The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

 I found this to be a very good book with a number of difficult themes: race, identity, starting over, relationships with sisters, relationships with mothers and daughters, LGBTQ, and the list goes on. The first half is about two twin sisters who live in a tiny town in Louisiana. The residents of this town are light-skinned and Black. When the twins are teenagers, they run away from home together. After being away from their hometown for a few years, one of them leaves the other to begin a new life "passing" as white.

This book, like so many others, jumps from time to time and from character to character. We learn about the love lives of the twins as well as their daughters. And, of course, all of them come together at different times to reveal their lies and struggles.

It's well written but on several occasions I felt the author was preaching and repeating - which is always something that bugs me. There's just no need to say the same thing 5 different ways. But overall I do recommend this book for the memorable characters. - June

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

I'm all over the place on this book, so I'm not sure where my comments will go. There were times when I was enthralled by the information in this book. Obviously, the author had done extensive research on Churchill and the first year he was PM of England. At the beginning, Larson stated that he would only attribute quotes by people if they had actually written it. I wondered how he could possible do this, but he had numerous personal diaries that Churchill's family and staff created. He used these throughout the book.

In fact, I was reminded of when I was in high school and had to write term papers. I would research my topic (one year... Emily Dickinson, another year ....AA Milne) and I would find quotes by the writers themselves or quotes that others had written about them and their work. I would put these quotes on 3x5 cards, and I would sort them by topic. Then I would write an opening sentence to a paragraph and follow it up with numerous quotes proving my point. I loved using quotes because then I didn't have to write as much text myself. I could just use other people's words! Erik Larson used this technique constantly! I'm not saying this is a negative, but I think he overdid it a bit.

The book is very detailed. Considering the fact that the book is over 600 pages long and it covers just one year's time, you can understand this. Some of the details are fascinating (how the people of London responded to the bombings of their city, how Churchill's eccentric personality dominated everyone around him, how the war seemed to give everyone a sense of sexual freedom) but there were also a lot of unnecessary details (what was for dinner or a detailed description of Churchill's robes). Perhaps a little editing might have helped, but I'm sure there are historians who will relish these details.

My favorite part of the book was the Epilogue where the author writes about what happened to each of the major players in the book after this infamous year. It tied up a lot of loose ends and satisfied the  need to know "the rest of the story". If you have a love for historical details, I'd recommend this book. - June

The Night Watchman by Louise Eldrich

I wasn't prepared for this book. I knew very little about it, and only started it because it was a book club selection. And I struggled at first having to remember a large cast of characters that all seemed somehow related. But boy, once I got into it, this is truly one of the best books I've read in a long time!!

Louise Eldrich is part Native American, and the only other book I've read by her (The Round House) is also about life on a reservation. The Night Watchman takes place in the early 1950s when the US government is trying to relocate several tribes, taking them off of their land, and moving them to big cities. The characters are beautifully developed, and the multiple story lines are thought-provoking and full of fascinating details of life on the reservation. 

You will love Thomas. And Patrice. And all of the other people you will meet while reading this fabulous novel. And they will stick with you for weeks after you've put the book down. -June

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

I love Anne Tyler. I've read most of her novels, and this little gem may not be her best but is certainly better than some of the other books I've read lately. One of the reasons I love her is that unlike many novelists, her characters aren't beautiful, rich, exciting, mysterious..... or really anything but just normal, everyday folk. Micah is a middle aged guy, living in  Baltimore in the basement of an apartment complex that he manages. He also has is one small business responding to technical issues.

Micah is single and set in his ways. He has a personal schedule that he keeps that includes what household chores he does each day. Women in his life have come and gone, and he's struggling to determine why he is alone at this point in his life.

This is definitely a character-driven novel - not a lot of action going on but the characters you'll meet and the relationships between them will keep you reading. - June

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I love books and movies about do-overs. Remember Life After Life by Kate Atkinson!? One of my favs. And the movie About Time? Fabulous!! I also loved Sliding Doors, an oldie but goodie, about parallel  lives. So when I heard about The Midnight Library, I knew I needed to get my hands on it.

The Midnight Library is where I want to go when I die. That's what happened to Nora. The Midnight Library is loaded with books, each one is an alternate life that she could have led. She's given a list of all of her regrets, and she's given the chance to make different choices throughout her life. These different choices will change the direction of her life. Nora chooses several books with the help of the kindly Mrs. Elm, the librarian, and she is suddenly living the life she would have had if she had gone a different direction.

These are the things I think about sometimes. What if I'd gone to a different college? Poof. I wouldn't have met you, dear TB, and I would not have met my husband. Where would I be living? Would I be happy? Would I have children? What if I'd chosen a different profession? What if I'd taken up skydiving at a young age? What if I had five children instead of just one? What would my life be like?

While this is a creative, well-written book with a solid ending right out of "It's a Wonderful Life" where she sees how her life impacted others, I think this book would be best read in a group where it could lead to some interesting discussion. So read it and call me. -June

Café on the Edge of the World by John Strelecky

The latest from BT! Thanks, dear friend.

