Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel

This is the story of the author's grandmother, although not all of it is true, so therefore it becomes a fiction book. The author pieced together what she knew of her grandmother, and then invented the rest. Still, it's an amazing story in the midwest and Arizona nearly 100 years ago. 

Lily, the heroine of the story, leaves home at 15, travels alone for days and takes up residence as a teacher in a frontier town. She works and goes to school in Chicago, and she runs ranches through floods tornadoes and much more. 

Jeannette Walls' first book, The Glass Castle, was her own life story, and after she wrote that, she wrote this story of her grandmother. You should read both starting with this one, although personally I preferred The Glass Castle.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

This is the true story of Jeannette Walls. She was raised in extreme poverty, with an alcoholic father and a mother who didn't want the responsibility of raising her own children. During their childhood they moved a lot, often to escape debt. But aside from that, she was incredibly stimulated by her father and talks very lovingly about her family.

One part that really stood out to me was when they didn't have any money for Christmas presents, so her father told her he had named a star after her. As an adult I could see he did this because he had no way of buying Christmas presents, but as a child, Jeannette thought she had a present that no other child would ever have, and was therefore special. The whole book is filled with this sort of thing, so although the family was incredibly dysfunctional, you get the feeling that the children didn't feel they were underprivileged. 

As time goes on, things get worse and the children bond together to help each other leave home and support themselves. 

This book will stay in my heart for a long time. At parts I was horrified at what happened, but it is told with such skill that I have a warmth for the family and the author in particular. 

The Confession by John Grisham

The Confession: A Novel

The story line is that of an innocent man who confesses to a murder he didn't commit after many hours of police interrogation. Days before he is about to be executed, the real murderer wants to confess. Most of the book is the storyline of what happens in those few short days and the reader is wondering if he will get his message across in time to stop the execution.

This was the first John Grisham book I have read, and apparently it is not typical of Grisham. It has, however, made me want to read a book that is typical of Grisham. If you have a favorite John Grisham book, let me know in the comments. I have heard that once you start reading a Grisham book, you can't stop, but this didn't happen with this book. It certainly held my attention, but it didn't consume me so I forgot my household chores (which is my definition of a good book).

I started this book thinking "Oh, no, not another book about the death penalty," it seems to be a common book club topic, but I still enjoyed reading the book and discussing the topics it raised.