The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore

One of the recurring questions we ask in my book club is this: Can you love a book but dislike the main character? I've always maintained that you can, but several members feel it is impossible. For this reason, I'm not sure I'll be recommending this book for my club. Throughout this novel, Mirielle is often a snobby, self-centered little bitch.

The book begins in the 1920's when Mirielle, the wife of a silent movie film star, is diagnosed with Hansen's Disease, AKA Leprosy. She is sent to Carville, a colony in Louisiana, where she is quarantined with other patients. Mirielle is convinced she was misdiagnosed or that she will be released quickly, and she also believes she is just better than every other patient there. Once she settles in, it seems that Mirielle will soften a bit and you might sense a change in her. But then her old snobby self comes roaring back. She spends a lot of time apologizing for her bad behavior.

However, I have to say I enjoyed the book immensely. I can remember as a child hearing about leper colonies, and I always imagined them to be somewhere far away and on some deserted island. I had no idea there were facilities in the states. The author has obviously done her research, and even invites readers to visit Carville which closed in the 50's but is still open for visitors. What I thought was most interesting about the book was reading about the lives of those living in Carville.... how they spent their time and what they did to build a community for themselves. While Mirielle might not be my favorite character, certainly several others in the book were very interesting and likeable. - June

Girl, Forgotten by Karen Slaughter

When I walk and listen to audiobooks, mysteries keep me going. This one was ok for that purpose, but I know that if I had read the book, I would have skipped to the end to find out what happened once I reached the halfway mark. It's about a high school senior in the 80's who gets pregnant and then is murdered. She had attended a party, taken drugs, couldn't remember anything that happened there, and was obviously raped. That is one storyline. 

There's also a current storyline where Andrea, a US Marshall, is trying to solve this 40-year-old murder. There's more to the story, of course, but the mystery is who raped the young girl and who killed her.

Evidently, there is a series of books about Andrea. Not sure I'll rush to read the next one. This one moved way too slow for me. - June

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

I admit that I make snap decisions as to whether or not to read a book based on the title or the cover.  I shouldn't do this, but if the cover is very feminine and "girly", I assume it's chick lit and I probably am not interested. When I heard the title of this one, it sounded like a romance novel. I pictured the cover with a shirtless hunky man cooking, maybe with nothing on but an apron. Hmmm. Interesting idea, huh?

Anyway, this is not a romance novel. It's a very short but sweet novel written entirely in letters by two women who both share a love of food, adventures, and life. It's the perfect book to read after you've read something heavy and depressing. One of the women lives in the Seattle area and the other in LA, and it takes place in the 60's. There are lots of references to events during that time, so us geezers can relate to them. It's a story of friendship - and did I mention food? You'll be hungry as you read it.

Recommend it. - June

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

This is a novel that will stay with me for a long time. I loved it. It's the story of an Indian-American Muslim family living in California. The mother and father were born in India and moved to the US after they married, and their two daughters and one son were born here. I learned a lot about Muslim traditions and beliefs just by reading this although I confess that some of the rituals were hard to understand. But the core of the book is all about the relationships and conflicts between the members of the family and how their faith and community affect their lives. 

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. The descriptive writing is beautiful, and the characters are so well developed. Layla, the mother, is a fascinating character as we learn about her marriage after only seeing her future husband twice but never speaking with him until after the ceremony. Hadia, the oldest daughter, wants a different life for herself where she follows her faith but is not as restricted by her culture as her parents. And then Amar, the son, who struggles with his faith and the strict rules imposed by his father..... and how he ultimately must make difficult decisions as to how to live his life.

Definitely recommend this one. -June

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

This is a novel about twin sisters, Rose and Fern. The author switches from a diary written by Rose to a narrative focused on Fern. We quickly realize that Fern is on the spectrum, and she sees Rose as "her person", the one individual who knows her best and she can trust. We also know that when they were young a boy drowned after Fern held him underwater. We slowly learn more about the details of this day as the story progresses.

The novel is described as a psychological thriller, although I don't know if there was much suspense in it. However, it's a good story with solid character development, and I enjoyed it. I won't give any more of the story away. -June

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

It's been a rough couple of weeks for us, BT. We've lost a close friend, and I've found myself feeling a little low even though we knew that this story would not have a happy ending. So to lift my mood, I've been trying to find books that don't bring me down even further. That's when I saw The Story of Arthur Truluv was available from the library. It gets great reviews and it's written by an author I've read before and enjoyed. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it sappy? Yes. Did it actually make me tear up a couple of times? Actually, it did. It is just a sweet story about an 85-year-old man who connects with an 18-year-old girl and how they find that they each fill a void in the other one's life. 

