiseptic, an undertone of urine and fear.  I had only managed the twenty-four-storey journey to the psychology department once, with my eyes closed, holding my breath.  It wasn't the speed that got me, just the space itself.  Tiny and airless, no windows to escape through.  I forced myself over the threshold, keeping the door open with my hand, but panic kicked in immediately, a surge of adrenalin just under my ribcage.  My reflection stared at me from the mirrored back wall.  My face was white and pinched, eyes glittering with anxiety.  I looked like a small blonde child dressed up in her mother's smartest clothes.  I backed out of the lift and the doors snapped shut, almost catching my fingers.  My only option was to take the stairs, all two hundred and seventy-eight of them.  By now the signs on every landing were imprinted on my memory: oncology, urology, orthopaedics, X-ray.  But at least the daily climb was keeping me fit--at a steady pace the ascent took less than six minutes.

Blurb:

Alice Quentin is a psychologist with some painful family secrets, but she has a good job, a good-looking boyfriend, and excellent coping skills, even when that job includes evaluating a convicted killer who's about to be released from prison.  One of the highlights of her day is going for a nice, long run around her beloved London--it's impossible to fret or feel guilty about your mother or brother when you're concentrating on your breathing--until she stumbles upon a dead body at a former graveyard for prostitutes, Crossbones Yard.

The dead woman's wounds are alarmingly similar to the signature style of Ray and Marie Benson, who tortured and killed thirteen women before they were caught and sent to jail.  Five of their victims were never found.  That was six years ago, and the last thing Alice wants to do is to enter the sordid world of the Bensons or anyone like them.  But when the police ask for her help in building a psychological profile of the new murderer, she finds that the killer--and the danger to her and the people she cares about--may already be closer than she ever imagined.

----------

Are you interested?  Would you keep reading?  There are three books published in this series and the fourth has just come out in the UK.  I'm looking forward to meeting Alice.

Bookish Nostalgia - August 2015

Can you believe that it's August?  This year seems to be going by so very fast.  And, since I posted my July Bookish Nostalgia mid-month, this one is close on it's heels.  Here's the books that I remember best or enjoyed most in August of 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010:

August 1995 - Ill Wind by Nevada Barr - If you've never read any of Nevada Barr's books about Park Ranger Anna Pigeon, you really should.  This book is the 3rd in the series and it's set at a favorite place of mine - Mesa Verde.  I loved the early books in this series and, of course, it's one that I fell behind on as time passed.  The author started writing this series when she was a park ranger herself and so the settings are quite accurate and usually play a big part in the stories.

August 2000 - Miss Lizzie by Walter Satterthwait - I found this book to be a most unique one and I think that's why I remember it so well.  The year is 1921 and Amanda Burton's family has a new neighbor.  She's an older lady who was once acquitted of murder.  Amanda befriends the lady, even though her stepmother tells her to stay away.  And then Amanda's stepmother is killed and the police suspect Amanda's new friend, Lizzie Borden.  I can still recall how interested I was to read a story with the infamous Lizzie Borden in her later years.  I need to reread this one.

August 2005 - Death At Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn - This is the first book in the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series, set in the 1920's.  I love this series and when I discovered it in 2005, I read pretty much all the books that were available at that time over the course of a month or so.  I think that might have been 12 books or something like that.  Daisy is a titled young lady, but her family has lost their money and rather than live off her more wealthy relatives, as her mother wishes her to do, she becomes a magazine writer to earn her living.  And she keep stumbling over bodies.  And also stumbling over a very nice Scotland Yard detective.  If you haven't read this series, you should.

August 2010 - A Trace Of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell - I read this book with my mystery group.  It's the first book that features Hannah Vogel, crime reporter, and it's set in 1930's Berlin, before the war.  It is quite, quite interesting and was well liked by our group.  I had meant to read further in the series, but have not as yet.  I loved the behind-the-scenes look at what was happening in Germany, plus a mystery included.  This series has 4 books.  And as luck would have it, Cathy at Kittling:Books posted a review of this book just last week.  Click over and read what she has to say here.  (Her blog is great - mostly mysteries - wonderful reviews.)

So, my August books seem to include 3 historical mysteries and 3 mystery series.  Have you read any of these series or books?  If you have, what did you think?

