The Heist

The Heist (Book 3 in the To Catch a Leopard Series)  by C.W. Gortner and M. J. Rose 115 pages

“The Heist” is the final book in this series. Ania and Jerome have separated, although they are still deeply in love with each other. 

Ania has gone into hiding while Jerome has taken a job back in the States a job at a Hollywood studio, It’s the late 1950s and the studio-system has not completely crumbled.

However, Ania’s right hand man in her jewelry business has come to fetch Jerome. It’s time to confront the man Ania believes, no knows, who the Leopard s and is determined to bring him down. And if Jerome insists on getting the way, well, she cannot be held responsible.

I found the outcome of the cat-and-leopard game Ania is playing with the thief interesting and highly entertaining. The result was not as I had anticipated, it was much better.

“The Heist” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Bait

The Bait (Book 2 in the To Catch a Leopard Series)  by C.W. Gortner and M. J. Rose 125 pages

It’s been a year since a cat burglar who goes by “Leopard,” stole Ania Thorne’s most recent collection of one-of-a-kind designer jewelry in Cannes. And one year, since she met insurance investigator Jerome Curtis.

Together, they may not have been able to solve the theft, but they do know who did it, and Anika and Jerome have become lovers. Ania has been planning her next move since leaving Cannes.

Now it’s carnival time in Venice. Ania has been planning her next move since leaving Cannes. And it’s quite the elaborate plan! Unfortunately, things don’t go their way. They wind up in jail, accused of a crime they did not commit. Once again Ania and Jerome are thwarted when Leopard unexpectedly pops up. This time Ania is able to confront Leopard to no avail.

A fun little read that can be read in one sitting. I love the descriptions of Venice, but I wish there had been more.

 “The Bait” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 146 pages

It’s October, and if you are looking for a spooky read, forget Stephen King and grab a copy of any of Shirley Jackson’s books. I love how Jackson’s terror is so subtle.

In this, the last book she published, in 1962, the basis is family. Generation of Blackwoods have lived on their estate, but now a shroud has been draped over the family’s reputation.  One of the three remaining Blackwoods is guilty of poisoning the rest of the family.

The suspects are:

            *Eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine, known throughout the village and by the family as Merricat, has been acquitted of all wrongdoing.

            *Uncle Julian, who drank just enough of the poison wine to render him an invalid and confined to a wheelchair.

            *Merricat’s sister, Constance, who never leaves the estate and rarely ventures past her garden.

The answer to the crime seems obvious, but nothing is ever like it seems in a Shirley Jackson story.

Merricat goes into the village on Tuesdays and Fridays to get groceries and whatever else the family needs, but she hates it.  The villagers avoid her and the children make fun of her.

I gather that the estate and the house that looks like a castle is quite large. The three don’t live in the house’s entirety, but five rooms at the most.

One day, a cousin, Charles, appears at their door. He has heard the rumors of a fortune being stashed on the estate and is determined to find it.

Okay, I can’t say anymore without giving the plot away, so you’ll have to read this one for yourself.  I highly recommend it.  “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Book Haters' Book Club

The Book Haters’ Book Club by Gretchen Anthony 352 pages

Love the title of this book! I had to read it just to find out who would attend a book haters’ book club if the person hates books. That had to be an interesting group of people. Perplexing at the least.

Elliott, co-owner of Minneapolis’ Over the Rainbow Bridge, has recently passed away, leaving the other co-owner, Irma, in a pickle. Business is not good, and bills are piling up. Irma is also grieving the death of her longtime boyfriend, Nestor, from cancer.

Irma calls a meeting with her two daughters, Bree and Laney, and Elliott’s life partner, Thom, at the lawyer’s office. She has decided to sell to a developer who plans to raze it and replace it with high-rise condominiums.

As shocking as this decision is to the three, Bree has the most to lose. She works in the store and has assumed that she would take it over when Irma retired. Laney just wants to get back to her home in Oakland, California, and running a tire-repair shop with her husband. Thom is angry at Irma, but no one seems to know why, including Irma. The most infuriating part is that Irma won’t say why she so desperately wants to sell. This part of the plot dominates the first book’s first half.

