Bells for Eli by Susan Beckham Zurenda

Bells for Eli

by Susan Beckham Zurenda

March 2, 2020

Bells for Eli is a Coming of Age story.

Bells for Eli is a lyrical exploration of the relationship between cousins drawn together through tragedy. First cousins Ellison Winfield and Adeline Green are meant to grow up happily and innocently across the street from one another amid the supposed wholesome values of small-town Green Branch, South Carolina, in the 1960s and 70s.  

But Eli's tragic accident changes the trajectory of their lives and of those connected to them. Shunned and even tortured by his peers for his disfigurement and frailty, Eli struggles for acceptance in childhood as Delia passionately defends him...  

(Two) young people to unite to guard each other in a world where love, hope, and connectedness ultimately triumph. (publisher)

Memes: Mailbox Monday and  The Sunday Post 

Sunday Salon: Liars and Stalkers

There are a lot of liars in mystery and suspense titles these days. Here are three that I've recently finished and liked.

The Truth Behind the Lie by Sara Lovestam

Published August 27, 2019, Minotaur

Genre: mystery set in Sweden
Source: library book

An unusual private investigator, a young Iranian illegal immigrant in Sweden, tries to help a single mother Pernilla find her missing six-year-old daughter. The investigator, in spite of being impoverished and alone, himself in hiding, goes to unusual lengths using persistence, keen observation, and an analytical mind, to solve the mystery.

Well developed characters and a well planned story using a struggling immigrant in Europe as a main character made this a very interesting read.

I've also read:

The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley

The Lying Room by Nicci French

Click on the titles to see my reviews of the books on goodreads. 

Currently reading:

The Flower Arrangement by Ella Griffin, published June 16, 2016, Orion

Genre; contemporary fiction set in Ireland

Source: library book

"Every bouquet tells a story. And every story begins at Blossom & Grow, a tiny jewel-like flower shop in the heart of Dublin." 

New on the shelf:

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine, to be published May 28, 2020, HarperCollins Publishers

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: The Lying Room; Patsy; Paris by the Book and more

Finished reading:

The Lying Room by Nicci French

Published: October 1, 2019, William Morrow

Genre: thriller, suspense

Source: library book

A busy mom of three must hide the story of her secret lover while protecting her teenage daughter and trying to find a killer. Suspenseful and well delivered plot that had me guessing till the end. Another of Nicci French's mystery books that I really enjoyed reading.

Patsy: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Published June 4, 2019, Liveright

Genre: contemporary fiction, immigrant fiction

Source: library book 

A story of Jamaican immigrants to the U.S., those with and without proper visas, a novel of those who left the island and those who remained at home. Patsy leaves because of social and economic reasons, trying to join her former school friend who seems to be doing well in America. She leaves behind her young daughter Tru to be raised by Tru's policeman father and his wife. 

The novel offers a stark comparison of their chances for success in both situations. 

The author is Jamaican-American, born on the island, and her book rings with authenticity, both culturally and socially. There are also LGBT themes, which is interesting, as the island culture has been know for its strong homophobic stance. 

I recommend the book for those interested in immigrant stories from the Caribbean, and finding a book for Black History Month.

Currently reading:

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan

Published April 3, 2018, Dutton

Genre: contemporary fiction

Source: library book 

I was drawn to the book by the promise of Paris and books. The ratings on Goodreads have been fair to middling, but I want to read for myself to see if I will like it any better than other reviewers. The author wrote Cloud Atlas, so I'm hopeful. 

New on the shelf: 

One Minute Out by Mark Greaney

Publication: February 18, 2020, Berkley

Genre: political thriller, suspense

Source: review copy 

This is the ninth in the series, so I'm sure it's popular. This novel deals with the CIA, the main character, the Gray Man, an assassin, and human trafficking. 

What are you reading this week?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: Family Suspense Novels

A new mystery novel:

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert, #1 in the Shana Merchant detective series

February 18, 2020, Berkley 

Genre: police procedural, mystery

Source: review copy

Described as written in the style of an Agatha Christie novel, the book is set on an island with members of the family and their guests isolated there by a raging storm. 

Finished reading:

The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley

Published March 12, 2019, Ballantine Books

Source; library book

Genre: suspense

The suspense novel is about more than one liar and more than one child; the book is intriguing and holds your interest throughout. One or two threads of the plot are left dangling, in my opinion, but overall, this was quite a good thriller. The focus is on  a missing parent,  and on missing children as well as parents who may or may not be to blame. A four star read for plot and child and adolescent characterization.

