Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand

There are books about travel and then there are books that travel. "Pattern of Wounds" is a book that traveled. It traveled from my spot at the table to my husbands spot in the living room. And then from there to my bedside. From my bedside it might go to my husbands comfy couch downstairs. Yes, it was the battle of the book for a few weeks until we both managed to finish it (he won by finishing first, but didn't let on what the ending was). This murder mystery did have me perplexed at times keeping characters straight. But it was interesting from beginning to end. The main character is Roland Marsh who is a hardened cop with relationship issues that many can relate to. Keeping your work life out of your marriage can be hard, especially with a high-stress job like a policeman. Watching Marsh deal with the tensions added some depth to the story-line.

This book came to me free in exchange for reviewing from Bethany House.

The Canary List

My daughter warned me not to read this book. She said it was creepy. I didn't listen and went ahead anyways. For the first number of chapters she was right, but I kept on. "The Canary List" is a classic tale of good versus evil, conspiracy theories and doing the right thing even when it's hard. Creepy - yes. A good story - yes. Hard to put down - yes. Interesting to the last drop. You won't be disappointed if you like suspense thrillers with a twist.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This series for young adults (The Missing) sounded promising. I've enjoyed Haddix's books in the past. And I did get some satisfaction out of reading "Found" - the first book in the series. The premise of the story is interesting, but "Found" was not complex enough to encourage me to keep reading the following books.

The storyline follows Jonah, Chip and Jonah's sister Katherine as they come to realize that Jonah and Chip are not necessarily who they think they are. They may have been smuggled out of another time in history. There are opposing forces coming at them, including the FBI, and the trio has a hard time deciding who is really on their side. I can see this as an action science fiction movie.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

This has got to be one of my most favorite books of all time. But confession time. I've never actually read the book. I've only listened to it twice. This time I wondered if I'd get all the way through, but it was as wonderful as the first time. Melville has a way with words that transport you out of your world into the life of the whaler. Apparently there are all kinds of life meaning in the characters and how they interact - including the whale. Google it sometime. But I take it just as an adventure story about a young man who goes to sea on a whaling ship with a strange captain named Ahab, who happens to be obsessed with catching a white whale called Moby Dick. It's full of big words that I really don't know the meaning of. Maybe one day I'll actually read a hard copy and look those words up. For now though, I'll savour it just for what it is - one whale of a tale. (sorry, couldn't resist). If you do listen to it, the version narrated by William Hootkins is fantastic.

Left neglected by Lisa Genova

Have you read Genova's other book "Still Alice"? You should. It's a wonderful book about a woman who gets early-onset Alzheimers. "Left neglected" deals with the brain as well, but this time injury as a result of a car accident. Sarah is left with a condition that causes her to not recognize anything to the left of centre - her left arm, leg, anything in her left vision. Apparently this is a common condition of brain injured patients. We see Sarah before the accident - a successful, albeit frazzled, business woman. And then we see her after the accident - barely able to clothe or feed herself, let alone walk. The novel follows Sarah through rehab and her processing of what this is going to mean to her as a career woman, wife, mother and person. Along the way we see her relationship with her husband and mother grow through the trials and tribulations, but come out stronger in the end. I was reminded of a favourite blogger of mine, Kate, who had a stroke a few years ago. Similar struggles but determination wins. Take away quote, "Because while I still hope for a full recovery, I've learned that my life can be fully lived with less."

The 100 Thing Challenge by Dave Bruno

I've read dozens of books on decluttering over the last 30 years or so. Being "organizationally challenged", I've needed all the help I could get. So I expected this book to be just one more "how to get rid of stuff in your life" that I might glean at least one tip from. Such was not the case. Yes, I did get some pointers, or at least refreshers, on only keeping the important things around you. But this was a more introspective book than that. And it was funny to boot. The journaling of Dave Bruno's personal, year-long goal to rid himself of consumerism was interesting to read and raised all sorts of questions about why we buy and is it important to keep doing so. He chose to limit himself to 100 items for the year, but suggests that that number might be different for others. His conclusions resonated with me and have reinforced my desire to simplify my life and think more about my purchases. Thank you, Dave, for the lessons. Thanks, too, for the blog to keep the conversation going.

The House on the Gulf by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Having read Haddix's "Shadow Children" series and enjoyed them, I picked up "The House on the Gulf" off the library display shelf. It's a Young Adult fiction novel about a sister, brother and single mother who find an unusual way to make ends meet one summer when the mother is going to summer school. What looks like a simple house-sitting situation rapidly gets more suspenseful as a number of scenarios play out that just don't make sense to the sleuthing younger sister. This was an easy read that kept me thinking. The morals were good and the message of family togetherness was hopeful. The sister displayed resourcefulness in getting a part-time job and the older brother suffered consequences for his lying.