The Guardians by John Grisham

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51327607-the-guardians" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Guardians" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562267135l/51327607._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51327607-the-guardians">The Guardians</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/721.John_Grisham">John Grisham</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2989111275">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Grisham is back.<br />In his best work since A Time to Kill. John Grisham introduces us to Cullen Post, Episcopal minister and attorney for Guardian Ministries, and Quincy Miller who is 22 years into a life sentence. The masterful narration by Michael Beck [sounding a lot like Tom Hanks' Forest Gump] moves us through a story of legal twists and turns, breathless waiting on the judicial system and mind-bending structural racism.<br /><br />In an author's note at the end of the book, Mr. Grisham cites two sources of inspiration: Centurian Ministries (Google it and send a check) and Texas inmate Joe Bryan whose case was chronicled in a two-part series by Pamela Colloff of ProPublica in the New York Times Magazine, May 23 and 31, 2018. "...finest example of investigative reporting...." -John Grisham
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Alone with the Stars by David R. Gillham, narrated by Hillary Huber and Emily Bauer

"In Tampa, Florida, 15-year-old Lizzie Friedlander spends her afternoons glued to her father’s radio, tapping into the enormity of a world she longs to travel. Lizzie can hardly believe her ears when she picks up a radio signal from a faraway source that sets her heart racing: 'Amelia Earhart calling SOS!' " -Audible

Exciting and endearing, this original by Audible seemed a good choice for middle school until the language deteriorated.

I loved the story, the portrayal of attitudes toward women, and the message in support of women. The encounter at the Coast Guard station might have been been just as effective without the profanity.  I am not prudish, but that scene ruined the story for me.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

It's unusual that "Jacob" is the only name that I recall as I write this review two days after finishing this story. Jacob is the character whose voice is heard least as the tale progresses.

His dad is the narrator, a respected prosecutor and a cynic. His mom is the stereotypical suburban mom. She says little until her bombshell disclosure of Jacob's behavior as a preschooler. Her doubts, dad's blind eye and Jacob's adolescent moody silence create the tension that left me unprepared for the surprise ending.

Interesting.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Tom Hanks narrates this story. I cannot imagine anyone [except maybe the Allstate commercial guy] lending voice to it in such a measured, almost detached way.



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Know My Name by Chanel Miller

   Know My Name by Chanel Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chanel Miller takes readers inside her head and horror as she relates in first person eloquence the trauma of her rape by Brock Turner on the Stanford University campus. Details of the ripples that only those who have experienced a rape know are new to most readers. Miller shares the experience so well that a reader may be effortlessly absorbed into her anguish and her anger at the light sentence that Turner received, the biases she encountered and the loss of faith in the impartiality of judges.

Miller is a fighter. She speaks for all of the victims.

Recommendation: Read the text of this book. The audio, read by Miller, does not benefit from her slow pace and monotonous tone.

Highly recommended


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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens narrated by Zack Villa

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens


I was hooked by the "dread" Joe described in the first line. When I realized that he was a college student who had procrastinated in beginning an assignment, Eskens character development skills and choice of Joe as first person narrator were hints that this first novel would be good.

Joe Talbert waited so long to begin his assignment that options for finding a subject were limited. He has to interview a stranger who led an interesting life and write a short biography of that stranger for his English class.

(Note: I want to give him a little forgiveness for his procrastination because he is a very responsible brother to Jeremy whose special needs require Joe to intervene when his mother's alcoholism threatens Jeremy's safety.)

Carl Iverson becomes Joe's subject. Carl is in a nursing home. He has been paroled there after 50 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl. And, he is dying. He led an interesting life. The biography that Joe writes is not short.

I could not stop listening. It is a wonderful first novel. I hope to read more stories from this new author..


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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, narrated by Zack Appleman

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully crafted story. With the Nazis occupying Paris, young blind Marie-Laure flees with her patient and protective father to Saint-Malo. Orphan Werner, expert at building and fixing radios, winds up in a brutal academy for Hitler Youth. Their separate and complex paths create the story's tension.

Saying more would spoil the story. Order take-out for the next day or two and read it.


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Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hennie Comfort is 86 years old when Nit Spindle gazes at a sign on her fence advertising "Prayers for Sale." And so begins an enduring friendship in the high country of the Colorado mountains in 1936. Among the gold-mining dredges, brutal winters, and numbing poverty they share the heartbreaks and hardships of their lives. And, they enjoy the sisterhood of the Ten Mile Quilters.

Their story is the result of excellent research by Sandra Dallas. I enjoyed her attention to detail and her use of speech patterns that would have prevailed at the time. This story is as warm and comforting as a pair of lovingly handmade socks. I loved it.


