To finish the day, my opinion on a newly published book, INFINITE HOMES, by Kathleen Alcott. I could not find anything indicating she would be related to Louisa May of the same surname, thus I guess the answer is no. People must have asked her many times... This is a second novel, written by a young author.
It would be very difficult for me to rate it, as I had the feeling of reading two different books: a bittersweet one for the first half, with characters so well drawn you believe you know them; then the second part until the end in a dreamlike world, with nonsensical stories and decisions.

I felt, like everybody under the charm of this book. I began it very reluctantly expecting... let's be honest, something well written and boring. Well written it is, but boring was totally wrong.
Edith owns a big house where she rents apartments. For a long time, the turnover of new tenants was high but lately it has stopped. The people living there are attached to their apartments, even to the ugliest parts of them, like the weird door colors. No one living there is exactly normal, but whoever is? what does being "normal" mean? All the inhabitants of the building have flaws, and big ones. There is Adeleine, the "beautiful agoraphobic", Paulie who suffers from a rare genetic disability, Thomas, recovering from a stroke or the broken Edward. They have settled over the years into a peaceful mutual ignorance and a comfortable existence.
But Edith is not young anymore and Alzheimer's threatens her sanity. Her husband, Dunclan, died more than 10 years ago. Her daughter left for California and its drug paraphernalia "the day she turned eighteen" and Owen, her son, is a talented and vicious businessman. As Edith ages (trying to do it gracefully), Owen sees -and wants to seize the financial possibilities. When the residents notice Owen's project, they get closer and decide to do anything to stop him.

My problem with the book came with the surrealism of the plan they concoct to save their dwellings which have become home for them. I liked the idea of tracing her daughter which seems to be the only possibility left. But could you really find someone after 40 years without a connection?
And was is left of their family of sorts at the end? The idea of home just disappears in front of the decisions that are made. The reasons behind those positions could be discussed a very long time without knowing the real motives of the characters. The links between them carried you flawlessly through the book, only to see those connections disappear for different reasons.

I finished the book asking myself why and feeling unable to find any proper answer. It reminded me of some of the books by John Irving, who could leave you buzzing with questions too.

I was talking with a couple of friends on goodreads about those books which don't get to be famous. Or not as famous as they deserve, in my mind or in yours. The problem is, I suppose, that the books I love which don't get to be best sellers are probably not the same as the ones you love -otherwise, they would be on the New York Times' list.
I could find hundreds of books I liked a lot you probably don't know, and the opposite for you. I can think of books that had a couple of months of shivers announcing their rising celebrity, to just die in infancy and never make it to be remembered. A few years ago, I bought a load of books at a book sale -I do that regularly, yep. Among them was HARD LANDING, by Lynne Heitmann. I just loved it, while seeing its problems, the totally unbelievable story, the mistakes made by all the characters, the trust the heroine put in her lover who never deserved it and the way dimwits were involved in a complicated scheme much above their level. No matter the total unlikeliness of the plot, I enjoyed the story. It was a debut novel and I expected more to come as I rated the author to be the next Lisa Unger. Well, she wrote a couple more books and stopped I believe around 2010 without ever reaching the hall of fame. Sad but true...

So, to speak about books deserving better, I discovered last year the trilogy written by David Khara, CONSORTIUM, the Bleiberg Project, the Morgenstern Project and the Shiro Project.
Usually, I'm not a great fan of adventure-action. I don't like the violence the authors thrive on. It may get to be so gory it throws me off. With Khara's books, I was able to enjoy the thrill of a high-octane adventure without the feeling of being in a slaughterhouse.
The three books revolve around the character of Eytan Morgenstern who used to be a normal man before experiments done on him by Nazis doctors with Hitler's approval, to create an Ubermensch, a real superman, who would not age nor weaken with time and be almost invincible. According to those those three books, they managed to create a pair of those, a man and a woman who have amazing abilities. Strength, smartness as in street smart as well as school smart, brilliance, appeal, they have everything.
But the invention of the characters would not be enough to make an extraordinary book. Some normal people have to enter the equation to fascinate you, like Jeremy Corbin. A mysterious cartel wants to master and use the secrets of Eytan to conquer the world at any price. A young man is lost in a world he hates and tries to find himself by ending his life if needed. Eytan will help Jeremy find a life worth living and they will struggle against the Consortium.
It is impossible to summarize those books in a page, and I won't try to. It has been said the books are a dream for action/adventure lovers and if you don't like this kind of book usually, they will change your mind and make you love them.
If you have not read them, try them, I'm willing to bet you will love them. Once again, each of the books is a standalone, meaning they may be read in any order. If you begin one, you'll be willing to get th other ones...

