Being Esther by Miriam Karmel

I loved Esther.  She's the kind of crusty old lady I want to be (or maybe I already am).  She's outspoken, independent, and desperate to maintain control of her life.  This is a book that has no plot.  Each chapter is just another story about Esther's days, her friends, her relationship with her daughter, and  her everyday life.  This is why I read the first five chapters or so and then skipped to the end - because you know how it's going to end, don't you?  I love character driven books, but I do need some kind of storyline to follow.  So while I loved Esther, I wasn't crazy about her book.  -June

The Accident by Chris Pavone

This is a book you need to read quickly.  What I mean is, this isn't a book that you can read a little every night before you go to bed over a month or so.  Because there are lots of characters and lots going on in every chapter.  The focus of the book switches constantly and it jumps back and forth in time.  So it's very easy to get confused and mix up the characters.  An agent receives a manuscript for a book that could damage the reputation of a media executive.  She shows it to an editor who shows it to his publisher.  The book starts to get passed around and whoever reads it is suddenly killed.  There's a lot of backstory and twists along the way.  A fun book and an inside look at the publishing industry.  Enjoyed it.  -June

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

It's 1969 and I'm sitting in my sorority house safely watching television with a crowd of people.  Several kids have to stand because there are so many in the room.  The draft lottery is on TV, and I remember a feeling of disconnect, as if this really couldn't be happening in my lifetime, could it?  Wars are just something that happened a long time ago and we have to learn about them in classes and books.  Occasionally you'd hear a reaction when a certain birth date was read, but I mostly remember the silence as we all listened to the dates - one after another.  There was talk of going to Canada, methods for getting medical excuses, joining National Guard units.  This was really about as close as I came in my experience with the war in Vietnam. 

Reading The Things They Carried was like seeing a whole new view of this war.  Although it's made up of short stories about Tim's company of men, there are certain themes and characters who cross into all the stories.  I loved it.  It's so well written and I can see why many colleges have required students to read it.  I wish I'd read it sooner.  -June