The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

I wonder if this is the beginning of the next series of books for J. K. Rowling.  Yes, she wrote this book under the name of Robert Galbraith.  It's a murder mystery with a private detective and his assistant diligently working to solve the crime and bring the murderer to justice.  A beautiful supermodel dies and the police determine it's suicide.  Strike, the detective, is hired to investigate and see if it might be a murder.  The plot is interesting and the characters are well developed.  And the ending is surprising although it seems that questions remain especially about how Strike was able to pull all the clues together.  My only criticism is that it could have been 100 pages shorter.  There were just so many subplots involved - how strike lost his leg, his dysfunctional family history, his relationship with his former fiancée, his flirtations with his assistant, etc. etc.  None of these really have a connection to the mystery part of the story and sometimes I think they could have been just eliminated or certainly reduced in length. However, I enjoyed it.  But I'm ready for a change from the murder mystery stories.  On to something else for a while.  -June

Mission Flats by William Landay

Carla ordered this book moments after finishing Defending Jacob because she loved the author's writing and wanted more.  I agree - Defending Jacob is a great book.  Mission Flats was Landay's first novel, and although I liked it and recommend it, I also found it to be a bit too long and confusing.  Seems as if there were so many characters (police officers, lawyers, bad guys) that I felt I needed to take notes.  And because there were so many characters involved, I never felt like I got to know any of them that well.  However, the plot is interesting and I liked the way the book started off with some seemingly unconnected events that proved to be very important in the novel.  And I really liked the main character and wondered if eventually he would resurface in another book.  -June

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

I was glad that I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading it (actually listening to it).  I probably wouldn't have chosen it if I'd known, so for that reason, I won't mention here what it's about.  But let's just say that it's a story about a young woman who was raised in a family that was..... hmmmmm..... unusual.  The story is told from the point of view of the woman and is extremely conversational.  She writes as if she is speaking directly to you with comments like "I'll tell you more about that later" or "I'll start in the middle of the story".  She tells us right away that she didn't see her brother and her sister for years, but she takes her time in explaining why this is so.  Very interesting and entertaining.  Recommend it.  -June

Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline

This year, I've read two books that have described the orphan trains that moved children from orphanages in New York to families in the Midwest in the early 1900's.  (The other book was The Chaperone) OK, I may suck at history because I had never heard of this until I read these two books.  I've heard since reading this book that there is a series of children's books that describe these trains and the children who were on them, but it's not something I've seen or heard about.  And I think it is such an interesting topic. 

In Orphan Train, we meet an elderly woman who tells her story to a teenage girl who just happens to be an orphan living in a foster home.  Their stories have similarities; however, the elderly woman's life is the one that grabbed me.  Not all the children on the trains were welcomed into loving families.  Many were made to work long hours or were abused.  We learn how Vivian (also known by several other names) experienced great hardship before finally finding a real home with responsible adults.

This is a quick read, and one that I enjoyed while learning about a bit of history.  Highly recommend.  -June

We are Water by Wally Lamb

I kept looking at reviews by the professionals until I found one with which I agreed.  It's in the Chicago Tribune and is by far more negative than I would report, but she does catch the essence of my "disappointment" - for lack of a better word.  I have loved everything Wally Lamb has written/published and don't think I am a hypercritical reader.  But, to my way of thinking/reading, he tries to do too much, tackle too many issues in a single novel and, as a result, doesn't do anything as well as he has in past works.  Still, my romance with him remains strong and I will read his next book but, perhaps, with lower expectations and, therefore, enjoy the possibility/probability of being delighted (again)! So, I recommend this book because, even when Wally Lamb is mediocre, he's much better than most! - BT

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

I don't know why I chose to read this book.  I think I read a review where the reviewer raved about it so I downloaded it from the library not really realizing what it was about.  Just thinking about the subject matter puts knots in my stomach: a man with a gun in an elementary school in Iowa.  But I was looking for a quick read between one book and another, and so I started it to see what it was like.  And I was hooked.  Although the subject is too difficult to imagine, the author does a beautiful job of describing specific individuals who are in some way related to this horrific event.  The story is told from the point of view of a policewoman, a teacher, a young female student, and a grandfather who is outside the school awaiting news.  We learn the back story of each of these characters and how their lives come together on this day.  The mystery of the story is who is the man, and it is slowly revealed as the plot moves on.  I have to admit that despite the topic, I highly recommend it.  -June

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

A group of teenagers meet at a summer camp and form a bond. The three boys and three girls call themselves The Interestings.  The book follows them from the time they meet at camp until they are in their 50's, and is generally told from the point of view of Jules, one of the girls.  Along the way, they obtain jobs; some are successful and some are not.  They marry and have children.  But throughout the changes in their lives, their friendship wavers at times but remains solid.  I thought this was a great book and loved seeing how the relationships changed over the years. The author has a magical way of revealing her characters so that you feel they are real - her sense of humor and detail makes it fun too. I listened to it rather than reading it, and the reader did a marvelous job of making slight changes to her voice for the different characters.  - June

