November

Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom by Ariel Burger
Having taught Night, Elie Wiesel's first book chronicling his horrific time in Auschwitz, I could not wait to get this book into my hands. Ariel Burger was Wiesel's student for more than two decades and had a front row view of his teacher: his philosophies, his faith, and his extraordinary ability to open a classroom wide for his students. What I would have given to be a member of one of Professor Wiesel's classes - what a gift he was to this world. Admittedly, at times I got a bit bogged down in the story of Burger's search for his life direction, but I could understand those diversions better as the ending developed. Ariel Burger did outstanding research, and gave us a very personal look at this heroic man, giving him some feet of clay and reminding us that Wiesel was human. This book is a 'must-read,' 'must-have,' in a teacher's hands who uses Night in their classroom, as well as anyone who wants to see the power of learning, the power of love through forgiveness, and the power of the search for meaning through the questioning of life.

One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying our Democracy by Carol Anderson
This is the most most important book to read in the context of what is going on today in America. I find myself frustrated and angry when I listen to the news, so I stop. Burying my head in the sand, however, is not the answer. So once again I went searching for some answers in the place I depend upon: books. This short book by Carol Anderson, recommended by both President Obama and former AG Eric Holder, is a fascinating look at what has happened to the voting rights of all Americans over the past decade. It also looks at the history of of the past one hundred years, including the poll taxes, the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I will now think twice before blaming "those people" who chose not to vote in 2016. I have a deeper knowledge of the systematic manner in which voting rights have been stolen from millions of Americans, especially those who live in poverty and/or are people of color: the purging of voter rolls, voter suppression campaigns through social media, the removal of polling places and places to register, the myth of voter fraud, and the illegal use of voter ID laws. Do yourself a favor and read this book (I listened to it - excellent narrator); the facts found here will arm you for the fight in front of America.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Having heard about this book all last year, I finally got around to picking it up and YES, it is worth it. Set in New York City, in a lovely brownstone near Columbia University, the mysterious story slowly introduces its characters: Anna Fox, severe agoraphobic, alcoholic, retired child psychiatrist; the handyman who lives in Anna's basement - handsome, wild, mysterious; Anna's husband and child, who no longer live in the house with Anna but whose conversations pepper the story; and the new neighbors, the Russells, who Anna fears are involved with dark secrets and violence as she spies on them through her window. This book had me chasing lots of clues down the wrong hallways and kept me reading voraciously far past my bedtime. Highly recommend this one -it will not disappoint you.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
The story of the Iliad, but told from the woman's point of view? Perfect timing for me, as I read it during the Kavanaugh hearings and could place my anger into Briseis' hands, and not into my own anger backpack. Do you have to know the story of Helen, of Agamemnon, of Achilles, to enjoy this book? Absolutely not. In fact, it is a spectacular introduction to the foundation on which much of western literature is based. However, if you do know the story, you will find it even more enjoyable. The traditional version is of Achille's anger when his slave girl Briseis is taken from him by Agamemnon, thus leading to Achille's temper tantrum and his refusal to fight for the Greeks on the plains of Troy, all about taking back the beautiful Helen. However, author Pat Barker has her own opinion of how the story actually played out, and in this one, the truth of rape, war, deception, and loyalty is revealed in the most beautiful prose. I was gripped by Briseis' voice as she told of her kidnapping, her enslavement, her life with the famous Achilles and his friend Patroclus, and the choices she was forced to make to survive. Pat Barker is famous for her Regeneration trilogy on WWI with it's strong anti-war message; this book continues these themes, and develops further the consequences of war on the women and children of the occupied country. Highly highly recommend!

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear
The first book by debut British author Caz Frear was chosen by Book of the Month and it is well-deserving of the honor. First in a series about a female British copper,  Detective Cat Kinsella is a complex, intriguing, and authentic character. We meet her at a murder scene of young woman who happens to live close to Cat's father's pub. As the mystery pulls in a disappearance of a young woman Cat's family had known long ago in Ireland, the dark side of the family is exposed. Her father's connection to the underworld, her sister's friendship with the missing girl, and Cat's own knowledge of events on the fateful day years ago all lead to more questions than answers as Cat and her partner try to solve the mystery of the present-day murder. It took me until the bitter end to figure out 'whodunnit' in the most satisfying manner. Well done to a first time author!

October 2.0

The Library Book by Susan Orlean
My grandmother was a university librarian, my first babysitter was the county library, and my first crush was Mrs. Pyle, my school librarian who wore purple earrings and chose me to stamp the date cards. So yes, I am a lover of libraries and everything about them; so is Susan Orlean. This New Yorker writer has a few bestsellers (think Orchid Thief) and her latest is sure to please many bibliophiles. Revolving around the story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central library, this is a love letter to all things "library" - the history, the buildings, the administrators, and the frontline people who devote their lives to books, as well as some investigative journalism over 'whodunnit.' I cannot tell you how many lines I highlighted or how many times I gasped aloud at the fascinating trivia on either Los Angeles or the library itself. I found this book completely engrossing, utterly fascinating, and extraordinarily well-researched. Highly recommend to anyone who has a love affair with books.

