"Gray Mountain" by John Grisham

Gray Mountain by John Grisham is about a lawyer, Samantha, who loses her cushy job in New York City at a big firm and goes to Brady, Virginia to work as an intern at a legal aid clinic with no pay for a year.  Her job in New York mainly involved proofreading documents for business transactions but when she joins the Legal Aid Clinic, she feels like a real lawyer, actually making a difference in people’s lives.  When she meets the Gray brothers, nephews of Mattie, the owner of the legal aid clinic, she finds herself unknowing pulled into a dangerous situation as Donovan Gray, an attorney who likes big cases against coal mining companies, takes a personal interest in her.  Samantha eventually must choose what world she wants to work in.  Will she remain to follow-up on her meaningful cases and continue to become a litigator fighting for the poor people who really need her help or go back to the corporate scene where she is paid the big bucks and given a cushy office? 

I liked this book and learned a lot about strip mining and the plight of coal miners who contract black lung disease.  It paints a pretty dark picture of how hard it is for the miners to get the benefits they deserve.  I found the cases Samantha was involved in during her time at the legal aid clinic interesting because they made her feel more like a social worker than a lawyer.  This novel has very little court scenes because it focuses more on the leg work involved in preparing for trial.  

(Karen's review, 3 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!

:When Books Went To War" by Molly Guptill Manning is Fascinating

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning tells the true story about our soldiers in World War II and the effort that was made to get them books to read.  I found this book fascinating.  The people who lead the drive are true behind-the-scenes heroes.  I enjoyed finding out what books our men and women fighters in the war liked best.  If you are looking for a good true historical book, this is it!
(Gerard's review, 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!

"The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone" by Adele Griffin is Riveting

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin tells the story of part of Addison Stone's life.  She was a young girl who was a very talented painter whose life was way too short.  It is told by her family, her friends and other people with whom she came in contact.  I was "wowed" by it and found it to be a riveting page turner! 
(Gerard's review, 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!

Teaser Tuesdays: Four Today

Gerard's:
  
Scared the daylights out of me, if you want to know the truth.  I thought I couldn't be spooked by anything.  Turns out I was wrong.

From page 9 of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin.

What the army needed was some form of recreation that was small, popular, and affordable.  It needed books.

From page 24 of When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning.

Karen's: 

"Well, we've never had an intern from one of the big New York firms, but we could always use some help around here.  There's no shortage of poor folk and their problems.

From page 26 of Gray Mountain by John Grisham.

Papers were scattered between two rows of filing cabinets.  She knew she should call the police, although that would mean interacting with a stranger.

From page 13 of Fractured Legacy by Charles B. Neff.  (Let me know in the comments if you would like this one--neither Gerard or me could get into it, too slow moving.)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.

Happy Reading!

"Justice For Hire" by Rayven T. Hill

Kindle read

Justice for Hire by Raven T. Hill is a wild crime investigation in Canada by the police and a married couple who are private investigators.  This is fiction based on the American and Canadian involvement in trauma-based mind control techniques during the 1950s and 1960s ( MK-Ultra Project Monarch).  The teen shooters are abducted and become under the control of evil men who use them to kill.

The writing in this is very simplistic and the plot is just hard to believe.  I don’t want to say too much to give away the ending, but this book reads like a superman comic book.  I can't even say it's a good mystery because the reader is let in on what is behind the murders practically from the beginning!  Totally unrealistic when it comes to the work of the private investigators who somehow get all the leads and solve the mystery.

(Karen's review, 3 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!