Creepy murder mysteries and more...

Dr. Mutter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
The long title leads one to think this is a story of a charlatan, out to carve up humans and destroy the good name of 'doctor.' However, Dr. Mutter is one of those intriguing characters in American history of which few of us have ever heard, with the exception of plastic surgeons who may know of the "Mutter flap."  I began this wonderful non-fiction book looking for the monster, and instead I found a pretty spectacular human being, living in a fascinating time of great discovery in the world of medicine, and more particularly, in medical surgery.  Philadelphia was a hotbed of politics and intrigue amongst doctors, and competition between the universities found there.  Add in a young, handsome 'dandy' of a doctor named Mutter, his entertaining lectures, the beginning of antiseptic surgery and the inability of old school docs to accept Lister and his fans, as well as the idea of surgery during consciousness (yes, you will find yourself squeamish after a few shocking tales) and the discovery of ether, and you've got a great tale.  I suspect some of the medical terms went right over my head, but I was truly fascinated by the beginnings of what we believe to be 'modern' medicine.

The End of Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
It's hard to know where to start with this book - it is one of those that will stay with me for many years.  It begins with Will Schwalbe, a book editor who is less-than-inspired with his current job, the diagnosis of his mother's stage four pancreatic cancer, and their realization that the two of them make up their very own book club.  As Will unwinds his tale of the final two years of his mother's life and their discussions of a variety of books, we share his memories of his childhood, a life surrounded by books, and the incredible life his mother led.  I found myself constantly adding to my "To be read" list as I vicariously participated in their book chats, inspiring myself to read some books I've always told myself to read, like Wallace Stegner.  These two literary nuts were voracious, had eclectic tastes, and were honest in their evaluations, willing to be laudatory as well as critical.  I loved that they read the 'biggies' as well as brain candy like "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  Those are my kind of readers!  Will's mother was an inspiring woman, one of the first 'working' moms who, upon 'retiring' as the head of Harvard admissions, went on to create organizations that helped build libraries in Afghanistan.  I also found myself writing down some of her great one-liners to use in heart-to-hearts with my own children.  This was a truly inspirational, heart-warming, lovely book; it definitely would be a fantastic book club read.

Me before You by Jojo Moyes

After seeing this book on bookshelves for awhile, as always wanting to avoid the 'overly popular, everybody's reading it crowd,' a friend of mine pushed it, with the perfectly good reasoning that a reason exists why everyone is reading it.  She was right...it was really a good story, told in an engaging voice, with two pretty wonderful characters. The story takes place in a sleepy little village in England, where life probably hasn't changed for the last few hundred years; in other words, this is not a good place to be a young twenty-something adult.  However, Louisa (Lou) is rather stuck in a rut, with an exercise-obsessed boyfriend who pays her little attention, a dead-end job at a tea and scone cafe, and parents who expect little of her and save all their expectations for their other daughter, a single mother.  Lou then takes a new job - caregiver for a 34 year-old man who is a quadriplegic...and thus the story begins.  I found it impossible to put this book down, as Will and Lou both 'save' each other and grapple with life's most difficult questions - how do we choose who we love, what has ownership over one's body, do we have the right to choose to live or die?  The themes in this book will resonate with many of us - I would highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you're a history/mystery fan like me - it's a great story.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
I was inspired to read this year's Man Book prize winner (best fiction of the year by a U.K. writer) after reading The End of the Life Book Club; I figured it was time for some real literature after a bit of brain candy.  Admittedly, I sometimes dislike the 'prize winners,' as the writers tend to be in love with their own voices, get too verbose or too thematically heavy and forget about the plot, or create dislikable characters.  However, Flanagan has written a true masterpiece and for those of us who love history, this book is truly magnificent.  The main character, Dorrigo (Dory) Evans is a rather charming reprobate, a successful surgeon in Australia who likes to cheat on his ever-patient wife.  As the story unfolds, Flanagan pops all over the place in time, creating some confusion at first but stick with it - it all starts to gel about one-third of the way through the book.  Dory is haunted by his time as a WWII POW in Burma, as his Japanese captors force their prisoners to cut through the jungle to build a railroad.  Think Louis Zamperini's time in Unbroken and then multiply it by ten, and you will understand how inhumanely these prisoners were treated.  Flanagan is a sparse writer who is able to create intriguing characters amongst these prisoners in short sentences and small episodes.  He also weaves in a doomed love story back home, along with tons of allusions to the great works of literature - I particularly enjoyed the references to the Odyssey and the many long-term effects of war on all people involved, not only the soldiers.  (Let's not forget - Penelope waited for 20 years for Odysseus to come home - couldn't have been easy)  Is this book uplifting and inspiring?  Yes and no...it is moving, complex, thought-provoking, disturbing and an incredible learning experience.  I highlighted numerous lines, which I rarely do when reading for pleasure.  This is well-deserving of its prize and definitely a rich piece of literature.

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Since reading Beukes' first novel, The Shining Girls,  I have been eagerly awaiting this South African's second book.  I loved her first one, though it haunted my dreams and thoroughly creeped me out (serial killer who travels through time - it's a doozy - earlier post on this blog).  Broken Monsters is a worthy follow-up.  Beukes tells the story through a variety of characters:  the Detroit detective put in charge of the case of the murdered boy whose torso was found glued to a deer's hind legs, a single mom struggling with a rebellious teenager; the daughter herself, who is entangled in the underworld of internet stalking; T.K., the reformed alcoholic who works with the seamy side of this broken city's poor; and the killer himself, an evil entity who wants his 'artwork' to speak for him.  This book reads quickly, as the chapters are short and the characters' point of view change frequently, showing the reader all sides of each event as the investigation unfolds.  Beukes reminds me a bit of Stephen King in her ability to create complex, intriguing characters, amidst creepy surroundings (Detroit after bankruptcy is not a pleasant place), and a plot line that blends reality, fantasy, and the occult in a nightmare-inducing, but throughly un-put-downable novel.  In other words, it's just great brain candy.