The Crimson Rooms by Katharine McMahon

Set in London in 1924, this is the story of Evelyn Gifford, a woman attorney when women weren't welcomed in the legal profession. It is also the story of her brother James's death in World War I. Evelyn and her family have still not recovered from his death and are not prepared when a young woman shows up on their doorstep with a young son which she says is James's. Were it not for the fact that Edmund is the spitting image of his father, no one would have believed her.

Evelyn works in a law office as a clerk and is drawn into the case of Stephen Wheeler, a man accused of shooting his wife at point-blank range. Was he jealous? Suffering the effects of the war? Or is he innocent? It is the latter which Evelyn comes to believe. Helping her office with the case is Nicholas Thorne, a dashing young attorney who not only accepts Evelyn and her career choice but includes her in discussions of law and treats her as an equal - and becomes her love interest.

This book has two over-riding themes - love in its many versions and the after-effects of war and fighting. Six years after the end of World War I, its effects still linger in the lives of almost everyone. No one seems to be immune - from lives lost to the stresses caused by war. Evelyn herself struggles with trying to decide what love is - is it the romantic love portrayed in novels or is it the love shown by Stephen Wheeler for his dead wife? Can she live without love?

I enjoyed this book a great deal and was reluctant to see it end. I have attempted to read books by this author previously but always put them down before getting too far. What a mistake that was!

Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn

This is the story of four women in their thirties, all with small children, who live in and around the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn. Melora, a two-time Oscar winner, is frustrated with her life, her husband, and the stresses of raising an adopted child. Rebecca, frustrated with her life after the birth of her daughter, begins an affair with a handsome neighborhood celebrity. Lizzie, a former lesbian, is frustrated with her husband's job which takes him away from her and their small son most of the time. And Karen is frustrated with where she and her husband and toddler son live, which ISN'T in Prospect Park. How their lives intersect and how they relate to one another forms the basis of this novel.

I have to say that I didn't like it very much. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic or even likable and it's hard to work your way through a novel if you aren't rooting for at least ONE person to succeed. In fact, if I hadn't had limited reading materials available to me on a recent trip I would have skimmed to the end and then returned it. Perhaps it's because I've passed the age that the author is writing about?

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

Barclay knows how to write a novel that keeps your interest and keeps you guessing. David Harwood is happily married to Jan and together they have a four-year-old son, Ethan. David works as a journalist and is finding that things are getting tough. He does have a lead on a story of corruption involving a for-profit prison. He has been telling Jan about his job but she doesn't seem to be paying much attention. Lately she has been acting very depressed and he worries that she might try to harm herself. He is cheered up when she takes a day off from work and announces that she has gotten tickets for the amusement park nearby. The day almost takes a tragic turn when Jan looks away for a moment and someone snatches Ethan who is asleep in his stroller. Jan and David split up and David finds Ethan unharmed. But where is Jan??????? She has disappeared. Not everyone is what they appear to be. Her disappearance and David's corruption investigation become intertwined in the book. It was an entertaining read.

Tinsel by Hank Stuever 976.4 Stu

Stuever is a journalist who took on this very interesting project -the story of Christmas in Frisco, Texas whose population has been exploding during the last decade. He begins the book on Black Friday in the wee hours of the morning. Waiting in line at Best Buy, he meets Carroll a single mother of two. She becomes one of the people whom he tracks during the season. We also follow Tammie who loves Christmas and spreads the joy by decorating other people's houses as a seasonal job. There there the Trykoski family, Jeff and Bridgette who would give Clark Griswold in The National Lampoon movie a run for his money.
Stuever begins this project in 2006 and people are spending plenty of money. It ends in 2008 and we all know that things changed quite a bit during that time.
I found it a very interesting read. Christmas does very strange things to us and I liked being a voyeuse to the "Christmas Lives" of these people. I wish he had a sequel to this book because I would like to know what Christmas was like in '09 for these people!

Driftless by David Rhodes

This is the all-Iowa read selection for 2010. I listened to the audio book and enjoyed it very much. It is a little slow at the beginning. Actually it is a little slow during the whole book if you are a person who likes lots of action! I love books about people, their stories and their relationships. Driftless takes place in a small town in Wisconsin. If you are from the Midwest you will recognize people you have known in the characters who live in Words, Wisconsin.
Rhodes does a great job of telling each character's story and then weaving all those stories together. Jacob is a widower who hasn't been able to get past his wife's death - until he finds himself interested in Winnie, the Pastor with a horrible childhood. Graham and Cora have a dairy farm and Cora works for the company that buy their milk. When she discovers some irregularities they must decide if they have the strength to stand up for what is right. Olivia and Violet are sisters who live together. Violet is an invalid and Olivia has been looking after her for many years. As a tease let me say that Olivia sneaks out one night and takes all of her money to a casino. Violet ends up with a pit bull that was used in dog-fighting. (I don't really know the whole story there because I couldn't bear to listen to the part about dog-fighting and so I skipped several tracks!)
The main character in the book is July who spent a great deal of his life drifting and finally finds peace in the small town of Words. There are parts of the book that made me smile and parts that made me teary - a great combination in my opinion!
If you have read this book or want to, please put it on your calendar to join us here at the Library on April 15 at 7:00 for the All-Iowa discussion of the book led by Nancy St. Clair.

