Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons
Excellent Thriller (10/23/2013)
Doing Harm is a medical thriller. It is gripping from the start and never lets the reader rest. It's definitely one of the best thrillers that I have read in years. It is the story of Steve MItchell, a doctor at University Hospital, who meets and gets involved with a killer. The writer lets you see Steve making lapses in judgement and you know that he is all too human. He is not prepared for what is about to happen to him and that for him to get out the mess that he is entering will take a great deal of effort and some help. I would and will highly recommend this book.
Amy Falls Down
by Jincy Willett
Amy Falls Down (6/17/2013)
Amy Falls Down is the story of Amy Gallup, who falls down, hits her head on a birdbath and then comes awake just in time to give an interview while concussed. The interview is very peculiar and sets off a firestorm of interest in Amy and her writing, but mostly in Amy and her way of stating, what to her, is obvious. This is a very funny book. It is all about writing and the publishing industry, but is also about a person who lived like a hermit for 30 years suddenly rediscovering the human race, and liking it....for the most part. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy and have a fairly odd sense of humor. I think, if people look close, they can learn a lot from this book and not just about writing.
The World Without You: A Novel
by Joshua Henkin
A good book about family (1/4/2013)
I found The World Without You to be a very satisfying novel of a dysfunctional family. It is the story of a family coping with the loss of their son/brother a year previous in Iraq. The family is brought together by the anniversary of the death, but the story is really all about the lives of the survivors and how the brothers death has affected each of them. The book is sad, funny and hard to put down. The characters are all very believable and very human. You will be frustrated by them and you will have hope for their future. The characters are the story in this book and I would recommend it highly.
The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling
Dissapointing (11/29/2012)
I was very disappointed with this book. I had looked forward to it since it was announced. I bought it and read it immediately. When I reached around page 130 I thought about quitting, but since it was J.K. Rowling I decided to keep going. The book is definitely well written and easy to read, but I found the story uninteresting and, to me, there was not a single likeable character. There were some interesting characters, but no one that I could care about. I would not recommend this book unless you just want to read something sad.
A Thousand Pardons
by Jonathan Dee
An enjoyable read (10/13/2012)
This the first book by Jonathan Dee that I have read. I can't compare it to any of his other works. I can, however, compare it to the two most recent books I've read. Those books are the most recent releases by J. k. Rowling and R. L. Stine. The J. K. Rowling was terrifically depressing and disappointing while the R. L. Stine was just ridiculous. One Thousand Pardons was a pleasure to read and made me feel good again. While the characters are all far from perfect they are very real and extremely well written and I found myself hoping that everything would work out for them. The book was both insightful and original. I have not read a book that was similar to this in plot although the plot never seemed that original. I think this means that Mr. Dee has achieved something remarkable. He has created a story that makes you cheer for regular, flawed people while also being able to forgive them for questionable choices they make along the way. Recommended.
Sharp: A Memoir
by David Fitzpatrick
Sharp is not an easy read, but is worth it (7/26/2012)
I was not sure how I felt about reading Sharp, it's not my usual reading subject of choice. I do however read a large variety of books and wanted to give it a try. I wound up enjoying Sharp very much. It is definitely a well written book and is told in a voice that I cared about from the very beginning. The subject matter of the book, however, is very disturbing. I have never known anyone with a mental illness, at least not one where it required stays at all of the different types of places like David Fitzpatrick stayed. David seemed extremely likable from the very beginning. It is very scary to see how he went down hill, how hard he struggled and all of the horrible things he did to himself, but I cared very much about his making it through and wanted to get to the end just to see how we was. This book is a very good read and in the end a very inspirational story.
The House of Velvet and Glass: A Novel
by Katherine Howe
Old Boston, Opium, Psychics and the Titanic (4/1/2012)
Over the course of the 1st 150 pages or so of this novel I was not sure that I was going to like it. The book seemed slow and I couldn't really figure out what was the point. The characters themselves were interesting from the beginning and the descriptions of the settings were also intriguing, yet I had no idea what the main plot of the book would be. It turns out I am very glad that i stuck with it. The book turned out to be a fascinating look at old Boston, the world of opium dens, Psychics and the beginning of one the most fascinating times in American history. I would highly recommend this book, but would also be sure to point out that you need to stick with it and give it time to build. It would definitely be a good book for any book club as there are plenty of discussion points throughout the entire book. I don't know that it was as good as her first book, but it was definitely a great trip in time.
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