June 2019

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
Another solid British mystery by one of the most "English" writers out there today. Once again, as in the first book of this series The Word is Murder,  author Anthony Horowitz teams up with the curmudgeonly retired London detective, Daniel Hawthorne, to solve another twisty mystery. Yes, the author puts himself in the book, as well as much of his life, as he and Hawthorne partner again to figure out who murdered the famous divorce attorney. Many suspects abound (think Agatha Christie) and Horowitz continues to be the bumbling idiot as Hawthorne steal every scene as well as every good line. I often found myself chuckling out loud as I quickly turned pages to find out 'whodunnit.' Horowitz has yet to disappoint me so if you are looking for a solid, witty, intelligent mystery, this is it.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper
In a community council office the job is to go into dead peoples' homes and figure out if they have any family or loved ones who would bury them. They have died alone, but have they lived a solitary life? This is the question that haunts Andrew as he and his new partner, Peggy, search through bed mattresses, kitchen cupboards, and boxes of old cards to find someone who cared about the deceased. Yet Andrew has his own dark secrets, one that has led to him creating a family of his own that does not truly exist, covering up his solitary life in a lonely bedsit in London amidst his model train set. What does one do when a simple white lie turns into a huge white whale that just won't go away? This lovely little book combines elements of The Rosie Project with A Man Called Ove and is utterly delightful.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
This is the new hot fantasy book that is supposed to take the place of Game of Thrones for us junkies. Quite frankly, I was underwhelmed. It has a great premise...a fantasy world that is divided between dragon haters and dragon worshippers, and now the big kahuna dragon who almost destroyed the world a thousand years ago is on his way back. Can the separates countries bond together and defeat them as one? The story follows some potentially intriguing characters like a dragon rider, a mage sent to protect the queen, a lord who becomes a spy, the young queen who must produce an heir. It is an incredibly long book at well over 800 pages, and I just did not find the characers or story that compelling. It was fine. But for that long of a book, I need gripping, on-the-edge-of-my-seat story lines and characters that I root for. My biggest problem was the lack of a serious antagonist - it would have made this book more compelling for me.

Waisted by Randy Susan Myers
I am a huge fan of two former books by Myers, The Widow of Wall Street and Accidents of Marriage. Those two books were able to engage me deeply in the characters, which is my favorite kind of story. However, this book was a miss for me. I felt like it struggled to find what it wanted to be? Was it a tale of a "fat farm" gone wrong, where dieters were abused in order to compel them to lose weight? Or was it a story of race or of women's friendships or of marriage issues or parenting problems? I just could not tell. I just never cared enough about any of the women to either cheer for them or against them. Perhaps it is written for a different audience than me. I am thankful to Net Galley for a free book in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Stone by Mark Bowden
The author of Black Hawk Down, a rave review in the New York Times, and I figured this was a great true-crime novel to download and listen to...I was mistaken. It IS a compelling story: decades ago two young sisters go to a mall and are never seen again. It was the biggest crime story in the Baltimore area back in the 1980's as a cub reporter followed up every detail. As the main suspect continuously lies to police and reporter when they interview him in prison, he constantly changes his story. This creates a LOT of repetition. While we see the clues revealed and the ending is intriguing, I was anxiously awaiting the end of the book. Not the best listen, to say the least, but excellent detective work.

Verity by Colleen Hoover
What am I missing on this book? So many people are raving about it, but wow, it was a huuuuge miss for me. In other words, I will never get those three hours back. Ostensibly a thriller about a young woman hired by the husband to finish a book series while his wife is in a coma. But really, it seemed to be just a book about the different ways the ghost-writer and husband could have sex, with an extremely predictable ending. Blech is all I have to say. It just does not deserve a picture.

May 2.0

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
I knew going into this book that I admired Melinda and Bill Gates and what they have given back to our world. However, this book taught me so much more...about their commitment to gender equality, of how their thirst for knowledge and insatiable curiosity allows them to grow their foundation into something truly world-changing, and how unbelievably heroic and dedicated Melinda Gates is to this foundation and to raising women up to their rightful and equal status. So many great chapters to explore: how Melinda's own youth led her to where she is today, how the culture of a male-centric company can be conquered without losing ones self, how NGOs need to be thoughtful about working within the known parameters of a culture, and yes, how one woman's dedication to others has changed all of our lives for the better. This is one of the most inspirational books I have read in years, and honestly, it is a great companion to books like A Woman is No Man and A Storyteller's Secret, where gender equity issues are quite disheartening. The Moment of Lift shows us a path through those obstacles.

Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin
I have read most of Benjamin's historically based novels and enjoyed them all; this is another winner. This time around she focuses on the manager of the Ritz, Claude Auzello, and his wife Blanche. As famous people come in and out of the hotel, as the Nazis make this iconic residence a meeting spot for SS powers, and as danger lurks around every corner as the secret workings of the French Resistance occupy the workers, we see the inner workings of the Paris Ritz. What I found most fascinating about this book was the relationship between Claude and Blanche; I realized that my initial opinions of their character slowly changed as the life of occupied France morphed the two of them into different people. If you like WWII historical fiction, this is the book for you.

Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Yep, I am still trying to find answers to the political upheaval of the 2016 American elections. This look by sociologist Arlie Hochschild was utterly fascinating, as she spends a wealth of time in small communities in Louisiana. A liberal professor from Berkeley, Hochschild dug into the whys (as in why does one vote against their own self interest?), the hows (how will America find its way back to unity after division), the what (what are the consequences of deregulation on the delicate eco-systems of Louisiana swamp land, ), and the whos (who votes conservative and what is their main motivations). The beauty of this book is she ultimately does not give us any answers, but it definitely adds knowledge and transparency to the partisan split in our country today. It was a great listen.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
This is a solid legal thriller with a couple of 'issues' for me. First the positives: unique plot line (pressurized oxygen chamber used for 'healing,' fire causes death), compelling characters (Korean immigrant family, parents of autistic children), intriguing thematic issues (ideas of what is 'normal,' how and should immigrants 'assimilate'), and it is all wrapped up in a legal thriller in a courtroom. My issues? An abusive situation involving an adult and a minor was never truly addressed, and considering the unequal division of power, it bothered me. Ditto for the one-off line about mercury in the blood possibly causing autism and how vaccines have mercury. This theory has been debunked for years, and the iteration of it is causing horrendous measles outbreaks in this country, so yeah, not necessary. Good story tho and well-written.

The Ragged Edge of Night by Oliva Hawker
This was a compelling listen, with a real-life story turned into a fictional book that encompasses WWII, Germany, and the Catholic church. Anton is a young German monk, who has lost his monastery in the chaos of WWII. As the looks for redemption, he finds a young widow with three children who needs a husband to support them. Anton is pulled into so much more than just a new family when he comes to live in their village. It is a compelling story with an even more compelling back story of how it played out in real life. Highly recommend if you have a long car ride:)

Kingsbane (Empirium #2) by Claire Legrand
I loved the first book in this series, Furyborn, and the second one did not disappoint. Her fantasy world includes creepy villains who get inside one's brains, a little romance, some various rebellions, some time travel, and badass women characters, ones that are so complex it is hard to define if they are the heroes or the antagonists. My one problem with this book is that it gave zero summary as to what happened in the last book and I was completely lost until I painstakingly looked up and read the looooong summaries online of Furyborn. Normally, that would be okay but this is one is tougher as the chapters flip back and forth between the two main females, and different time periods, so quickly that it is hard at times to keep track of things. So yes, the series is really good but honestly I would wait until all three are out and read them all at once.

The Next Girl (Detective Gina Harte, #2) by Carla Kovach

If you like a solid British police procedural mystery, then you will like the first in Kovach's new series. A young village wife disappears one night, leaving her husband to cope with two young children. As he tries to put his life back together years later, a baby is found with her wife's DNA. 'Nuff said without spoilers. Suffice it to say, it is a roller coaster of a ride to see whodunnit and how does this all end?? Wonderful British narrator - I've already downloaded the second in the series to listen to on for the summer dog walks I have planned:)