The Last Train from Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino 940.54 Pel

Minutes before I sat down to write this blog Michele told me there was some controversy about this book and some of the sources. Maybe there are a few inaccuracies in the book but that aside it was a very powerful book. It was so eerie to read about Ground Zero (the first time that phrase was used), people and things being vaporized , terrified people looking for loved ones and pretending to themselves that they are only 'missing', and people who survived because of a missed train or a mother calling them inside. The parallels between Hiroshima and 9/11 were interesting. There are lots of stories told in the book, many of them about people who survived Hiroshima and left on a train for the safety of Nagasaki - that didn't work out so well.
I had insomnia last night - maybe because I finished this book before trying to sleep! As a baby boomer I was always afraid of "the bomb" but after reading this description I realize that I wasn't scared enough!
If you like history and non-fiction, I think you will find this an interesting read.

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Stromeyer

I enjoyed this book except for the fact that there is no apostrophe in her title. It just a small thing but I think someone should have corrected that! I have never read a book by this author because they seem to be of the chick lit genre which is not my favorite. The title made me pick it up and the inside flap made me check it out. Kat is a bit of a compulsive shopper married to an academic named Griff who is a bit tight with money. You can tell all ready that trouble is brewing, can't you! After almost 20 years of marriage she is still madly in love with him and she thinks the feeling is mutual - until she uncovers some evidence in his pants' pocket.......and then finds some questionable e-mails sent to his cute grad assistant......and then finds he has a secret credit card and a bank account with $10,000 in it. She discovers in the e-mails that after their daughter leaves for college he is going to tell Kat everything. Sounds like a divorce is pending. When she finds out how much a divorce will cost, she is shocked. She vows to get out of debt and save some money for when Griff leaves her.
Fun story, good read.

Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain

Maggie Lockwood was young and madly in love with a firefighter named Ben. She did a stupid thing which led to the deaths of 3 people and painful burn injuries to Keith - a boy she had practically grown up with. After spending a year in prison she is now coming home. This is the story of her attempt to return to her widowed mother and mentally-challenged brother, Andy. Her family is welcoming - the town? well, not so much.
It is also the story of Keith and his anger toward life and especially toward Maggie. On the day that Maggie arrives home from prison, Keith's mom Sara goes to the store and doesn't return. You can see there is a lot going on in this small town! On top of all of that there are a lot of buried secrets between Keith's mom and Maggie's mom. It was an enjoyable read that kept me wanting to know what all of those secrets were.

The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

This was an odd book. I wasn't very fond of the characters. The one who might have been the most likable is often talked about but not seen. This is the story of Mary who has been married for twenty-five years minus one day to the love of her life, Jimmy. Jimmy has always been loving and kind to Mary, despite her enormous weight gain and her refusal to go anywhere or do anything. When he doesn't come home the night before their anniversary she is afraid something has happened to him. She goes through the pockets of his clothes looking for clues. She soon takes off to try and find him. She struggles with an ATM card, a cell phone and traveling by plane. I wanted to find out how it ended but the story didn't ring very true to me!

Louisa May Alcott the Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen

I can't say that I am a big fan of Louisa May Alcott- in fact I am not sure that I have ever actually read one of her books. I do, however, like biographies and that is why I took this audio book home. I very much enjoyed the book and am planning on reading some of her works. Most of the book takes place in the second half of the 19th century and it is interesting to be reminded that "the more things change, the more they stay the same"! Soldiers suffering flashbacks, people living beyond their means and in debt, paparazzi around famous people, trying to get equality for all people, drugs taken to ease pain - you can find all of these things in the newspaper today....or you can read the story of Ms. Alcott! I will warn you that the book doesn't read very quickly but I never thought about stopping before the end.

