SYCAMORE ROW, by John Grisham, published in 2013 by Doubleday a division of Random House books.
How do you connect to a book that starts off with a suicide in the South, that leaves a black maid over 24 million dollars and cuts off his own children? I knew this book would be full of southern drama. The main character is a white lawyer, Jake, who recently had his house burned down by white supremacists because he won a case for a black man. He is quickly thrown into a new case by a handwritten letter and a handwritten will that the man who committed suicide sends to him through the mail, that reaches him the day after the man kills himself. Jake is not happy because he is not sure he likes the fact that this man gave nothing to his children, but he knows that it would mean a case that may bring some money his way. All he has to do is make sure that the will is accepted and that the first will is thrown out, the one that leaves all the money to his children.
The story weaves in several facts, the prevalence of lynchings in the south, the suppression of blacks even though it is 1989, the hate crimes, such as burning down houses, making threats, and the portrayal of blacks as poor, alcoholic and conniving. The latter is not a fact but it is how the characters are portrayed and falls into the way racists see the African Americans.
I had a hard time with the book. Having just experienced death in the family and children of the deceased acting snarky, I wanted to see if justice prevailed. The whole book was centered around Lettie Lang a black woman who was the aide and maid to Mr. Hubbard when he was dying of cancer. Did she influence his changing of the will? Did she do this with special favors? Did she know about the will changes? In one part of the book, she is happy to be mentioned in the will but did not expect that she would receive it all. All she wanted to do was give the majority back to the family, but it was not up to her. The main focus was Seth Hubbard's mind working or was he muddled the day he made the new will.
I have to admit I am not into the ins and outs of tricks, games and tactics that lawyers use to skew the facts. At one point I was thinking can we please get this book moving. I just want to get to the end. About halfway through the book it starts to get interesting again. But I felt that some things were drawn out way to long. All in all a good book, not sure about the very ending. I did like the trial outcome and subsequent events that lead to a good resolution, but the last chapter was somewhat kitchy.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
NO Posts
Sorry about the lack of posts, I have fallen once again behind in my reading. But, I am hoping to catch up on my reading in the next few days. As a reminder, I am reading ON THE ROAD, by Jack Kerouac and SYCAMORE ROW by John Grisham. It is a rainy day here and though I am substitute teaching today, this afternoon may be the perfect time to sit back and relax with a book. At least, I am hoping that this is a good day to relax.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Books Left to Read
I have 20 books left to read in the 100 book Challenge sponsored by Facebook and I think Random House books. I have finally grabbed a copy of ON THE ROAD by Kerouac. I did have to purchase it so it is the next book on the list to read. I also own a copy of DRACULA by Bram Stoker, so I am going to read that in October, Halloween is the perfect time to read this book. I am going to try to read 10 books before the end of the year, but there may be a problem with length and time, DON QUIXOTE for example is huge.
Books Left to Read of the 100:
ON THE ROAD
DRACULA
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
CATCH-22 (for some reason I think I have read this)
DON QUIXOTE
FAHRENHEIT 451
A FINE BALANCE
THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK (I started this but did not finish, will retry)
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
HAMLET
IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME
LES MISERABLE (Read excerpts in my French class)
LOLITA
NATIVE SON
THE SECRET HISTORY
SLAUGHTER HOUSE FIVE (Again I recall reading this but will read again)
TROPIC OF CANCER
ULYSSES
UNDER THE VOLCANO
AMBASSADORS (Another book I started and had a hard time getting through, I will try again)
My Book Club book for this month is SYCAMORE ROW, by John Grisham. This is one that definitely needs to be read before the end of the month. I also started two books at the end of August, so I will be reviewing those as well.
Books Left to Read of the 100:
ON THE ROAD
DRACULA
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
CATCH-22 (for some reason I think I have read this)
DON QUIXOTE
FAHRENHEIT 451
A FINE BALANCE
THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK (I started this but did not finish, will retry)
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
HAMLET
IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME
LES MISERABLE (Read excerpts in my French class)
LOLITA
NATIVE SON
THE SECRET HISTORY
SLAUGHTER HOUSE FIVE (Again I recall reading this but will read again)
TROPIC OF CANCER
ULYSSES
UNDER THE VOLCANO
AMBASSADORS (Another book I started and had a hard time getting through, I will try again)
My Book Club book for this month is SYCAMORE ROW, by John Grisham. This is one that definitely needs to be read before the end of the month. I also started two books at the end of August, so I will be reviewing those as well.
