The Dinner by Herman Koch

This book has won awards and received praise in many reviews.  Hmmmm.  Not in my review.  I liked the beginning and saw a lot of potential in the first half, but then I realized that these characters are crazy and evil.  And even if the book is to show how parents will do anything to protect their children even if they commit violent crimes - well, I guess this parent thinks that what they are doing is immoral.  So does the author want us to agree with them?  Or are we just supposed to continue yelling at the book?  I'm not sure, but I don't recommend this one.  -June

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

When I described the plot of this book to a good friend, she said it didn't sound like a book I'd read at all!  And she's right.  But the reviews made it sound so interesting, and frankly, I was looking for something different.  Imagine the typical police detective/murder mystery book.  There's a young, inexperienced detective working hard to solve the mystery of a death that appears to be suicide but just might be murder.  Now add to that the fact that the world will end in six months.  Yes, a huge asteroid is headed right towards earth.  While the murder and the asteroid are not really related, what is fascinating to me is how the people of the world have reacted to the news about the destruction that is headed their way.   Some people continue with their lives, but many quit their jobs, develop their bucket list, or decide to kill themselves rather than stay to the end.  The detective has to solve the murder in a world where most people just don't give a shit about who has died and who might have caused it because we're all going to be dead soon anyway.  This is the first of three in a trilogy, and while I may not jump right into the next one, I liked this one enough to keep it on my list.  Recommend if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.  - June