My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

I'm not sure how "short and sweet" I can be with My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.  I REALLY enjoyed this book.  I haven't read a touching book in quite some time.  I'm a sap and cry way too easily.  This book had a good balance of sappy to funny so that I barely shed a tear but my heart strings were tugged quite often.  Elsa's grandmother dies of cancer and leaves a trail of apology letters for Elsa to deliver.  Elsa is only 7, but very bright and takes on the challenge with gusto.  She loves her grandmother immensely.  They shared a fairy tale world that she thought was only theirs and theirs alone.  She discovers that she is mistaken.  She learns where all of those fairy tales came from that her granny told her.  It really is such a touching book.  I loved the characters.  I loved the way it's written.  It's a novel that might make you think about what you might wish you would have done differently at death's door... to whom you might apologize in the end.  However, it doesn't do it in a bad way, if that makes sense.  It doesn't focus on the apology letters really, so the concept is not in your face.  It's very subtle.  The reader gets so focused on Elsa that some may even miss it.  Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, touching story.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Drafter by Kim Harrison

Hmmmmm, what to say about The Drafter (the first in The Peri Reed Chronicles) by Kim Harrison...  It's not my typical choice of book.  I don't read a lot of sci-fi.  They tend  to be a little mundane in getting to the point of the plot.  This one, however, wasn't like that.  It's sci-fi, but it doesn't really feel like it.  It ALMOST feels like a romance but not quite.  You can tell that Silas is in love with Peri.  The problem is Peri doesn't know him, at least not exactly.  She did once, but doesn't remember him.  She is what is known as a drafter, someone who can slip back in time a little, usually less than a minute, to change something.  Peri is apparently one of the best.  The concept is really quite interesting.  The drafter drafts and that person's anchor gives the drafter the memories back because the drafter forgets things while s/he drafts.  So, yes, I found that VERY interesting.  However, there are parts of the story that I feel are there simply to have the "right" kind of plot.  There's the Alliance and Opti, two different groups or companies or whatever they are, and they are adversaries.  The book never really explains why, just that Opti is corrupt.  So, there was a lot of back story that is just brushed over.  It makes it feel as though the author had a checklist for her plot process and just checked them off as she went.  It wasn't annoying enough to stop reading the book though.  I got over it.  I would say that the book is definitely worth a read simply for the concept of the drafters and anchors.  I did not like the ending, but it IS supposed to be a trilogy.  So, technically, it didn't end.  I think I will read the next one.  It's worth it to see what happens to Peri but I can't tell you why without giving away the ending.  I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars mostly for the concept of the drafters.

The Last Mile by David Baldacci

The Last Mile by David Baldacci is the second book in the Amos Decker series.  Amos Decker is a man who has hyperthymesia as the result of a head injury during a football game.  Hyperthymesia is a condition where the person has a near perfect memory.  Amos couldn't forget something even if he tried.  He has signed on with the FBI to a new task force to study old, cold cases.  Amos never makes it to any of those cases in this book because he hears the story of a man being released from death row, who was there for the murder of his parents, because someone else came forward and confessed.  Decker is compelled to study this case instead.  The book is well written.  I typically like David Baldacci and his work.  This one did not disappoint.  I would recommend reading the first one before this one though.  Some of the main characters carry over, so you miss their introductions and getting to know them if you don't read the first one before this one.  The mystery in this story is good.  It has several twists and turns, some of which I didn't see coming.  I like Decker's methods for solving things.  His hyperthymesia makes it more interesting.  Overall, it's a good book.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good murder mystery.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars.