The Death of Santini by Pat Conroy 921 Conroy Con

Author Pat Conroy’s first work of fiction, the thinly-disguised autobiography The Great Santini (1976), solidified his place as a writer of Southern literature. Briefly, this novel tells the story of a young man growing up with an abusive Marine fighter pilot father, an undereducated mother from a poor southern background, and six younger siblings whom he sought to protect from their father’s wrath. The story so parallels Conroy’s life that it might have included the old Dragnet disclaimer: “The story … is true. Only the names have been changed.”

In The Death of Santini, Conroy brings a sort of closure to the story of his relationship with his father, Don. From a perspective of 30+ years after the first Santini book, Conroy chronicles life in this incredibly dysfunctional family, laying open wounds that have scarred the family forever. Most enlightening for me were two parts of the story. First, the role that love continued to play in a family that had every right to hate. Conroy could have turned his back on his father and left him to spend his retirement and last years alone. Instead, he tells of having morning coffee every day with his father, during which they sparred verbally over their past transgressions. It was a form of blood-letting that helped mend their relationship, to the point that Don regularly joined his son at book-signings.

The second is Conroy’s startling realization that inside him lurks the same Santini beast, and it is not far from the surface. He came to acknowledge his violent nature and struggled, sometimes unsuccessfully, to control it.

The Death of Santini hit the shelves more than 15 years after the passing of the real Santini, Don Conroy. Some wounds take a long time to heal.

I Forgot To Remember A Memoir of Amnesia by Su Meck with Daniel de Vise 616.85 Mec

Su.  The book begins in 1988.  Su is only 22 but she is already married and has two young sons.  No doubt she expected her life to be filled with the normal ups and downs.  Then a ceiling fan fell and hit her on the head causing a traumatic brain injury.  All of her memories were gone.  She did not know her husband, children or any of her family.  Nor did she understand anything about the world or how things worked.  For example, during rehab she was taught how to make tuna salad sandwiches because it took several steps (can opener, chopping, mixing, etc).  When she came home she knew she was suppose to feed her family three times a day - and for every meal she fixed what she knew- tuna salad!  She had to learn to tie a shoe, read, write and care for children.  To survive she needed to learn how to fake things - so she became a good mimic. The most unbelievable part of this book is that her children survived.  This was a fascinating read!

Why do I love non-fiction?  Because it is often more horrific, more fascinating and more inspiring than fiction.  If this book were fiction I would probably not have liked it because it would be too unbelievable.  If you think your life is challenging, pick up this book and read about

Ask Bob by Peter Gethers BCD FIC Get

 

I was looking for an audio book for a trip last weekend.  The description didn't excite me too much except for the fact that "Bob" was a vet (animals not military!) I am very careful with the animal stories I choose because if the dog dies then I will end up doing a lot of crying. (spoiler alert - the dogs are okay).  Well, I ended up loving this book.  It is read by Adam Verner who did a great job - a necessity if you are going to enjoy listening to a book.  I thought the main story would be about Bob's practice and the crazy people and animals.  There is some of that but it is mostly about Bob's life.  He comes from a rather dysfunctional family - although they look a lot better to him after he marries Anna and meets her family!  One of the parts of the book I liked best were letters in his weekly advice column that were interspersed throughout the story.  The answers he gives are as much philosophy as anything else.  There are parts of the book that made me laugh out loud and parts that made me cry -  what more could you ask for? So ask Bob!

Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin (MYS Ran)

Rebus is back.  The case may not seem like a big one but, Rebus being Rebus, we all know things will happen.  And they do.

Rebus investigates the case of a young woman found unconscious in a car at an accident site.  Seemingly simple, this case quickly becomes anything but - especially when it turns out her boyfriend's father is a highly placed public figure and her father is a successful businessman with unscrupulous leanings.

At the same time, Rebus is paired with Malcolm Fox, now an investigating officer but most recently a member of the internal affairs division.  Fox is investigating the "Saints of the Shadow Bible", the division that Rebus was assigned to thirty years ago at the beginning of his career.  Fox believes the team was involved in unethical and perhaps illegal activities and is determined to uncover the truth - with or without help from Rebus.

Grudgingly Rebus and his friend and former colleague Siobhan Clarke come to respect Fox and his approach.  Rebus begins to trust him and comes to like him?  Well maybe not quite.

