Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati

Posted on October 7, 2016 by bseat

into-the-wilderness_In December of 1792, Elizabeth Middleton and her brother arrive in the American colonies to join their father in the small village of Paradise, New York. After their mother’s untimely death, Elizabeth and Julian, as young children, had been sent back to England to live with her father’s sister, the inimitable Augusta Merriweather. There they had grown up, but despite all their aunt’s efforts she had been unable to find a husband for her blue stocking niece who was now a spinster at 29, while her nephew Julian had nearly bankrupted himself with his gambling and rakish ways. With the understanding that she would once again bail out Julian and pay his debts one final time, their aunt had dictated that they must leave England and start afresh with their father, Judge Middleton in the Colonies.

For Elizabeth this is a welcome change. She had been bored with the social scene in England and inspired by the books of Mary Wollstonecraft she had decided that teaching children would be her life’s work. And to that end most of the trunks she had brought with her were filled with the things she would need to start up a small school in her father’s village. For Julian, however this change is a fate worse than death and his one burning desire is to find a way out of this backwater as soon as possible.

As they approach the village of Paradise, they come across men who are hunting on their father’s lands. The men appear at first to be native American, but when they come closer, Elizabeth realizes that at least one is a white man in native Mahican clothing and he is introduced as Nathaniel Bonner. Curious as to why a white man would abandon his own culture and embarrassed by her brother Julian’s bad manners and rudeness towards Nathaniel, Elizabeth determines to find out more about him and the life of the Indians who live so close to her new home.

Within a very short time of their arrival Elizabeth finds out that her father has other plans for her. Rather than prepare a place for her to begin teaching school, he has decided that she must marry Dr. Richard Todd to save the family from financial disaster. Trying to gain time to find a way out of this dilemma Elizabeth agrees to consider the proposal but soon finds that Dr. Todd is more interested in the land, particularly Hidden Wolf Mountain which would be part of the marriage settlement, than he is in Elizabeth herself. Thrown together with Nathaniel who had agreed to build the school, Elizabeth is attracted to him and to the life of the native Americans who live on the mountain and soon her choices become very complicated.

Donati has woven many different strands of fact and fiction into this book which is the first of six in this series!  If the name Nathaniel Bonner seems familiar is it because he is a character in The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (and the movie of the same name which starred Daniel Day Lewis)  Donati is also a fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series which is set in the same time period and Claire Fraser makes a brief appearance in this book as well.  Donati has carefully crafted her characters and extending that care even to the supporting characters. It is obvious that she has researched the historical time period and although her plot lines are a bit formulaic, she sustained my interest with good dialogue and rich descriptions of life in a small frontier village. My one quibble is that sometimes 21st century political correctness overwhelmed the historical context of the 1700’s in ways that seemed a bit jarring. That said however, this book was engaging and I quickly read through it and am now on the third in the series!

Brenda’s Rating: *** 1/2 (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Sharon and Lauren

Book Study Worthy? Sure!

Read in ebook format.

 

 

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Series | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Eileen, A Novel by Ottessa Moshfegh

Posted on September 30, 2016 by bseat

eilleen

“My name was Eileen Dunlop…I was twenty-four years old and had a job that paid fifty-seven dollars a week as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teen age boys…In a week I would run away from home and never go back…This is the story of how I disappeared.”

It is 1964, just a few weeks before Christmas in a small New England coastal town. Eileen’s mother died when she was nineteen and her father, a police officer, lost his job after quickly sliding into an alcoholic stupor after her mother’s death. Eileen’s sister got married and left home, leaving Eileen to take care for their increasingly belligerent father on her own.

Something is twisted inside Eileen. She is filled with self loathing and has a penchant for the morbid, like Egyptian burial customs where they remove the brain through the nose or imagining in vivid detail the icicles on her front porch falling and stabbing her to death. Her life, if you could call it that, was spent at her job or buying alcohol for her father. The house, untouched since her mother died is filled with dirty dishes and dirty clothes, that somehow she has no capacity to do anything about. She is just existing, until one day Rebecca Saint John, the new counselor for the juvenile correctional facility, arrives and things change.

Rebecca is everything that Eileen is not; pretty, self-confident, smart, and friendly. For the first time Eileen believes that she might be able to make a friend. Enthralled by everything Rebecca does, Eileen begins to emerge from her self imposed isolation. But her affection for Rebecca makes her blind, and soon she is pulled into a crime far beyond what she could have ever imagined.

