April Reads I

W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear have authored many notable books about native peoples of early North America. Now they have turned pens to their first book in their 'Contact - the Battle for America' series - as the native inhabitants come into contact with the "discoverers" of the Americas.
"Coming of the Storm" tells the story of one of the first cultural clashes when Hernando DeSoto lands in what is now Florida in 1539. Up until that time various tribes warred with one another. Now they must band together to try to defeat a common enemy - an enemy which does not recognize the rules of ethics the tribes honor even in war.
The Gear's backgrounds in anthropology and journalism along with their desire to tell it as it was, makes reading their novels very interesting to one who loves history. I always learn a lot when I read one of their books.
The second Anne Perry "Inspector Monk" mystery, "A Dangerous Mourning" was my next April read. Monk is slowly regaining his memory when he is assigned the case of who murdered Sir Basil Moidore's beautiful daughter - stabbed to death in her own bed. Sergeant Evan is again by his side as they work to solve the case. Nurse Hester Latterly extends her intelligent help once again after losing her position in one London's Victorian hospitals. Monk also loses his livelihood as a member of the Metropolitan Police for refusing to arrest one of the young footmen in Sir Basil's employ. Runcorn at last has an excuse and gleefully fires Monk. Ms. Latterly surreptitiously makes a suggestion to a wealthy friend and Monk is set up in business as a private detective.
I'm anticipating Nurse Latterly and Inspector Monk in business together in book three. Perhaps Evans will even join them?
Anna Quindlen won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her NY Times column "Public and Private". At the time "Rise and Shine" was published in 2006, she was a columnist for Newsweek. I have read her four other novels: "Object Lessons", "One True Thing", "Black and Blue" and "Blessings" and enjoyed them all. Likewise "Rise and Shine" - the story of two sisters and their relationship to one another and others in their lives in New York City.
Another of Kristina's recommendations when we were in Tucson was Tony Earley's "Jim The Boy". Our library does not have it, nor did Half-Price Bookstore. Half-Price did have Earley's follow-up to it, "The Blue Star", however. 'Blue Star' is a coming of age book which follows Jim through his senior year in high school up to when he catches the train for basic training at the beginning of WWII.
Earley's spare and perfect prose captures the simplicity of the way we (of a certain age) used to live. That may be why I am so entranced by this book. It is set in North Carolina in 1941-42, but could have as easily been placed anywhere in the United States during the '40's.
Earley is purportedly thinking about a third "Jim" novel. I'm hoping he does write it and sooner than the eight years between the first two. In the meantime, I still have "Jim The Boy" to look forward to.
Elizabeth Berg is my adopted author at Gibson Memorial Library. Her latest, "The Last Time I Saw You" was released April 6. The library called me Monday to say it was in. I picked it up yesterday and finished reading it today.
"Last Time" is the story of a 40th class reunion. Five class members' stories are told leading up to, during and after their reunion weekend. The five, two men and three women, range from the hero quarterback, the class beauty, the nerds and the 'unseen'.
For me, Berg is one of the best authors in terms of getting inside her characters and making them real. When I finish one of her books, I say, "Oh, my gosh. How does she do it?" I follow her blog. One of her readers told her she always feels like trying to be a better person after she has read one of Berg's books. Maybe that is her appeal for me. It just feels like she knows me - like I know her - and we are friends. She is uplifting.
When I suggested one of Berg's books for a book club I once attended, some of the others felt the novel we read was pretty lame and unreal. I've thought about that a great deal. One of my realizations was that I was the only uneducated person in that book club. So, maybe Berg appeals more to the common masses? I don't know. I just know I love her writing and will continue reading her books as long as she keeps writing them.