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein

Harry Bernstein was born around the turn of the century in England.  His street was divided with the Jews on one side and Christians on the other.  This book was written by Harry when he was in his 90's and is his story of his childhood growing up with an invisible wall on his street that separated the two groups.  While the cover promises and "love story" - and the book has a few - it mostly is a story about family, poverty, war, and the struggles the Bernstein family endured.  It's also about the love of a mother and how she will do everything possible to protect and nurture her children.  I thought this was a great book, and I loved the simply, conversational writing.  Just one thing I noticed that I'm sure no one else ever would ..... The book ends with a street party that temporarily unites the groups.  I couldn't help but see this as a musical with the cast gathering at the end for the grand finale.  Perhaps Harry had a play in mind when he wrote it.  - June

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

One of my favorite movies is Sliding Doors with Gweneth Paltrow.  In the movie, she's a young woman coming home unexpectedly in the middle of a work day.  In the first scenario, she misses her train, but in the second, she just jumps on the train in time.  From there, the story breaks into two entirely different plots - one that follows her life after she misses the train but eventually gets home, and the second one in which she makes the train.  What I love about it is it shows how a seemingly insignificant event can make a life altering change.

I was reminded of this movie as I read Life After Life.  Ursula is born in 1911 in England.  She dies but then begins her life again.  And again.  And again.  Each time, she has a sense that there is danger so she makes a change that will keep her alive.  For example, one death occurs when their maid comes home from London with influenza and gives it to Ursula.  So in several lives after that, she does what she has to do to keep the maid from going... sometimes just a small thing but it will change their lives.

As Ursula becomes an adult, the story gets a little confusing and I admit I often had to look back to see what year she's in as I was reading.  But the stories are fascinating, and she has a wide variety of lives (marrying an abusive man, marrying a Nazi, remaining single and working during the London Blitz). 

As I think more about it, I believe that Ursula was not the only character who was reliving his/her life.  There were some clues that made me believe that they changed as Ursula's life changed, and this would only be the case if they were altering their lives too.  Just a thought I've been mulling over.

This is a book that has stayed with me for a while.  And I think that I'd like to re-read it someday - which I almost never do.  Highly recommend.  -June

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Normally when I finish a book, I'm anxious to blog about it.  I either love it and can't wait to proclaim my love or I don't care for the book and want you to know why.  But I was all over the place on this one.  At times I was enthralled and other times very impatient for it to move along.  The setting and the characters are incredibly defined.  You really do know Talmadge, the kind gentle lonely man who owns an orchard in Washington State.  When two young pregnant girls arrive on his property, they become part of his life.  While the book is well written, it is sometimes hard to follow.  There isn't much dialogue, and what there is, isn't punctuated.  No quotation marks.  So I often wondered if the character actually said the words or just thought about saying them.  And I never felt I knew the motivation behind some of the things the characters did - especially Talmadge.  Did he try to save Della because his sister ran away when they were children?  Really?  Or was there another reason I missed?  And the other women in his life.... And so the question...... would I recommend it?  With reservations.  And yet why can't I stop thinking about it. - June

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

While I'm not usually drawn to historical fiction, this one sounded (and was!) very interesting.  It takes place in the early 1900's, and it's the story of Cora, a woman from Kansas, who is a chaperone to a 16-year-old girl as she travels to New York City during one summer.  The girl is the future film star, Louise Brooks, whose name sounded somewhat familiar to me, and after Googling her, I can see that the book really does follow her life.  But the book isn't just about Louise.  It's mostly about Cora and how, as a woman in that era, her feelings about a woman's place, sexuality, social behavior, and morality changed as a result of that summer in New York.  Her background is fascinating, but I won't ruin it for you by telling it all.  I think it's a very interesting read and it does portray a time of change - and thank God we did change.  -June

P.S.  I listened to the audiobook version, and Elizabeth McGovern was the narrator.  While I love her in Downton Abbey, I confess I didn't care for the way she read it.  She tried to use various accents (Midwest, German) and none rang true.  Plus her "normal" voice as the narrator was kind of stuffy English like it is on Downton.  So I'd recommend the paper version over the audio one.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

I'm sure I'm the only reviewer who will compare this book to Olive Kitteridge.  And maybe I'm crazy to do so.  But this wonderful book has the same format as Olive.  Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character, and yet they are all loosely connected.  And like Olive, there is one character, Pari, who is either central to the story in the chapter or at least there is a reference to her.

OK, enough of the comparison.  This is the latest book from the author of The Kite Runner.  Like his previous books, he gets gold stars for his writing.  It's fabulous.  The book jumps to different decades and to different characters, so there were times when I felt the need to almost draw out a timeline as to what happened and when it happened.  It can be confusing.  But I really loved the character development and found the book fascinating.  The basic story is about how Pari is sold to a childless, wealthy couple in Kabul in the 1950's.  Her uncle, Nabi, works for the family so we learn his story, Pari's brother's story, and several more.  There were some characters who needed more attention and I wanted to know what happened to them, but overall I highly recommend this one. - June