The second half is about Irma coming clean with her secrets and what the three can do to save their relationships…and the bookstore.

The book’s title comes not from a fictional book club, but that is the name of the newsletter that Elliott sent out with reading recommendation to his customers. That title comes from Elliott’s belief that “all it takes is the right book to turn a book hater into a book lover.” He wasn’t actively trying to turn non-readers into readers, and, truthfully, I don’t get it. Readers are treated to a few of the newsletters. Cute and interesting, but they do not push the plot forward. And neither does periodic visits from Elliott in the form of the Forward, Commercial Breaks, Intermission, Curtain Call and One Last Thing…They’re creepy.

“The Book Haters’ Book Club” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Picture Bride

 The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi, translated from the Korean by An Seonjae 320 pages

I am familiar with mail-order brides but have never heard of “picture brides.”  That is what attracted me to this book.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a large number of Korean men left for Hawaii, then a United States territory. They worked the sugar cane fields and became successful. Some even owned land, a dream of all Koreans. When it came time to take a wife, the men depended on matchmakers back home to help them find the perfect woman. The men would send a picture and a letter to the matchmaker. Basically, it’s 1918 Korea’s version of today’s dating apps.

“In 1918, three Korean picture brides sail to Hawaii, based only on photos of their husbands-to-be. Hongju, looking for real love, discovers her husband is 20 years older than his photo; Songhwa, escaping her home life, finds her husband is an old drunkard. Willow’s husband, Taewan, looks just like his photo. But the matchmaker lied when she said he was a landowner, and she could go to school.”

That is what hurt the most. Willow is intelligent and longs for an education. It was the only reason that she consented to the marriage. As the years go by, Willow dutifully cares for her husband, their children and his father.

As 1918 slides into 1919, Willow’s husband gets involved with the Korean Independence Movement. He is gone for years, leaving Willow to manage on her own. She does have her two friends, Songhwa and Hongiu, counsel as they struggle to survive.

I wish I had read the Author’s Notes and the Translator’s Notes first. It might have made a difference in reading this novel because I felt lost most of the time.

“The Picture Bride” receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Sins of the Tribe

 

Sins of the Tribe by Mark A. Salter 400 pages

I grew up in the southern United States where college football was/is king. Especially in my home state of Arkansas, where cotton, rice, soybeans and the Razorback football made up most conversations. (When I was planning my wedding, Daddy told me that he was unavailable September through December, non-negotiable. Such is the power of college football. I married in July.)

Mark A. Slater’s first novel takes on the dark underbelly of college football and combines it with the deep human need for connections, to be with one’s own. Football teams are the perfect example of a tribe working, playing, protecting each other and dominating the other teams. And wow, does Slater pack a punch!

The story centers two young Georgia men, Wally and Henry. Henry suffers from an undiagnosed medical condition that I would describe as autism, but I’m not a doctor. Henry’s talent is his ability to kick a football. As long as Wally is the holder, Henry NEVER MISSES, whether it’s from twenty yards or sixty yards. Henry NEVER MISSES.

As kids, Wally suffered parental abuse while Henry was left largely ignored. Wally dreamed of attending Bastille University and becoming a member of the Tribe football team. (So much symbolism in that choice of moniker.) He had the grades to be accepted but not the financial resources. When the scouts come calling, Henry is offered a full ride, provided he can do he scholastic work, and where Henry goes, Wally goes, so the university makes it happen.

In the first half of the book, the team is led by Coach John Oldham. He and his coaching staff are trying to build decent young men as well as win football games. The team coalesces into a tribe that works hard and plays hard. Coach Oldham reminded of what I thought Bear Bryant would have been like.

In the second half of the book, Coach Oldham is replaced by Coach Castritt. The staff he brings with him have the same belief: Winning is the only thing and everything.

Castritt and his staff don’t care about the team as individuals. Players are dehumanized and believe they can get away with anything and everything, from treating others as dirt to committing a horrendous crime. How Wally navigates this new regime is what makes this book a page turner.

One thing did irritate me though. One of the teams that the Tribe played against with the Arkansas A&M Aggies.  No such school.  It’s Texas A&M. All the other colleges/universities were given the correct name.

