Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker

Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker

336 pages

Published January 2014 by Grand Central Publishing

Publisher's Summary: 

In the tiny town of Titan Falls, New Hampshire, the paper mill dictates a quiet, steady rhythm of life. But one day a tragic bus accident sets two families on a course toward destruction, irrevocably altering the lives of everyone in their wake. 

June McAllister is the wife of the local mill owner and undisputed first lady in town. But the Snow family, a group of itinerant ne'er-do-wells who live on a decrepit and cursed property, have brought her--and the town--nothing but grief. 

June will do anything to cover up a dark secret she discovers after the crash, one that threatens to upend her picture-perfect life, even if it means driving the Snow family out of town. But she has never gone up against a force as fierce as the young Mercy Snow. Mercy is determined to protect her rebellious brother, whom the town blames for the accident, despite his innocence. And she has a secret of her own. When an old skeleton is discovered not far from the crash, it beckons Mercy to solve a mystery buried deep within the town's past.

My Thoughts: 

Titan Falls, like so many small towns, is almost entirely reliant on one industry - Titan Mills, whose owners have ruled the town for generations. But the mill is struggling; environmental rules and foreign competition are taking their toll. The weight of that hangs heavy over the town and its residents. Still Cal and June McAllister are still allowed to lord over the town, despite the way the townsfolk feel about the mill layoffs and June's imperious attitude. Neither of them is about to give up what they've fought so hard for, so when the blame for the bus accident gets laid on Zeke Snow, they work to keep the pressure on to capture Zeke and to rid the area of the Snows. 

It turns out the McAllisters have secrets to keep hidden. Secrets that go back decades, secrets that aren't entirely hidden but townsfolk can only consider them rumor without proof. And none of them is about to push the McAllisters to find the truth. 

Mercy Snow is determined to protect both her brother and her little sister. While the accident threatens to undermine all of her efforts, it also offers her the chance to redeem her family name. The three Snow children work to stay alive and together, using their knowledge of the land and its bounty. It might just be enough to save them - if the McAllisters aren't able to turn the town against them at every turn, putting Zeke in jail and Hannah in protective custody. 

I'll admit that Baker uses too many similes for my taste and that always colors my opinion of a book. But Baker was also able to really create the feel of the weight of the town's desperation, heightened by the winter setting. She did a great job of pulling a cast of townsfolk to the fore and using them as pawns in the underlying battle between the McAllisters and the Snows. Sure, some of the people of the town were a little cliche, but there were enough really interesting characters to allow me to overlook that. 

Baker had a surprise for me just a few pages into the book that really drew me into the story. There were clues throughout the book to undercover the secrets that had been slowly being revealed and Baker pulled them together in the end. Although I felt certain that the book had to end with some sadness, I still didn't see how everything was going to end up. You know I loved that. I wasn't a fan of the final chapter of the book, with its focus on June; but, otherwise, I was very satisfied by the way everything ended. 

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

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Published by June 2023 by Scout Press

Publisher's Summary: 

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her. 

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed”

My Thoughts: 

Zero Days is the seventh book by Ware that I've read, which makes her a rarity in Lisa's world. There aren't many writers who work I've devoured so voraciously. So finding that Ware had a new book out was exciting news; and, as happens so often with my go-to authors, I didn't even look at the book's summary before I requested it. Had I done that, I still would have requested this one; I just would have known that this book wasn't in Ware's usual vein. There is nearly always a locked-room component to Ware's books and, generally, an unreliable narrator. Neither of those features in this one. 

The book started off with a bang (had I read that summary, the first chapter would not have been nearly as exciting). Jack is in the process of breaking into a building, in search of the server room. In her ear, Gabe is directing her from their home, as he explores floor plans and attempts to hack further into the building's security. Of course, we're meant to believe that these two are criminals and I bought into it, except for that part of my brain that couldn't imagine that the main characters of the book would be criminals. It made for an exciting opening scene - akin to those high energy starts to action movies that don't always entirely tie into the rest of the movie, other than to introduce us to the characters and give us some background. 

And then things kind of went awry to me, even as I raced through the book. 

What worked for me: 

• Technology playing a big part, especially having a female lead who was savvy enough to use it to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. 
• The fast pace of the book. 
• Thanks to another of Ware's books, I was never entirely sure that our heroine was going to solve the mystery...or even survive.
• The ending. 

