The "Trump-Era" Required Reading List

I attempt to stay apolitical on this book blog, yet I decided it was time to share some books that will not only provide some education and provocative thinking, but also some salve to the souls for those of us profoundly worried about the direction of our country. Plus, I entertained myself by looking, and thinking back, over years' worth of reading:)

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carloton Abrams
Two of the great souls of modern times, being interviewed for days concerning the search for joy, this is palliative care for our wounded hearts.  Men of faith, who accept and love people of all faiths, as well as people who choose no faith, teach us that kindness and compassion will bring us more joy than money, power, and prestige. Could DT put this on his reading list?  Oh. that's right, he brags of not having read a book in years...sigh.






So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
A provocative and highly entertaining look at how social media bullies and wounds, how a person's reputation is destroyed in an instant, and even how the lack of shame provides its own protection. Our 'tweeter-in-chief' might want to actually pick up a book, this book, and receive some enlightenment.

Lexicon by Max Berry
A thriller that focuses on the power of words and how words are manipulated to seize power, control people, and yes, even commit murder.  It is a scary look at how fake news/words empower demagogues. Hmmm...let's be wary.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
If you have never read this classic, or you have not picked it up in years, you really should.  The parallels to today will pretty much freak you out.  It's a crazy plot line, spiraling in circles, satirizing WWII, government subsidy programs, the legal profession, the medical community, you name it - Heller skewers it. Think SNL on intellectual steroids!

Evicted  by Matthew Desmond
A deep expose on the housing issues in Milwaukee, that directly relate to issues of race and income inequality across our country today.  Heartbreaking, frustrating, infuriating, and ultimately extremely educational - highly recommend.

This is How it Always Is (fiction) by Laurie Frankel / Becoming Nicole:  The Transformation of an American Family (biography) by Amy Ellis Nutt
Two profoundly moving books that inform the reader on the powerful issues biologically, psychologically, socially, and emotionally on children and young teens who deal with gender dysphoria.  Our LGBTQ community needs love and support, not medieval laws that sanction them for close-minded reasons.

Grace:  A Novel by Natashia Deon / Beloved by Toni Morrison/ The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
A reminder of the true horror and degradation of slavery, and the powerful women who rise above - a reminder that though the new HUD secretary stated that "Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery," NO, slavery was a nightmare for hundreds of years, an institution whose effects are still felt today.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
A deeply moving and engrossing story of an NYU law professor, the Equal Justice Initiative he began and continues to run today in Alabama, and the corruption of our justice system for those who are young, who are mentally handicapped, or who are people of color.  You will never look at our justice system with the same set of glasses again, and you will be persuaded on the critical need for reform in our country.

Blood at the Root:  A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips
The story of a county in Georgia who purposefully and consistently kept black people out of their county for over one hundred years - a good reminder of what happens when people look the other way, say "it's not my business,' who forget that we are all members of the human race.

Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
Yes, if you want to understand rural Ohio and how the Democratic party and the economy left them behind over the last thirty years, this is your book.  It will also make you howl with laughter, as well as want to pull your hair out.  Well worth it!

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult/ Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Yes, racial bias exists.  No, no matter how 'enlightened' we are, we are prejudiced in some way, shape, or form, regardless of what race, social class, or income level we inhabit.  And yes, the history of black people, both in America and Africa, still impacts our living history of today. Two different takes on the issues of race, both well worth it.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman
I read this one the week after the election and it was just what I needed to assuage my wounded heart: a young woman whose life turns upside down in an instant, crawls her way back to life through her own dogged strength, intelligence, and the ever-changing tides of fate.

An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir
A fantasy series where the lower class is kept uneducated, the rich and powerful employ "Masks" to keep the peace through violence and intimidation, and rebellion is the only escape.  A modern take on the Fall of Rome, this should inspire us all to be the heroes needed in the coming four years.

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi
A story of a middle-class Afghani family destroyed by wars and upheaval in Kabul, forced to flee and become one of the millions of refugees, this is a story of a mother who must choose life on the run or the death of her children.  It is a powerful story of how fear and anger creates racial hatred towards people who need our kindness and compassion. It's a good thing to remember when we hear about the possibility of a "Muslim ban" or see video on television of the horrors of Aleppo.

Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh
A fiction book that delves deeply in how fracking impacts a mid-west community, this beautifully written novel will remind us of the need to protect our environment, that once it is gone it is not replaceable, that we must fight the climate deniers placed in the new cabinet, that our descendants' future literally depends on us wearing the super hero cape.

Harry Potter series, particularly the last three books by JK Rowling
Yes, I know...who hasn't read these?? But seriously, this is the ultimate hero's journey to defeat a truly evil, manipulative entity through greater intelligence, the loyalty of friends, and the power of love.  And besides, the females in the series are pretty much bad-asses, not just humans who should look beautiful so yes, go back and read HP - it will inspire you to pick up your metaphorical sword of Gryffindor and do battle for all that is good in our world.

December 3.0

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Another fabulous thriller by Lisa Jewell (publication date April), you need to put this on your to-be-read list for 2017.  This time around, Jewell strings together three disparate stories with threads that ultimately tie all the characters together.  First we meet funky Alice, a hapless mother of three, who lives in a small English beach town, rarely ahead on bills and looked at askance by both teachers and other parents.  When she sees a bedraggled man sitting on her beach in the rain, she invites him into her home...and thus the mystery begins.  Suffering from amnesia, his memory comes back in bits and pieces as he infiltrates Alice's life.  At the same time, we are also told of Lily, a young woman back in London, newly married to an 'interesting' man who has gone suddenly missing.  Interspersed through these two stories is the tale of decades earlier, of a family tragedy in 1993, covered up and hidden away for all these years.  Jewell does a stellar job of slowly spooling out the details, giving the reader hints and clues, as well as a few red herrings.  Her characters are complex, with combinations of reality, naivety, humor, evil, and psychoses. If you're looking for a solid thriller to wile away a rainy day, this is a clear winner.

Gilded Cage by Vic James
The debut of a notable new fantasy author has blown me away. This book kept me up late at night, gave me a few goosebumps, and completely enthralled me.  The story takes place in England, yet an England that is rather unrecognizable.  A few hundred years ago, a law was passed that the aristocracy, the Equals who have Skill (aka magical powers), decreed that commoners owed the landed gentry ten years of their lives in slavery.  Fast forward to modern times, and we see a family who is embarking on their decade of enslavement, having secured a spot at the oldest magical estate in the land.  However, when the day of departure comes, their son Luke is stolen away to a slave city, known to be dangerous and lawless.  Thus the story begins.  Not only is the setting unique and creative, the plot line exciting and full of curve balls, but the characters are rich and deep.  The Jardine sons are each unique and complex.  Luke, the family's son relegated to the slave city grows into a heroic rebel and don't let the daughter, Abi, fool you into complacency about her 'weakness.' The magical aristocracy has intriguing depth, as do the rebels who must fight against them. The only negative about this book is that the second book is not written yet; I will be first in line, guaranteed.


