Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Dear Amazon,
You think you know me but your don't. You always have some recommendations for me, and yes, sometimes you are correct with your choices, but not this time. You kept recommending Still Missing to me and I believed you. I also believed all the 5-star reviews. And I thought you'd made a good choice for me at the beginning of this book. The first half of the book follows Annie as she is abducted by a crazy, scary guy and help captive in a remote cabin while he rapes and beats her. OK, this normally isn't the kind of stuff I read, but it was suspenseful and I wanted to know how she got out. But then once she's free, the book just fell apart for me. The entire second half is all about Annie re-entering her "normal" life which turns out to be anything but normal. And she's trying to solve the mystery surrounding her abduction. When we find out this mystery, it is just too unbelievable to even understand. So, Amazon, keep recommending those books, but I'll be more cautious next time. -June

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

A few months ago, Ann Patchett spoke at our local bookstore. Not surprisingly, there was standing room only. She was charming, articulate, funny, and very honest. It was a surprise to hear her say that she hated to write. Yet she is obviously a favorite for so many - including me. State of Wonder is a marvelous story taking us to the Amazon and introducing several fascinating characters. Marina works for a pharmaceutical company and is sent there to find out why one of her co-workers died and to find out the progress of the drug being researched there. It's hard to put this one down. -June

The Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert

Recently, I listened to Nancy Pearl being interviewed on the radio, and this is one of the books she recommended. It's a wonderful little book that has some characters you want to know. The main character, Essie, is an elderly lady who is opinionated and spunky. Her relationships and conversations with her grandson and her great-granddaughter and some of my favorite parts of the book. There's a bit of a mystery going on in Essie's town. A woman claims her daughter is missing, yet no one has ever seen the little girl. The mystery is never completely resolved, but you end up understanding what Essie thinks about it, and that's enough. Recommend it. -June