A Tale of a Very Tragic Accident…”LaRose”, by Louise Erdrich

LaRoseAs author of another amazing book, LaRose is the latest effort by author Louise Erdrich. It is another brilliantly written piece about life as a Native American Indian, and how the culture influenced the lives of two families during their brush with an unspeakable tragedy. Author Erdrich’s books attempt to tell the story of a civilization that was at worst, almost annihilated. And it worked best because she is a Native American Indian by heritage and is a woman.

Erdrich creates a combination of subjects, placing liked and unliked in such a way that each is greater because of it’s placement. Her words play off each other to brilliantly describe her subjects in their best and worst light. “Her language is rich but plain. Her sentences conjure a face, a town, a situation with a transparent power.”

In LaRose, a man named Landreaux, while hunting, shot the stag in his sights, but the deer took off running unscathed. To his horror, he had shot the five year old son of his good friend and neighbor. Filled with unimaginable anguish, after much consultation with his advisors, Landreaux and his wife decide that the only way they can live with what has happened is to give their friend and neighbors their own five year old son, LaRose, to try to make amends for their loss. In this way, Erdrich creates a magical narrative that is emotionally haunting about a tale of a very tragic accident, a need for justice followed by a profound act of atonement…….all actions with roots heavily embedded in Native American culture.

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Harnessing the Electrifying Power of a Bold Vision…”Shoe Dog”, by Phil Knight

The Last MilePhil Knight, the founder of Nike has written a very honest and entertaining memoir about how he became the chairman of the board for one of the most successful companies in business history. His decision to try something other than the usual corporate employment and ladder climbing was reached after a back-packing trip through Asia, Europe, and Africa. He was 24 years old and was questioning what his future would hold. During that trip, he decided to follow an unconventional path…….one that would lead him to be the chairman of a company that now grosses $30 billion annually.

Knight was a graduate of the University of Oregon, where he was a runner on their track team. He decided that he wanted a career in something that would allow him to not only make money, but afford him the opportunity to pretty much “play all the time”. He began his amazing venture by borrowing $50 from his father, and sold Japanese made running shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant. He says that in his first year, he made a profit of $8,000. That “company” was named Blue Ribbon, after those hanging on his bedroom walls representing his own running competitions.

The road to his current multi-billion dollar corporation was not always rosey. Knight encountered many successes and setbacks along the way. But through those good and bad times, he persevered, with his most cherished accomplishment being the formation of relationships that formed the foundational heart and soul of Nike. One can only imagine the current thoughts of the struggling graphic designer who was paid $35 to create the iconic swoosh! The chairman Knight, and his “ragtag group of misfits”, together “harnessed the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, and created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.”

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Unspeakable Sins….”The Obsession”, by Nora Roberts

The JobThe New York Times bestselling author, Nora Roberts, has written another excellent novel that promises to give her fans the reading satisfaction that they have come to expect. She uses ordinary, relatable characters to draw in the reader, then gives a twist and turn to the story that is totally unexpected. She is best known for “painting a picture with her words”.

Naomi Bowers, as a young girl on the verge of turning twelve, discovers a hideous secret life that has been lived by her father, not far from the home she thought was safe and secure. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She saved a life on that stormy night, but lost her own identity as she had known it. In later life, no matter how close she got to happiness, she could not escape the sins of her father……… unspeakable sins.

Naomi became a very successful photographer, and changed her name to Naomi Carson. She has a very rewarding career and lives in a rambling, old house with beautiful views. Yet, that one, stormy night when she innocently, playfully followed her father into the woods, will forever be obsessively only a nightmare away for her. The Obsession is so compelling as a story of the terrifying evil that humans are capable of. Author Roberts mixes light and shadow like no other. After walking through all the darkness, The Obsession shows the human spirit as being capable of incredible strength and courage to thrive and survive.

