Book Review: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (Joe Talbert #1)

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Joe Talbert meets Carl Iverson for the fulfillment of a college writing assignment - interview a person and write their biography.  He didn't realize what he was getting into when he walked into the nursing home and discovered that Carl had been imprisoned for the rape and murder of a 14-year old girl living next door to him many years ago. 

I initially read this book five years ago for another book club.  I enjoyed it even more with the second reading.  In spite of content warnings and unsavory topics, the author has created sympathetic, interesting and resourceful characters and situations.  It's a fast-paced book which covers a lot of ground - college, family conflicts, legal aspects, Vietnam and more.   I'm anxious to read the second book int he Joe Talbert series, The Shadows We Hide.  Recommended, especially for book clubs due to the excellent discussion points.  

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Book Review: The NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book: 70 Simple Projects to Take Your Home from Chaos to Composed by Ashley Murphy

The NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book: 70 Simple Projects to Take Your Home from Chaos to Composed by Ashley Murphy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once again I was lured into a glossy book of photographs which promise to organize and keep order in my home.  However, this book differs from many of the others that I have already reviewed.  First of all is the complete absence of color in many of the photographs.  Virtually every single photo in the book is comprised of white, beige, tan and gray.  (Personally I can't imagine living in a house so devoid of color.)  It is a nice break, though, from those forced rainbow organized refrigerators, pantries and closets!  Another feature is a description of their NEAT method, which has good suggestions of how to approach the editing.  

The book is divided by rooms in a house, including the garage.  Each of the chapters includes various sections (cookware, refrigerator, spices, etc.) and is presented like a recipe - including the approximate time to organize plus the essential equipment and accessories needed along with step-by-step instructions.  Finally they have included a 7-day reset, a way to spend 30 minutes each day for 7 days in order to maintain the order that you have created.  

If you are looking at just specific rooms or sections, it's a great way to approach your organizing.  However, if you are reading the book page by page, you soon realize how much repetition there is between the sections.  And I don't necessarily agree with their suggestion that you need to put everything in matching bins, and I definitely think that decanting all of your kitchen ingredients into other containers doesn't work for me.  That being said, I came away with some ideas to implement.  My recommendation is to check the book out from your local library  and save your money (I did).

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Book Review: Mastering the Art of French Eating: From Paris Bistros to Farmhouse Kitchens, Lessons in Food and Love.

Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris by Ann Mah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author and her diplomat husband are stationed in their ideal city -  Paris.  Almost immediately, Calvin is summoned to Baghdad for one year and Ann must stay in Paris due to the potential danger.  Alone in a city that was meant to be shared with her French-speaking husband, she vows to make friends, find a job, and explore the country seeking out the classic food that it is known for - steak frites, crepes, cassoulet, bourguignon, and more! 

This is an incredible memoir, full of food, recipes, travel and French history!  I loved reading her descriptions of the food, restaurants, chefs, scenery and much more!  Highly recommended for anyone loving Paris, France, French food, and travel writing.

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Book Review: Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Due to an inadvertent gym bag mix-up in the locker room, Sam and Nisha no longer have their own belongings.  The sensible black pumps that Sam needs for her morning business meeting are not in her bag; instead she has a pair of 6-inch Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes.  Hilarity...and heartbreak ensue for both of them.

The book alternates chapters between Sam and Nisha's worlds and both are experiencing a lot of drama -- loss of a job, depression, a sick best friend, impending divorce, frozen bank accounts and credit cards, and much more.  

JoJo Moyes has written two incredible characters, and we are rooting for their best outcomes.  The character I loved the most was hard-working, funny and generous Jasmine who gets Nisha a job, a place to stay and the friendship and support she needs at this time.  It's a page turner with a lot of action, and we are racing for the finish and hoping for the best.  There's both laugh-out-loud humor and tear-jerking drama contained in this book.  I'm definitely going to seek out more of her books in the near future.  

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Book Review: The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the fascinating true story of Stephane Breitwieser who stole hundreds of pieces of art over a period of years in France, Germany and Austria.  He started the thefts when he was 23, along with the help of his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus.  They stole paintings, sculpture, tapestry, musical instruments, and much more.  They displayed their treasures in their sitting room and bedroom, located on the second floor of his mother's house.  

This is narrative non-fiction at its finest -- actually more of a mystery novel or thriller.  It's quite a page-turner and will definitely be showing up in my top ten books of 2025!  Just wait until you find out what happens after he gets arrested!

