"The Woman In Cabin 10"

"The Woman In Cabin 10" is Londoner Ruth Ware's second novel and it is hard to put down once you start reading it!  I can see why it became an instant New York Times bestseller.

Lo Blacklock is a journalist who writes for a travel magazine and she is given an opportunity to prove herself while her boss is on maternity leave.  An assignment that normally would have been handed to her boss becomes hers -- a week on a small luxury cruise's maiden voyage.

What should have been a fun, relaxing time turns into a nightmare complicated by the fact that she had a home invasion burglary in her apartment shortly before her departure and an argument with her boyfriend.  When she has a brief encounter with a woman in the next cabin then later hears the woman being thrown overboard, she can't get anyone on board to listen to her because, according to them, Cabin 10 is empty.   Is she being driven crazy or is something sinister going on?  You'll have to read this one to find out for yourself!  pazt

"The Girls of Atomic City - The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II"

Denise Kiernan's book, "The Girls of Atomic City - The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II" is very well written and researched and reads with the fluency of a novel.  It wasn't a fast read for me at 309 pages (not including the epilogue) but I took it on a week's vacation with me and that is all I read in my spare time.

Oakridge, TN, was one of the sites that developed the atomic bomb and everyone who worked there was sworn to secrecy about their work even though they had no clue about the larger picture.  Even sharing something innocent about your work could get you fired.  This story follows the paths of nine specific women -- how they came to work at Oakridge, what they did, their personal and family lives.  As was not uncommon in those times (and still today), women were paid less and treated as less.  Negro women were treated even worse.  There were separate (and unequal) living quarters for the Negroes and they weren't even able to live with their spouses or bring their children to Oakridge with them but the money they could send home to the family caring for their children made a difference.

This book also chronicles their losses, their loves, and to some extent their lives after World War II ended.  It also examines the feelings the workers had about how their work ended the war but also caused mass loss of human life in Japan and the pain and suffering dropping the bomb brought on for that country.

It was a worthwhile read shedding light (for me) on a part of our history that I knew very little about since I was born in the middle of the war.  My husband, who has a great interest in history, was not surprised about what I shared with him as he already knew some of it.  I highly recommend this book to anyone...pazt

"Vertigo" DVD

"Vertigo"  was written up in a recent article I read as one of the movies being recognized for excellence in AFI's 100 Years.....100 Movies.  The movie came out when I was in high school and I'm not sure if I saw it at the theater or not so  I decided to check out the DVD.

It's an Alfred Hitchcock movie starring James Stewart as a recently retired police detective and Kim Novak as the wife of one of his college acquaintances.  When the acquaintance asks him to tail his wife because he's concerned about her sanity, he accepts with reservations.

The rest of this romantic mystery is pure Alfred Hitchcock with its twists and turns.  Although it didn't make it big at the box office when it was released, I can see why it has become a popular DVD.  pazt

"Short Term 12" - a DVD

 "Short Term 12" was recommended in an article I read and I was able to locate it through my local library,  It is a moving story about young adults working with teens in a holding facility,  It appears the residents are there for unspecified lengths of time and for varied reasons - not all of which we are privy to.

The young adults who work with these kids are amazing and caring. Two of them - Grace and Mason - are in a relationship off site and one comes from an abusive situation and the other was raised in foster care.   Will they be able to successfully build a relationship and communicate honestly with each other?

This is a beautiful, heartwarming story that smacks of real life with its ups and downs.   pazt

"Our Souls at Night"

"Our Souls At Night" is Kent Haruf's last book and that makes me sad.  It is a beautiful, short story and I now want to read all his previous works!

Addie Moore and Louis Waters live on the same street in Holt, CO, with only one house separating them.  Both of their spouses died many years ago.  Although they don't know each other well, Addie knew Louis' wife and they know a lot about each other just because Holt is a small town.

Addie surprises Louis one day by showing up on his doorstep and asking him if he'd like to come over and sleep with her.  She's looking for someone to share her bed with at night with no strings attached -- companionship and conversation.  Being a small town it is not a secret for long and word gets back to Louis' daughter and Addie's son and neither are too happy about it.

Addie's son is separated from his wife and his business is failing so he has his hands full.  Addie agrees to keep her grandson until he can get his life back on track.  Thus it is that Louis, Addie, and her grandson, Jamie, begin having adventures together that include getting Jamie a dog.

All goes well until Addie's son and his wife get back together and Jamie moves home.  It is then that her son tells her she has to stop seeing Louis if she wants to see her grandson.  This is a moving story about families and the choices we make.  pazt

"The 5th Horseman"

"The 5th Horseman" is from the Women's Murder Club series of novels by James Patterson.  This one was written with Maxine Paetro.   Although this series is a popular one for me to read, this particular one in the series is one of the best I've read so far.  I've been reading them in order and "The 5th Horseman" is suspenseful from beginning to end and involves not one but two mysteries for Lt. Lindsay Boxer and her crew to solve.  Neither case is an easy one but following the clues in both instances yields results!  pazt