How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

Years ago, I read (and loved) This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. I remember the quirky characters and the wonderful dysfunctional family. So when How to Talk to a Widower appeared in my daily BookBub email for a great price, I bought it instantly. I decided I'd save it for a time when I needed a few laughs.

Recently the political news has put me in a funk, and so rather than watch cable news, I decided to spend my time reading this fabulous book. The novel centers around Doug who has lost his wife in a plane crash. He's mourning her loss and has basically spent the year since her death drinking and pushing everyone away. As the story progresses, we meet his family, his friends, and we see how his life might come back together.

But the writing...... the author is snarky and sarcastic and I simply love it! He writes about grief in a way that makes you feel his pain. The dialogue between the characters is quick and witty and probably somewhat unrealistic but still..... totally engaging and often laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it! - June

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

There are a handful of authors whose books I will grab immediately when they come out because I just know I want to read them: Richard Russo, John Irving.... and Anne Tyler. I can't describe what it is I love about her writing. Maybe if I could, I'd write my own novel! But her characters live in my mind for a long time after I put down one of her books.

If you are like some of my friends who like plot-driven novels, this is NOT for you. It's the story of  the life a woman, Willa, who we see at four different points in  her life: a young child, a college-aged woman, a 40-something, and a 60-something. Willa is a likable person, and definitely someone who tries hard to please others. When her family was struggling when she was a child, Willa had to accept responsibility and grow up quickly. She seems most comfortable when taking care of others and putting aside her own feelings.

The bulk of the book takes place when Willa is in her 60's and receives a call about a child who needs her help. Willa comes to her aid and in the process, meets a cast of characters who she grows to care about.

This is not my favorite Anne Tyler novel. However, I still loved it and will continue to read everything she writes. - June

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Here's a funny story. A book-loving friend sent me a few book recommendations and included a note saying Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I wrote her back and said that life is too short to read books that are just "fine" so I'll pass on that one. Ha! Good thing she responded and corrected me because Eleanor Oliphant is a whole lot more than just fine!

As we meet Eleanor in the book, we see a judgmental, socially awkward, and just plain weird woman in her late 20's living in Glasgow. There are times in the book where she will make you laugh, but when you begin to learn more about her life, your heart will break for her. It's a story about the power of friendship and impact that friends can have in changing your life. And how a person who is raised in a dysfunctional environment can overcome the trauma. Definitely read this one. -June

The Power by Naomi Alderman

I've said it before and I'll say it again and again.... I just love it when an author comes up with a unique idea... be it quirky or crazy.... and then pulls it off in a novel. Of course, one of my favorites in this department will always be Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. But I was prepared to dislike The Power. My Mother-Daughter book club selected this one, and it was one of the young Millennials who chose it. As she described it to the group, the Boomers were eye-rolling and trying to keep a neutral face. A few weeks later, one of my friends declared it to be "unreadable" and forced herself to finish it just so she could discuss her hatred for the book at our meeting.

Needless to say, my attitude was not positive as I opened it up. But I was pulled in... slowly at first, and then full on. I thought the obvious parallels the author drew between men having power over women and what might happen if this were reversed were brilliant. She described how men feared women and were afraid to walk the streets alone at night... something all of us know well. In this time of Me Too, this book was a perfect read and ideal for discussion. And it's one I never would have picked up on my own without someone pointing it out.  The goal of our book group is to share ideas across generations. Check that box for this book. - June

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Have I mentioned I just finished all six seasons of The Americans? Yes, that is why it has taken me months to get through this book.

This is the perfect book to take on an airplane. It doesn't require a lot of brainpower, but it certainly keeps your interest... especially once you get about 1/3 of the way into it. I was kind of lulled into a sense of predictability while reading this book and almost thinking I'd give up on it. And then WHAM! Things twisted all over the place! And then another twist and then another.

If you liked Gone Girl or all the other books that have been written since then that say they are similar to it, you'll love this one. I won't say more because I really can't without giving things away. But just hold on and enjoy the ride. - June

Bettyville by George Hodgman

This book is at once hilarious, poignant, insightful, clever, sad and you must read it!  I'll admit I bought it for my Kindle because the blurb stated that is was about a man going home from New York to a tiny town in Missouri to care for his aging mother (Betty) AND it was $1.99.  I'm only half way through, but feel strongly enough about it to recommend (demand?). - BT

A Few Recommendations from BT

I just finished a couple books I would recommend: Becoming Nicole (the "which bathroom should a transgender use?" case in the northeast that hit the news mid 2005'ish).  Not only is the narrative around the actual case fascinating, heart breaking, joyful, hopeful, depressing, but I also appreciated the physiological treatment of human sexuality.

I accidentally bought Before We Were Yours (by that I mean, I paid full price) and found the plot intriguing as I usually wonder how an author invents a plot, begins a tale sufficiently interesting enough to take you inside the story, then fleshes out the characters and adds enough twists to bring you to the end...even if the end seems a bit contrived.  How about that sentence?!? (Well, I just went to your blog because I wondered if you had read this. And, sure enough, not only had you read it but we agreed--and are, apparently, in the minority)

I read Go Set A Watchman and admit disappointment, but chide myself for that assessment since Harper Lee was older than we are when she finished it?  (And then she died.)  Disturbing but likely at least partially accurate depiction of the "post war" southern mentality.  It made me wonder if the popularity of  was, in part, due to the fabulous movie and Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, my hero...