Monday, August 31, 2015
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS: finished
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS by Arthur Ransome was first published in 1930. My copy was on Kindle, this was because I could not find it as a book. I found the rest of the series but not this first book. I was told that the first book is always the least amount published because publishers are not sure how the book will take off. I have found this in many current series and go crazy trying to find the first book. But back to my review.
This book is set in the summer of 1929. The Swallow and the Amazon are boats that the children vacationing on this lake have named. The Swallows are on holiday with there mother, the youngest child and the nurse. The children are Susan, John, Titty and Roger they imagine themselves as explorers of far away places. There are several islands on this lake and their mother lets them take the Swallow and sail to one of the islands to spend a couple of weeks on the island. The youngest is eight. They have labeled themselves John is Captain, Susan is Second Mate, Titty is Able-bodied Seaman and Roger is simply known as the boy. They are loaded with provisions, such as tents and camping gear. Sent on their way and pretty much left to their own devices. They call everybody not in camp natives, they call a houseboat a pirate ship and they name the islands after places that they would like to explore.
The Amazons are two girls from the Blackwell family. They are related to the man in the houseboat and also call him a pirate. They have done things to his boat, but the Swallows get the blame. The Amazons land on the island and say that it is theirs. So the two boats decide to have a "battle" to see who claims the island. All of this is in good fun.
This is a book that is definitely for children and is full of adventure. I do not think it is something a parent would allow in our current culture. Sending 4 children to be on there own for a couple of weeks, though the mom did visit once and awhile and she had in place a system to make sure they were okay, as the children were required to sail to a farmhouse for mil and eggs. But other then that they were alone on an island with many other boats on the water. This book reminded me of several other books of this era, where children had much more imagination and freedom to do many things without thinking about crazy people trying to hurt them. Good book.
This book is set in the summer of 1929. The Swallow and the Amazon are boats that the children vacationing on this lake have named. The Swallows are on holiday with there mother, the youngest child and the nurse. The children are Susan, John, Titty and Roger they imagine themselves as explorers of far away places. There are several islands on this lake and their mother lets them take the Swallow and sail to one of the islands to spend a couple of weeks on the island. The youngest is eight. They have labeled themselves John is Captain, Susan is Second Mate, Titty is Able-bodied Seaman and Roger is simply known as the boy. They are loaded with provisions, such as tents and camping gear. Sent on their way and pretty much left to their own devices. They call everybody not in camp natives, they call a houseboat a pirate ship and they name the islands after places that they would like to explore.
The Amazons are two girls from the Blackwell family. They are related to the man in the houseboat and also call him a pirate. They have done things to his boat, but the Swallows get the blame. The Amazons land on the island and say that it is theirs. So the two boats decide to have a "battle" to see who claims the island. All of this is in good fun.
This is a book that is definitely for children and is full of adventure. I do not think it is something a parent would allow in our current culture. Sending 4 children to be on there own for a couple of weeks, though the mom did visit once and awhile and she had in place a system to make sure they were okay, as the children were required to sail to a farmhouse for mil and eggs. But other then that they were alone on an island with many other boats on the water. This book reminded me of several other books of this era, where children had much more imagination and freedom to do many things without thinking about crazy people trying to hurt them. Good book.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
New Book and review of the book THE ROSIE PROJECT
I have started, a little bit ago, a book that I had trouble finding in either the library or the book store. I can find the sequels to this book but the only place I could find SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS by Arthur Ransome is online. It is a children's tale of 4 children on a summer adventure. I am 53% thru the book according to my Kindle. So far it is a pretty fun book. I will let you know about the book when I finish, hopefully, in the next few days. It is a pretty fast read.
I have also been reading a book called THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion. This is a great book about a man who has Asperger's syndrome, I think, who has been told by several people that he should find a companion or a wife. The book is set in Australia, with some time spent in the States. That he needed to get out and date people. Here is a man who has a routine for everything and is awkward around social situations. I do not have Asperger's but I definitely can relate to awkward around social situation. I had many a day growing up when my mom would tell me to think before I spoke. Usually, because I would repeat something she would say to the person she said it about, so I was always in trouble. I also have a hard time in crowds, trying to be part of different conversations. But it seems that our character Dr. Tillman, had ways to deal with this problem.
Anyway, he decides that maybe he should find the perfect wife, so he makes a questionnaire that he will have women either fill out or answer when on a date. He tries it on women at speed dating site, telling them that he was going to ask a set a questions then they could talk about what ever they wanted, this did not go over so well and they ended up starring at each other. Some of his criteria he just used his eyes to figure out, like a woman's BMI, or how late they are when they are going to an event.
