The Passage by Justin Cronin

I've got to read this book! And I don't even like vampires!

I now have the book in my possession, but need to read a couple of books for work first.

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman has moved way beyond her Tess Monaghan detective series (I would love to read more of these.)  And When She Was Good goes to the extreme's of parental love.  Heloise Lewis is a suburban madam with a young son whom she protects from the reality of her business.  When her past threatens to intrude, she bravely develops an exit strategy.

Daughter of a cruel man and weak mother, Helen/Heloise runs away in her late teens to get married.  The marriage never happens, and she is caught in the world of prostitution.  When she finds herself pregnant, she finds a way to partially escape. At the center of this book is her attempt to completely leave prostitution and her son's father.

The contrast between her cruel father's treatment of Helen and Helen's treatment of her son is the core of the book.  Parental love makes all the difference. The story is powerful and compelling; Lippman's prose is compelling and truthful.

Sundays Will Never Be the Same by Darrell Waltrip

February 18, 2001, was the day NASCAR racing changed forever.  It was the first race of the first season of Fox NASCAR coverage (they had been covering speedweeks for the last two weeks); it was Darryl Waltrip's first race as an announcer; it was Michael Waltrip's first Daytona 500 win, and it was the day Dale Earnhardt crashed in the next to last lap of the race and died.

This book is more than a discussion of Earnhardt's death.  Waltrip covers his career from young dirt track racer, to NASCAR, to the announce booth.  Although encouraged by his parents, he created his career from the ground up.  He was lucky, sincere, and hard working.  He was also honest and funny. He tells how his faith in God helped him overcome his bad boy behavior. It's a great read if you are interested in the 80's and 90's in NASCAR.

If you want to read more about the events surrounding Dale Earnhardt's death, read Michael Waltrip;s book In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything.