Nineteen Minutes

 Every time I think I will not read anymore Jodi Piclout novels, I read one and love it.  She really does a great job with every subject  she takes on.  She builds the plot expertly, creates compelling dialog and makes the reader really care about the characters. This story of a school shooting is so well developed that even  if you start the  novel thinking you know how  you feel about guns, shooters and schools..in the end you are rethinking, open to a conversation and caring  about every character on all sides of the argument.  Nor a new book but still relevant... and a banned book.

I read this book for my Banned Book  Book Group.  It is again amazing what books are challenged, when  students are actually living through these horrific experiences  in school and  the drills that all kids have to participate  in  just in case there is a shooter in their school.  Yet parents do not want their children to read about it.  

This book is very well written, showing the point of view of the shooter as he grows up and arrives at the  moment of his unraveling.  It describes the characters of the kids who unknowingly harass kids who are different not realizing how much it hurts them.  

We meet two mothers, and see how their relationships with their children affect the lives they are leading.  Not really seeing their kids for who they are and what they are experiencing at school.

It is a message to parents to stay connected to your teenagers even as they are pulling away from you.  Stay involved in their lives and try to stay in commuication.

The Plot

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a very well written suspenseful mystery thriller.  

What a terrific book...  dare I say a great plot...  this book has an entertaining storyline with a good twisty ending.  When Jake reaches the end of his patience waiting to write the runaway novel of his career, he "borrows" an idea from a deceased student.  His success is a heady experience of travel, author interviews , book readings and sales. When he meets Anne, a fan, they fall in love and the life seems perfect...  until  it is not. 

Jake had one good novel in him that made the bestseller list years ago.   Lately he holds off his publisher, he has writers block and teaches at a third rate MFA writer's program.  After a student comes to class with a good idea for a novel, he watches the book lists for its publication.  When the book never is published he goes back to see what happened to the student and finds out he died without publishing..

Jake decides to make the story his own novel and it is his next big hit.   He takes to heart the quote that author Jean Hanff Korelitz uses at the beginning of the book, "Good writers borrow, great writers steal."  She attributes  the quote  to T. S. Elliot, but possibly stolen from Oscar Wilde.

It is a thriller, but not a scary one, just a fun, tongue in cheek, mystery.

Mother Daughter Traitor Spy

Susan Elia MacNeal's first stand alone novel, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy is an unnerving story of life in the United States in 1940.  This is not a mystery or horror novel, but a story that portrays real life as Hitler was taking over Europe and German Americans who supported Hitler and his ideas were trying to influence American citizens to follow the German example of how a country should be run and  join the Bund.

Basing the characters in this historical novel on the real life occurrences of an actual mother, daughter spy team from California during the 1940s.  Their story is built into the plot of Veronica and her mother Violet, who leave New York and move across the country to Santa Monica, California.  Being of German heritage, they are befriended by a group of German Americans as they are starting their new lives in this very unfamiliar environment.  This group is sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazi party.  Violet and Veronica find the beliefs of the Nazi German group abhorrent and feel strongly it's their patriotic duty to do what they can to stop their hateful activities.

They also find a small contingent of like minded friends, that engage them to help the effort to suppress the efforts of the Nazi sympathizers. The Nazi group believes that all minorities are dangerous to American ideals and should be sent away or killed. They are feeding the public propaganda and want to put America first . They are against helping other countries and upholding democracy.

Veronica gets a job as a secretary to the leader of the Bund group in Santa Monica.  She spies on their activities reporting to a spymaster who is in contact with the FBI, helping them to gather the information they need to arrest the German propagandists.  Her mother, Vi looking to meet other women, make friends and keep busy, becomes apart of the local German social group.  She is sewing and embroidering for them listening to the propaganda speakers who come to their social events.  

It happened so long ago, but many of the topics in the book are so similar to what is happening now in this very  country.  Jonah says to Veronica as they finish a mission to turn in some Nazi sympathizers, "I'm absolutely sick at all the ignorant  things people are saying - in private and public.  We cannot dismiss it because under that rage is fear - and below that, pain.  Letting go of the rage means facing the pain and fear. .."

So perfect an explanation of how people are caught up in these movements and willing to listen to and agree with propaganda that makes them feel justified.

So many times history seems to imitate itself.  An interesting and compelling book.

