The Position by Meg Wolitzer

I had the chance to see Meg Wolitzer at a book reading when The Interestings was being released in paperback.  She was a vibrant and entertaining speaker, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her talk about her books.  And I really liked The Interestings.  So when I saw one of her earlier books available through Book Bub for $1.99, I grabbed it.  Besides, the premise sounded very promising.  Four siblings (age 6 to 16) discover that their parents have written a sex "how-to" book complete with drawings of themselves in the act.  Once the children make this discovery, the author moves from one family member to the next about 30 years later.  I suppose it could be said that their parents' book had a profound influence on their lives, and perhaps in some ways it did, but for the most part, the book becomes a character study of each of the grown children and their parents.  I love the way Meg Wolitzer writes.  She develops her characters so you know them and understand them.  I really enjoyed this one and now want to read more from this author.  - June

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Months ago, I tried to listen to the audio version of The Aviator's Wife but found that I was totally frustrated with the author's writing style.  So imagine how excited I was when this book appeared on my Book Club list.  Perhaps, I thought, I'll like it better if I'm reading it rather than listening to it.  And yes, I did.  But only because when the author wrote something that she'd already told the reader 5 other times, I was able to skip forward easily to the next page.  For example, how many times would you think she had to tell us that Charles Lindburgh had a cleft chin?  The answer - 9 times.  Most readers might have picked that up after the first or second time, but just in case you're an idiot, the author makes sure you know about it.  Or how about the number of different types of "grins" that either Anne or Charles gave each other.  Stupid grin, proud grin, surprising grin, carefree grin, earnest grin, toothy grin, tomboyish grin, jaunty grin - and the list goes on and on.  Let's just say there was a lot of grinning going on even though it turns out that Charles Lindburgh was a jerk.  All that being said, I did find that the story told was interesting.  The parts of the book that were based on fact (the flights they took, the kidnapping, the obsession by the press) were fascinating.  Perhaps I would have been better off reading a good biography on Anne or Charles rather than a fictionalized version told as if Anne was writing it herself, grinning and admiring Charles cleft chin. - June

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

I love Anna Quindlen.  I love the way she writes and the stories she tells.  And this one was one of her best, although many online reviewers disagree.  When's the last time the main character in a book was a 60-year-old woman who leads a full, productive life?  Generally, books about women of a "certain age" are told in a series of flashbacks where we learn about their life in the rearview mirror.  But as a 60-ish woman myself, I say us geezers still have a little gas in the tank.  And in this novel, Rebecca is still going strong.  She may have a few setbacks in her career and her personal life (who hasn't?), but as we learn about her and the friends and family around her, we feel we are living along side her.  Some say the book is sappy.  OK.  Maybe I was in need of a bit of sap.  But I loved it and highly recommend it.  -June

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Just before I started this book, the Great8 took a trip to Charleston.  We had a wonderful time, and while we were there, we took two tours.  One was a walking tour led by a knowledgeable and articulate Southern lady who told us all about the Charleston way of life, the visits by George Washington, and the fires and earthquakes and plagues.  She also mentioned two prominent free black men who owned a hotel and started an orphanage.  No mention of slavery.  The second tour was a carriage tour where we had a chatty young man who told stories about the various occupants of the mansions we drove by.  Very entertaining even if the stories were totally fiction.  When we got to the end of the carriage tour, one of the Great8 asked our guide to take our picture.  Realizing his tip depended on it, he jumped from the carriage, grabbed the camera, and instead of the usual "Say Cheese", he said "Say slavery sucks!"  I think we laughed the kind of laugh you do when you know someone is trying to be funny but isn't. 


When I got home, I started reading The Invention of Wings which is a fiction book based upon the Grimke family, a prominent Charleston family from the early 1800's.  The book focuses on Sarah Grimke who ultimately becomes one of the first and only female abolitionists.  We also follow Handful, a Grimke slave who, like Sarah, is bright and ambitious but cannot fulfill her dreams. 


There have been lots of books about the South in the pre-Civil War period, but I really think this one is wonderful.  Maybe it's because I had so recently seen the neighborhood where Sarah and Handful lived, but I highly recommend this one. And I can't help but wonder how Sarah would have responded to the casual prompt of "slavery sucks". -June

The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwartz

What is it about living in a lighthouse that appeals to me?  I know I'd go mad after a few days of that intense isolation, but there's this romantic-sounding life surviving by the ocean that appeals to me.  There's a historic lighthouse in Door County that has docents who live there for a week at a time and give tours.  No electricity.  No indoor plumbing.  And they have people waiting in line to do this.  I'm not one of them.


