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Book Reviews of the Month Reviewed by Book Clubs
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Author: Jill Shalvis The best-selling author does a great job in developing her characters and their relationships. It starts with a chance meeting of two people on a ski lift that must be rescued after strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground. Jane is a traveling nurse. Levi Cutler has returned to his home area to visit family. Levi is injured and calls his mother. When she hears a woman's voice, Levi lies and tells her Jane is his new girlfriend. She agrees to be his "pretend girlfriend." Levi ends up in the hospital. The doctor is his former best-friend and brother of his late wife, who died of cancer. The doctor's neighbor is another doctor that Jane rents a room from when in town. The connections continue. The book has romance, family dynamics and deals with the pressures of health care professionals. It reminds me of Grey's Anatomy. It will make you laugh, smile and cry. Reviewed by Marilyn Dopler |
Author: Liane Moriarty “A riveting story so wild you don’t know how she’ll land it and then she does on a dime”. Anne Lamont Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed. Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable. A Fiction Addition Book Club Read |
The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride Author: Joe Siple Mr. Murray McBride, an elderly man who is struggling with the loss of his family and his own impending death, embarks on a journey that is both literal and metaphorical. When he meets a young boy, Jason Cashman, who has a heart condition and needs a transplant, Murray is presented with an opportunity to find a new purpose. Jason has a list of five wishes he wants to fulfill before his uncertain surgery and Murray decides to help him achieve these dreams. This decision marks the beginning of their heartwarming adventure together. Fiction Addiction Book Club readers gave the book mixed reviews. We all agreed that it was an easy, quick read, with a story that was kind-hearted, uplifting and hopeful. The book showed that one person can make a positive impact. Readers appreciated that all (or nearly all) of the characters were likeable (or empathetic) and all of the characters showed growth through the story. We all agreed that one character was absolutely wonderful! And several “secondary” relationships were lovely. Although the book was not on the top of anyone’s “must read” list, it was inspirational. We did feel that if you or a friend were facing a rough patch, this book might provide comfort and motivation. |
Authors: James Patterson David Ellis James Paterson never disappoints his readers! It is based in a small Illinois town outside of Chicago. David Bowers owns a pub. His wife, Marcie, is an attorney. They have two children. She wanted more than a small-time life and chose to practice law at a large law firm in downtown Chicago. The practice specialized in criminal law and organized crime. Three defendants, in protected custody, were killed before testifying against a major crime boss. It started the Halloween Massacre 15 years ago. It involves deception, mystery, and lies. No one can be trusted with the hidden truths. The story is very suspenseful and exciting. It would definitely make a good movie! David Ellis, co-author, is an Illinois Appellate Court Justice. Reviewed by Marilyn Dopler |
Author: Ivan Doig A coming-of-age story and fictional travelogue following a summer long series of excursions that eleven-year-old, Donal Cameron, takes via Greyhound bus in 1951. When his grandmother must undergo surgery requiring a lengthy rehabilitation, Donal must first ride from a ranch in rural Montana, where his grandmother is the cook, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where he is to stay with a great aunt whom he has never met. Aunt Kate is bossy, opinionated, argumentative and tyrannical. Within a few weeks, his frustrated aunt puts him on the Greyhound headed back to Montana. As it turns out, Donal isn’t traveling solo. Aunt Kate’s henpecked husband, Herman, proclaiming that he has always wanted to see the West, joins Donal. The journey involves quirky characters along the way and lessons about life, work, cards, loyalty, friendship and family. A series of rollicking misadventures, calamities and sheer luck eventually leads them to the farming community of Wisdom, Montana, where they hope to find a safe, permanent place to dwell. Enjoyed by the Fiction Addiction Book Club. It was well-written and funny – particularly because it was told from the young boy’s perspective. The “plot” involved various unforeseen twists, turns and mishaps. The characters were vivid, often eccentric and off-beat. And the main characters developed throughout the story. Overall, this was a good, solid read – particularly for those interested in the “Midwest genre.” We were all glad to be introduced to this book and this author. |
Author: Carys Davies Set in the 1840’s in the final stages of the infamous Scottish Clearances, which saw whole communities of the rural poor driven off the land in a relentless program of forced evictions. A novel exploring the differences and connections between us, the way history shapes our deepest convictions, and how the human spirit can survive despite all odds. John, an impoverished Scottish minister, is dispatched to a remote island to “clear” the one remaining occupant, Ivar, who has been living alone for decades. Shortly after John reaches the island, he falls down a cliff and is found, unconscious and badly injured by Ivar who takes him home and tends to his wounds. The two men do not speak a common language but as John builds a dictionary of Ivar's world, they learn to communicate. As Ivar sees himself for the first time in decades, reflected through the eyes of another person, they build a fragile, unusual connection. Submitted by Barb Shea |
Author: Ann Napolitano William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most? An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it. Submitted by Robin Stuck |
Author Chris Pavone Chris Pavone’s Expats sequel is a slick and panoramic thriller, smart, sophisticated and suspenseful. Pavone brings back his fiery heroine, Kate Moore, an off-the-books CIA agent who’s living in Paris when a man enters the Louvre wearing an explosive vest. The terrorist’s actual purpose and his connection to the disappearance of a CEO across town is intriguingly complicated. A satisfying and unpredictable adventure with John le Carré-like twists and turns. Reviewed by Barb Shea |
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid The wildly addictive journey of a fictional reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinsel Town journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon, Evelyn Hugo, is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. She chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s, to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship and a great forbidden love. Reviewed by Fiction Addiction member |
Someone Else’s Shoes Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes? Full of JoJo Moyes' signature humor, brilliant storytelling and warmth. Someone Else's Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything. Reviewed by Barb Shea |
The Secret Life of Sunflowers A novel alternating between two Recommended by the Fiction Addiction Book Club as an easy, light read. Most of the members preferred Johanna Bonger’s historical version. Finding her a very interesting and noteworthy woman, in many respects a heroine. The historical scenes were well described and came to life. The readers grew a bit weary of the contemporary story, whose characters were less interesting and the story less believable. Submitted by Gretchen Bender |
The German Wife Berlin, 1934: Sofie Rhodes is the aristocratic wife of a scientist whose post-WWI fortunes change for the better when her husband, Jurgen, is recruited for Hitler’s new rocket project. But, too late, they realize the Nazis’ plans to weaponize Jurgen’s technology as they begin to wage war against the rest of Europe. Alabama, 1949: Jurgen is one of hundreds of Nazi scientists offered pardons and taken to the US to work for the CIA’s fledgling space program. Sofie, now the mother of four, misses Germany terribly and struggles to fit in among the other NASA wives. When news about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with the Nazi party spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart a community and a family before the truth is finally revealed – but is it murder, revenge or justice? Recommended by Barb Patterson |
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