 “Sins of the Tribe” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

How to Draw a Happy Witch and 99 Things That Go Bump in the Night

Shirley J.                        Juvenile Fiction                      Story and Directions on how to draw most of the                                                    characters etc. in the book

How to Draw a Happy Witch and 99 Things That Go Bump in the Night by Joy Sikorski and Nick          96 pages                                                                                                                                            Sunday

A good story about a cat named, Little Man, who has a home but likes to prowl the woods at night with and his people are okay with his meanderings.   They think he is out hunting - little do they know he is also out at a costume party with friends one of whom is a happy French witch who cooks him escargot! There are also line drawings showing the reader how to draw just about everything you see in the book. Well told story with an inventive plot and a happy artistic addition with the details on how to draw  lovely things for Halloween or even any time of year but particularly meaningful in the cool Fall of the year.    I recommend this book for any age, you get a cute story and it teaches you to draw a bunch of cool stuff.                                                                                                                                                            

The Whites

 Shirley J.             Adult Fiction                                         Best Detective Drama I have read to date

The Whites by Richard Price writing as Harry Brandt   352 pages

Where do I begin?  This storyline, the characters and the real situations and dialogue made the best detective drama I have read to date.   The life of a cop/detective is told so genuinely that the reader will feel you are in the space with them at all times it is that realistically told.  The main character is flawed but likeable and for the most part a good person.   He is a good person who will do bad things if necessary but he is totally devoted to his wife, his kids and his former cop Dad who is living with them and has Alzheimers.   He juggles all that along with the crime and criminals every shift and the banter between him and his detective buddies from his youth to the guys that work for him now, not to mention the trials and tribulations they all go through and share among themselves.  There is a twisted killer holding a vendetta over one of the unsuspecting characters that keeps a fire burning all the way through till the climactic culmination.   It is such a great story and I definitely recommend this one.   The whites is not racially oriented, but, instead refers to the cases that got away like Captain Ahab's great white whale, Moby Dick.  This story captures your attention and won't let you go till the end.   I think middle schoolers on up will enjoy this story.   Adults might enjoy it just that much more because once you have had a little living under your belt you get the gray areas in life and subtle nuances that don't always mean a person is good or bad they just are (human).   GREAT BOOK.

The House That Wasn't There

 Shirley J.          Juvenile Fiction                            Magic, an Opposum, love for trees, family

The House That Wasn't There by Elana K. Arnold   304 pages

Alder lives with his Mom in Southern California, there is a walnut tree that he and his Mom love that grows in the yard next door that has always been there until one day a new family moves in, the mother is an architect and cuts the tree down to make way for remodeling of the house adding a second floor to the property.  Alder and his Mom are devastated!  The new people have no feeling for the tree at all just hack it down!  Gone!  Alder glares at the new neighbors every chance he gets, what kind of people are they?  Why would they kill a beautiful living tree like that?  This causes a thorn of contention between the two households.   The new girl can't figure out why the strange boy next door won't stop staring at her like she did something wrong.     What starts out as a strained relationship soon lands the two in the same school, some of the same classes and being partnered on projects by their teachers.   What starts out rocky soon turns out to show that these two have something in common.  For one thing they both see the shiny mirage like image between their homes and eventually both begin to explore this magical stirring and what they meet up with is even more surprising than any mirage!   Good story with twists and magic that youngsters on up will enjoy, so will adults if they give it a chance.  Magic is always fun and you never know what you will find.  I recommend it as a fun read.

Brighter By the Day

 

Shirley J.                   Adult Non-Fiction                                   Positivity

Brighter By the Day by Robin Roberts  240 pages

Such an uplifting, highly motivating book.  Robin Roberts, co-anchor of Good Morning, America, tells her story in such a delightful positively motivational way that you would just like to be around her to scoop up some of that sunshine.  She offers family sayings that take you back to your own childhood and all the great family members who offered up homespun wisdom.   She shares stories on surviving cancer twice, the ups and downs of her 20+ years with her wife and how she got into covering sports then later news then her anchor position on Good Morning, America.   The love she has for God, and for her wife, Amber, her family both living and those who have gone home to glory and her gig on GMA come through as she talks about a multitude of personal experiences.   This is such a bouncy, feel good book all brought about by the lovely person who is Robin Roberts.   I recommend her story to middle schoolers on up.   She imparts wisdom and joy throughout the book with grace and panache.

