Reading for Me

Lots of driving is letting me get through some fun books at the moment!  Yesterday, I finished Zero Day and had a ton of fun listening.

The novel features John Puller as its hero, a special agent in the army who is also the son of a retired general and brother to a soldier convicted of treason.  Puller finds himself ordered to investigate the murder of a military officer in rural West Virginia, but the situation quickly begins to spiral out of control.  Filled with unexplained deaths, a couple of swarmy residents in this dying burg, a somewhat incompetent police force, and charming characters, Zero Day is a fun read that will keep you entertained for several days.

The book jacket suggests that this is the first novel in a series featuring John Puller.  I can only hope!  I’m ready for another adventure already!

With my busy schedule continuing, my fascination with audio books led me to The Descendants.  Recommended by a great friend from college who knows that I enjoy riveting family dramas and thought I would enjoy the Hawaiian setting, the novel had great possibilities.  After seeing the trailers for the George Clooney movie based on the book, however, I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy the read.

The Descendants follows a father and his two daughters as they come to terms with what life will be like without their loving mother in their life.  The plot is fairly simple, but kept interesting and engaging through the constant revelations made by the colorful characters as they prepare to say goodbye.

Despite learning that Mom was less than perfect in the months leading up to her boating accident, the reader is filled with sympathy as the end of life draws near.  Honestly, I had to pull off the road briefly to listen to some of the novel’s touching closing passages because my vision was distorted as my eyes welled up with tears.

Despite its depiction of marital infidelity, teen drug and alcohol abuse, and inappropriate sexuality, I found The Descendants to be a wonderful depiction of a modern family in crisis.  I look forward to reading additional works by Hemmings in the future as well.