A Well-Behaved Woman  by Therese Anne Fowler
I have been chomping at the bit to start this novel, as I loved Fowler's first book Z about Zelda Fitzgerald, and having read a non-fiction book on the Vanderbilts last year, I was curious as to a historical-fiction look at their lives. Alva Vanderbilt, wife to the patriarch's second grandson, is used to build the story. Alva comes from an old Southern family, must marry wealthy to support her sisters, and ultimately shows the deep and desperate climb up the social ladder of New York, to ensure that the family sits atop with the Astors. Ultimately, I was rather disappointed in this book. For the first two-thirds, it is a looooong litany of the social climbing, the back-stabbing, the petty insults, the family feuding over money with little deep character development. Alva is not admirable, nor is she detestable; she is just 'meh' for me. I wanted to better understand her ultimate transformation - what drove her to give up her drive for social status? With a weak plot line, I quite frankly found it rather boring. Six pages on the description of the costumes and conversation at her famous ball was overkill. The last third of the book was more interesting as we see Alva breaking free of society's rules, becoming involved in the suffragette's movement. After reading the notes at the end concerning Alva's latter years, I wish the story had included more of that as it would have been a more compelling read for me. Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
The first in a trilogy, this Viking saga is pretty awesome. Granted, I grew up being read The Tales of Asgard by a mother with Norwegian ancestry, but it does not matter your background as long as you like heroic wartimes, some blood and gore, and some battled-tested characters. Brother and sister, Ragnvald and Svanhild, (yes, names are brutally difficult and hard to keep track of at first) are in a bad situation in 9th century Norway: grandpa was a stud but dad was an idiot, mom remarried dishonorable man, arguments ensue and both siblings must find their own way in the world. For the record, really not easy if you're a woman. Svanhild must form an alliance with Solvi, a complicated occasionally unlikable but disarmingly charming hero (or is he an anti-hero?). Ragnvald, in his search for glory, has to figure out which king to swear allegiance to and who is ultimately going to prevail in their quest to bring Norway under one rule. If you like GOT, or the stories of Thor and other swashbuckling heroes, and if you like a girl who has to use whatever skills she has in the time period in which she lives to survive, you'll like this book.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Yes, it took me far to long to finally pick up this book after all the rave reviews for the last two years. Question is...are the reviews correct? Is it amazing? Here's my two cents. First, the narrator and main character, Count Alexander Rostov is quite lovely. After returning to Russia in 1922, he is tried, convicted, and put under 'house' arrest at the Metropol hotel in Moscow. The Count is witty, intelligent, introspective, curious, and kind. He creates for himself, in this new life within four walls, a microcosm of society that is fascinating to watch unfold. His friendships with a famous actress, a young girl, the head chef, a Politburo member all contribute to a shockingly full life lived within the confines of a hotel. And when another little girl enters Rostov's world, his heart grows even more full. While I thoroughly enjoyed 2/3rds of this book, I will say it got a bit long and verbose for me. Plot-thin at times, it is definitely a character-driven novel and luckily, the Count is as delightful a main character as you can find. It would definitely be a intriguing, if long, book club choice.

House of Gold by Natasha Solomons
Based loosely on the famous Rothschild family, showing their power and ties with all the European countries and royal families, it is now the Goldsteins as the family members get pulled into WWI with their Austrian and British families on opposite side of a conflict that neither support. On one hand, I was pulled into the characters of Otto and Greta, the Austrian siblings, and Albert, the son and heir of the British banking side. The slow love story of Greta and Albert is compelling, and Otto's wartime friendship with a Jewish orphan is powerful. Yet the story moves too slowly for me, as the war slowly begins; I found the second half more powerful once the war finally begins. Admittedly, I am also not a lover of gardening so the pages and pages of garden description and yard work is a bit too much for me. This book was full of interesting historical detail, focused on an extremely privileged family at a traumatic moment in 19th century history, yet also drew in at times how this war impacted people of poverty.  Overall, I enjoyed the book but do wish it had been a bit shorter. Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

