Baby Teeth/ Zoje Stage/ 304 pgs

I've finished this book and I'm still not sure what to make of it. This is the story of the Jensen family: father Alex, mother Suzette, and 7-year-old daughter Hanna. Hanna is super intelligent, but she does not speak. The story is told from her point of view and that of her mother. Suzette was raised by an indifferent mother and she's never sure if she's doing the right things for Hanna, especially since the girl doesn't talk, though she communicates well. Hanna adores her father (as Suzette adores her husband) but Suzette and Hanna have their issues. For the first half of the novel, I thought this was a creepy horror story of a diabolical little girl out to kill her mother and the suspense was really well done. Until the midway point, when the story seems to become more of a family drama and much of the tension fizzles out. It ended with a whimper. But the more I think about it, it's interesting to think about the actions of the adults in this book, especially the parents, and wonder if they had been less selfish, and more committed to their family relationships, as opposed to their individual relationships, if things would have turned out differently.

The Dead House / Dawn Kurtagich / 448 pages

This book is disturbing.  The book is a collection of evidence - diary entries, transcripts of video clips, interviews with students and a psychologist - surrounding a fire at Elmsbridge school.  The only suspect is a girl with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) who also died in the fire.  While the book keeps counting down to "The Incident," there are many traumatic incidents that happen before the beginning of the book and during the countdown.  The main character's (Carly/Kaitlyn Johnson) parents died before the beginning of the book.  The main character is checked into a mental hospital of some sort and then sent to Elmsbridge boarding school.  A student goes missing, several students die, the misery is nonstop.  This is reminiscent of Shutter Island in that you can't trust the information from the main character as she devolves into psychosis - or demon possession, depending on the interpretation you prefer.


Amazon states this book is YA.  I personally wouldn't let a child under the age of sixteen read the version I listened to on audiobook. There is apparently an alternate paperback edition for grades 8 and up.  Parents will want to preview this before giving to a child - language, disturbing themes, occult/magic/demon possession, sexual situations, violence.


There is a companion novella The Dead House: Naida.

Rosemary: the Hidden Kennedy Daughter/Kate Clifford Larson/302 pgs/Dec, Jan & Feb Challenge

This is the story of the eldest Kennedy daughter - the one most people have never heard of.  It is a story of how those who were born intellectually disabled were treated in the early 1900's.  Or should I say how they weren't treated.  It is based on letters that Rosemary wrote, from Rose Kennedy diaries and from family interviews.  It is not a happy story but will make you think and it is believed that Rosemary and the way she was treated is the basis for the Special Olympics and much of the work her brothers and sisters have done for the rights of the disabled.

Sanctum / Madeleine Roux / 343 pages / November Challenge (horror)

This second novel in Roux's YA horror series is a wonderful sequel to Asylum.  Dan, Abby, and Jordan have begun their senior year at separate high schools.  They stay in touch through texting and social media until they discover that they are all still plagued by nightmares about their stay in Brookline Asylum for a college prep summer program.  After each of them receive a postcard with a creepy carnival picture and a combined message of "You're not finished," they finally decide to go back to Brookline to confront their fears, and hopefully put the summer firmly behind them.  Once at the campus, things once again seem weird to them.  College students wander around with glazed eyes - and they can't quite believe that it's all due to drugs and alcohol.  Documents are missing from the campus library, and the trio discovers more mysteries after breaking into abandoned houses all over town.  The clues and discoveries will have readers staying up late to finish this book in one sitting.  The final book in the series is Catacomb.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here/Ness/317 pages

What if you don't care about zombies, soul-eating ghosts and the latest vampires that are taking over the world? What if you are like Mikey and just want to go to prom, graduate and finally get the courage to ask Henna out before someone blows up the school? Each chapter opens with small synopsis about what the "indie kids" are doing, the ones saving the world, talking to animals, opening portals. Then the chapter continues to the normal everyday lives, loves, anxieties and mental health of  "the rest of us". Neat concept, but pretty boring. The characters in this book had so much potential, I wish the author could have made them a little more unforgettable.

Asylum / Madeleine Roux / 313 pages / October Challenge

This YA book features 3 high school juniors at a summer college prep academy in New Hampshire that happens to be held in the same building that housed Brookline Mental Asylum many years ago.  Dan, Abbie, and Jordan become best friends the first day of the academy, but forces beyond their control are driving wedges between them.  Dan suspects he may be related to the former director of the asylum and Abbie discovers her aunt may have been a patient.  Jordan has arrived without the knowledge of his parents who think he is at a "pray the gay away" camp in California.  Although parts of the plot remain unresolved, this is a good read.  It reminded me most of Shutter Island.  The themes may be a bit dark for younger readers, but ages 15+ will enjoy the fast-paced action and mystery surrounding New Hampshire College and Brookline.


This is the first book of a series that includes Sanctum and Catacomb.

The Cleaner of Chartres: A Novel/Salley Vickers/298 pgs

What a sucker I am for fiction set in a foreign country - especially France. I was walking by the New Fiction table and this jumped into my hand. We are introduced to a young baby, a girl who has been left in a wicker basket wrapped in a white tablecloth. The farmer who found her names her Agnes (after the saint) and Morel (after his favorite mushrooms). He realizes he can't take care of the child and so gives her to the nuns. They take her in and find over time that Agnes is smart but not outstanding, sweet but not overly gracious and secretive, in a dangerous way.
  As a teenager Agnes had something happen in the apple orchard and as the book progresses we find out in bits and pieces what happened and why her life took such a sharp turn. We meet people who truly are her friends and others who are her direst enemies. Agnes is the cleaner of the title with all its connotations. I was drawn in by this haunting story and cheered for Agnes' victories and booed when the need arose. I feel as if I can walk down the streets of Chartres and find these people living there right now.
 The chapters alternate between present and past in the different cities in and around Chartres. For those in the know, Chartres is where the Notre-Dame cathedral is located. This edifice plays a significant role in the story, almost a character itself. There isn't any harsh language and a sweet love story. I heartily recommend this for someone looking for a fascinating tale that takes it's wonderful slow time to tell.
Sue D.

Six Degrees: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro; The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley; The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian.