"Keep Quiet" by Lisa Scottoline is One We Both Liked (UPDATED)

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline is a good book because the family it is about has likeable characters that I could easily identify with.  When the dad who is trying to get closer to his teenage son uses poor judgment by acting like a friend rather than a responsible parent, it starts a whirlwind of trouble.  This book is about how far parents will go to protect their loved ones and how things aren't always as bad as they may seem.  Although I liked the ending, it seemed too neat and not very believable.

I loved this book because it moved along quickly and held my interest all through.  I couldn't help but ask myself what I would do in their situation and was pleasantly surprised by the ending.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

In this novel, a father looks to have bonding time with his son, but a tragic accident brings them together like never before. This is a real page turner with very good twists and turns that I did not see coming. It goes fast and it does not take long to get hooked into it. Lisa always puts out great books and this one is no exception! Do not miss it!
(Gerard's review posted 5/30/14, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Safe Keeping" by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel concerns a family where the boy in the family is being charged with the murder of a young lady.  This is a very good page turner.  I especially enjoyed the interaction between the wife and husband and the sister and the brother.  All the family members have problems that add to the story.  I think this would make a real good lifetime movie!
(Gerard's review, 5++)

Now see what Karen thought about it:

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel is about a family whose 34-yr.-old son, Tucker, is charged with murder.  His father, Joe, is a disabled Vietnam vet with PTSD who constantly lives with regret of holding a gun on Tucker when he was only 4-yrs-old and locking him in the closet.  His mother, Emily and older sister, Lissa have always been protective of Tucker and want to believe in his innocence.  When Lissa finds out she is pregnant, she is afraid of becoming a mother because of all the pain her parents went through with Tucker and considers having an abortion, which causes friction between her and her husband, Evan.  The question is, is Emily and Joe’s son really a murderer?

This book is all about the family and the effects of that horrible day when Joe flipped out with Tucker.  Tucker claims he is innocent of murder but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence against him.  I liked this book and thought the ending was great!  It also has discussions questions that could be used for a book club. (Karen's review, 4 stars)   

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Black Fridays" by Michael Sears is a modern Thriller

Black Fridays by Michael Sears is about Jason Stafford, a Wall Street trader who went to prison for two years .  When he gets out, his wife divorces him, but he takes their special needs Autistic son and takes care of him and works on getting his life back together.  He then is hired to follow up on the misdeeds on Wall Street that one man did.

There is pretty good action in this book and I especially liked the parts with him and his son.  This is going to be a series, so I will probably read book two also.  
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We Both Liked "The Clock of LIfe" by Nancy Klann-Moren (Giveaway)

 The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren is about Jason Lee desiring to be as brave as his dad and do the right thing no matter what.  It shows the effects of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement on Jason Lee’s family.  Jason Lee is a southern white boy who befriends Samson Jackson, a black boy in spite of what others think.  Jason Lee’s father was actively involved in the civil rights movement and endured ridicule for joining with the blacks in the march with Martin Luther King before Jason Lee was born but died in the Vietnam war before Jason Lee was born.

Jason Lee’s coming of age story is both interesting and sad.  My favorite part was when Jason Lee and Wally went to visit Jason Lee's mom at the hospital and helped her escape!  It’s an entertaining historical fiction read that emphasizes blacks and whites are alike and should have the same rights.
(Karen's review posted 8/22/13, 4 stars)

The Clock of life by Nancy Klann-Moren is a real good coming of age story about a young white boy who befriends a young black boy in the south. This book had my attention all the way! I really enjoyed the main character and the story line was well told. Great writing that I think both young teens and older people would enjoy.
(Gerard's review posted 7/15/13, 5 stars)

August 28 will be the 50th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March with Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.  This book would be a good one to read this week! 
Here's a teaser from the book:

     "It's a tough thing to do in these parts, but you be friends with anyone you want, Jason Lee.  Don't let nobody tell you different, you hear?"  Her tone sounded like a scolding. 
     "I won't."
     "Your daddy got himself forty-seven stitches across the back of his shoulder.  And they threw him in jail to boot, just so you and boys like Samson could be friends."

From page 8 of The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren.

We are offering this first to my friends and blogging buddies (that's you!) before releasing this book "into the wild."  Just let me know if you would like to have it.  It's too good to just sit in our bookcase--it needs to be read!

(We received a free copy of this book to review and received no compensation and did not affect our reviews.)