This book, which was short listed for the 2016 Booker Prize, does not disappoint! Mesmerizing and shocking, but always grounded by the clear sighted and honest narrator, we are drawn to this strange young woman who struggles to find a way to claim her own life.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian, Lauren and Keith

Book Study Worthy? YES!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Psychological Mystery, Suspense | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Return by Michael Gruber

Posted on September 23, 2016 by bseat

return-lWhat would it take to galvanize you to do what you had put off doing for most of your life? What would it take to make you think that now was the time to seek vengeance from those who inflicted untold damage on the lives closest to you? For Marder that came swiftly after getting some unexpected and shattering news. As an editor, Marder had lived a quiet, contained life with his wife and children in New York City. His wife’s Mexican heritage was something they celebrated and he embraced, but it also haunted them and for his wife, sometimes the tragedy she had endured was more than she could bear.  After her death, he had settled into the routines of life and work and had not thought much about Mexico, but now after getting this news, it was all he could think about-that and getting revenge.  So methodically he arranges his affairs, lets out his apartment, contacts his daughter, Carmel, to let her know he will be traveling and leaves a message for Patrick Skelly, a friend from  his days in Vietnam.  Of all the people in his life, Skelly would be the least surprised at what Marder was planning to do; after all he is one of the few people who knows what Marder is truly capable of.

Gruber is an extraordinary writer. He deftly draws us into Marder’s plans even while keeping us guessing at what exactly he is planning to do. Marder’s methodical tendencies are balanced by the wild and unpredictability that Skelly brings when he shows up creating an interesting dynamic between the two. Gruber brilliantly illuminates the sheer depravity that has become the new norm in this drug war torn area that Marder returns to, and helps us see how the daily compromises regular people begin to corrupt even those on the sidelines. As Marder slowly begins to implement his plan for revenge, we are forced to confront what constitutes a moral response in the face of such overwhelming evil.  Fascinating, suspenseful, and thoughtful, Gruber shows us once again that he is a gifted storyteller.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Ken

Books Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.

 

 

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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Posted on September 16, 2016 by bseat

Cabin 10Lo Blacklock has been given the chance of a lifetime.  She is going on the maiden voyage of the exclusive cruise ship, Aurora!  With only a handful of rooms and no expense spared, this is a cruise ship that will only be for the rich and famous. However, as part of promoting this newest ship, Lo’s travel magazine as well as other journalists, leading socialites and trend setters have been asked to come aboard in order to generate interest. Luckily, Lo’s boss was unable to go, and asked Lo to go instead.

This was a lucky break in a number of ways. Lo had been feeling like she had hit a glass ceiling at work, and was hoping that this opportunity might shake things loose. Additionally, her apartment had just been burgled, and waking up to see the robber  looming over her before running away with her purse was still raw and traumatic. On top of that she had had an emotional confrontation with her boyfriend as well.  Reeling from all the drama and unable to feel safe in her own apartment, Lo was relieved that she would be on a boat, off the grid, and have some space to consider her life.

Once on board ship and ensconced in her lovely, plush cabin, Lo realizes that in her hurry she forgot to pack her mascara. Realizing this would never do when dressing in evening clothes for dinner was de rigor, Lo asks the woman next door in cabin 10, if she has some mascara she could borrow. The woman shoves a small tube into her hand and tells her she can have it and slams the door in her face.

Late that night after a long dinner where the drinks flowed, Lo wakes up. Suddenly, she hears a noise from the room next door-a loud splash. Running to the veranda she looks out into the swirling sea and sees a white shape just as it submerges beneath a wave. Looking at the veranda next to hers she sees something dark, smeared on the window. Terrified, she calls to report what she saw, but when security arrives the smear on the window is gone, and the room that had been occupied by the woman who gave her the mascara is clean and sterile with no indication that anyone had been there at all. After security determines no one is missing, Lo, herself, begins to question what she saw. Then she sees the tube of mascara that the woman gave her and she knows that as a journalist she cannot let this story go, even if it means she will put herself in danger.

