Cover to Cover 2013

I am going to post a short blurb about each of the books I've read this year, mainly to keep track for my own interest. Maybe someone else will find the quick reviews useful in choosing something new to read, or starting a discussion. Of course, it's already February, and I've finished 2 books, but procrastinated on posting them... but I'm catching up today:
ps - For some reason the pictures of the books that should be under each title won't load. I'm going to post this anyway, and assume that you can look the books up on Chapter's or Amazon yourself if you want more info. Happy Reading! ;)


The Tiger's Wife, by Tea Obreht
Set in an unnamed Balkan country like the the Czech Republic or something, the main character is a young female doctor and her relationship with her grandfather, who is also a doctor. Near the beginning of the story, the grandfather dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances, and the young woman sets out to try and understand his life and his death. The chapters flip back and forth between the present and the past, revealing a number of events and circumstances that are meant to shed light on the older man's identity. This is Obreht's first novel (she's only 25!) and I got the feeling that she was trying hard not to spell things out too much on the one hand, and to include as many major philosophical themes as possible on the other. We deal with it all: mortality/immortality, war/peace, aging, tradition vs. change, science vs. faith, truth vs. myth, ...the list goes on! All the themes left me wondering what the author really wanted me to take away from the book. I also would have appreciated some more clarity on time and place as she switched between what I think was around WWII, the Balkan war in the '90s, and the present; and since I don't know much about the Balkan situation, I never really felt like I had enough information to imagine myself in the characters' shoes. Over all, I did finish it, and I did enjoy a lot of the little stories within, but there just wasn't enough for me to feel like I got the "bigger picture".

Out Of The Deep I Cry, by Julia Spencer-Fleming
I don't usually go for murder-mysteries, but this one was recommended by a good-friend, so I found myself in the Mystery shelves of Chapter's hunting for this one. It's part of a series of books about a young, female Anglican Priest in a small town in New York State. Because of her unstoppable need to help people, and her friendship with the local police officer, she evidently finds herself in the middle of all kinds of sticky situations. This one, for example, starts with a leaky church-roof and an anti-vaccination protest at the medical clinic, and leads to the possible solving of the town's longest-open murder case... with a LOT of soggy twists-and-turns in between! FYI: Water is an ever-present element in this story. Although it took a long time to get the meat of the story going, this book is worth a read if you've ever been in ministry or worked for a church. I was laughing out loud at the description of the emergency building & property committee meeting! (yes, I am a church geek). This was an easy read with just enough references to the main characters' past adventures that I might just pick up another one of the series sometime when I need a laugh.