A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout

Memoirs can sometimes be tough to read. The reader is only getting one side of the story and the author often pulls a "Brian Williams" and expands their role in the story. There may be some of this in Amanda Lindhour's memoir, but it doesn't take from the fact that this is a compelling, highly intense book.

Amanda had a love for travel and after many trips to war-torn countries, decided to become a journalist and travel to Somalia with a friend. Here they are captured and held hostage for 15 months. The book details her captivity. As you read, you know she will survive, but the details of her struggles are overwhelming. This is not a light beach read nor is it a nice book to read before bed. (Trust me. I had some wicked dreams.)

There are articles online that criticize Amanda for traveling to Somalia and thinking she can become a journalist simply by wanting to be one. And there are even online stories that she gave birth to a child while in captivity even though there is no mention of this at all in her book. She certainly admits that she was stupid to travel there and unprepared for the role of a journalist. But these things do not take away from the book, and I highly recommend it. -June

The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

I love the title. And someone (I can't remember who) recommended it to me, and because I liked the title, I remembered it and ordered it. It starts off well, and the writing was good and the plot seemed to be moving along well. But then about halfway through, I became frustrated with the predictability and repetitiveness that often plagues "chick lit". Why is it that authors of this genre assume that we are idiots?

So back to the plot. Annabelle has been married to Grant for many years, living in New Hampshire and raising two children. She's growing restless because her kids are moving on with their lives, and her husband is obsessed with writing a book. She seems to be looking for a purpose in her life. Then we learn that Annabelle also has an obsession - an old flame from her 20's that she just can't get over even though she hasn't seen him in over 20 years. The book then starts to jump back and forth in time to her affair with Jeremiah detailing how it started, all the lovely sexual encounters, and how it ended. This is the part that started to bother me. It was almost as if the quality of the writing started to go downhill here. The dialogue between Jeremiah and Annabelle, and the dialogue between Grant and Annabelle - well, it just does not seem realistic to me at all. So here's my take on the whole thing. The plot is interesting and so are the characters. Just be prepared for the writing to take a dive somewhere in the middle and it doesn't recover at the end. But the title is really fun, isn't it? - June

Florence Gordon by Brian Morton

I think it took me over a month to read this book. It wasn't that it didn't hold my interest; I was just traveling and didn't have time to read. So I would pick it up and put it down after only reading a few pages. This makes it hard to get a real feel for the book. But regardless, I liked it. It really isn't much more than a detailed character description of Florence, a feisty, intelligent, feminist who manages to offend friends and family whenever possible. We also meet her son, his wife, and their daughter. There are small plots surrounding all of them, but none are resolved and so the book ends in unanswered questions.

Basically, this is a book about a very unlikable character with no real plot and an abrubt ending. Yet somehow it turns out to be a pretty darn good read. If you can life with that, give it a try. - June

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

Drum Roll Please!  The winner of My Favorite Book of 2015 is........ The Illusion of Separateness. Yes, I know it's only April and way too soon to pick a favorite book of the year, but I'm sure this one will be among the top choices in December.  This little book is awesome!  It's the story of six people who live in different parts of the world and at different times.  And their lives eventually weave a story of how their lives are connected.  And the writing - simple and yet so elegant.  It's a style you either love or hate, and I love it.

Here's a quote that I honestly think about when I'm lying in bed trying to sleep:

Falling asleep is like walking out on a frozen lake.  The ice gets thinner and thinner until suddenly you fall through.

And here's another one:

We, one day, will be vanquished with a last puff and then nothing at all - nothing but the fragrance of our lives in the world, as on a hand that once held flowers.

You can read this book in a few hours.  And you definitely need to do this.  -June

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Remember that classic line in a political debate many years ago when the politician said "And, Senator,  you're no John Kennedy" and put poor Dan Quayle in his place?  Well, here's what I say to this book.  "Sorry, but you're no Gone Girl".  Yes, this book is marketed as the next Gone Girl. It is a suspenseful read, but it is not nearly as well written and creative as GG.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it.  The premise is interesting.  A woman who rides a train every day creates an imaginary story about a couple she sees from the train every day.  She gives them names and images what their personalities are like.  So when the woman is missing, she manages to become involved in the mystery.  The main character, the woman on the train, is pretty much a mess with alcohol and other personal problems.  And as a reader, you want to shake her and scream at her when she starts to make yet another stupid decision.  But you'll find yourself reading to the end to find out which snarky character actually committed the crime.  - June

Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King

A well-written, well-researched book, it is no wonder it received a Pulitzer Prize.  This is the story of Thurgood Marshall and racism in the south in the 1940's and 1950's.  There is so much in this book that I never knew about and although I thought I was somewhat familiar with Marshall's life, I really didn't know much at all.

But I feel I need to warn you.  I couldn't read it before I went to sleep.  And I could only read it for a few pages and then I had to put it away.  It is hard to read this part of our history and realize it is not that long ago.  And then to turn on the news and see the acts of racism that still exist.  I'm sending it your way, BT.  I think you can handle it better than I did.  -June

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Obviously, I'm not a big reader of non-fiction.  But after listening to an interview with this author and reading some of the book reviews, I was anxious to read this one.  The story is all about the 1936 US Olympic Gold Medal Crew team.  They were just a bunch of kids attending the University of Washington - sons of farmers and blue color workers.  And they ended up competing against the east coast schools and ultimately went to Berlin and won in front of Hitler.  But history has ignored them up until now.  After the Olympics, they came home and finished college, got married, started families, and put those gold medals in the attic.

