May 2015 Reads

May	17	Grace Keepers	Kirsty Logan
	18	Lamentation	Joe Clifford
	19	Missoula	Jon Krakauer
	20	Canyon Sacrifice	Scott Graham
	21	Junkie Love	Joe Clifford
	22	And She Was	Alison Gaylin
	23	Into the Dark	Alison Gaylin
	24	Stay with Me	Alison Gaylin

All good reads this month.  Sometimes I just get lucky!

The Grace Keepers by Logan is a debut novel, always favorite reads, for me.  It takes place after Earth is damaged and people are divided into those who live on land and those who live on the water.  If you loved Nigth Circus, I think you'll love Grace Keepers.  You can tell it's inspired by folk and fairy tales.

Lamentation by Joe Clifford is a knockout! This is an edgy novel that never allows your mind to wander. The character and place descriptions had me right there in New Hampshire, where Lamentation takes place. Joe Clifford is very frugal with his words, each one counts, and the novel is a spare 201 pages of wonderful writing. Jay and Chris the polar opposite brothers, who are at the center of this noir family saga, will stay with me for a long time; much like Kenzie and Gennaro from Lehane's' series.   I loved the writing so much that I also read Clifford's memoir, Junkie Love.

Missoula by Jon Krakauer is well researched and a shameful indictment of the American Justice System, when it comes to women's issues, specifically rape.  It's such a shame that this book is necessary.  One of the most shocking findings, to me, was that female officers and attorneys are well entrenched in the double standard when it comes to charging and prosecuting rapists.  The research took place in Missoula, Montana but really could apply to many locations.

I read the three book series by Alison Gaylin while I was traveling in May.  They are all connected but could stand alone, also.  I would recommend reading them in order, starting with And She Was.  Here's a quote from Lee Child, “The perfect storm; a serious talent hits on a great idea and sparks a wonderful new character we’ll follow anywhere. One of my favorite writers raises the bar—again.”  I can't say it better, so I won't try.

March and April 2015 Reads

Mar	7	The Country of Ice Cream Star	Sandra Newman
	8	Where all Light Tends to Go	David Joy
	9	The Martian	Andy Weir
	10	Eeny Meeny	M. J. Arlidge
Apr	11	A God in Ruins	Kate Atkinson
	12	World Gone By	Dennis Lehane
	13	Soil	Jamie Kornegay
	14	The Buried Giant	Kazuo Ishiguro
	15	The Star Side of Bird Hill	Naomi Jackson
	16	Infinite Tides	Christian Kiefer

I am slowly but surely getting me reading mojo back!  In January and February of this year, I read just 3 books each month.  Now, in March, there were 4, and in April, there were 6.  I'm still working on the blogging mojo.

Now, let me tell you which of these 10 books I loved.

I loved The Country of Ice Cream Star.  It's a dystopian novel that takes place after a plague.  What set the novel apart from other dystopian tales is the original language used by the children, everyone is a child.

Where All Light Tends to Go uses the English Language in the best way possible.  It is Southern grit-lit with an intricate plot and it's a beautifully written debut thriller.

I'm writing this in June, and so far The Martian by Andy Weir is the best book I've read all year.  It was recommended to be by my oldest daughter, whose favorite genre is paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi fantasy!  We usually don't read the same books.  Imagine being on of the first humans to walk on planet Mars.  Now, imagine being left there, all alone, during an emergency evacuation.  Our guy is Mark and he's smart and resourceful.  When Mission Control finds that he's been left behind, all resources are redirected to rescue him.  Read the book, you won't be disappointed.

What are you reading?