The Dry by Jane Harper
After hearing about this book on different blogs and literary sites, I am thrilled that Net Galley allowed me a copy in exchange for a review.  Set in Australia, in the severe drought of the Outback, Aaron Falk returns to his small childhood town for the funeral of his childhood friend who had committed suicide after allegedly murdering his wife and six year old son.  The distraught parents ask Falk, a Melbourne police officer, to work with the local constable to prove that their beloved son could not have committed such a heinous act.  The side characters are well-drawn and fully developed: Raco, the big-hearted and highly intelligent police captain; Gretchen, the faded high school beauty with secrets from the past; Mal Deacon and his creepy nephew, consummate no-goodniks with an evil bent; Ellie, Aaron's lost friend and love whose death and subsequent scandal chased the teenage Falk and his father from their home; the small town principal who worked with the murdered wife and has some inner demons; and the friendly barkeep who, in the style of the wild wild West, protects and defends the 'good guys.' Debut author Harper peels back the layers from the two deaths, one from twenty years past and one from the present, and ties the characters together in both surprising yet thoughtful ways.  This book kept me up late, turning pages, trying to figure out 'who dunnit' and left me 100% satisfied.  I will absolutely reach for another Jane Harper book in the future - well done!

Class by Lucinda Rosenfeld
Infuriating, frustrating, thought-provoking are the first words that come to my mind with this new book due out in January (thank you Net Galley for the advanced release copy).  First, the topic is provocative and should provide your book club with some juicy discussion topics.  This satire revolves around Karen, an overly-involved mother of an only child, bleeding heart do-gooder who works for an NGO, distracted wife with a shaky marriage, and constantly stressed and anxious over society and its perceptions of her.  Many times, I wanted to strangle Karen, and her whiny brat of a child; they are not particularly likable, but I'm pretty sure that was the point.  Thematically, the idea of social class is woven throughout the book, highlighting issues of equity amongst schools depending on their neighborhood and racial make-up, exposing the true feelings of parents and what is 'right' for whose kids, making the reader see one's self in so many of the characters that it becomes disconcerting.  Rosenfeld uses plot devices, such as finding new friends at school, navigating snarky PTA parents, infidelity in marriage, even embezzlement, to highlight much deeper issues. On the surface, this could be just a book about a mom who would do anything, and I mean anything, to make herself feel better about society and the class differences that exist.  However, delve deeper and talk about these issues and you will have one humdinger of a book discussion.  The topic of social class is one that garners much less discussion and examination than it should; I appreciated the author's courage and creativity in dealing with this topic.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
On the New York Times best Thriller/Mystery book list of 2016, this first novel by British write Clare Mackintosh deserves every accolade it has received.  This was the biggest "mind-f#*%" I have read since Gone Girl, and let's face it, every thriller these days seems to be judged by Gillian Flynn's masterpiece of 2014.  Finally, finally, a book actually lives up to that one. Here's the very short synopsis, otherwise I would give too much away: Jenna, a talented sculptor in small-town England is involved in a hit-and-run that kills a child.  In order to escape the agonies of the death of her child, she runs away to Wales.  Enough said.  I read this book obsessively and refused to lift my head up from the page until it was complete and I felt fully sated.  Excellent writing, intriguing and complex characters, and a chilling completion.  Need a good thriller for a rainy day or a vacation at the beach, DO NOT MISS this one, trust me!




The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
I have been a fan of Bohjalian for many years, with The Sandcastle Girls my personal favorite.  The ability this author has to explore a variety of themes and topics throughout his long writing history has always impressed me, moving from historical fiction, family drama, magic and surrealism. His latest book (publication date January 2017) is another of his very unique, at times disturbing, plot lines.  The book revolves around the idea of parasomnia, disturbances during sleep.  We meet the main players of the story, an 'ordinary' family in small town Vermont:  mom, who suffers from dangerous sleepwalking, having mysteriously disappeared from home weeks earlier; dad, a professor at a nearby elite college, finding comfort in a bottle and the keeper of secrets; Lianna, the oldest daughter who quits college to care for her family, desperate to find the answers of her mother's vanishing; and Paige, the youngest sister who doesn't seem to quite 'fit' in the family, with a private life of her own.  Throw in a hot detective named Gavin who Lianna is drawn to, and the story takes a strange turn.  As Bohjalian pulls in the idea of sleep sex surrounding the parasomnia, the ensuring  violence may be disturbing to some readers.  Ultimately, I did find the story fascinating, but it was not my favorite of his due to the inordinate amount of time given to the ideas of sex and sleep disorders, and I am not a prude when it comes to reading about the topic - it just was a weird turn for me.

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
Ah, the world of competitive gymnastics in small town America...a place rife with jealousy, violence, and the worst collection of parents ever.  This book drew me in immediately, seeing some of the same parents I stood next to on soccer pitches, watching their daughter play, thinking she was going to be the next Mia Hamm; I quickly learned to avoid those parents.  Megan Abbott does a stellar job of examining motives and desires in this expose/thriller.  The story revolves around the Knox family, having entered their daughter into this competitive world as a way to help her heal from a terrible accident that shave part of her foot off when she was just three years old. As Devon ages, she is found to be a gymnastics prodigy, thus directing the Knox family into an ugly world.  Father Eric becomes heavily involved in the booster club, willing to do anything to advance Devon's chances for the Olympics.  Mother Katie tries to pretend she's just following Devon's wishes, but as we dig deeper, we see Katie's own ego surrounding her daughter.  The poor, lonely, left-out son Drew is an excellent example of what happens to the less-talented child in a family that revolves around the 'winner.' A hit-and-run death galvanizes this crazy gymnastic club and the crazy really comes out then.  Abbott does a fantastic job of reeling out the clues and keeping us turning pages; my only complaint was the ending. I don't need perfectly wrapped denouements, particularly when the final scene while frustrating may make sense, but this ending left me wanting some kind of satisfaction that never came.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Short-listed for numerous book awards this year, this is a lovely short book about a unique relationship post-Civil War.  Crusty, curmudgeonly Colonol Kidd travels throughout Texas, reading the news of the world to a news-starved populace.  Yet, when given the chance to earn a goodly sum of money, he takes it - returning ten-year old Joanna back to her parents after living four years with the Kiowa natives.  This young girl no longer knows the English language, has been fully integrated into the Kiowa culture, and has no desire to return 'home' when she considers the tribe her family.  As the elderly soldier and the rebellious  young girl travel together, a beautiful relationship begins to develop.  They battle bad guys, native tribes, and gossipy, interfering women together, with humor and courage.  Listening on Audible, this was a delightful, short story.

December 2.0

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Seattle author Laurie Frankel weaves a powerful story of a family built outside the expected social constructs of 'family.'  Mom is the breadwinner, an ER doctor, and dad is a writer, storyteller, and equal caregiver for their family of five, four boys and baby Claude.  Yet as Claude grows, Rosie and Penn see their child as a shy, withdrawn little boy, not realizing that an extroverted, giggly little girl is dying to be seen outside the biological boundaries and rules.  As the story unfolds, we see the struggles of the family to help Claude become Poppy, we hear the ongoing metaphor of dad's fairytale of Grumwald and Princess Stephanie as these characters help the children navigate life, and we become completely enveloped in this family as the scene changes from Wisconsin, to Seattle, and even to Thailand.  The pressure on all the family members to keep Poppy's secret becomes unbearable, resulting in far more than what is expected.  Fascinating supporting characters bring even more magic to this story:  the delightful social worker, Mr. Tongo, who helps Penn and Rosie see parenting in an often hilarious yet realistic way; the quirky four boys in the family and how they embrace not only their new sister, but their own social oddities; and my personal favorite, K, the medic/nurse/refugee in Thailand who puts Claude/Poppy's life in perspective with Buddha and the multiple lives we live.  As Frankel weaves the fairytale motif throughout this gorgeous book, I was in awe of her ability to show us the depth of this family; often I found myself thinking "Yep, this is exactly how a family sounds after an awkward school dance." Laurie Frankel has written a beautiful new book, coming out January 24, with an author visit at Village Books here in Bellingham on January 27. I will be in the front row, ready to applaud this incredible story of what makes us family,  and of the message to love and accept and not to judge and condemn.

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Written in 2007 by a Canadian writer, this book won numerous awards and critical acclaims from our neighbors up north; the strength of the main character is breathtaking and inspiring.  Aminata Diallo is stolen from her African village in the 18th century, after watching both her parents killed by the slavers, and experiences the horrific journey overseas to the islands off South Carolina.  Working in the indigo fields, but taken in by the mistress and taught to read, Aminata has doors opened to her that are closed to the other slaves.  This sweeping historical fiction covers six decades of 'Meena's' life: her work as a midwife and scribe in Charleston, her escape to New York city, the exodus to Nova Scotia of the Loyalist slaves during the Revolutionary War, the new adventures to re-settle Sierra Leone by free men and women, and her work with the London-based abolitionists at the beginning of a new century.  Based on accurate and compelling historical accounts, Lawrence Hill creates a woman who is strong, intelligent, compassionate, loving, and the ultimate portrait of a survivor.

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
If I were to just scratch the surface, this is not my kind of book.  It has guns, and I mean a lot of guns; it begins with a child shooting a gun, chapters about each of the twelve bullet holes placed on Samuel Hawley's body, and minute description of his large gun collection.  However, below the surface, this is a powerful story of a wounded man, both physically and emotionally, loyalty to friends and family, and the unending search for love in this world.  I honestly did not think this book would be as deep as it became; I was figuring a bang-bang, shoot-em-up thriller, but I was so wrong.  The story swerves back and forth in time, spooling out the story of Hawley's life through each of his twelve wounds:  his beginning steps into the criminal world, the marriage and loss of his wife, his complicated relationship with his daughter and mother-in-law, and his search for heroism.  Tinti is a talented author, who uses the threads of Hercules and his twelve labors, the desire to be heroic when one is riddled with flaws, and the call of not only nature but the wisdom in the stars to show each character the way home, both literally and figuratively.  Do not put this book down, do not skim the surface and think it is a thriller - dive deep and swim through this rich and exciting book.  It is well worth your time.

My Last Lament by James William Brown

I had such high hopes for this book; set during an interesting time period and dealing with a different side of WWII, it unfortunately did not live up to expectations. The main lead, Aliki, tells the story of her life through a cassette tape recorder, always beginning with her current life in her village and then proceeding backwards in time to the 1940's in Greece. Brown's characterization never delves deeply enough for me to care about Aliki, nor to understand her love for Stelios, the young Jew who hides in her basement, or her relationship with Takis, a neighbor boy with serious mental issues. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for Brown to dive in, to force me to see these characters, to wish better for them, to want them to strive for more, to cheer them to survive, yet all I felt at the end of each chapter was "Meh." Not a reason to keep turning pages, unfortunately.

BEST of 2016

What a stunning year in publishing, particularly for debut authors.  Not all these books are from 2016; many are, but this list encapsulates what I chose to read in this past year and what, in the words of my old teaching days, "knocked my socks off!" If you are like me, that 'to-be-read' list never goes away so we often have to dive back into previous years and may have missed some jewels.  And while ties may be a form of 'cheating,' it is also a recognition of the amazing literature that I rolled around in this past year.  Thanks for being part of my on-line book club and for reading my often-wordy but always heart-felt reviews...a literate world makes me hopeful for the future:)

Fiction:
The Clay Girl by Heather Tucker:  An inspirational story of a dysfunctional family in the 1960's and the young girl who survives and thrives, and so beautifully written your highlighter should be in hand
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: A story of four friends and the decades of their friendship in New York City, a book I wept over and will be forever seared into my mind






Honorable Mention:

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens, The Heart by Maylis deKerangal, Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Historical Fiction:
Homegoing  by Yaa Gyasi: a debut novel written by a stunning new talent, Gyasi tells of each generation of two sisters over a span of 300 years, from slavery to rebellion to civil rights
Honorable Mention:
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton, The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore, Doc by Mary Doria Russell




Mystery/Thriller: 
The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6) by Tana French: the best of this mystery series by an accomplished Irish writer, two independent detectives search for answers in a vicious murder while they fight sexism and cronyism in their own squadroom
Honorable Mention:
The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley, Darktown by Thomas Mullen, The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin, The Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris,










Fantasy/Science Fiction:
The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: the sequel and end to last year's fantasy winner, Six of Crows, the sly, dangerous, funny, and always entertaining crew of thieves is back to save their members and the magical world of the grishna, all while still trying to get rich off their numerous schemes
Honorable Mention:
Shadow and Bone triology by Leigh Bardugo, Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger, The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold, #1) by Traci Chee, City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin, Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir, A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire #1) by Jessica Cluess







Memoir:
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi: The story of Paul's life and his subsequent early death from lunch cancer, this book will shred your heart and heal it, all at once (have a box of kleenex handy)
Becoming Nicole:  The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt: the true story of a transgender teenager and how her family not only learns to understand the nuanced transition that Nicole must make, but also how to be the heroes in her life
Honorable Mention:
After the Wind by Lou Kasischke






Non-Fiction:
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance: the story of a young man in rural Ohio, raised by his Mamaw and Papaw from West Virginia, and the inner workings of the largest sub-culture in America today
Honorable Mention:
Some Writer:  The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet, The Nine:  Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, So You've Been Publically Shamed by Jon Ronson, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond










Young Adult: 
Blood For Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) by Ryan Gaudin: the end to Gaudin's first heralded book, where the Axis powers won and Hitler must be assassinated, this sequel follows the complex trio of teenagers in their continued attempts on Hitler's life and power
Honorable Mention:  Jackaby by William Ritter, If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk, When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin











