Finished audio 5-9-10, rating 4/5, Legal Mystery, pub. 2006

This was originally published as a serial in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  Turow added material and published it in book form.

George Mason is the main character of this legal thriller and his first appearance was in Turow’s Personal Injuries, which I’ve never read but still really enjoyed this one.  Mason is an appellate judge and he is in the middle of deciding  a high-profile rape case that reminds him of an indiscretion of his 40 years before, his wife is battling cancer and he is receiving death threats both at work and at home.  George Mason has a lot on his plate. 

I liked his indecision over the rape case and how it related to his college days.  It made him see the boys convicted in a light that most of us would never entertain and I thought that was the most compelling part of the story.  But ultimately the story hinges on the death threats and who wants the judge dead and I found the culprit to be a satisfying one.  I mean, I didn’t really suspect him or her but it made some sense at the end. 

I think because this story was originally a magazine serial it didn’t really focus enough attention on every aspect of the story.  I wish his wife’s illness had been integrated a little more, but that is  a small complaint.  I found the story to be thought-provoking and a good thriller.

I checked this audio book out of the library and Jason and I listened to it on our trip to and from my parent’s house for Mother’s Day.  Read by Stephen Lang.

Finished audio 5-5-10, rating 3/5, spiritual fiction, pub. 2007

Narrated by Roger Mueller

Mack is haunted by the death of his youngest daughter.  Becoming a shell of his formal self he keeps God at a distance even as his wife embraces God, or Papa as she likes to call him.  One day a few years after the kidnapping Mack receives a note from Papa that asks Mack to come to the Shack.  Mack hides his intent from his wife and children and heads to the Oregon wilderness one weekend.  Mack is greeted by a large black woman (God), and nondescript Jewish man (Jesus) and an Asian spirit (Holy Ghost).  As the weekend unfolds Mack learns about what love and God really mean and he is able to come to terms with his heartbreaking past, even beyond that of the death of his daughter.

There are many hot button issues covered here with religion, forgiveness, pain, and grace being a few of the prominent ones.  Mack spends alone time with each of the trinity and learns from each of them, some lessons more meaningful than others. 

My Mom raved about this one as did many people who read it and I wanted to love it too.  Only I didn’t love it, but I did like it.  There were lots of things to think about in this one, but it didn’t change my view of the world or my role in it.  There were lots of things in here that I already believed and there were others that were interesting and thought-provoking.  I guess I just don’t like fiction books that cram too many spiritual ideas in.  The story becomes irrelevant and almost trite.  I’d rather read a fiction story that addresses one issue or a nonfiction book that doesn’t bother with trying to manipulate my feelings.

I listened to this in the car which I do not think was ideal.  Maybe if I had been able to set the book down and think on it at various times I would have enjoyed it more.

I borrowed this unabridged audio book from the library.

Finished 4-28-10, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 2000

Book 2 in the Merci Rayborn series

I always think a series should be read in order, but for the first time on my blog I’m going to say that you don’t have to read the first one to truly appreciate the second in this series.  Here’s my review of the first one.  I didn’t really care for Merci in Blue Hour, but I did like her in this one.

Merci is a homicide detective living with her young son and widowed father.  She has a new partner, after her last one (and the father of her child) was killed, a love interest, and a new case that threatens at least one of those relationships.  A prostitute is murdered and it looks like there is at least one cop involved.  Then Merci is handed a cold case 30 years old and it is also a murdered prostitute involving cops.  Could they somehow be related?  And why is someone trying to help her by providing evidence? 

Merci really did grow on me this time around.  She still has some issues, but the death of Hess a few years ago and the birth of her son has softened her a bit.  This is not one of those mysteries that wraps up everything with a beautiful bow.  Yes, all of the storylines reached a conclusion, but there were some difficult decisions to be made and Merci is just the gal to make them.  Life is messy and this mystery captured that.  Loved it.  My only complaint was the large cast of characters.  I sometimes had a difficult time remembering who was who.

I’m looking forward to the next one is the series.  This book came from my own library.

Finished 4-20-10, rating 3/5, fiction short stories, pub. 1991

This collection of 13 short stories had a few gems, but was mostly just average for me.  These were published in magazines in the 1970’s & 80’s and they seemed a little dated to me.  But maybe all of these stories of  life in English villages added this feeling.  I have read one Pilcher book and thought it was good but not great, so maybe she’s just not my taste. 

My favorite story was Amita.  This story of prejudice was told from the perspective of a young girl, a perspective adults should consider more often.  Kids don’t understand prejudice, unless they hear it from their family members or even peers.  This was the bias of the English against mixed marriages with Indians and the little English girl fell in love with the beautiful Indian woman who had married her neighbor.  We have different prejudices here, but aren’t all prejudices the same at the core?

I also liked Gilbert.  This was the story of a bachelor who married a widow with two young girls.  He was excited to have a ready-made family, but had yet to make a real connection with the older girl.  When Gilbert the goldfish died he had the chance to show his mettle.  The girl’s reaction the death and the idea of a funeral was the most funny part of the whole book.

Tea with the Professor was a sweet love story.  The Before Christmas Present was a great story about a woman finding her own power past that of a wife and mother.  These four stories were all a delight to read, but the only ones out of the 13 that I gave an A or B.  I’m guessing that if you enjoy Pilcher you would enjoy these stories more than I did.  And I’ll be offering this as one of my free books for May, so stop by on May 1st if you want a chance to win it.

This book was given to me by my friend Jessica years ago and I finally got around to reading it!