Coincidence by J. W. Ironmonger

Azalea is found wandering a local fair when she is just three years old. She is adopted, moved to Africa, and then returns to England. Her life includes a series of coincidences and she is determined to figure it all out. Do we have control of our own destiny? Or is everything in our lives predetermined? Are coincidences just things that happen? Or more?

This is also a love story. Azalea finds Tom, a professor who has studied coincidences. Together they talk (and talk and talk) about Azalea's life and all the turns it has taken.

I enjoyed this book and the ideas it presents. And the story of her life in Africa was intriguing.  I do think there were times when the author got bogged down in the debates about fate vs fact, and the author never reveals how he feels about it all. And the ending was not all it could have been. But it was an interesting read. -June

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson

I needed a break after The Sellout. And this novel was the perfect selection. I read it in two days!

After the first few chapters, I thought this might be a little bit of a Chick Lit book. But as I read further and got more into the lives of the characters, I knew it was more than that. The book focuses on a couple, Lucy and Matt, and the chapters alternate between the two characters. When they meet, Matt is instantly in love with Lucy, but she is still drawn to Griffin, a man who recently left her and continues to come into her life when it suits him. The first half of the book simply shows how the relationship between Lucy and Matt develops, and they ultimately marry. Then things start to unravel. I won't give away any more than that. But both characters are flawed and both make mistakes and poor decisions. And there's lots of guilt and shame and blame to go around. And, like the title suggests, they tell lies to each other that they think their partner wants to hear.

Well written and a surprise - this is a debut novel by a man who is 67! I guess there's still hope for us to write that all American novel! - June

The Sellout: A Novel by Paul Beatty

One of the main reasons I belong to a book club is that we try to challenge ourselves by choosing books we normally wouldn't read. I am drawn to contemporary fiction, and yet our club pushes me to try more non-fiction, historical literature, and more. This book is like no other book any of us have ever read.

Sometimes as I read a book, there is a little hand in my head that is giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Do I like this book? Is it a good read? Is it well-written? As I read The Sellout, I would think, "This is weird!" or "This is the funniest thing I've ever read!" or "I hate this book. How much longer is it?" I was all over the place.

The book is satire. If you read it, do not expect your typical novel. It is all about race, and the plot (what there is of a plot) seems almost a minor part of the book. The bulk of the book consists of short vignettes that, for me, were amazingly creative and often hysterical. And the characters are a 10 on the quirkiness scale.

At my book club, two of the 5 members attending had read the book. Three started it, hated it, and quit. And one member didn't show up. I assume she had no interest in discussing it. And yet I recommend trying it. After all, it is the first book by an American author to win the Man Booker Prize! It can't be all bad, right? - June

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I procrastinated in reading this book for two reasons. First, who wants to read a book about a man who lives his life in a hotel in Russia? And second, everyone (and I mean everyone) was raving about this book and I was afraid that my expectations would be too high and I'd be disappointed. So I was an idiot. This is a beautiful book and well worth the praise. And the writing..... is simply divine. It took me a long time to read it because I kept rereading paragraphs that were so wonderful! Here's a few of my favorites.

In describing how the Count had trouble sleeping due to problems on his mind:

Like in a reel in which the dancers form two rows, so that one of their number can come skipping brightly down the aisle, a concern of the Count's would present itself for his consideration, bow with a flourish, and then take its place at the end of the line so that the next concern could come dancing to the fore.

When writing about dining in a restaurant:

Surely, the span of time between the placing of an order and the arrival of appetizers is one of the most perilous in all human interaction. What young lovers have not found themselves at this juncture in a silence so sudden, so seemingly insurmountable that it threatens to cast doubt upon their chemistry as a couple? What husband and wife have not found themselves suddenly unnerved by the fear that they might not ever have something urgent, impassioned, or surprising to say to each other again? So it is with good reason that most of us meet this dangerous interstice with a sense of foreboding.

