Doggone it!

I hate it when I dislike a book that I'm obligated to write a review of because I received it as a gift with that understanding. I did not enjoy reading GHETTOSIDE by Jill Leovy (2015). I found it terribly boring to read the same thing (or a slight variation) time after time.I recognize that the constant repetition was to emphasize that there had been murder after murder after murder, but the point was well made long before the author quit telling us.
Most of it was well-written, but there were a few sentences that had me going,"Huh???" The description of the trial was well done, and a lot of respect is due to the author for the amount of research that went into the story
Write for us again, Jill Leovy, only next time, spare us the unnecessary repetition. 

He always surprises me

I've been one of John Grisham's fans for a long time, and have read the majority of his books; my favorite being A TIME TO KILL (his first). I'm ordinarily so deeply involved in reading the book that I don't even try to anticipate where it might be going, therefore, I'm usually surprised by his twist in the plot. I recently read THE INNOCENT MAN, which was a true story, and I really didn't care for it. That was another surprise for me.Then someone gave me FORD COUNTY (2009). This is a collection of seven of his short stories, each of which is excellent and completely different from the others. The next-to-last story, FUNNY BOY, is a heartbreaker. I really believe John Grisham is one of the very best of our contemporary writers.

Destined to be among my all-time favorites.

I've just finished reading THE ADVENTURES OF DON VALIENTE AND THE APACHE CANYON KID for the second time. This book, co-authored by John Aragon and Mary W. Walters (2012) is a positive delight, especially to those of us who live in New Mexico.The story is a bit had to describe, but roughly, it's about a young woman with problems of her own who is taken under the wing of a skinny old man suffering from dementia who mistakes her gender and determines to teach her/him the Code of the Caballeros.
The book is a complete farce and had me laughing aloud. Think Blazing Saddles. 
My thanks to both authors. I adored it.

Yes, but....

When We Were Friends by Elizabeth Joy Arnold (2011) is one of those books I can't quite decide about. I enjoyed the book and would welcome the opportunity to read others by the same author. I guess that's the bottom line.
At the same time, I'll admit that none of the characters engaged me fully. The narrator, Lainey, had many traits that were admirable but still, she never quite got me around to really liking her. I came closer to honestly disliking Lainey's long-time friend Sydney. Sydney was a liar and a manipulator, and both characteristics were obvious from the first chapter. Actually, most of the plot was apparent very early on. Nonetheless, I liked it.

TRULY OUTSTANDING

DESCENT by Tim Johnston is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I'm a person who reads almost constantly. I was a little surprised about the way the author's style differs somewhat from most other writers, in that while there are several male characters in the book, and many of them are written about extensively, Tim Johnston is so good that he can begin a new chapter with the word "He" and it only takes a few sentences for the reader to know which "he" is being written about. The story itself is sad and dark and unfortunately, so true-to-life. Congratulations, Mr. Johnston. You've made this kind of tragedy so very, very real 

Talk About Disappointing!

I seldom write about books that I dislike and actually don't write about a lot of the ones I enjoy. It's primarily dependent on the amount of time available for concentrating on something other than my own writing. The following is about a lousy one that I thought had to be self-published, as I thought no publisher would print anything that bad.
The name of the book is Forevermore, written by Kristy Robinett and published this year by Llewellen Publications. In checking on the publisher, I find that they publish supernatural and other materials that are not considered mainstream. If there is a market for it, this company will publish it.

The book was written by a psychic medium who claims that Edgar Allen Poe has been one of her mentors throughout her lifetime. Mrs. Robinett makes many claims about other mentors, seeing dead people, ghosts, etc. and I don't dispute those claims. Maybe she really,truly does. I don't believe the Edgar Allen Poe connection, though.

What disgusts me about the book is that the lady can't write! Here's a quote from page 106: ""Poe loved animals and even had his own cat with his wife Virginia that he doted on, believed to be a tortoiseshell named Catterina."

'nuff said!

Lengthy, but worth it

I finally finished FOX'S EARTH by Anne Rivers Siddons (1981) and no, I haven't been reading it since that time. It has 546 pages in a small font, so it's not a book that you can just zip through. In it, the author tells the story of five generations of Georgia women, so I can't think of any way the size of the book could have been reduced and still tell the complete story. The first generation woman is dirt-poor and married to a man who has a streak of madness. She coaches her one beautiful and smart daughter on ways to escape the beatings and poverty, and the daughter, Ruth, learns her lessons well. Ruth is the central figure in the book, and having attained her primary goal, spends the remainder of her long life protecting her own interests and manipulating others.
There is naturally a lot of dialogue between the central characters and their black servants. This exceptional author reproduces the dialect beautifully, and it keeps the book sounding authentic.
Hey, winter's coming, so you'll be spending more time inside. Find a copy of the book, snuggle down in a warm place and enjoy.