Middle Reader:
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan: a sweeping story across decades of time where a small boy from the Holocaust, two brothers from the Great Depression, and a little girl in a Japanese internment camp are all tied together by a very special harmonica
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley: the promise to a dying grandfather for a wish to be granted by the magical circus he once attended as a small boy sets two brave children off on an adventure that brings them answers to family secrets and a world they did not know exists
Honorable Mention:
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes, One Half From the East by Nadia Hashimi, Pax by Sara Pennypacker, The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

December Book Post

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Title Alert:  this book is NOT about religion or religious faith; it is about the faith in the human spirit to be strong, to withstand tragedy and change and heartbreak, to be able to accept and return love, to survive.  We meet Shelby at age 17, having survived a terrible car crash that left her best friend in a permanently vegetative state.  After months in a psychiatric ward where she is sexually assaulted, her mother rescues her and therein begins to road to recovery.  In order to assuage her guilt, Shelby shaves her head, turns her straight-A student persona into a drug-addicted, aimless, never-leaving-her-basement kind of girl.  Throughout the next ten years, we see Shelby as she tiptoes back into life, with a lot of help: her mother Sue, who sits in a loveless marriage and continues to prod her daughter towards love; Ben, the drug dealer who sees past the bald head and the potential inside both of them; Maravelle, the single mom of three children who shockingly decides Shelby is worth the effort of friendship; and the postcards that come anonymously throughout the years that remind her what life should be...do something, see something, believe something, dream something.  Throw in her adorable dogs that she rescues (okay, she actually steals them into a better life), and Hoffman has once again touched my heart.  Granted, she is one of my favorite authors, but occasionally our favs can let us down...but not this time.  This book is magic.

Hidden Figures by
The movie comes out on Christmas Day this year, so this is a fantastic book to get anyone in your family who loves space, flight, math, physics, and needs some women to admire and idolize.  My father used to hitch rides out to the local airfield just to stare at the planes, he flew bomber planes off of carriers in WWII, and worked on the first lunar orbiter during his time with Boeing; I grew up with stories about NASA, the moonshot, Sputnik, you name it, but I never heard about these courageous black women who changed the face of American engineering and enabled us to set foot on the moon. This book follows three amazing women from the 1930's through the 1960's:  Katherine Johnson, the first woman to have her name on a NASA research report; Dorothy Vaughn, the lead of the West section of computers at the early space and flight research center in Langley, Virginia; and Mary Jackson, who helped America catch up with Russia in the space race.  This book is filled with jaw-dropping stories of discrimination during the Jim Crow era, inspiring tales of women who respectfully, consistently, and strongly continued to demand their place at the table, and admiration for a group of people (politicians, astronauts, engineers, mathematicians, teachers, etc.) who looked past race and gender to create something bigger than humanity.  This book is just plain awesome.

The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander
I received this book for free through Net Galley in exchange for an honest evaluation so here it is.  A debut novel for Alexander, this is a solid first outing.  The plot premise is of high-interest, focusing on the Magdalen laundries run by the Catholic nuns in England and Ireland.  Teenage girls who were considered 'loose,' or distractingly pretty, or 'wild,' or all other ridiculously sexist reasons, were signed over to these laundries by their parents and basically imprisoned for the rest of their lives.  Alexander places the story in 1962, with three young women who were residents of a laundry in Dublin:  Teagan (aka Theresa) who catches the eye of a priest so is hidden away lest the priest succumb to her 'wiles,'; Nora (aka Monica), a perfectly normal rebellious teenage girl with alcoholic parents who want perfection; and Lea, an orphaned girl with special gifts who accepts her fate.  This triumvirate form a surprising bond in their prison and scheme to escape the lives set out for them by not only their parents, but the rigid expectations of a very Catholic society.  I read voraciously, finishing in just one day, but was ultimately a tad disappointed.  While realizing the inherent sexism of the time, I felt as if the author also dealt with the characters in a rather stereotypical way; I would have liked to see more authorial courage to deal with grittier themes.  In addition, throwing in some ghosts and religious 'sightings' in the last one third of the book was awkward.  If surrealism is going to be a part of the story, then thread the motif throughout the book; by throwing it in near the end, it seemed a bit of a cop-out.  Ultimately, I think this author has real potential and I look forward to his/her next book.

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
If I were to just scratch the surface, this is not my kind of book.  It has guns, and I mean a lot of guns; it begins with a child shooting a gun, chapters about each of the twelve bullet holes placed on Samuel Hawley's body, and minute description of his large gun collection.  However, below the surface, this is a powerful story of a wounded man, both physically and emotionally, loyalty to friends and family, and the unending search for love in this world.  I honestly did not think this book would be as deep as it became; I was figuring a bang-bang, shoot-em-up thriller, but I was so wrong.  The story swerves back and forth in time, spooling out the story of Hawley's life through each of his twelve wounds:  his beginning steps into the criminal world, the marriage and loss of his wife, his complicated relationship with his daughter and mother-in-law, and his search for heroism.  Tinti is a talented author, who uses the threads of Hercules and his twelve labors, the desire to be heroic when one is riddled with flaws, and the call of not only nature but the wisdom in the stars to show each character the way home, both literally and figuratively.  Do not put this book down, do not skim the surface and think it is a thriller - dive deep and swim through this rich and exciting book.  It is well worth your time.