To stay with Carla Norton, if  THE EDGE OF NORMAL has whetted your appetites, her second book in the series, with Reeve LeClaire again should attract you.
What I enjoy specially is a series where you get to know the heroine, to like her, to notice her reactions and emotions, and at the same time, being able to read the books separately as stand alone. If you did not read the first book, you won't miss it to understand the second one, if you never read the second one, you are not let on a cliffhanger.
WHAT DOESN`T KILL HER shows you Reeve a few months after the first book. What she achieved gave her more confidence in herself and she has finally accepted to go to college because psychology now fascinates her. Many doors are opened for her, she knows she will have a life, a successful one, filled with dedication to the people she can help. There is just a little problem: Darryl Wayne Flint, the man who kept her captive for 4 years, who has been a model prisoner at the Olshaker Psychiatric Hospital has just managed to escape.
Extract from the book summary:

"For all that Flint seems like a model patient, he has long been planning his next move. When the moment arrives, he gets clean away from the hospital before the alarm even sounds. And Reeve is shocked out of her new life by her worst nightmare: Her kidnapper has escaped.

Less than 24 hours later, Flint kills someone from his past--and Reeve's blocked memories jolt back into consciousness. As much as she would like to forget him, she knows this criminal better than anyone else. When Flint evades capture, baffling authorities and leaving a bloody trail from the psychiatric lock-up to the forests of Washington state, Reeve suddenly realizes that she is the only one who can stop him. 

Reeve is an irresistibly brave and believable heroine in Carla Norton's heart-stopping new thriller about a young woman who learns to fight back."

How did Flint escape? He had some help... What does he want now? You guessed it before I could write it. As a revenge, or a way to finish his insane tasks, as a recurrent obsession, whatever the insane moves in his mind, he wants to get Reeve again. The book moves from present to past, where it gives you more knowledge of Reeve's captivity years.  You learn how she was abducted, how she managed during those horrible 4 years, a bit about the trial. In the present time, it's a game of cat and mouse, the mouse being as smart as Jerry, the one from Disney. The cat, with Flint in the part, is sadly not as stupid as the cartoon Tom. You will spend time with a fast heart beat, cheering for Reese.

Reeve's character will be remembered, even if no more books complete this series. She is strong, smart and wants to master her life. As Flint roams in the background, repressed memories come back  to her. She knows Flint better than anyone, and she will be the one to capture him.

I spent some time wondering what those two books make me think of. What famous author could I compare Norton to? I ended up with Lisa Gardner and Lisa Unger. Two women with strong voices, dealing with horrible crimes without any hesitation and creating insane characters so plausible you fear them as if they were real.

Because Flint is insane, at least in my world. To be obsessed with girls and to want to torture them, rape them and kill them could hardly be called normal, would it? Reeve proves every page she has maintained all of her sanity. She won't go down without a good fight, and the readers will like her more for her courage and strength.

An excellent thriller, which deserves all the clichés I am scared to write, even when it is real : unputdownable, will take you to the edge of your seat, nail-biter, etc...

Hoping you have a nice Sunday. The weather looks good, and later when the heat brings you back inside, take the time to look here.
I've been told there is little about books in this blog. Well, let us change it for today and speak about a few books...

I've read THE EDGE OF NORMAL, by Carla Norton, which is a twisted thriller, and I really enjoyed it. The book was published a first time almost two years ago, but did not reach a large public then. A second edition has been printed lately and making much more noise now. Reeve LeClaire is an heroine we will follow in a series of books and the second book, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER is out this summer.
Here is the blurb for the first one:

"In many ways, Reeve LeClaire looks like a typical twenty-two year old girl. She’s finally landed her own apartment, she waitresses to pay the bills, and she wishes she wasn’t so nervous around new people. She thinks of herself as agile, not skittish. As serious, not grim. But Reeve is anything but normal. 
Ten years ago, she was kidnapped and held captive. After a lucky escape, she’s spent the last six years trying to rebuild her life, a recovery thanks in large part to her indispensable therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. But when he asks her to help another girl rescued from a similar situation, Reeve realizes she may not simply need to mentor this young victim—she may be the only one who can protect her from a cunning predator who is still out there, watching every move."

Starting with a traumatized young woman considering her options for the future, Carla Norton creates  a stunning thriller, which will terrify most of the.readers. The scariest part is the idea that it is based on a true story, meaning a real girl, captive for years in the hands of a pervert... I could hardly believe it and did not let my mind settle too long of it. Just the idea that such people exist makes me sick!

The style of the author is quick and witty, you will be caught into Reeve's life, almost normal, but filled with angst, day after day. She sees Dr. Lerner once a week,  and just the anticipation of this visit makes her uncomfortable on Tuesdays, though Lerner really tries to help. For now, Reeve refuses to go to college and sticks on waitressing in  a Japanese restaurant, where the repetitive nature of her job, the constant same environment and the pleasure of learning a few Japanese words give her a fleeting feeling of security.

But this fallacious blanket will be put away from her by the return of the owners' daughter. She is going to lose her job! Reeve is an interesting character, sarcastic about herself but quite lovable. She follows some of her psychiatrist advice, but in a twisted way: yes, she gets a pet, but it will be a snake and not a dog, for instance. Still, you feel a connection with her, maybe because we all have this insecurity inside and it's almost reassuring to see that others are no different. 

Reeve will accept to help Lerner with the new victim, after much hesitation. She gets to know a 13-year-old with whom she has an immediate connection.  From there, Norton takes you on a search for the person responsible for the girls' disappearances... because no matter what the police does, other girls are still missing. Reeve wants to get to the bottom of it, even if it means putting her own life at risk. 

Once you have read more than 50 pages, you won't be able to put the book down without finishing it.  But try not to be alone in the house when you read it...

Just to pretend having been useful despite all those problems, I reread Twisted by Jeffery Deaver. Published in 2003, it says in the introduction he wrote specially for this book, that short stories are wonderful because the author has some laxitude with the morals of the story. In a 300 pages book, making the villain win is totally immoral and badly seen by the censorship which is still very alive in North America. Some of his short stories made me shiver. The contempt he naturally feels for women is hopeless. It is engraved in the writer and in the human being. Like Eve pushing Adam to eat he fruit of knowledge, it is always a woman who shows the path to depravity, to hatred, to war. Don't you feel it a bit extreme? Do you really believe your wives or daughters are willing to destroy you at any costs? or have you manage a smart way to deal with them?
Do you have a happy love life according to those basics?

