T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

I confess that I've never read any of the alphabet mystery book by Sue Grafton.  But I have listened to many of them.  I downloaded this one to listen to on our recent road trip, but we never got around to it.  So I started it up one day when I was on the treadmill and, like all the others in this series, I was quickly hooked.  Judy Kay, the woman who reads the book, is fabulous and does a wonderful job of taking on all the characters and their voices.  And the character of Kinsey is so likeable and smart that you can't help but enjoy the ride - even when things get a little crazy.  In T is for Trespass, there's a woman who is preparing to steal money from Kinsey's neighbor, a couple who are suing someone for a car accident they deliberately caused, and a few other minor plot lines as well.  All the stories keep you reading (or in my case, listening) and enjoying.  -June

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Sometimes it's a good thing that I am a procrastinator.  If I had written this review the moment I finished the book, it might have been a bit more negative.  But as the days have passed and I've thought more about the book, I like it more.  The Round House takes place on an Native American reservation in the 1980's, and the story is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old boy.  His mother is raped, and the book is about how the mother, the family, and the community reacts to this horrific crime.  And there are legal issues involved too because of differences in laws for the reservation vs laws for the rest of the state.  The writing is wonderful - except why in the world are there no quotation marks?  I found this made it very difficult to read because I wasn't quite sure if what I was reading was something someone said or just a comment made by the narrator.  And the other thing I didn't care for were the stories and rantings of the boy's grandfather.  They didn't seem to contribute to the story in any way so I confess I skipped over them.  But the story is good, and although the ending is hard to read, it all comes together and is worth it.  -June

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Another mystery.  After reading Defending Jacob, I was ready for a change, but the next book I had planned to read on my Kindle was Sister.  Actually, I had no idea that it was a "who dunnit" type of book.  I really enjoyed the beginning and how the author set everything up.  The characters were well done and the book flowed well up until about 3/4 of the way into it.  By that point, both the main character and I suspected just about everyone to be the killer.  And then by the end, everything kind of fell apart.  Some people might say that the twists at the end were exciting, but I found it all to be a bit far-fetched and confusing.  But I will say that the story kept me reading, and that in itself is a good sign.  -June