Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk

The title is a little striking and definitely warrants investigation. So I took the bait and ordered it from my book club. Main character Gabe is an only child growing up as a Jehovah's Witness in the early 80s. His parents converted after they were married (shotgun wedding) and now his dad is an elder in their congregation. Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk takes us from middle school through Gabe's high school graduation. His teen years are marred by embarrassment and confusion about his religion and his constant thoughts of sex. Mostly, this book is about the tragic times of puberty set in the life of a Jehovah's Witness. Writer Tony DuShane dips his foot into the pool of exposing the fraudulent aspects of Kingdom Hall activity in the latter half of the book, but only to add drama to the conflict that Gabe is feeling. There are a lot of references to music from the 80's and San Francisco, which are really fun.

The Likeness

The Likeness is the second novel by Tana French in a "sort of series" about Dublin detectives. This one follows a few weeks in the life of Cassie Maddox, the work partner of Rob Ryan from the first book In The Woods. Cassie receives an urgent call from a murder detective about a dead girl who looks exactly like Cassie and has been using an alias that Cassie previously used while undercover. While assisting with the case Cassie finds herself entangled in the girl's life and leaving her own. I read this novel very quickly because I was on vacation and had a lot of time, but also because I enjoyed it so much. The characters are written well, the plot moves at the perfect pace, and the ending is satisfying. Cassie is a great character (smart, courageous, sensitive) and I mourn losing her.

The Pillars of the Earth

I love historical fiction and the back cover of this book made it seem interesting. There were recommendations for it everywhere I looked. So I thought I'd give it a try. In a word: boring. I kept wondering where Ken Follett's editor was hiding. It's a long book and drags on. There was one scene in which the outcome of a character's wanderings had an obvious outcome. Yet the reader has to endure page after page of the character pulling on doors and walking down corridors. Torture. The plot covers several decades in the building of a cathedral during England's dark times. The main characters include a monk, the cathedral's head builder and his family. They are likable and written well. If the book were at least half its size it could have been better. Great idea. Poor follow through.