The Racketeer by John Grisham

The Racketeer by John Grisham

This is another great Grisham story. The Racketeer has a few twists and turns to it and of course deceit.

Malcolm Bannister is an innocent lawyer that gets involved in a real estate deal that involves laundered money. Bannister does not know about all the background of the anonymous client and winds up in prison. But the plot continues to twist and turn, when Bannister turns on a former inmate. This is a must read!

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Anthem by Ayn Rand

I had not read Anthem until this week and was so surprised that it is another dystopic society. It seems that many of the books I have read lately are about societies in the future that are dysfunctional. Rand wrote this book back in 1937, but I am intrigued how it incorporates socialist ideas and was not originally allowed to be published in the United States.

Anthem is a novella about a guy, who does not have a regular name, but goes by the name Equality 7-2521. Family life does not exist in this futuristic society. People are raised and put to work and supposedly everyone does things for the benefits of the entire society and not for oneself. Well, Equality 7-2521 does not seem to fit in. He decides to try and challenge this, but quietly. You have to read this novella to find out what he does.

Unbroken A Love Story by Carolynn Amara

This story is about a man, Alex Rodriguez, who returns to his wife, Anna, after fighting in Afghanistan. He is fighting the demons that haunt him. He loves his wife and she loves him, but he is definitely a changed man. This is not the man that Anna married and sent off to war. Alex is struggling with post traumatic stress disorder. Anna is struggling with trying to find her husband inside this troubled being that has returned home.

This story is a hard one, but moves you as you read it. Amara does a great job of allowing you to understand the struggles of returning veterans. We should all read this book, so we can understand what is going on in the heads and hearts of our fighting men and women. In addition to the reality of war, Amara tells a wonderful story of love and healing.

Wanted Series by Kelly Elliott

 Wanted by Kelly Elliott
The first book in a 3 book series.

If you like romance, this book will get your attention! This is the first book for author Kelly Elliott. She is from the Austin area and has written this story using all the local places, so if you are from Austin or know the cool places to go, you will recognize them in this story.

Ellie comes from a dysfunctional home. Her mom verbally abuses her and she does not feel wanted. She is a senior in high school and has worked hard to get into The University of Texas at Austin, where her older brother Jeff plays football. Her best friend Ari has always been there for her and also has a crush on Ellie's brother. Ellie falls for Jeff's best friend Gunner. You must read this! A great love story, full of hardship, and the trials of coming from a messed up home life.

Saved by Kelly Elliott
The second book in this 3 book series.

Kelly Elliott continues with the same characters, but the focus is now on Ari and Jeff. Just because they love one another does not always mean that love can conquer all.

Ari comes from a privileged background. She has had everything she wanted or needed. Jeff was raised by his drunken mother. They are very different, but fell for each other. But a previous encounter with a manipulating Rebecca interferes with their romance.

You have to read this one to find out what happens!

Faithful by Kelly Elliott
The third in this 3 book series.

This one just came out, and I have not had time to read it. Stay tuned...

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Alice Sebold's, The Lovely Bones, was not going to be on my reading list. I thought it was going to be gruesome. Okay, maybe it did have a gruesome part to it, but I decided to read it. Mainly because I had asked some kids what they thought about it and they liked it. Plus, they made it into a movie. Just because it was made into a movie doesn't mean it was going to be a good book, but it was.

Susie Salmon is the main character and as you can probably guess she is killed. She narrates the book while looking down from heaven at all those she left behind. Susie draws you into the story and you feel for her, her family, and her friends. I could envision the scenes that Susie was watching. The story is about loss, both for Susie and those she left behind. But it shows how life goes on, sometimes even when we don't want it to.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did, but it is well written and crafted beautifully into a story I was able to easily observe.

Persuader by Lee Child

Lee Child's Persuader is another Jack Reacher novel. Reacher's character envelopes you into the story and brings it to life. Jack gets involved with an undercover operation to assist in busting the operation. But Jack has his own motivation for not walking away. The story reveals things that have happened in the past that have caused Jack to want his own revenge.

I really enjoyed the suspense, although predictable. It reminded me of when I watched Columbo a TV series from when I was a kid. If you like shoot'em up, get the job done type books, this one will fit your appetite. Reacher is a tough character that takes the law into his own hands. I know being a vigilante isn't the way to go, but that's why I like to read fiction.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

Stephen Chbosky’s novel is written in a multiple letter format, dated and written about accounts of that particular day or several days. Charlie, the main character, is the one writing the letters. He writes about his feelings, family, and friends. You read the letters as if you  are the person they were written for. Charlie is also an extremely emotional boy, especially for his age, he has difficulty controlling his tears under stressful situations. The letters are his way of expressing himself and they progress throughout his freshman year, and continue through the summer before entering his sophomore year.


Charlie is a fifteen year old, high school freshman, who finds out early in the book, that one of his best friends commits suicide. Charlie is also exposed to many other high school issues, such as the use of cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. Charlie is introduced to cigarettes first, then weed, LSD, and alcohol by his new friends. If tobacco, alcohol, and drugs were not enough, adolescent sexuality is a major issue.

Some might think this book has too many issues for a teen to read. I have to disagree. Teens are subject to many or all of the things that Charlie is exposed to. Some kids are not able to talk to their parents and sometimes learn from reading. Books can be the only way some children are educated on these topics.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower does contain situations which are controversial. But sheltering our children may seem like we are protecting them, but it could backfire on us. We need to prepare our children to have the skills necessary to make good choices in life. Chbosky does a good job with this one.