Hello again,
I almost mourned my computer yesterday. It died and miracles exist, it suddenly revived. Actually, I was stupid enough to download Windows 10 on my small, not powerful laptop... It took the better part of yesterday afternoon to go through, but it did work out finally. Then the new windows began asking me questions which are none of their concerns, like my friends' identities, or my favorites apps. It got more and more unpleasant as it told me I had to verify my ID, enter a password (they wanted the one I use to access my email, but I needed a while to understand it) and finally stopped working and kept me stuck on the password, or lack of, page.
I brought the poor little laptop to a place where they have fixed a couple of computers for us before. The guys -you know, young, in their twenties, with lots of facial hair, which seems to be the new computer guy style- looked at it one second, maybe two and told me Win 10 had nothing to do with it, but I had to expect a broken keyboard, or a done hard drive... To check the amount of damage would cost $35, and to repair -absolutely no idea, but a given amount certainly.
Quite unhappy, I visited four computer stores, to notice the price of the one I want. Microsoft Surface Pro 3, with Intel 7 inside. I more or less knew it, but hoped against reason it would have dropped in the last month or so. No, the tablet, plus the keyboard, which is a necessity plus tax ended up around $2,000. A bit expensive, I thought. There were other ones, but most of them were big, 15.6", too massive and heavy to be carried in a purse. I came back home, feeling stupidly very sad and very broke.
I found my usual adapter t connect my dying ((I thought dead) computer to the main source f power, and plug it in, like in memoriam...And I watched windows loading up, while thinking it was not the hard drive -it would not power up. About damaged keyboards, I know nothing, so I did not speculate. But, of course, when it started asking me for a password, I clicked on the empty space, just to see. Then, windows asked me more precisely for a specific password related to that account. With nothing to lose, I entered my email password... and the screen went all black. A minute later, it said "welcome". I watched it, amazed. It was not dead, nor dying, just kind of overloaded.
The first site I went to, or more exactly the first words I entered were "'how to go back to windows 7 after trying windows 10". I thought I would discover one lonely idea within a sea of places claiming Win 10 was the best thing since the invention of the wheel, but no, hundreds of possibilities were there. I am not the only person hating Win 10! Yay!, as would the Martian say. "Go to settings". Fine, but where is settings, when this new, foreign and weird thing does not let me see my programs?
Well, after an hour of fumbling around -very uneasily as the new windows did not like my fingers. I could not move the cursor the normal way, I had to try and try again to move it one millimeter- I found "settings", and clicked happily on downgrading to my old and faithful Win 7. I moved away from the computer while i was going back to normal, and came back an hour later to see my usual screensaver, plus a note from windows telling me it was up to date, all updates had been installed.
And my fingers are enough now to move the cursor on the side, and I can access all the programs I have downloaded during the past five years, and it just works!
What did I learn? Sadly, that the lure of money is enough to twist a honest repairman's mind; even enough to twist the minds of three of them. Then, always hope for the best, because sometimes, it does happen. Finally, the best for some of us may be the worst for others and what will I do in 2020, when the updates for Win  are stopped? I am sure now I hate touch-sensitive screens.I knew it from the cellphones, but now, I have checked it on a bigger screen, and it just makes it worse.
I will look for a replacement, check the specials available. But if I'm allowed to wait a few months, maybe my coveted Surface Pro 3 will be cheaper. Who knows? Wish me luck!

I've just discovered through a petition to prevent Amazon from selling his books that an insane guy called Roosh V has a blog and many books, where he explains how to seduce women with many unpleasant comments about the said women. I'm amazed...
How can a man today think there is a difference between his having sex and a woman having sex? If availability changes the way one sees the other sex, we have been surrounded by manwhores for a very, very long time. I did not read any of his books and I only spent five minutes on his site. I just wanted to see what it was about. I have seen and it is hard to believe.
This man has a huge mental problem, and the scary part is that he has people following his blog, reading what he writes about how to score with a woman.
And yes, I found the post where he wants to make rape legal. In a way, poor guy. He does not know what it means to love and be loved. He cannot even be a decent lover, as the only thing that matters is the time spent ... let us say inside each other.
Well, his family came from Iran, so it is not surprising that he lives in another century -more like the XIX th. He does not seems to have ever been in a committed relationship, but has picked up many girls from bars or clubs. What I don't understand is why would it matter to him if his flings sleep with 20, 60 or 200 men? He does not care for them -so what is left? Pride? well, according to what I've read, the girls must tell the other ones he is just worse than lousy. No, it is pure machismo, he was born with it and the poor women are lacking the instrument, therefore are less than what he is. May he seriously believe that? stupidity has no limits.
I do think American women sometimes push the game too far. You cannot ask a man to treat a woman like a princess if she does not behave like one. But between a job as a professional or cleaning a house, I pick up the job. I have then the right to be me, I don't depend on a man to survive and I don't care about the conception of "hot" people like Roosh V may have.
It would be too easy to explain all the reasons not to date American guys and worse, Iranian-American ones. 42 points would not be enough. But honestly, who cares?
I'm just scared that such a loser could attract people.