Hikikomori and the Rental Sister: A Novel by Jeff Backhaus

A friend sent this to me via the Kindle share program, and after looking at the name, I just wasn't sure about reading it.  I had no idea what Hikikomori was and assumed it was someone's name.  Come to find out Hikikomori is a Japanese term for someone who withdraws from the world.  Evidently there are many  young Japanese men who live in their rooms and refuse to come out.  This story, however, is about an American living in New York City.  Thomas and his wife, Silke, have lost their young son, and as the story begins, he has spent the last three years in his bedroom.  He only leaves at night to buy frozen food that he prepares in a microwave in his room.  His wife seeks the help of a young Japanese woman named Megumi who had a brother who lived in his bedroom.  So the book is about the relationship between Thomas and Silke, and Thomas and Megumi.  It's very well written, and I did enjoy reading it - although there were several times I considered scanning it rather than really reading it because the prose became a bit over the top.  And the writing style was unusual.  Every other chapter was written by Tom in the first person, and every other was written in the third person.  But it worked, and overall I enjoyed it.  -June

The Absolutist by John Boyne

This book really got to me.  I couldn't read it before going to sleep at night, because if I did, I couldn't sleep.  I'd wake up in the night and think about it.  And I didn't want to read the ending.  Sometimes when I book is really good you just don't want it to end, but in this case, I was actually afraid to read the ending.  I sensed how it might end, and I didn't think I could bear to read it.  Why did this book affect me so?  I have no idea, but I felt on the verge of tears through much of it.  Does that make it a good book?  I think if any book makes you think the way this one did, it's a great book, and I'm desperate for someone to read it so they can talk me down.  BT, please?

The book is about World War I.  I've read piles of books about WWII, but none about this war.  The characters are young English soldiers, and the descriptions of the war are chilling and incredibly sad.  The main character, Tristan, is gay and is banished from his home in his teens.  He joins the war effort when he's just 17.  During his basic training he meets Will and they form a close friendship.  This relationship forms the basis of the book and is very complex and complicated.  Have you read it yet, BT?  Hurry, OK? - June

Audiobooks

Lately I've been reading more than one book at a time.  I rarely do this.  But I always have a book I'm reading and now I often have a book I'm listening to too!  I heard a woman being interviewed on the CBS morning news show who said that audiobooks are the rage now that people simply download them to their phones.  I find I can listen everywhere and while I'm doing almost anything - walking the dog, driving in the car, fixing dinner, cleaning bathrooms.  I used to just listen to them on long driving trips but now I'm getting into it.  The actors who read these books are amazing and often switch their voices for the multiple characters making it so easy to understand and more enjoyable.  It makes me wonder how my feelings would differ if I had read these books instead of listened to them.  Anyway, here are two I've just listened to and liked.

Where We Belong by Emily Giffen
This is definitely in the chick-lit category but maybe that's why it made a good book to listen to.  The characters were interesting, and as I mentioned above, the actor made it fun as she changed her voice from the sophisticated Marion to the teenaged Kirby.  Marion gave birth to Kirby 18 years ago and put her up for adoption.  She then launched a very successful career without a thought to family and children.  Kirby felt out of place in her family and tracked Marion down.  The chapters switch from one woman to the other and the book comes to a thought-provoking conclusion about finding out who we really are.  Enjoyed it.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Carla recommended this one because she'd heard it has been compared to Gone Girl.  And there are similarities.  The chapters switch from husband to wife, and there is certainly some dysfunction in the marriage.  In fact, I think we learn very early in the book that the wife will eventually commit a murder.  If you're someone who can read a book and not really like the characters, then this might work for you.  The husband is a total ass, not just because of his infidelity but because of his enormous ego and his overall feelings about women.  But it is certainly an interesting read, and I loved listening to it.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Something must be wrong with me.  I've read many positive book reviews of Inferno, and I've had friends tell me they just couldn't put it down.  Even the New York Times seemed to think it was a fun read.  And since it takes place in Florence and Venice (two of my favs), I should adore it.  Years ago, I remember liking The DiVinci Code.  And you'd think that since this book is basically the same plot that I would like it too.  But there is something about the way it is written that just turned me off. I felt as if the author took a travel guide from Florence and Venice, chose a couple of key historical landmarks and artifacts, and then created a far-fetched storyline while he spewed dates and miscellaneous facts to the reader about these things.  For example, as our hero is being chased by people he thinks want to kill him, he jumps into a water taxi in Venice and tells the driver to take him to St. Marks Square ASAP.  Yet as he moves down the Grand Canal, he acknowledges many of the landmarks along the way giving dates, architectural details and owners names, etc.  This totally breaks from the plot and seems to just be copied right from Frommers.  Maybe he knew that there would be "Inferno Tours" in Florence and Venice, so he wanted to give the tour guides landmarks they could include in the itinerary.  And here's a spoiler - nearly everyone you think is a good guy in the book turns out to be a bad guy and vice versa.  One key character starts out good, then bad, then good again.  Crazy.  I'm glad it's over.  -June