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

If you are in the mood for a gentle, entertaining read look no further! This is like a James Herriot book about humans instead of animals. Barry is a newly graduated doctor in search of a job. He heads to an Irish village for a job interview with crusty Dr. O'Reilly. Barry is well-educated and knows how to take a patient's history and what questions to asks. He is appalled by the way Dr. O'Reilly treats his patients. Upon arrival at Dr. O'Reilly's, he sees the old Doctor bodily throwing a patient out the door with the admonition not to come back until he has cleaned his feet! As you can probably guess, Barry learns there is a lot more to 'doctoring' than what you learn at school or in a book.
I liked the characters and the descriptions of country life. You won't stay up until 1 in the morning to finish it, but you will enjoy the book.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Another fast-paced, well-written book by Ms. Picoult. I am astonished by her ability to tell a story from several viewpoints. Emma Hunt is the mother of two boys. She became a single mother shortly after the birth of her younger son Theo. Her husband left her because of the diagnosis of the older child, Jacob, with Asperger's Syndrome. Early intervention is key when working with any form of autism. It involves an unbelievable amount of time, energy and a myriad of people. Her ex-husband couldn't stand the disruption and the time Emma spent on Jacob, and he left. Jacob is now 18. Picoult does a thorough job of educating the reader on Asperger's syndrome and how it affects everyone in the family. Hopefully after reading this book, people will be more aware and tolerant of autism and in particular Asperger's.
Jacob is obsessed with crimes and crime scenes. When his tutor is murdered, Jacob is arrested and tried for the crime. No one in the family is really sure if he is guilty or not.
Great, great book!!!!!!!

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

This fall there was a lot of buzz among teen librarians about a book entitled Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. When I read it, I thought "This is a good book for teens -- but it's an even better book for adults." So ... ignore the "teen" label on the book's spine (or pretend you're 16 again) and give this book a try:

Marcelo Sandoval is an autistic teen who lives a sheltered life at a school for students with similar needs. He functions well in this familiar world, but his father decides that Marcelo need to learn to live in "the real world" and gets him a summer job at his law firm assisting the head mail clerk Jasmine. Marcelo's attempts to navigate office life are a little heart-wrenching sometimes and often quite humorous, such as this exchange:

'Jasmine says, 'I'd stay away from the secretaries if I were you.'

'How can I deliver the mail to them if I stay away from them?'

'I mean, I wouldn't let them get to friendly with you, especially the ones that are single and desperate, like Martha back there.'

'Why'

'Martha, for one, would not hesitate to jump your bones.'

I think of a passage in the Bible where the prophet Ezekiel jumps up and down on a pile of skulls and bones. ... 'You need to speak clearly. I don't know what the phrase 'jump your bones' means. It would be helpful if you were more literal.' "

When Marcelo discovers a photo in the trash of a girl with a shattered face, he tries to solve the mystery of her identity and tries to fight injustice -- even though it means taking on his father's law firm.

Marcelo in the Real World is similar to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and in the same way explores deeper issues through the eyes of a teen with autism.

You can find Marcelo in the Real World in the Teen Section (near the Adult Mysteries section) in the Indianola Public Library under TEEN Sto.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I wonder how many young people have gone to school to become symbologists since the character of Robert Langdon became so popular? I would think very few, because to me it seems to be a very, very dangerous occupation! After what happened in the other Robert Langdon novels you would think he would opt for retirement. Instead he gets drawn into another deep, deep mystery. This one takes place in Washington D.C. which is apparently filled with symbolism! Langdon always seems to have a woman with him when he gets in trouble. I listened to this book on audio - and I think it took longer to listen to then the time frame of the book! It was fast-paced and interesting. How does Dan Brown do all the research for his books?????? If I could just remember all of the things I "learned" in the book I would be a very smart lady! If you liked his previous books you will also love this one.

The Things that Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

This was a scary book. While I was reading it, I wasn't afraid of terrorists or earthquakes or serial murderers - no I was afraid someone would sneeze on me! This is a story about H5N1. After all the scenarios I saw on programs about the effects of a pandemic, this book really brought into focus what could happen. Ann and Peter Brooks are in the midst of a divorce. They are struggling to keep a civil relationship during the separation for the sake of their two daughters. When the H5N1 hits the Midwest, they are forced to work together and try to survive. There was not one scene in this book that seemed blown out of proportion or put in the book for shock value. I could easily imagine the pandemic happening exactly like this story. This was a fast read because it was so gripping - I finished at 1:30 am. Read it if you dare!

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Ogawa is a best selling author in Japan. Fortunately for us this book has been translated into English. One of the first things to strike me about this book was the similarity between this book and Daphne du Maurier's classic novel, Rebecca. (I know that the title is supposed to be underlined but I don't know how to do it on this site!) Both of these books are written in first person and we never know the name of the characters! I hope you are not expecting more comparisons between the two - that was the only one I noticed. I'm sure that it is deeply significant but I really don't care! This is a short, sweet book. I enjoyed it and that was enough for me. You know what it is about if you read the title. The catch? Well, the professor is a brilliant mathematician. Unfortunately he was the victim of a terrible car accident and he suffered severe brain damage. So at the age of 47 he was fired by the University and makes his "living" by winning mathematics contest. (who knew there was such a thing???). He remembers everything he knew before the accident. As for the present - he remembers things for 88 minutes and then it is gone. So every morning the Housekeeper and the Professor "meet" for the first time. This is the story of their relationship - and of the growing friendship between the Housekeeper's young son and the Professor. The only part I didn't like was the discussions about math - and that was easy enough to skim! A different book but I liked it and I think we could all learn a few things from the story.