Hannah's Dream

by Diane Hammond

How could I possibly enjoy this book so much? There is no murder, no mayhem, no mystery. Just a terrific book with a great plot about an elephant (Hannah) in a little zoo who needs to be moved to an elephant sanctuary. and what the people who love her go through getting her there.

You'll fall in love with Sam, her caretaker for 42 years, and his wife Corrine, who loves Hannah almost as much as she loves Sam. You'll love Max Biedelman of whom the word "lesbian" is never spoken, though her love for her beloved "Miss Effie" is a beautiful thing to see. When Max died, she left a trust for Hannah, but lawyers somehow kind of forgot to tell Sam that he was the trustee.

You'll meet Neva, the woman who comes to work in the zoo and changes Hannah's life; a pig named Milton; his people Truman and his son Milton; and Harriet. the new owner of the zoo who, unwillingly, becomes Hannah's saviour.

This is a wonderfully uplifting book, based on the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, which I have been supporting for many years. It ranks up there with "Water for Elephants," and I highly recommend it.

I Feel Bad About My Neck

By Nora Ephron

Ephron, now in her 60s, presents a delightful collection of essays about women who are getting older. I hate reading books like this because it reminds me of how inadequate my writing often is! Clever writing always inspires me and this one was no exception. I got ideas for several journal entries out of it (though none was nearly as clever as the essays which inspired them!) I particularly liked her essay on Bill Clinton ("Me and Bill, the End of Love"). I'd love to see a PS to it, following the Obama-Hillary battle for the presidential nomination.

Fatal

I decided to take a break from medical thrillers by Tess Gerritsen, so what do I read? A medical thriller by Michael Palmer, a new author to me. This was perhaps not the best book to be read by a new grandmother whose grandchild is in the process of going through all those baby vaccinations.

The country is about to release an "omnivirus," which will protect everyone against some 30 diseases. Ellen Kroft, a grandmother whose granddaughter suddenly became autistic after receiving one of the baby vaccines, is the lone voice on the committee given the task of approving this vaccine for widespread release--and after extensive research, she has doubts about its readiness, but abstains from voting with the rest of her committee with thugs threaten the life of her granddaughter.

Meanwhile Dr. Matt Rutledge, in the town of Belinda, W.Va. has had several patients turn up dead, with suspicious lesions on their face. Attempts to tie the lesions to toxic waste from a local plant nearly gets Rutledge killed. Medical Examiner Nikki Solari attends the funeral of her friend, who also died with lesions on her face and, after a conversation with the local sheriff finds her life threatened.

These three are thrown together in a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I must read more from this author.

Mephisto Club

By Tess Gerritsen

Just can't get away from those Tess Gerritsen books! This is Book 6 in the Jane Rizzoli series and I'm wondering where she is going with this, since Medical Examiner Maura Isles seems to be leading a very weird life that is definitely taking her somewhere, but it is for some future book for us to know, I guess.

This one deals with satanic cults and even more bizarre murders and a chase which take the victim across Europe in the hope of evading her would-be killer. While there is lots of suspense, I don't think it rises to the level of "Vanish," but still enough to keep those pages turning once you pass a certain point.

My Stroke of Luck

by Kirk Douglas

I bought this book after listening to Douglas' audio book, "Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving and Learning." I was impressed with what an engaging writer he is and when I realized he had written a book about what it was like to recover from his stroke, I wanted to read it.

This is a short, easy book (few pages, big print!) but filled with interesting obsevations on his symptoms and what he went through during recovery. I wouldn't say this was the best , most informative book I've ever read, but it was interesting.

Gravity

By Tess Gerritsen

Tess Gerritsen is such a skillful, knowledgeable writer of medical thrillers that this book surprised me with what appears to be a similarly knowledgeable book about space travel. Astronauts trapped on the space station while a strange virus runs rampant. They are running out of time. The government has decided to let them die rather than attempt a rescue because of the danger if the disease--whatever it is--should get loose on earth.

Only Dr. Jack McCallum, about-to-be ex-husband of Emma Watson, the space station doctor, cares about rescue, but can he do it and will he be in time?

Probably isn't a 5-star, but definitely a 4-1/2 star. Gerritsen is that kind of writer.

America the book: The Audio Book

by Jon Stewart

I have long been tempted to buy this book, but hadn't; then it came on sale at Audible.com and I bought it to listen to on a trip to Santa Barbara.

I strongly suspect that the audio book is better than the regular book because it has the added advantage of the talents of The Daily Show cast, including Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, Rob Cordrey, and Ed Helms.

It's kind of the latter day answer to our very favorite recording: Stan Freberg presents The United States of America. Stewart's book even has French horns.

As is to be expected, this is a sardonic yet cerebral look at the history of the United States, and of the world. Funny, kinda sorta instructive, and decidedly entertaining!