Holiday Gift-Giving for Children/Teens

Buying books for young children through those teen years can be challenging at best.  So...here's some suggestions from my 2016 reading list that I would recommend:
TEENS
My Sister Rosa By Justine Larbalestier
Teenage boy with ten year old sociopathic sister - thriller, well-written, does have some profanity/sex, though not graphic details
A Shadow Bright and Burning By Jessica Cluess
If the child liked Harry Potter, here's the start of a new series for him/her - magicians in training, scary bad people, exciting plot, no sex/no profanity
An Ember in the Ashes (#1)/A Torch Against the Night (#2) By Sabaa Tahir
Great fantasy series with a trio of teens fighting some creepy spirits, female leads continue to get stronger as series goes on, great thrillers, no sex/no profanity
Six of Crows (#1)/Crooked Kingdom (#2) By Leigh Bardugo
Game of Throne (lite) meets Ocean's Eleven - favorite fantasy series for me, great mix of characters, exciting not scary, no sex/no profanity
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child By J.K. Rowling
Welcome back to the world of HP - well worth the trip!
Scythe(#1) By Neal Shusterman
Intense story of futuristic world for people who get to live multiple lives, yet some must be 'gleaned', new series, no sex, no profanity, lots of blood and violence but a real page-turner
Wolf By Wolf (#1)/Blood for Blood (#2) By Ryan Gaudin
Story of WWII is flipped with the Axis powers winning, powerful trio of teens as the lead, some fantasy in the idea of a skin-shifter, creative use of history, no profanity/minimal romance
Stealing Snow By Danielle Paige
Fantsy story of how the Snow Queen came to be, both exciting and humorous, no sex/no profanity
Heartless By Marissa Meyer
Author of the popular Lunar Chronicles, a new stand-alone about how the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland came to be so diabolical, fantastic fantasy, no sex/no profanity
The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold, #1): By Traci Chee
Fabulous new fantasy series wherein books and literature have disappeared from the world, yet one young girl holds the key.  Exciting page turner, no profanity/no sex
A Tyranny of Petticoats: By Jessica Spotswood
For every girl out there who still has big dreams, this is a collection of short stories by well-known female authors, that showcases strong female characters, no sex/no profanity/nice mix of history
Girl in the Blue Coat: By Monica Hesse
Story of the Holocaust in 1940's Amsterdam, conflicted female lead who gets pulled into the Resistance, well-researched historical fiction, no sex/no profanity
The Lie Tree:  By Frances Hardings
Scary gothic tale of an evil tree that listens to secrets and a young teenage girl whose family becomes enmeshed in its darkness, no sex/no profanity
If I Was Your Girl: By Meredith Russo
Powerful fiction story of a trangender teen who attempts to fit in at a new high school after her gender re-assignment surgery, powerful story that shows life can indeed get better, references to sex for obvious reasons
Jackaby (#1):  By William Ritter
Detective series from the turn of the century where the lead detective can see and talk to the spirits, strong female side-kick, no sex/no profanity
Shadow and Bone(#1), Siege and Storm(#2), Ruin and Rising(#3):  By Leigh Bardugo
Powerful fantasy series with smart, strong female/male leads, very scary bad guy, incredible cast of supporting characters, exciting page-turner, some romance/no profanity, I read all three books in just five days (it's obsessively good!)
Seraphina(#1):  By Rachel Hartman
Thought provoking fantasy story of a world where dragons are discriminated against and must disguise themselves in human shape, yet what happens when there is a 'bi-racial' dragon/human? No sex, a little romance, no profanity
The Walled City:  By Ryan Gaudin
Powerful story of a city where the criminals rule, strong female/male leads, thriller, page-turner, some sex due to the issues of sex trafficking, no profanity
Belzhar:  By Meg Wolitzer
Fictional story of a boarding school for students with 'issues,' some magical realism with a journal that takes them back in time, some romance
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family: By Amy Ellis Nutt
Incredible true story of a young transgender woman, who fought the Maine legislature for her rights, and a breathtaking transformation of her family and how they become Nicole's champions.  References to biological sex and gender identity, for obvious reasons / no profanity

MIDDLE READERS
(Notes on appropriateness is for both reading level/subject - all of these can be good read-alouds for struggling readers)
Echo: By Pam Munoz Ryan
Beautiful book with three story lines from the 1930-1940's, heroic, tough, smart children, and a magical harmonica that connects them all / thick book but big margins, appropriate for grades three and up
When Friendship Followed Me Home By Paul Griffin
Beautiful story of a friendship between a young boy with a tough life and a girl battling cancer, plus the coolest dog ever / appropriate for grades five and up
One Half From the East By Nadia Hashimi
Powerful story of Afghanistan and the tradition of dressing girls like boy, thoughtfully written but does bring up some tough topics, like the treatment of women and the privileges of the male gender, appropriate for grades four and up
Gertie's Leap to Greatness By Kate Beasley
Funny, heart-warming, sad, complicated - this is Gertie's life.  Fabulous read for grades three and up.
Circus Mirandus By Cassie Beasley
Beautiful fantasy story of a young boy who must save his grandfather by finding the magical circus who promised grandpa a miracle / female friend who helps the boy is strong, smart, and totally a boss, appropriate for grades three and up
Furthermore: By Tahereh Mafi
New fantasy book about a young girl whose magical skills are unclear, but who must save her father in the world he disappeared into long ago / pieces of many of the children's classics over the last hundred years, beautifully written, appropriate for grades four and up
Hour of the Bees: By Lindsay Eagar
Sad but powerful story of a family trying to help their grandfather move to assisted living after grandma dies, surrealism with the presence of bees and the magic that they bring, appropriate for grades three and up
Wolf Hollow: By Lauren Wolk
Rather dark story of friendship and bullies in the Appalachian mountains, critically acclaimed, appropriate for grades five and up
The War That Saved My Life: By Kimberly Bradly
Wonderful historical fiction about a young girl with a club foot who is moved to the countryside during the London Blitz / heartbreaking at times with a wicked mom but some beautiful heroic and human moments, appropriate for grades four and up
Some Writer:  By Melissa Sweet
Wonderful mix of graphics with letters, drawings, pictures, and words to tell the story of E.B. White and how his three children's books (Charlotte's Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, and Stuart Little) were born, appropriate for grades three and up and wonderful gift to give that elementary school teacher in your life
Pax:  By Sara Pennypacker
This book reminded me so much of Where the Red Fern Grows / heartbreaking story of a young boy and his fox, themes of war, appropriate for grades three and up
Towers Falling:  By Jewell Parker Rhodes
Fantastic story of how a fifth grade teacher in Brooklyn teaches his students about Sept. 11, 2001 / trio of smart, complex, multicultural lead characters who go on a trip of discovery, appropriate for grades three and up


PICTURE BOOKS
(There are SO many, but these were my three favorite 'go-to' books)
A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko
Black and white illustrations that are SO cool, wonderful story of a girl 'adopting' a dog, some words but not overly much, appropriate for age 3 and up
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex, Christian Robinson
The first day of school as told by the school itself, deals thoughtfully with fears of schools and all the new things kids see there, appropriate and perfect for pre-school through second grade
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, Christian Robinson
My favorite picture book, a story of a French bulldog puppy who was accidentally switched and is being raised by a French poodle family, wonderful themes of family and who 'fits,' appropriate for ages two and up
Thunder Boy Junior by Sheman Alexie (yes, the author of many adult books and YA), Yuyi Morales
Heartwarming story of a young Native boy who needs and wants his own name for his own identity, embraces his Native heritage, wonderful big colorful illustrations, appropriate for ages two and up

