Reckoning Hour by Peter O'Mahoney

"The justice system was designed to be a place where fairness ruled supreme, where criminals were convicted, and victims were content. I'd worked long enough within it to know it didn't always work like that.

The criminal justice system was a lot more complicated than, 'Do the crime, do the time.' There was prejudice in the system, as there was in the human psyche, and that prejudice often affected the most disadvantaged groups in society."

                     -Dean Lincoln's thoughts from the novel

I believe this novel was a free selection from Amazon First Reads. I had never read anything from this author, but I chose it because I was in the mood for a mystery. It turned out to be a legal thriller and quite a page-turner. I could barely put it down! A rating of 5!

Dean Lincoln is a successful defense attorney from Chicago who returns to his hometown of Beaufort, S.C. when his wife needs to help her mother who is ill. He goes to work for Bruce Hawthorn, a local lawyer. He is given two cases: Caleb Rutledge, charged with homicide in the death of his girlfriend and Isaiah Clyburn, a young man facing a charge of arson. The evidence is weighing heavily against each of them. While Bruce wants to make plea deals, Dean feels strongly that the two are innocent and sets out to prove it. The process was compelling!

I am a longtime fan of John Grisham, prolific writer of legal thrillers, and a new fan of O'Mahoney. I will be looking for book 2 involving Dean Lincoln.

Longbourn by Jo Baker

"Each day's work trickled over into the next and nothing was ever finished, so you could never say, Look, that's it, the day's labour is over and done. Work just lingered and festered and lay in wait, to make you slip up in the morning."

       -Sarah's thoughts, from the novel

This novel was our Page Turners' June selection. I doubt it is one I would have chosen on my own. 

This is a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen with the spotlight on the servants at Longbourn estate. These include the Hills, an older married couple who are in charge, and young Sarah and even younger Polly. Main character Sarah was orphaned and taken in as a servant in the Bennet household. The Bennet sisters who are so central to Pride and Prejudice are secondary in this story.

Manservants are rare because of a war going on, but one does arrive at the estate and is hired on. His name is James Smith and he is a hard-working but mysterious fellow with several secrets in his background. Somewhat predictably, Sarah is intrigued by him. The reader is left wondering about James's past until "Volume Three," about 2/3 into the novel, in which his story is told.

I didn't love this book. Perhaps I am not really a fan of Jane Austen either. At times I found it tedious and at others, confusing when different characters' perspectives alternate within a chapter. All in all, just not my cup of tea but I will rate it a 3. I look forward to hearing from our group members as I am sure there are several who loved it. I might appreciate it more after hearing their opinions.

Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner, Jr.

 

"Once in a while a child comes along with a hungry look in his eye. He's not content just to memorize facts. He wants to know, he has an inquiring mind, and everything he learns only whets his appetite to learn more. Your son is such a boy, Mr. Spencer. I've taught him everything I know and he's still hungry."

      -Miss Parker, from the novel

I was quite a fan of "The Waltons" TV series back in the day so when I noted that this novel inspired the series, I wanted to read it. 

The novel is set in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. Clay and Olivia Spencer have a very large family, eventually 9 children. (Oh, my gosh! How did she cope?) The oldest is 15-year-old Clay-Boy who is very smart and an excellent student, as noted by his teacher in the quote. There is a chance for him to get a scholarship at the University of Richmond but how will the family who subsists on so little afford his expenses? Fortunately, his father values education for his young 'uns and will go to great lengths to give Clay-Boy this opportunity.

There were some parts of the novel that reminded me of "The Waltons." One was when the siblings and parents were calling out extended "good nights" to each other. I think the episodes often ended with this ritual. Also, the two old maid sisters---Etta and Emma Peabody---were familiar. They told Grandfather Zebulon Spencer, they stay busy "maken the recipe" for folks in the community.

Having read Spencer's Mountain almost makes me want to hunt up some reruns of "The Waltons." I have rated the book a 4. It was an enjoyable read. 

Abscond by Abraham Verghese

 

"You see, Ravi, this world isn't just all the things we can see and touch. It's also all the things we can't see, the things we choose to believe."

   -McGilicutty, from the short story

I was familiar with this author and the book was free from First Reads. I seldom read short stories because they just don't seem meaty enough to satisfy.

Ravi Ramanathanin is a 13-year-old growing up in New Jersey in 1967. He is quite a phenom in junior tennis and his father encourages him, but his mother does not. As an Indian-American kid he feels that he sticks "out like a sore thumb." And as one would expect he sometimes balks against his parents' routines and traditions.

When tragedy strikes the family, Ravi must find strength and compassion he didn't know he had. 