Known as the author of the “twisty- mystery,” Ware has outdone herself this time. With a main character who witnesses something that no one can confirm and all the suspects in a confined space, this is a classic murder mystery, a la Agatha Christie! But that does not mean it is formulaic. Instead Ware, like Christie keeps us guessing. Did Lo really see what she thought she saw or was she drinking too much or reacting from the trauma of the burglary?  Who was the woman in Cabin 10 and why was she on board? Who has the motive to kill and why? Ware deftly feeds us a little information at a time, keeping us interested and inexorably building the suspense, which makes it a joy to read!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Keith and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Mystery, Suspense | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Posted on September 9, 2016 by bseat

MennoniteRhoda Janzen realized her marriage had ended when in the middle of the night the phone rang and her husband’s male lover asked to speak with him. Soon after that Rhoda was in a car accident leaving her seriously injured. Now in her early forties, with her marriage of fifteen years in tatters, and nursing her injuries, Rhoda decides she needs to return home to her Mennonite roots and family.

And thus begins a wonderful, heartfelt, funny, articulate and warm memoir about going home, the meaning of family and insights on faith, love, and healing. At times serious and at other times laugh aloud funny, Janzen introduces us to her her warm, upbeat and quirky mother who suggests in all seriousness that Rhoda should marry her cousin Walter, who although an accountant, still drives a tractor and to her scholarly, taciturn, preacher father who loves to bellow from his study to come look at the animated Christmas card with the ten lords a-jumping, or a photograph of a beautiful sunset on his computer.

Maybe it is because my mother was Mennonite and we used to visit her family in a town with a population of 2,000 with nine (!) Mennonite churches, that I resonated with this book.  But I think more than that it is because it is a story of appreciating your roots, of seeing how you have been shaped both by how you were brought up and by what you left behind, that resonated most deeply with me.

And of course there are the mouthwatering descriptions of food! Anyone who goes to Amish of Mennonite markets knows what I mean!  Janzen talks about Zwiebach, a wonderful soft double decker roll that is a staple at any Mennonite home and I could remember so many times going to people’s homes and having Zwiebach and jam! I also identified with Janzen’s description of  the recipe for Zweibach that she got from her grandmother.

I have my grandmother’s recipe for Zwiebach. I mean I have the actual fifty-year-old piece of paper, written on the back of a Kalendarblatt, a leaf from a calendar. As far as I know, this is the one time my mother’s mother- whom I call Oma- ever wrote a recipe down. In 1960, when my mother was first married, she wrote from the tiny parsonage in North Dakota to ask her mother in Canada for the recipe. Oma sent the page from the calendar. …In the recipe Oma’s voice comes through, practical and vague, advising her daughter to use whatever she has handy in her larder- butter, or margarine, or even chicken fat. Oma assumed that ingredients would vary according to season and budget. She also assumed that knowledge of the correct quantities would miraculously come to my mother in the night. “Take some milk or some water and warm it, then add it to some flour,” she advised helpfully.

I have some recipes exactly like this from my mother and my grandmother!

Janzen is gifted in being able to talk about serious things with a light touch, which makes it all the easier to hear the deep wisdom behind her words. For example, this is her take on what is sexy in a man:

In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants. If the sparks don’t fly from the beginning, they never will. If he doesn’t get your sense of humor from the first conversation, you’ll always secretly be looking for someone who does.  And if a guy can’t see restaurant servers as real people with needs and dreams and crappy jobs, then I don’t want to be with him, even if he just won the Pulitzer Prize.

See what I mean? Wise with a light touch!  I thoroughly enjoyed this book!  Thanks Gina for recommending it!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian, Lauren and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in paperback!

Posted in memoir, Non Fiction, Self-help, Spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

Posted on September 2, 2016 by bseat

The Last OneShe thought this would be a great opportunity. She just felt she needed to do this one more thing before she settled down and had children. Her husband was supportive and encouraged her to do it. The producers of the reality show said it would be a race among twelve competitors -a race for survival out in the wilds with a big reward at the end for the one who made it first. With her background as an educator and her love of nature and animals this challenge seemed doable and she was determined to win.  The producers liked her and nicknamed her Zoo along with other competitors who also had nicknames like Tracker, Air Force, Asian Chick, Waitress, Banker and Rancher. Each one bringing some unique skill to the competition, something that would give them an edge over the others. It would be tough to win, but Zoo was determined that she would be the one to take the prize.

Initially, the competitors worked in teams, learning basic survival skills while also competing for certain equipment that would help them survive; things like a machete, or a camping stove and matches. But once their training was over and they received their final instructions, they would be on their own; even the camera crews would be out of sight.

But something unexpected happened. It began with a cough and rapidly spread everywhere causing death and destruction so quickly it could not be stopped. Soon the camera crews were affected and then others and by the time the producer realized he needed to tell someone about the competitors out in the wild, it was all too late. Now they really were on their own!