The Good House by Ann Leary

I read a positive review about this book that made me think I'd love it.  So I downloaded the audio version to take on a road trip with me last week.  As the review stated, the narrator of the book, Hilde, is a feisty 60-ish New England woman.  She's outspoken and very independent.  Perfect.  I liked her right away.  And I thought I was in for a fun, witty story.  But what I didn't know is that there is this secret side to her life.  Hilde is an alcoholic.  Her daughters have conducted an intervention and she's completed rehab.  Yet, as often is the case, she doesn't really think she has a problem, and so she starts drinking when she's alone while she pretends to the world that she's staying sober.  The book is not just about her drinking.  There are other story lines that take place in her small coastal town where Hilde is a realtor.  There's an affair between two people and somehow Hilde gets involved, and there's a relationship Hilde has with one of the local men.  But the drinking gets in the way of all the other stories.  OK, I'll admit that my personal history caused me to grip the steering wheel every time Hilde would make yet another excuse for her drinking.  She had millions of them...... she had to drink to celebrate a sale, she had to drink to relieve her stress, etc.  So I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I can also see how others might.  -June

Nate in Venice by Richard Russo

Here are some things I love:
1. Venice
2. Richard Russo
3. Reasonably priced Kindle downloads
4. A man named Nate

So when I saw a Kindle Single called Nate in Venice by Richard Russo for $2.99, I couldn't push that "Send it to me right away" button fast enough.  This short novel is in some ways typical of Richard Russo's writing.  There is a wonderful main character, Nate, who is completely lovable and yet flawed.  And he is surrounded by a small cast of characters who are quirky and yet beautifully described.  As a reader, you feel you know these people, and I think every book Russo has written has these qualities.  Nate is a retired college professor who is on a tour of Italy with his brother, Julian.  Their relationship isn't good and we learn more about why throughout the book.  There's also a subplot about a Nate and one of his students, but unfortunately, I found this part of the book to be vague and incomplete.  There were lots of hints about the student, but there was no explanation as to what really happened and how Nate felt about it.  I did love the parts about Venice (although I wanted more!).  And I truly love the way this guy writes.  I think I'd read anything coming from him - and maybe I already have. It's definitely worth the money here.  -June

Before I go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

A woman wakes up each morning and can't remember anything.  She doesn't recognize the man in bed with her, and she has no memories from the past 30 years or so.  Anything she learns in her day is erased when she goes to sleep at night.  Can this even happen?? At any rate, Christine decides to try to gain some control, and at the advice of her doctor, she starts a daily journal where she writes down everything that she learns about herself, and then every day she has to read the entire journal so she can figure out who she is.  There are several twists throughout the book, but it was a book I read to the end just to figure out how it could possibly be concluded.  I found the book to be pretty repetitive in parts and also unbelievable.  Visions of her past would appear to her just when she needed to have that information.  So even though it gets great reviews online, it doesn't get one from me.  -June

The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro

What an interesting read!  I know nothing about art forgery (maybe this is a good thing?) and really not much about art.  But I learned more than I ever need to know about it from this book, and I found it fascinating.  The plot may be a bit contrived, but it kept me reading and enjoying.  Claire is an artist who paints reproductions for a living because her own art work has not yet been discovered.  She's approached to paint a reproduction of a Degas painting, and is told she's painting it from the original.  Because Claire is not only talented artistically but is also brilliant, she recognized that she's painting from a copy and she begins her research to find out the story.  All kinds of other interesting characters cross her path, and there's a nice satisfying ending.  What more can you ask for?  A great summer read. -June

Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger

A book club member recommended this one and said it was an adventure and love story.  Hmmmm.  Maybe some people would consider Shades of Grey an adventurous love story.  My first red flag was a comment I read in a review on Amazon.  "Henry David Thoreau meets Nicholas Sparks in this poignant love story..."  I guess I have nothing against Nicholas Sparks, but I always have a hard time with men who write romantic love stories that are marketed to women.  But since it came recommended by a friend and receives great reviews online, I read it.  And I'll admit it is very well written.  The author captures the outdoor, nature scenes beautifully and his descriptions make you feel like you are there.  But I had two problems with the book.  The first is the relationship between the Cobb and Mary, the two central characters.  Have you ever been with a couple who are so in love and so physically turned on to each other that they can't keep their hands off each other?  And you feel like you should look away or you might throw up?  That's the way they act.  The story is told from Cobb's point of view, and he is constantly and repeatedly telling us how much he loves Mary, how wonderful/beautiful/perfect she is.  We get it.  You love her.  Move on with the story.  They never fight or disagree, and they have all kinds of cute personal jokes that they banter about in every chapter.  We know from the first chapter that Mary will die, and even the difficult conversations about how she will die become tedious after a while.  The second problem I had with the book is that all the minor characters are also perfect.  Cobb's father, Mary's mother and brother, their friends, everyone is good looking, smart, politically active, kind, etc. etc.  The last book my club read was Gone Girl, and we discussed how we can enjoy a book and dislike the characters.  But in this book, all the characters are completely loveable and yet I didn't like the book.  I'm not sure what that says about me, and maybe I don't want to know.  -June