Even though he might be displaying a softer side, Rebus is still Rebus.  Which means he only knows one way to solve cases - by bulldozing his way through clues, witnesses, and theories and by aggravating his bosses and higher ups.  Especially that.  And at a time when reorganization is at hand and Rebus can't imagine any life outside the police force, aggravating his superiors is the last thing he should be doing.

Rebus seems to me to be the classic definition of an anti-hero.  He drinks (a lot), smokes almost as much, and seems not to have any scruples.  But I like him in spite of his flaws.  Which seems to be the case with many of the people he knows!  He seemed more human in this novel than in any of the others I've read and at times I missed the old, drunken, sarcastic Rebus.  And just when I thought he had changed, that old persona appeared.

Reading a Rankin mystery is like visiting Scotland.  Edinburgh is as much a character in Rankin's mysteries as any of the people.  In this outing the upcoming vote for Scottish independence was almost as important as the people in the story.  The vote is scheduled for later this year and I'll be watching the news and newspapers to see what the outcome is.

In the meantime, I know that John Rebus will still be there solving crimes as only he can.

The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley FIC Buc

I thought this book looked interesting but it was even much better than I was expecting - because I kept thinking I knew where the story was going, but every time I was wrong! This is the story of Eve Lattimore.  Her sole focus in life is to protect her son Tyler from light.  He suffers from a condition which makes sunlight and some artificial lights deadly.  The life expectancy for someone with this condition is around 20 years.  It is serious stuff.  With the cooperation of the neighbors Tyler can go outside at night (they need to use certain bulbs outside).  The lights from a car could severely burn him, so he has to be careful.  Except he is a teenaged boy and he is not going to always be careful.  His father is away working much of the time so after his mother and sister are asleep he often sneaks out.  His passion is photography so he always has his camera with him.  Eve also has a teenaged daughter to contend with - and you know that isn't easy.  And without her husband around their marriage is becoming a little shaky.

One night the lives of everyone in the neighbor are changed.  What is Eve willing to do to protect her family?  Well, I know because I read the book........   I enjoyed the characters and the story line.  Suspenseful but not bloody - just the way I like it!

The Martian by Andy Weir SF Wei

Six days into the first manned mission to land on Mars, a sandstorm causes the mission to be aborted some 25 days early. As the 6-man crew is rushing to the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) which will launch them from Mars to their waiting spaceship orbiting above, Mark Watney -- the crew's engineer and botanist -- is struck by debris and lost. The remaining crew reach the MAV and leave Mars, headed home for good.  Everyone on Earth joins them in mourning Watney's death.

Except Mark isn't dead.  And now he has to figure out how to stay alive for over a year, on a dead planet with 25 days' worth of supplies, not to mention how to let anyone on Earth know that he's there and still kicking.

Funny, sarcastic science-fiction without being overly technical (and, importantly for me, without going the aliens route), I really enjoyed this book. Mark is likeable, as are the other characters throughout the book, and the story itself is very clever.  Even a non-fan of sci-fi might find this a fun little read.

Before We Met by Lucie Whithouse FIC Whi

  

I loved this suspenseful and psychological novel.  It is the story of Hannah an Englishwoman who falls in love with a fellow Brit in New York City.  Hannah is working hard on a career in advertising and has been keeping away from commitments after a bad relationship.  But after meeting Mark, who was in the U.S.on a business trip, she fell head over heels.  After a courtship she gives up her career and moves back to London.  They have a great life going until Hannah goes to the airport to pick him up - and he doesn't get off the plane. Eventually she hears from him and he has a very long explanation of why he wasn't on the plane.  And he didn't call because he left his phone in a cab. The next day she tries to reach him at the hotel where he always stays......except this time. One suspicion leads to another when she finds out his colleagues don't know where he went and her bank account is down to almost nothing. Hannah is torn between her love for Mark and the mounting evidence. 

Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-Ha-Ha! by Barbara Park (Juvenile Fiction)

Junie B. (Jones) can hardly contain her excitement in school.  Just the night before her parents told her that they would be taking a trip to HAWAII (Junie B. talks in all capitals when she's excited) and it is a GROWNUP trip which means that her little brother, Ollie, will NOT BE GOING ALONG.  Her teacher gives her a camera to take pictures with and designates her the official photo-journalist for her class.  Even though this is dangerously close to HOMEWORK, Junie is still excited.