I feel that Elizabeth Berg does a great job of describing Arthur and his next door neighbor, Lucille, as she addresses our feelings and thoughts as we age. Her description of Lucille and a long ago boyfriend was extremely touching. (My only complaint is that she chose to write that Arthur enjoyed listening to music by Dinah Shore! Really? I know plenty of 80-somethings, and none of them would be caught dead listening to her!) I love how Arthur visits the grave of his dead wife every day and has lunch with her. And he gets to know all the other people in the cemetery as they "speak" with him.

So if you're looking for a lift - if you need a sweet story that is a quick read, try it. No Pulitzer Prize here, but just a nice read. I enjoyed it. -June

Chemistry Lesson by Bonnie Garmus

This was just what I needed to read after several more serious books. I've seen people refer to it as funny - and while the subject matter isn't humorous, the writing sometimes is quirky and fun. It's in some ways like a fairy tale with a magical ending.

Don't be put off by the cover. Elizabeth herself talks about how "pink for girls" is wrong, and yet the publishers gave the book a pink cover making it look like chick lit - which it is not - or a romance - also not.

It takes place in the 50's in the days when women in the workforce were always secretaries or assistants. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. Most of the men in her world treat her with contempt (or worse!) as she tries to establish herself in her career. But then she meets Calvin. I won't say more, but I highly recommend this one. I think I read it all in two days. - June

 

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

This is a tough one to describe. I'm discussing it next week with my book club, and I hope that by talking about it with friends, I'll be able to understand it more fully. But it is a confusing read.... or in this case a confusing "listen" since I was able to check out the audio book and listened as I walked each day.

You know how some books jump from one time to another and one character to another? Well, this one does it like no other. The author goes forward in time, back a bit, into the future, way in the past, bouncing all over the place - and each time focusing on a different character. And yet, it eventually all makes sense. I often wished I'd had the benefit of the written book so that I could go back and re-read a section but with an audio book that is hard to do.

I read a review where someone wrote that this book is like a group of stories and not just one. And that is true - many storylines - and just when you think one has been left hanging and forgotten, it pops up again. Ponzi schemes, missing mothers, remote hotels, artists, shipping executives, all kinds of stories and characters.

So do I recommend it? Yes. But if you have been confused by some of the other ones I've mentioned recently, lay off the gummies while reading this one! -June

The Book of Lost Names by Lisa Wingate

The  Book of Lost Names should not be confused with The Book of Lost Friends or The Book of Lost Things. So  many things are lost apparently.

Like so many books, this one has parallel stories, and the author flips from one storyline to the other. The first is in the years following the Civil War when Hannie, a young black girl, is searching for her family that became separated when they were sold to different landowners. The second story takes place in the 1980's when Bennie, a somewhat inexperienced young woman, moves to a small town in Louisiana to teach middle school. As Bennie struggles to find something to capture the interest of her students, she starts to dive into the history of the town and learn about its past. With her students, she creates a project that bring up long buried secrets, and then her world and Hannie's world meet.

I enjoyed this book and especially liked the ending. There were a few times in the middle when I felt it dragged but it was worth it in the end. -June

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

Historical fiction isn't always my favorite genre. I often struggle with what parts are factual and what are not. But the wonderful thing about this type of book is that is exposes the reader (me!) to a part of history few people know about.

The Exiles is about the ships of female convicts that left from London to Australia in the early 1800's. Most of these women were poor and found guilty of minor crimes. It's also about how they established lives in their new country. Plus we also learn about how the native aboriginals were displaced and treated.

Overall, this was an excellent book. A few times I felt the author got a tad wordy, but it was well-written and certainly held my interest til the end. Highly recommend - June

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

I downloaded the audio version of this book for a road trip, and while it kept my interest and made the driving time seem faster, it's a predictable romance book. The characters are interesting and exceedingly clever in their conversations, but it's just not going to be a book I'd recommend. - June

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell

Such a fascinating, uniquely written novel!! I loved it but immediately knew that it would never be a book I would recommend to my book club and to certain friends who wouldn't appreciate this kind of book. Some friends hate books that jump back and forth from the past to the present. This one jumps a hundred different directions!

And I am really struggling to even describe the book!!

First of all, there are two central characters, Daniel and Claudette. The book begins with them but then goes all over the place - different locations - characters you don't know - and storylines that come at you out of the blue. Some of the chapters could be short stories that on the surface appear to have nothing to do with the novel... but they do. Was it confusing to read? Oh yeah! But the writing is so wonderful. 

Claudette is a highly successful actress/celebrity who walks away at the height of her career and hides away in a remote part of Ireland. Daniel stumbles upon her, they fall in love, and it goes on from there with many different subplots.

I hope you read it, BT. I'd love to know what you think. This might be one of those books that just hit me at the right time when I needed a book like this. But I highly recommend it. - June