Marti's Mainly Fiction

Jodi Picoult has reached a new level with her new book, Lone Wolf. This book dragged me into a story, that I was uncertain about and before I knew it I was firmly engrossed. So much so that I continued to read through the tears, laughter, pain and heartache until the end of the book. Luke Warren, the main character, was a man who lived life within his own boundaries. To some that life excluded his human family. To others he was a man who was able to understand and be one with a pack of wolves. This is not so much a story about life after severe and traumatic brain injury. This is not so much a story about anyone's rights to life and death. It is a story of a family torn apart by a man with all his glories and failings. It is a story about hope, anger, love and grief. Those who know me, know I am a Jodi Picoult fan. While not all her books catch me the same way, they all make me take a part of myself and turn and twist it around - reshape it. For me, they make you face difficult subjects from all sides when there is no right or wrong. This book was more emotionally visceral. Jodi's books sometimes signal the surprise ending and sometimes the endings slam into you taking your breath away. Prepare to reassess decisions made. Were they made with cold calculation of the pack or part of a family with all their foibles? Prepare not to breathe.

Add tissues to your shopping list. Kristin Hannah has written another poignant relevant best-seller, asking us to open our hearts and minds! Her characters are ordinary, and are asked to handle extra-ordinary events and emotions. Jolene and Michael Zarkades have two daughters and a full life. Michael is a lawyer and at best a distant husband and father. Jolene is a do-it-all mother who is a Black Hawk pilot for the National Guard. She is suddenly deployed with Operation Iraqi Freedom. The horrors of war, while not largely described in words but in emotions are a key part of the story. How does a mother leave her children and go to war? How are lives rearranged when one member leaves for an unknown amount of time? How does a family rebuild a life when one member returns scarred from war? What are honor, patriotism, and sacrifice and how are those ideas realized in a family? The questions are not just part of Home Front, but have had to become a strong part of the American Story. How we answer them, becomes part of our family’s story and our nation’s story. Perhaps you should buy the economy box of tissues…

Never mind warning people not to go into the cellar when they hear a noise.
Never mind warning people to ignore the weird noises in the attic.
Do not answer the knock at the door late at night.
Let the branches scratch on the windows - or animals howl at the moon.
Do not go into the cemeteries at night.  Wear garlic or a silver cross.

Before I Go To Sleep is debut book by S. J. Watson. It is a
well-written, emotional thriller that leaves you on the edge of a
seat, holding your breath and jumping at odd noises. It is addictive
and paced so well that you are lulled into a false sense of security.
The premise is so simple - every day you wake up and you have no
memory of anything from the past.  Nothing, nada, zilch…  Everyday you
get a phone call telling you what to do….  And you know something is
wrong… but what?

Four out of five stars. FASCINATING... absolutely fascinating. Early Renaissance time in Italy. The time of the Catholic Church being run by men who garnered political favors with huge monetary gifts. A time when the priests did not hide their mistresses or children. A time of huge discrepancies between the rich and the poor. A time when the ghettos are full of Jews who have been chased out of Spain and the Inquisition. A time when the head of the Borgia family is in the quest to become the Pope. Mixed up with all this is a poisoner. A person hired by a "house" to protect the family from being poisoned. Oh and sometimes they poison ....FASCINATING