Visit the Author's Website here.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Humans" by Matt Haig

The Humans by Matt Haig is about an alien being who inhabits the body of a professor who has a wife and a young son. He has a mission, but when he starts to hang around humans he decides the mission may change, or does it? I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It is funny and is quick moving with a nice ending.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Run, Brother, Run--A Memoir of a Murder in My Family" by David Berg

Run, Brother, Run--A Memoir of a Murder in My Family by David Berg talks about the killing of his brother, Alan, and then the trial of the person held responsible for the killing.  For the most part, this book was very interesting.  I enjoyed learning about what led up to the killing and the life Alan and David led together along with their dad.  The trial was interesting too.  I give it 4 stars.
(Gerard, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls--Essays, Etc." by David Sedaris Is One I Should Have Passed Up

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls Essays, Etc. by David Sedaris was disappointing to me. The title is very misleading because I thought I'd learn more about Diabetes and wondered what the owl connection was. Then in small print on the cover it said "Essays, Etc." which is really what is in this book. It's a collection of 25 short essays on topics from doctors, to his dad, politics, traveling, etc. There are some humorous lines and I did enjoy the ones about the dentist and not buying a cell phone. I also found his relationship with his dad to be sad but interesting. However, most of the essays did not interest me and I did not like how he put his dad down. I read most of it but finally got tired of plowing through this and switched to something else before I finished. This is the last book I'll read by this author and cannot recommend it.

If I had realized this was the same author who wrote Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, I would not have gotten it.
(I started Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk because I like animals and thought the title was funny, but gave up half way through and didn't want to waste any more time on it because it wasn't at all like I expected. The language was very rough and the animals were not portrayed in a good light at all. The "fables" seemed long to me. This book got so much hype but I did not see why. I liked Animal Farm much better!)

I do feel bad that the author's dad did not support or show him the love and acceptance every kid should have from his dad. However, I agree with his dad's opinion mentioned on page 39:

Number one on the Times list doesn't mean that your book is good--just that a lot of people bought it that week, people who were tricked, maybe, or were never too bright to begin with.

I am very thankful my dad was nothing like his and that is one of the reasons I wrote My Funny Dad, Harry in his memory shortly after his death. I think people would like reading about a happy family and a good family man once in awhile instead of about all the bad childhoods people had.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Dinner" by Herman Koch

The Dinner by Herman Koch is about two married couples who get together to discuss a horrible crime their sons committed. In my opinion, it starts slow but once it focused on the main story, it took off. I loved the ending and thought it was a good read, not great so give it four stars.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Road Trip" by Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen

In Road Trip by Gary and Jim Paulsen, a father and a son go on a road trip to rescue a dog from a shelter but they find a whole lot more than they expected—adventure that is. This is a small book but packed with interesting people. I especially enjoyed the dog’s side of the story. Kids and older people would enjoy this book.

(Gerard’s review, rating 4.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Father's Day" by Buzz Bissinger

Father's Day by Buzz Bissinger tells the true story of a road trip Buzz took with his special needs son, Zach. You will love Zach! He might be a special needs kid, but he is smart!! I really liked him a lot! These two had a real great adventure for sure. I enjoyed reading it and I think you will too.
(Gerard's review, rating:  5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is about Jazz, the young son of Billy Dent, a serial killer.  Billy told his son all about his killings.  With Billy in prison, Jazz tries to help the cops catch a copy cat serial killer.  I enjoyed this book a lot.  Jazz is awesome and tells the story very well.  I'm not sure I would call this a page turner, but it moves along at a good pace.  Read and enjoy.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Calico Joe" by John Grisham (UPDATED)

Calico Joe by John Grisham is really, really good!  It's about a relationship between a son and his dad off the field as well as on it.  The gist of the story is the dad, a major league pitcher, hits his son's favorite player with a ball on purpose, knocking him out of the game.  I liked the dialog between the son and the dad.  The ending was sort of predictable, but I liked it anyway.  I think you would have to be a major league baseball fan to appreciate this book, but it's a quick read and entertaining!  Enjoy and play ball!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:

Calico Joe by John Grisham is not one of his better books.  It’s about a pitcher to beaned an outstanding rookie, Joe, permanently ending his career.  This book shows baseball at its worst.    The most disturbing part of this book was when the pitcher was actually teaching his 11-yr-old son the fine art of throwing at a hitter’s head.  The highlight of the book was Joe’s willingness to forgive the pitcher.  It does address the issue of dying and it was said how many regrets the pitcher had. 