And sometimes, you are just....

really busy.  I'm so happy that I took the break earlier in the summer because....I have a bunch of posts prescheduled.  The next couple of weeks are going to be hectic for me.  Nothing wrong - just life and family stuff.  So....even though you'll see reviews and such, I might or might not be around to visit or even respond to comments here.  Not much, anyway.  Feel free to have a good time, but be sure and pick up after yourselves.

We will return to our regularly scheduled program soon.  I'll leave you with a nice shot of my crepe myrtle.  If it's summer in Texas, it must be time for crepe myrtle blooms.

  

Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes books that are not my usual type of story.  That being said, it's a good thing to hop over to a different kind of book on a regular basis.  Keeps you thinking and keeps your reading fresh.  Maybe In Another Life is exactly the sort of book that I mean.  It's another of those that at first glance appears 'light' (I hate that expression), but has some quite serious things to say underneath the cinnamon rolls.  Yes, our main protagonist, Hannah, loves cinnamon rolls and honestly, she eats them all through this book and talks about them even more.  I really don't know why this story doesn't include a coupon for a cinnamon roll.  You'll want one when you finish it - I promise!

So, our primary character, Hannah Martin, is in her late 20's.  She is leaving New York, where she has also left a very bad relationship, and moving home to Los Angeles.  She'll go to her best friend, Gabby, who has been there for her since they were in high school.  Gabby is married to Mark, and Gabby's family invited Hannah to live with them years ago when Hannah's parents and sister moved to London, where the said sister had a special dance opportunity.  Gabby represents stability to Hannah.

Hannah is still unsure what she wants to be when she grows up.  She's lived in six different cities and has not felt settled anywhere.  Perhaps Los Angeles will finally be the right choice.  Gabby and Mark take Hannah out to meet friends soon after she arrives back in town.  There are people at the bar that they've known since high school and more importantly, Ethan is there.  Ethan and Hannah dated long ago, but college and circumstances separated them.  Hannah has always wondered 'what if' about Ethan.  At the end of the evening, a choice is presented.  Should Hannah go ahead and leave with Gabby and Mark or should she stay longer with Ethan to renew their acquaintance?  Here's a small quote:

     Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions.  I have to think that the small ones don't matter, that I'll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do.
     My fate will find me.
     So I decide to . . .

At this point, our storyline diverges between the two choices.  In one, Hannah leaves and her life changes dramatically.  In the other, Hannah stays and her life changes dramatically.  Did you ever see the movie Sliding Doors?  This is kind of like that.  In each chapter, we see what happens on the one path and then we see what happens on the other.  And Hannah's fate is very interesting in either direction.

I found this book a good one, if a bit predictable.  I did enjoy seeing what might happen and seeing where the lines melded and diverged and then ran back to cross over and over again.  Hannah and Gabby were true friends, in both universes.  I liked how Hannah's extended relationships were examined as well and sorted out.  I'm not someone who spends a lot of time wondering if I found the 'right' guy.  I know that I did.  However, I also believe that sometimes, your 'right' person just isn't available, for whatever reason.  And, perhaps then, there will be another path.  What do you think?

I'll be checking out this author's other books - there are two - and I might have to go have a bit of cinnamon roll.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I loved reading and listening to The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.  I read it in print last year and then decided to re-read it on audio.  Caroline Lee provides the wonderful narration for this updated tale of Pandora and her famous choice.  The three major characters in this book - Cecilia, Tess and Rachel - all have choices to make, big choices.  Each woman is presented with an impossible situation and one wonders - what would you do?

The Husband's Secret begins with The Berlin Wall.  No, it's not set in Germany.  Australia is our place to be - a little in Melbourne and a lot in Sydney.  However, Cecilia Fitzpatrick is our first character.  She discovers a letter, written by her husband and addressed to her, in the attic as she is looking for a piece of The Berlin Wall.  As a college student, Cecilia visited Germany and came home with what she was told was a bit of that structure.  Her daughter, Esther, is obsessed with The Berlin Wall and Cecilia promised to find the souvenir.  The letter that Cecilia stumbles across is meant to be 'opened after my death'.  Well, John-Paul Fitzpatrick is not dead, but he is on a business trip to America.  What could it possibly say?  And more importantly, should she open it?

Meanwhile, our attention turns to Tess, who lives in Melbourne, but who grew up in Sydney.  She's sitting at the conference table in the office that she, her husband, Will, and her cousin, Felicity, share, just as they share their business.  Tess and Will have one son, Liam, the light of their lives.  Will and Felicity have just told Tess that they are so, so sorry - so, so sorry, but....they've fallen in love with each other.  It just happened.  It's no one's fault.  And they are so, so sorry.

