The Animals by Christian Kiefer
309 pages

What’s it about?
Bill Reed runs an animal refuge in the woods of Northern Idaho.  He has made a life for himself in this isolated country, but his past is about to catch up with him. His old friend Rick is out of prison and has an ax to grind.  When Rick shows up, Bill is forced to confront his past.

What did it make me think about?
This book had so many themes- the connection between animals and people, the good and bad that lies in each of us, love, friendship and betrayal.   This book made me think about lots of different topics.

Should I read it?
I thought I was going to love this book!  It had so many great reviews and it started with such promise.  I see all the literary merits, and I would love to discuss this book with someone, but certain sections of the book felt like a chore to read.  It was really good, but slow for me at times, especially when you consider that it is marketed as a thriller. 

Quote-
“And for the first time you understand that everyone is a killer: here in the forest, in the desert from which you have come, indeed perhaps the world itself nothing more than a vast field for the dealing out of death, some odds so slight as to be impossible to gauge.”

Question-
Does Bill finally take care of his own, or does he take care of himself?

 If you like this try-
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

7 1/2 stars

Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
337 pages

What’s it about?
Another first time author and again I am amazed at what a story Ms. Ohanesian weaves.  Questions abound when Orhan’s grandfather (Kemal) leaves the family home in Turkey to an unknown woman in America (Lucine).   This book begins in present day Turkey, and through a series of flashbacks we learn the story of what happened to Lucine and Kemal during World War One.   

What did I think?
I knew very little about Turkey during World War One, or the plight of the Armenians.  The plot and characters kept me interested in the story.  I definitely felt that Ms Ohanesian was trying to get a point across but it was never too heavy handed or too preachy.    I read to learn new perspectives, and this novel gave me a new perspective.

Should you read it?
This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction.  If you like your history given to you through characters and stories then you will very much enjoy this book.

Quote-
“But he is not singular.  No one is.  Not him, not Seda.  And if they are not singular, how can history be?”

Question-
The author says “None of it matters.  There is only what is, what happened.  The words come much later, corrupting everything with meaning.”

Can we ever do justice to history by the written word? 

If you like this try-
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

 8 1/2 stars

NPR's story on "Orhan's Inheritance
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/18/400424865/orhans-inheritance-is-the-weight-of-history

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
300 pages

What’s it about?
Joe Talbert is a University of Minnesota college student with a complicated family life.  Behind on a college assignment he decides to write the biography of a convicted murderer named Carl Iverson.  Has he learns more about Carl he is slowly drawn into the circumstances of the crime.  Who really committed the murder back in 1980?  Was it Carl or someone else?

What did I think?
Unintentionally, I find I am reading one good first novel after another!  This was a really good suspense thriller.  A few times I had to check by disbelief, but in general I found the pages just flew by.

Should you read it?
Absolutely!   This novel has crime, suspense, and romance- what more could you ask for in a page turner?

Quote-
“The idea of interviewing a murderer didn’t sit well with me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I warmed up to it.  I had put off starting this project for too long.  September was almost over and I’d have to turn in my interview notes in a few weeks.  My classmates had their horses out of the staring gate and my nag was still back in the barn munching on hay.  Carl Iverson would have to be my subject- if he agreed.”

If you like this try-
The Hand That feeds you by A.J. Rich
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

8 stars

 AWARD RECOGNITION FOR THE LIFE WE BURY:

WINNER! Left Coast Crime Rosebud Award, BEST DEBUT MYSTERY
2015 Edgar® Award Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL
Minnesota Book Award Finalist, BEST GENRE NOVEL
Anthony Award Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL
Barry Award Finalist, BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
ITW Thriller Awards Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL
MysteryPeople 2014 BEST DEBUT NOVEL
Suspense Magazine BEST BOOKS OF 2014/DEBUT AUTHOR

Girl at War by Sara Novic
320 pages

What’s it about?
It is 1991 and Ana is a ten-year-old girl living in Zagreb (Croatia’s capitol) when civil war erupts throughout Yugoslavia.  Ana’s life changes in small ways at first, and then her life just changes.  This book moves back and forth through time to show how war is forever woven into the lives of those who experience it.

What did I think?
This was an interesting and difficult look at how modern wars are waged... “As a side effect of modern warfare, we had the peculiar privilege of watching the destruction of our country on television.”   The story not only moves through time but it also moves from Croatia to America.  Ana narrates this story, and it is seeing Croatia and America through Ana’s eyes that make this story so compelling.

Should you read it?
I am sure this is the first of many books I will read by Sara Novic.   This novel handles difficult subjects with such grace.  I am really surprised this is her first novel.  Very impressive! 