 

I thought this book was okay but liked other books he wrote much better.  This is not a baseball book I would recommend.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

 We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Defending Jacob" by William Landay

Oh WOW I thought after reading Defending Jacob by William Landay!  Abdy Barber is a D.A. But he is on the case of his life when his son is charged with first degree murder!!  This book could have been taken out of the real news headlines.  That being said, this book is flat out awesome!  It kept me riveted from page one!  The absolute best part, when you think it is over, it is only just getting started with a fantastic ending!  This is a double WOW for sure—you have to read this!
(Gerard's review)

Defending Jacob by William Landay, a former District Attorney, is a gripping read that combines a parents struggles to protect their son, Jacob, and the quest for truth in a murder of their son’s 14-yr.-old classmate.  They are actually afraid of the truth because they think Jacob may be the murderer, but do not want to admit it—not even to each other.  To complicate things further, the father is the assistant District Attorney who is on the case, until he is replaced because the District Attorney believes he is too close to the case and may have a conflict of interest.  Between the family drama and the court drama, this book is hard to put down.  When Jacob is arrested, the mother feels guilty and second guesses their parenting skills while the father chooses to protect his son and defend him to the end no matter what.  Even though the kid is on trial, the parents lose most of their friends too.  The story is told in first person from the father’s point of view which helps the reader understand his thinking and gives insight into the struggles he faces.  The ending is shocking and I did not see that coming! 

I liked this contemporary murder suspense very much because of the way it was written.  I was never certain as I read if Jacob was really the killer or not, which is what the dad felt.  At first, I thought he wasn’t and as the evidence piled up, I thought he was.  I’m not telling you if I was right or wrong because you really need to read it and see for yourself.  This book is thought-provoking because as you see a well-respected, man of integrity tamper with evidence and obstruct justice to protect his son, you can’t help but wonder what you would do in that situation.  This is a great read that I highly recommend to both adults and teens! (Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

See another review for this at Bloggin' About Books

During March we are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to the American Cancer Society.

"Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter" by Tom Franklin

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is a very interesting book that is a mystery about two missing girls and Larry Ott, the suspected murderer. Through flashbacks, the interesting story of “Scary Larry,” the white boy, and Silas, his black friend, growing up in Mississippi is told. This story is a mixture of a tale of friendship and a mystery. Did Larry really kill the girls and who shot Larry? Will Larry and Silas remain friends? Which boy had the better life? These are questions that arise.

Here’s a quote I particularly liked:

“What’s missing out of you, Silas?

Courage, he thought.

No wonder he felt at ease among these chickens.”

The title comes from how southern children are taught to spell Mississippi:  M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I.

I liked this book because the characters were interesting and the story telling was well done. It has a unique plot, not only the mystery of who killed the girls but also family secrets. I would have given this book 5 stars except for the profanity.

(Karen's review:  My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Crazy For The Storm: A Memoir Of Survival" by Norman Ollestad

A Remarkable Tale (20 stars):

Crazy For The Storm is the true story of Norman Ollestad who had a great relationship with his dad.  His dad pushed him to do things he did not think he could do.  Also gave him a desire to be the best.  Then one terrible day, the son was involved in a plane crash where he was the only survivor and had to put what his dad instilled in him to use.  I really marveled at what this young boy did!

(Gerard 6/17/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"If You Believe" by Kristin Hannah

If You Believe by Kristin Hannah is an historical novel about love.  Three lonely people find each other, Mariah, Mad Dog, and Jake.  Although very predictable, I enjoyed this book because of the issues Mariah and Mad Dog both had.  Jake following his dad hoping for a happy reunion was heartwarming.  Rass, Mariah’s father, was my favorite character because of his concern for his daughter and his kindness toward Mad Dog and Jake.  He kept seeking to improve his relationship with his daughter and help her let go of the past so she could enjoy the present and the future before he died.  I loved the banter between Mariah and Mad Dog.  This book was predictable right from the start but has wit, warmth, humor, sex and heartbreak which kept my interest. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Horse Boy" by Ruper Isaacson

Amazing Journey (30 stars)
The Horse Boy by Ruper Isaacson is the story of Rowan, a special needs child, and his father, Rupert.  Rowan forms a friendship with a testy horse named Betsy.  Rupert sees this and gets the idea to take Rowan to Outer Mongolia to attempt to be cured by the Shamans and what a journey it is!  You will fall in love with Rowan and admire Rupert who will do anything to find a cure for his son.  You will be tempted to skip some pages because at times it moves slow, but stick with it.  It has a happy ending.  I enjoyed this book and hope you do too.
(Gerard 5/30/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Letters From A Skeptic: A Son Wrestles With His Father's Questions About Christianity" by Dr. Gregory A. Boyd and Edward K. Boyd

I read this book because it was recommended by Kris, a friend of mine who ministers to college students at Kent University.  I found it extremely thought provoking and interesting.

