Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

This was a rare book that I chose to read just for fun, not for school or book club or any other reason. Reading just because I wanted to read. What a fun idea! This one had been highly recommended to me, so I picked it up. I finished it in one week, which is a record for me recently. Of course it was a week of vacation, with two long train rides, but still, I finished it quickly.

Broken into two sections, this non-fiction book tells the story of the people of Savannah, Georgia and a murder that happened there in the 1980's. In the first section you meet many of the characters in the book through interviews they each held with the author when he first visited there from his home in New York City. But after he was there for a short time, one of the men he met there murdered a man and claimed it was self defense. The rest of the book tells the story of his trials and the effects his trouble had on others in the city (how can we have a Christmas party if Jim is in prison???).

I saw the movie adaptation of this book years ago and didn't like it, so I was hesitant to read the book. But after hearing that the movie was nothing like the book I decided to give it a try. I was drawn in immediately. The characters really come alive for you. They are all so incredible you often forget you are reading non-fiction (although the author does admit to a few artistic liberties). Then when the murder happens the story unfolds in a really compelling way. I couldn't get enough of it and couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Jim. It is a great mystery and told incredibly well.

So I highly recommend this book for a fascinating people study, but be prepared. You will probably want to take a trip to Savannah when you are done to see these people for yourself!

The Price of Life by Nigel Brennan, Nicky Bonney and Kellie Brennan

About a year ago I read the book A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett. It is the true story of Amanda's abduction and 15-month captivity in Somalia. Taken alongside Amanda was Nigel Brennan, an Australian photogropher with whom she had previously been romantically involved. The Price of Life is Nigel's account of their experiences.

Amanda's story talked about what she dealt with during their time in captivity. As a woman, Amanda was treated horribly and was abused in every imaginable way. It was clear from her account that Nigel's experience was different so I was interested to read his version of the events as well. It has taken me this full year to get the book from the library.

Nigel's story is co-authored by his sister and sister-in-law, who tell what it was like for them back in Australia during the time of Nigel's kidnapping and everything the family had to do (while working with Amanda's family in Canada, and both country's governments) to try to get them free. One review I read before I read this book said the reader hated that part of the story and skipped over it, but it was my favourite part of the book. Imagine having a family member captured in a dangerous part of the world. Wouldn't you do everything you could to get them free? I found it a bit difficult to follow because there were so many people involved in getting Nigel and Amanda released (no spoiler alert, we already know they've been released because they're writing their books) but on the whole their accounts gave a great perspective to the story.

Nigel gives an honest account of all that happened and you really feel the toll it took on him emotionally and physically. Amanda's story told a bit of her PTSD after she returned home but Nigel's didn't really get into that. I would also like to hear what the transition home was like for him and how he dealt with his return to day-to-day life.

So if you've read A House in the Sky I do recommend this one as a good follow up to get the whole story. But get in line at the library because the wait is long. As this is an Australian book it isn't widely available in print copies in North America, but digital copies are for sale. A heavy, upsetting read, but very interesting.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

My book club has decided to take a light approach to December, and this was our selection. It is a children's book so I read it this afternoon while my car was being rustproofed. It's only 79 pages so it is a fast, fun read. It was just a delightful little book. I can't wait for Darcy to read it too.

It tells the story of a small town preparing for their annual Christmas pageant. Every year it's the same thing. The same wise men, the same shepherds, the same Mary and Joseph. Until the Herdman family hears that you get free refreshments at Sunday School and decide to show up. The Herdman children usually spend their time smoking cigars and setting things on fire, so a Christmas pageant is very out of character for them. But when the 6 Herdman children are given leading roles in this year's pageant, things suddenly look very different from other years.

This book is hilarious and poignant. It made me laugh and once or twice brought a little tear to my eye. If you're looking for a great Christmas read, I can't recommend this one highly enough. If you have read Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin', this is a very similar read, and now they are two of my favourites to read at Christmas.

Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer

I have enjoyed reading Jeffrey Archer's books since I accidentally stumbled across First Among Equals as a teenager. This is book is the fifth in his current series, The Clifton Chronicles. I always like to finish a series once I start it, but after book four I was getting bored with this series. I wasn't sure if I was going to read this book or not, but I'm glad I did as it seems to have recaptured the excitement that I first enjoyed with this series.

The series follows the life of Harry Clifton who is now around 50 years old, a successful author and a loving husband and father. His wife Emma, son Sebastian, brother-in-law Giles are some of the other main characters with a few recurring villains as well.

In this book Emma is facing challenges as the Chairman of the Board of her family's shipping company, Harry is campaigning for the release of a Russian author who was imprisoned for writing a biography of Stalin which the Russian government doesn't want reaching the hands of the public. Archer takes us from London to Russia, to the US, to East Berlin as the family faces each difficulty.

