Bookreporter.com Bets On...

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

August 2013

Determined not to be “behind” this time, I read THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND by Jojo Moyes last weekend; it just came out this week. And yes, this is the first time I have selected two Bets On titles by the same author in the same month (the other was ME BEFORE YOU, which is now available in paperback). The title references a painting done by an artist named Edouard Lefevre of his wife, Sophie, in France in 1916. He is off to the front in World War I, and shortly afterwards their town is captured by the Germans. Sophie and her sister are forced to prepare meals for German soldiers each evening at their inn, while during the day the townspeople frequent the place. Sophie takes a huge risk to see her husband again --- one that will endanger her life and put her at odds with the entire town.

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The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

August 2013

I attend a lot of previews where publishers present their upcoming titles. Typically, one will catch my eye, and I will paw through my advance reading copies to find it later. This happened with THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX by Leon Leyson. A few weeks ago, I heard on the news that a copy of Schindler’s List was being auctioned on eBay with an opening bid of $3 million. It made me think about the people whose names were on that list. THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX is a memoir by one of the youngest people to be saved by Schindler. I literally sat and read it in one sitting. It’s being published for children, but it’s the kind of book that can be read at any age.

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Approaching the Speed of Light by Victoria Lustbader

August 2013

I love authors with range, meaning that they are not one-note ponies telling the same story over and over. Victoria Lustbader is just that kind of an author. After reading APPROACHING THE SPEED OF LIGHT, I wrote her and said, “If you were a musician, I would see you playing different instruments so you were able to create your own orchestra. You do such great things with words and the scenarios that you create. And this is such a different direction for you from STONE CREEK, but once again you nailed everything about it --- characters, plot, theme, scene and pacing. I felt myself in each location; they were so well drawn, and I saw the characters.” In APPROACHING THE SPEED OF LIGHT, Victoria writes great damaged characters with redeeming moments to create a story that is edgy and compelling, with a heart --- a really nice combination. I started reading it on a Sunday afternoon and found myself unable to put it down until I had to sleep. Then I savored the conclusion. I recently learned that Victoria worked on this book for five years --- and it shows as it’s so polished!

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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

August 2013

While I read a lot, there are times that I “miss” a book that I really want to read when it comes out in hardcover. It’s often one that I discover here on Bookreporter.com from a review or some promo copy. With best intentions, it slips further and further down my pile until I see news that the paperback is being released, which gives me another opportunity to move it to the top of the pile to read and share my thoughts. This is what happened to me with ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes. A few chapters in, and I could see why this was a much-buzzed-about --- and loved --- book in hardcover.

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The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison

July 2013

There is an expression that no one outside a marriage really knows what goes on inside a marriage. There are times we wonder how people can be together. There are other seemingly perfect marriages that have their fractures.

In THE SILENT WIFE, a debut novel by the late A. S. A. Harrison (she passed away in April), readers quickly learn that the Jodi and Todd, the idyllic couple, we first meet are in a bad place in their marriage. There are risks for them both in what is going on. For Todd, he can’t be discovered. For Jodi, it could be the end of the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago.

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Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

July 2013

Remember when letter writing was an everyday occurrence, not a lost art? I am not talking about emails that bounce around, often with one-word answers, but rather the kinds of letters where just seeing the writing on an envelope found at the mailbox by the curb could mean a nice extended read, a thoughtful reply, and then weeks for another part of the conversation to unfold. LETTERS FROM SKYE by Jessica Brockmole takes us back to a time like that as it spans two continents and takes place over the course of two world wars, capturing the way that love builds and the way words can make a heart beat faster. I enjoy sagas, and the way this one plays out in the characters’ own words makes it so charming!

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Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

July 2013

Set in the summer of 1963 (hard to believe that was 50 years ago) during a pivotal time in the civil rights movement, WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD by Susan Crandall tells the story of those turbulent times through the eyes of nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Starla runs away from home to find her mother, who deserted her and her father years ago, as she pined for a career as a country music singer. Starla is hellbent on getting to Nashville, the last place she has known her mother to be, where she is sure her mother is a country music star.

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Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky

July 2013

Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, enjoying their time together at Nicole's family's Maine island house, but for years their friendship has been on hold. Nicole has married and started a successful blog; Charlotte has traveled the world as a writer and reporter. When Nicole returns to the island house, she invites Charlotte to join her. Together they work on a cookbook based on recipes grown from the herbs that had been nurtured for decades by a woman on the island. Nicole seeks out recipes and tests them while Charlotte does interviews of the local islanders. As they partner on this project, there is still a tension between them. Each has a secret that will change their relationship forever. Can love survive an honest mistake?

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The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow

June 2013

I like smart humor, both in conversation and in writing. Thus, when I heard Sally Koslow reading from THE WIDOW WALTZ this week at a book signing, I was reminded of why I enjoyed the book so much. It’s smart writing with a humorous punch.

Georgia Waltz has little to smile about. When the book opens, Georgia’s husband, Ben Silver (of course, Georgia kept her maiden name), has a heart attack on lap three of a sprint pre-New York marathon. As he lies gasping for air, he thinks about the small cell phone that’s not at his side --- not the iPhone the world knows about, but the one that has skittered away. And he wonders, “Who would call her?” And in one five-page chapter setup, Ben exits, but leaves behind his starring role for us to unravel with Georgia.

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Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin

June 2013

This time of year, as school wraps up, is always one of reflection for me. I find myself thinking about my last year of high school and of college. I confess that I am not one of those people who keeps in touch with her kindergarten best friend or who has a large legion of friends from grade school, high school or college with whom I am still in touch, and I don’t spend weekends having reunions with a mass of people from my past. I instead seem to move on and make new friends while weaving some older ones into the fabric of my life. But I love reading about stories of people who bonded when they were in school --- over a sport, a cause, or just for being in the same place at a certain time.

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