Letters From A Skeptic:  A Son Wrestles With His Father’s Questions About Christianity.  This is an unusual book because it is all letters back and forth between a father and son.  The son, Greg Boyd, is a professor of theology and an ordained evangelical minister.  The father, Edward Boyd, was raised Catholic but with numerous questions about Christianity which the son patiently tries to answer over a period of time through correspondence.  The questions fall into four major categories:  Questions about God, Questions about Jesus Christ, Questions about the Bible, and Questions about Christian life and doctrine. 

Here is a small sample of some of the tough questions the father and son discussed:

Why has Christianity done so much harm?
Why is the world so full of suffering?
Why did God create Satan?
Why trust the Gospel accounts?
How can you believe that a man rose from the dead?
Why do you think the Bible is inspired?
What about the “holy books” of other religions?
Why does God make believing in Him so difficult?
Do all non-Christians go to hell?
Isn’t the Christian life impossible to live?
How can I be sure it’s all true?

If you have questions about Christianity or know someone who does and would like to know how to answer them, I highly recommend this book.  I loved seeing how the father slowly became more open to Christianity and finally accepted Jesus as His Savior when he was 73. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

At age 17, Alex recanted this story, saying he made it up.  See Boy Who Claimed He Went to Heaven Recants.  It's still a good story, but fiction.

This video is by the publisher of The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven which I thought really told about the book well:



The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey is the true story told by the father and son who were in a terrible car accident together.  Alex, the 6-yr. old son, was severely injured and was in a coma for two months.  Many people gathered to pray for him and when Alex woke up, he told his parents about seeing Jesus and how beautiful heaven was.  Angels ministered to him and he was able to see five angels surround his dad at the scene of the accident.  Alex is the first child to have the “Christopher Reed” surgery so he could breathe without a ventilator.  Alex talked about Jesus to everyone he met.

This is an inspiring story of hope to those who have loved ones in comas or who are trusting God for healing.  The purpose of writing this book is to show the power of God and be an encouragement to others.  It is a remarkable story and the things Alex mentions about heaven are scriptural and consistent with what Captain Black wrote about in his book, Flight to Heaven.  It was heartwarming to see how believers in Jesus supported the family and came through for them time and again to meet their needs. 

The father also shares about the struggles their family was going through in addition to taking care of Alex which included, a new baby who came home just the day before the accident, financial struggles, marriage issues. The message of what an amazing God we have is throughout the book.

It is thought provoking and although maybe not a page turner, I liked it. If you are interested in reading a modern-day account about angels, heaven and spiritual warfare, I highly recommend this book!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Season of Life--A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey To Manhood" by Jeffrey Marx

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx is about Joe Ehrmann, an ex-football player who became a minister and a high school football coach.  The author was a ball boy for the football team when he met Joe.  They lost contact but then got back in touch when the author, who grew up to be a journalist, decided to track down the former players and write about what they were doing.  Jeffrey Marx followed Joe's high school team for a year and found out that winning and losing is not the only things that Joe teaches them.  He taught them life lessons on how to be a man by being focused on others and not themselves.  With High School football coming up soon, this is a good book to read.  I enjoyed it a lot!
 (Gerard's review)

Season Of Life by Jeffrey Marx is a inspirational book that I highly recommend to any man, teen boy, parent, coach or teacher. It does not read like a text book at all.  I really enjoyed following the High School Football team through the eyes of the author.  Joe Erhmann is an example of a Godly man putting God’s Word into practice.   Season of Life is all about teaching boys to become men.  The author learns to improve his relationship with his father through watching Joe Erhmann model the basic strategic masculinity principles he learned from God’s Word as he teaches them to the high school football team he coaches. 

Jeffrey Marx looked up to Joe as a football player when Jeffrey was just a kid and connected with him again as a man.  Joe had a father who was always telling him to “be a man” and would punch him and tell him to be tough, that real men don’t cry.  He was into the “false masculinity” mindset of athletic ability, sexual conquest and economic success until his brother died.  While waiting at the hospital during his brother’s illness, he came across a poem that impacted his life by Edwin Markhm:

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;
None goes his way alone:
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

Then he searched for some real meaning to life and through talking to the team’s unofficial Chaplain and studying the Bible God transformed him into a devout Christian.  Joe became a minister and a high school football coach whose program included “building men for others.” 

He came to the realization that masculinity is all about relationships, being focused on others, and a code of conduct that includes accepting responsibility, leading courageously, enacting justice on behalf of others and empathy.  From here on he not only models these principles but also teaches them to the boys on his football team. 

The book that Joe gave to Jeffrey Marx that helped him get to actually know his father better is Questions For My Father—Finding The Man Behind Your Dad.  It’s just a collection of questions to ask to get communication flowing on a deeper level.  This may be helpful to someone so just thought I’d mention it.
(Karen's review)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?