What I read in March (and YTD) 2012

13. Defending Jacob by William Landay (Mar 31)
12. The Litigators by John Grisham (Mar 27)
11. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult (Mar 24)
10. Summer in the South by Cathy Holton (Mar 18)
9. The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek (read Mar 11)
8. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (read Mar 4)


7. Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten (read Feb 27, Nook)
6. Stash by David Klein (read Feb 25, Nook)
5. When Madeline was Young by Jane Hamilton (read Feb 20- Nook)
4. Hate List by Jennifer Brown (read on Feb. 16)
3. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (read on Feb 13)
2. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton (read on Feb 8)
1. Testimony by Anita Shreve (completed reading 1/27)

Book 30 (2011): The Chamber

I have no idea how I missed this Grisham book. First, it was really good. Second, it was one of his earlier works, before he became a machine that generated one legal thriller after another.

While I found some of the tedious motions and filings a bit long in the tooth, I enjoyed this book about a first year lawyer from Chicago who moves to the South to defend his racist grandfather he'd never met until he sees him the first time on Death Row, 28 days prior to his execution date.

Adam goes South to defend his grandfather Sam (who is on Death Row for the bombing of a Jewish law office that ended up killing 2 people). Adam wanted to see if he can get a stay of execution for Sam. Adam bonds with the grandfather, and he also meets some of his other Southern relatives that he was hidden from his entire life.

Not a bad read, and it makes me want to plow through Grisham's earlier works like The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and A Time to Kill. (640 pages)

B-