The Snow Hunters by Paul Yoon

My rating:  4.6

The Snow Hunters is about Yohan, a North Korean War Refugee who is arriving to live in Brazil.  The story goes back and forth in time as the memories ebb and flow.  This is a quiet haunting Hemingway type of book.  

 

The author captures the mood and the memories in this elegant novel.  This book definitely will not be for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed this sparse novel even if the ending didn't live up to the rest of the book.

The Son by Philip Meyer

My Rating: 4.7

This epic novel covers three generations of a Texas family; from the Comanche's in the 1800's to the oil boom in the 20th century

1. It starts in 1840 with 13 year old Eli McCullough being kidnapped by Comanches after they brutally rape and murder his mother and sister
   
2. Peter McCullough is Eli's son and considered a disappointment.
   
3. Eli's great granddaughter is Jeanne/JA McCullough and she struggles to succeed in a man's world .  

For anyone who enjoyed Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, you will love this book.

Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde

My rating:  4.7

Sebastian and Maria both ride the subway to escape their lives of abuse and control.   This is a modern day version of West Side Story. I love Hyde's writing style.  It flows so easy in the conversational style.  There are no plot twists and yet I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of love and finding one's identify.  This is my second book by Hyde and this won't be my last.

Mystery Book Recommendations

In my recent YouTube post about my beloved Bookmarks magazine, a lot of you wanted mystery book recommendations.  I contacted my mystery book friends and here is what they came up with for you.

• The Shadow Woman by Ake Edwardson
• Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
• Broken by Karin Fossum
• Broken Harbor by Tana French
• All of the Steig Larsson books
• Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
• Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
• Devil In White City by Erik Larson
• Every Last one

Please comment below with any good mystery books you would recommend so others can benefit.  Thanks!