The characters are all unique and charming, especially the Count. And while I admit to knowing very little about Russian history, I found the setting and the time to be fascinating. This truly is truly a special book. Put aside what you're reading now and get this one! Very highly recommend!! -June

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

Note: This book was originally released with the title "The Book of Negroes".

Someone Knows My Name is the story of Aminita, a fictional character, who lived in the 1700's and was born in Africa. When she's 11, she is abducted and taken by ship to Charleston where she is sold as a slave. She is bright and desperately wants to be free to return to Africa. The book follows her as she falls in love, becomes a mother, endures the constant mistreatment of white people, and travels to other countries as she attempts to return home.

This is a long book and not always easy to read. But I never knew about the slaves in New York City during the Revolutionary War and their role during that time. And I didn't know that many were shipped to Nova Scotia and what happened to them there. I found it all to be fascinating.

Highly recommend this one. -June

Ask Him Why by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I think this must have been a BookBub selection, and for the price, it was a great read. This novel is by the same author as Pay It Forward, which I confess I never read but did like the theme of the movie. Ask Him Why is another novel where there are multiple narrators, and so you are brought into the minds of two of the central characters: Ruth and her brother, Aubrey. The story starts when they are kids and their older brother Joseph returns from Iraq after only serving for a few short months. Why he has come home and what happens after that is the basis of the book.

The characters are very well developed and the writing is good. I recommend the book with just one small caveat. When friends and business associates of the family discover why Joseph is home, they shun the entire family. I just don't know if this is realistic. Do we really judge and blame an entire family for the supposed actions of one member? But otherwise, I did like knowing the characters and reading the book. -June

The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

This book has it all! Passionate love affairs, AIDS, abortion, child pornography, concentration camps, aging, homosexuality, interracial relationships, euthanasia, Down Syndrome, internment camps, and dead family members showing up years later! And everyone has a secret. Members of my book club imagined that the author had a checklist of all of these topics and simply checked them off as she assigned characters to each one.

So does the book work with all of this stuff going on? Yeah, kind of. The author utilizes an interesting writing technique in regards to time. Unlike some writers who jump back and forth in time, Allende is all over the place moving from time to time, backward and forward, and sometimes making the reader's head spin. She also refers to something that happened to a character in the past but she doesn't explain that fact until later in the book. She also does a lot of branching. She will start a chapter with the idea that she is going to tell a certain part of the story, but then somehow she dives into a totally unrelated tale that has nothing to do with the first story.

Yes somehow it all kept me reading. I liked it. Didn't love it, but certainly thought it was a decent read. - June

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Oh no! Not another World War II book! Just when you thought there wasn't another angle to the story, along comes a book that finds one.

The women in the castle are three German women, all mothers, who married men who resisted the Nazi's. One of the women, Marianne, has promised that she will look out for the other women in the event something happens to the husbands. After all the men are murdered during an attempt to kill Hitler, she brings the women into her castle where they live together and create relationships.

Well written and great character development. Definitely recommend this one. -June

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a book reading by Ann Patchett. She was very entertaining, smart, and very down-to-earth. I've always loved her books and she has moved to the top of my Favorite Authors list. After hearing she had a new book out, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd read it. And Commonwealth is quite the read.

This is a book best read in a short period of time. I'm not saying you have to devour it in a weekend, but it's not the kind of book you can pick up and put down over several months. The reason for this is that there are lots of characters with a variety of different relationships.... plus the book takes place over many years and the stories jump around within that time frame. Basically, the novel is about two families, each with multiple young children, who merge when the father of one family marries the wife from the other family. All the children develop relationships as they grow up together, and the book follows them all into middle age. Each chapter jumps you into the life of one of the other family members so it sometimes gets confusing, but persistence pays off. Excellent writing and character development. Highly recommend this one. -June

The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Sometimes you just have to give up. When a book starts out with promise, and you keep holding out for things to get better but they don't...... well then it's time to move on to a better things. It's rare that I don't finish a book, but this one just didn't work for me. It was way too predictable and the characters were all stereotypes. You knew that all the country boys from Texas would be racist and would bully the main character, a young man from India studying to be a doctor. And that young Indian woman who had an arranged marriage? It was easy to see where that was going when her new family treated her like a slave. So it's off my Kindle and I'm on to the next book. -June

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

I love Kate Atkinson. One of my very favorite books is Life After Life and I adored God in Ruins. So even though I knew that this book was written early in her career, I was ready for a good read. And it was. The book is very well written and there's something about the way she writes that pulls me into the story and the characters.