October

Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2)by Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor is one of the very best YA fantasy writers of today, and I use the YA category cautiously as her writing is so gorgeous, so lyrical, so evocative that her books could occupy adult fiction shelves as well. The first one in this series, Strange the Dreamer, has over 30,00 reviews on Goodreads with an average of 4.3 stars...and that's in just a year and a half. Seriously, she is that good. In the second book, Taylor outdoes herself again. In this world of heroic characters illustrated through warriors, mothers, gods, and monsters, one sees every human emotion. Lazlo, the scholarly orphan with deep secrets, is back once again, as he searches for the answer to who he is. Sarai, the goddess of dreams and nightmares, is one of the most beautiful, as well as the most heartbreaking characters in fantasy today. Using these two characters, Taylor shows us a creation of worlds, of wrenching decisions, of love lost and re-found, and of towering heroism. And if you typically say, "I don't read fantasy," as I used to, I would challenge you to try this series; I suspect you would fall madly in love with this world of beauty just as I have.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Best-selling author Picoult has taken on many controversial issues: school shooter, transplants amongst family members, hidden Nazis, suicide, racism, etc. Using a unique timeline, the plot involves an abortion clinic shooting, unspooling backwards, beginning at the conclusion of the standoff and ending with the first hour of the terror. Each chapter is one hour, as we see into the minds of each occupant of the clinic during that hour: the traveling doctor, the nurse, the aunt with a young niece, the swat team cop who is the niece's father, the anti-abortion protester as well as a young woman having an abortion, the retired college professor, and the shooter himself. One might think repetition would occur, but instead it forces the reader to look at his/her own prejudices and assumptions. This is a powerful story, that shows that emotions run deep around the issues of choice. We see that one's past provokes action in one's today, that both right and wrong answers exist, that finding the grey area is the only way to open one's ears and listen, and that the past can give us many of the answers for the way forward. This would be a provocative bookclub choice, on whichever side of the issue one lands.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
After a decade away, the author of the classic Peace Like a River is back with a beautiful story of life in the hard luck town of Greenstone on the shores of Lake Superior. The story begins with Virgil Wander flying off the cliff in his old Pontiac, suffering a traumatic brain injury and needing his eclectic group of friends to heal him in every way: the Finnish man in search of his son; the widow and her son caught in a constant loop of uncertainty; the hermit-like wealthy son, steeped in ugliness; the mayor trying to lift her town back into relevance; the handyman who searches for meaning and purpose; the hardscrabble family who battles poverty and a big fish. Virgil is the axis they all spin around as the heart of this community is revealed. Enger's new book will grip your heart and make you smile as it engulfs you in this kite-flying, stolen-movie-watching, endearing crowd.

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
I have read all the books written by this best-selling Australian writer and she has yet to disappoint me. Once again, she has created a story full of historical tidbits, gothic ghosts, and page-turning mystery. The nexus of this story is a house, Birchwood Manor, built on the bend of the river, protected by a Fairie Queen and an ancient promise. Through this house marches a plethora of complex characters: the Magenta brotherhood, fans of the Romantic Age, lovers of beautiful women, painting, and intrigue; Elodie, the daughter of a famous cellist, an archivist due to marry soon but who is pulled into the mystery surrounding the manor; James, a detective looking for a diamond, with heartbreak in his past; Leonard, a former WWI soldier suffering from PTSD, whose research adds to the mystery surrounding a murder; Lucy, the young girl who defies convention and is obsessed with the science of the world; Tip, a young boy whose family escapes the London Blitz; and most important, Birdie, the clockmaker's daughter whose life and stories binds them all together. Be forewarned: this author always writes very long books, but they are un-put-downable.

The Lies We Told by Camilla Way
This is a taut, well-constructed thriller that is sure to be a hit this fall. Told in two different viewpoints and time periods, the connection between the two stories takes quite some time to figure out. One side of the story focuses on Beth and Doug, an English family living in a small village twenty years ago, raising a daughter who shows every characteristic of a sociopath. Some deep, dark secrets exist in this family and the author spins them out slowly. The other story is of Clara and her missing boyfriend Luke, as she and Luke's best friend do their own detective work to figure out what happened in today's world. Luke's family has some pretty mysterious secrets of their own, particularly considering their first child disappeared years ago as well. I had a hard time putting this book down, yet was a tad disappointed in the ending and ultimately not all that surprised. The do-it-yourself detective work was also a bit unrealistic for me but perhaps I am being too picky? Close to a 4-Star for me, but missing just a couple pieces. This is a great vacation read if you love a good thriller. Thanks to Net Galley for a free book in exchange for an honest review.

The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure
I loved Belfoure's first book, The Paris Architect, as did thousands of other readers. I really liked his second book, House of Thieves, but his latest was just 'meh' for me. The story begins with an architect being released from five years of prison for manslaughter following the collapse of a balcony at his newly-built London theater. As Layton attempts to rebuild his life and forge a new identity, he also becomes enmeshed in the search for the true culprits of the tragedy. My problem with this book was the weak characterization; I never felt deeply drawn to any of them, the main characters or the minor ones, though I did kinda like some of the quirky theater folks and the love interest was kind of a badass. The second half was decidedly better, but I would have liked richer more complex development of the main players.