Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

I finished reading Jodi Picoult's latest adult book (evidently she wrote a young adult book, Between the Lines, with her daughter!) the other night. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to update this blog, so here goes.

I love Jodi Picoult's books! 

There. That's all I really need to say about her writing. It's always good. Every time. Her stories are compelling and interesting and timely. Lone Wolf deals with sustaining life when, to put it bluntly, the lights are on but no one's home. 

One of the best things about Jodi Picoult's books is that she doesn't sugar coat the material. That's big in my book.

Have you read Lone Wolf? Think you will? I'd give it a 10 out of 10.  

Book Read: Lone Wolf

Author:  Jodi Picoult

ISBN:  978-1-4391-0274-9

The Bride's House by Sandra Dallas

After I finished my last book, I realized I didn't have another book picked out to read. A friend had sent me The Bride's House by Sandra Dallas so I picked it up and started reading it. This book is divided into three parts, and the first part was by far the best, in my opinion. 

Three generations of women are covered, one in each of the book's parts. The first part covered Nealie Bent, a 17-year-old girl who had run away from an abusive father, in 1881. She rode the train from Hannibal, Missouri to Denver, Colorado then on another 40 miles to Georgetown, a small mining town in the mountains. 


Since I'd lived in Colorado and had been to Georgetown numerous times, the historical look at the small, quaint town was intriguing. And the story of Nealie was a good one. I also liked the descriptions about the house and the town.

Then part two and part three came along. Not so intriguing. These other two women, Pearl and Susan, Nealie's daughter and granddaughter, didn't hold up like Nealie did. Oh well. This was an okay story. If you love romances, this is probably the book for you. It's not a genre I'm found of. 

I did like reading Dallas's novel Tallgrass. Have you read any of Sandra Dallas's books? Do you have a favorite?

Book Read: The Bride's House

Author:  Sandra Dallas

ISBN:  978-1-250-00827-5

Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

Private Games was a step up from most of James Patterson's more recent books I've read, which really makes me wonder how much of these books he writes. Very little of this one, I'm guessing. 

This book was plenty suspenseful but didn't feel gimicky like many of his novels. I think I'd like Mark Sullivan's other books!

This novel's tagline inside the cover reads:  "Celebrate the glory of the Olympic games--before a psychopathic killer extinguishes the flame forever."

I thought it would be fun to read this around the time of the actual London Olympics and am glad I did. Of course I don't hope any of the horrible crap happens for real, but it was fun to read about the sporting arenas and venues that are accurate, according to a note by Patterson in the acknowledgements at the end of the book.

Do you plan to watch the Olympics in London in a few weeks? Pick up this book and you'll be sure to finish it quickly. Patterson's books are always a quick read and entertaining.

Book Read: Private Games

Author:  James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

ISBN:  978-0-316-20682-2

Nancy Wake: SOE's Greatest Heroine by Russell Braddon

 
I finished another female spy book the other night but hadn't had a chance to list it here till now. Nancy Wake was a 20-something woman during World War II. She was originally from New Zealand who had immigrated to England. When World War II broke out, she was living in Marseille, France, married to a Frenchman. 


She started her spy efforts by aiding the French Resistance by giving them money and food since her husband was wealthy. She gradually took on more duties like being a courier delivering messages by train to other French cities. For her own safety in 1943, she went to England but signed up with the SOE and returned to France to work undercover.

Buy the end of the war she was a full-fledged spy, arranging parachute drops of supplies, weapons, and people, as well as whatever else needed to be done to defeat the Bosch/the gerries/the Germans.

This book was written relatively soon after the war, in 1956. I found the writing to be almost comical in places, but it was partially just the style of the time, I think. Fascinating woman though she could be irritating as hell at times, almost playing dumb, but she was obviously intelligent and probably used her feminine wiles to her advantage to get what she wanted.


I read online that the first two seasons of Wish Me Luck were based on some of her experiences. I wrote a Squidoo article on Women Spies in World War II, if you want to read about more of these brave women.
 

Book Read: Nancy Wake:  SOE's Greatest Heroine

Author:  Russell Braddon

ISBN:  978-07524-5485-6