ONE MOMENT, ONE MORNING

ONE MOMENT, ONE MORNING by Sarah Rayner

From the back of the book:

A masterfully written novel about the healing power of friendship, this is the story of three women whose lives become inextricably linked after a life-changing event during their morning commute into London.

The Brighton-to-London line.  the 7:44 AM train.  Cars packed with commuters.  One woman occupies her time observing the people around her.  Opposite her, a girl puts on makeup.  Across the aisle, a husband strokes his wife's hand.  Farther along, another woman flicks through a glossy magazine.  Then, abruptly, everything changes:  a man collapses, the train is stopped, an ambulance is called.  And for three passengers that particular morning, life will never be the same again.

There's Lou, who witnesses events firsthand.  Anna, who's impatient to get to work.  And Karen, the man's wife.  Telling the story of the week following that fateful train journey, One Moment, One Morning is a stunning novel about love and loss, about family and - above all - friendship.  A stark reminder that sometimes, one moment is all it takes to shatter everything.  Yet it also reminds us that somehow, despite it all, life can and does go on.

Blah.  This book never caught my attention.  I never felt any type of connection to the characters.  Set in England, there were a lot of English terms and expressions that took a moment or two to translate into American terms.

Just blah.

ZERO DAY

ZERO DAY by David Baldacci

From the book jacket:

John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division.  His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison.  Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.

Now Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost.  Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered.  The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation.  As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he's seen in this small town, and no one in it, is what it seems.  Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.

David Baldacci never fails to deliver a powerful book.  This book introduces a new hero, John Puller.  He's strong, silent, and focused, determined to find out what's out of place in this small town.  As he gets more information from Army officials, he finds he has only three days to do this - or there will be a major catastrophe.  This book had me quickly turning pages, and had a surprise twist at the end.

I really liked Puller.  As Baldacci tends to write books using the same major characters, I'm hoping that there will be more books with this fascinating man.

OXYGEN

OXYGEN by Carol Cassella

From the back of the book:

Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at the height of her profession.  She has lived and breathed her career since medical school, and she now practices at a top Seattle hospital.  But a child's death on the operating table forces Marie to explain the nightmarish disaster and face the resulting malpractice suit.  Simultaneously, Marie is faced with a quieter crisis within her family, as her aging father's sight deteriorates, leaving Marie responsible for his care.  As her carefully structured life begins to collapse, Marie confronts questions of love and betrayal, family bonds and the price of her own choices.

Set against the natural splendor of Seattle, and inside the closed vaults of hospital operating rooms, Oxygen climaxes in a final twist that is as heartrending as it is redeeming.

I really liked this book.  As a nurse, I enjoy medical stories, especially ones that are realistic and have the medical parts down correctly.  The author of this book is an anesthesiologist so she has inside knowledge of the role that doctor plays during surgeries.  I've never worked in an OR but everything here seems correct and logical.

Marie has a lot to face after the death of the child, Jolene Jansen.  Faced with grief, loss of money, prestige, possibly her job and also faced with the possibility of incarceration, Marie responds in a manner that seems appropriate for her.  She begins to lose faith in herself, but is able to stay focused enough to find answers herself.  I liked Marie a lot.

Dr. Cassella has another book out, Healer, that I'm putting on my wish list.

THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY

THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY by Sharyn McCrumb was read for the Southern Literature Challenge 2012.

From the book flap:

The Kingston Trio's folk song "Tom Dooley" tells the story of the murder of Laura Foster, a simple country girl involved with returning confederate soldier Tom Dula.  But Tom was also engaged in a passionate affair with his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful - and married - Ann Melton.  One May morning in 1866, Laura Foster stole her father's horse and left home, telling a neighbor that she was eloping to Tennessee.  Three months later her body was found in a shallow grave only a few hundred yards from where she was last seen.

The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention:  a man and his married lover accused of murdering the other woman; the former governor of North Carolina, spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the condemned man on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved.

With the help of Wilkes County historians and researchers, author Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and concluded that the traditional story did not make sense.  Consulting the maps, the trial transcripts, and the census records, she uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened.

What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal has been transformed by new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights.  The fictional retelling of the historical account became an astonishing revelation of the real motives and the real culprit in the murder of Laura Foster.