While this is happening he has a friend Gene who is married, but is sleeping with woman from all over the world. He has a map that he puts a pin into when he has met that goal. He tells Tillman that they he and his wife have an open marriage. They are Tillman's best friends and Claudia is the person that Tillman likes to discuss his ideas about everything. This is true especially since he started the WIFE PROJECT. Gene fixes him up with someone who does not fit the parameters of the WIFE PROJECT, her name is Rosie. She has no idea that she is meeting a man trying to find a wife and Tillman automatically rules her out when she arrives late for a date, part of his rules on being timely to an event.
They become friends and set about on a different project, the FATHER PROJECT. Lots of projects in this book, lots of changes in the characters as they maneuver through these projects. A really good book.
Publishing Information: published in 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers LTD. It was first published in Australia by The Text Publishing Company.
I have also been reading a book called THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion. This is a great book about a man who has Asperger's syndrome, I think, who has been told by several people that he should find a companion or a wife. The book is set in Australia, with some time spent in the States. That he needed to get out and date people. Here is a man who has a routine for everything and is awkward around social situations. I do not have Asperger's but I definitely can relate to awkward around social situation. I had many a day growing up when my mom would tell me to think before I spoke. Usually, because I would repeat something she would say to the person she said it about, so I was always in trouble. I also have a hard time in crowds, trying to be part of different conversations. But it seems that our character Dr. Tillman, had ways to deal with this problem.
Anyway, he decides that maybe he should find the perfect wife, so he makes a questionnaire that he will have women either fill out or answer when on a date. He tries it on women at speed dating site, telling them that he was going to ask a set a questions then they could talk about what ever they wanted, this did not go over so well and they ended up starring at each other. Some of his criteria he just used his eyes to figure out, like a woman's BMI, or how late they are when they are going to an event.
While this is happening he has a friend Gene who is married, but is sleeping with woman from all over the world. He has a map that he puts a pin into when he has met that goal. He tells Tillman that they he and his wife have an open marriage. They are Tillman's best friends and Claudia is the person that Tillman likes to discuss his ideas about everything. This is true especially since he started the WIFE PROJECT. Gene fixes him up with someone who does not fit the parameters of the WIFE PROJECT, her name is Rosie. She has no idea that she is meeting a man trying to find a wife and Tillman automatically rules her out when she arrives late for a date, part of his rules on being timely to an event.
They become friends and set about on a different project, the FATHER PROJECT. Lots of projects in this book, lots of changes in the characters as they maneuver through these projects. A really good book.
Publishing Information: published in 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers LTD. It was first published in Australia by The Text Publishing Company.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Book Review: The Count of Monte Cristo
I have finally finished THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexander Dumas. Mid-book I had to return my library copy and download it onto my Kindle, it cost .99 so not a bad deal. I love this book, it fit so well into my Sunday School lesson for adults. It was a good thing I finished before the lesson. We were studying about God and prayers being answered in God's time and that our prayers will always be there no matter where we are in life. So how does this tie into the book.
This book is about a young man who returns home excited to be marrying a young Catalan girl. He is youthful and happy and he is about to be promoted. Now there are several people who are just a little bit envious of Edmond Dantes. There is Danglers who wants the coveted position of Captain on the vessel, the captain has died at sea, but before he died he put Dantes in charge. Morrel the owner of the boat wants to keep Dantes on as Captain. Then we have Frederic who is the cousin to Mercedes. Mercedes is the love of Edmond's life. Frederic is also in love with Mercedes and would love to get rid of Edmond, but Mercedes says that if anything happens to Edmond she would die. Next in line is Caderousse, he is jealous of Edmond and his father and would love to extract all their money if he could figure out where they kept it. In other words he is a thief. The three of them meet for drinks while Edmond is meeting with Mercedes. They get Caderousse drunk and Frederic and Danglers draft a note saying that Edmond is a Bonapartist and is carrying a letter for the cause. Danglers then throws the letter away knowing full well that Frederic is so jealous he would do anything to get rid of Edmond. Frederic sends the letter to a man Villefort, who is in charge of the region, Villefort has aspirations of becoming the confident to the King, so he brings in Dantes. He asks Dantes if he has the letter, which Dantes then pulls out of his pocket. Villefort acting nice and assuring Dantes that all will be straightened out throws him in prison and essentially tells them to keep him incarcerated for life.
