Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis

This was the first ebook read on my new Kobo touch! Yah! I loved the experience. A friend said that reading on a reader makes you faster. I might have to agree with that.

“Lincoln’s Dreams” by Connie Willis was not a hard sell for me. She is one of my favourite authors. A disclaimer for the book, though. I don’t believe in this stuff; I just enjoy reading science fiction. That said - the book was fascinating. If the dead could dream, what would they dream about? Could their dreams affect the living? Direct the living? Can the living direct the dreams of the dead?

What I like most about Willis’s books is all the history you absorb alongside a riveting story. In “Lincoln’s Dreams” Jeff, a researcher looking into small details about the Civil War, meets Annie, who is tormented by bad dreams. Her psychiatrist is convinced that she is having one medical problem after another, but as the story unfolds it becomes clearer to Jeff and Annie that the dreams tell a tale closer to real life, albeit, past life. Interesting facts about the civil war, General Lee and Abraham Lincoln wove their way through this science fiction/love story. Apparently this was Connie Willis’s first book – I’m glad she wrote it and so glad she kept on writing.

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler has done it again for me. "A Patchwork Planet" is a heart-warming, "slice of life" story that draws you into the world of 30 year old Barnaby Gaitlin. Gaitlin is a young man who has struggled all his life because he marches to the beat of a different drummer than those around him. In his youth he was in trouble with the law and his mother especially has never let him forget it. As readers we share his most intimate thoughts about his family and friend relationships and happily see him mature and start to realize his true worth.

Barnaby works for a company called "Rent-a-back" that caters to senior citizens by doing odd jobs, running errands etc. He quite enjoys his job and is loved by all the clients. It was interesting to get into the minds of some of these elderly people and see life through their eyes. The compassion and friendship that Barnaby extended to his clients is an example to us all.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

There are two ways to study history. You can get the encyclopedia out and learn a list of names and dates. Or you can read novels about the time period and really get a sense of people and relationships and why things happened the way that they did. A more meaningful way to learn in my opinion. For history to have any meaning, for events to have an impact on how you live in the here and now, you need to get into the skin of the people living in the past. A novel serves the purpose well. "The Postmistress" is set in one of the most interesting-to-me times - World War 2. We see the early war years through the lives of three very different women who eventually come together in a heart-rending conclusion. I had a bit of a time getting into the first chapter, but then I was hooked and continued to read at every opportunity. The cover illustration of the version I read was lovely too, but if anyone can tell me what significance the dried flower has, I'd love to hear it. Take away question - is it sometimes right to do the wrong thing?

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

I listened to this book over a period of several weeks while at the beach. The remarkable thing about it was that everytime I thought it was winding up, a new twist would occur and the story would go on. The book has a very complex story line involving conspiracy within the government of the United States. Through an unfortunate mishap an innocent archivist finds himself plunged into intrigue, conspiracy, lies and deception. All too soon he doesn't know who he can trust and what the truth is. Meltzer is a master of this genre and this novel will satisfy those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen

This was a perfect diversion read. Not too heavy or complex - just your traditional murder mystery. A well preserved mummy shows up in the basement of a museum, but turns out to not be thousands of years old as first thought. The police are brought in and the plot continues to thicken, twist and turn enough to keep you on your toes not knowing exactly how it's going to play out. I stayed up late several nights reading this novel, and fortunately it didn't give me the creeps even though there are a number of no-so-nice images described in the book.

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

(audio book) Suspense. Conspiracies. Murder. Chases. This book has it all. There's even some biblical history as a running theme, although it has been much elaborated on and is very speculative. Just what was the weapon that Cain used to kill Abel? Does it matter and is it worth getting killed over? Some people seem to think so. Alongside the standard thriller theme is a subplot of a father/son relationship. Just enough to make you want to go and hug your dad and tell him you love him.

I was kept on the edge of my seat with this one. A few rough words and descriptive violence scenes keep it in the adult category.

and I shall have some peace there by Margaret Roach

The cover of this book requires that you pick it up it's so beautiful and peaceful. The subtitle "trading in the fast lane for my own dirt road" was intriguing enough to cause me to toss it into my library bag and take it home. I love to read about people who have changed course dramatically in their lives, based on changing life values or re-evaluation of their lives or perhaps just finally getting to what they've always wanted to do in the first place.

This is a non-fiction book. So Margaret's introspective journey to finally leaving a well-paying, prestigious career working under Martha Stewart is particularly meaningful. And Margaret is touchingly honest. We hear the good and the bad. Warts and all, she doesn't hold anything back. It's like she took her journal and fleshed it out.

I enjoyed being alongside as she made the important decisions; I enjoyed her descriptions of the plant and animal life in her new habitat. I'm encouraged that she made this big step and is being successful at it. In fact, you can read an ongoing discussion at her blog "A way to garden".

A favourite quote from the book is Martha Stewart's motto "learn something new every day". Easy to do when you read a lot. :)

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

(audio version) This was a perfect night-time, knitting, listening-to novel. The main character is a middle-aged gentleman and the narrator had a voice that fit well with the age. Part of the fascination of this book was that Liam was 61 and considered himself old and ready for the rocking chair on the veranda. He's only 5 years older than me! Seeing the world through his eyes was a hoot.

Liam is a once widowed, once divorced father of three girls who has just lost his job. His dilemma now is to either get a new job (he was a teacher) or consider himself retired and spend the rest of his days reading his beloved philosophy books. Along the way he has conflicts with his children, a summer romance with a younger woman and much reflecting on what he has done with his life.

Another wonder-factor for me was his disconnect with his children. He seemed content to live his own life and let them live theirs and rarely the twain meet. This is so different to my way of dealing with family that I was left pondering the question of "am I too involved with my children's lives?"

Liam seemed to be looking for purpose in his life. I wish he didn't have the stereotypical religious evangelical Christian for a daughter. Rather than spouting cliches, she may have been able to lead him to a Jesus that could resolve the worry state his current life situation was causing .