Beauty in Bent Grass by Ruth Ada Clark 977.7 Cla

This is a short, but very touching book. It is written by the mother of Christian John Clark. Christian was originally his middle name, but his parents changed it because John Clark is too common of a name and they were afraid there would be a mix-up in the hospital. And there were many trips to the hospital. Christian was a hemophiliac who grew up in Northeast Iowa. It is really unfair that I wrote that sentence. I should have first of all said that he was a boy of uncommon courage, a wonderful brother and son, and a very talented photographer. He didn't want to be know as 'the hemophiliac'. The suffering caused by that disorder is unbelievable. Then add to that the fact that he was HIV positive because this was all happening before the medical world knew to look out for tainted blood. There are lots of things that could have caused the demise of Christian. He died young (in his 20's) - but not of illness or disease. A car accident. Now decades later his mom uses some of her son's journals and her own memories to write the story of Christian. The title of the book comes from something he pointed out to his mother when he was taking pictures of things that she thought were ugly. He pointed out that there is even beauty in bent grass. You can't help but be inspired by this young man.

The Call by Yannick Murphy

This is a quick read and I found it to be an interesting book. Murphy writes in a different style which I found refreshing for a change. It would take too long to describe it here but it is short and to the point. The other thing that interested me was that the main character, David, is a Veterinarian and we learn a lot about rural vets have to do (and most of it isn't pretty!). David takes his son, Sam, out to do some hunting. Sam is up in one 'stand' (I think that is what it was called!) and David is in another. A shot rings out and Sam falls from the tree. Although the gunshot wasn't very significant, he lands on his head and is in a coma. David did not see who fired the shot and the police were unable to find any evidence. David is obsessed with finding the guilty party - and everyone he looks out becomes a possible suspect. I really liked the book and would like to do some more reading by this author.

The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer

This book is several years old but I came upon it in the audio book section and took it home. Like all of his medical thrillers this one was well-written and a page-turner - well, I of course didn't have any pages to turn with an audio book but you get the idea. There are three main characters in the book and although they seem disconnected Palmer weaves their three separate stories into one. Natalie is a world-class athlete and a medical student. Academically she is a good student, but sometimes she says what she thinks - next thing she knows she is on the verge of being kicked-out permanently. But her mentor tries to smooth things over and to keep her busy during her "time-out". He sends her to South America to present a research paper. She never gets a chance because her cab driver takes her to a deserted part of town and when she tries to escape she is shot.
Ben is a private detective. He's had two other careers before this one and he still hasn't found his passion. He is thinking of hanging it up when he is approached to do some more detecting. This job takes him to Florida to try and get an i.d. on a man killed on a highway.
Joe Anson is working in Africa on an important medical breakthrough. He might not finish because his lungs are giving out on him.
An interesting, well-paced mystery that you might want to check out if you didn't read it the first time around.

She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen

This isn't the best book I've read, but I still enjoyed it. There are parts that I really enjoyed and could relate to. At the beginning of the book Ariel Baxter is moving to a new neighborhood that she is dying to live in. The downside is she has to leave her best friend and neighbor. That is painful for both of them. Soon after moving in she meets her new neighbor, Justine, and finds out that she is living in the house of Justine's best friend who had to move. So everyone is going through best-friend withdrawal and feeling at odds without having a strong supportive friend nearby. Ariel is organizationally challenged (another thing I related to!). Justine is pretty much a Martha Stewart. Justine plans to take Ariel under her wing and teach her how to get her act together and have the perfect home. As it turns out, Justine's life isn't quite as perfect as she lets on.

Bedbugs by Ben Winters

Yes, this was a little bit of a creepy book to read - and I finished it last night as I was laying in my bed. Yes, I did check out the sheets. Anyway, back to the book! It is the story of Alex and Susan. She has given up being a lawyer to stay home with their daughter and hoping to restart her dreams of being an artist. Alex is running his own business. Things are going pretty well but Susan has finally convinced Alex that they need to get out of their tiny apartment. They find one that appears to be a steal. After moving in Susan begins to find bites every morning. Neither Alex nor daughter Emma appear to be a target. Susan begins to feel that she is losing control and everything is falling apart. It's a psychological thriller! It's a short book - I read it in one day. Interesting characters and more than a few facts about bedbugs! Read it if you dare.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Charlotte's Web, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden . . . Classic children's books stay with us long into adulthood. And when we grow up, we switch to reading only books written for adults, whether they will be considered classics or not. More's the pity, because most adults end up missing out on some wonderful new titles being written for their children and grandchildren. Brian Selznick's new book Wonderstruck is just such a book. A talented writer and artist whose groundbreaking book The Invention of Hugo Cabret was awarded the Caldecott medal in 2008, Selznick has gone one better than that with his new title. It's a masterpiece of story and story-though-pictures, with so many supporting details woven seamlessly into the overarching storyline that the term "genius" comes to mind to describe the vision that brought forth this book.
Get yourself in line for a copy of Wonderstruck and plan to spend an evening (or two, maybe) being entralled by this masterful storyteller. If you have children third grade or older, read it together. Let them interpret, analyze and pore over the pictures that tell Rose's story, and you can be the narrator of Ben's life. You'll all be richer for the experience.