November books

The Clay Girl by Heather Tucker
Rave review by bookseller in our small-town independent bookstore magazine, highly rated on on-line book sites, yet little press for this debut author...all this combined to make this a book I was curious to read.  Thank goodness I did, as it turned into one of my favorite books of 2016.  DO NOT MISS this one (and yes, the capitals are there for good reason).  The story begins in Toronto in the 1960's with eight year old Harriet (aka Ari) whose father has committed suicide, mom has lost it, and they need to farm out the six sisters.  Ari then journeys to her stay with her lesbian aunts up north in Cape Breton, where she discovers the all-encompassing love of two amazing women, and the freedom of true childhood.  However, Ari's epically dysfunctional family pulls her back to Toronto, and we the readers watch her youth unfold over the next eight years.  Ari is funny, brilliant, artistic, loyal, compassionate, and just all-around heroic, but without being Pollyanna-esque.  The adults in her life, mainly a few caring teachers, remind us what just one influential person can do to change the trajectory of a child's life. Besides the well-drawn plot line and characters, Heather Tucker can seriously write; I highlighted so many beautiful lines, yet she does not get caught up in her own writing merely for the sake of showing off; she uses her words to more deeply flush out her story.  I laughed, I cried, and I felt my heart tugged in every direction.  I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Yep, I know...Jodi Picoult, the writer of great pop culture, page-turners, but is it literature? Yep, it sure is, and her latest brings the reader smack into the face of a hot, divisive, charged topic of today - racial bias and the divide that has roiled this country for centuries. The premise is charged with emotion:  a labor and delivery nurse is helping a pair of young parents with their newborn baby, and the father demands she not be allowed around his child due to her race.  When tragedy occurs with the newborn, legal action is set into motion.  Simple, right?  Yet Picoult attacks the idea not just of the insidious racial discrimination against blacks in our country, but the white nationalist movement, being a black teenage boy in America, discrimination in the workplace, and the reality of white privilege.  This is an explosive book that truly attempts to see all sides, as it is told through the eyes of not only the black nurse, but the Neo-Nazi father and the Ivy league-educated white lawyer. I highly recommend, particularly to book clubs who like provocative, meaty discussions.


And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Frederik Backman

Yes, one of my favorite authors is back, and this time it is a small novella he shares with the world.  The author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked You to Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here has now taken the heartfelt story of a grandfather, as he descends into Alzheimer's, and sees how the disease shapes his relationship with his young grandson.  As we look back into his past, we meet Ted, his son, and Noah, his wiser-than-his-years, sweet, loving, understanding grandson.  As Grandpa's world gets smaller, his memories get bigger, even as his confusion grows.  This is a lovely book to gift a friend or loved one who has dealt with dementia in their own family; it is a keeper.




Blood at the Root:  A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips

Did you know that Forsyth county in the state of Georgie remained all-white for almost 100 years? Yeah...me neither.  It is always amazing to me to read about our county's history that I never knew existed, especially in today's world of wikipedia and instant sources.  Back at the turn of the century, Forsyth county was similar to many other post-Civil War southern areas...an agrarian society, dependent upon the black farmers and house servants who kept the white economy rolling, and tied to the KKK and other white supremacist beliefs.  Both races lived in an uncertain wariness of the 'Other,' willing to divide towns and villages to live in relative peace with one another.  That is until a cry of rape and murder tore them apart.  As told by a man who was raised in Forsyth county from the 1980's on, this is the tale of how the blacks were not only expelled from this region, but kept out for decades.  It was as if time stood still in Forsyth for race relations, until dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century and knowledge of the civil rights movement smacked the residents in the face.  It is a provocative tale that reminds us of our not-so-distant past.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
We all know about Alice and her adventures, but what about the famous Queen of Hearts in Wonderland?  How ever did she become the wicked woman who shouts “Off with her head!” with the slightest provocation? Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles) combines the wit of Lewis Carroll’s language, a young woman’s secret desire for independence, treachery and intrigue in a magical court, an unwanted suitor, and a love that will go beyond the bounds of reason to explain the genesis of this famous literary character.  Meyers knows her Alice story extremely well, using numerous allusions and secondary characters from the familiar story.  This would be a great gift for that teenage girl in your life, or just a great entertaining book for anyone who loves YA.

Blood for Blood by Ryan Gaudin
Finally...the sequel to Wolf by Wolf, Gaudin's head-spinner novel that took the idea of WWII and twisted it, with Hitler and the Nazis coming out the winner.  The complex, brave, heroic Yael is back in this book, continuing to use her skills of skin-shifting, after being experimented upon in the camps, as are the two young men she raced against in the previous book.  Luka, the former victor, provides Yael with frustration, sassiness, and a little love interest, while Felix, the brother of the kidnapped girl who Yael shifts into while she tries to assassinate Hitler, is forced to make a life-changing decision - does he report the rebels to save his family, or does he support the cause of freedom? This is an exciting, can't-put-downable book that is a worthy 'second' to her first hit.  And yes, if you haven't read Wolf by Wolf, do it - this is one of my very favorite 'duals' in YA with complex characters, strong writing, and cliffhangers galore.

Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch
The 'freak shows' of the 19th century were infamous: Barnum's Tom Thumb and his wife, the siamese twins of the London circus, and the famous 'Ape Woman,' Julia Pastrana, who was the toast of Europe. Carol Birch has been nominated twice for the Man Booker prize, and this book reminds us why.  As she explores the life of Julia Pastrana, Birch also seeks the answer to what makes us human.  We see how Julia is exploited by both managers and audiences, by the hangers-on who want to see how 'human' she really is, and by physicians who poke and prod her throughout the years.  Interspersed among Julia's story, is also the story of Rose, a British woman in 1983, who struggles with relationships, abject poverty, and mental illness.  This is a fascinating book about a long-forgotten abuse of an intriguing, and very human woman.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
This is a compulsive read by an award-winning author, the first in a trilogy of a futuristic world where morality is a thing of the past, as is pain, disease, and torture.  The 'Cloud' has turned into the 'Thunderhead,' which takes care of everyone's needs and sets a person's clock back to any age desired, when one is feeling 'old.' (Not a bad program, right? Except in the wrong hands, of course!) However, there is one small hiccup...the need for population control.  Enter the Scythedom, a worldwide group of people, supposedly chosen for their intelligence, compassion, and honor, whose duty it is to glean a certain number of people every year to keep the numbers survivable.  Of course, rebellious, murder-loving Scythes unfortunately exist as well.  Twists and turns galore, bloody violence at times (yet with the ability to revive anyone who dies - kinda cool but painful), some amazing character development, and some deep philosophical thinking about immortality and death combines to make this a serious page-turner.

October 2.0

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

This is the latest by the author of Room (yes it was a book first before the award-winning movie), and it is a worthy attempt by Donoghue not to get pigeon-holed into one genre.  In her latest novel, the story is set in post-famine Ireland, in a small village where a young girl has not eaten in four months.  Due to righteous skepticism about this 'miracle,' the town council has hired two women to observe eleven-year old Anna O'Donnell:  one is a young widow, trained by the famous Florence Nightingale and recently back from the Crimea war, dedicated to the new modern ideas of nursing; the other is a stodgy nun who adheres to the council's admonitions to only observe, and not to get personally involved.  However, as Nurse Wright becomes drawn into Anna's life through her stories and conversations, she begins to see the consequences of this 'miraculous' girl.  A nosy reporter, an over-protective Irish mother, a dead brother, and a mysterious missing husband all combine to make this an intriguing and unique story.  The twisted ending may surprise you and it will definitely give a book club some intriguing topics to discuss.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

What a breath of fresh air this book is from young debut novelist, Brit Bennett.  Instead of the stereotypical inner-city, drug lords, high crime, overt racism of the urban landscape, Bennett gives us a thoughtful look at an African-American family in a southern California suburb, as her characters deal with issues of family and societal expectations.  Part of the uniqueness of this novel is the feeling of a Greek chorus, as the 'mothers' narrate parts of the story. These mothers are the older women of the black church called "Upper Room," that provides the central setting around which the story revolves.  We first meet Nadia Turner, as the mothers describe the teenage girl's relationship with the pastor's son and the constantly swirling rumors as the two become deeply involved with one another.  Add in Aubrey, the highly religious young woman with deep familial dysfunction and a co-dependent relationship with Nadia, and a deep and twisted triangle emerges.  Issues of prejudice, abuse, abortion, and religion pull the reader into the well-drawn plot line, and the complex characters that Bennett is able to develop only furthers these themes.  This is a provocative, well-written novel that would satisfy solitary readers and provide incredible conversation to any book club.

