Reading and #Reviews (Murphy, Walls, Patterson)

I'm a writer, but I'm also a reader. Each month, I'll share with you what I'm reading and some reviews. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a book or a reader at night for the last hour of my waking day.

I tend to read what I write, which is Romantic Suspense, but not exclusively. My current read is a Romance by Alison Henderson entitled Como Bluff. I'm not quite finished so you'll have to wait until next month for the review. But I also like detective thrillers, WWII historicals, mysteries, and some main stream character driven novels.

Here are some of the books I've read recently. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author!

Goodbye Emily by Michael Murphy
They met at Woodstock, and the love lasted a lifetime. Then she was gone, and so was his college teaching job. Heartbroken but determined, he calls on his two best friends to help him return to the place it all began. Three baby boomers relive their 1969 trip to Woodstock. One final roadtrip. One last chance to say Goodbye Emily.

What an absolutely enjoyable book. Michael Murphy did an excellent job of portraying the 60's while grounding us in the present with characters who "were there". The 60's are hard times to write about without sounding trite or preachy. Mr. Murphy uses dream sequences to flash back from present day to the Woodstock Festival. He handled it beautifully. I've never read a book that had me crying and laughing for the whole book. Thank you, Michael, for a beautifully enjoyable read.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

This is a story about the author’s grandmother. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great

Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit.

What a great true story novel. I found it particularly interesting as the book is set mostly near where I used to live in Paulden, Arizona. The fact it is based on true happenings made it so enthralling. Great characterizations. 

Judge and Jury by James Patterson

Andie DeGrasse, an aspiring actress and single mom, is not your typical juror. Hoping to get dismissed from the pool, she tells the judge that most of her legal knowledge comes from a bit part curling around the stripper's pole in The Sopranos. But she still ends up as juror number 11 in a landmark trial against a notorious mob boss.

I'm normally a Patterson fan, but this one left me kind of cold. I couldn't get behind the characters, and the suspense was mild. This is one of his collaborated books so that could be why it didn't seem to have the same level of entertainment.