Quote-
“The country was at war, but for most people the war was more an idea than an experience, and I felt something between anger and shame that Americans- that I- could sometimes ignore its impact for days at a time.  In Croatia, life in wartime had meant a loss of control, war holding sway over every thought and movement, even while you slept.  It did not allow for forgetting. But America’s war did not constrain me: it did not cut my water or shrink my food supply.  There was no threat of takeover with tanks or foot soldiers or cluster bombs, not here.  What war meant in America was incongruous with what had happened in Croatia- what must have been happening in Afghanistan- that it almost seemed a misuse of the word.”

Question-
Where is Ana’s home?

If you like this try-
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyememi
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon by Anthony Marra
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

8 1/2 stars

The Story of Land and Sea by Katy Simpson Smith
241 pages

What’s it about?
This novel is set in North Carolina at the end of the Revolutionary War.   The story is told in three separate parts.  Each story is told from a different character’s perspective.   

What did I think?
At first I was not so sure about this one.  I kept on reading because I had heard so much about this book.  Rumor has it that this was a highly anticipated first novel.   The rights to the book supposedly caused a bidding war between two publishing companies.  For this reason I plodded on past page 50.  I was glad I stuck with it.  Some of the phrases were just beautiful and the last two parts of the novel made the first part resonate in a way I didn't expect.

Should you read it?
The longer I read this book, the more I liked this book.  The author is very talented and I will be looking forward to her next book.   The first part of the book was hard to get through, but taken as a whole the book was good (not great) and well worth reading.  It tackles some difficult subjects and leaves you thinking.  At the start of the novel-  maybe I just expected too much….  If you like historical fiction (or just beautiful, lyrical writing) then I would recommend this book for you.

Quote-
“So many things become easier with age.  Those dire emotions that wracked his body, pulled it from guilt to rage, from desire to accusation, have been softened, the sharp edges rubbed dull.  If Asa has learned one thing in his years of grabbing and planning and blaming, it’s that he is nothing but a bystander in God’s game.  If there is joy in life, it lies in patience, in watching the Lord’s creations unfold.  He sits in the boat, clean of any anger, and witnesses the rain, the boat, the yaupon, the clouds, the spring.  He waits.”

Question-
Which part of the book did you enjoy most?

If you like this try-

 Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

7 stars

The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich
273 pages
 
What’s it about?
Morgan Prager is a 30-year-old graduate student doing research for her thesis on victim psychology.   She comes home from school one morning and finds her fiancée dead.  Her three dogs have apparently mauled him to death.  She comes to find that her fiancée is not the man she thought he was.  Are her dogs the loving pets she thought they were?  She moves from studying victims to being a victim.

What did I think?
I could not put this down!  This is a book that could keep you up reading late into the night. I admit to loving my dog a little too much, but the dog storyline was interesting as well.   The book had it’s downfalls- the characters are not fully drawn and the end of the book seems rushed, but despite these issues I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Should you read it?
This was a great, quick, beach book.  It had an interesting back story- two well known authors collaborated to write this story as a tribute to their late friend, fellow writer Katherine Russell Rich.  Ms. Rich died of breast cancer at the age of 56 but not before discovering that her fiancee was not who he seemed.   This became the basis of the novel.

Quote-
“Bennett couldn’t tolerate the constant chaos of three big dogs in a small apartment, and maybe he was right, the dogs were taking over my life.  Were these rescues a form of pathological altruism?  This was the basis of my research, a test to identify victims whose selflessness and hyper-empathy were so extreme that they attracted predators.”

Question-
Did you see the twists coming?

If you like this try-

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
An Untamed State by Roxanne Gay
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

8 stars

Gut by Giulia Enders
258 pages

What’s it about?
Young German scientist Giulia Enders paints a clear picture of what happens in your gut.  She talks about everything from reflux, to food intolerances, to how the bacteria in your gut may be affecting you.

What did I think?
I was impressed that someone so young wrote this book.   Her explanations are clear and to the point- even silly on occasion.  She really did make the digestive system seem like the next new frontier in medicine.

Should you read it?
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in health or science.  I would also suggest this book to anyone with stomach issues.

Quote-
“Every human being has the genes needed to digest lactose.  In extremely rare cases, problems with lactose digestion can occur from birth.  Such babies are unable to digest their mother’s milk and drinking it causes sever diarrhea.   In 75 percent of the world’s population, the gene for digesting lactose slowly begins to switch off as they get older.  This is not surprising, as by then they are no longer reliant on our mother’s milk, or formula milk, to nourish us.  Outside of Western Europe, Australia and the United States, adults who are tolerant to dairy products are a rarity.  Even in our parts of the world, supermarkets are full of lactose-free products.  Recent estimates say about 25 percent of people in the United States lose their ability to break down lactose-…”

Question-
Will obesity or depression some day be treated with different types of bacteria?

If you like this try-

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

9 stars