The novel starts with three different mysteries: a three-year-old girl disappears while she's sleeping in a tent with her sister; a young woman is stabbed in an office; and a woman kills a man with an ax. Each story is described in detail and each one is left hanging. And then we meet Jackson. He's a detective that is hired to try to figure out these three unrelated mysteries.

While there were some slow parts along the way, and I felt there were too some unnecessary character backgrounds given, I did enjoy this book and certainly found the answers to the mysteries to be satisfying (and all in the last 10 pages of the book)! Recommend.-June

Sweetgirl: A Novel by Travis Mulhauser

In a remote part of northern Michigan, 16-year-old Percy finds a baby girl while she is searching for her missing mother. The story is all about what happens to Percy as she tries to get the baby to a safe place as she hikes through a snowstorm. Along the way, she encounters several drug dealers and a cast of interesting characters. This would probably make a very exciting movie.

Overall, the book held my interest, and I thought it was well written. Liked it but have liked others I've read recently better than this one. - June

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Finally! After reading all these serious (and depressing!) non-fiction books for my book club, we've moved on to something I can really enjoy! Our Souls at Night is a short novel that can be described as "lovely" - a word I rarely use to describe a book but somehow here it applies.

Addie and Louis are both widowed and live in the same small town. They decide to sleep together since they both miss the bedtime conversations, the closeness of another person at night. They develop a beautiful relationship and although the town folk spread gossip about them, they manage to ignore them and enjoy their time together.

I wanted a different ending. That's all I'll say. I also would like a different ending for this author who passed away before this novel was published. Kent Haruf was a wonderful author and he will be missed. This is one you need to read. You can do it in a day. - June

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

To continue my book club's trend of Depressing Non-Fiction Books, we recently read and discussed Just Mercy. Like Evicted, this book is well-written, very detailed, well researched, and incredibly difficult to read. It's difficult not because it's hard to understand but because it reveals truths in our society that are uncomfortable to read about.

Bryan Stevenson went to the south after graduating from law school to defend those who were on Death Row. He helped the poor and the wrongly convicted. In great detail he describes the case of Walter McMillian, a man who is imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. He also writes of many others who he helps including a woman who had a stillborn baby and was later accused of killing the child. And he writes of many children as young as 14 who are placed in prison with no chance of parole.... one of them for killing the man who abused his mother.

While I strongly recommend the book, be prepared to put it down sometimes when it starts to haunt you. I found I had to do this often and take a walk or drink wine or anything to get away from it for a bit. - June

The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin

Boy, I love a well-written book! Yes, I enjoy a page-turner and a fun light read now and then. But a book that can transport you to a magical place and introduce you to amazing characters..... well, it just is the best! I loved this book! It takes place in one of my favorite spots, Maine. This isn't on the coast but inland at a summer fishing camp, kind of a resort-type rustic facility with a lodge and cabins. As the book begins, a long-time guest who is dying returns to the camp to catch one final fish. From here, the author jumps to all the people in this opening scene and we learn all about their lives and how their stories are woven together. One of the best books I've read in months. - June

Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp were close friends who enjoyed their dogs, rowing, swimming, and most of all, spending time with each other. Their friendship is the focus of this book, and it made me want to run to my friends and hug them (like you, BT). From the beginning, we know Caroline is going to die, and I kept reading waiting for the symptoms to appear. And when they finally did, I wanted to change the ending. Such a tragedy.

