Look Closer by David Ellis

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a good day.

Does your family have odd sayings?  They were probably mainstream at one time and have fallen out of favor, or maybe it's something wacky Aunt Marge made up.  With hubby and I, our sayings are often based on movie lines.  My mom had some doozies.  If something was complicated she would say you had to "go around your elbow to get to your knee."  During something frustrating I often expand on that saying you "have to go around your elbow, behind your left knee, under the coffee table" and if it's really an annoying issue it may include a reference to having to go "under the neighbor's fence."  Mom's favorite, however, was "around Robin Hood's barn."  First of all, did Robin Hood actually have a barn?  I'm pretty sure he was too busy with all that steal from the rich and give to the poor stuff to mess with growing crops and milking cows.  Then there are the arrows, the short pants with tights, and all those merry men.  Definitely no time for milking cows. With or without a barn, life is complicated.

I recently read Look Closer by David Ellis. This is the story of a wealthy married couple, Simon and Vicky.  The book opens with Lauren, dead, hanging by the neck in her house and Simon fleeing from the scene. As the police try to piece together how Lauren died, they discover some interesting clues indicating this may be much more complicated than a simple suicide.  As they try to build a case, the reader is sent back a few weeks to discover what really happened.  Simon and Vicky both have secrets of their own, which are starting to unravel.

This book is a monster, at 464 pages, it literally hurt my hands to hold.  Every bit of future arthritis inducing pain it caused was worth it.  Despite its length, this novel reads in a breeze, don't be intimidated, you'll swear it's only 200 pages.  The writing is pleasant and easy to follow.  The story is complicated, yes, I'm using that word yet again.  It's all the mayhem going every which way that makes this story so interesting. David Ellis is a master of misdirection.  He will have you looking one direction then the other, and you'll still miss what is actually going on.  I considered rigging up one of those maps on a wall, with the topics and people attached to each other with string.  This book is so good, I'd end up trapped against the wall like a giant spider's web.  While this is more mystery than thriller, if you like trying to figure books out...beat the author....I promise you'll never win against David Ellis.  So fun!

When I think of Robin Hood, I think I'm picturing Peter Pan.  Same tights, difference sidekicks.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a nice day.

As I type, our house is filled with the scent of roasting pork.  When I moved south one of my coworkers insisted that I try a barbeque sandwich.  Now, up north, bbq is a way of cooking...cooking outside over a charcoal or gas grill.  In the south, bbq is a noun, an actual thing.  It's pork that has been long roasted, often smoked, then pulled apart and dressed with the cook's secret sauce.  Then it's piled high on a hamburger style bun where it is topped with a generous "splat" of coleslaw before having the lid applied.  To be honest, when that coworker insisted I try it, I was a bad sport, I believe I referred to it as "dog food on a bun."  Don't give me that look, southerners do some wacky things with food, and it really did look like dog food. Years later, after having a favorite bbq restaurant, that was repeatedly named best by Southern Living, I start making it myself.  Imagine my surprise when while trying to come up with my own secret sauce, I actually recreated that Southern Living favorite.  Now instead of paying nine bucks a sandwich, I get the exact same thing for nine bucks for at least a dozen servings. How did I crack the prize-winning sauce, creating a balance that would please everyone.  Balancing sweetness and acidity.

I recently read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.  This story set in the 1960's is about Elizabeth Zott.  She is a brilliant chemist, but kind of awkward socially, perhaps just a bit quirky.  This follows several years in Elizabeth's life as she deals with women being unappreciated and almost always underestimated.  The reader sees her happiness and sorrow, in addition to triumphs and betrayals. Originally set in a laboratory, years later as a popular tv cook, preaching the chemistry of making dinner, this story is engaging and charming.  The writing, while delightful, fades into the background as the reader becomes overwhelmed with the story.  You'll find yourself laughing and crying, often at the same time.  

If you like science or like to cook, this book is for you.  If you are a woman this is for you. If you're a young woman, this is a must for just a tiny glimpse of what the women in your family have endured to get you the treatment you now enjoy.  A great book.

The Kingdom of Savannah by George Dawes Green

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Savannah.  If you are not from the US, Savannah is an old city in Georgia.  I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, when it first came out.  My niece went to the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  They appreciated her talents, which are unending.  When traveling to Disney World, we would spend the night in Savannah as it's a hefty drive from home yet not exhausting.  Years ago, my parents went to the city for several days, doing the whole tourist thing, and loved it.  Most importantly, we had a beloved dog named Savannah, one of the sweetest Scottish Terriers ever.  Yep, I definitely have a soft spot.

I recently read The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green.  I've never read anything by him before but he's quite famous. He wrote the award winning The Caveman's Valentine, which went on to become a movie with Samuel L. Jackson.  He also wrote The Juror, which was an international bestseller and also became a movie, featuring Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin.  I have been missing out. 

The Kingdoms of Savannah is about a woman that disappears and a man that is found dead.  Looking into these ominous events is the Musgrove family.  The matriarch is a bit of an investigator and her children have varying degrees of career sucess, lending their talents toward a solution.  The book features tons of characters as we are introduced to many citizens of Savannah.  Still the reader quickly catches on that while they add to the story, the only characters you really must keep track of are the Musgroves with a couple of exceptions.  While the public image, and certainly my image, of Savannah is mint julips in sizable stately old homes, this story explores another side.  Green expertly shows us the dark side, the forgotten people, the marginalized.  Does it preach about topics, no.  It does, however, have a dark, gritty feeling.  Atmosphere is a huge part of the story, and it is remarkably well done without "it was a dark and stormy night" type of descriptions. The story was involved yet easy to follow and kept me interested the entire way.  A great read that will linger for weeks to come and may have you calling your travel agent.  Have a mint julep for me.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a good day.

My mother loved the holidays, one of the reasons is that the family was around.  She loved the pandemonium of all her kids and their spouses being home.  I think maybe she felt surrounded by love.  Gosh, that's a happy thought.  A few years ago, my sister, her husband and two charming children came here for Christmas.  They had a bit more time off than usual and were going to be able to stay for three or four days.  I, like my mother, was in all my glory. We had the decorations ready, the cookies, food for days, and loads of games to play.  Then my dream happened.  In coastal North Carolina we had a Christmas snowstorm, a doozy.  Snow here is rare, on a holiday, rarer still, then you add I had a house full of family, the fireplace going, tree lights sparkling and snow falling that amounted to NINE inches, it was absolute perfection.  That being said family visits aren't so wonderful for all families.  You know there is that saying about company stinking in a few days, like fish.  I feel sorry for those people.

I recently read Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.  I loved Rock, Paper, Scissors so I was very excited for this new book.  Daisy Darker does not disappoint.  This is the story of Daisy Darker, who goes home to her family's gothic house that sits, crumbling, on an island only reachable when the tide is out.  I know, I know, I was willing to buy the book for the location alone!  The entire Darker family is gathering to celebrate the birthday of Nana, who is turning 80.  Unfortunately, this family gathering is not pleasant as they do not get along.  The tide comes in, and they are stuck there...getting Agatha Christie vibes yet?  The clock strikes midnight and they find poor old Nana dead.  She is not the last, the bodies start piling up like firewood.  Who could possibly be responsible and why?  

This fast-paced read is filled with twist and turns. Despite having quite a few characters, they are easy to keep straight especially as the story gives the reader glimpses into the past and what made this family so hateful. The setting, though limited to one house, adds an immeasurable amount to this book.

This would be the perfect fall read, perhaps out on your porch with a slight chill in the air.  When you go back inside, you may find yourself giving your family a second look.....you never know.