It's not going to be an award-winning book, but it was a fun, light read and had compelling plot lines. Jeffrey Archer has a great way of telling a story. I love the way he leaks little clues as the stories move along and the fun ways he has of revealing surprises, often in a court room or board room. The "bad guys" are usually brought to justice with a surprising twist. It is a bit formulaic, but still fun. I do recommend the series. Book four was a bit weak, as I said before, but on the whole the series will give you what Jeffrey Archer is known for: a fun page-turner with lots of surprises.

Side note: My all time favourite Jeffrey Archer story is a short story which appeared in his book 12 Red Herrings. The first story in the book is entitled Trial and Error. I loved it!

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

I have never considered myself to be a lover of non-fiction. But my best reads of the past two years have all been non-fiction, so I think I'm starting to change my mind about that.

I stumbled across this book after I read Thunder Dog earlier this year. Both deal with the events of September 11, 2001 but in completely different ways.

In this book, we read the stories of various people who found themselves stranded in Gander, Newfoundland after American airspace was closed and pilots were told to land their planes at the nearest possible airport. Nearly 40 planes landed in Gander (population a little over 10,000), which resulted in 6,500 passengers finding themselves in this little town that few of them had ever heard of before. Gander dropped everything to welcome these travellers with open arms. They gave them places to sleep, food to eat, computers and phones to stay in touch with family, clothes, showers, whatever they could possibly need to get through that difficult time. Stores would often give the "plane people" whatever they needed for free, just to help out.

Churches, community groups, schools and clubs all pitched in to help. I was particularly proud of the mentions of the work of the Salvation Army and I know my former boss was actually in charge of the Army's work in Gander at that time. Everyone worked together to help others, because that is the "Newfie way".

The book follows several different individuals and families through their experiences in Gander during that week. It is a bit difficult to keep the different story threads straight, but it is usually pretty easy to remember who is being talked about. Whether is the story of the Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, the parents waiting for word about their son the NYC firefighter, the parents of the newly adopted Russian girl, or any of the others you will be drawn to the characters and their stories.

Among other things, this book caused me to think about my own Newfie roots in a new, even prouder light. I loved hearing the stories of the people of Gander opening their homes and offering support to people they had never met before. Although the "plane people" only spent a few days in Gander, friendships were formed that will probably last a lifetime.

So while there was a lot of pain and heartbreak during these days, the response of the people of Gander made an incredibly difficult time much easier. I loved this book and highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to hearing the views of the other members of my book club on Sunday evening.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Man, it takes me ages to get through a book these days. I can't believe how long it took me to read this one. It was our book club selection for our meeting in the middle of October. I finished it today. Now I really need to get moving on November's book.

I loved the idea of this book. A book about books and the people who love them. It seems right up my alley. Maybe it was the fact that it was translated from its original Swedish, but it just didn't have the magic I was expecting.

The book tells the story of Sara, a young Swedish woman who comes to visit a Amy, literary pen pal in Broken Wheel, Iowa. The two women had been corresponding about books for a while and decided to meet. Amy was an elderly woman and by the time Sara arrives in Broken Wheel, Amy has passed away. So Sara is left living in Amy's house, and making her way in this small town on her own. She decides to use Amy's extensive book collection to start a book shop, something the town has been lacking prior to her arrival.

Broken Wheel is full of unique characters, many of whom Sara has read about in Amy's letters. Now she gets to know them in real life and she falls in love with the town. However, I feel this was one of the downfalls of the book. There were too many characters and it was hard to keep them all straight. I think a couple of side plots could have been done away with to make the book flow a bit better.

I do like the literary references throughout the book, and one of my favourite parts is when one of the townspeople starts referring to Idgie from Fried Green Tomatoes" as her friend. There are many references to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, so that's automatically a plus in my mind!

It's a light, fun read, but wasn't as great as I was hoping.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I came across this book as part of a class I did last spring. I bought it in May and have been reading it ever since. I just couldn't get into it.

It is the story of Marie-Laure a young girl raised in Paris who is being raised by her father in the days leading up to World War II. Marie-Laure is blind, but her father never lets that slow her down. He teachers her how to find her way around and take care of herself. As the war breaks out and they need to flee Paris, these lessons will be invaluable.

It is also the story of Werner, a brilliant young boy growing up in Germany. Orphaned along with his sister he falls in love with the radio and in their children's home they listen to a French scientist's radio broadcasts. Werner discovers a natural ability for building and repairing radios. This skill lands him in a special school and service for the German army in WWII.

Although quite separate, their lives are intertwined in ways they could never imagine.

I wanted to love this book. I tried to love this book. But I just didn't. I think part of what kept me from being drawn into it are the short little chapters and constantly changing voices and time periods. It can be hard to keep track of where and when you are in the story and who all the characters are. Especially when your reading is spread out over several months! But the writing is beautiful, the characters are interesting, I just feel like I had a hard time getting to know them in such short, spread out passages.

It has been a long time since a book has really drawn me in. Does anyone have any recommendations?