The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King

Sherlock in his late 50's meets and apprentices 14 year old Mary Russell. The partnership thwarts several crimes as well as their own potential demise by hand of "Russell's" university math tutor, Donleavy (who happens to be Moriarty's daughter).
 

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Jean Baptiste Grenouille is born in 1738 in Paris to a mother who abandons him.  He is discovered to not have any scent himself, although his sense of smell is powerfully refined.  His goal is to become a perfumer and create the ultimate perfume, the scent of love.  In order to do this, he brutally murders young pubescent girls to capture their smell.  I'd give it only 3 out of 5, although it is intriguing.

Never Let Me Go

This NYT bestseller by Kazuo Ishiguro is about children growing up together in a private school in England.  As you read, it doesn't appear that they're being groomed for anything like college or a career, but that they're just existing.  Kind of haunting to learn what they're being bred and groomed for.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Intriguing story from a 9-year-old's perspective.  In the early 40's Bruno's father is promoted to Commandant and sent from Berlin to a remote area in Poland.  Out his bedroom window he sees a fenced-in area where there are thousands of people, and hundreds of children in striped pajamas.  He befriends one of the boys and develops a relationship over a period of time because he has no other children with whom to play. 

"The Moment" by Douglas Kennedy

The Moment by Douglas Kennedy is a haunting novel.  It begins with our main character (on a whim!) buying a ramshackle house on a bleak Maine Coast.  He has not discussed the purchase with his wife.  And he knows that this undiscussed purchase will probably be the "straw that broke the camel's back" in his marriage.  He is not wrong.

When a package from Germany arrives at his "new" coastal home,  it picks the scab off forty year old memories the author would rather not re-live, memories from when he was a budding travel author stationed in Berlin.  When he met the love of his life....

The Moment takes you back to Germany when the Wall between East and West Germany was one of the most dangerous crossings in the world.  And the lover of our author is caught in a web that may cost her her life...

Since reading this book several months ago, I have been haunted by the idea that a person can make a decision that is "no doubt about it, RIGHT" and yet, be so-o-o-o-o wrong.  I think this book will stay with you forever.

Lies and liars

Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett is a masterpiece. It is the story of Rose, a young woman who comes to a home for unwed mothers in Kentucky. Rose is married and unlike the other girls who have their babies, give them up and leave, she has her baby, Cecelia, but keeps her and stays on at the home. This book also tells the story of the hotel that was taken over by the nuns and became St. Elizabeths, the home for unwed mothers. The lies are gripping and tightly woven into the story. STE

5 stars

Cross by James Patterson

Alex Cross, FBI and DC police consultant, pursues The Butcher, a serial killer, rapist and paid assassin.  Patterson's books are always quick, easy reads that are page turners.  3 out of 5 stars.

Entering Normal

Anne D. LeClaire's story of Opal and her son who relocate to Normal, MA to get away from  her son's good-for-nothing father and a domineering mother.  She rents a home next to Rose and Ned who lost their teenage son 5 years earlier.  Rose is not adjusting well.  Opal and Rose develop a friendship and each helps the other.  Well written.  3 out of 5 stars.

House Rules

This story by Jodi Picoult is about an 18-year-old high school senior with high-functioning Asperger's.  Jacob is a crime scene junkie who, himself, is accused of murder.  First time I've read Ms. Picoult and I enjoyed the read.  While it was tough to read about autism and what the families go through, I learned a lot about the syndrome.  I give this a 3 out of 5.

Anne of Green Gables

A precocious 11-year-old Anne is adopted by Marilla and Matthew, a brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm.  They all all grow to love each other in spite of Anne trying their patience with her imagination and talkativeness.  First time I've read this classic--it made me smile throughout and was just the right light-hearted read for me right now.  I give this a 4 out of 5.

An oldie but goodie

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler is recommended by Ann Patchett in The Getaway Car: a Practical Memoir about Writing and Life (a Kindle single). I decided to try it and now will be reading other Chandler books. Reviewers call Chandler a master writer and that is an understatement. His choice of words is often stunning. The Long Goodbye is sixth in the Phillip Marlow private eye series so I will go back and start with The Big Sleep to learn more about Marlow. The series takes place in Los Angeles and nearby areas. The characters range from the rough and tough cops and low lifes to beautiful women and and well-dressed men. Some of the characters end up dead. I give this book 4 stars.

Ender's Game

So far, I am very impressed with this sf novel written in 1985. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin has been selected to attend an elite battleschool consisting of highly intelligent children genetically created with the hopes that through special "training" they will morph into leaders on the level of history's finest and save humanity from future attacks from alien creatures called "Buggers". The characters are quite compelling...the language entertaining. Found  in most Teen Depts..It doesn't actually seem written for young adults. Ender's brother Peter threatens to kill him in a joking manner... There are very sadistic adults and children struggling for survival. A lot like Hunger Games but feels more authentic. Ender enters virtual roll playing video games that reflect his internal world-his fears and desires. But this can get tiring in the detail...if you are a videogame fan you would find this completely compelling.

Another look at Hemingway

Hemingway's Boat: Everything he Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934-1961 by Paul Hendrickson is an entertaining and original, almost scholarly look at the years Hemingway lived in Key West, Cuba and finally Idaho after he purchased the boat he named "Pilar", a fishing boat he used to fish for the large marlin and other fish in the Gulf Stream as well as closer to shore. Hemingway also used the boat as a place to entertain and to escape fame and critics. This is a fine book full of new carefully researched archived material. I highly recommend it.
5 stars

Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh

Hi Everyone, I'm currently reading "Soft Apocalypse" by Will McIntosh and will get back to you when I finish it. I look forward to reading your posts.

The novel "Soft Apocalypse" by Wil Mcintosh (who won the Hugo Award for his short story "Bridesicle" in 2011) was an easy read and a pleasant surprise, even though it was rather sad. It runs contrary to the notion "It can't get worse than this!" The novel begins in 2023 and continues until 2033 and we watch as our society (in Savannah, Georgia) never recovers from the recession that we are presently in today. The main character, Jasper, is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta but his parents died in the water riots of Arizona and he is now homeless and living with a tribe of other homeless people. Things just keep getting worse. New designer drugs are infused into the society in an effort to help people cope, while terrorist groups terrorize poor suffering people for no particular reason or becuase they cannot get at the rich. The rift between rich and poor is tremendous and the main character and his friends come up with an idea that will hopefully slow the progress of the apocalpypse--a strain of fast growing bamboo that will interrupt traffic and slow everyone down. See if it works? If you read it do you think it has a happy endng? Can it have a happy ending?

Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue is a psychological thriller told from the point of view of a 5 year old boy living in close quarters with his mother. Where are they? Why are they living this way? The book is spare and the plot is simple but the questions that filled my mind while reading it made it an astounding experience. Once started, I could not put this book down. There is no bad language or scenes of horror but the child's point of view is captivating and poignant. It is certainly a book for our times. Rate this book: 5 out of 5 stars!