The Postmistress (Sarah Blake)

It took a few tries before I actually got around to reading this book. I checked it out from both the DC and Fairfax County libraries more than once. Yes, this has happened with more than one book.

Anyway, I finally got around to reading it. The Postmistress has three main story threads that intersect. The reader first meets Frankie, now an elderly lady, telling the story. She had worked as a journalist in London during the Blitz under Edward R. Murrow. Here, her life intersects with that of a young bride in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Iris James works as the postmistress in Franklin. It's a small town, so she pretty much meets everyone in town on a regular basis. The town doctor, William, meets her during a medical exam that he finds a little unusual. He's married to Emma, the young bride that will eventually bring Frankie to Franklin.

Due to some tragic string of events, William ends up in London before US intervention in World War II. Frankie meets him one night while hiding in a shelter during one of the German bombing of the city. There, another tragic string of events brings these women together.

Like any story set in World War II, this story is sad. Don't pick this up if you don't want to read a tragedy. Everyone has something awful happen to them, even though only Frankie travels through Europe during the war. Blake's writing brings you into the story and you really do care what happens to these characters even though you know it can't end well. This is probably my peeve with this book. I knew immediately that nothing will go well for these folks, so I keep myself from truly getting into the story. Yes, that's my own failing, but if you make it so obvious that everything is going to go to crap, then a reader has a chance to pull away before you really pull them in.

I can appreciate the writing, but, alas, I'm neither glad nor sad that I read the book.

Next up: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, by Erik Larson

33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners (Jonathan Franklin)

Of course everyone knew a book about the incredible story of the Chilean miners would come out sooner rather than later. And this one is probably just the first of many more to come.

The drama of the rescue sucked me in, just as it did many around the world. I watched as much of the rescue as I could, even while I worked.

Jonathan Franklin managed to get permission to work closely with the rescue team. He has interviewed major players in this story, including all 33 miners. Though nobody can understand what these men went through, Franklin manages to give readers a good look at what life was like inside the mine. It became easy to forget, as the miners showed a united front, that 33 people living under those conditions had to have problems arise. Franklin makes these men human again without taking away from the extraordinary way they faced their ordeal.

Rescue workers also overcame unimaginable obstacles to get the job done. Men and women from all over the world pitched in to get these men out. Franklin describes these efforts in a way that makes you hold your breath, even though you know how the story ended.

If someone had written a movie with this premise, I'm pretty sure most people would have thought it ridiculous. The drama going on 2,300 feet below ground and the drama going on above with rescue workers, family members of the trapper miners, the press, and the Chilean government, is just something you can't make up. Thankfully, it had a happy resolution.

Next up: The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake.

The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise (Julia Stuart)

OK, so, I totally got this book because of the cover. I had made it to the library one day with enough time to browse a little, and I saw this book in the New Fiction section. I'd hadn't read any reviews or seen it displayed at my usual bookstores. I'm glad I found it though.

Yes, the cover is very cute. The story may also seem cute, but it goes beyond that. Julia Stuart has written an bittersweet story with just a perfect mix of humor and drama.

The main character in the story is Balthazar Jones. He's a Beefeater, one of the guards that live in the Tower of London. I had no idea people still lived in the Tower until a trip to London I made with my husband and some friends in 2009. I wondered what it must be like to live in such a notorious landmark--one that attracts so many tourists each year. Besides the creepiness, what must it be like to live in one of  the most popular attractions in the UK?

Stuart uses this to craft a wonderful story that centers around Balthazar and his wife, Hebe. Their is a beautiful love story. They didn't become parents until much later in life after 20 years of marriage. Tragically, their son dies unexpectedly at the age of 11. How can a couple deal with such a devastating event?

That this is the main story line in the book should have made it quite difficult to read. But Stuart brings in a quirky cast of characters and plays up Balthazar's and Hebe's own idiosyncrasies to great effect. She manages to do this without taking away from their pain. It's really a funny and uplifting book.

The quirky cast includes an adulterous Ravenmaster; a Parson that's desperately in love with the barmaid that lives and works at the Rack and Ruin bar inside the Tower; Hebe's co-worker at the London Underground lost and found; and Balthazar's 100+ year tortoise. To add to all of this, Balthazar is put in charge of the Queen's menagerie after she decides to reinstate it in the Tower. Of course, chaos ensues.

A lovely book and I'm going to make sure I read Stuart's other works.

Next up: 33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners, by Jonathan Franklin.

Dead Reckoning (Charlaine Harris)

Sookie finds herself once again in the middle of a lot of drama in the eleventh book in the series. She has two fairies living with her (they're family though). Eric, her vampire boyfriend, is in the middle of a power struggle with the new leadership in Louisiana. Someone throws a Molotov cocktail into Merlott's, and two private detectives let Sookie know that the last remaining Pelt family member has escaped police custody.

The bulk of the book revolves around Sookie, Eric, and Pam planning how to get rid of their enemy: the deputy sent to Louisiana representing the King of Nevada. This vampire has made no real secret of his desire to see Eric and his camp destroyed. Eric has no intention of letting this happen and Sookie will do what she can to help.

I did enjoy that Sam shows up a lot more in this book than he has in the past. Though he's a shifter, he adds a touch of humanity to Sookie that she seems to have started losing in more recent books. Of course she still has to watch her budget and she still works hard, but she has become more ruthless as the books have progressed. She has her reasons, but I still liked that she can have moments of normalcy.

In all honesty, this book did not impress me. I thoroughly enjoyed the first seven books in the series. Alas, the last two books in particular have felt like filler. I like Harris and I enjoy her work, but maybe her publisher should allow her to take more time writing her books. It's not absolutely necessary to have a new book every year.

At least some things do get resolved in this book. That didn't happen in the last one. Still, I think the rush to get a book out has caused some misjudgements. For instance, Alicide has an appearance in this book. That's great, since I really like Alcide. But he behaves in a way that seems completely out of character. I do understand that people sometimes behave in ways that don't make sense, but this just seemed to come out of nowhere. It just came across as ridiculous.

Will I read the next book in the series? Yes. After all, they are still entertaining enough to make it worth my while. Granted, it's a short while. If these books were longer I wouldn't stick with them. Still, I have faith Harris will have a rebound for the next one.

Next up: The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise, by Julia Stuart.