What didn't work for me: 

• Fairly early on in her run, Jack injures herself. You and I both know that this injury is going to continue to get worse and worse and that, in the end, it will be a race against that injury to solve the mystery of who killed Gabe. 
• Also, that injury was, very early on, causing Jack excruciating pain. I don't know about you, but when I've experienced excruciating pain, it's laid me low. But somehow Jack just keeps pushing on. Even as the pain gets even more excruciating. We know because Ware tells us again and again and again how bad the pain is. 
• We learn early on that Jack's sister is a journalist and her brother-in-law is a lawyer. I 100% assumed they were given these careers because that was going to come into play. It doesn't and I can't imagine why not. 
• Jack's skills don't seem to help all that much throughout the chase, except for a couple of times. 
• Ware tries to point us in the direction of a man we're meant to believe killed Gabe because he and Jack were once in an abusive relationship. He had told her that if he couldn't have her, no one could. But I never for a minute bought that he was the killer. Except that I'm usually so bad at predicting the actual killer that I wondered if Ware was intentionally making it too obvious. 
• Along the chase, Jack meets a person who I was certain was going to come back to play a part in the plot, but he entirely disappeared. In a book with so few characters, this seems an odd waste. 
• Something happens about half way through the book that should have tipped Jack off immediately as to a person she couldn't trust, but she never made the connection. 
• AND I figured out who was behind the killing almost immediately, it was just a matter of figuring out why. And even that I had figured out well before the end of the book. You all know how rare that is for me. So rare that I began to wonder if I had read too much into some things. I hadn't. 
• Also, the ending. Yes, I know I said it worked for me; part of it did, the part where somethings were left unsettled. But other things were tied up too neatly. 

For Ware, this one was a disappointment. Even so, I did race through it, wanting to see if I was right in my assumption of who the killer was and wanting to see how Jack might survive the loss of Gabe. If I scored books, this one would probably come in at a shaky three. Still, I'm not giving up on Ware. 

Life: It Goes On - August 13

Happy Sunday! I'm sitting here wondering how it can possibly be the middle of August already. For those of you with school-aged children, I'm sure you're wondering how it can possibly be the start of a new school year already! On social media, I'm seeing so many folks excited that fall is just around the corner. I have nothing against fall...except that by the end of fall, all of my gardens will be returned to dirt, the leaves will be off the trees, all of the leaves will be off the trees and we could already have had our first snowfall. Fall bleeds into winter and winter lasts sooooo long! Needless to say, I'm hanging on to summer for as long as I can. The cat and I enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio, listening to the cicadas, last night, after I had watered and harvested from my garden. Bliss!

Last Week I: 

Listened To: I finished Ruth Ware's Zero Days and restarted John Boyne's All The Broken Places. Definitely not my favorite of Ware's books; my review will, hopefully, get posted this week. 

Watched: The Big Guy's been off to his class reunion this weekend so I've had the tv to myself. Haven't found a new just-for-me series to watch when he's gone so I watched a couple of movies, The Dressmaker (starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, and Liam Hemsworth and based on the book of the same name by Rosalie Ham) and Bel Canto (starring Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe and based on the book of the same name by Ann Patchett). Might just write up a review of the two of them later this week. 

Read: I finished Tiffany Baker's Mercy Snow and started Ann Patchett's latest, Tom Lake. 

Made: Easy, peasy summer foods - BLT salad, tacos with roasted corn, pasta with garden tomato and basil. 

Enjoyed: The return of my brother, his wife and their granddaughters; dinner out with my dad on Friday; a class where we worked on intention boards; and 24 hours of having the house to myself. Love BG but also love having some time with my own thoughts, my own choices of what to do or watch, and the quiet. 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: I had a couple of things yet from my parent's house that I needed to find a home for which prompted me, Friday night to completely empty by secretary and rearrange everything. I managed to get it all in but now I hate how it looks. So this week I'll probably be emptying it all back out again and making some tough choices of things to get rid of. Kim, you have any room for some more vintage glassware?

Thinking About: That long considered reread of Bel Canto. 

Feeling: Very relaxed. I really needed this laid back weekend. 

Looking forward to: Book club this week. 

Question of the week: What's your favorite movie adaptation of a book?

