Review: Camino Island

Camino Island by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back with my favourite author again and his new book. Not his usual crime/legal story, but a crime nevertheless.

A gang has broken into the Princeton Library in quite an ingenious way and made off with some of the original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. The loot was insured for 25 million dollars, but Princeton wants the manuscripts returned and are not very concerned about the money.

Bruce Cable owns a bookstore on Camino Island and is also a dealer in rare books. I actually liked Bruce a lot and his lifestyle regarding books and his reading habits. Well, his personal life was a different story though.

The main concern is that the insurance company find the manuscripts and have them returned before the full amount is due to be paid out and they come up with some excellent ideas and schemes to locate the manuscripts.

For me this was an excellent read. It was not a loud, shoot em up or scary mystery, but a more genteel and quiet way to be immersed in the story.

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Review: If The Creek Don't Rise

If The Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this wonderful book.

The story is filled with many colourful characters. Sadie Blue is a young teenager who when pregnant, marries Roy Tupkin and its only about two weeks before he starts beating her at every opportunity.

Roy and his sidekick Billie are moonshiners in quite a big way as well as very dangerous drunks and generally boys that you should steer very clear of.

Pastor Eli Perkins has managed to lure a new teacher to the area in the form of Kate Shaw who was fired from her previous position. Really Pastor doesn't worry about that because they just can't keep a teacher in Baines Creek. Pastor has his own cross to bear in the form of an ungrateful spinster sister who lives with him and doesn't seem to have an ounce of charity in her.

The story is like a snapshot into the lives of some mountain folk that is very real. I learned some very interesting facts about moonshine and its transport and manufacture.

A thoroughly enjoyable read and I would highly recommend this book.



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Review: Two Nights

Two Nights by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book pre publication.

Sunday Night is a retired police officer, her early retirement due to an incident that left her with a disability involving her eyesight. She is also a decorated military soldier who served in Afghanistan. Sunny now lives a self imposed reclusive existence on a small island with very little contact. Oh, did I mention that she has a twin brother who is her constant backup.

It takes a lot to get Sunny off her island, but when she hears about a fatal bombing of a Jewish School a year earlier, and that one of the victims, a young girl, went missing, she feels compelled to do whatever she can and use the skills that she has trained for all her life.

A wonderful page turner. I put this book down long enough to sleep and that was about all. My first Kathy Reichs book and she is now on my favourite authors list.



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Review: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lovely story. It has been ages since I have read a true love story and this was just a wonderful read. This story brought me back to my own teenage years and the first love and first kiss.

Eleanor is a product of a broken home and her mother is now married to a complete waste of space named Ritchie. She has four other siblings and they are abused and neglected.

On the first day of travel to her new school, Eleanor sits beside a boy named Park on the bus. For quite some time they ignore each other but eventually it turns into a friendship and then love.

The story follows their relationship right the way through and is an excellent read.

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