Oliva has obviously done a lot of research or has a lot of experience in surviving in the wild, because her descriptions of how to make a shelter, follow tracks, make traps for food and start fires are all so vivid.  Zoo is an interesting character with an enormous heart and determination. Although we are kept somewhat at arms length, she is still compelling and engaging.  Through Zoo we are introduced to the other characters as she assesses their skills and abilities and determines their value to her in winning the competition. Intriguing and compelling, this book explores the idea of what is real and how we often choose not to see it when reality contradicts our own suppositions or is too painful to acknowledge.

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian, Lauren and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Suspense | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

Posted on August 26, 2016 by bseat

Last PaintingIn 1631 Sara de Vos became the first woman member of the artist Guild of St Luke in Amsterdam.  Known for her lovely still lifes and other indoor scenes, Sara quickly made a name for herself.  But one evening Sara sees a  young women at the edge of the wood looking towards the skaters on a frozen river below. The scene haunts Sara and disregarding the rules that prevent women from painting landscapes, she painted the scene anyway, showing the longing of the young girl as well as the cold and icy landscape surrounding her.

In 1957 the painting now known as At the Edge of the Wood, hangs in the bedroom of Marty de Groot’s, large New York apartment. It is the last surviving painting of Sara de Vos and de Groot, a wealthy lawyer, is the descendant of the original owner. The painting beautiful but it is also cold and somehow cheerless and although de Groot values it he mostly ignores it. To Ellie Shipley, on the other hand, a struggling art history graduate student who is writing her dissertation on de Vos and other Early Dutch women painters, the ability to actually see an original work, to examine the brush strokes and to understand the composition would be a chance of a lifetime.  So when the dubious art dealer for whom she has previously restored paintings, asks her to create a copy of At the Edge of the Wood, she agrees, but it is a decision she later bitterly regrets.

In 2000, Ellie Shipley who is now a celebrated art historian and curator in Sydney is mounting a show about the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Having contacted various museums and private owners from around the world to invite them to display their art in her show, it is not until she receives a call from the museum director that she realizes that both the forgery that she painted and the original of At the Edge of the Wood, are going to be arriving at the museum with the full expectation that they will be displayed. It is her worst nightmare come true and Ellie sees no way out but to come clean and destroy all that she has worked for.

Smith deftly shifts from one time period to another, giving us portions of each story line, which heightens the anticipation of what happens next. Smith is particularly adept at dealing with the aging of Ellie, whose brash. somewhat awkward and lonely 20 something is replaced by a knowledgeable, accomplished but still lonely 40 something. He has obviously done a tremendous amount of research into the world of art and it clearly shows in each step along the way from his descriptions of the way the Guilds worked to the details on how paintings are restored. This was a book to savor and enjoy!

Brenda’s Rating: *****( 5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Keith, Marian, Sharon and Lauren.

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Ambassador’s Wife by Jake Needham

Posted on August 19, 2016 by bseat

Ambassador's WifeThere was no doubt that the woman on the bed in the Marriott Hotel in Singapore was dead.  It would take awhile to make any identification, however, since her face had been beaten so badly she was unrecognizable. She was a Caucasian, however, so maybe there would be ways to trace her comings and goings into the country. As Inspector Samuel Tay of the Singapore CID examined the scene and outlined the next steps to be taken in the investigation he tried to conquer that familiar squeamishness he always felt when at the scene of a violent crime. Luckily Singapore had very few violent crimes so it was not often that he had to do this, but this crime scene was especially messy and Tay was glad when he could finally turn his attention away from the crime scene to the witnesses who had discovered her body.

But the murder turns out to be even more messy than Tay or his assistant Sergeant Kang  could have ever imagined, especially after they find out that the dead woman was the US Ambassador’s wife!  Strangely, however, no one seems motivated to solve the murder until another dead woman turns up in Thailand in almost an identical pose as the ambassador’s wife. Worried that they might now have a serial killer on their hands, Tay is now able to persuade his boss to let him investigate both murders. As Tay and Kang delve deeper into the interrelationship of the two dead women, they realize that there are deeper secrets that are being covered up and bringing those who need to be brought to justice may be much more difficult than they had imagined.

Needham uses his deep knowledge of Singapore and Thailand to great advantage and you feel immersed in each country and culture. Tay’s gentle curmudgeonly character deftly handles the obstacles that get in the way of resolving the case, whether it is the endlessly annoying, self confident Americans or his own boss who fears political and public embarrassment. Although this book seemed a bit formulaic, I was still glad to find a new series set in Asia that I really enjoyed!