May 2019

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake
A multigenerational saga involving a white WASP family...not exactly topical, right? Yet Sarah Blake imbues this plot line with deeply held family secrets, deeply developed characters, and a long deep walk into privilege. What are the rules? Who should follow them? Are the rules fair, right, consistent? Do they apply to everyone or just if you are white and Protestant? As the 20th century unfolds for the Miltons and the 21st century is born, each generation is confronted with these questions and many more, as the Miltons face tragedy, lost love, betrayal, and death around their lives in New York City, as well as their island life in Maine. My brain was buzzing throughout the second half, as the motifs rang loudly: the anchoresses, women who are walled into chapel walls set to pray for the rest of their life, forcing one to consider how we are imprisoned into our separate tribes; the unchanging life on Crockett Island, as we question tradition and its forces; the greedy pursuit of money and power, asking what one will do to be 'better than.' This is a provocative, stunning, gorgeously written book that is sure to be on many 'best of' lists...cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Put two things together - Appalachia and books - and you've got me at 'hello.' Then add in the Blue People of Kentucky and it is mind-blowing. Yes, blue people actually did exist in the hills of Kentucky, due to a genetic disorder with a lot of vowels that caused a lack of oxygen in one's blood. In Richardson's new book, she creates the character of Cussy Carter, a young "Blue" from Troublesome Creek who works as part of Roosevelt's social program delivering books to folks throughout the hill country. Riding on her stubborn mule, Cussy gets to know the unique characters that inhabit these hills, and so do we as the reader. Unfortunately, she also has to tolerate the racism and violence directed towards her, as we see the upheaval during the Great Depression, the fight to unionize coal workers, and the struggle to literally survive. This is a fascinating read, wretchedly sad at times, but ultimately heroic and hopeful.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
What does one do when buying tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway? Listen to the 35 hour book it was based upon, of course. Yes, 35 hours...yikes. I listened as I drove my car, cleaned my house, walked my dog, and even brushed my teeth. At times it was a slog as Chernow throws in literally every small detail of Hamilton's life from birth until death, but about 80% of the time, it was quite interesting. One learns that politics hasn't changed that much (yep, it was nasty and personal back in the 18th century as well), that the Founding Fathers were not the paragons of virtue they have been made out to be, and that much of what they set up as the United States of America has withstood the test of time. Will this help me understand the play? Sure hope so (update: it totally did!), but even so, I am glad I  added some knowledge to my brain.

Finale (Caraval #3) by Stephanie Garber
In the first book of this trilogy, we were swept into the magic of Caraval, the magical game where the two sisters, Tella and Scarlet, show their brains, their courage, and their devotion to one another. In Legendary, we saw Legend, the master of the game, as the Fates attempt to ruin the human's lives and once again, the sisters step up. Now, in the Finale, the diabolical bad guys, the Fates, are running lose and causing murder and mayhem, literally. Poison is a nasty piece of business as he freezes entire families, the Assassin can move through by time and space creating some helpful solutions, and the Fallen Star has issues with fire torture and power envy. As Julian and Scarlet discover their love for each other, Scarlet also learns of deep secrets that involve her mother, the Fates, and her own past. At the same time, Tella and Legend take part in a love triangle with Jacks, the King of Hearts and a Fate who has an 'interesting' take on relationships. Stephanie Garber brings together the most intriguing cast of characters seen in YA fantasy. Finale is a worthy culmination to this magical and beautiful trilogy.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Think Girl on the Train...because this main character, Alison, is a HOT mess. A raging alcoholic, an absentee mother, lousy wife, marginal friend, and a pretty awful mistress as well. So if you're looking for that heroic lawyer who saves the world, Alison is not it. However, she is intriguing as is the story. Defending a woman who readily admits she stabbed her husband to death, Alison is not fully convinced; she knows something else is going on. As she investigates the many strings through all the rabbit holes, we also watch as Alison's marriage disintegrates. As the road to the culmination comes into view, I had a few prescient guesses but Blood Orange is a solid thriller that kept me turning pages.

Who Thought This Was Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should have Answers to When you Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Lauren Oyler
I have now listened to Becoming by Michelle Obama and The World As it Is by Ben Rhodes which are both serious looks at the eight years of the Obama administration (obviously Becoming was a longer look at Michelle's life). This inside look written by Obama's former Head of Scheduling and Deputy Chief of Staff is a totally different take. Mastromonaco jumps all over the place, as in nothing, absolutely nothing, takes place in chronological order. Listening to this book, it at first drove me crazy. Yet I then realized that this is the nature of the beast in the business of politics - jumping from one fire to the next, putting out what one can. I found myself laughing out loud frequently, as Mastromonaco narrates the book herself and she writes some hilarious insider stories (ie. her cat dying, her visit to see the Queen, etc.) If you want to be entertained, if you want to admire the chutzpah of this woman, her brains, her drive, her ambition, all wrapped up in an honest portrayal of all her own foibles, this book is for you. Highly entertaining:)

April 2.0

The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani
This is a gorgeous book in every way: lyrical prose, deep complex characters, fascinating history, and a multi-generational family drama. It follows two story lines, one of today and one during the British occupation of India. Trying to recover from the break-up of her marriage after multiple miscarriages, Jaya travels to a remote Indian village where her ancestors lived, discovering an old servant who tells her the story of her grandmother. As Ravi unwinds the tale of Amisha, we see her stories that she wrote in a notebook, her arranged marriage, the social strata that cripples Indian culture, the voiceless role of women, and the relationship with a British soldier. The stories of these two women intertwine in a magnificent way and touched my heart. If you like historical fiction and family sagas, this is a "can't miss."