Who remembers the Kingston Trio?  I guess I'm showing my age here.  This is from 1958.

Loved the Kingston Trio, loved the song.  So when I saw this book, naturally I wanted to read it and find out all the details.  The story was narrated in parts by Zebulon Vance, the defense attorney, and Pauline Foster, a distant cousin of Laura Foster and Ann Foster Melton.  While the book told most of the story, it never gave a definitive answer to the question of who killed Laura.  Was Pauline involved, and if so, in what way?  How much did she know?  What really happened the morning that Laura disappeared?  And who was Mr. Grayson?

As far as the book went, it was interesting and kept my attention.  I guess I just wanted more answers than Ms. McCrumb could provide.

THE SUMMER GARDEN

THE SUMMER GARDEN by Sherryl Woods

From the book flap:

Falling for "Maddening Moira" O'Malley was the unexpected highlight of Luke O'Brien's Dublin holiday.  so when she pays a surprise visit to Chesapeake Shores, Luke is thrilled...at first.  A fling with this wild Irish rose is one thing, but forever?  Maybe someday, but not when he's totally focused on establishing a business that will prove his mettle to his overachieving family.

Given Luke's reaction, Moira has some soul-searching of her own to do.  Scarred by her father's abandonment, she wonders if Luke, with his playboy past, is truly the family man she longs for.  Adding to her dilemma, she's offered an amazing chance at a dream career of her own.

Deep down, though, Moira knows home is the real prize, and that love can be every bit as enchanted as a summer garden.

A perfect ending to a delightful series.  This series has followed the entire O'Brien clan through ups and downs, love and marriages.  In this book, Luke, the youngest O'Brien, had found the perfect woman for him, but settling down now just didn't fit into his timetable.  But Moira had some big decisions of her own to make.  How these two worked out their differences made a fun story.

Two of my favorite series have now ended (Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series is the other).  I know I'm really going to miss the wild, crazy O'Brien clan!

THE LIES WE TOLD

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain was read for the Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2012.

From the back of the book:

Maya and Rebecca Ward are both accomplished physicians, but that's where the sisters' similarities end.  As teenagers, they witnessed their parents' murder, but it was Rebecca who saved Maya from becoming another of the gunman's victims.  The tragedy left Maya cautious and timid, settling for a sedate medical practice with her husband, Adam, while Rebecca became the risk taker.

After a devastating hurricane hits the coast of North Carolina, Rebecca and Adam urge Maya to join them in the relief effort. To please her husband, Maya finally agrees.  She loses herself in the care and transport of victims, but when her helicopter crashes into raging floodwaters, there appear to be no survivors.

Forced to accept Maya is gone, Rebecca and Adam turn to one another - first for comfort, then in passion - unaware that, miles from civilization, Maya is injured and trapped with strangers she's not certain she can trust.  Away from the sister who has always been there to save her, now Maya must find the courage to save herself - unaware that the life she knew has changed forever.

I've read quite a few of Ms. Chamberlain's books and enjoyed them all.  This one, while I liked it, didn't give me the same amount of pleasure.   It had a good story line, but I never really connected with any of the characters.  Maya seemed very weak at first, but gained strength as the book went along.  I didn't like Rebecca although I can't put a finger on why not.  The ending of the book was a surprise that I didn't expect, but it made perfect sense.  This book, for some unknown reason, just didn't seem to me to be on the same level as some of her other books.

Regardless, Ms. Chamberlain remains one of my favorite authors - one whose books I'll buy whenever I see them.

IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS

IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS by Erik Larson

From Amazon.com (Shane Hansanuwat):

In the Garden of Beasts is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler's reign, brought to lfe through the stories of two people:  William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America's first ambassador to Hitler's regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha.  Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite.  His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodd's growing misgivings about Hitler's ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to "give Hitler everything he wants."  Martha, on the other hand, is mesmerized by the glamorous parties and the high-minded conversation of Berlin's salon society - and flings herself headlong into numerous affairs with the city's elite, most notably the head of the Gestapo and a Soviet spy.  Both become players in the exhilarating (and terrifying) story of Hitler's obsession for absolute power, which culminates in the events of one murderous night, later known as "the Night of Long Knives."  the rise of Nazi Germany is a well-chronicled time in history, which makes In the Garden of Beasts all the more remarkable.  Erik Larson has crafted a gripping, deeply-intimate narrative with a climax that reads like the best political thriller, where we are stunned with each turn of the page, even though we already know the outcome.