Man For All Seasons

A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt, 163 pages

Sir Thomas More, councillor to King Henry VIII, stubbornly refuses to approve of the conduct of his king.  In return, the ministers of that king force him first into retirement and finally to the scaffold.  Sir Thomas alone, amid a crowd of vain, greedy, and ambitious men, remains true to himself and his principles, and this earns him persecution and death.  The story is a familiar one, but here beautifully and movingly told.

Part of the story's familiarity is due to the classic 1966 movie version of this very play, adapted by Bolt himself.  The play differs from the film primarily in the part of the Common Man, who plays various minor roles and offers sporadic commentary to the audience.  If this is a stagy artifice, there is a certain value in the character precisely as he represents our own practical natures against the very impractical sanctity of Sir Thomas.  Of course, Bolt hollows out that sanctity by presenting St Thomas as a martyr, not for the truth, but rather for what he believes.

The Hidden One

Shirley J.                       Adult Fiction                         Former Amish Life, now, Lady Sheriff

The Hidden One (Book 14 in the Kate Burkholder Series) by Linda Castillo    336 pages

Good story!  Once Amish now Englisher, Sheriff Kate Burkholder, of Ohio, is requested by Amish elders from a Pennsylvania Dutch Amish community to come help an Amish man who she grew up with that is accused of murder.   It is an issue she isn't sure at first whether to get involved or not, afterall, she and the accused, Jonas Bowman, were once in love and caught by her father making whoopie in the haybarn after which due to the shame in the community Jonas' family moved away to Pennsylvania, Kate unable to bare the shame left the community and forsaking her religion went to live in the Englisher (non-Amish) world.  Lots of water under that bridge but the elders sought her out because of her reputation of once being Amish and now in law enforcement and Jonas is being tried in Englisher court.  They hope she can help him navigate the legal system and help to defend him or work with the local constabulary to find out what happened and who committed the murder which is not something an Amish man would ever do and knowing Jonas to be a firmly committed practitioner of the Amish religion and lifestyle she did not believe he was guilty, but the evidence against him sure made it seem so.   The local police blow her off.  She is not local, she is a woman and they basically dismiss her and won't share information with her even though she is a sheriff.   She ends up searching for clues in the local Amish community and the things she turns up almost get her killed in a brutal beat down and more.   An unlikely informant comes to her aid and when all the information comes to light it is so unlikely it boggles the mind.   Good story.   I like this character she is a flawed survivor and overcomer.  A strong female in a tough line of work.  I recommend this one to highschoolers on up.  If you like mysteries, murder mysteries and seeing behind the veil on the Amish you will especially enjoy this story.  Good writing, Linda Castillo.

This Could Hurt: A Novel

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                      Work life, work family loyalty

This Could Hurt: A Novel by Jillian Medoff      400 pages

I loved this book.  It rings so true, the kind of love for your workplace, your work family and the fierce loyalty co-workers will go the distance to protect one another and help one another when that extended family feel is there.   Boss Rosa Guerrero has busted through the glass ceiling and survived.   She sees the foibles in some of her fellows that she supervises good and bad, those workers so dedicated she has to practically force them to go home and stop working to those so blase' apathy dripping off of them seem to care less about much of anything but do come through in a pinch if on their own terms.   She has been mother hen over her brood of employees so long she knows who to lean on and who not to and in her human resources repertoire magically blends the strengths and weaknesses of all to provide a salient crew within the corporation.   Till one day, she starts to topple.   A health crisis occurs and the tough don't just get going, hell, they become a corporate navy seal unit.   This is a wonderful, funny, poignant story of the cavalry really coming through in a crisis told with such hilarity the reader who is in the working world will see themselves and so many of their coworkers here.  It was a joy to read.   I recommend this one to mature teens on up, folks who are in or on their way in to the working world who will get all the inside jokes and realize the workplace types and often very real situations.   Truly a joy to read.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store

