Good Reads & Views

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
Fiction

Borogravia is at war and Polly decides to go find her missing soldier brother. She cuts her hair, dresses like a male (including an appropriately placed pair of socks), practices manly noises, and off she goes to the recruiting station. She is welcomed into the army, along with a vampire, an igor, a troll, and a werewolf, among others. Hilarity ensues in this tale of Pratchett’s  Discworld series that can easily be enjoyed without having to read any previous books in the series. Recently adapted for the stage at Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre, earning a four-star review from the Chicago Tribune.

The Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland
Fiction

The locations are Portugal and Iceland in the 16^th century, and the Inquisition is in full swing. Isabela’s father, the Royal Falconer, is imprisoned on false charges and only the procurement of two rare white falcons from Iceland will free him. Isabela has one year to make the trip to Iceland and return with the two falcons, but there are forces at play that don’t want her to succeed and many obstacles are put in her way. Maitland does a beautiful job describing the harsh life and barren landscape of Iceland in this dark and brooding tale which contains a strong touch of the supernatural. Gloomy, but less so than the author's other books.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
YA Fiction

Rose Justice is an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot, ferrying airplanes for the war effort, when she flies off course and her plane is forced down by German pilots. Stripped of clothing, head shaved, she is misidentified as a French national and sent to Ravensbrück, the women’s concentration camp. Rose becomes part of a camp “family” in order to survive physically and emotionally. Rose tells stories and writes poetry for her camp family, commits quiet acts of defiance, and keeps hope in her heart. One of her family members is a “Rabbit,” one of 74 Polish girls who were victims of cruel Nazi medical experiments. Soon, Rose’s goal is not only to survive, but also to spread the word to the world of the Rabbits’ suffering. A heartbreaking yet uplifting story of personal resilience, friendship and hope.

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

The story begins with a young girl Jacquetta who is 14 years old and is living in France. She meets Joan of Arc who is on parole in the castle. She forms a friendship with Joan which sadly ends in her witnessing Joan’s execution. Several years later, at the age of 17, Jacquetta is given in marriage to the Duke of Bedford. On their wedding night he doesn't consummate the marriage telling her that he wants her to remain pure in order to carry out experiments during his quest to turn iron into gold. The story goes on to include forbidden love, arraigned marriages, characters being exiled, battles, and the drama of court.

Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel      
Fiction

Sam Elling works for an internet dating company and creates an algorithm that will match people with their soul mates. Soon Sam meets his own soul mate, Meredith, a co-worker. After being fired and Meredith’s grandmother dies Sam creates a computer program that will allow Meredith to have one last virtual conversation with her grandmother.  When it is successful they decide to do the same for other people who are grieving a loved one. They open a business and it becomes very popular. The book is about love, loss and being able to say goodbye. It is an emotional and sweet story and is wonderfully narrated by Kirby Heyborne.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Fiction

In her latest book, Australian author Liane Moriarty writes about three very different women and the issues they must face. Cecelia Fitzpatrick has a pretty perfect life until she finds a letter that was written by her husband, John-Paul, in the event of his death. She reads it even though he is still very much alive. Tess O’Leary learns that her husband Wil has fallen in love with her cousin, and best friend, Felicity. Rachel Crowley still mourns the death of her daughter who was strangled 28 years ago.  All three women will have to make hard decisions about their lives that will affect the lives of those they love. You won’t be able to put the book down. Narrated by Caroline Lee.  

A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller
Fiction

Carla Elkins, teen-aged daughter of prosecuting attorney Bell Elkins, witnesses a terrible crime: three elderly men are shot down while enjoying their morning coffee in a local diner in poverty-stricken Acker’s Gap, West Virginia. Carla keeps to herself the fact that she saw the gunman, and thinks she recognizes him—she wants to do a little sleuthing on her own to help her mother do her job. Bell and Carla’s relationship is very shaky, and Carla thinks that her assistance might help repair their fragile bond. Meanwhile, Belle is trying to decide how to proceed with the case of a developmentally delayed man suspected of killing a young playmate in addition to working on the triple murder, which she suspects is related to illegal prescription drug traffic that is threatening her jurisdiction. Bell has a mysterious violent past and a chip on her shoulder, but her love for her daughter and for her home town compels the reader to cheer her on. Appealing characters and fine writing make a great first novel by former Chicago Tribune book critic Julia Keller.

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison
Fiction

Todd and Jodi live an affluent life in their Chicago lakeside condo. Businessman Todd is a chronic philanderer and part-time psychologist Jodi believes there is “no need to stare reality in the face if there’s a kinder, gentler way.” But reality she must face when Todd gets his current girlfriend pregnant and decides to make some changes in his life that don’t sit too well with Jodi. Everything snowballs from there and Todd ends up dead. Library Journal calls this fiction debut “at once coolly detached and heartbreakingly accurate.” If you’re a fan of psychological suspense then chances are you will enjoy this book.

Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward   
Fiction

In Close Your Eyes, Amanda Eyre Ward writes a story based on something that happened in a town near where she grew up in Rye, New York.  Lauren Mahdian loses her mother when she is eight years old.  Her father is accused of her murder and sent to prison.  She and her brother are raised by their maternal grandparents and spend their lives trying to figure out why their idyllic childhood unraveled.  Lauren lives with her boyfriend but won’t say yes to his marriage proposal and her brother Alex continues to search for the real killer.  The story switches between the past and present and the mystery of what really happened the night of her mother’s murder is revealed.  The audiobook is narrated by Meera Simhan and Phoebe Zimmerman.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Fiction

This farcical historical fiction begins one afternoon when the abolitionist crusader John Brown rides into town;  by that evening the 11 year old slave boy named Henry is orphaned, kidnapped (or set free) and mistaken for a girl. Henry adjusts easily to life as a girl because "a damsel out west on the trail could spit, chaw tobacco, holler, grunt, and fart, and gather no more attention to herself than a bird would snatching crumbs off the ground.” Only other black people look at him closely enough to suspect that he is isn’t really a girl. Unable to correct the gender error, for the next few years Henry travels with Brown’s raiding party as Brown’s good luck charm, dubbed “little Onion.” He lives for a time in a Missouri brothel and falls in love with a prostitute, meets a courageous slave girl who dies for freedom, and accompanies Brown on countless raids as well as fundraising trips where he meets Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman. Larger-than-life characters and boisterous adventure contrast with tragic situations and clashing passions in this unusual look at events (real and imagined) leading up to the start of the Civil War. Winner of the 2013 National Book Award.