Fighting for Life

Look for Me by Lisa Gardner is a page turner. It’s a criminal detective mystery to discover who killed a teen girl’s (Roxy) entire family. Roxy is the sole survivor of the attack who happened to be out walking the family dogs during the shooting. She is now missing and a person of interest.

The story offers Roxy’s background through multiple perspectives: excerpts from her 11th grade writing assignment entitled “What is the Perfect Family?”, female detective D.D.’s investigation, and Flora, a vigilante and founder of a survivors’ support group that Roxy had recently connected with. Readers get pieces of Roxy’s difficult past, with its most horrible moments beginning the year she and her younger sister Lola are put in foster care with two manipulative, abusive older teens. Her mother regains custody of her children giving them some reprieve, until she moves in with a new boyfriend in the same town as the foster home. Roxy and her sister are forced to face their horrible pasts all over again.

We get a little background information about D.D. and Flora along the way as well. The book starts with a prologue in which a college student, Sarah, witnesses the brutal murder of all her roommates. Flora seeks out Sarah in the aftermath of this attack to give her tools to stop living as a victim. Sarah becomes the point person between Flora and Roxy. Women in the story have endured horrible incidents, and are attempting to overcome their tragedies in different ways.

The dramatic ending in a community theater (fitting location!) surprised me, while the constant shift in viewpoint kept my attention through this story. I will keep Gardner on my reading lists.

Never Assume

booklist Recently, I came across a list of someone’s top ten or so thriller books. This is probably one of my favorite categories so I jotted down the whole list. My plan is to gradually chip away at all of them. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I found the original so I need to hang on to my handwritten copy!

Since snow was heading our way, I headed to the public library to find any of these possibilities. They only had about four titles from my list, and these were all checked out! I’m hoping this means they’re really good for when I finally get my hands on them. Instead, I used my Kindle to download The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. This one grabbed my attention most from all the teasers that I read.

This story has shades of the movies “I Know What you Did Last Summer” and “Stand By Me.” It centers mostly around a boy and his friends’ experience with discovering a dead girl’s body in the woods. But there is a lot more to it than this; there are sub plots that all relate in some way to the main event. The time frame switches back and forth between 1986 and 2016, and is told from the main character’s point of view throughout. The chalk men begin as messages/signals among the group of boys. The chalk men end up being used against them when it seems that someone else gets involved.

There are an abundance of odd characters in the story, making it a constant guessing game as to who might be guilty. Is it the new, albino teacher in town who always seems to be nearby when something intense occurs? Is it the zealot minister who appears to be physically abusive toward his own daughter (among other actions)? Is it his friend Mickey, who was already edgy, but seems to take a turn for the worse when his bully of a brother winds up dead too? Or maybe it’s the dad, who showed both aggressive and forgetful tendencies in the book?

A point is made several times throughout the end of the story: never assume. I won’t spoil it, but the intricacies are mostly all explained in the end. Some with simple explanations and others with more complexity. There were a few actions that I predicted and others that were more of a surprise.

Did this book keep me up at night (as another reviewer stated)? No. Was it a good story? Sure.

All American

A colleague recently shared Trevor Noah’s interview with author Jason Reynolds. His closing lines of the interview, in which he talks about how to make reading matter for teens, resounded with me, “they [students] then build relationships not just with literature but with literacy. Then we start fixing violence, we start fixing gangs, all of that, once you realize that your life is dependent on your relationship with words.” Coincidentally, the timing of watching this interview was the same as I was starting to read All American Boys by Reynolds and co-author Brendan Kiely. This is my first Reynolds novel, but it most definitely won’t be the last.

I can’t help but make the initial comparison to The Hate U Give based on the primary conflict of police brutality and racism. For me, this book added a different element to the table. Point of view and empathy are critical pieces to this novel. The narrative switches back and forth between Rashad and Quinn’s voices. Both are regular high school guys from the same school getting ready to start their weekend with a party. They attend the same high school and have acquaintances in common, but don’t personally know each other.

The Friday night takes a terrible turn for Rashad. He stops at a convenience store for some snacks, and he’s thought to be stealing because of a silly accident by someone near him. An officer is in the store, and he is pulled out and horribly beaten while handcuffed. Quinn (and other bystanders – there’s a tape made) witnesses this event, and it turns out that the officer is the older brother of Quinn’s good friend. It turns out that this officer is also the same man who has been a stand-in father figure for Quinn. The intense internal and external conflict that this creates for the main characters and their families, friends, and the school community as a whole is compelling.

I was caught up in even the most minor character and the emotions of everyone involved from the very beginning. Even the ways that different teachers tried to handle the aftermath was representative of how people deal with the reality of harsh situations. From the basketball coach who wants the team to “leave it at the door,” to the teacher who breaks down in tears in front of her class, to the teacher who helps organize their march. So many lines stood out to me, including this one on page 296, “Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests?”

Every word of this book matters.

Thug Life

The blog title refers to my latest read- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. My library social media feeds have been bringing up this book repeatedly, so I had to check it out.

Verdict is- the hype is well-deserved. After finishing, I couldn’t help but imagine how incredible it would be to read with a class if I was still teaching English. The conversations among students would be amazing because there is SO much to discuss. The story includes the main plots of police brutality, gang life (including the various reasons someone may become involved in it), family, friendship, depth of character and conversations, pop culture (the shoes, the TV references, music). Themes such as standing up and speaking out for what is right, coping through life’s tragedies, self-identity, and so much more!