Nutshell by Ian McEwan

The author of Atonement, On Chesil Beach, and The Children Act is back with another thought-provoking novel.  Only 198 pages long, this is a short, wicked, rather nasty tale of a marriage gone wrong, an inappropriate love affair, and two morally reprehensible characters.  However, we have all read twisted tales like this so what makes this one different?  Why, the narrator, of course!  It is the nine-month fetus who sees and hears all: the news of the day, the visits of his father, the diabolical plans of Uncle Claude to murder said father, and the acquiescence of his beloved mother, Trudie.  And yes, for those of you familiar with Shakespeare's Hamlet, the allusions are obvious and wickedly accurate: the uncle who wants his brother's place, the weak wife, the fumbling naive father, the son who wants revenge but cannot make up his mind, the ghost who walks among the witnesses, and even a story of some mice (ie The Mousetrap play-within-a-play) that is highly creative.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, as the singular 24 hours unfolds to reveal the story of this small fetus and his 'entrance' into the modern world.  Highly original and creative, I highly recommend this lil book.

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

If you're looking for brain candy, this is it.  Read in just 24 hours, this is a dialogue-heavy, page-turner of a book.  Split between two narrators and two time periods, it is a look back at the famous Barbizon Hotel for Women in New York City.  Yes, the one where Sylvia Plath lived during her magazine internship, the one where famous models lived under strict rules, and the girls from small towns learning to be executive secretaries slept between long days of typing and short-hand classes.  In 1952, Darby escapes from the small town of Defiance, Ohio and is unfortunately placed on the hotel floor with the perfectly glossed and tressed Ford models, though Darby is here to learn the secretarial world.  She is drawn into the dark world of heroin and jazz music by the hotel maid, culminating in consequences she could never have foreseen.  Interspersed with Darby's tale, comes Rose, the girlfriend of a high-powered executive and a failed television anchor, and when suddenly cast out on her own, becomes obsessed with the mystery of the elderly woman who still occupies an apartment in the Barbizon building of condos.  This is a fluffy read that is just sheer entertainment.

An Ember in the Ashes / A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

I am always a sucker for a good series that engages history, fantasy, and some serious heroes and evil beings. Based on the fall of the Roman Empire, the plot line begins at Black Castle, where two of the three main characters, Elias and Helene, are finishing up their training to be "Masks," the most well-trained killers for the emperor's army.  Unbeknownst to them, the emperor is soon to die, so the mysterious sect that foretells the future decides to throw three of these soon-to-be graduates into a competition for the throne.  Add in a "Scholar" girl, Laia, whose entire culture has been murdered and decimated by the Empire, and whose brother needs to be saved from execution, and you've got the beginnings of a great series.  Author Sabaa Tahir, however, relies not just on historical allusion, but also imbues her story with magic, fantasy, and creatures from the underworld.  In the first book, I wanted a more powerful Laia, one who would fight for justice and stand up to the horrifyingly nasty commandant, but Tahir takes her time to build this character.  By Book Two, Helene, Elias, and Laia have found their hidden talents: Helene can sing people back to life, Elias communes with the dead, and Laia can control her visual appearance, as well as swing an wicked sword.  I was impressed with Tahir's patience to slowly develop these characters, to allow their circumstances to dictate how they learned to deal with sorrow and victory, and to weave magic and fantasy into a rather violent, military world.  I will be anxiously awaiting book number three.

October Books

The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
If you like exciting page-turning plots, rich and complex characters, and a fantasy setting rife with history, magic, and criminals, then this series is for you.  The finale to last year's huge hit Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo continues her Grisha series with great success.  The story begins where Crows leaves off - the gang of six has just pulled off the greatest heist ever, kidnapping the only chemist in the world who knows the secret of jurda parem, the drug that gives the magical Grisha unprecedented power, as well as an insatiable craving for more of the drug.  This time around, Kaz and his compadres must save the city of Ketterdam and their own hides before the bad guys get their hands on the recipe and destroy the world. Except now his members have a few different obstacles to overcome; the Grisha witch can no longer stop hearts, but she can wake the dead; the compulsive gambler has to explain to his father how he literally bet the family farm; the Fjerdian strongman who was raised to hate the Grisha has now fallen in love with one; and the Wraith, who can climb anything imaginable and appear like smoke, has an assassin on her tail. Think Ocean's Eleven meets Game of Thrones; criminals who have the power to make you root them on, relationships that are romantic, complex, and occasionally hilarious, and an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat. If you're the person who says "I don't read fantasy," this series is guaranteed to make you change your mind...trust me.

Some Writer by Melissa Sweet (Published October 2016)
If you ever read Charlotte's Web, you'll remember Charlotte's famous sayings, woven into her web, to try and save her friend Wilbur from the butcher's knife.  In Melissa Sweet's appropriately named book, she pens a tribute to the creator of some of our favorite childhood characters, as well as the most beautiful essayists of the 20th century, E.B. White.  In this lovely amalgamation of literature (a mix of hand-drawn illustrations, copies of White's own handwriting, photographs, etc.), Sweet shares the life of a beloved author.  I admit to goosebumps as I read how Stuart Little was born, as well as the critical reviews, and when White and his wife buy a farm up in Maine, and fill it with geese, sheep, and yes, pigs, it is obvious how Wilbur, Charlotte, and little Fern came to life.  My favorite, Louis from Trumpet of the Swan,  gets his just due as well.  Admittedly, these three books were truly part of the fabric of my childhood, as they were to my own two daughters.  Thus, this book enchanted me - all I need are some elementary age children for an audience and life would be perfect:)

