JOYCE'S CHOICES: August 2017

Y IS FOR YESTERDAY

Yes, I am a Sue Grafton fan. I've read every one of her books and can't wait for her latest. It's always a fast read, fun, great characters and un-putdownable. Give it a try....

Y IS FOR YESTERDAY by Sue Grafton (Mystery)

Y IS FOR YESTERDAY begins in 1979, when four teenage
boys from an elite private school sexually assault a 14-year-old
classmate --- and film the attack.

Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a
fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows,
one boy turns state’s evidence, and two of his peers are convicted.
But the ringleader escapes without a trace. Now, it’s 1989 and one
of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison.

Moody, unrepentant and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-
watchful parents --- until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a
ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for
help.

Reviewed by Roz Shea.

Thankyou www.bookreporter.com

MY LATEST READ AUGUST 2017

I'm currently reading Mrs Fletcher by Tom Perrotta, a quirky and hilarious new novel about sex, love and identity. It's penetrating and provocative with a mother/son story in the mix. I'm half way through and not sure if I really like it...but Tom Perrotta's uneven and mesmerizing prose holds my interest...Stay Tuned...

And according to The New York Times....

MRS. FLETCHER, by Tom Perrotta. (Scribner, $26.) Perrotta’s seventh novel — his first since 2011’s “The Leftovers” — succeeds in ways that will be pleasingly familiar to his admirers. The story of a divorced mother and her college-age son, both navigating the pursuit and pitfalls of sexual pleasure, it is the sweetest and most charming novel about pornography addiction and the harrowing issues of sexual consent that you will ever read.

ONE TO WATCH AUGUST 2017

Keep an eye out for this release by Pulitzer nominee, Jonathan Dee. Bookreporter.com earmarked this book as an August favorite.

Its focus is small town America after 9/11. Complex characters round out this community in the Berkshires on an economic skid. Add a combination of frustrations (sexual and otherwise), bewildered citizens, a vivid plot and you have a recipe for an excellent read.

THE LOCALS by Jonathan Dee (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by George Newbern and Ray Porter
Mark Firth is a contractor and home restorer in Howland,
Massachusetts, who feels opportunity passing his family by.

After being swindled by a financial advisor, what future can Mark
promise his wife and their young daughter?
He finds himself envying the wealthy
weekenders in his community whose houses sit empty all winter.

Philip Hadi used to be one of these people. But in the nervous days
after 9/11, he flees New York and hires Mark to turn his Howland home
into a year-round “secure location” from which he can manage billions
of dollars of other people’s money. The collision of these two men’s
very different worlds --- rural vs. urban, middle class vs. wealthy ---
is the engine of Jonathan Dee’s new novel.
Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

BOOKPAGE RECOMMENDATIONS

Discover some great books on Bookpage.com. Bookpage is another 'go to' site that I check for the best new books. Each issue highlights current releases, author interviews, book reviews and more. Tailored to the true book lover (Like me and you) Bookpage will enhance your TBR list.
Below find two books their editors recommended this August...

The life-changing magic of reading

When she learns that a favorite student has been charged with murder, Teach for America educator Michelle Kuo returns to the Arkansas Delta to offer study sessions on poetry and literature that prove transformative for both.

A heart-rending tragedy of two families

Kamila Shamsie's seventh work of fiction is a twist on Sophocles' classic Greek tragedy, Antigone. Set in present-day London, the story follows two British Muslim families as they wrestle with complex issues centered on faith, bigotry and loyalty.

TBR (AUGUST 2017)

if you're not familiar with Goodreads.com you're missing out! It's a great way to share books, keep track of books you've read, and is the world's largest site for book recommendations.

The following two books caught my eye. Recipients of excellent reviews, they're on the top of my TBR list.

Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
In this modern-day take on the classic tragedy Antigone, two Pakistani Muslim families in London find their lives entangled in love, politics, and conflict.
Amirah says, “I tore through this, literally could not tear my eyes away from this brave, searing novel.”Nominated for the Man Booker Prize

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The Heart's Invisible Furies
by John Boyne (Goodreads Author)
This sweeping novel by the author of The Boy in Striped Pajamasbegins in 1940s Ireland, when Cyril Avery is born to an unwed teen mother, and follows his journey of self-discovery.
Caroline says, “There’s little about this deeply moving and immersive story that isn’t perfect. Boyne realized an ambitious premise, and he did so with a thoughtful touch.”