I learned a lot more about boats and rowing than I needed to know, but the author had obviously done his research.  The stories of the individual young men was well written and often heartbreaking.  I'm sure this will be a movie, but I almost don't want anyone to mess with this wonderful story.  Highly recommend.  -June

The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison

I really need to be better about posting right after I finish a book.  I loved this book and recommended it to several friends, but then forgot to write about it here.  And with my feeble memory...... well, I remember the book but some of the details have slipped away in the 5 or 6 weeks since I finished it.  Ahhh, senility.

This is one of those books that appeared on BookBub and sounded interesting and was very inexpensive.  And it turned out to be a good read.  This is the story of a man who is a high school teacher and coach.  He's married with a son; however, we quickly learn that his wife has been in an accident and is hospitalized.  Our beloved coach is accused of something and the trouble escalates.  I don't want to spoil it for you, but the case of characters is interesting and the relationship between the coach and his son is key to the book.  There's even a touch of technology there that the geek in me appreciated.  I recommend this one.  -June

Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin

I love listening to Maureen Corrigan on NPR's Fresh Air when she reviews books.  She does a wonderful job of describing a book, and I've found some great ones thanks to her.  Recently, she discussed the books by Laurie Colwin, an author from the 1970's who I'd never heard of but whose books looked somewhat familiar to me.
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/24/365227833/decades-later-laurie-colwins-books-will-not-let-you-down

Coincidentally, BookBub had one of Colwin's books on sale a few weeks later so I grabbed it for my Kindle.  Happy All the Time is a story about two young male long-time friends, Guido and Vincent, who are well educated, urban and a tad nerdy in an age that the word "nerdy" wasn't around.  Through the course of the book, they meet and fall in love with two very difficult women, Holly and Misty.  Both the women are aloof and distant while the two men are emotional and caring - an interesting twist on the typical stereotypes we usually see in books and in life.  

The plot?  Pretty nonexistent.  They meet, they marry, life goes on.  But we know these characters, their relationships and their many quirks.  The writing is clean - no flowery stuff here.  And even though this was written 30 years ago, it could have been written this year (with the exception of the non-stop smoking and the reference to public telephones).  I'd like to try reading one of her books about food which Maureen also refers to and likes. - June

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

What a story!  If only I could tolerate the author's writing!  But that story...... just so interesting.  Have you ever driven by one of those huge, old mental institutions?  There's one up in Traverse City, Michigan, and it is simply haunting.  A few years ago, a developer bought it and turned it into condos and restaurants.  While it's beautiful, I feel as if the souls of those who lived there might still be hanging around.  And I feel guilty sipping wine in the restaurant in the basement level where the patients did their laundry or were given shock treatments or worse.  But back to the book.

This is one of those books where we have two separate story lines that eventually merge.  The first story is about Izzy, a high school girl who is living with a new foster family because her mother is in prison after killing her father.  The second story is about Clara, a young woman who was sent to an insane asylum in the 1930s when her wealthy parents did not approve of her boyfriend.  As you can probably guess, the author jumps from one character to the other as we learn about the lives of both of these women.  Clara's story is tragic.  The institution where she is sent is horrific and the staff cruel and uncaring.  Izzy's story reads more like a teenage romance novel where the most popular girl is mean to her and the most popular boy is attracted to her.  But despite this, the story continued to be good.  But some of the writing just became too overly dramatic.  Here's a sample:

About three-quarters through the book in a section about Izzy, the author writes:
"Izzy steeled herself, her stomach clenching.  Her lungs felt like they were wavering inside her chest, as if at any second her organs were going to spasm once and shut down forever, leaving her dead on the floor."

In the very next chapter, the author describes Clara's feeling this way:
"Every time the thought crossed her mind that something horrible might have happened to him.... her chest felt hollow and cold, as if her lungs and heart were gone and she would drop dead at any second."

The events described in these two chapters are indeed traumatic, but I found these descriptions to be just over the top.  Way too much "dropping dead" and way too much time repeating the same emotional state over and over.  Despite it's faults, I continued to read and needed to know how it all turned out.  Would you imagine that it ends with a happy fairytale ending?  Surprise!  It does!  A little far-fetched but satisfying in a way too.  Recommend with reservations.  -June

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

This book should be required reading for anyone in academia.  Or anyone who has ever had to write letters of recommendation for people who you don't really recommend.  Or really this should be read by everyone because it is so darn funny.  The entire book is a series of letters written by an aging, cranky English professor.  It is so hysterical that I had to stop reading it in public because I was embarrassing myself as I laughed out loud.  The professor has an ex-wife, a girlfriend, and a department head also receive his rambling, witty correspondence.  But the best ones are his letters of recommendation.  (I can hear you laughing from here, BT)  -June

The Old Neighborhood by Avery Corman

This book came out in 1980, and I stumbled across it through Book Bub.  Lately I've found several good books that have popped up there, and the price is certainly right.  Some of the selections are pretty lame, but this one was definitely a winner.  It's all about Steve Robbins, a guy from The Bronx who wants to succeed in advertising.  We follow his career as he climbs the corporate ladder and achieves his dreams.  The author creates some wonderful characters and interjects humor throughout the story.  It's a quick read but I loved every page.  Highly recommend.  -June