To be honest, I did feel that the book was longer than it needed to be. In fact, I think this would make a great article. In the first half of the book, I felt that the author told more stories than necessary to portray the friendship between the two women, and many of these stories were almost identical. However, I still enjoyed the book and recommend it. - June

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

My book club rarely reads non-fiction, but this one was on our list. And it deserved to be. The day we were to discuss the book, it won the Pulitzer Prize (so I'm sure you'll be reading this one, BT).

Matthew Desmond, a Harvard professor, has studied poverty in America and has done extensive research on evictions and the impact they have on individuals. He focused this study on Milwaukee,and he moved into trailer parks and inner-city apartments to get close to the people involved. The book is fascinating, depressing, well-written, and heartbreaking. I happened to be on vacation as I read it, and I felt a combination of guilt and despair as I learned the stories of the people of Milwaukee. In addition to the eight families who rent the trailers and apartments, Mr. Desmond also introduces the reader to two landlords. The book does read like fiction, but sadly, it is all true.

This isn't an easy book to read but is definitely worthwhile and recommended. - June

The Swerve--How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

A guest reviewer! This is what BT has to say about this Pulitzer Prize winner:

A love letter to books...what The Swerve does so well is to resurrect so joyously a time when people truly loved books and remind us what it is like to sway and swerve to the beauty of the written word. - BT

Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

What makes a book "chick lit"? Is it the feminine looking cover? The fact that there is always a beautiful female protagonist who ends up with a handsome man? Is it "fluffy" in style and substance? For me, I find that books are chick lit when they are all of these things plus the story is often predictable and the author repeats information as if I won't get it the first time I read it. Generally, as soon as I see that I've got my hands on a chick lit kind of book, I put it down. I think somewhere within this blog I've already confessed to being a book snob.

That being said, Pretending to Dance is part a chick lit, part young adult, and part coming-of-age book. It has some of the predictability that I hate, where it is obvious what is going to happen but for some reason the protagonist hasn't caught on yet. And yes, the author said much of the same thing over and over until I started skimming certain parts. But this book does have interesting characters and they develop throughout the book. And the plot is interesting. I wanted to know how it all came to be in the end.

Molly is a 14-year-old girl who has the worst summer of her life. She has a father who is disabled due to MS, and she is struggling with her newly discovered interest in boys. She lives in a family compound with aunts, uncles, and cousins. I won't give any more away about what happens to her. There are also chapters where Molly is an adult and we see her in the process of adopting a baby. In order for her to move forward with her life, she eventually realizes she has to face some of the things that happened during that fateful summer.

This is a quick read that is worthwhile if you are wanting something light and easy. -June

Sacred Hearts: A Novel by Sarah Dunant

I seem to be reading less and less and binging on Netflix more and more. This novel took me weeks to get through, but I am glad I did. Sacred Hearts is set in a convent in Ferrara, Italy, in the 1500's. Frankly, as the reader, I felt almost like I was locked in the convent with the nuns. The entire book takes place within the walls of Santa Caterina, and as much as I liked some of the characters, there is almost a claustrophobic feeling about the novel.

The main character is Zuana who works in the dispensary and is knowledgeable about herbs and ointments. She's in charge of helping the other sisters who become ill or are ailing. When a new novice arrives, she is assigned to help Zuana. The novice, Isabetta, does not wish to be in the convent, and was sent there by her family because she wanted to marry a man they didn't like. The story line follows Isabetta's struggles and how Zuana deals with her.

The novel is well written and although perhaps a bit too long, I do recommend it. -June

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This is another one of those books that I probably would not have read without the push to do so for my book club. My club chose it knowing that it was about a doctor who is diagnosed with stage four cancer, and we follow his journey through his treatment until his death. So there were certainly no surprises in reading it. It's received a lot of positive press, and it's well deserved. The book is very well written and the author is incredibly honest about his feelings towards death. The fact that the book is written by a medical doctor who is now the patient and how he sees things differently in this new role..... well, it's a good read and I recommend it. However, I read the whole thing with a lump in my throat knowing what was to come. Very sad but still.... a good book. - June