What to Read This Week

Lottery by Patricia Wood  No, not *that* lottery.  In this story main character and developmentally disabled Perry Crandall wins the lottery.  This win is even more emotional because he has played the lottery every week with his grandmother but only wins after his grandmother dies.  Then Perry finds himself with all kinds of new friends and has to find a way to figure out who he can trust and who is just using him.  This story sounds like it has an interesting premise, I’m a little wary it might fall on the scripted “it feels like a book that’s telling me how to be a better person” category but I’m still willing to give it a chance, especially as the publisher has categorized it as “humorous”.

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.  I’ll be honest, I fell into the trap of

wanting to read this book just because of the title.  It pulls you in, you have to admit, but it is not, in fact, about pirates.  The book takes place in the American south when slavery is still legal and follows the stories of three black slaves who have been forced to become the mistresses of their masters.  The three women become friends, and then decide whether their freedom is worth the price of getting caught trying to escape.  A totally fictional piece (with a historical background) I think it might be worth the read, I just hope the rest of the words in the book are as well chosen as the title.
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane Another mystery (what can I say, I’m a fan) but this one isn’t just a “mystery” in the Miss Marple sense of the word.  Not only does it have mystery but it dives into the literary as well, showing just what happens when loyalty out-trumps truth, and the way a small community can bind together and cause a murder.  Sure, the literary depths this novel has been praised for sound nice, but I really just want to read a good mystery…

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante This may be my favorite of this weeks picks.  Dr. Jennifer White is an orthopedic surgeon and by all accounts brilliant, but then she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her mind starts to go.  As if this isn’t tragic enough, the disease takes her memory with it and the worst possible time…when she’s accused of the murder of her best friend.  Need a say more?  Come on.  You know you want to go pick this one up.