The Age of Will

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If you enjoy light, easy mystery books, then this book is for you. Jane Kelly followed a boyfriend from California to Washington state. She stayed; he didn’t. She studied criminology because he was, and now she’s using that in serving eviction notices. But things get complicated when her ex-boyfriend shows up. And eventually the body of a man who has been missing for four years. There’s our mystery.
I wasn’t thrilled with this mystery, but Jane has some wonderful possibilities. Her twin brother could have been called Dick, but Jane’s mother decided that having Dick and Jane as her children would not be a good idea. And one of Jane’s friends talks about fishing, saying that when you get a fish on the end of the line, it’s a wonderful feeling, but sometimes it doesn’t feel right because there’s not enough fight. That’s when you know it’s a hatchery fish on the end. And, Jane’s friend says, that’s what is wrong with his kids: they are hatchery fish.
The hatchery fish and Dick and Jane indicate that this author has great potential, and I hope she fulfills it. I look forward to reading more about Jane.
[bookdetail]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/1338/

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From reading the back cover of this book, I thought it would be a really crazy and not too enjoyable fantasy book. I was wrong, on both accounts.
I suppose it could be called crazy, but the premise of [Realm Shift][bookdetail] is no different than the premises of several other fantasy books. In [Realm Shift][bookdetail], deities are real, given their reality by the belief of humans. Of course, the opposite is also true: the devils of each religion are real as well, again given their reality by the belief of humans. The deities can nudge believers, but non-believers cannot be given divine inspiration to do or not do a particular act. This is where our protagonist comes into the story: he reports to “The Balance,” an entity which tries to keep the balance in the universe.
Sound complicated? It’s not really. And the story is fast-paced and engrossing. A good editor might be handy, though, as not every character should say, “Indeed.” And some of the word choices struck me as odd. But these are little issues with a book that was thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to reading the sequel!
[bookdetail]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/1391/

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Reviewer: bardsandsages
“Bokuru” by Jon C. Hall
When a prominent archeologist’s mysterious death is quickly ruled a suicide, trial attorney and amateur archeologist Jim Henderson is hired to go to Africa and investigate. What seems to be a museum simply trying to make sure it can collect on a life insurance policy soon turns into a dangerous mystery involving missing relics, native legends, and hints at the very origins of humanity.
Jon C. Hall’s novel [Bokuru][bookdetail] is a well developed and researched thriller surrounding an African archeological dig. The author’s attention to detail is evident from the opening paragraph:
>Out on the broad African savannah, vultures pecked noisily at the remains of an abandoned kill that lay on the top of the bank of a small stream. To the south, a distant rumbling grew louder as a giant cloud of dust loomed ever closer, slowing blotting out the horizon. The vultures gave a last stab at the carcass, and then rose seeking escape on a thermal updraft.
There are plenty of twists, turns, innuendos, dead ends, and surprises to keep the most die-hard mystery fan happy. The more Henderson delves into the mystery of Dr. Bronston’s death and the truth behind his excavation dig discoveries, the more the reader gets pulled into a plot that grows more and more complex without growing convoluted.
The one flaw in the work is in the dialogue. Though the dialogue itself is believable, the individual characters sometimes run together. With the exception of Henderson, the true voices of the various characters never really develop. This is a particular distraction with Nancy Bronston, Dr. Bronston’s daughter and an executive at the museum that sponsored her father’s dig. We first meet Nancy at the cemetery at her father’s funeral. Her emotions seem stiff and too businesslike considering the circumstances, and I never really felt much for the character. There are also occasions in the dialogue where the author seems to more be making political points instead of moving the story forward. Fortunately, the tale itself is strong enough to keep the reader reading.
Published posthumously, this would have been the author’s debut novel. It is, indeed, a strong debut, and one to be proud of. Hall’s sister Barbara, who worked with her brother on researching the book and served as his editor, is to be commended for insuring that readers have the opportunity to read her brother’s work.
[bookdetail]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/1381/

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Who helped shape your life? Is who you are today genetic? Environmental? Or some combination of both? J.R. Moehringer looks for the answer to some of these questions in his memoir ‘The Tender Bar’.

J.R. only knows his father as a disembodied voice on the radio. Growing up in small town Manhasset, New York, JR struggles with his identity. From a small town bar, the beach, Arizona, Yale, to the New York Times, J.R. Searches for himself.

The epilogue discusses September 11, 2001 and the attacks on the World Trade Center and the effects on the lives of the author and the other people in the book.

Overall an excellent story, well told and thought provoking.

[bookdetail]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/1346/

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I learned of this book from [Educating Alice][educatingalice] (see [previous review][alicereview]). While Alice is touring Jane Austin’s England, she receives the recommendation for this book. I also received that recommendation, and am so glad Alice shared it!
[Lark Rise to Candleford][bookdetail] is the story of England on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. More specifically, it’s the story of one young woman’s memories of growing up in a very small hamlet, when the men still plowed the farms with horses, and the girls all “went into service.”
I cannot properly describe why this book was so fascinating. Perhaps it was the writing, but I didn’t want to finish it. I wanted to savor this world, rural England, which is long gone. I wanted to walk the lanes with the author, and hear her stories in person. Seldom is a book so powerful and so delicious at the same time.
[bookdetail]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/1057/
[educatingalice]: http://clubreadingbooks.com/bookdetail/949/
[alicereview]: http://www.clubreading.com/2009/04/10/educating-alice-adventures-of-a-curious-woman-by-alice-steinbach/