WONDER - R.J. Palacio

A blessing of a debut novel, Wonder tells the story of August "Auggie" Pullman, a young boy in New York born with a set of craniofacial anomalies that have left his facial features radically distorted.  Only ten years old, he's already dealt with multiple surgeries since infancy, having to eat and breath through tubes prior to some of those surgeries, and spending his entire life homeschooled due to his many doctor and hospital visits.  But all that's changed now, for the fifth grade Auggie is finally going to a real school - Beecher Prep - and he's terrified of what life among other children (whom he already knows can be incredibly cruel) will be like.  Told through various narrative viewpoints - Auggie (mostly), a couple of his new friends, his sister, and more - Wonder chronicles perfectly Auggie's hopes, fears, insecurities, dreams, determination, frustrations, and his desire to simply be normal in a world that views him as anything but.  Beautifully written, touching and real and a book every parent and teacher needs to read, upon publication Wonder - the incredible story of an unaccountably brave little boy - became a #1 bestseller, inspired an entire "Choose Kind" movement, and raised awareness around the world.  There are legions of fans who even, because of this book, celebrate Auggie's birthday every year; now that is a powerful novel.  *****

MR. MERCEDES - Stephen King

A non-supernatural thriller with an intriguing premise and race-against-time ending probably as suspenseful as any I've ever read, there are a lot of good things about Mr. Mercedes.  Bill Hodges is an overweight, out-of-shape retired ex-cop who spends his days watching TV and toying with the idea of killing himself with his dead father's gun; since retiring he has nothing to do, and no one to do it for. That is until a letter arrives, from a Mr. Mercedes, one of the few perps who got away when, maybe a year ago or so, he stole a Mercedes sedan and plowed it into a crowd of innocent people waiting for a job fair to open one early, fog-enshrouded morning, killing eight and maiming/injuring dozens.  Mr. Mercedes isn't through with Hodges, whom he actually wants to talk into committing suicide via the anonymous chat website Debbie's Blue Umbrella, but instead what inadvertently occurs is that the crazed murderer gives Bill Hodges a reason to live again - that reason being to catch Mr. Mercedes at last.  The supporting cast is terrific, Jerome and especially the not-quite-all-there Holly, and as said the finale is breathtakingly suspenseful.  My only problem with the novel is that it slows down greatly in the middle; it took me months to finish it, mostly because other books got in the way - meaning this one was fairly easy to put down, something I thought I'd never say about a King book.  But then, it IS King; expectations tend to be high.  Without a hint of supernatural horror in it, here Stephen King has instead written a book leaning more toward a traditional hard-boiled detective story that - via the soulless Mr. Mercedes - speaks of the potential for an even worse horror that can exist in mankind.  ****

FLAMENCO, FLAN, AND FATALITIES - Mary McHugh

Book two of the Happy Hoofers mystery series finds the gang of five toe-tapping 50-somethings working as entertainment on a train tour through Spain.  Narrated by budding photographer and documentary filmmaker Gini, one of the quintet, murder soon finds the Hoofers in the death of one of their fellow passengers, conservative TV talk show host Dick Shambless, who quickly lives up to his first name by bullying the crew, his fellow passengers, and even the staff at a local restaurant the tour group visits for dinner.  Poisoned soon after, there seems to be more than enough suspects aboard who detested the dead guy - including Gini, whose curiosity and general aggressive manner makes her determined to find out whodunnit.  A big cast of characters populates this novel, many of them introduced right away, and the writing is sometimes clumsy - often reading more like a first book in a series, where the writer is still coming to know her own characters and style, so things aren't a hundred percent polished yet - and even the resolution comes a bit too fast and convenient for Gini, who is sort of handed the solution of the crime as opposed to having to ferret it out.  That said, there is also a real charm to the novel, which also reminded me of old days of devouring Agatha Christie's own dialogue-heavy/description-light prose, and the depictions of "Green Spain" and its people and cuisine are rich.  The characters, especially the Hoofers but also the supporting players, are pleasant and feel almost real (even the gay couple - nice to read, in a cozy! - on board the train), and I like the idea of each novel being narrated by a different member of the dance troupe (which would also explain the sometimes awkward, still-feeling-her-way-around writing style), though this is the first and only book I've read so far in the series.  It won't be my last, though, as I did enjoy myself here overall, and do want to visit these characters and their newest exotic work locale (the first book set in Greece, the third - due out this fall - in Paris) again.  ***1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE - Anne Rice

No one does atmosphere like Anne Rice - never more so than in her first novel, now a genuine classic as well as a groundbreaking piece of literature that turned the vampire novel on its ear.  You'll feel as is you are in 18th-century Louisiana, where grieving plantation owner Louis - still recovering from an incalculable loss - fatefully draws the attention of the vampire Lestat, who saves Louis from death by making him one of his own.  The two roam the world, Lestat as if he owned it and Louis still trying to make sense of life and death and why it all matters, when they stumble upon a dying child, Claudia, who is also made over - now trapped forever in the body of a little girl - and this decision changes everything.  The characters, setting, even philosophical questions Rice's characters raise or abolish, it all comes across as heartbreakingly real, seductive yet horrific ... and all seen through the eyes of Louis, who centuries later recounts his tale, from page one of this extraordinary novel, to a young mortal writer.  Interview with the Vampire, well deserving its now "classic" status, is a rich tapestry of fiction that Rice has obviously poured her soul into, because you can feel it on virtually every page.  *****