The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman

On the cover of this book is a quote from the New York magazine describing the book as "an atmospheric thriller".  Not sure at all what that means exactly, but I was expecting something like Daphne du Maurier perhaps.  The only atmosphere in the first 100 pages is life in New York City.  Generally if I haven't fallen into a book after reading 100 pages, I give up.  But while I wasn't sure about this book, I kept on reading.  Fortunately, it did get better once Iris returns to her family's upstate hotel to research her mother's life and her mysterious death.  This book has many characters that often make the plot confusing and complicated.  There are references to her mother's fantasy books that are strange and yet are supposed to be helpful in figuring it all out.  I think the book manages to be a bit of a love story, a mystery, and a fantasy novel - and it just didn't work for me.  I read to the end to find what Iris discovered - but frankly, I was relieved to have it done. -June

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

This is another one of those quiet, well-written books that is just a nice read.  It reminded me a bit of Major Pettigrew - in fact, in the movie in my head as I read the book, the same actor played Harold and Major Pettigrew.  Harold, however, is not as clever and quick as MP.  He's actually kind of a boring guy until one day he just sets out on this journey to see a dying friend.  Like other books I seem to have read lately, the main character spends a great deal of time looking back on his life as he walks, and he often is filled with regret.  I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but frankly found the middle a little slow.  As Harold walks, he encounters many people and learns their stories.  This happens over and over again until I was ready to just skip to the end.  There's a twist a few chapters from the end that fills in some of the blanks and makes the ending a bit more satisfying.  I told a friend to read the first third and the last third.  That's my recommendation.  -June

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Sounds like a religious book, doesn't it?  Well, I'm not exactly sure what the miracles are that are mentioned in the title, but the book itself is very good.  This is a coming-of-age story that focuses on a family of three, a mother, father, and a daughter.  In addition to the preteen issues the daughter, Julie, experiences, there is also a scientific event unfolding.  The earth is starting to slow its rotation, which causes the days to become longer each day.  The affects this has on people, society, food, transportation, and the environment is profound, and all these changes take place slowly over a year.  It means the end of the earth, but it's going out with a whimper rather than a bang.  Very interesting premise and a well-written book.  -June

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I've been saving this book since Christmas.  I knew once I started reading it, I wouldn't be able to put it down.  So true!  I think I read it in 3 days.  I've had enough friends read it to know the basic plot and even a spoiler or two, but it still was exciting and amazing.  The author does a wonderful job of slowly revealing all the twists and turns of the plot, and although it might seem completely unrealistic if you stop to think about it, it seems so true when you are caught up in it.  I loved it.  And highly recommend it.  But wait until you can devote a few days to it, because you can't put it down!! - June

Benediction by Kent Haruf

Are you looking for an exciting page-turner?  A riveting plot that hooks you at the beginning and doesn't let you go?  Well, if so, this is not the book for you.  It's beautifully written, the characters are fabulous detailed, and I loved it.  But it's one of those quiet books that is just a "slice of life" in a small town.  Dad (he goes by that name to everyone in town) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and as he looks back on his life, we learn his life story.  His wife and daughter take care of him, but there is also a son who is missed.  The book also focuses on other people in the town - a young girl who has come to live with her grandmother, a minister who is struggling personally, and two women who are a part of it all.  This book isn't for everyone, but it was just what I needed.  -June

The Submission by Amy Waldman

As I looked at my last review, I realized I never wrote a review about this book!  And this one shouldn't be missed.  It's one I'd never heard of, and frankly when one of my book club members suggested it, we all thought it must be a Shades of Gray type of book based on the title.  Far from it.  A panel has been formed to select the best submission for a 9/11 memorial.  We learn at the beginning of the book that the winner has been chosen, and the architect is Muslim.  Of course, this causes controversy on many levels - the victims' families, the people in New York, the rest of the nation, and Muslim groups.  This is a fabulous book and one that you'll think about long after you finish.  If there is a "right" side, I'm not sure what it is.  The ending is not what I expected but it still was appropriate - even if I wanted more from one of the characters (I won't give it away).  -June

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Recently I read a book called "The Submission".  In both that book and this book, we are presented with a moral dilemma and while we may think we know which side we are on and what choice we would make, as we read the books, our minds can be changed multiple times.  Tom and Isabel are living on a small island off the coast of Australia in the 1920's tending the lighthouse.  They discover a small boat that has landed on the island with the body of a man and a live newborn baby girl.  The decisions they make as to how to handle this event and the consequences of those decisions make up the rest of the book.  I thought it was an excellent story, and although the writing sometimes became a bit wordy with excessive descriptions, I loved it. -June

Rules of Civility: A Novel by Amor Towles

Last December, a friend and I attended a book talk put on by our local independent bookseller.  As he talked about one book after another, I madly wrote down titles and authors that sounded interesting.  When he mentioned Rules of Civility, two women in the room immediately said, "That was my favorite book from this year."  Bingo.  That name went on my list.  The novel focuses on several characters living in New York in the 1930s.  This is a story of friendship, love, success, and failure.  The storyline and the characters are wonderful, but I really loved the writing style of the author most of all.  There were just little writing gems sprinkled through the book.  Here's an example of one of my favorites:

"As a quick aside, let me observe that in moments of high emotion - whether they're triggered by anger or envy, humiliation or resentment - if the next thing you're going to say makes you feel better, then it's probably the wrong thing to say.  This is one of the finer maxims that I've discovered in my life  And you can have it, since it's been of no use to me."