I have rated this book a 3. Although, I didn't love the story I learned some interesting things about Indian culture.

It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist

 

"I am here to join my fellow citizens in the congratulations which befit this occasion. Let us hold fast to the meaning that underlies the ceremony and let us not lose the impressiveness of this moment.

As by a touch the machinery that gives life to this vast exposition is now set in motion, so at the same instant let our hopes and aspirations awaken forces which in all time to come shall influence the welfare, the dignity, and the freedom of mankind."

     -from President Grover Cleveland's opening remarks

This novel was recommended to me by a good friend and fellow bibliophile. It is about the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, also called the Chicago World's Fair. My friend and I had both read Erik Larson's nonfiction Devil in the White City involving the same setting and enjoyed it. This one is historical fiction but quite informative and entertaining. My rating is 4.

Cullen McNamara, a farmer from North Carolina and a promising inventor, is persuaded by his father to exhibit his automatic fire sprinkler system at the fair. Soon after arriving, Cullen meets a young woman from Philadelphia who is there teaching deaf and hearing-impaired children to lip read. Her name is Adelaide Wentworth, called Della.

Cullen's hearing is impaired, and the extreme noise of Machinery Hall makes it difficult for him to interact with potential customers. He asks Della to teach him lip-reading and she reluctantly agrees. The reader can easily predict a romance will ensue.

Many photographs added to the historical nature of the book, as well as the Author's Note sharing fact and fiction in the story. I learned a great deal about the Fair, for example famous people involved like Helen Keller and a number of firsts---products that debuted there that are familiar to us: "Cracker Jack, hamburgers, picture postcards, the Ferris wheel, chili con carne, Aunt Jemima and shredded wheat."

It was surprising to learn that teachers of the deaf were divided with some favoring the teaching of sign language (manualists) and others (oralists) believing lip-reading to be the best communication tool. Della was hired to teach lip-reading but felt a combination would be most helpful. I think most teachers agree with that today.

It's unfortunate that almost all the impressive structures were destroyed as the result of a strike soon after the Fair.

The Vanishing of Class 3B by Jackie Kabler

"Olivia casts one more despondent glance towards the school gate, hoping to see the minibus miraculously appearing, but it doesn't, of course, and clearly, she can't put this off any longer. She's going to have to tell the parents she currently has absolutely no idea where their children are, and this is not going to be fun. She takes a deep breath and heads for the door."          -from the novel

This title caught my attention probably because I am a retired teacher and I enjoy a good mystery from time to time. I had never read anything by this author, but this novel was definitely a page turner! 

A small class of 2nd and 3rd graders go on a field trip with 4 teachers and aides. When the minibus does not return and none of the chaperones are answering their phones, the head teacher, Olivia, quoted above, is very worried, not to mention the parents who are frantic. After some hours of waiting and searching, it is apparent there has been a kidnapping. When a ransom message finally arrives, it demands a huge amount of money and threatens to reveal a secret of one or more of the parents. And wouldn't you know there are several among them who have secrets!

After about the 2/3 point in the book, I could hardly put it down. I am rating it a 4 only because I found the climax disturbing for reasons I must not reveal.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

 "Now: I was pretty sure '24-hour bookstore' was a euphemism for something. It was on Broadway, in a euphemistic part of town. My help-wanted hike had taken me far from home...I pushed the bookstore's glass door. It made a bell tinkle brightly up above, and I stepped slowly through. I did not realize at the time what an important threshold I had just crossed."

       -from the novel

This novel was passed on to me by a friend. It took me a while to get around to reading it. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I could have wrapped my head around it! 

The story is narrated by Clay Jannon who is looking for work in San Francisco when he comes upon the bookstore of the title. He says "imagine the shape and volume of a normal bookstore turned up on its side. This place was absurdly narrow and dizzyingly tall, and the shelves went all the way up---three stories of books, maybe more." His description aroused my curiosity. He goes on to tell of the organization of the place which included the Waybacklist, and about the strange customers and obscure book titles.

Mr. Penumbra, the owner, seems to be a rather charming old man but when he disappears, things get really crazy with the entry of a bibliophile cult called the Unbroken Spine, a secret underground library in New York City and mysterious figures of the past, Manutius and Gerritszoon, who have seemingly written in code the secrets of eternal life.

Clay meets Kat Potente who works for Google and gets her involved in efforts to decode manuscripts and figure out what the Unbroken Spine is all about. There is so much technology described that was over my head, that my enjoyment took a dive and I sort of made myself finish. I can only rate this a 2. I feel like readers in their late teens, twenties or thirties might like it much more.