Lastly, there is Rachel, who has a son and a daughter-in-law and a grandson, Jacob.  Rachel loves being a grandmother so very much.  Years ago, Rachel's daughter, Janie, age 17, was murdered.  The person who killed Janie was never caught and Rachel has spent all these years missing Janie and thinking about what Janie would be like and hating whoever it was who took her life.  Her husband, Ed, died suddenly and now Jacob is her greatest joy.  And what were her son and daughter-in-law telling her?  They were moving - leaving - taking a job in New York???  Rachel had thought they were going to tell her that they were having another baby.  Instead - well, no.

Each of these women is a distinct character and has her own personality, life, and trials.  They will come together at the school where Rachel works, where Cecilia's children attend and where she is the 'queen bee' of the parents, and where Tess retreats and enrolls her son when she visits her mother.  Their stories will intertwine and connect and decisions are made - both good and bad ones.  And there are consequences.  And secrets are revealed.  Not everything will turn out the way you might imagine.  But do remember what was left when all the bad things came out of Pandora's box -- hope remained.

I loved the way this story was told.  Loved the glimpses we got into the thought processes of all these women.  And the narration was helpful in that regard - a sort of stream of consciousness of Cecilia, Tess and Rachel.  It made me laugh more than once.  But, don't think that all was sweetness and light.  It wasn't.  There were serious issues as well and frustrations and upsets.  I guess you could call this a domestic mystery or maybe a suburban mystery.  It was pretty snarky at times and would probably make any mother nod her head now and then.  We've all been there.  For me, this was definitely a two-thumbs up read.

I've also read Big Little Lies (loved it) and there was a similarity in the primary school setting with competitive mothers and wry humor.  Plus, there were underlying very serious issues.  I need to read more books by this author.  If you've read others, which would you suggest I pick up next?

Waiting on Wednesday - What You See

This is a weekly event that highlights a book we can't wait to be published.  It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Hank Phillippi Ryan's Jane Ryland series is one that I've meant to sample pretty much since she began it.  It has been nominated for and won numerous awards in the mystery community.  The main protagonists are Jane Ryland, investigative newspaper reporter, and Jake Brogan, homicide detective, in the Boston area.  Ryan herself is an investigative reporter for the NBC affiliate in Boston.  She's won EMMYs galore, as well are other media honors.  And by the way, this author is a she - make no mistake about that!  The first book in the series is The Other Woman, and my pick for this week, the 4th book, is:

What You See

by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Publication Date:  October 20th

 

Why would a father abduct his own child?  A wedding is planned in Jane Ryland's family, but there's a disaster instead.  Nine-year-old Gracie-supposed to be the flower girl-has been taken by her stepdad.  Where are they?  Is the girl in danger?  Reporter Jane Ryland learns there's a limit to the bonds of family-and learns to her peril what happens when loved ones are pushed too far.

Meanwhile, Detective Jake Brogan's got a doozy of a case.  At Boston's historic Faneuil Hall, a man is stabbed to death in front of a crowd of tourists snapping photos of the murder on their cell phones.  Solving the case should be easy, but the pictures and surveillance video lead him to a dark conspiracy of extortion and stolen lives.

Jane and Jake must explore where their loyalties lie-to each other?  To their families?  To their careers?  If they make the wrong decision, the consequences could be fatal.

Killing Secrets by Dianne Emley + Giveaway

Killing Secrets is a fast paced thriller by Dianne Emley.  It's also the 5th book in a series featuring Nan Vining of the Pasadena Police.  Now, most of you know that reading books out of order in a series is not preferred by me.  Yes, I'm a 'must read 'em in order' sort of person.  However, I took the plunge and dove right in to this one.  And you are likely asking, will she read the previous books?  Yep.  Several incidents were referred to as the story progressed and I thought 'gotta find out about that'.

Our story begins as Emily Vining, age 16, runs through a park, supposedly taking pictures for a school assignment, with a boy her mother doesn't even know about.  The two teens kissed and played and then everything changed.  Below them, in a small ravine, are two bodies - a young woman and a teenage boy.  As it turns out, the woman is a teacher at their school, Erica Keller, and the boy, Jared, is a fellow student.  Emily's mother, Pasadena Homicide Detective  Nan Vining, arrives at the scene to find Emily shaken, but basically all right.  Nan also finds that Emily has a boyfriend she didn't know about, a young man who is the stepson of a prominent local defense attorney.  Oh, and there are a few other changes in her daughter's life that Nan had not been aware of.

