“Killers of the Flower Moon”

 

“My failure…was because they ripped out too many pages of our history…There were too many lies, too many documents destroyed, too little done at the time…” (286)

I love history. Give me the facts. Show me how you got there. Let me join you in combing through what others left behind. If you’re looking for a romanticized version of the “Reign of Terror” on the Osage nation, then this is NOT your book.

So many questions left unanswered. 

A “culture of killing” (283). Bigotry. Lies. Power. Wealth. Greed. Conspiracy. Corruption. Those thought of as less than. Murder to obtain wealth. Those entrusted to protect, become part of destroying the community. Marriages brokered. Marriages broken. Rights thrown asunder. Pushed off their native land, only to find themselves sitting on top of a vast oil field…headlights.

“This land is saturated with blood.” - Mary Jo Webb (291) 

And when the oil was no longer profitable…the Osage continued to wonder what happened to their ancestors? Why was the tribe so decimated by greed? Will they ever get back those lost pages of their history?

More thoughts on books and stuff at mytossiecup.blogspot.com

“Early Morning Riser”

Other than Duncan having more sex partners than anyone could keep count…the novel felt like it just meandered. The ebb and flow of life. Nothing remarkable. Nothing out of the ordinary. Small town stuff. A community attached to one another whether they welcomed those relationships or not. A community that took care of each other. A tangled web of sorts. 

I got to the end and just kinda sighed. Oh, it’s done. Huh. Ok.

“The Mother in Law”

Thriller. At one point I was angry with the main character. Then I didn’t want to know what was going to happen. I knew that the logical culprit was not the one causing all the “accidents.” But…

When I finally decided to seek out the perpetrator, I sat down and finished the novel in one big “gulp.” Now I feel like I need to find something happy. Something honest and clean. 

So glad my mother-in-law loves me for who I am, and didn’t think, for a minute, that I was stealing her son away from her. 

“Secret Keeper of Jaipur”

 

“Some lies are best kept secret.” (306)

Is there a cost to keeping secrets? How do the lies we tell ourselves and others shape our reality? Is our future clouded by the secrets we keep? How do we keep from being exposed? How do we justify the lies?

Secrets. Greed. Lust. Power. Paranoia. Release. 

“There are so many secrets in our world…ones we keep, and ones we reveal…” (290)

How does one, amidst all the turmoil of lies and secrets, find oneself? How do you fight to propel yourself above the fray? To come out clean? Where does honesty kick in? Or does it? Can a life be based on a lie? How do you know your secret is safe?

“Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” -Ben Franklin

“Beginner’s Luck”

What would you do if you won the lottery with your two best friends? Would you quit your job? Take an extended vacation? Buy a house? Keep the status quo? Would you interact differently with your co-workers? Your family? What if you fell in love…would you share your secret with him? 

Work opportunities. Insecurities. Broken family drama. Trust issues. Finding your lane and staying there. Love.

Where would you draw the line? Professionally. Personally. How do you find a balance with your newfound wealth and your newfound love? Can you get to the “happily-ever-after” you want so desperately?

Book one of a trilogy. Three lottery winning friends, three books!