The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

I wanted to like this book. I'd read good things about it, and it gets pretty good reviews. It's an interesting story but the writing ruined it for me. The characters were very one-dimensional and most everyone was nasty. 

The story is of a black violinist who has overcome all odds to become a world-class musician. His grandmother gives him a violin that belonged to her father, and this causes the rest of his family to become petty and greedy when it's determined the worth of the instrument. And then the violin is stolen. 

The members of my book club tried to pretend we liked it but once we got down to really talking about it, we just didn't care for this one. - June

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

There's been a lapse in  my reading lately but I have a really good excuse. Actually, I have two excuses and they are a) we moved and b) we moved. Two moves really in three months. Whenever I sat down trying to read, my brain wouldn't focus. It needed instead to pack, organize, unpack, reorganize, etc.

This is the first book that has grabbed me since all that chaos. The Frozen River takes place in the 1700's in one of my favorite places... Maine. It's the story of Martha Ballard who is a wife, mother, and mid-wife. You will love her, and the book is worth the read for many reasons but most of all for the wonderful relationship she has with her husband, Ephraim. There's also a mystery and a murder and other good stuff. Definitely recommend this one. -June