The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Between the new Hosseini book and this book by Daniel Brown, it is shaping up to be a phenomenal summer of reading.  As soon as I read the review of The Boys in the Boat, I thought of my husband, a UW alumna who bleeds purple, gets cranky on game day if the football team loses (tho that has been rather frequent the last few years), and spent a few years in the Greek system going to the Opening Day crew races.  The birth of this book began when author Daniel Brown was called over to the home of a neighbor, whose father Joe Rantz, was dying and wanted to meet the author of some of the books he had enjoyed.  Unbeknownst to Brown, Rantz was a gold-medal winner of the 8-man crew boat produced by the University of Washington in 1936.  Unbeknownst to me, crew-racing was one of the most watched and most followed sports in the first half of the 20th century.  As Brown listened to Joe, and his daughter Judy's stories, he realized...there's a book in here.  And boy, was he right.  From the second paragraph of the book, you know the boys win the gold.  However, Brown writes in such a gripping, emotional manner, I found myself on the edge of the couch, almost cheering aloud to pick up the pace, to beat the Germans, to WIN.  Obsessively reading over just three days, this is my favorite non-fiction I have read since Unbroken.  It is a story of poor young men, who have nothing but their heart, their muscles, and their will to pull them across the finish line.  Brown does a masterful job of not only relating the story of the boat races, but also of the background of Joe Rantz and the others - the poverty during the Great Depression, the conditions of Seattle and the UW in the 1930's, even the digging of the Coulee Dam.  Knowing less than nothing about the art of rowing, I am humbled and in awe of what oar men and women do.  And next April, when Opening Day at the UW begins on the Montlake Cut, I plan on being there, to honor the Boys in the Boat.  Inspirational, emotional, and unbelievable in parts, DO NOT miss this book and give
it to a member of your family who loves not only the University of Washington, but who loves the art of sport and the heart of competition.

Baker Street mysteries

The Baker Street Letters and The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson

As a lifelong mystery junkie, you'd think I would know something about Sherlock Holmes, but alas, besides the name of his famous sidekick and the recent movies with Robert Downey Jr., I am ignorant. Regardless, these two delightful books by Michael Robertson will please any mystery fan.  The title comes from the offices of Sherlock Holmes, who resided at 220 Baker Street.  The main characters in this series, Reginald Heath and his dippy brother Nigel, have settled their law firm into the same office suite as the fictional character.  Ignoring the finer details of their lease, the brothers soon come to find out that part of the agreement is to respond to the bizarre letters that come to their office, addressed to the fictional detective.  In the first book, this bizarre expectation takes them to Los Angeles, involving them in some high stakes real estate deal, while the second one has them dealing with a woman who believes herself to be Holmes' arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty.  The mysteries are quite intriguing, and very difficult to figure out ahead of time.  Dryly and wickedly funny, intelligently written, and purely British, I was engrossed with these short books.  Reginald Heath is an uptight London barrister, who cannot quite figure out his relationship with the beautiful red-headed actress, Laura, who winds up being smarter than either of the two brothers. Listening to these two books on audible.com was purely delightful; I could not wait to walk the dog or drive in the car, just to listen to the exploits of all these delicious characters, read in an upper-crust English accent.  I hope to see many, many more of Robertson's books with Reggie, Nigel, and Laura nosing their way through complex mysteries, and sorting through their personal relationships in the appropriately distant British fashion.

