#TheLifeWeBury – Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews – March Recap – Hello April—Are We There Yet?

Rosepoint Review Recap-March-Hello April!

March was a big one around here—with the birth of a new great-granddaughter on March 7 and my birthday—a big one. Age changes perceptions, but it’s both encouraging and getting scary.

March is also a month of weather extremes; snow one day and warm enough to ride a bike the next. I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t start my garden until late April, so that’s a ways off yet but beginning to think I might be able to clean and prepare the deck. Living in the Rust Belt is a whole new experience.

Of course, around here, we also celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and for the last several years have participated in #ReadingIrelandMonth, so jumped on board with that as well. We read or listened to thirteen books in March, six of which were dedicated to #begorrathon23, and as many NetGalley books as audiobooks with some oldie but goodies as well. (Links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson (audiobook-bookclub selection)
The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple (CE review for #begorrathon23)
Molasses Murder in a Nutshell by Frances McNamara
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (audiobook)
Retribution by Robert McCaw (CE review)
The Sea by John Banville (#begorrathon23)
Desert Star by Michael Connelly (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
Cold Light of Day by Elizabeth Goddard (CE review)
A Week in Summer (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
Operation Storm King by Elliott Sumers (CE review)
The Donut Legion by Joe R Lansdale
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (audiobook-#begorrathon23)

Have you read any of the above? We narrowed the scope of genres last month but still included historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, crime, and even a touch of horror (John Connolly).

Favorite Book of the Month

Hands down—no contest. I’m a consummate fan of Kate Quinn—my second book The Rose Code as spell-binding as The Huntress, interested me so much I continued to research Bletchley Park after reading her Epilogue. So that is the March choice for Book of the Month.

Blogger Post

I didn’t have a lot of time to do blog hopping in February, but I did catch several of my favorites, including those from Yesha at Books Teacups and Reviews. I particularly enjoy her personality which not only shines through on her blog posts but her stories on Instagram as well. If you haven’t already, check out her blog and follow her. She’ll lighten your day.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 38 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (three books ahead of schedule) and keep a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Lagging behind on the others but hope to have it caught up shortly.

For us, March spells participation in Reading Ireland Month 2023 and just loved Cathy’s post on March 31 regarding the eventful month for Irish literature. If you haven’t had a chance to read that, I’d urge you to enjoy her list of Irish lit accomplishments along with her humorous comment regarding Wild Mountain Thyme—somewhat of a “cult classic”. (Yeah, Christopher Walken has been seriously miscast in more than one film!) I love participating in this challenge and also posted a poem from my grandfather—which would totally confirm his story of kissing the Blarney Stone (maybe more than once?). I also included a post regarding one of our more inglorious St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations–here—in case you missed it.

Once again, thank you sooo much for reading and commenting on my posts. I always appreciate the participation!

#RosepointPub

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens – #Audiobook Review – #TBT – @TantorAudio

Book Blurb:

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran-and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl’s life, especially Carl’s valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Aided by his skeptical neighbor, Lila, Joe throws himself into uncovering the truth. Thread by thread, he begins to unravel the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?

My Review:

It is with a lot of trepidation that Joe Talbert makes his way into the hospital room where Carl Iverson is located. He has been released from prison because he is dying of cancer.

Joe is the hapless twenty-year-old trying to go to college while working as a bar bouncer. He left town where his mother and eighteen-year-old brother live to escape the daily drama with his vitriolic, alcoholic mother. He is tightly connected to his autistic brother, Jeremy, who remains no older than a child and has limited verbal skills.

Joe finds himself coming up on due date for a biographical assignment for one of his classes and having no one close he can interview tries a nursing home thinking the residents would have lots of stories. He is eventually steered to Carl Iverson.

There are several layers in this well-plotted narrative. The story of Carl, a Vietnam veteran who lived next door to the young girl raped and murdered, and Joe, the young man who took on the responsibility of his brother. The loving care he provides his brother with such patience tears at the heart. The story of Jeremy’s autism and the struggle with both his mother and his mother’s offensive boyfriend is gripping.

Being torn in several directions, Joe’s school and the job he must keep to pay for it, the care of his brother a constant distraction, and the growing backstory of Carl is painful and beautiful at the same time. Your heart aches for Joe. Then there comes a light in his life—a new neighbor—who becomes a friend and then more. Lila has her own horrific backstory, is tender with Jeremy, patient, and understanding.

Joe discovers quickly that there may be much more to Carl’s story than initially received. The murder took place thirty years ago, the political climate so different; there are holes in the story, and then Virgil provides another view of Carl altogether. And Joe begins to suspect a wrongful conviction.

The author is an amazing storyteller. The complex plot is well-paced, the characters immensely empathetic, damaged, doing the best they can. And in the face of the odds, the best they can do is remarkable.

The narrator had an incredible novel to relate and he did so in spades—providing voices of the young man, the dying man, and the other characters—providing the anguish or the loathing where appropriate, ramping up the blood pressure or wheedling sympathy.

An engaging and soul-satisfying narrative read beautifully with just the right emotional level. Totally recommended.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Tantor Audio
ASIN: B00Z96QRFM
Listening Length: 8 hrs 23 mins
Narrator: Zach Villa
Publication Date: June 9, 2015
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Life We Bury [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Allen Eskens grew up in the wooded hills of Missouri and, after high school, migrated north to pursue his education. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota, and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law. He honed his creative writing skills in the M.F.A. program at Minnesota State University and took classes at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

The Narrator: Zach Villa is a bicoastal stage, film, and television performer. Classically trained in acting at Interlochen Arts Academy and the Juilliard School, Zach’s audiobook work includes multiple fantasy series, The World Without You by Joshua Henkin, and Butterfly Winter by W. P. Kinsella. When he isn’t voicing a goblin or knight, Zach is writing and recording music. [Tantor Audio]