This is a great beginning for the book and it gets better as we continue into Dantes life in prison. Now this parts get a little long and I knew he would escape but I almost got bored at this part. In actuality this is a great writing device because Dantes himself was getting down and was resigning himself to be in jail forever, when he hears a scratching on the wall. Eventually, he meets the Abbe. They figure out an escape plan. The Abbe tells him of a great fortune on the Island of Monte Cristo. At first Dante does not believe him and then he realizes that the Abbe is not the madman that the guards believe he is.
Now we know an escape happens and the riches discovered, the rest of the book is full of twists and turns as Dantes in many disguises seeks revenge on the very people who put him in prison. He finds his father has dies and Merceded ha done the unthinkable and married Frederic. Frederic and Dangler are in Paris and wealthy. Caderousse is married and owns an Inn. Villefort is also in Paris and has a new wife. All of them, except Caderousse, have children that are at the age where they can marry. Dantes uses the vices of each person to extract his revenge.
This is a great book. It is also a long book, over 1000 pages. Once you get into the revenge part it moves really fast. Lots of good character development and interesting connections between all the characters.
This book is about a young man who returns home excited to be marrying a young Catalan girl. He is youthful and happy and he is about to be promoted. Now there are several people who are just a little bit envious of Edmond Dantes. There is Danglers who wants the coveted position of Captain on the vessel, the captain has died at sea, but before he died he put Dantes in charge. Morrel the owner of the boat wants to keep Dantes on as Captain. Then we have Frederic who is the cousin to Mercedes. Mercedes is the love of Edmond's life. Frederic is also in love with Mercedes and would love to get rid of Edmond, but Mercedes says that if anything happens to Edmond she would die. Next in line is Caderousse, he is jealous of Edmond and his father and would love to extract all their money if he could figure out where they kept it. In other words he is a thief. The three of them meet for drinks while Edmond is meeting with Mercedes. They get Caderousse drunk and Frederic and Danglers draft a note saying that Edmond is a Bonapartist and is carrying a letter for the cause. Danglers then throws the letter away knowing full well that Frederic is so jealous he would do anything to get rid of Edmond. Frederic sends the letter to a man Villefort, who is in charge of the region, Villefort has aspirations of becoming the confident to the King, so he brings in Dantes. He asks Dantes if he has the letter, which Dantes then pulls out of his pocket. Villefort acting nice and assuring Dantes that all will be straightened out throws him in prison and essentially tells them to keep him incarcerated for life.
This is a great beginning for the book and it gets better as we continue into Dantes life in prison. Now this parts get a little long and I knew he would escape but I almost got bored at this part. In actuality this is a great writing device because Dantes himself was getting down and was resigning himself to be in jail forever, when he hears a scratching on the wall. Eventually, he meets the Abbe. They figure out an escape plan. The Abbe tells him of a great fortune on the Island of Monte Cristo. At first Dante does not believe him and then he realizes that the Abbe is not the madman that the guards believe he is.
Now we know an escape happens and the riches discovered, the rest of the book is full of twists and turns as Dantes in many disguises seeks revenge on the very people who put him in prison. He finds his father has dies and Merceded ha done the unthinkable and married Frederic. Frederic and Dangler are in Paris and wealthy. Caderousse is married and owns an Inn. Villefort is also in Paris and has a new wife. All of them, except Caderousse, have children that are at the age where they can marry. Dantes uses the vices of each person to extract his revenge.
This is a great book. It is also a long book, over 1000 pages. Once you get into the revenge part it moves really fast. Lots of good character development and interesting connections between all the characters.
Friday, July 17, 2015
1/2 way through
I am still reading the COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, by Dumas and only 1/2 the way through with only 4 days left to read the book. I have renewed it 3 times from my local library, which means that I cannot renew it again. I am hoping to be done however by the end of the weekend. I may have to have new glasses and a bottle of Tylenol beside me, the print is small. The story however is rolling along and except for some confusion about who, where and when our main character reveals himself in the story. Sometimes there are stories within the story, so recently I have had to go a little slower. Kindness, revenge and stealth are some of the main characteristics of Dantes, who has taken to calling himself, 'Sinbad the Sailor.'
If I do not finish the book this weekend, I may try to find the book at another library or bite the bullet and just buy the book. Good eyesight will hopefully allow me to continue.
If I do not finish the book this weekend, I may try to find the book at another library or bite the bullet and just buy the book. Good eyesight will hopefully allow me to continue.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)