Junie's trip doesn't start out very well.  She is plagued with grouchy old ladies in front of and behind her on the plane.  Once on the ground the swimming ring that she convinces her parents she JUST HAS TO HAVE doesn't quite fit and she discovers that snorkeling might sound like fun but it isn't really since there are eels and jellyfish too close for comfort.

I was warned by co-workers that they weren't overly fond of Junie B. Jones and I have to say I agree!  She is a little on the obnoxious side and not really all that likable.  But...

The author captures the excitement and enthusiasm of a first grader.  Junie's speech patterns were spot on and I found myself laughing at her and cringing along with her.  Everything is seen from Junie's perspective so that even the reason for the trip (her father has a job interview) is lost on her.  What matters is the trip itself.

My favorite character ever?  Well, no.  But I still enjoyed the 35 minutes it took me to read this book.  And since it isn't often that I can say that I read a whole book in under an hour, I'm giving it
a thumbs up!

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell FIC Cor

In England in 866 Uhtred, a 10-year-old English boy is captured in a battle with the invading Danes that leaves his father dead.  His captor is Earl Ragnar, a Danish chieftan.  Knowing that he should despise this man, Uhtred comes instead to love him as a father.  He is taught the Danish ways of war and is taken along on many of the battles that end up with more and more of England being captured by the Vikings.

In spite of his love for Ragnar and his family, however, Uhtred can never really forget that he is English.  As he grows up and begins to fight he yearns for the home that was taken from him all those years ago and vows one day to recover it from the uncle who now lives there.

Eventually Uhtred's path crosses that of Alfred who is king of the last kingdom still to be ruled by Englishman and he must choose where his loyalties lie.

This book was published in 2004 and is the first in a series.  In a time when battles were fought hand to hand and were extremely personal, the author's descriptions of these battles are as gruesome as you might expect. After reading this I have a better understanding of how shields were used in battle, their pluses and minuses. When Uhtred says that he isn't really a man because he hasn't fought in a prolonged shield wall battle, he isn't necessarily sorry as he knows that these battles are long and torturous... and deadly.

The author gives his main character a great deal of humanity.  Told from the perspective of Uhtred as an old (or older) man we see how arrogant he was as a youth but also that he understood this.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series - and already have it checked out.

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon FIC McM

  

This one was a bit out of the reality box  - and that is why I found it intriguing.  There are three intertwined stories.  The first one is the diary of Sara Harrison.  She was found dead in a field months after the tragic death of her daughter Gertie.  This was in 1908 in West Hall, Vermont.
Second is the part of the story which tells of Ruthie Washburne's odd life.  She lives with Alice, her mother, and Fawn, her younger sister.  Ruthie wants to get out of West Hall when she can.  Alice has kept her children in an electronics-free home - but Ruthie knows what is out there and she wants to experience it.  When Alice seemingly disappears one day the girls go looking for clues in their house - and uncover a copy of the diary belonging to Sara Harrison.

Katherine was happily married to a wonderful guy named Gary.  Life wasn't perfect though.  Their 6 year old son had died from leukemia two years before.  They were getting through the best they could - and then the unthinkable happened.  Gary is killed in a car accident.  When Katherine tries to find out what Gary was doing on that road she ends up - where else?  in West Hall, Vermont.

I enjoyed the way the parts were intertwined.  It is a story about the bonds of love.  How far would someone go to connect with the one they had loved and lost?

The Absence of Mercy by John Burley FIC Bur

This is Burley's first novel and I will look forward to more.  This one takes place in a small town in Ohio.  Not much happens there....until one day a brutal crime is committed. A teenager is killed and his body is mutilated.  It happened after school in the woods by the high school but no attempt was made to hide the body.  When Ben Stevenson pulls into his driveway he is met by his hysterical wife, Susan.  She tells him what has happened and that the victim has not been identified yet.  Frantic, she wants to know if Ben has heard from their son Thomas. They are both scared until Ben checks his phone and sees a message from Thomas' coach saying that all was well.  Soon Ben receives a call to come into work - Dr. Stevenson is the medical examiner.  There are no leads. Eventually there is another attack - they have a serial killer to deal with.  There were twists and turns in the book - and I am glad I went along for the ride.