I wasn't really thrilled with this book.  In fact, I thought it was on the dull and boring side.  I think I was probably expecting more of the atrocities that are associated with Hitler and Nazi Germany during WWII.  This book, however, covered the years before the war as Hitler was just coming into power.

I felt sorry for Ambassador Dodd.  He was given a position for which he was not suited or prepared.  He had no real support from home; in fact, he was made fun of by other members of the State Department.  His daughter Martha must have been an embarrassment to him as she slept her way through German officers and members of society.

I guess, as a history lesson, the book fulfilled its promise.  But as interesting reading for me, it didn't make the grade.

DEAR MOTHER NATURE...

I think you goofed.  This is Atlanta, deep in the South.  We're supposed to have warm days.  Even in February, our days aren't supposed to be cold.  Cool, OK - but not cold.

And temperatures below 20 degrees are COLD!

Please check Mapquest and make sure you take your cold temperatures back above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Thank you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Another year older.  Just can't stop the clock.  Oh well, much better than the alternative.

My wonderful sister Anne and dear brother-in-law Sy came up from Florida to spend the day with me.  That's about the best present I could ever have.

I'm bowling this morning.  I have a lovely tiara to wear and cupcakes to share with my bowling buddies.  Dom is bringing Anne and Sy to the bowling center sometime during the games, then I think Anne and I and my card group girls might be going out to lunch and have a little card-playing time.  Tonight Dom, Anne, Sy, Shelby, Donna and I are going to Provino's for dinner - a local Italian restaurant that serves a free dinner on your birthday.  Yummy eggplant Parmesan!

It looks like it's going to be a super birthday for me!

YELLOW CROCUS

YELLOW CROCUS by Laila Ibrahim

From Amazon.com:

Moments after her birth to the mistress of a sprawling Virginia plantation, Lisbeth Wainwright is entrusted to Mattie, an enslaved wet nurse.  From then on, Mattie serves as Lisbeth's stand-in mother, nursing her, singing her to sleep, and soothing her in the night.  And yet mothering Lisbeth tears Mattie away from her own baby, Samuel, who lives in the slave quarters.  Growing up under Mattie's tender care, Lisbeth adopts her traditions of prayer, singing, eating black-eyed peas, and hunting for yellow crocuses in the spring.  As the years pass, Lisbeth is drawn back into the white world, earning a growing awareness of the inequality of her and Mattie's stations.  She struggles to reconcile her love for Mattie with her parents' expectation for her future, intent on keeping the best of both worlds - until a terrible betrayal forces her to choose once and for all.  Yellow Crocus is a compelling novel of love, loss, and redemption set during one of the most sinister chapters of American history.

This was a free book for my Kindle.  And one of the few free books that I've really enjoyed.  The story showed the viewpoint of both Mattie and Lisbeth, highlighting their different lives but also their love for each other.  Mattie, being a house slave and nurse for Lisbeth, was treated well and the reader could almost forget that she was a slave.  Almost...

The Civil War period is one of my favorite eras to read about, and this was a nice departure from the brutal treatment of slaves in other books.

A CIRCLE OF SOULS

A CIRCLE OF SOULS by Preetham Grandhi

From the back of the book:

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered.  The town's top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury's hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings's devastating nightmares.  Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya's parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams.  Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents.  Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya's crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.

In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

I was sent this book by the author about a year or so ago.  I apologize to Dr. Grandhi for not reading this sooner.  I really enjoyed this book.  I didn't want to put this one down.  I had to know what would happen next.  How frightening it must have been for Naya to have these dreams and not understand their meaning.  These dreams were the only clues the police and FBI had to help them solve this case, and also a very similar case from years before.

This was a debut novel for Dr. Grandhi, but it read like he had been writing for a while.  A clear story line that moved from incident to incident without losing its way.  I'll be on the lookout for further books by Dr. Grandhi.