Brenda’ Rating:  ***1/2 (3  1/2 Out f 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Ken and Marian

Book Study Worthy? relax and enjoy!

Read in ebook format

 

 

 

Posted in Detective novel, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery/Detective, Series | Leave a comment

Extreme Prey by John Sandford

Posted on August 12, 2016 by bseat

Extreme PreyLucas Davenport, was enjoying his time working on an addition to his cabin when he gets a call from Mitford, the chief of staff to Governor Elmer Henderson. Since Davenport left the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, under less than ideal circumstances he has continued to do small investigative jobs for Henderson but this time Mitford was surprisingly closed mouth about what he needed Davenport to do. What was clear is that the matter was urgent and they arranged to meet the following day at a campaign stop in Iowa. The Governor  would be there campaigning for Michaela Bowden who was running to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Henderson himself had always had dreams of running for president himself, but the baggage of his past indiscretions was too much and so now he was hoping that by campaigning for Bowden he might be able to snag the vice presidential nomination.

After Davenport talks with Henderson in Iowa he finally understands the reason for the secrecy. Henderson has had two encounters with people at political rallies which have kind of spooked him. The first was with a kindly looking lady with curly white hair who grabbed his hand and said with intensity, “Governor, you need to move to the center. You have to be ready for the nomination, in case Bowden doesn’t make it, in case something happens to her.”  The second time it was a young man who looked eerily like the older woman he had met previously and his words were almost identical to what the woman had told him. Additionally the campaign has been getting strange emails that also urge him to “move to the center”  in  order “to be ready to take the nomination.”

With very little to go on Davenport begins to look for these two people who had used such strangely threatening language and the author of the emails who seemed to quote them almost verbatim. As the investigation deepens and Davenport’s leads all turn to dead ends, he realizes he must focus all his energy on limiting the impact of an imminent attack on Bowden instead.

I always enjoy Sandford’s books and this one was no different, but there was something just a bit flat about this book. Maybe it was because right from the start you know who the people are who are trying to kill Bowden and their motivations. This is not an unusual device to use in the thrill genre, but somehow instead of adding excitement to the plot line with a “cat and mouse” type of chase, it seemed instead to have the opposite affect.     However, Sandford still manages to pull together enough suspense and thrills in other ways so that you still feel satisfied in the end. There is also a great new twist at the end that may put Davenport back to work again!

Brenda’ Rating: *** 1/2 (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars) 

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Marian

Book Study worthy? Just enjoy!

Read in ebook format.

Posted in Detective novel, Fiction, Series, Suspense, Thriller | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Travelers by Chris Pavone

Posted on August 5, 2016 by bseat

The TravelersWill Rhodes should be happy with his life. After all as a journalist for Travelers, an award winning travel magazine he gets to travel the world and have extraordinary experiences. But traveling isn’t all glamorous and in his personal life, the toll of working on an old house that seems to be a non stop money pit has strained his relationship with his new wife, Chloe. Since she recently left Travelers (a decision they had agreed on) to became a freelance journalist their work schedules have been out of sync making it even harder find time together and any time they do have they seem to be either arguing about money, or what to do on the house. This was not the way it was supposed to be.

Then while Will was in Argentina working on a piece about the wine region he makes a bad choice making him vulnerable to blackmail. Trying to extricate himself from this series of bad choices leads him to do things he never believed he was capable of all while trying to hide what he is doing from his wife and his boss. But soon Will realizes that there is a vast conspiracy surrounding him, and even those who are closest to him are not all that they seem. From Paris to Dublin to Iceland, Will follows a trail of spies and traitors not knowing what he will find in the end.

Pavone is a fast rising star in the spy/thriller genre! He is the author of The Expats and The Accident which I thoroughly enjoyed as well. His forte seems to be in portraying the reluctant spy-an ordinary person who due to some circumstance must becomes a spy. Pavone’s gift is the way he draws his characters out, dragging them from their ordinary lives into the maelstrom of intrigue and conspiracy. Pavone’s characters are never super heroes, rather they are ordinary people with ordinary problems who when confronted with the extraordinary, rise to the occasion. His plots are inventive and he has an eye for detail that helps you sink into the world he is creating. I was turning the pages as fast as I could, which makes this a great book for days at the beach! Enjoy!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Ken, Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy? Sure, why not!

Read in ebook format.

 

 

Posted in Fiction, Spy/Covert Operatives, Suspense, Thriller | Tagged , , | Leave a comment