The main character, Kate, and her best friend, Eve, meet a man named Tinker in a bar on New Year's Eve.  They develop a friendship, and an odd kind of love triangle.  But there are other men and lots of other women who weave in and out of the storyline.  I loved this book, and I'll try to remember the author so I can grab his next book when it comes along.  -June

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Generally, I'm not a fan of science fiction or fantasy novels.  I haven't read The Hobbit or The Passage or any of the Twilight books.  I even found Harry Potter to be tiring after a while (go ahead and stone me!).  But I found The Snow Child to be a very entertaining and sweet book.  It takes place in Alaska in the 20's.  Mabel and Jack live on a homestead, and are trying to get their lives back together after losing a baby.  They realize they will remain childless, and yet both of them long for children in their lives.  On a snowy day, they build a child out of snow, and she comes alive.  Mabel remembers reading a fairy tale about a snow child (and actually, I think I kind of remember something about one too - or maybe that was the gingerbread boy) and she is cautiously optimistic that this girl will be a part of their family.  Parts of the book are believable but the magic is interwoven nicely in the plot, and the characters are all interesting.  Recommend it.  -June

The Odds: A Novel by Stewart O'Nan

I loved O'Nan's small novel "Last Night at the Lobster", so I've been anxious to read The Odds which is also a quick read.  It's the story of a middle-aged couple who go to Niagara Falls over Valentine's Day to try to win back the money they have lost and to try to rekindle their love.  The author is wonderful, and he does a beautiful job of developing the characters.  I just found it to be very sad - especially how the husband tries so hard to please his unpleasable wife. Maybe it just made me a bit uncomfortable to be so thoroughly inside their heads.  The book moves from character to character letting the reader know what each spouse is thinking and it's all so very real and normal.  Most couples who have been married for years can completely relate to Art and Marion.  I loved how there is a little quip at the beginning of each chapter with "odds" such as the odds of a couple remarrying or the odds of going over Niagara Falls. -June

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

This is a short but very thought provoking book, and I think it should come with a label that says only people over 50 should read it.  I say that because so much of the book is about looking back on your life and your relationships, how we remember the events in our lives, and what we choose to forget.  It is beautifully written, and I'm already planning on reading another book by this author.  In the first part of the story, Tony tells about his life as a young man and his relationships with his friends and a girl named Veronica.  Then in the second part of the book, Tony looks back at that time as a 60-year-old man and events occur that make him reflect back on that time and examine what he remembers. 

At one point, Tony writes about how you look forward to your life when you are young.  And then he writes, "What you fail to do is look ahead, and then imagine yourself looking back from that future point.  Learning the new emotions that time brings.  Discovering, for example, that as witnesses to your life diminish, there is less corroboration, and therefore less certainty, as to what you are or have been."  As I read, I would often stop and reread sentences or paragraphs that struck me as incredibly written.  This is a book I will plan to read again someday - and I very rarely do that.  Highly recommend.  -June

Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro AND In Case We're Separated by Alice Mattison

Short stories frustrate me.  Just when I'm getting to know the characters and settling into the plot, wham!  The story is over and the next story is waiting to be read.  I find when I try to read a book of short stories, I blend the characters together even if the stories are not connected.  Both of these short story collections are extremely well written, and I enjoyed skipping around and reading them in small bursts.  I've heard the Alice Munro is considered one of the best short story writers around, and I believe it.  Perhaps I should just read one story and then put the book down rather than tearing into the next one.  My preference is for reading novels, and although I may pick up a short story from time to time, I don't think I'll be devouring a collection of them for a while.  -June

The Litigators by John Grisham

This one's for you, Carla.  I know how much you enjoy John Grisham.  And I'll admit that I haven't read much of his work since The Firm!  I only read this because I was showing a friend how to download books onto a Kindle from the library, and since The Litigators was available, I used it to show her the process.  The next week I was on a plane and thought I needed something light so I started reading it - and I really enjoyed it!  Yes, parts of it were very predictable.  You know that the alcoholic lawyer will eventually fall off the wagon and the young, bright lawyer would have to take over.  And you know that the lead poisoning law suit will eventually come through with a big settlement.  But the characters are interesting and the plot moves quickly so it's hard to put down. I did find the obsession with the female defense attorney to be very tiresome and frankly very chauvinistic.  Did we really need her beauty and sexuality described in every scene?  And was it realistic to have a group of high-profile, professional male attorneys discuss her body at a business gathering?  "Everyone took a sip, and within seconds the conversation spiraled down to an analysis of the legs and backside of Nadine Karros...."  Maybe most of Grisham's readers are male, and I certainly don't object to an attractive, powerful female character.  But somehow all the male drooling was a bit overblown, in my opinion.  Still this is a quick, fun read and I recommend it.  -June