Detective Vining, who is supposed to be on vacation, is not allowed to participate in this investigation, which very quickly is labelled a murder/suicide.  Before any time has passed, the police declare that the case is closed.  The press release states that Jared Hayword, a disturbed teen, has murdered his teacher, Erica Keller, and then killed himself.  Nan is stunned that things have wrapped up so quickly and then she is suspicious.  After poking around a bit, she finds that there are many questions left unanswered.  The boy's mother is adamant that her son would not have killed anyone.  Erica Keller was married to a police sergeant and their marriage had become rocky, with a restraining order issued.  Is there a cover-up?  Even though she's being warned off, Nan can't let it go.  And there are some powerful and influential people that intend to see that both Nan and Emily Vining are silenced.

I found this book pretty interesting.  I did wish that I knew more of the back story, but that was more of a personal wish than a necessity.  This story stands on its own.  The mystery itself was not terribly complicated.  I guessed the identity of the murderer early on.  However, I enjoyed the fast pace.  I did feel that both mother and daughter had a tendency to throw themselves into danger with regularity.  Not surprising.  It was that kind of book.  The depiction of teen life seemed valid.  Lots of social media and dependence on electronics for pretty much every aspect of news.  The way that rumors spread almost instantaneously and, despite kids being tech savvy, the cluelessness about what might be unwise or dangerous regarding shared information online.

Would I read another book by this author?  Yes and I'll be looking for the four previous Nan Vining mysteries.  I give this book a 1-3/4 thumbs up.

Thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours and the publisher for sharing this book with me.  The other stops on the tour can be found here.  The author's website is here.  And, there is a giveaway below.  Please feel free to enter to win a $25 eGift Card and a copy of Killing Secrets.



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The Good Girl by Fiona Neill

The Good Girl by Fiona Neill begins with this quote:

"The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water."

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Don Quixote

This is the first book I've read by Fiona Neill and I did like it.  It was not quite what I was expecting, but honestly, I'm really not sure why I expected a thriller.  Perhaps I didn't read the info closely enough.  It's certainly got some tense moments, but this book is more of a study of a family in crisis.  Or maybe two families in crisis.  There are adults with secrets from their kids.  There are kids with secrets from their parents.  There are neighbors with secrets from each other and that doesn't even take into account the school scenarios.  A story of modern families that are trying to raise their teens and get them to adulthood without too much drama.  And how do you suppose that works out?  Well, about like you'd expect.

The Good Girl begins with the pivotal 'event' in March and then takes us back three months to see what leads up to that first scene.  Ailsa and Harry Field have moved from London to Norfolk, along with their three children, Luke, Romy, and Ben.  Ailsa Field is the head teacher at Luke and Romy's school.  Harry, who taught at a university in London, is taking on the house duties, along with writing a book.  Everyone has settled in pretty well or so it seems...until the Fairport family moves in next door.

Wolf and Loveday Fairport are sex therapists and live quite the different lifestyle from their neighbors.  They have two teenage sons, Jay and Marley.  The Fairport parents, who have lived all over the world, do yoga in unusual ways and have spirit guides and build a sweat lodge.  All kind of fascinating to the Fields, but out of the norm.  On New Year's Eve, the two sets of neighbors get together for a meal and to get acquainted.  Jay and Romy really seem to have hit it off.  They become friends and then a little more than friends and then perhaps boyfriend/girlfriend.  The problem is that there are all these secrets.  With the adults, even before they came to Norfolk, with the kids, and with extended family and work colleagues.  And secrets do have a way of getting out.

This story felt more than a little slow getting started.  After the prologue, where we hear about the 'event', the chapters alternate between Romy's viewpoint and her mother Ailsa's perspective.  Some parts were interesting and some got a little long.  There was a lot of information about the brain and how it processes decisions.  And as I said, secrets abound, and the trail of revelation for the various stories took us round and round and round.  The final 75 pages were pretty gripping.  This book points out how standards of privacy have changed and how so many young people do not understand appropriateness and Internet sharing.  It just isn't something they think about.  But they should.  Oh, they definitely should.

So, would I read another book by Fiona Neill?  Yes, I think I would.  The secrets related here are not especially unique, but I think the author did a nice job with some contemporary issues.  I give it 1-3/4 thumbs up.