The Bear and the Nightingale/The Girl in the Tower/The Winter of the Witch by Katherin Arden

This beautiful trilogy is satisfying on sooo many levels: one, it is beautifully written, with sentence structure and language that makes one's heart sing; it is deeply researched, able to combine historical facts with tales of old; and the plot and characters are so richly developed the cold forests of Russia come alive. Author Katherine Arden combines Russian medieval history with Russian folklore to create a heroine for the ages, a strong woman named Vasya. The tale begins with a little girl, touched by the Frost king, with the ability to see house demons and forest witches. As the history of Russian spools out, we see the battle to unite the city states against the Mongolian hordes as the pull towards development clashes with the old world beliefs. The age old question of "Can tradition and modernity survive together?" is explored. There is romance, political intrigue, battles, fantasy, death, rebirth, yeah pretty much everything in this trilogy. I spoke to NO ONE for three days as I devoured this gorgeous series.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
Having listened to this powerful, topical memoir, I wish I had read it instead. It is a poetical telling of Kiese Laymon's life growing up in Mississipp and his long road to a professorship and professional writer. Laymon writes the book to his mother, always referring to "you" as he tells of his many struggles through eating disorders, gambling addiction, relationship trouble, issues of racial discrimination, all through the eyes of the relationship with his mother. It is an uncomfortable read, forcing one to look at the world through Kiese's eyes, and not one's own eyes. This would be a provocative book for a book club as it has hours of hot topic discussion buttons to push.

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
Having loved Swanson's first thriller, The Kind Worth Killing, I had to pick this one for my BOTM club pick (yes, that is still a thing, and yes it is a great deal with some great book choices and no I don't get paid to say this), and it did not disappoint. What I find most intriguing about Swanson is his ability, as well as his penchant, to create evil characters that are not wholly evil, that contain a certain moral logic to their behavior, that makes me question who the heck I am rooting for, the good guy or bad guy?? In this case, a young artist named Hen recently settled in a suburb outside of Boston fixates on her neighbor, convinced he has committed murder in his past. The coincidences are a bit contrived, yet that is part of Hen's own issues with going to the police...will they believe her? will they wonder how she could live on the same street as the victim in Boston and then move next door to the killer? is she making it all up due to her bi-polar disorder? who will believe her, other than the killer? Swanson handles the plot twists deftly, and is respectful in how he deals with bi-polar as a disorder that is part of one's daily life. This is a roller coaster ride of a book.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Since planning a tripto Charleston, I have tried to read every fiction book about this beautiful city (The Invention of Wings, A Tangled Mercy, Trouble the Water), but the list would not have been complete without the love letter to Charleston, South of Broad, by the quintessential South Carolinian writer, Pat Conroy. Wow, this man can write. I mean seriously - his words are magic, his sentences are poetry, his characters are so rich and full of depth. The book was written ten years ago and I was surprised to find it as topical today as it was in 2009. Following a group of eight friends, we see the Charleston of 1969, San Francisco during the AIDS epidemic, and Charleston during Hurricane Hugo. I became so invested in the characters lives that they lived and breathed in my dreams. Whether you are going to Charleston or not, if you have never read Pat Conroy, do yourself a favor and pick up a book of his - you will be transported to a world where writers live and breath literature.

The King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Welcome back to the grishaverse (if you have read the Shadow & Bones series or the Six of Crows duology, you'll understand - and if you haven't, catch up already!). To lovers of YA fantasy, Leigh Bardugo is a master of the genre. Once again we travel back to Ravka where the kingdom is in a bit of trouble as the new king, good ole Nicolai from her previous books, cannot seem to get rid of the pesky creature that lives inside his black scars and transforms him into a monster at night. His trusted court must find a way to fill Ravka's treasury in order to fight off their enemies, find Nicolai a wife so he can make some alliances, make the dead come alive for a little revenge, and yes, rid him of that monster. Once again, Bardugo creates a magical world full of terrifying villains, intelligent and strong heroes of both sexes, and some plot twists that leave one wondering if our favorites will survive (she does have a nasty habit in previous books of killing off our loved ones). Word to the wise however - read a summary of her past grishaverse books to remind you of the characters and plot twists - it is quite necessary as she doesn't summarize anything from past tales.

