WHAT WE'RE READING

NETTIE (Dec. 2009)
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

If you’re ready for a page-turning thriller, start with “Heartsick”, the first book
in the Chelsea Cain trilogy! You will meet Archie Sheridan, a Portland
detective who was caught two years earlier by the beautiful and intoxicating
Gretchen, the serial killer he had been tracking.  After she tortured him for 10
days, she let him go and decided to turn herself in.  

Now Archie is addicted to pain pills and is in a prison of torture in his own
mind.  While still visiting Gretchen in prison to try and find out the
whereabouts of her other victims, he becomes estranged from his wife and
family.  Suddenly the murders start again with innocent girls disappearing
and Archie must pull himself together to head the task force to solve the
murders.  

You will have a suspenseful ride as Archie tries to solve the murders, free
himself from the beautiful serial killer’s hold on him, and tries to get back
with his wife and family.  When you finish this mind-boggling mystery, you
will want to continue the trilogy with “Sweetheart” and “Evil at Heart”. Enjoy
the ride!


NADA (Dec. 2009)
Escape by Carolyn Jessop

I’ve been trying to balance my love of fiction with some non-fiction to expand
my horizons, so to speak. My horizons were expanded all right! This book
chronicles the life of Carolyn Jessop, one of the fourteen wives of Meryl
Jessop, a highly esteemed elder in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day
Saints. As an 18 or 19 year old bride, Carolyn, was given to Meryl by the
“prophet” who arranged all marriages as he was “divinely inspired.” “Sister
wives” lived together with all of their combined children under one roof. It
was a shock to discover that these seemingly devout people were given to
neglect and severe abuse among the families. The wages of the women
who did work were given immediately to the husband unless the women
could secret some away for themselves. To do so was disobedient and
punishable by beating, but some did anyway. Fortunately for Catherine, she
had a head for business and was able to work away from home and the
abusive situation some of the time. She tried to take her children as much
as she could. It was largely through the misfortune of one of her children that
she came to understand the cult for what it was. As her child suffered
numerous hospitalizations, she came to realize that those “evil” people from
“outside” were actually much more compassionate and loving toward her
than her own family. These observations led her to plan a harrowing escape
with her children. She would be in direct defiance of her husband and the
church, but she could no longer tolerate the idea of her children being raised
this way. She knew she only had a short time to be gone before they would
know of her plan and hunt her down.

Carolyn’s shocking story is a poignant view of life inside a polygamist
colony. It is difficult to read because of the harsh realities of her life, including
basically being a sex slave to her husband. Because the book is riddled with
adult scenes and realities, I would not recommend it for teenagers.


RENEE (Nov. 2009)
American Rust by Philipp Meyer

Isaac English and Billy Poe are sons of Buell, an increasingly destitute mill
town in the Monongahela Valley of western Pennsylvania. As disparate as
brain and jock can be, they are, amazingly, best friends. Isaac wants out of
the dying steel belt so badly that he steals his father’s $4000 emergency
fund. Poe, in love with the beauty of the rolling hills and river bottoms
reverting from manufacturing powerhouse to wilderness, is trying to scrape
out a living so he can stay. On what begins as a last walk to the rail yard, the
young men encounter a group of bums. Before the day is over, one of the
homeless men is dead. The rest of the novel explores the consequences of
an act of violence born out of friendship.

Much in Meyer’s debut novel, as in life, defies appearances and
expectations. Chapters, written in the distinctive voices of the characters --
the boys, Poe’s mother Grace, Isaac’s sister Lee, and the town police chief
Bud Harris -- reveal glimpses of their personalities, family histories, and
underlying motivations. The tale portrays the revised social realities and
dreary prospects of post-industrial America. Throughout, it is a compelling,
atmospheric journey of dogged hope, abiding friendship, unspoken love,
family loyalty, terrible mistakes, and personal sacrifice which emerge as the
American dream goes bust.


JEAN (Sept. 2009)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
and  Annie Barrows

I was intrigued by the title of this book but not eager to read it after I realized
that it was entirely in the form of notes and letters. The good news was that
after a few pages, I found the content to be historically interesting and the
characters quirky and engaging.

The story is set both in England and on the channel island of Guernsey
during the mid 1940's when the island was occupied by the Germans. A
group of locals invented the title as the name of their book club when they
were caught after curfew and threatened to be arrested by the Nazi
occupiers. The group continues to meet to discuss books and literary works
that interest them as a pastime under the occupation.

Julia Ashton, one of the main characters, is a successful journalist living in
London. When her name is discovered scrawled in the inside cover of a
book by Dawsey Adams, a farmer living in Guernsey and a member of the
book club, he contacts Julia with the hope that she could send him a copy of
the biography of Charles Lamb. This request delighted Julia since she too
was a lover of Charles Lamb. The two embark on an exchange of letters that
ultimately draws Julia into the plight of the Guernsey locals. As more of the
Guernsey residents learn of her interest, they also begin writing to Julia
revealing the great sadness and harsh living conditions that they are forced
to endure.As you might imagine, Julia eventually travels to Guernsey to meet
this diverse and, eccentric group of survivors, who by their own ingenuity and
perseverance have managed to care for each other as a mode of survival.

This is a charming, engaging and entertaining story and one that history
lovers of this era will enjoy.