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Memory Man by David Baldacci

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amos Decker, a new character created by David Baldacci, has a perfect memory. Two life-changing events have left him on the street, taking odd jobs as a private detective. The first was a professional football injury that resulted in his rare ability to remember every detail of everything. The second was the murder of his wife and daughter.

Decker, a former police detective now grief-stricken, hangs on by a thread. He had me hanging with him as he slowly finds his way back.

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, narrated by Polly Stone

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is war through the eyes of sisters Vianne, whose husband goes reluctantly to the front to fight the Nazis, and of Isobel, a rebellious 18-year-old whose behavior is a problem. The story presents an absorbing view of the gradual manipulation of the French by fascists during World War II. The sisters carry the story and show readers how durable women are and how love endures as they make hard choices to stay alive.

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Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although I am playing "catch-up" with several posts today, I cannot let this one from April go without a review. Clever, interesting and entertaining, Mycroft Holmes is a mystery that I might read again! Mycroft, it turns out, has excellent skills and can hold his own in a fight.
The Harmonious Fists are pretty amazing.

Highly recommended

'A Ha' Moments

Hannah spent the night on Wednesday. She has outgrown the portable crib.

'A Ha' Moment #1.  After weeks of fretting about where she would sleep when she was here for her much-anticipated overnight visit, the purchase of an inflatable mattress (still in the box), a cottage-like tent to make it fun to sleep on (still in the box) and a couple of travel locks for the doors to keep her from wandering into the building hallway or onto the patio in the middle of the night (easily removed by her in record time), the simple solution was sleeping with her on the sofa bed in the den. I made up the bed while she was busy playing office at my desk. When she came into the den, her jaw dropped. She had no idea that her favorite sofa could be transformed into a sofa bed. She hopped right in clothes and all! 

'A Ha' Moment #2.  The next morning, while she was putting her pajamas back on (having decided that she would be a sofa bed potato all morning), I turned on "Bubble Guppies" in the living room because it was playing in the den in an effort to coax her into some breakfast. When she came out to get back in bed to watch, she stood in the doorway between the den and the living room looking from one television to the other. She looked like she was watching a tennis match. Then I heard "Nana, Nana, look." as she excitedly pointed to each TV. The smile on her face was priceless as she realized that the sets could play the same show at the same time! And then, she had breakfast in bed - the sofa bed.

Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Alex, Sampson, Nana Momma, Brie and the kids are all familiar characters in this favorite detective/suspense series. Maybe it's the warm and loving home setting that makes the crimes Alex and Sampson tackle palatable. Or maybe it's the feeling of being an insider on their team and in Alex's family, but, whatever it is, I love this series.

Merry Christmas Alex Cross started small on Christmas Eve and ended big by New Year's Eve. Along the way not one, but four situations required Alex's attention. The last two were complicated and related. I listened to the audio book without checking on the chapter count, so it was easy to feel real relief as the first problem concluded and think that Alex was done for the night. But, no, the calls to duty on Christmas Eve just kept snowballing.

Sampson is Sampson. Nana Momma wields guilt like a sword. Alex employs his valuable skills with wit and humor. The family is warm, loving and patient. Knitted together, they all gave me a feeling of comfort, joy and good humor in the face of unnerving crimes.

Highly recommended with a shiver and a smile.



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Promises...

...are important.

"With all 80 state Assembly seats on the ballot, New Jersey’s Democrats – helped considerably by $4 million the NJEA spent on behalf of their campaigns – added four seats to the majority they already had in the lower house.

"The NJEA was all in for the Democrats this year. For the first time in recent memory, the union did not endorse a single Republican. But the union also insisted that it wasn’t party affiliation that mattered. “We would have liked to endorse a Republican,” said Ginger Gold Schnitzer, the NJEA’s head of government relations and director of the NJEA’s PAC.

“The reason the Republicans weren’t endorsed was that none of them stood up and voted for the five-seventh pension payment,” she said, referring to the proposed $3.1 billion payment of five-seventh of the state’s obligation. “The rubber met the road on the pension payment. This election for the NJEA was very much about one thing: It was about candidates keeping promises.” 

-John Mooney, NJSpotlight.com, November 6, 2015.

Beginning with the administration of Christie Whitman and in every administration since, NJ has used the assets of the retirement systems to fund gaps in the state budget.

  

Bravo to all of those teachers and support staff who work for the taxpayers of NJ for helping to elect legislators who believe that keeping a promise is important. 

Note: Ronald Reagan was the first President to "borrow" the assets of the Social Security Trust Fund to fund gaps in the US budget. Every President since, has done the same. 