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

I confess that I've never read any of the alphabet mystery book by Sue Grafton.  But I have listened to many of them.  I downloaded this one to listen to on our recent road trip, but we never got around to it.  So I started it up one day when I was on the treadmill and, like all the others in this series, I was quickly hooked.  Judy Kay, the woman who reads the book, is fabulous and does a wonderful job of taking on all the characters and their voices.  And the character of Kinsey is so likeable and smart that you can't help but enjoy the ride - even when things get a little crazy.  In T is for Trespass, there's a woman who is preparing to steal money from Kinsey's neighbor, a couple who are suing someone for a car accident they deliberately caused, and a few other minor plot lines as well.  All the stories keep you reading (or in my case, listening) and enjoying.  -June

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Sometimes it's a good thing that I am a procrastinator.  If I had written this review the moment I finished the book, it might have been a bit more negative.  But as the days have passed and I've thought more about the book, I like it more.  The Round House takes place on an Native American reservation in the 1980's, and the story is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old boy.  His mother is raped, and the book is about how the mother, the family, and the community reacts to this horrific crime.  And there are legal issues involved too because of differences in laws for the reservation vs laws for the rest of the state.  The writing is wonderful - except why in the world are there no quotation marks?  I found this made it very difficult to read because I wasn't quite sure if what I was reading was something someone said or just a comment made by the narrator.  And the other thing I didn't care for were the stories and rantings of the boy's grandfather.  They didn't seem to contribute to the story in any way so I confess I skipped over them.  But the story is good, and although the ending is hard to read, it all comes together and is worth it.  -June

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Another mystery.  After reading Defending Jacob, I was ready for a change, but the next book I had planned to read on my Kindle was Sister.  Actually, I had no idea that it was a "who dunnit" type of book.  I really enjoyed the beginning and how the author set everything up.  The characters were well done and the book flowed well up until about 3/4 of the way into it.  By that point, both the main character and I suspected just about everyone to be the killer.  And then by the end, everything kind of fell apart.  Some people might say that the twists at the end were exciting, but I found it all to be a bit far-fetched and confusing.  But I will say that the story kept me reading, and that in itself is a good sign.  -June

Defending Jacob by William Landay

What a ride!  This is one of those rare books that grabs you right from the start and doesn't let go.  It's the story of a murder and a DA who is investigating it.  Soon into the book, we learn that the DA's son may have committed this awful crime.  The book then shifts to the family and how they are coping with this situation and the trial that takes place.  There are several surprises along the way that make it impossible to put down.  Truly, this is every parent's nightmare, and you live it as you read it.  We all love our children, but how much can you take as a parent.  Highly recommend.  -June

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

It's not unusual for authors to take a classic story and redo it.  There must be hundreds of updated versions of Romeo and Juliet, for instance.  Some of them work, and well, other just don't.  Margot Livesey updated Jane Eyre in Gemma Hardy.  It makes me wonder if redoing a story that someone else created is cheating or acceptable in the world of authors.  I picture her writing Gemma with the story outline of Jane Eyre in front of her.  Yes, there are differences.  Gemma takes place in the 1950's through the 1970's.  The characters' names are changed and some of the storylines are different too.  But I knew from the start that she would fall in love with Mr. Sinclair, that their romance would have a break due to lies, and that that they would end up together.  No surprises there.  (And really, what woman continues to call her fiance "Mr." right up to their proposed wedding date??)  If Jane Eyre didn't exist, I might have liked the book, but even then, I think I would have found it to be stuffy - like it really was written by Charlotte Bronte and not in today's world. - June

A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash

A little undiscovered gem.  I can't even remember where I heard about this book.  Maybe it was on another blog or maybe Amazon pushed it out to me and said, "Here!  You need to read this!"  Whatever happened, I'm glad it did.  The book takes place in the 80's in a small town in North Carolina.  We hear the story of how a young boy died through the eyes of three people: his 9-year-old brother, the town sheriff, and an elderly woman in his church.  As the book changes from one narrator to the next, we learn about the young boys family and what happened to him the night he attended church with his mother. The author really captures the feelings and the emotions of each narrator but I especially liked Jess, the boy's brother. I confess when I first picked it up, I thought it might not be something I'd like, but I was hooked within 20 pages.  -June

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

A book about reading books.  Perfect!  This book is a tribute to a woman who died from pancreatic cancer, and it's written by her son.  As she was going through cancer treatments and slowly dying, the mother and son formed a book club, and they read and discussed the books.  The mother, Mary Anne, is not just a sweet, old, seventy-something woman.  She's lead a pretty remarkable life not only having a successful career but also fundraising and volunteering to help refugees.  Her son, Will, recognizes these achievements and while it's hard to find fault with anything she did, the book does get to be a bit tedious when he continues to sing her praises.  However, I loved hearing about the books they chose to read and the conversations they had regarding them.  I confess I skimmed some of the book to get to these highlights.  -June

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

I love reading when I'm on vacation.  That's when I do some serious reading.  I don't mean I read serious books.  But I can spend more time reading in large blocks of time which really gets me seriously involved in the book.  I've been saving Wild for vacation because the subject matter appealed so much to me.

Cheryl Strayed hiked most of the PCT from the Mohave Desert to the Oregon/Washington border.  Her reasons for doing this are many but primarily she was in a rough time in her life and was needing to "find herself".  Through flashbacks in her story, we learn about her family and her relationships with her mother and her siblings.  She's brutally honest and seems to hold nothing back about her life.  And her story about hiking the trail left me torn between thinking it would be amazing to try something like that and at the same time thinking she was crazy to attempt it.  Absolutely loved this book, and I look forward to more books by Cheryl.  -June

The Gap Year by Sarah Bird

I thought this book would be about a magical year for a young woman between high school and college.  And, if I'm interpreting the cover correctly, it would also be about that same year in the life of her mother.  Wrong.  This book is all about a very tumultuous high school senior year and the relationship between daughter and mom.  I loved the writing and loved reading the book.  It so much nicer to read about the strain between parent and child than to live through it.  And I think the author does a great job of portraying the two differing points of view.  However, I think the end was a bit too tidy and some of the events in the final pages made me think, "Huh, where did that come from?"  But overall, I recommend it and I'm sending it off to BT who, as a mother to a beautiful daughter, might have more insight into that relationship. - June

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler.  When anyone asks me my favorite author, she's always at the top of the list.  There's something about her writing that simply transports me into the world she writes about.  I don't know how she does it, but I feel I know the characters, see the setting, feel like I'm there.  While The Beginner's Goodbye may not be my favorite book by Anne Tyler, it's still worth reading (or in my case, listening to it).  Aaron's wife, Dorothy, has died.  Through the use of flashbacks, we learn how they met and what their married life was like.  And when Dorothy starts to appear to Aaron after her death, they talk about things that were left unsaid between them.  Some of the secondary characters were very interesting too.  Recommend it.  -June

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Strange relationships.  How about this one?  A young teenage girl and her dead, gay uncle's partner.  Hard to picture, but in this wonderful book, it all makes sense.  The book takes place in the mid-80's when AIDS was still something of a mystery, and people were afraid and embarrassed by associating with individuals affected.  June and her sister, Gerta, pose for a portrait that their Uncle Finn is painting as he is dying.  After Finn's death, June meets and connects with Toby, Finn's partner, and it's their relationship that makes up much of the book.  I loved the characters in the book, and it was one of those rare books where the ending really satisfied me.  I did think the actions of Greta were sometimes overdone, but her relationship with June was very touching.  I'm sure the many references to wolves in the book have all kinds of symbolic meaning, but I'll be darned if I can figure them out.  And I think the title of the book (which is also the name of the painting) may cause some people to avoid the book.  But I loved it and highly recommend it.  -June

Night Sins by Tami Hoag

This was trashy in so many ways!  I listened to this book on a long drive this weekend, and I chose it because I thought Tami Hoag wrote fast-paced mystery books and it would keep me awake.  Well, I stayed awake because I was groaning out loud at how ridiculous it was.  I hate to admit I listened to the whole thing with hopes it would get better or at least have a satisfying ending.  It didn't.  Why do mystery writers feel the need to throw in lusty romance scenes.  It was more of a romance novel than a mystery.  AND the ending left me hanging without really solving the crime.  I now see there's a sequel.  I won't waste my time on that one.  -June

Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

Warning: Don't read this book when you're trying to lose weight.  This is a memoir (although the author claims she might embellish) from Ruth Reichl who was a food critic and the editor of Gourmet Magazine.  It's all about her history with food from stories about her mother and grandmother to her jobs in restaurants.  Recipes are sprinkled throughout the book, and each chapter is almost a short story by itself.  One of my favorite parts of the book has to be the stories about her mother.  Obviously, her mother had some emotional problems, but she would serve outdated or moldy food at large dinner parties as Ruth ran around trying to warn the guests.  I also loved reading about her life in Berkeley in the 70's where she lived in a home that I suppose would be like a commune.  And, of course, Ruth did the cooking.  My only complaint was that the ending was rather abrupt, but I see that there is a sequel, "Comfort Me with Apples", that picks up where the "Tender at the Bone" leaves us.  Recommended!  -June

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Caleb's Crossing takes place in the mid-1600's on what is now Martha's Vineyard and the Boston area.  Caleb is a Native American who crosses from his world to the English world, and he ends up being the first Native American to graduate from Harvard.  This is the part of the book that's true.  Most of the rest of the book is fiction and presents a story that includes Caleb. Even though the book is named after him, Bethia is the narrator and the main character.  Her story includes Caleb and her relationship with him.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book with just one tiny exception. Bethia is just a little too advanced, and to me, she sometimes came across as unrealistic - almost like a 20th century woman who was plunked down in the middle of the 1600's.  The characters are well developed, and the descriptions of the island are beautifully written.  Recommended.  -June

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

I'll admit it - Toni Morrison is an incredible writer.  There were sentences (sometimes paragraphs or pages) that I had to reread just to admire the skill with which she chooses her words and forms her descriptions.  So why is it that I have so much trouble liking her books?  Frankly, I think I'm so focused on the beautiful writing that I can't get into the story.  The Bluest Eye was another book club choice, and it was a good one for discussion.  Yet we all sort of felt that we read it because we had to and not because we enjoyed reading it.  Did I like it?  Yes, I did.  Will I read another book by Toni Morrison?  Not unless it's assigned.  -June