Help for the Haunted by John Searles is not a book I would have necessarily picked up, but my book club won an opportunity to Skype with John Searles as part of his #50bookclub50states. We are excited to “meet” him on June 1 and I will post more about that once it happens. The premise of Help for the Haunted is an interesting one: two sisters are being raised by parents who help people who have experiences with the paranormal. At the beginning of the book, though, the parents die and it is a mystery why. The book bounced from past to present and I was pulled into the story, particularly the end, which completely surprised me. I look forward to trying Searles’ other books.

I’ve had The Headmaster’s Wife by Thomas Greene on my to-read list for a long while. And, then it’s been on my nightstand for a long while since I had a boon of books come in for me at the library. It was an incredibly quick read, but shallow. While I found the story interesting and wanted to know what happened, ultimately I didn’t enjoy the book very much. I thought the story of the author found in the acknowledgements and on the back flyleaf to be more compelling than the book itself!

I have been waiting for this kind of read for a long time. I started A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison on Saturday night and was mid-way through by Sunday night. I took it everywhere with me and did not want to put it down when I had to. It was a fascinating look into the underworld of modern female slavery. And while the subject was depressing and unbelievable in many ways, I hoped the story wouldn’t come to an end. And, as is always the case, I am sad that I now have to start something else.

I thoroughly enjoyed Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm. Following the interesting life of Grace, who re-invented herself in the wake of a crime she designed, kept the pages turning. I wanted to know more about what motivated her and loved the ending, even though I thought I wouldn’t. This is a quick read and one I would recommend, particularly as we head into summer.

It was hard not to get immediately sucked in by The Wild Truth, by Carine McCandless. It is written by the sister of the man written about in Jon Krakaur’s Into the Wild, which I read a million years ago. Carine attempts to explain why her brother did what he did. What a powerful memoir of their growing up years and their completely messed up lives. With each page, the horrors and bad choices piled up. While it was tough to stomach, and difficult to read, it was a fascinating look into the underpinnings of Chris McCandless’ life. If this version is true (their parents claim it isn’t), it is much easier to understand why he did what he did.

I am not sure where I got the idea to read Funny Girl, but since Nick Hornby is well regarded, I thought I would give it a try even though I haven’t read any of his other books. I started by being glad I did. This was a fun book with the tone of “About a Boy” (the movie version!) and others. Light, simple, but enjoyable. Just what I was looking for. However, it was too long and midway through, I was just waiting to get to the end, which took too long. All in all, not a favorite, though entertaining.

The Kind Worth Killing was another Oprah selection (I really do hate to admit that, but her people are good at choosing books). It’s an interesting thriller. A man chats with a woman at an airport bar about his wife having an affair and the woman basically convinces him that he should kill his wife. The twists and turns from there kept the pages turning. I didn’t realize before reading that Peter Swanson had written The Girl With a Clock for a Heart, which I reviewed here. I might not have read The Kind Worth Killing had I read my own review of his previous book since I didn’t like it very much. But, while I enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing more, it wasn’t anything earth-shattering.

I had no idea that Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast was going to be a graphic novel. I should have known, however, since she is that ubiquitous New Yorker cartoonist. The memoir has gotten such great reviews, that I thought I would give it a try. If nothing else, it had to be a quick read. It certainly was a quick read, but surprisingly moving and sad. At times, I was taken aback by Chast’s almost blase attitude toward the imminent death of her parents, but I admired her honesty as well. This is definitely worth a read (it only took me an hour), but prepare yourself for tears.

I found The Season of Migration on an Oprah booklist. Judging from the cover and the title before reading anything about the book, I thought it was about a totally different subject matter than Van Gogh and his relationship with his brother. So, it was a surprising beginning. And, while I found the book interesting, it didn’t really capture me. I could have taken or left it. This being said, however, I really didn’t know much about Van Gogh and it was news to me that he and his brother had a period of estrangement. So, perhaps, if you had more knowledge about art history and Van Gogh in particular, you might enjoy this small book more than I did.

What’s not to like about Anne Tyler? She’s always been a favorite of mine and A Spool of Blue Thread was no exception. I liked the characters, the story, and the quiet and matter-of-fact way it was told. Kudos to her that she has such a rich compendium of works. It’s like settling in with an old friend every time.