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.