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The Man Who Can Forget Nothing…”The Last Mile”, by David Baldacci

The Last MileAuthor David Baldacci has written a new book, The Last Mile, that is a second book with main character, Detective Amos Decker……..the man who can forget nothing”. Decker gets involved in a case where a convicted criminal is within hours of execution, when another person confesses to the killing of his parents twenty some years ago. Decker identifies with the death row criminal, but it will demand all of his unusual brain power to help one of the two men to be set free of murder charges.

Amos Decker was a professional football player who had a career ending injury that left him with an almost perfect memory. Some reviewers felt that Decker was a more interesting character in the Memory Man, but that die-hard Baldacci fans will appreciate the different form of Decker using his Quantico unit to help solve the latest case in usual investigative style.

Baldacci lives in Virginia with his family where he and his wife work with their foundation, Wish You Well, in supporting literacy efforts across the country.

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Tall, Blonde, Blue Eyes, Medical Student…Perfect…So, They Thought…”Most Wanted”, by Lisa Scottoline

Most WantedIn keeping with author Lisa Scottoline’s ability to write the most searing and powerful thrillers, Most Wanted, will not disappoint her many fans. One reviewer put it this way…….”it drew me in, in a single breath”.

Just think about the premise of the novel……..Christine and Marcus Nilsson are a happily married couple who have a great life, except that they cannot conceive a child. As time passes by, they decide to take further steps by participating in artificial insemination with a donor male. His bio sounded like the perfect person to provide what they needed to make their family complete. Three months after insemination, Christine was indeed pregnant. They were, of course, ecstatic. The bio had read……..Donor 3319 Profile: Tall, Blonde, Blue eyes, Medical student……..perfect…….or so they thought!

One day Christine is watching the news and notices that authorities are looking for a suspect who has committed a series of murders. The artist’s sketch looks alarmingly like the sperm donor of the baby she is carrying. With the usual depth of emotions that Scottoline’s fans have come to expect, the ethical and moral dilemma presents itself. WHAT IF ……… the biological father of your unborn baby is a serial killer? Most Wanted could easily be Lisa Scottoline’s best selling novel yet!

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In an Attempt to Catch the Most Wanted Elusive Felons…”The Job”, by Janet Evanovich

The JobThis is the third in the Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum series, Alexandra Barnaby series and the Lizzie and Diesel series) and Lee Goldberg (author of the bestselling Monk mysteries). In an attempt to catch the most wanted and most elusive felons in the world, the FBI teams up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with ex con artist Nicholas Fox. To the rest of the world, Nick is still wanted by the FBI and Kate is the agent in charge of capturing him. The reality is that they are working together formulating a con to catch a violent drug lord at the request of Kate’s boss and the Deputy Director of the FBI. They are given unlimited funds and unofficial permission to do what it takes to capture their mark without being caught. In this adventure Kate and Nick formulate an elaborate con to bring down the leader of a drug smuggling empire. Traveling around the world with their enlisted band of misfit accomplices, Nick and Kate work to execute their plan. Challenges include a psychotic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer among others. Kate’s father Jake, who is retired Special Forces and shares Kate’s deep love of impressive firearms is back again to help out a good cause. An ongoing flirtation between Kate and Nick, as well as the antics of their team keeps the book light and funny, while still delivering an impressive and well thought out plot. Be sure to read the first two novels to get the most enjoyment out of ‘The Job’. (The Heist – book one, and The Chase – book two.)

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A Brutally Honest Memoir…”Troublemaker”, by Leah Remini

TroublemakerTroublemaker is the first person account of actress Leah Remini‘s (TV’s King of Queens “Carrie”) history and life with the Church of Scientology. Remini exposes many of the darker facets of the “religion” and shares inside stories of her life as a Scientologist. Indoctrinated into Scientology at a young age along with her mother and sister, Remini spent over thirty years dedicating herself (at the cost of millions of dollars and thousands of hours of study and training). In this brutally honest memoir, Remini shares her experiences from childhood leading up to her very public break from Scientology in 2013. The book is a shocking expose Scientology’s closely guarded secrets delivered with insight and humor. As a Hollywood Insider, Remini shares stories about her interactions with other celebrity Scientologists, including her experience at the very publicized wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in Italy. An eye opener for those who have ever been interested in Scientology.