What have you been reading or are planning to read this coming week?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon

Ghost of the Bamboo Road by Susan Spann: Book Beginning and Review

Ghost of the Bamboo Road by Susan Spann

November 12, 2019, copy from Seventh Street Books
Setting: a mountain village in 16th Century Japan 

Book beginning:

"This doesn't look like a travel road." Father Mateo squinted at the narrow, uneven trail running up the rocky slope ahead. Patches of icy snow still clung to the base of the towering cedars along the left side of the path. On the right, a stand of broad-leaved bamboo grass grew high enough to block the view.... 

Page 56:  

"Is something wrong?" Father Mateo whispered.
"The tracks seem to end."
"They can't just end." the Jesuit looked down the mountain. 

Hiro, a Japanese ninja, and the Jesuit priest, Father Mateo, whom he has been sworn to protect while he is in Japan, are traveling to a remote mountain village in the dead of winter. Their mission is to warn a female ninja that she might be compromised;  her identity as a spy could be discovered and her life in danger. 

However, what the two find is a village under siege from what they believe to be a vengeful ghost that could be taking the life of the villagers. Hiro and Father Mateo decide to solve this puzzle while searching for the female ninja they came to warn. 

Atmospheric in its detailed description of place and setting, this seventh novel in the Hiro Hattori Shinobi Mystery is a delightful read that puts you squarely into a time and place that feels both exotic and exciting to this Western reader. 

Though I've been to Japan, I've seen only its cities, and the book makes me curious about the mountains, hills, and forests that are such a perfect setting for a ghost story and mystery. 

I have become fond of both Hiro and Father Mateo from the previous books, and am looking forward to the author's next in the series! 

Memes: The Friday 56. Grab a book, turn to page 56, or 56% of your eReader. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it, and add your URL post at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginning at Rose City Reader

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron: Sunday Salon

It's January 12 and there's snow on the ground! I don't know if I like this or not, as we have been having spring like weather with lots of rain and wind. Wonder what the rest of winter will be like.....

I finished two books out of the three pledged for the European Reading Challenge 2020. I'll add more books in all probability. Here are the review links:

The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz , Sweden

 Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley, England

I also finished Hallie Ephron's latest suspense novel, Careful What You Wish For, which I liked very much.  

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron, August 2019, William Morrow, library book

The main character is a personal organizer who helps people declutter and organize items in their homes.

However, Emily Harlow gets herself into deep water when she takes on two new clients, one a widow wanting her husband's storage unit cleared out, and the other a younger wife asking to get rid of personal belongings stored in her garage. 

The two jobs seem clear cut, until Emily opens the widow's storage unit and until the other client's husband goes missing.

Emily and her work partner Becca and her mother Lila have to decide what to do in these two cases, and in the end Emily finds herself involved in what are clearly crimes. 

In addition, she has to deal with her hoarding husband Frank, who fills the attic, basement, and his personal spaces with unusual odds and ends that he collects.

Good writing and character development, and an intriguing plot, made the book entertaining for me and well worth reading. For mystery and suspense lovers and those curious about personal organizers and how they work. 

Five stars.

The next book on my list for Firsts in 2020 is

 The House of Brides by Jane Cockram, psychological suspense set in England. 

What have you been reading in January 2020?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley: European Reading Challenge 2020

European Reading Challenge hosted by Rose City Reader

Death in Kew Gardens

Title: Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley 
Setting: London, Kew Gardens
Time: Victorian era
Genre: mystery 

The book caught my eye because of my interest in plants, gardens, and gardening! This is the third in the Kate Holloway Mysteries set in Victorian London. Published June 4, 2018 by Berkley. Book from my shelves.

An unknown Chinese man gives Kate a box of Chinese tea when she meets him by chance on the street in front of the house where she is employed as a cook. She tries to clear him, with the help of her beau, Daniel, when Mr. Li is later suspected of the murder of Sir Jacob, Kate's neighbor and a collector of Asian antiquities and exotic plants. 

A lot of the action takes place in Kew Gardens as well as in Kate's household and the house of Sir Jacob. The descriptions of the plants and trees in Kew's Palm House and the Temperate House add to the interest of the novel, its plot and characters. 

The book is well planned and written, and transports us easily into the Victorian era of obsession with new plant collection and amassing items from the East.


Five stars. 


Have you joined this reading challenge? Which books are you reading?