The Murderer's Daughter by Randy Susan Meyers

This is a beautifully written book, with great characters and it is so difficult to read.  This is the story of Lulu and Merry.  When the girls are small, their dad kills their mother, slices Merry open, and then fails to kill himself.  He is sentenced to life in prison and the girls are sent to live with their maternal grandmother.  Upon her death, they are abandoned to the foster care system.  This book follows them as they grow up and try to build lives of their own, never losing sight that they are all each other has.  They both struggle with guilt and their complicated feelings for their father.  It was really really haunting and good but not for the faint at heart.

Broken Harbor by Tana French

I was a bit apprehensive about this book because I read another of her books In the Woods which was sooooooo disappointing.  Basically, while that one ended, a huge portion of the story was NEVER EXPLAINED.  Which is not cool Tana French.  BUT, the story itself was so intriguing, so I thought I would check this out.
I finished this book a few days ago and then I have been thinking about the story and thinking about the story.  I REALLY liked this book.  It was pretty disturbing.  It wasn't hugely gory but I just can't stop thinking about it. 
A family has been murdered and only the mother survives.  The family's computer has been wiped clean and their are signs that some weird things were going on in the house.  The story follows 2 police detectives and their quest to find out what happened and why.
It's a great book and there are a lot of things to discuss. 

Up from Orchard Street by Eleanor Widmer

This book took a few chapters for me to get engaged in.  HOWEVER, after that, I really loved this book.  It is the story of an emigrant family in New York.  The matriarch Manya, is a widow raising two small children, her son Jack and her little sister sent from Odessa.  The story follows Manya, her child, her sister and her grandchildren.  It is an enlightening story about what life was like for those in the Jewish Ghettos of New York.  I really liked this book, it would be fabulous for a book club study.  According to the book notes, much of this story was autobiographical and this is the now deceased author's only novel.  She did write a book about censorship and  testified as an expert witness in an obscenity trial involving the banning in San Diego of Henry Miller's controversial novel, "Tropic of Cancer." Fascinating and so different from any of my experiences.  A great book!

In the Night Room by Peter Straub

I got this book by chance.  I went online and did a search for spooky books and found one by Peter Straub so then I just reserved a bunch of books by him.  This is kind of the sequel of lost girl lost boy.  In fact, the book lost girl lost boy is a charecter in this book.  Which is confusing and awesome.  About halfway through this book I was shocked and then wanted to stop and reread the first half.  It was thought provoking and scary and good.  It's one of those books that really makes you think and rethink and then think, 'but what about...OH!'. 
It's about a bunch of stuff that I can't really tell you without giving everything away but this is a great thinker's book.  :)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

This is a memoir from a woman who could NOT be more different than me and it was fascinating and I loved it!  Cheryl Strayed has had a rough few years and is failing badly.  She decides to go on a trek through the mountains that run from Mexico to Washington.  She is ill prepared but goes, all alone for months with just a ridiculously large backpack and the hope that her present packages show up on time.  This is a great book.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

 



Now this is a goooood book.  It's a legal thriller/mystery. The book opens with a man being deposed in front of a grand jury.  He is describing the death of a teen boy in his community and how his family came to be wrapped up in the case.  I can't say too much more about it but if you are looking for similar books, I would recommend Serena by Ron Rash, Before I go to Sleep, We have always lived in the Castle, The Countess, A Reliable Wife, or An Absolute Gentleman.  Perfect fall spooky books.  Enjoy!

Tag Man by Archer Mayor

Ehh.  This book was alright.  It is a series about a police department.  It was alright.  There were parts that were pretty suspenseful but then there were parts that were confusing (don't know if it was poorly written or if I was just bored).  AND it was another of those books were the jacket notes are not only not really related to the book but just plain WRONG.  So stupid and annoying.  Pick a different book.

Heft by Liz Moore

This is one of those books that I could NOT put down but wanted to just so that I could savor it and have it never end.  I really enjoyed the two main characters.  I rooted for them and wanted to help and fix them.  This author, who I haven't read before and haven't yet researched enough to tell you anything more about, did an amazing job of speaking for each of these two very different men.  This is primarily a book about missed opportunities and loneliness.  It also touches on mental health and the isolation it can cause.  I LOVED THIS BOOK.  Here's the basic outline:
Arthur Opps is obese and agoraphobic and hasn't left his slowly deteriorating house in 10 years.  The high point of his life has been his correspondence with his former student Charlene.  He hasn't heard from her in years, but he thinks of her often and keeps all her letters.  He has kept much from her.  The fact that he no longer teaches, that he is homebound and that he now weighs somewhere around 500 pounds.  Charlene is not well.  She has a son in high school, Kel Kellerman.  She has kept this fact from Arthur.  Kel is floundering under the weight of Charlene's problems.  One day she picks up the phone, calls Arthur and asks him to call and help Kel.
Such a great story, great characters and I want the author to write a follow up so that I can spend even more time with Arthur and Kel.  READ THIS BOOK!!

Inperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton

I found this book disappointing.  I was quite obsessed with the case and the trial and just felt like it didn't answer all of the backstory details that I want someone to talk about.  Now, I understand why it doesn't (it's about the prosecution, after all) but I was still disappointed.  Worth reading, though.

Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan

Apparently, there are 5 people in America who don't know who Sybil was. (Yes, my husband is one.) This is the story of Shirley Mason a/k/a Sybil, her psychologist and the journalist who wrote their story. It is fascinating and contains many details that you have never heard of. It provides background on the mental health profession at the time and how Shirley came to be diagnosed. It delves into the background of all three women and exposes the real horror that lies behind the story of Sybil. READ THIS BOOK.

Ben Behind His Voices by Randye Kaye

Apparently, after reading all those Swedish novels, I am now reading about mental health. This book is a memoir written by 'Ben's' mother. Ben starts out life as a perfect little boy but somewhere in high school develops mental issues. After years, he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. A diagnosis, by the way, that he doesn't agree with. This book details the struggles of a mother, daughter and son to cope with the diagnosis. You should read this book. It is engrossing, enlightening and very educational.