Back in the late 1800's, Trudy and her husband are assigned to a lighthouse off the coast of California.  She's a bright, inquisitive young woman and soon she is studying all the creatures who live in and near the water.  There's another family who also live on the island and work at the lighthouse, and so her life becomes entwined with theirs. Yet as bright as Trudy is, she seems blind to the flaws of her husband.  He's a jerk, and although she questions his behavior at times, she somehow rationalizes it to herself.  Enjoyed the book very much but found myself skimming over some of the scientific information.  Again, it seems the author did a ton of research and wanted to be sure to get it all into the book somehow.  But I do recommend it.  -June

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

You can't help but notice the covers of this authors books.  I think she's written several and all the covers have the titles in large letters and her name below - no picture or anything to give you a hint as to what the book is about.  Somehow I thought it was just light romantic stuff, and while it isn't award winning fiction, this book was good.  Yes, it's a tad predictable but still worth reading.  Louisa is a young English woman who takes a job caring for a young man who was injured in an accident and is not a quadriplegic.  They come from very different worlds and backgrounds yet they find a way to get past all of that and connect.  I don't want to tell more, but if you're looking for a quick, light read, this might be it.  -June

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

There are just so many books about World War II out there that I didn't think I wanted to read another one.  So when the first friend recommended it, I filed it away and forgot about it.  But after two or three more recommendations (one person even saying it was the best book she'd read in years), I bought it.  And I'm glad.  The story follows primarily two people; a young, blind French girl, and a young orphaned German boy.  When the book begins, they are just 8 or 9 and it follows them until they are around 16 or 17.  It gives a different slant to the war than most other books, and the writing is quite good.  It's very hard to put down, and I highly recommend it.  -June

The Dinner by Herman Koch

This book has won awards and received praise in many reviews.  Hmmmm.  Not in my review.  I liked the beginning and saw a lot of potential in the first half, but then I realized that these characters are crazy and evil.  And even if the book is to show how parents will do anything to protect their children even if they commit violent crimes - well, I guess this parent thinks that what they are doing is immoral.  So does the author want us to agree with them?  Or are we just supposed to continue yelling at the book?  I'm not sure, but I don't recommend this one.  -June

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

When I described the plot of this book to a good friend, she said it didn't sound like a book I'd read at all!  And she's right.  But the reviews made it sound so interesting, and frankly, I was looking for something different.  Imagine the typical police detective/murder mystery book.  There's a young, inexperienced detective working hard to solve the mystery of a death that appears to be suicide but just might be murder.  Now add to that the fact that the world will end in six months.  Yes, a huge asteroid is headed right towards earth.  While the murder and the asteroid are not really related, what is fascinating to me is how the people of the world have reacted to the news about the destruction that is headed their way.   Some people continue with their lives, but many quit their jobs, develop their bucket list, or decide to kill themselves rather than stay to the end.  The detective has to solve the murder in a world where most people just don't give a shit about who has died and who might have caused it because we're all going to be dead soon anyway.  This is the first of three in a trilogy, and while I may not jump right into the next one, I liked this one enough to keep it on my list.  Recommend if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.  - June

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley

This is definitely a candidate for a LifeTime Channel movie.  A beautiful and brilliant young woman falls from a ladder and suffers major brain injuries.  In fact, she is declared brain dead.  Her equally brilliant neurosurgeon husband is devastated because she is the love of his life.  But he's ready to pull the plug until he learns she is pregnant.  Then all hell breaks loose because half the extended family feels it would be her wish to die with dignity and her husband knows she would want the baby to have a chance at life.  Lots of drama and lots of mulling over the same issues numerous times.  In fact, after reading almost half of it, I just skipped to the end even though I was able to guess what it would be. 


My big question is why do books like this get great reviews online.  I can only guess that there is a big audience for this type of book.  It just isn't my type.  -June

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet

This is one of those rare books that you can fly through in a couple of hours and enjoy every moment.  If you are a reader (and you are, I'm sure) you like to read about other readers.  And this reader is the Queen of England.  Imagine that the Queen is just too busy to read, but then finds a bookmobile close to her castle and gets hooked.  That's the plot.  As she reads, she changes as she's exposed to the world of reading.  Fun.  -June

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

How about a book that combines erotica with horror?  Kind of a strange combo, and certainly something different from my normal reading.  But once I got into it, even though I could clearly see where it was going, I couldn't put it down. 


The author starts with some short chapters that seem to be unconnected, but then quickly starts alternating chapters from 2004 to 2008 in the life of Catherine, a young woman who has had an abusive relationship with Lee.  We know this almost from the beginning, and we also know that in 2008 she is suffering from the result of this abuse.  But this writing technique if very effective in building the suspense and keeping the book going.  It would have been have very different read if it had been written in chronological order. 


Some of the scenes are tough to read.  The abuse is extremely violent, but being in Catherine's head when it happens, the reader can see how she fought to get through it.  My only criticism is that it's a bit long, but there was no way I would have stopped before the ending. (oh and one more criticism - do people really wink at each other?  There was a lot of winking in this book.) -June