These characters jumped off the page for me with the writer’s attention to detail. One example is Starr’s cute superstitions while watching LeBron play basketball. I found myself laughing at so many of her family’s exchanges. Yet, while being able to laugh, there is the plot of Starr as witness to her friend’s brutal murder at the hands of a police officer. She must figure out how willing she is to become a visible and vocal witness of this murder, and how it will affect her friendships at the mostly white school that she attends. The main story is hope for justice and equality.

This book will make you think and feel on so many levels. It’s a conversation starter and it’s a conversation that I would enjoy having with students, adults or anyone interested.

Old Favorite

Dean Koontz was a favorite during my mid-late teen years along with Stephen King. During that time I read just about everything from these authors. It’s been a long while, so when I saw the newly released The Whispering Room by Koontz, I was compelled to grab it! I was a bit frustrated upon starting the book when I realized it is the second of the Jane Hawk series, but I plowed ahead figuring that I could fill in the missing pieces.

Reading this was like slipping into a pair of comfy slippers. The writing is no-fail for me- a great plot with twists and turns and great characters. Jane Hawk is a perfect woman character: smart, bold and courageous. She reminds me of Lisbeth Salander from the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series (also awesome!). She can be ruthless while also stopping to help out everyday people. This stood out for me when she helped the grandmother, mom and two daughters from a motor vehicle hi-jacking. Her message to the mom about teaching her daughters to be brave and not victims is one Jane is well-equipped to model.

The sinister story-line of injections that alter people’s brain chemistry, creating almost zombie-like effects is riveting. You never know what science and power are capable of- a recipe for a great many story lines.

Of course, when everything goes so well it’s hard not to be a bit cynical. But I don’t care. I love that it worked out for the good guys (mostly). I do wish the ending didn’t leave off so abruptly, but of course, that’s par for the course in any book series. Guess I will have some catching up to do with reading books 1 and 3.

December Break

A break ALWAYS means a chance to read a few extra books! I feel as though I’ve been reading the last title for a long while. Little Secrets by Anna Snoekstra was a tough one for me to get through. This is another random selection from my public library’s new releases section.

This book felt as though it went in circles. It was repetitive and a bit dragged out. I kept waiting for something to come together with the porcelain dolls and the drug epidemic. I thought it would’ve made for a good story if the dolls were being used to smuggle in drugs. Quite a difference from the doll’s actual origin, SPOILER!, a lonely old woman from a well-known family in town kindly giving them to children she is trying to cheer up after losing their friend to a fire. A fire which never really killed him in the first place.

Overall, this book had odd elements that were never resolved for me. The paper plate kids (so odd), the corrupt cops (Frank becoming a complete alcoholic by the end of the book), Will’s presence, and the strange switching between points of view to name a few.

This book led me in circles and left me dizzy.

I have a stack of three more books and only about five days of my December break remaining. Next up is Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin which is added by my daughter’s recommendation.

Twists and Turns

My latest read, Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton, was a great find. I happened to pull this one randomly while browsing the New Releases section of my public library. I love when I choose a book solely on my interest in the book jacket and teaser and it turns out to be a gem!

The story is set in England, beginning with a group enjoying a hot air balloon until they suddenly witness a murder. The killer sees the group and sets off after them. There is one survivor, and the murderer is intent to find her. The story builds background of the woman survivor and how she came to be on the balloon. The murderer has a lot more to cover up than this one incident. Patrick Faa, and his family, are heavily involved with the business of organ donation in a completely illegal way.

This story was so unique that it kept me interested for the whole ride.

Random Choice

After reading a few kid books, I’m ready for some adult time. I had some credit to use with my Amazon Kindle and found a review for KL Slater’s The Mistake. A review of “You won’t be able to put it down” gets me almost every time, along with comparisons to Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train (love both of these).

Overall, this read was a nice break, but nothing I would rave about. The controlling, horrible boyfriend made me absolutely crazy. I hated him and was aggravated with Rose for putting up with him as long as she did. This is a credit to the author’s ability to create a solid character. Rose’s brother Billy’s death and finally finding out “who done it” was somewhat forced for me though. Not a big shocking surprise, but rather a… really?

So it will be back to kid literature for a while. Next up will be more of the Intermediate Nutmegs while keeping my eyes and ears open for the next adult novel.

Two for Two

Why two for two? Well these first two reviews are good reads, but not personal favorites. Next up is Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire. Tough one for me. It was the type of book that I wasn’t really into, but felt compelled to finish since it was recommended by a respected library friend.

I enjoyed Maguire’s Wicked when I first read it quite a while back. This book didn’t match up. It was long, wordy and left me waiting for some excitement. It’s the tale of Drosselmeier’s back story from his childhood as a foundling, through his wanderings into adulthood. The book comes to a close with the story of how the infamous Nutcracker was built, and how it waited through a couple generations before becoming a gift to his goddaughter Klara. Intertwined with this was the strange near-death experience as a child in which Drosselmeier encounters Pan and Pythia. I have to admit my Greek mythology knowledge isn’t too strong. Perhaps I could appreciate this underlying story better if I did my research first.

I think Hiddensee will appeal to those into fairy tale worlds and language. For me, my mind wandered a bit too much through the tale to keep it all straight.