The Confession

I always look forward to a John Grisham novel.  He has a way of writing that keeps me turning the pages.  This one was a bit different, though.  Yes, it has to do with the law like most of his others but this one is more like a documentary.  I felt like I was watching a 48 Hours segment.

Travis Boyette is dying from a brain tumor.  He just got out of prison and decides to take responsibility for a rape and murder he'd committed ten years earlier.  He approaches Keith Schnieder, a minister, to help him.

In Texas Donte Drumm is on death row awaiting lethal injection in a few days for the crime that Travis committed.  Will Travis get there in time to save Donte?

The novel looks at the death penalty from all the different angles from the governor, to the lawyers, to the families, to the convicted.  It's very thought-provoking but the ending was a bit of a let down.

My granddaughter is visiting this weekend so I haven't been able to read much except her books and that's fine with me!  Here's a picture of her drawing in my journal.

Play Dead

I have a confession to make.  Amazon now has games for the Kindle and I dowloaded a couple of them.  BAD idea!  Instead of reading, now I find myself sitting there playing games.

That's why it took me so long to read Play Dead by Harlan Coben.  This is vintage Coben, a novel he wrote before he became famous.  Even though it shows his immaturity as a writer, I still enjoyed it.

Ex-model Laura Ayars and Celtic's basketball player David Baskin are on their honeymoon in Australia when David drowns while out swimming.  Laura is devastated but returns home to try to put her life back together.

The past, however, and David's death will not leave her alone.  She discovers that David transferred a large sum of money to a Swiss bank just hours before his death.  And why was her mother so against her marriage to David that they had to elope?

I saw the end coming but the journey to it was entertaining.

I finished this novel during Silent Reading in block two this morning.  What did I do during block three?  Yup, played a game!

The Postcard Killers

It seemed to take me forever to get through this book.  We were so busy closing up camp and dealing with my husband's parents' issues.  But, now, things are settling down and I've got more time to read.

Jacob Kanon is a NYC police detective hunting for the killers of his daughter and her husband.  He is tracking them all across Europe.  Before each killing they send postcards to a newspaper reporter in the city of the killing-to-be.  In Stockholm Dessie Larsson receives a postcard from the killers.  She and Jacob join forces to find them.

This is a typical James Patterson novel with short chapters, unique antagonists, and likeable protagonists. 

Room: A Novel

I don't give up on a book very often, but this one just didn't hold my interest.  I really thought it would because it has references to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  But, even that wasn't enough.  The main character (I can't even remember her name!) is on a quest to find out what happened to her parents when they lived in Italy.  The novel flips from the present to the 1300s when the original story of Romeo and Juliet is said to have begun.

I don't know...I guess I just didn't like the characters that much and the plot just lagged!

I didn't go to the end to see what happens (although, I have a pretty good idea) so I might go back to it sometime.

Then I downloaded this novel.  And fell in love!  Room is narrated by Jack, a five-year-old boy who has been raised in a locked room.  Seven years earlier his mom had been abducted and kept by her rapist captor in a soundproofed room in his back yard. 

That sounds pretty gruesome but Jack's naivete and wonder keep it from being depressing.  His voice is unique.  The story begins on Jack's fifth birthday.  He remarks to his mother, "You were all sad till I happened in your tummy." 

Jack's mother schedules each day into learning segments and Jack is way ahead of kids his age in reading and math.  Room and Ma are Jack's whole world.  He sleeps in Wardrobe so Old Nick won't see him when he visits his mom at night.

Then Old Nick loses his job and turns the electricity off.  What Jack and his mom do makes for a nail-biting story.

School is still crazy.  Our juniors have to take the state test this coming week and another teacher and I have been preparing a presentation on writing for them.  So, I've been really busy during the week but am enjoying a nice, relaxing weekend here at camp.  I pedaled my bike to the beach yesterday and sat in the sun for a couple hours.  I needed that!

Happy Reading!

Expressive Photography

I haven't actually finished this book yet but I love it.  I'm taking my time and savoring it.

It's written by a group of women photographers who also contribute to the Shutter Sisters blog.

The pictures are exquisite and the suggestions for improving and being more creative are excellent.

Things have been crazy since school started two days after my mom's funeral.  My father-in-law suffered a mild stroke during the summer and it messed up his short-term memory.  His wife was unable to care for him so my husband flew to Florida and picked him up and he lived at camp with Gary (and me on the weekends) for almost 3 weeks before a room opened in an assisted-living facility. 

On top of that, there are lots of things at school going on.  I have to prepare a presentation on writing for our juniors by Monday Oct. 4th.  Also, our school is due for its ten-year evaluation at the end of October and there is so much to do to get ready for that. 

As if all that wasn't enough, I caught a horrible cold.  Fun, you bet!

So, my reading has really taken a hit.  I'm working on Juliet: A Novel but am having a hard time getting into it.  I don't know if it's me or the book but I'll continue trudging through it.

Think Twice

I had the hardest time reading this book but I also couldn't put it down.  In the beginning the main character, Bennie Rosato, is buried alive by her twin sister.  I'm claustrophobic and almost couldn't breathe when reading those sections.  It gives me goose bumps just remembering it!

But I really enjoyed the book!  Crazy, huh?  Bennie's sister, Alice, has always been the bad seed.  She's jealous of Bennie and impersonates her in an attempt to embezzle all her money.  It made for an intriguing read.

Things have been different around the camp because my husband's father has been staying here.  He had a slight stroke earlier in the summer and his short-term memory was affected.  I'm at home during the week because I have to go to work.  My husband has been staying at camp with him and I join them on the weekends.  Have you seen 50 First Dates ?  Remember ten-second Tom?  Well, it's almost like that!  He's easy-going and takes care of himself pretty much with a few reminders but it's the same conversation all day.  I'm telling you, it's exhausting. 

Other than that, though, this, my last school year, has been going really well, knock on wood!  I'd like more reading time, but...there'll be plenty time for that next year when I'm retired.

Eat, Pray, Love

It took me awhile to get through this book.  Part of it was because I had my mom's funeral to organize (It was absolutely beautiful!) and part of it was because school started last week.  We had two days of teacher workshops and preparation then the kids came in on Wednesday for three days.  And it was so hot!  It was in the mid 90s and humid.  Our school doesn't have air conditioning so it was sweltering.

This book is divided into three parts.  It covers one year in the life of the author.  She spends four months in Italy seeking pleasure, four months in India at an ashram seeking god, and four months in Bali looking for balance.  I enjoyed the Italian part the most but found the Bali section the most informative.  It was a very interesting look at that Muslim island in Indonesia.  The middle section was a bit boring since nothing ever happens but her witty and beautiful writing kept me turning the pages. 

Now, I'm curious to see the movie even though it's getting likewarm reviews.  I'll wait until I can rent it.  Happy reading!