The Lottery

 Shirley Jackson is one of the all  time incredible authors of horror novels.  I have reviewed one of her other books here, We Have Aways Lived in the Castle, but The Lottery has always been my favorite novellas.

The Lottery is a story about moral judgement,  mob mentality and blind tradition. The people of the town come together every year for a ritual that has been recurring for generations.  They no longer know why they do it but they also cannot stop doing it.

No one in the  town is strong enough to stand up and stop the tradition though it is an example of the banality of evil. There is the old man named Warner, who has been around the longest who says it doesn't matter if the meaning is lost, he symbolizes blind faith.  There is Tessie Hutchinson, who represents both the townspeople, who  is happy to participate until she becomes the scapegoat, and then protests the idea.

The men who come with the black box to the center of the town square are Mr Summer and Mr Graves.  The names are also so well positioned in this short book, helping to build the suspense of the story.

This story has been challenged and banned but continues to be an impactful story when read and discussed.  

Murder at Teal's Pond : Hazel Drew and the mystery that inspired Twin Peaks

David Bushman and Mark Givens teamed up to written Murder at  Teal's Pond, the story what happened to Hazel Drew and the mystery that inspired Twin Peaks.  Twin Peaks, the television show, was created based on the Hazel's death but is really does not follow the actual story.

Hazel Drew was a young working girl who grew up and lived outside Albany New York close to 100 years ago.  Her life can be tracked up  until the day she died.  She was found a week later in Teal's Pond.  But the mystery of how and why she died there has never been solved.

Many people were investigating the case, but there were many secrets and truths not shared.  So when  these new authors go back to try and find new answers to old questions they find out that they just don't seem to exist.  So this book reviews the police reports, the coroner's report and the many newspaper accounts of what happened but there are no new answers in this book.

That was a little disappointing and frustrating after reading the whole book.

Killers of A Certain Age

 Deanna Raybourn is a NYT bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author for the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries and has also written another mystery series and some stand alone  novels. Killers of a Certain Age is her newest work and it is very entertaining.

The plot is the story of four elderly ladies in their 60s, who have spent the last 40 years as a team of assassins.  They were recruited from various places in their 20s to join an elite network of assassins  working for the Museum.  Each has a different story that makes them perfect candidates for this job. We learn their back stories as we watch them fight for their future.

Now as they are about to retire they realize they are now the target of a hit.  False information has been submitted to the board of the Museum and it is a fight to the end, either they will kill or be killed.

There are plots and plans to kill the people who are out to get them. The women need to stand together to save their lives, not knowing who to trust and who is going to try and kill them next. They have always only killed people, who when dead, will make the world a better place.  The organization started when Nazis were getting away and hiding in plain site.  Their mission was to kill Nazis, save stolen artwork and it grew from there.

One interesting connection  in this book is Holocaust art and how some was stolen and is being resold at auction now, if not claimed.

This is a fun and fast moving novel that proves women can do anything men can do.  No job is too hard for a woman, and men should be worry, women are as clever and maybe more .

The Messy Lives of Book People

 The Messy Lives of Book People written by Phaedra Patrick was a very entertaining and enjoyable book.  It was a welcome book to read while relaxing on a warm day in the sun.  

This plot deals with some great discussion questions in a light and entertaining story.  When Olivia Green is faced with an unusual request from her employer it has the ability to change her life.  Liv is a house cleaner by  trade.  She never finished school, married young and lives with her husband and two teenage sons.  As they send off their last child to college Liv and her husband are struggling to make ends meet and what empty nest will look like for the two of them.  

Their marriage is in a rocky place. Their jobs are taking up all their time and energy.  Can their marriage survive and even thrive again?  Then Liv is given an opportunity that ignites a dream she thought was long gone.  She starts to get excited about life again, but will this new life include her husband?  She is questioning her marriage and herself as she looks back through the life of famous author, the illusive, Essie Starling.    

As Liv starts to accomplish the task set out for her by her favorite author, Essie Staling, she learns more about herself.  Her strengths and talents that have been shut away come out of hiding.  She finds her voice and her power.  She also gets a chance to explore the world of the rich and famous.  A chance to see whether money is really what makes a person happy.  

Fun and poignant with a few twists and turns this is a wonderful novel.