Life: It Goes On - August 8

Happy...Tuesday! Wow, Sunday flew by me and then suddenly Monday was over. And, will you look at that, Tuesday is about over now, as well. I wish I could say it's because I've been accomplishing so much. But really, I've been reading a lot. And also decluttering, in 15 minute chunks. More on that later. 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: Tomorrow I'll finish Ruth Ware's Zero Days. 

Watched: Would you believe it when I tell you that The Big Guy has actually spent two nights this week with the television off until the news comes on? Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either, if I hadn't been here to witness it. 

Read: Racing through Tiffany Baker's Mercy Snow. I'm eager to see where it's going; but I also went to the library to pick up a book I received notice yesterday was in, only to discover that two more books came in today. So now I'm racing to finish Mercy Snow because I have a lot of books to get to before they need to go back. 

Made: Caprese salad, baked beans, cucumber dip, and an angel food cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting. 

Enjoyed: My brother and sister-in-law came up with their granddaughters to go to the county fair in the county she grew up in. On the way up, they stopped here Saturday and will stop by on the way home tomorrow night. Always enjoy spending time with my brother and his wife; but spending time with a four-year-old and a six-year-old I adore makes it even more fun. 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: BG is headed to his class reunion this weekend so I'll have a lot of time to myself. What to do, what to do? Movies will be watched, decluttering will be accomplished, and something might just get painted. 

Thinking About: What to declutter next. I've joined in on Go Simplified's August Challenge, which was only to spend 15 minutes working on an area and finding 10 things in that area to get out of your house. It will come as no surprise to you to find out that I've now done that several times. Because finding 15 minutes is easy and it prevents me from overthinking whether or not to keep something, especially things with sentimental value. 

Feeling: Stressed. Work has been crazy the past few months and I swear it keeps getting worse, not better. I just have to keep telling myself that we're going to work through this patch and then things will even out again. 

Looking forward to: More time with those great-nieces of ours and then a couple of days of quiet!

Question of the week: Anyone else tired of eating watermelon or is it just me? BG has kept us in watermelon ever since the Black Diamond watermelons came in; while I like good watermelon (and these never disappoint), having it two meals a day is getting old! Is he trying to get me to want to start eating hearty fall foods?! 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

320 page 

Published April 2023 by Random House Publishing Group 

Publisher's Summary: 

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life. 

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. 

Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman. Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy—it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right? 

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

My Thoughts: 

You may recall me saying, on more than one occasion, that a book every seems to like just did not seem to work for me. Here we have the opposite case. So many people on Goodreads really did not like this book at all. But me? For me, this was the right book at the right time. Summer light, but not too light, not too mindless.

The Night Owls is clearly Saturday Night Live (Sittenfeld says as much in the Acknowledgements) and I loved see behind the curtain (and I'm assuming, given the number of resources Ms. Sittenfeld lists, that it's fairly accurate). Clearly the recent spate of SNL cast members dating or marrying major stars has inspired Ms. Sittendfeld to ponder the question "why doesn't it seem to work the other way?" To be fair, have you ever seen one of the female cast members dating some knockout major celebrity? You and I both know where this is going to go, right? 

One of the strikes against this book is that it breaks no new ground. There's a meet cute. You know immediately that the Danny Horst Rule is going to be broken. But here's the thing - I expect that from a book called Romantic Comedy. More than once Sally and Noah discuss how thin the line is between cheesiness and romance. That's the same fine line Sittenfeld travels in this book and the same line she wants readers to ponder. At one point Noah says that the answer lies in whether or not you're involved in it. What made this not cheesy for me was that, although Sally was very insecure about her looks and she's had a terrible history with love, she is not ditzy, nor clumsy, nor involved in a relationship with another man that falls apart when she realizes how she really feels about Noah. None of those things we so often see in romantic comedies. Sally is smart and makes a great living without any help from any man. And how will a man win her over? Not by the grand gesture (although Sally is happy to admit that she just might be impressed by that), but by the ability of a man to show that he's a caring, real human being. I liked that. 

Plus, there's a middle section that's entirely emails between Sally and Noah. Some of those reviewers hated that part (and it may well not have been great on audio), but I loved it. Give me a good epistolary novel any day of the week. 

In all honesty, the first part of the book was better, in my opinion, and I did get tired of hearing how ordinary Sally was. But I forgave Sittenfeld for those things because there was more than enough to have me racing through this book. Right book. Right time.