Book: The Frozen River

 Book: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhorn

Pages: 448

This is my 3rd read for the year

Amazon says:

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death.  As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell.  Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community.  Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an elleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen - one of whom has now been found dead in the ice.  But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.  Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth.  Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.  

This was a great book.  The story was a page turner from the beginning and continued so to the end.  Litte chapter cliff hangers here and there had me putting off doing other things to keep reading.  The writing is well done and the women characters are very likable as are Martha's husband and sons.  The evil man in this book is extremely evil.  It almost makes you cringe.  There is a bit of over explaining of different things, but on the whole - a nicely put together story.  Funny enough -my favorite part of the book was the author's talk at the end of the book where she talks about how she came about writing this book about a real person (Martha Ballard) and making it the most fictionalized version of a real person she has ever done.  It was fascinating and now I must read the biographical book on Martha Ballard to learn about this woman who did deliver over 1000 babies and who was a part of this towns murder and rape trial.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Killers of the Flower Moon

 Book: Killers of the Flower Moon

Author: David Grann

Pages: 416

This is my 2nd book of the year

What Amazon says:

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.  After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.  Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off.  The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkahrt, became a prime target.  One of her relatives was shot.  Another was poisoned.  And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themseles murdered.  As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. EDgar Hoover, turned to the former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try and unravel the mystery.  White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspriacies in American history.

This was a pretty good book.  It is a story I knew nothing about (I have not seen the movie) and the information was facinating and disturbing.  I knew nothing of the murders of the Osage but have heard of the tribe.  It is pretty well written, and informational and educational.  I will say it was a little dry in spots and I found myself having to walk away and come back because the underlining story should be read.  It should be known.  So I am glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Book: James

 Book: James

Author: Percival Everett

Pages: 303

This is my 1st book for the new year

Last year I started to copy the summaries from Amazon because I read so much and it just is a step I don't always want to take to do myself.  I am going to continue that this year.

What Amazon says:

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan.  Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own deather to escape his violent father, recently returned to town.  As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.  

I thought this was a great book.  I read it over the course of 2 days because I found it an interesting and easy read.  I liked that James was basically two people - a person who whites thought was an uneducated slave and the one where he speaks intelligently and knowledgable.  It allowed me to give good thought to how it might have been for a lot of slaves of this time period.  I thought the writing was good and James a very likable character.  Two parts brought my review down a star and that was 1) where James is in an accident where a furnace explodes while he is in the room and he is barely injured while others were killed.  2) The ending wrapped up way too quickly.  I would have liked more.  Overall - so glad I read it to start 2025.

Stars: 4

Book: Moneychanger

 Book: Moneychanger

Author: Arthur Hailey

Pages: 400

This is my 250th book for the year

What Amazon says:

Ben Roselli, president of First Mercantile American Bank and grandson of the founder, makes the shocking announcement that he's dying.  With no offspring to inherit the company, Roselli knows that executive VPs Roscoe Heyward and Alex Vandervoort are the obvious candidates to succeed him.  Heyward, who has been with First Mercantile for 2 decades, will do whatever it takes to bring in new clients and win the coveted presidency.  Vandervoort, a newcomer from the Federal Reserve with a left-wing girlfriend, advocates for a socially responsible plan of growth.  And now the discovery of counterfeit case and credit card fraud threatens the future of the bank itself.  

This was a decent book.  Mat got it for me for Christmas because it was the 2nd most popular book in 1975 (the year I was born.  Last year he got me the most popular).  The writing was decent and the story intriguing.  It held my interest.  I would say the negative was that over explaining that occured in the book.  The writer over explained things that weren't that complicated and it made those sections skipable.  Otherwise, I enjoyed it.

Stars: 3

Book: Klaus (Graphic Novel)

 Book: Klaus (Graphic Novel)

Author: Grant Morrison

Pages: 202

This is my 249th read for the year

This is a fantastic adaptation of the Santa Claus tale. It is a story of how Klaus becomes Santa Claus but told in a story that is more for middle grade and above.  It is artistic and well written and I enjoyed this quick read.

Stars: 4

Book: Brick by Brick

 Book: Brick By Brick

Author: David Roberston

Pages: 336

This is my 248th of the year

What Amazon says:

As LEGO failed to keep pace with the revolutionary changes in kids' lives and began sliding into irrelevance, the company's leaders implemented some of the business world's most widely espoused prescriptions for boosting innovation.  Ironically, these changes pushed the iconic toymaker to the bring of bankruptcy, showing that what works in theory can fail spectacularly in the brutally competitive global economy.  It took a new LEGO management team - faced with the growing rage for electronic toys, few barrier to entry, and ultra-demanding consumers (10 year old boys) to reinvent the innovation rule book and transform LEGO into one of the word's most profitable, fastest-growing companies.

This was a very interesting book.  It starts with the beginning of lego and how its business model changed as their original buyers changed and also as electronics started to take the place of general play.  They are an exceptional company that tries to stay true to their original motto to help children create and explore.  The book is well researched and well written and it held my interest from begininng to end. We actually visited the original Legoland in Denmark for Cainan's birthday when we lived in Europe and it is an incredible place.  

Stars: 4

Book: The Invisible Man

 Book: The Invisible Man

Author: HG Wells

Pages: 167

This is my 247th read for the year

What Amazon says:

A curious man, wearing a long coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and whose face is entirely swathed in bandages save for an obvious fake pink nose, walks into an English inn to the shock and horror of many of the townspeople.  Beakers and chemicals in tow, the man demands his solitude.  It's strange enough as it is until his money begins to run out and mysterious burglaries occur all over town.  This tale chronicles the antagonistic interaction between the citizens of a small town and a man who had discovered how to turn himself invible.

This was a pretty good book.  It has been on my shelf forever and I kept passing it up.  I listened to it while doing a big project today and it was a quick and easy listen.  I liked the story and there is good character development even in these short pages.  HG is a good writer and I am glad I finally got around to this one.

Stars: 4