(The Indianola Public Library has two copies of this book in the New Juvenile Fiction section. You may have to place a hold to ensure your chance to check it out. It's a quick read so you shouldn't have to wait too long!)

Room by Emma Donoghue

I work one weekend a month and so I have the Friday before that weekend off... which happens to fall on the day the Library has morning bookclub. This months book was Room by Emma Donoghue. It sounded like an interesting book, not one of my normal books (no magic, spaceships or creatures of any kind!), but one that I might enjoy... so I checked out a bookclub copy and dove right in.
Room is written from the perspective of 5 year old Jack. He lives with his "Ma" (her name is never given) in Room. Room is a shed turned nightmare for Ma. 7 years ago "Old Nick" tricked Ma, who was 19 at the time, into getting into his truck, and she has been locked in Room since.
Ma and Jack spend 100% of their time together, neither can be alone, they only have each other. Ma makes Room save for Jack - providing a day to day routine, including meal times, exercising, reading, craft time, and other educational activities.
But when an opportunity to escape appears, Ma convinces Jack to help them get out of Room and that is when things start to get a bit crazy for little Jack. He has only ever known Room, never been outside, never worn shoes, never talked with anyone but Ma. Now he is bombarded with this new world he didn't even know existed, and all he wants is to go back to Room where it is safe.
So, I went to Bookclub this past Friday to listen to the regular members discuss this book. The entire group is women, and the majority are 60+. What surprised me was that I took away from this book almost the same things as the other ladies in the club (of those that spoke up at least). Ma was a wonderful character doing her best to provide a safe environment in Room for Jack. Keeping Jack out of sight when "Old Nick" would come in at night.

I really enjoyed this book. It has some moments that you just can not put the book down, you have to know what happens next. I got very little sleep the week I read this, I could not put the book down. Highly recommended.

Going Home: finding peace when pets die by Jon Katz 155.937 Kat

I love dogs. I love to read. But normally I do not combine the two - especially if I have any indication that the dog is going to die. (I know he's going to die - I just meant during the book!) I did love Marley and Me, but it took me over a year to get up the nerve to read it. Right now I have two adorable Yorkies waiting for me at home. This month they turn 15 1/2 and 14 1/2. That's old. That is really old. So the time is approaching. I know what needs to be done and I will be able to do it as I have done for past pets. I just thought I might need a pep-talk about my responsibilities. I was only able to read two or three pages a night - because I cried all the way through. A few days ago I got home from work and decided to just finish the book and the cry in one sitting. It isn't a very long book but it is long on good advice. I hope you are not in a situation where you need a book like this. If you are preparing for this sad event, buy a new box of Kleenex, grab this book and find a private place to read.

Second Nature by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Sicily Coyne is a cute 13 year old. Her life is pretty typical. One December she is at Lady Chapel along with about 50 other people. They are practicing Christmas carols. And then her life changed forever. With unbelievable speed a fire began to sweep through the chapel which was so old that it was exempt from fire codes. Sicily's father, Jamie - a captain with the Fire Department - arrived quickly on the scene. Twenty-six kids were rescued. Jamie died in that fire with a child in his arms. Twelve years later Sicily is not so typical. She does have an education, an appartment, a boyfriend and a good job as a medical illustrator. She also keeps her nose in a jar. She doesn't like to eat out in public because she has problems getting the food to the back of her throat. The fire destroyed her face. This story is set in the future - no dates, but transplants have continued to improve and Sicily has an opportunity to get a new face. Of course it is not without risk. Should she take the chance or keep things the way they are? She is getting married in a few months - what does her fiance think she should do. You have probably figured out that she does opt for the transplant - but I am not telling you anything else! In this book you will also meet a few characters from Mitchard's past book. I enjoyed the story.

Long Drive Home by Will Allison

In time of stress people don't always do the right thing. Perhaps none of us know how we would react in any given situation. For Glen Bauer everything changes in an instant. Glen is happily married and the father of Sara (who I think is 8). His wife, Liz, commutes to a high-powered job. Glen is an accountant who mostly works at home and therefore is in charge of picking up Sara from school. He has done it hundreds of times. But this time is different. It starts out with a little road rage. But it ends with an accident. A teenager is killed. Glen realizes that no one saw the accident - except for Sara. When the police come, Glen finds himself changing the story to make him look less guilty. It just might work - except what did Sara see and what will she tell her mom? And then there is that pesky detective who is a bit like Columbo. It gets harder and harder to keep Sara away from him. As Liz begins to learn more about what happened, their marriage begins to dissolve. It is a short book but powerful.

The Very Thought of You by Rose Alison

I really liked this book. It begins with a description of an old Historic House in England. At the end of this prologue we learn that an old woman is sitting on a bench - she is dead and clasping a letter in her hand. Now the book rewinds to 1939 and an England on the brink of war. Students of history know that thousands of children were evacuated from London out to the countryside for safety reasons. It is a bit unimaginable to think of young children being taken from their homes and parents (or mothers in most cases) to an entirely foreign environment to live with strangers and in some cases scores of other young refugees. This is the story of Anna. Her father is away fighting the war and young Anna finds herself on a train to the unknown. She ends up with 70 other children on an estate owned by a crippled man and his beautiful wife. (They have a story to tell.) The book follows Anna's time in exile and up to the end of her life. Ms. Alison does a wonderful job of showing the effects of childhood experiences on the rest of one's life.