Good Reads & Views

Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson 
CD Audiobook Patterson, James 

This is a sweet enjoyable book about a woman, Jennifer, a newspaper columnist with the Chicago Tribune who is mourning the loss of her husband when she receives word that her grandmother, Sam, is in a coma.  She travels up to Lake Geneva to be by her grandmother's side when she discovers a stack of letters written by her grandmother addressed to her.  The letters reveal that her grandfather was not the great love of her life. Instead, Sam was swept off her feet by a man whom she still loves to this day. Jennifer learns secrets about her grandmother and at the same time finds herself falling for a handsome neighbor Brendan.  This is wonderfully narrated by actress Anne Heche. 

Shepherd’s Abiding by Jan Karon  
CD Book Karon, Jan

Father Tim is back for the eighth installment of the Mitford series by Jan Karon.  In this installment of the series, Jan Karon gives us a glimpse into what Christmas would be like in the little town of Mitford.  Father Timothy Cavanaugh refinishes an old nativity scene that he finds in very bad condition, a gift for his wife Cynthia, the children’s book author.   While some of the more common characters don’t play as big of a role as they usually do, the book gives us a better idea of who some of the other characters are like in the story such as Lew Boyd and Hope Winchester.  John McDonough once again does a delightful job narrating.   

House Rules by Jodi Picoult  
CD Audiobook Picoult, Jodi  

Set in New Hampshire, this is another interesting story by Jodi Picoult.  Jakob Hunt is an 18 year old high school student with Asperger’s Syndrome.  Jakob likes a television show called “Crime Busters” and creates crime scenes and often shows up at real life crime scenes using his police scanner often telling police what to do.  When his social skills tutor, Jess Ogilvy, is found dead Jakob and his family are drawn into the spotlight when he is accused of the murder.  His mother Emma, brother Theo, lawyer Oliver and his father create the circle of support to get him through the trial.  A full cast narration makes this a great novel to listen to.

Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World by Douglas Hunter
910.92 HUN

Fatal Journey: the Final Expedition of Henry Hudson - a Tale of Mutiny and Murder in the Arctic by Peter C. Mancall
910.92 MAN

Like his first two sea voyages, Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage began as another unsuccessful search for the Arctic Northeast Passage to Asia. He then turned the Half Moon around heading across the Atlantic, possibly to search for the fabled Northwest Passage, but ended up near the Jamestown colony which he then avoided (although Hudson was English, he was sailing for the Dutch East India Company). Proceeding up the Atlantic coast, Hudson entered what is now New York harbor and explored the river that now bears his name. Douglas Hunter provides a detailed account of the voyage and its legacy, concentrating on the exploration of the river: the navigational difficulties, the encounters with natives (both positive and negative), and the expanse of natural resources. In 1610 Hudson set out on what would be his last voyage, this time on the English vessel Discovery, to seek a Westerly sea route to the Orient. Excitement was high when the crew entered the strait and bay that now bear Hudson’s name. But there was disharmony among the crew, and the ship got stuck in the ice over the winter in what is now James Bay. After the ice had cleared in the spring of 1611, Hudson had plans for further exploration rather than returning home. Some of the crew mutinied, and eventually Hudson, his son, and a few others were cast off in a shallop, never to be heard from again. Fatal Journey is a riveting account of the voyage, the mutiny, surviving crew member’s accounts, and the subsequent murder trial.

Read This Next : 500 of the Best Books You’ll Ever Read by Sandra Newman
011.73 NEW

A must read for anyone involved with book groups and anyone who is looking for some interesting suggestions on what to read next. Covers the best of both high-brow and low-brow titles in a decidedly tongue-firmly-in-cheek tone that tends to the not very p.c., but is very funny. Some titles have only short blurbs, others have long entries and discussion questions. The book is arranged in thematic lists and sublists. The memoir section has a memoir written by an African, for example, that includes a  separate list on travel books about Africa and then a list of books by African writers. Insightful and oftentimes hilarious.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
FIC Penny, Louise

In this fifth outing with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec, an old man is found dead at the local village bistro of Three Pines. None of the inhabitants professes to know the dead man. Who was he, why was he killed, and how did he end up in the bistro? “Chaos is coming, old son” and the village braces for the truth to be revealed in the final, brutal telling. Readers who enjoy P.D. James mysteries should give Louise Penny a try.

Negative Image by Vicki Delany
FIC Delany, Vicki

A murder in the mountain town of Trafalgar B.C. turns personal for Sergeant John Winters when an old and very revealing photo of his wife, Eliza, is found with the victim, a has been fashion photographer.  When Eliza becomes a suspect and Sergeant Winters is taken off the case constable Molly Smith must work the case without her caring mentor replaced with a less than understanding Royal Canadian Mounted Police detective who wants to look no further than Eliza. This mixture of crime solving and small town life is fast paced from start to finish.

The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage
FIC Brundage, Elizabeth

Doctor Michael Knowles seems to be living the American dream. He is a highly regarded Ob/Gyn, his wife is a popular professor at the local girls’ college, they have 2 children and a house in the country.  Their idyllic life changes dramatically when the already overworked doctor gets involved in increasingly dangerous work at an abortion clinic and his bored wife turns to an artist from the college for solace and more. When the neurotic wife of the artist joins an anti-abortion lunatic fringe group the lives of everyone are endangered.  An edgy and compelling read full of thought provoking issues.

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz
636.7527 KOO

When writer Dean Koontz and his wife finally decided to get the dog they’d been talking about for ages, they weren’t expecting Trixie. The class clown of her obedience group, she instantly won the hearts of everyone who met her. And her love and innocence affected everyone around her, bringing out the best in them, inspiring Koontz to add new challenges to his writing, and leading him to accuse her, half seriously, of being an angel in disguise. A charming book about a wonderful dog.

The Mills of God by Deryn Lake
FIC Lake, Deryn

English vicar Nick Lawrence is thrilled with his very first parish, a scenic village with interesting parishioners and a vicarage with a friendly ghost. The bloom wears off a little, however, when a murderer starts picking off some of those parishioners. Along with Inspector Dominic Tennant, Nick begins to delve into the secrets buried beneath the beautiful surface. If you like classic mysteries—Christie, Sayers, Marsh, Allingham—try this one.