And the Mountains Echoed

For those of you who cried over The Kite Runner and agonized with the women of A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini is finally back with his third novel.  I am always impressed with an author who bides his time after a huge bestseller, and comes back to write another masterpiece instead of churning out, shall we say, crap, for the next few years just to make a buck?  You know some of the authors I'm talking about (ahem...go read John Grisham's first novel - it was brilliant - then see what happened).  Regardless, Hosseini spent the requisite time needed to write another heart-wrenching, page-turning, humdinger of a novel. He takes us back once again to Afghanistan, but if you think you've heard it all in his previous two books, think again.  This time, Hosseini weaves numerous stories together - an Afghan warlord, a refugee family in America, a 'French' mathematics professor, a Greek doctor, a disfigured woman - but the story begins and ends with a brother and his beloved little sister.  It's that childhood trick of blowing the dandelion seeds to the wind; in this book, we ultimately see where they all land, and the fewer than 'six degrees of separation' we all share.  I have not shed a tear over a book probably since Dumbledore died, but And the Mountains Echoed did me in.  It rips your heart to shreds in many parts, but it has realism, love, and redemption throughout as well.  I would not suggest putting this book down and picking it up later; you tend to lose the threads of all the stories, and you really don't want to - trust me.  Take a few days this summer and return to Afghanistan...you won't forget the trip.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
If you liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, then this one is your cup of tea, minus some of the stomach-churning sex crimes and alternative lifestyles from Girl.  Set in Copenhagen, Carl Mork is a cranky, embittered Danish policeman, whose partner has been paralyzed, his other partner killed, and bad publicity in the newspapers for a drug bust gone bad.  So, of course, his incompetent and unethical superiors create a new job for Carl, head of the new Department Q, in charge of 'lost cause cases.' Carl and his mysterious Syrian sidekick begin to investigate the disappearance five years ago, of a popular politician.  As we find out more about her accident and her family background, we are sucked into the search for the truth, just as Carl is.  Well written, amusing at times, and thoughtful segues between the past and the present, the Department Q books are on my list as future books to read, especially for those of us who love a good mystery.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker
First, you need to purchase this book in hardback just because it is incredibly beautiful; like books of old, it has gilt lettering and pages edged in dark blue...beautiful.  More importantly, buy this book because it is pretty awesome.  Hard to categorize, Wecker's first novel is part fantasy, part folklore, and part historical fiction, but mostly it is a story of a friendship between a Middle Eastern mythical creature, Ahmed the Jinni, and a Hebraic creature of mystical Judaism named Chava.  And yes, I do see the irony of this as we continuously see the current political situation in the Middle East.  Yet there is nothing political whatsoever in this book.  The story takes us to 1899 New York City, into the boroughs of the Jewish refugees as well as Little Syria.  We meet the coffee house hostess, the tinsmith who employs Ahmed, the society girl who loves him, and the 'crazy' ice cream maker who can 'see' Ahmed.  Once Chava and Ahmed meet, the story deepens as the two creatures who belong nowhere, forge a friendship.  This story is unpredictable, uniquely creative, and beautifully researched and written.  I suspect Helen Wecker will be writing some masterpieces in the years to come; this is a great beginning.

Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer
If you are going on a long road trip and need a good series of books to listen to, the 'Harry Clifton' series by Jeffrey Archer is a good bet.  With that said, I would not recommend reading them.  They are not particularly well written, but the story is awfully good and the British narrator is perfectly delightful, so they are a great 'listen.'  This third book in the series is just as good as the previous two (written about previously on this blog).  The story continues to follow Harry and Emma, now married and parents of two, as well as the brother-in-law Giles Barrington and their nemesis from the the war, Captain Alex Fisher.  We also get to know the rather tempestuous son of Harry, Sebastian Clifton.  I admit...I'm a sucker for stories of British aristocracy, boarding schools, and the bad guys getting their due.  The only frustration is the total cliff-hanger this book leaves - I was assuming this series was a trilogy - obviously not, per the last page.  Happy listening!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Typically, I do not write reviews of the books I read and teach in my high school English class.  However, I must make an exception with this classic.  Having been over ten years since last teaching TKAM, I had not forgotten how much I love this book, but I had not remembered to fully appreciate the beauty of the writing and the pure unadulterated pleasure of re-reading this book.  The manner in which Lee weaves together the childhood stories of Boo, the community of Maycomb, the trial of Tom Robinson and the prejudice of the townspeople, and the loss of innocence of Scout, Jem, and Dill is just pure brilliance.  Reading the final chapter, as Scout reflects on the previous two years as she stands on Boo's porch and then curls up on Atticus' lap, my heart could recognize the pureness of this story.  Instead of creepy murder mysteries where you want to take a shower after you finish, or twisted stories of human nature and love gone wrong, To Kill a Mockingbird is just one of those books that as you put it down, you just want to try harder, be a better person, stand up for what's right.  If you have never read it, or haven't picked it up in years, do yourself a favor and take a trip to Maycomb and the world of Scout Finch.

Scout, Atticus, and Boo by Mary Murphy

This book was written after a documentary was made, celebrating To Kill a Mockingbird's fiftieth anniversary.  After spending all its life on the best-seller list, being the only book ever written by Harper Lee, and being instrumental in the beginning of the civil rights movements of the 1960's, there's a lot to be said about this book.  Murphy interviews a huge variety of people, ranging from other famous authors, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, the curator of the museum in Lee's hometown, and even her 98 year old sister, Alice.  The one person you will not hear from is...Nelle Harper Lee herself, the original 'Boo.'  I found the trivia and insight into both the book and the 1963 movie quite fascinating, but then again, I love trivia and historical background.  If you love TKAM, you may find it as interesting as I did.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
If you like dance, art, and Paris, you will like this book.  Historical fiction, it follows the story of a little dancer at the Paris ballet in the 19th century.  Degas, the famous impressionist who was part of the realist movement, chose little Marie as a model one day.  Ultimately, he created one of his most famous pieces from the time spent with her.  However, the focus is actually not on the artistic world of the painters, but more on the life of these young girls and how they are treated by the Parisian ballet.  The ballet moms are like today's helicopter moms, but on steroids.  Walking on the side of abuse, as well as sexual harassment, the story is told from two sister's point of view, with one as a successful dancer and model, and the elder sister who has taken a dangerous, addictive turn.  Melancholy at times, but fascinating in the life of the ballet, it is an intriguing story.