 

The Christmas Planner

The year that Grace was born, I made a Christmas Planner. I may have shared it but I don't remember with whom! I keep it up to date.  It is a history of gift-giving, card-sending, keepsake-saving and holiday-decorating for every year since 2007. Today, I took it from the shelf and opened it to begin the record for Christmas 2015, the last year that will fit into this volume.     * Note to self: Buy another notebook to set up for Christmas 2016.*     I opened it at breakfast this morning and am still browsing and smiling over it at 1 p.m.!!!

Take-aways:

1. Picture cards received from family and friends are amazing.  Just look at how their kids have grown!
2. The pictures with Santa from Macy's are priceless.  Should I make a special album for these cards and pictures? Maybe I should frame them and bring them out to display for the Christmas season.
3. Every year I make a Christmas budget that I ignore.  (But this year will be different.)
4. Secret Santa proposals to manage gift-giving for adults do not work in our family.
5. I send more than 100 holiday cards and mail them on the day after Thanksgiving.  I mailed them one day later in 2014.  
6. *Note to self:  You bought stamps last week for this year so don't plan to buy them again now that the planner is in play. What safe place are you using for them?*
7. Amazon wish lists are a good thing.  And, the Amazon wish list button added to my Firefox browser is wonderful.  

Because I have no pictures in this post yet, here are a couple before I sign off.

I don't miss that wallpaper, but I still use those little window wreaths and the wii game that the guys are setting up here. Thanks again guys.

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bosch's many years of experience shine as he mentors Lucia Soto, a quickly advancing new detective assigned to him. Working on an unusual cold case with her, he keeps this complex tale moving in ways that give readers more police procedural insight than many of author Connelly's previous Bosch stories.

A page-turner for sure if I were reading words on a page, the story suffered, for me, in the flat reading by Titus Welliver. Read the paper or digital editions.

Clue: The "burning room" is a concept and a reality. ;-)



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The Whites: A Novel by Harry Brandt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


These are not perfect people.

As characters, their points of view and behaviors are skillfully drawn to engage us because we relate to their imperfections. Family life, environment, fate, "what ifs" work to bring us a slice of life in law enforcement. A good story. Highly recommended.



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Review: Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Just finished “wading through” this didactic-heavy (preachy) novel. Message: How offensive does one flaw in a good person have to be to reject that person entirely? It is a matter of individual conscience, your inner “watchman”.

I can see why this novel was rejected by the publisher with instructions to Harper Lee to re-write. I share the suspicion that Lee did not intend to publish this one. (And, perhaps Truman Capote had a larger role in shaping To Kill a Mockingbird than we all realized.)

The kind of prejudice that keeps whole groups of people from achieving their potential is no ordinary flaw in my view.

BTW Uncle Jack is the most interesting character here.

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Chiefs by Stuart Woods

Chiefs by Stuart Woods

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Desperate to find a "new" author, I chose this book because it was not new and the reviewers promised murder, politics and corruption. It did not disappoint me.

I began this book in the audiobook format while out walking. Hearing the pace and accent of narrator Mark Hammer made this story real. The print pages never succeeded in capturing my interest in the same way.

Two-thirds of the tale were set within the current events window of my childhood (and probably yours too if you were in high school when JFK was President of the United States). Remotely aware of the civil rights struggles of the sixties, and effectively shielded from local events by protective parents, this story effectively gave voice to the news clips and television accounts clamoring for attention in my world of Elvis, 45 rpm hit records, friends, school and adolescent angst. Even now, it is difficult to believe that these history-altering events were taking place while I lived and breathed without comprehending their significance.

Published in 1981, "Chiefs" won the Edgar Award for a first novel and launched the career of Stuart Woods. It is unique in its approach to a series of murders that begins in 1920 and ends during the John F. Kennedy years. Using the small southern town of Delano, Georgia, and the efforts of three police chiefs to solve a murder and a series of disappearances, Woods weaves the tale around the politics, racial tensions and changes in society over forty years. 

The three parts of the story, one for each successive police chief, are unhurried. Progress in the mystery is not driven by intense desire to solve the crime, but rather by the gradual exposure of a pattern that challenges the "common sense" theories and attitudes of the place and time. The bulk of the evidence is circumstantial. Concrete evidence is uncovered accidentally. The characters are developed with skill as people that readers will recognize. These are people who could have populated the pages of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Highly recommended.



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Suspect by Robert Crais

Suspect by Robert Crais

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Motivated to use accumulating credits, I chose this book from Audible's suggestions without reading about it first. "Suspect" grabbed my attention from the first page. I probably would not have chosen it had I known that a dog was a main character. But Maggie flows from author Crais' pen as a well-developed one. I could not stop listening. Loved it!



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