 Shirley J.                       Adult Fiction                    Bookstore, Eccentric Clientele, Ancient Texts

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan    288 pages

Clay Jannon is a victim of the recession, his web design job evaporated and in his search for a job he comes upon a sign on a building, "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store."   As he is mulling that over he notices there is a help wanted sign so he applies.  Turns out it is for the 3rd shift.  The first thing Clay notices on his new job there are few customers but there are an eclectic looking small group of individuals who do show up throughout the night none of them buy anything, they "check out" books of obscure text constantly returning them only to get another and all this is some select book group Mr. Penumbra is somehow involved with.   Between the quirky relationships Clay develops with the regular clientele and the somehow quirkier staff, the mystery unfolds as to what the late night "readers" are up to in an entertaining way with twists a plenty.  I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up. 

The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously

 Shirley J.         Adult Non-Fiction                 Re-Use, Re-Purpose, Recycle, Community Round Robins

The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously by Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller   288 pages

Friends Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller live on a tiny island off the coast of Seattle, Washington.  In 2013 after cleaning up the beach only to find thousands of tiny pieces of plastic in the sand and multitudinous plastic items abandoned there on the beach and washing up out of the ocean they were struck by the horrors being done to the planet and the ocean life from this potentially re-useable and/or recyclable material.  They decided to do something to save the planet locally and started the Buy Nothing Group in which they pledged not to buy anything but to re-use, repurpose, recycle or share items within their community to save folks money and save the environment by not adding new stuff to their homes thereby in their way stopping factories from making new stuff, finding more uses for their current stuff to serve their needs and buy as little as possible.  They grew their own food to cut down on buying groceries (the vegans really won out on that one), they started a round robin with everyone weeding out the clothes they no longer wanted from their closets and passed around a bag of these items for everyone to take out what they needed which gave everyone new additions to their wardrobe for free and cleared space in their own homes.   They began doing this with household items and on to everything easily shared in this way among their group.   As word got out more and more people in their community joined.   They began a lending library of tools and appliances, then services to barter.   What they found was neighbors began to get to know and spend time with one another.   They began to trust each other and feel safe allowing strangers in their homes.   They began to do more as a community and the movement spread over social media and people in other communities began to form their own Buy Nothing Groups.  Now it also has a site to post anything you would like to have no matter how exorbitant to see if the universe might put you in touch with someone who could provide what you are  looking for.   People have been amazed it actually happens!    Great book with lots of sources and recommendations.   It really does take a village, a worldwide one to bring change.  I recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.   What a great idea.  They prove one man's trash really is another man's treasure.

Never Saw Me Coming

Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction                    Psychopaths, Revenge Killings, Clinical Studies

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian     432 pages

Chloe Sevre is attending college on a full-ride grant from a clinical study researching psychopaths.  Turns out Chloe is one of 7 psychopath students at the university.  They are given watches that track their moods.  They have to check in from time to time and discuss their triggers and express their feelings rather than going through with the actual act of killing anyone.   Of course, Chloe is only attending so she can get close to Will Bachman, who along with some of his friends raped her.  Before she can do the deed a student in the study is killed and Chloe is wondering which of the other psychopaths in the program did it?  This slows but does not deter her from her quest.  But who is the actual killer?   This book was so good I could hardly wait to get to the end.   I recommend this one to high schoolers on up.  I highly recommend this one to all murder mystery fans.  It is excellent.

It's Better This Way

 Shirley J.             Adult Fiction            Divorce, heart break, step-family sibling feuds, new love