Doc and Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
Hmmm...a Western...not the normal genre I gravitate towards, but there's always a first time.  It helped that the author is one of my favorites and she is coming to Village Books in November to talk about her books.  Her first novel, The Sparrow, was my first foray into sci-fi, and it is honestly one of my more memorable reads, with threads of the Jesuit religion drawing the story together, and a shocking ending that one never forgets.  After a sequel to this book, Russell changed direction and wrote a WWII novel, set within the Italian resistance, called Thread of Grace.  Next up, another shift  in Dreamers of the Day, as the world powers slice and dice the Middle East up to their own desires.  Then, Russell moves back in time to the iconic Wild Wild West with her companion books about Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp.  While it is not necessary to read one to understand and enjoy the other, I found that reading Doc definitely added to my depth of knowledge once I started into Epitaph.  (Note on the title:  love the nod to the name of the setting, Tombstone:)  John Henry Holliday, dentist not medical doctor, began life as a petted son of aristocratic southern planters, but his life turns West after a tuberculosis diagnosis.  In Doc, we see Holliday's complicated life of gambling, drinking, womanizing, as well as his relationship with the Earp brothers.  Epitaph unwinds the long, slow march towards the famous shootout at the O.K. corral.  Admittedly, I am a huge historical trivia buff, and I found much of this narrative utterly fascinating.  Mary Doria Russell is an expert at getting inside a character's head, walking us around to see every facet, and showing us 'heroes' with clay feet and 'bad guys' with redemptive qualities.  I highly recommend both books, as well as her talk at Village Books on November 2.

The Lost Girls by Heather Young
Written by a debut author, garnering tons of good reviews, this is a 'thriller' with some gothic tidbits thrown in, as well as a mystery with threads of domestic violence and abusive parental relationships.  Yep, it pretty much has it all.  The story is told by two narrators:  Lucy, an old woman who lives alone out at her family lake house in Minnesota, who is telling the story of their family's last summer together; and Justine, Lucy's great-niece, who inherits the house after Lucy's death and travels here to escape an abusive relationship. Back in the 1930's, the youngest child in the family, Emily, disappeared on the last day of summer.  This destroyed the family in so many ways, and forced Lucy and her sister Lilith to live forever at the lake house.  Upon Justine's return, decades letter, the mystery unspools itself, and introduces two suspicious brothers next door, a stalker boyfriend, and two unhappy little girls.  This is a good 'first novel' that will keep you turning pages.

Mischling by Affinity Konar
I am admittedly torn by this book.  On one hand, it is incredibly well-written for a debut writer, reminiscent of a Toni Morrison with beautiful words, sentences, and imagery that paints a beautiful, yet often disturbing picture.  Yet, the story feels disconnected and fragmented, needing more connections between story lines.  It is, however, an unforgettable book. It begins in 1945 when two identical twins travel in a cattle car with their mother and grandfather, arriving in Auschwitz, only to be chosen immediately by Josef Mengele to reside in his 'Zoo,'  Here, the girls are subjected to the most horrible experiments, and are witness and victim to extreme physical and emotional abuse.  Told through the eyes of each girl, Pearl and Stasha each have their own memories they are in charge of keeping.  Thus, when Pearl disappears, Stasha is left bereft.  Because of its tragic story line, writing style, and questions, I do think it would be a challenging book club book to discuss.



The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Chosen for Book of the Month club in September and earning rave reviews on GoodReads, I am baffled, flummoxed, puzzled, disappointed, you name it.  This book was arguably just plain terrible; paper-thin characters who spoke and acted in ways that demanded slapping, thin plot line with incredibly predictable 'twists,' and such bad writing that I honestly think my dog Enzo could have done better.  Blech blech blech!

September Books

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
The title alone was enough to pull me in...hillbillies are the largest subculture in our country today and they make an impact.  Vance begins his story by a disclaimer, that as a 31 year old, he's done nothing to warrant a memoir, except that his upbringing and cultural background gives others a much-needed window into a world known only by its residents.  Raised by Mamaw and Papaw, grandparents who moved from the hills of Kentucky to a small, industrial Ohio town, J.D. was faced with an entire litany of familial issues:  a drug-addicted mother who went through men like popsicles on a hot summer day, intense blood-related pride and honor that caused violence and arguments, extended family that helped raise him and mold him, lack of skills with money management and job retention, and a deep-seated sense of fear and mistrust towards government, social workers, anyone in authority.  I roared with laughter over some of Mamaw's salty comments and worldly advice, felt compassion for a way of life I knew nothing about until reading this book, and was utterly enthralled to see how a young, poor kid in the heartland of our country came to write this book.  Definitely a five star!

Darktown by Thomas Mullen
Back in 2006, Mullen wrote a fabulous book called The Last Town on Earth; it won some big awards, including debut book of the year.  I still remember it (story of an Everett, WA logging town during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1916).  His next two novels received solid reviews, but never quite 'caught on.'  Darktown could be a sleeper hit this fall, juxtaposing the reading world's love of a taut mystery along with the racial tension still prevalent today.  The story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia whose police chief has just commissioned the city's first black police officers, eight in total.  Jim Crow is alive and well, even as these ex-soldiers return from fighting in Europe.  The main character, Lucius Bogg, is a Morehouse graduate and son of a prominent preacher, raised in the segregated well-to-do black neighborhood.  His partner has a more realistic view of the issues of race, having been raised in a poor black neighborhood of Atlanta, as well as being part of General Patton's black tank battalion.  As these two new police officers try to maneuver their way through racist white policemen, the unwritten rules of headquarters, the lynch-happy country crowd, and the heroic expectations of their black community, they team up with a decent white officer to try and solve the murder of a young black woman.  This book is a heck of a ride, and I highly recommend it.

Lost and Gone Forever by Alex Grecian
If you read Grecian's first book, The Yard, then you are familiar with his cast of crew in the Scotland Yard murder squad circa 1890's.  He introduces Jack the Ripper in the very first of the series, and yes, Jack is still alive and kicking in his latest.  Jack is, however, not just a slasher of women; he is brilliant sociopath who is able to mesmerize his victims and force them to do his will.  In the latest installment of Jack's mischief, Inspector Walter Day has been missing for over a year, kept in captivity by Jack and searched for by his cast of supporters:  wife Claire, not a shrinking violet but a children's author and loyal wife; Neville Hammersmith, former partner and current private eye who always seems to survive violent attempts on his life; Fioana Kingsley and her father Dr. Kingsley, an early forensic scientist; and Hattie Pitt, an aspiring private eye who has her eye not only on solving a mysterious disappearance but also on Hammersmith himself.  I've read the entire series and I would vote this one as one of the very best - creepy mystery with great characters and a dark, yet somehow freakily likable bad guy.

The Other Half is East by Nadia Hashimi (Published September 2016)

Acclaimed author Nadia Hashimi (The Pearl that Broke Its Shell) has turned her attention to children's literature, and her first creation is beautiful.  Exploring the tradition of bacha posh, dressing your daughter as a boy, the life of Obayda who becomes Obayd unfolds, as does the friendship between two special children.  Obayd finds another 'bacha posh,' and forms a special bond with him.  However, when maturity hits, Obayd's friend must become a wife, shining a glaring light on the harsh world of Afghanistan and their treatment of women, as well as difficult issues of gender and one's identity.  It is a sensitive, thoughtful, inspiring book.