Michael Finkel thoroughly researched the book, spending dozens of hours interviewing Breitwieser and even visiting art museums with him.  I can't recommend it enough; run, don't walk, to your local bookstore or library to get a copy.  You won't be disappointed!

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Book Review: The Henry Ford Official Guidebook by Donna R. Braden and the Curatorial Staff of The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK by Beckon Books
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is fascinating overview of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, all located in Dearborn, Michigan.  There are 1-2 pages devoted to many of the highlights at each of the three locations, combining text with lots of photographs.  

I live in Dearborn and have been going to the Museum and Greenfield Village for most of my life.  I was amazed to discover how much I didn't know about them!  This guidebook is an excellent printed 'tour guide' for those who are visiting for the first time, as well as a nice keepsake to take home, re-live your visit, and plan your next visit.  Highly recommended!

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Book Review: Gardens of the High Line: Elevating the Nature of Modern Landscapes by Piet Oudolf

Gardens of the High Line: Elevating the Nature of Modern Landscapes by Piet Oudolf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an absolutely beautiful book which spotlights the gardens of the High Line -- the 1.45 mile long elevated garden walkway on the west side of Manhattan.  It was developed using the New York Central abandoned elevated railway line running from the Whitney Museum to 36th Street.  Each of the 13 sections of the garden is given a separate chapter in the book, spotlighting the plantings throughout the seasons.   

Piet Oudolf is the landscape architect responsible for these gardens.  He is from the Netherlands but has been involved in designing gardens throughout the world.  The other two that I've visited are the Oudolf Garden Detroit at Belle Isle Park and the Lurie Garden in Millenium Park in Chicago (near the Bean sculpture).   

The accompanying text is helpful in giving us the history and backstory of how the project got started, its development, roadblocks, and ultimate successes.  However, what really makes this book special is the stunning photography of the variety of flowers, shrubs, trees and landscape.  Oudolf relies on native plants and seeks out those that will be self-sustaining especially in a challenging environment.  

This book is highly recommended to those planning on visiting the High Line in New York.  And for  garden lovers unable to visit in person, this is an excellent way to appreciate it through the beautiful photography!

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Book Review: Nightshade: A Novel by Michael Connelly (Catalina Island #1)

Nightshade: A Novel by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in a new series by Michael Connelly, focusing on an LA sheriff detective Stilwell (no first name) who works on Catalina Island off the coast of California.  Typically, individuals are demoted to Catalina because they have done something that has offended the LA powers-that-be.  Detective Stillwell is no exception. 

A dead body turns up in the harbor, weighted down by an anchor.  Stilwell has to work with his previous colleagues in order to solve this mystery.  It's a delicate balance of jurisdiction and motivation on his part, while trying to maintain a working relationship with the mainland detectives.  Michael Connelly once again does a great job of writing police procedurals.  

I enjoyed this new character -- he's somewhat of a loner, trying to make the best of a bad situation after being transferred to Catalina.  However, my major complaint is the huge number of characters involved in the story; I had to start keeping a list after it reached more than two dozen in the first several chapters!  However, this won't prevent me from looking forward to another Catalina Island book in this series.  

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Book Review: Book Nooks: Inspired Ideas for Cozy Reading Corners and Stylish Book Displays by Vanessa Dina

Book Nooks: Inspired Ideas for Cozy Reading Corners and Stylish Book Displays by Vanessa Dina
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a coffee table book loaded with photos of 'book nooks', areas to create in your home dedicated to books and reading. I was expecting something similar to all the lovely books and bookcase reading areas pictured in my Instagram feed. I was VERY disappointed!

I should know better by now than to be pulled into these glitzy, self-purported designer books. Typically they are sterile and organized by color. The book is arranged by room (bedside, bathroom, small space) or type of book (cookbooks, kids, gardener). And there is an extreme fondness for just stacking the books on their sides on the floor...or on the stairs...or on the toilet. Why?!? The absolute worst idea was to turn your books so that you cannot see the spines and store them in a fireplace! There was really nothing in this book to inspire me to create interesting shelves of books, combining my book collection with other items of interest.

I read this book in e-book form on Hoopla. I'm not sure why, but there were several different sized fonts throughout the book, from extremely small to very large. Also, the photo captions were all on a different page from the photograph they described. This is obviously a problem caused by the formatting from print book to e-book, but it can be very disconcerting to the reader. My recommendation is - don't waste your time!

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