It's Better This Way: A Novel by Debbie Macomber    368 pages

Julia Jones is still reeling after 6 years from her husband's betrayal and their divorce, though Julia did everything she could to try to save her marriage.   Their grown daughters think their father is the worst and refuse to have anything to do with his new wife and they literally hate her two boys who they already had a run in with nearly turning into an altercation of profound proportions just shy of drawing first blood.   It galls the new wife if Julia has to call regarding something to do with the girls which is the only reason she ever calls him.  Both her ex and his new wifey are incredibly rude to Julia though she does not reciprocate.  Now they want the house sold and are forcing Julia out even though that has been her home all of her adult life.  New wifey is a realtor and she looks into the going price for homes in Julia's area and when they find the price is now triple what they paid for it as a newly married couple she insists they sell it and hubby goes along with it.  This makes the girls dislike her even more.  Julia finds a condo she can afford with her half of the money from the house and reluctantly rebuilds her life for her new chapter.  her father's comforting words to her growing up whenever she had a problem come back to her, "Maybe it's better this way."  She finds she likes her new digs which fortunately come with a handsome neighbor.  Love blooms again but not without a hidden bombshell!   Good story.  I really enjoyed this one.  I recommend this one to teens on up, to all who are Debbie Macomber fans, to romance readers and to older ladies who will enjoy seeing an empty nester Mom on the other side of a divorce finding her happy place again.   

The Old Man and the Sea

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                    Old Fisherman, the Sea as a character

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway  128 pages

I'm playing catch up on the classics I have never read.  Seems most people read classics in highschool but many of the older books were never part of my curriculum.  So here I am and I find I truly enjoyed this story, probably more than I would have as a teen.  It flowed almost like poetry and I like the way Hemingway made the sea come alive like another character in the story.   Such a battle like a loving, respectful Moby Dick, the old man had his fight with a marlin, struggled through heat and a shark attack but came back to tell the tale.  Hemingway displays a real love in his writing for the hearty swarthy fisherfolk he describes and the sea as a melancholy lover caressing and assailing his soul.  Wouldn't my teacher have enjoyed that sentence had I given a report or comment in class on the story?  : )  I recommend this story to all who love classic literature, who love Hemingway and who love the sea and the people who survive on her bounty, highschoolers on up.   

The Late Show

 Shirley J.                         Adult Fiction                                 Female detective, harrassment, murder

The Late Show by Michael Connelly  544 pages  (Book 1 of the Renee Ballard series)

Detective Renee Ballard has a tough go on her job.   Because she brought allegations about another male employee earlier in her career she has been assigned to what is considered the crappiest shift in the crappiest location, Hollywood, in Los Angeles.    Determined to give them a forget you attitude she makes the best of her circumstances.  She loves being a cop, her dad was a cop, too.   Being a woman in a man's world of police enforcement every day is a struggle to get some respect but she holds her own and gives back as good as she gets, in an old boys network.   Her hands get slapped on most things and when day comes she turns over whatever she had been working on to the day shift until she works a case where a prostitute has just about been beaten to death (but she lives) then a waitress is killed,  Was the latter a case of wrong place wrong time?   Detective Ballard starts noting links between the two cases.  Her partner and other cops eventually tell her to back off but she searches for information by day to solve the cases before the brass pulls them away from her.   Oh yeah, she just happens to get pregnant by her very married detective coworker over drinks after work one night.  Good story, well told.  I think I will read the entire series as the character is smart, funny and doesn't take all the bull only the bull she must while still working her case to end solution.  I recommend this one to all murder mystery fans, cop story fans, female detective fans and feminists.    

Modern Lovers

 Shirley J.     Adult Fiction              Ex-band mates, still friends now with their own kids in Brooklyn

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub  384 pages    

Good story about growing older after being friends and bandmates in their early years.  The surviving band mates share a lot of history but some of the history (as happens) is known by some but not all.  Happy Marriages aren't all they are cracked up to be and bliss only happens when everyone is comfortable in their truth with one another, till they're not.   A long dead band mate comes back to haunt the survivors in her drug laden legacy which holds up their going forward and cashing in on the retro love being shown for the band again but when a filmmaker wants to do a documentary on them complete with re-releasing an old hit some legal issues as to who can claim ownership of the song and lyrics, who is to get credit and oh yeah, the dead gal happened to be sleeping with the oh so loyal and loving husband.    Musicians write love songs but seldom do they bear the feelings expressed in the music - modern lovers no matter how hard they try sometimes find that one thing they can't get past.   Good story.  I recommend it to all romance readers and folks who like a good coming of age and then coming of middle age story.  Teens on up though it will probably speak more to 20, 30 or 40 somethings.