Review 317: Where No One Should Live: A Novel

Where No One Should Live: A Novel by Sandra Cavallo Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While there is a bit of a medical mystery at the heart of the book, what has more focus in the romantic interest of the main character, the doctor Maya. We see the lives of several doctors, but the main two are Maya and Alex. Maya works in the Arizona Public Health Department while seeing patients at the clinic on Thursdays. Alex works at the clinic, which also has a number of resident interns, and it seems that something odd is going on at the clinic.

This is not a fast-paced book, it is more of a day-to-day reveal, with the doctors going about their routine. Maya lives on her family ranch, with an elderly horse, visiting her folks on Sundays a few hours away.

The heat of the place is almost a character of itself, mentioned frequently. Along with other safety concerns that doctors, particularly those in public health try to protect the citizens. Some of Maya’s keen interests in trying to get a helmet law passed.

The book grew on me, although the writing style was one I had to get used to. This is not a particularly long novel, but it almost asks you to sit with it for a while, to embrace the slower pace.

Thanks to University of Nevada Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 316: A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this little book! It is a half-sized book, yet full of all the information one needs to start to understand pigeons, which are also doves (same bird, two names). The author is extremely enthusiastic about this bird and trying to dispel many of the common misunderstandings about them.

The book is written in a light way, using puns and such that I felt happy while reading this book. It was such a joy!

We get a small amount of history, biology, info on different breeds, and much more. The book is exactly as it says, a guide to pigeon watching, and the best part -- it's full of these adorable drawings. So cute!

I wish there was a series of these type of books on various birds written in the same way. I’d want to read them all.

How about a fun little promo about the book. It's super short. 🙂

Review 315: Bittersweet

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m in the middle on this book. On one hand I enjoyed listening to Susan Cain’s narration and exploration of this topic, but on the other hand it got a little too deep into self-help and spirituality than I expected. It felt there was more Cain could do to delve deep into this topic without resorting to telling us readers how we can do this or that, such as meditative practices. The book had much more of a memoir aspect than expected as well, explaining how this topic is something she has thought about for much of her life.

Despite the expectations being different I did not dislike the book. Her narration really did pull the book forward. I listened at first for a couple of hours and was a little thrown by what was going on. Then I returned a week later and listened to the rest fairly quickly, accepting what the book now was.

I connected more to the material when she discussed her own personal life, and her experience in doing research for the book. She attended several workshop types and a conference, RAADfest on life extension. How longevity and living forever fits in with bittersweet has to do with accepting, or not, the inevitability of death.

I expect this book will be more polarizing and less successful than her book on introversion, but the topics do seem related. And if you enjoyed Quiet, you may find something here to connect to as well.

Review 314: People of the Longhouse

People of the Longhouse by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

People of the Longhouse #1

North America's Forgotten Past #17

This book in the series is a bit darker than those before it as at the center of the story involves children. They are kidnapped, then sold to others who rape them, or abuse them in other ways. The story is also about a group out to rescue the stolen children.

Despite the dark themes the book ends somewhat abruptly, to carry on with the next book. Of course, now I want to read that next one quickly. Good thing I already own it.

Review: 313 The Last Mona Lisa

The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fast-paced book, a thriller really, while also being an historical fiction book about art, one of the most famous paintings, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The main character, Luke Perrone is the great-grandson of Vincent Peruggia who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911. The painting went missing for two years, then the thief was caught trying to sell it and was sent to prison for a short time. While in prison Peruggia wrote a journal explaining how and why he did it. Another mystery suggests that while the painting was missing a copy artist created several versions of the painting that are nearly identical and difficult to determine the real from the fake. There are rumors there is a fake hanging in the museum.

Luke is an artist himself and art history teacher and he finally gets a lead about his great-grandfather that makes him drop everything, putting his teaching job in jeopardy, to fly to Italy. From a source he finds the journal, locked in an archive library where he can only read bits at a time. Meanwhile INTERPOL along with some nefarious individuals are tracking Luke and leaving dead bodies in their wake. There’s also the gorgeous blonde in the library, another American, who becomes a love interest, distracting Luke from his goal to find out about the painting and his great-grandfather.

There are several characters, nearly too many, but somehow it does manage to work together. The writing style is easy to read and makes the reading go quickly. It’s hard to put the book down, wanting to know what happens next. There are some unsavory individuals and we do get their point of view, but happily these are usually very short sections. One of the best aspects of the book is how much is based in fact, what actually happened in the past. There is some who still suggest the famous painting is a forgery.

Thanks to Soucebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 312: The Vanished Days

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While this is a prequel to two other books by Susanna Kearsley, I haven’t read those and didn’t seem necessary. Now that I have read this one, I’m ready to get into the first book: The Winter Sea.

This was a detective type story taking place in Scotland in 1707 with the main character Adam tasked with attempting to certify the legitimacy of a claimed marriage by Lily. She is seeking her husband’s pension since he died, which necessitates authorizing the claim. Since they married in secret, and the signed witnesses are already dead, it’s a tricky claim. Adam is the narrator of the story and he when interviewing the subjects, instead of a question-and-answer narrative it turns into a story of the past. This made the novel flow well. What unfolds is the story of Lily’s life, since a young girl and up to the recent days.

Since I haven’t read the other books in this series, I cannot comment on whether it helps to develop the characters more or what adds to the overall series. I was fully immersed in the story and enjoyed the journey.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator had a very careful way of speaking that included longer pauses than I’m used to hearing. It took a short a bit for me to adjust to the narration, but once it got underway the story took over and I stopped noticing the narrator.

Review 311: What's Mine and Yours

What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found it hard to connect with the characters in this book. This story is about two families, in the same town, both broken and dysfunctional in some way, with the mother’s being the strong ones trying to raise their kids. We have many characters, with their own point of view, along with different timelines. This created a fractured tale that was difficult to get into to fully understand the people and their stories.

It isn’t until nearly half-way through the book the major plot event happens, with the local high school wanting to combine both sides of town to give all the kids an equal chance. Some families don’t want the “bad kids” really people of color, to lower their white kids chances at a good college. The parents seem more upset about this than the kids, who come together, new and old students, by producing a Shakespeare play.

In addition to the plot there's plenty of individual family drama, within the different timelines, marriages not working out, and such. It’s not that long of a book for all these different narrations going on. However, in the end it does seem to pull together, although for me, not very satisfying.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.