Good Reads & Views

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Fiction

This is King’s follow-up to his 1977 book The Shining, which established him as the successful writer he has become. Doctor Sleep won the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and I’d be remiss to give away too much of the plot. Danny Torrance, the young boy in The Shining, is now an adult with issues that can be traced back to the horrible events of his childhood. A young girl shares the same powers he has but there’s a group of people, especially their charismatic leader, who wants them both dead. RVs and their traveling owners are involved, so are the measles (yup!), recovering alcoholics, and a cat, together with some remnants of the first book. I found this follow-up much more enjoyable than the first one, possibly due to the fact that King is now much older and demonstrably much wiser.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson             
Nonfiction       

Jenny Lawson writes a candid book about depression and anxiety, but the reader is not at all depressed at the end of the story.  In the follow up to her first book Let’s pretend this never happened listeners laugh out loud at the craziness of her taxidermist father helping her with the raccoon for the cover of this book and how she has driven her husband crazy over the last 18 years.  Her weird life is told by her, the author, as she narrates her own audiobook.  A brilliant move because no one else would be able to tell the tales of her life.  Along the way she inspires people by coming out about her illnes and in return is moved and inspired by their messages of hope.     

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
Fiction

Told from multiple viewpoints, this nimble comedy of manners has a leisurely start as it examines small town politics, gender, and social class in a small British town on the eve of World War I.  Beatrice Nash, raised a sophisticated intellectual who traveled the world, is now humbled to be dependent on the beneficence of her titled aunt and the lawyers who manage her trust after her father dies. Beatrice is fortunate to secure meaningful work as a Latin teacher in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex, where she is mentored by the formidable Agatha Kent and befriended by Agatha’s nephews, strait-laced surgeon in training Hugh and the uninhibited poet Daniel. Soon, the normal social order is upset, as the war and changing times begin to impact the lives of all the villagers. The darker undercurrents of the impending war creep in as the town welcomes Belgian refugees, and the village sons begin to go off to war. Sprightly observations, winsome characters and a touch of romance lead to a satisfying yet heart wrenching ending.

Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian by Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides
Nonfiction

Truth is stranger than fiction? Yes. This surprising and startlingly honest memoir / biography mash-up tells the stunning true story of Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin. The blend of introspective first-person narrative and analytical third-person viewpoint creates a complex and intriguing picture of Ervin, whose life story is nearly unbelievable. After winning a gold medal in swimming in the 2000 Olympics, Ervin vanished from the swimming world, eventually falling into homelessness, drugs, and various high risk behaviors that threatened his life. Then, miraculously, after returning to swimming in 2011, he qualified for the 2012 Olympic team. A fascinating portrait of a philosopher / athlete who lays his troubles bare. 

The Dry by Jane Harper
Fiction

Federal agent Aaron is back in his home town for the funeral of his old friend Luke, killed in a murder-suicide. Decades ago, as a teenager, Aaron was the main suspect in a suspicious drowning and only escaped prosecution because Luke gave him an alibi. Now Luke is dead, accused of murder himself, and Luke’s parents want Aaron to look into the accusations regarding their son. Aaron reluctantly agrees to investigate the current crime and, in the process, succeeds in revealing long held secrets of the drought-stricken town. A very suspenseful and atmospheric debut mystery; you can feel the dry Australian heat and see the dust swirling.

EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. & Margot Silk Forrest
Nonfiction

This book documents the healing journey of numerous trauma survivors. Written for the general public, it provides an intimate view into the healing processes of people treated with EMDR. Individual stories are written in narrative form, describing the experiences and symptoms of each person before, during, and after EMDR treatment.  Each chapter highlights recovery from a different type of disorder: combat related trauma, incest and child abuse, rape, phobias and panic attacks, sleep disorders and childhood trauma, attachment disorders, traumatic grief, addiction, and diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. This book is very helpful for people considering EMDR treatment as it explains the therapy process from the client's perspective.

 

The Good House by Ann Leary            
Fiction    

A fast-paced and amusing story of Hildy Good, the top selling realtor in the small east coast town of Wendover, Massachusetts, whose blood line goes back to one of Salem’s first prosecuted witches.  She is a recovering alcoholic, still drinking glasses of wine from the secretly purchased bottles of wine stored in her basement.  She is also assisting in covering up the affair between her newest friend and town resident Rebecca McAlister and Peter, her tenant and town psychiatrist.  Gossip runs rampant and in between selling houses for the town’s residents and finding homes for those who want to move there she visits her grown daughters and grandchild, figures out her love life and walks her beloved dogs.  The audiobook is narrated by Mary Beth Hurt.

Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves
Fiction

The second in the Vera Stanhope series finds “fat and ugly” DCI Vera providing a set of fresh eyes on a 10-year old murder case which had supposedly been solved and the guilty party sent to prison. When parole is denied, the supposed killer hangs herself while at the same time an alibi finally proves her innocent. Vera is called in from out of district to hunt for the killer, when a second murder occurs, which Vera thinks is connected to the original murder. This book has wonderful character development, helped along by the italicized thought processes and manipulations of Vera as she works her magic, all the while trying to ignore her eczema itchy legs and attempting to keep her booze consumption down. For fans of Cleeves’ Shetland series, Louise Penny devotees, and anyone who appreciates interesting characters and thoughtful police procedurals. The Vera series, starring Brenda Blethyn, is available on dvd and excellent.

Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: the Power of EMDR by David Grand, PhD
Nonfiction

Many people have never heard of EMDR and those that have would probably find most of the books written about the procedure quite technical. That is what sets this book apart. It is written from the standpoint of both a clinician, well-versed in the use of EMDR, and the author's own personal journey with the procedure. It is passionately written, extensive in its detail of case examples and provides an array of applications for its use well beyond psychotherapy.

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Fiction

Told in journal entries from Jack, one of three members of an ill-fated scientific expedition to the Arctic in 1937, this is an excellent and unusual ghost story. The Arctic summer is brief and winter sets in before long, with no daylight at all. The expedition camp is at Gruhuken, an uninhabited and remote bay, off Spitzbergen, and when a medical emergency arises, Jack is temporarily on his own, with only a pack of huskies to keep him company. But is it truly only Jack and the dogs out there? You can feel the cold and desolation of the place and you keep turning the pages to find out what lurks in the darkness. Very effective evocation of unease . . .