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A Little Girl, Her Journey, and Her Amazing Story of Healing…”Miracles From Heaven”, by Christy Wilson Beam

Miracles from HeavenAmerican author, Christy Wilson Beam, writes this beautiful memoir about the journey of her sick twelve year old daughter Annabel Beam. She survived, without any injury, a thirty foot fall from a branch into a hollow Cottonwood tree. While waiting to be rescued, she visited heaven and then was found to be cured of her chronic illness. Every parent can identify with the terror these parents felt as they waited for their daughter to be rescued.

Author Beam and her husband spent many hours in hospitals with Annabel trying to get her severe health issues resolved. The little girl was not able to digest her food. Most of the time, she would hardly have the energy to play, let alone climb trees. But, one day she decided to do just that with her two sisters. It was that day that changed her life and her family’s life in a very miraculous way. Some have reported getting an overwhelming sense of calm while reading what should have been very intense passages in the book. Some attribute that calmness to a feeling of a spiritual presence.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has produced an adapted version of this remarkable story, directed by Patricia Riggen, and scripted by Randy Brown. The film stars Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, and Eugene Derbez.

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There Is a Sinister Murderer on The Run…”The Steel Kiss”, by Jeffery Deaver

The Steel KissThe Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme #12) is the New York Times bestselling author, Jeffery Deaver’s latest offering. The new novel combines the talents of Amelia Sachs, not only the professional partner, but also the love partner of quadriplegic, forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme. There is a sinister murderer on the run, and it is up to them to stop him.

With the intricate mind of the latest serial killer, the pair are up against their most formidable opponent ever. Sachs and Rhyme find themselves racing against the clock and growing body counts to secure the identity of this maniac. He is known to turn common products used by his “Shoppers” victims, into murder weapons against them.
In reviews of The Steel Kiss, most reviewers applaud the new faces and complexities that Deaver included in this twelfth novel. When there are so many books about the same characters, sometimes the subject matter becomes monotonous, but according to several early readers, this book is not in any way monotonous. One reader described about four stories taking place in the one book.

There were some statements from those early readers worth quoting……..”What a creepy and suspenseful book I have just finished”; “I will never look at a remote in the same way again”; “Cars, elevators, escalators, buses, trains, planes, the equipment I use at work……computers, microwaves, heating……..technology that surround those targeted by the killer”; DO NOT READ OR LISTEN TO THIS BOOK AT OR NEAR BEDTIME!”

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Is This All There Is?…”A Girl’s Guide to Moving On”, by Debbie Macomber

NYPD RED #4On February 23, 2016, author Debbie Macomber released her latest endeavor, A Girl’s Guide to Moving On. As for many other women in the world, the lead characters in the novel, Nicole and her mother-in-law Leanne, find themselves and their marriages broken and shattered. Their husbands, who are father and son, have led a cheating existence for years. Nicole lived under the false impression that she had a perfect marriage, but Leanne lived in denial for many years, although she knew her husband was leading an unfaithful life.

Nicole and Leanne both meet new men friends who are completely different than the men they first married. Both women show bravery and courage as they make their way from betrayal and sorrow to the eventual joy of redemption and reinvention. For anyone who has ever thought to themselves…..Is this all there is?……. the novel inspires hope and second chances.

Debbie Macomber is a nine-time New York Times #1 bestselling author, with more than 170 million copies of her books for sale worldwide. Her success has been amazing, with several novels becoming hit movies on the Hallmark Channel. “A Girl’s Guide to Moving On” affirms the ability of every woman to forge a new path, believe in love, and fearlessly find happiness”.

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