A traveler is seeking something (meaning?) and gets lost on his journey and ends up at a café in the middle of nowhere.  On the menu are the specials and the following questions:

1.  Why are you here? (transforms into Why am I here? As the diner discusses with the waitress and cook…perspective on purpose.)

2.  Do you fear death? (Don’t need to as long as you are doing #1 properly.)

3.  Are you fulfilled? (See #1)

 I read quickly, but am not a speed reader. This “book” (I say pamphlet) estimates it will take the reader 3.5 hours. It is 100 pages of pablum and took me an hour.  Says over 4 million copies sold world wide which goes to prove that the masses will do anything to avoid introspection and “finding” the answers to the BIG questions!  Reminds me of the hoopla around The Secret…and what was that one where God is a black woman? I liked it much better.

 There.  Now you don’t have to buy/read. - BT

Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani

I ended up having to power through the second half of this in time for my book club meeting. I'd like to have that time back please. It just wasn't worth it. While there were parts of this book that were interesting, it really is a romance novel. 

The book takes place in India where American Jaya travels to recover from multiple miscarriages and to find out about her family. She learns about her grandmother who was a write, and an independent woman in a very restricted situation. The book covers every topic you can imagine: grief, marital infidelity, racial prejudice, poverty, oh my...... on and on. 

More than anything, this book needs a good editor. It gets wonderful reviews but just not from me. Or from anyone in my book club. - June

Anxious People by Fredrick Backman

From the very first page.....

This book is dedicated to the voices in my head, the most remarkable of my friends. And to my wife, who lives with us.

Anxious People is funny, quirky, heartwarming, and totally wacko. This is the fourth book by Backman I've read, and it isn't his best. But even at that, it still is definitely worth reading. His writing is so witty and clever that sometimes it almost gets in the way of the story. I was so enthralled with the way he wrote a paragraph that I would forget what the book was about and just focus on that one piece. You'll want to read it with a highlighter so you can go back and read those gems. It's hard to explain. And some of the dialogue is over-the-top crazy.

I will warn you that the first half is hard to push through because you are confused as to where it's all going. But it's worth it in the second half. The characters really come to life then, and that is where Backman is at his best.

I won't even try to tell you what the book is about but here's a partial list..... Parents and children, suicide, love, marriage..... oh yes, and a bank robber. Just read it and report back. - June

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

This from BT........

Just finished an extraordinary book: Malcolm Gladwell's "Talking to Strangers, an intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion though history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. In it he revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal and the death of Sandra Bland--throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt."

Highly recommend!

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montemore

I can't remember the last book I read that was written in chronological order. It seems all modern authors use the same technique of jumping around in time and place, sometimes with the same characters and sometimes with other connections as we move through time. In this novel, the main character, Oona, actually lives her life out of order.

Every New Years Eve at midnight, Oona leaps to a different time in her life (remember Quantum Leap? Loved that show). There are some people in Oona's life who stay constant throughout these leaps, but most have no idea. It can be confusing but it is also kind of fun, and it's a quirky kind of read. I love creative ideas like this one, and I do recommend it.

My only complaint is that when Oona leaps into her 50's, much is written about how old she looks and the drawbacks of aging. I'm sure it would be a shock to be 19 one minute and 53 the next, but Oona constantly wanted to leap back to being young again. As an old geezer, this was a little offensive, but I do understand it too.

Give this one a try after you've read something heavy and deep. It will be a refreshing change. - June

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

 A well-written, creative novel about a woman who is trying to track the migration of the Artic Tern, a small bird that travels all the way from the top of the world to the bottom. She talks her way onto a fishing boat along with a group of misfits and tough characters who make it all interesting. There are lots of flashbacks to her youth and her search for her mother.... along with other mysteries that are slowly revealed throughout the book.

My only complaint is that I felt at times that I was being manipulated by the author, that she was telling me one thing when I'd find out later it wasn't true. But otherwise this one certainly held my interest and I'd recommend it. I won't give anything else away..... - June

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

When it came time to select books for our book club to read this year, I proposed this one after hearing great things about it. And I really thought that the three members in the group who are art history lovers and docents at the Milwaukee Art Museum would really get into this. Everyone loved the idea of this book, and somehow I was assigned to be the discussant for the group meeting. I'm definitely in over my head on the subject of art history, but I will say that it was one of the most enjoyable books that I've read in a long time! So I'm excited to talk with the experts about it.

The novel moves to different places and different times. It starts in Manhattan in the 1950's, then Amsterdam in the 1600's, and then to Sydney in 2000. We learn about a painting by Sara de Vos in the 1600's that ends up in the home of a wealthy man named Marty who lives in Manhattan. And then we follow that painting and the people who come in contact with it up until 2000. The book is very well written and has some of those "saveable quotes" that we love so much, BT. 

I think this book especially appealed to me now because it's a long way from chick lit - it's a really good novel - but it also doesn't get into some of the heavy topics of previous books I've read for my club. And so it was a nice break. Highly recommend this one. - June