I'm reading Open City...another "Best Book" selection.  We'll just see about that!😊 - BT

A Book of American Martyrs by Carol Joyce Oates

My sweet daughter-in-law gave me this novel for Christmas this year. She said she read reviews of the book and really thought I'd like it. Did she realize it is over 700 pages long when she ordered it? Yikes! I could hardly lift it! I've read other books by this author and I know she has an excellent reputation, but starting a book of this size takes courage..... and the realization that this will take some time. So I took it to Florida thinking I'd read it there. Never touched it. And although it is most certainly not a "beach book", I saved it for summer.

In the first chapter of the book, a doctor who works in a women's clinic and preforms abortions is gunned down by a member of a pro-life group. The murder is described in detail and the book moves in many directions from there. The author describes how this event affected both the family of the doctor and the family of the shooter, especially their daughters. While I would guess that the author is pro-choice, she does a wonderful job of presenting both sides to a very emotional issue.

Oates is a great writer; there is no doubt about this. However, the book could have used a bit more editing to get it down to a manageable size. But I did find that the more I got into the book, the more I liked it and became invested in all of the characters. When I get the chance, I'm sending this one to you, BT. I don't think I know anyone else who will take the time to read it other than you. And it's worth the time. -June

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

There's been a lot of buzz about this book ever since it came out last year. I've heard that it's something we should read to try to figure out how Trump's base thinks and why the people in Ohio and Kentucky flocked to support him. And I think it accomplished this. It does portray a family and way of life that certainly is different from what I know. For that, I was glad I read it. However, it wasn't an enjoyable read for me. -June

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

What's wrong with me? Everyone loves this book. It gets fabulous online reviews. My friends can't stop talking about it. At my book club, I was the only one out of 18 people who said, "It was just OK" as everyone else babbled on how it was their favorite book of the year.

It has two story lines and while I often like the technique of a current story and a story in a different time, I only liked one of the stories here. In the 1930's, southern children were being taken away from their parents, put in the Tennessee Children's Home, and then sold to wealthy families. This part of the story is true. In the novel, we follow one young girl, Rill, and her struggle to keep her siblings together through this horrible ordeal. This was a great story.

The second story line takes place in the present time and is about Avery Stafford, an attorney from a wealthy, political southern family, who is home to help her family through a health issue. She's engaged to marry a family friend, but it's oh-so-very clear from the moment she meets Trent that her fiance is toast. The author lost me when she went into detail on Trent's looks including his ripped abdomen. I knew then how Avery's story would end. I love a good love story, but this one was just too predictable.

But then I'm the only one on the planet who questions this novel. I suppose you should read it and decide for yourself. Or just read the parts about Rill and skip over Avery. - June

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore

I don't usually choose to read short stories. They remind me of reading assignment in school where we had a huge literature anthology that included poems, essays, and short stories all bound together. I only remember The Lottery; the rest are forgotten. Give me a nice juicy novel to get lost in any day!

My book club reads novels and non-fiction, and to my knowledge, they have never read a book of short stories. So I proposed this one not having read it and only knowing that it gets great reviews. And it was supposed to be funny. I love funny. But when I read a review and I heard what the stories were about........ a woman who accidentally killed a baby, a couple finds out their young son has cancer..... I thought that there could be no way that this book has humor. I was so wrong! I can't begin to count the number of times I laughed out loud one minute and nearly cried the next.

Here's just a little example:

"Where am I from?" Agnes said it softly. "Iowa." She had a tendency not to speak up.
"Where?" The woman scowled, bewildered.
"Iowa," Agnes repeated loudly.
The woman in black touched Agnes's wrist and leaned in confidentially. She moved her mouth in a concerned and exaggerated way, like a facial exercise. "No, dear," she said. "Here we say O-hi-o."

Lorrie Moore is my new hero, and I'm determined to read everything she writes. She lives just miles from here in Madison, and I want to be her best friend. I have always had a quirky sense of humor, but so does Lorrie, so I know we could get along. She is a fabulous writer who can pack so much into just one or two sentences.

Here's a quote from one story about infidelity:

Holding fast to her little patch of marital ground, she’d watched as his lovers floated through like ballerinas, or dandelion down, all of them sudden and fleeting, as if they were calendar girls ripped monthly by the same mysterious calendar-ripping wind that hurried time along in old movies. Hello! Good-bye! Ha! Ha! Ha! What did Ruth care now? Those girls were over and gone. The key to marriage, she concluded, was just not to take the thing too personally.

Please read this, BT. I could hear you laughing with me as I read this and I want to know you really are. - June

 

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

There are some books that take so long to develop, that I'm tempted to put it aside. As I read this beautiful novel, I admired the exquisite writing but I just was having a hard time picking it up - and was finding it was way to easy to put it down. I almost gave up. BUT I'm so glad I didn't.

The first half of the book introduces the main characters: Yun Ling Teoh, a retired judge who has returned to Malaysia; Maritomo, a renowned Japanese gardner; Magnus, a tea farmer who lives in the Malaysian Highlands, and more. The first half of the book leaves a lot of questions in the mind of the reader. The author jumps around to different times without any headings or other indications that he's now 30 years ahead or behind. And then there's the foreign words that are a mystery. And things are stated but never explained.

But then suddenly the questions start to be answered and the author fills in the holes. And it's wonderful! When my book club met to discuss this book, we all felt that this was a book worth the wait and requires patience. There are so many wonderful themes but I loved the parts about memories and what we remember and what we wish to forget. Just a special, beautifully poetic book. - June