April 2019

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams
Admittedly, I am slightly morbid in my devotion and love of death memoirs. Having sat by the bedside of both dying parents, I am always searching for the 'good' death, wondering if it truly exists? This new book by Julie Yip-Williams is a worthy member of the canon of beautiful memoirs. Julie is a mother of little two girls, shockingly diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at the age of 37. Having survived an escape from war-torn Vietnam, lived with legal blindness, earned a degree from Harvard Law School, this was not the expected trajectory of her life. You will read of her past, her near-infanticide as a handicapped baby, her years of treatments as the disease ravages her body, and her strong desire to build a future for her husband and daughters. Most importantly to me, was her raw honesty and authenticity: her anger, bitterness, and frustration; the agony of treatment decisions; the battle to hold on just one more year, month, day; and yes, the final acceptance of the 'unwinding' of the miracle of life. I wept at the unfairness, and also reveled in the final chapter, knowing I will keep this book close when my time comes.

The Editor by Steven Rowley
Combine the art of how a book comes to life with an age-old fascination with Jackie Kennedy, and it is no surprise that I loved this book. It begins with a phone call to a hopeful young author, James, to come and meet at the Doubleday office in NYC about publishing his book. Unbeknownst to him, until she enters the conference room, it is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has fallen in love with his book. As the story takes us through the heavy editing process, the complicated relationship with his boyfriend, and the search for the book's ending, James and Mrs. Onassis form an intriguing bond. Not an intimate friendship, but not just editor and client, she pushes him to dig deep into his own emotions and find what is stopping him from the perfect conclusion to his semi-autobiographical novel. At a memorable family meal, James learns the secret that has directed much of his relationship with his mother and even his father, a revelation that will have significant consequences. This is a beautiful little story, wrapped with gorgeous prose and intriguing bits of historical trivia that is throughly enjoyable.


My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Bonnie and Clyde meet Ted Bundy and his wife...kinda how this book reads. What happens when a young married couple, madly in love, striving to find financial stability, working to build careers, team up and decide that becoming co-serial killers is a great idea?! Yep, you get this book. It is a roller coaster of a ride, with some humor in spots, some daaaark places in their past, some eye-opening decisions, and some fabulous twists that leads down a long and twisted rabbit hole. Looking for that next great thriller? This could be it.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
Found in the YA section of bookstores, I cannot recommend this one unless your teen really likes to be scared. Wow, this is a spine tingler, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck, don't-read-it-at-night kind of book. Makepeace, a young girl raised in a Puritan family outside London, in the midst of the civil unrest of the 1600's, actually belongs to an old aristocratic family who has an 'interesting' skill - the ability to hold ghosts within their skin, hence the title. As the civil war heats up and the family starts losing bodies, they need more willing victims to hide their spirits from years ago, causing some issues for both Makepeace and her beloved half-brother. Beautifully written, this creative story is highly entertaining.

The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) by Dervla McTiernan
Ah, the next great Irish mystery writer has arrived and this time instead of Tana French from Dublin, it is Dervla McTiernan who sets her stories in Galway. This first in the series begins with a death, that of a young doctor's boyfriend who throws himself off a bridge in a surprising suicide. As Jack's sister Maude becomes involved, the two women begin to suspect that the police are hiding evidence and burying what should be a murder. Entwined in this story is Detective Reilly's cold case involving the death of a negligent mother and two young children. Being a big fan of mysteries, I often see where the trail is leading sooner than I would like; however, not with this one. McTiernan is masterful plotter, weaving small clues throughout, building peripheral characters slowly so that when all is revealed, the pieces fit together perfectly. This is a huge hit in the UK and should be soon here in the states. when people discover this incredibly talented new author. (And if you like to listen to books, the narrator has a beautiful Irish lilt)

The Liar (Eddie Flynn #3) by Steve Cavanaugh

Having loved this Irish writer's last book, The Defense, I had to go all the way to the UK to find this next book before #4 comes out in August. Yes, I like this author, this character, that much. I have always loved a good legal mystery but throw together a conman turned defense attorney, a badass female FBI agent, a corrupt lawyer, and a few mysterious deaths, and I am hooked. I stayed up waaaay too late at night finishing this page turner. If you're looking for a legit 'pleasure' book, a cracking good tale, then this one is it:)

Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly
I was a bit torn by this one, eventually landing on 3.5 stars. On one hand, it is a well-written drama about how a family falls apart. Yet, the marketing of it as a thriller/mystery is a bit disconcerting. The story begins with a busy medical student rushing her two little girls off one morning; when mom becomes ill and passes out in a sketchy gas station bathroom, she awakens to an empty car. Taking the point of view in different chapters are a variety of characters: the overworked mom, as her life falls apart for the years following her daughters' disappearance; the young Native man who is spiritually connected to the girls; the Traveler who kidnaps the girls who has deep issues of her own; and the oldest daughter herself, as she works to discover who she really is. No mystery is really involved here, but the disintegration of people's lives is engrossing and entertaining as one reads to a rather predictable ending. Solid debut novel - I will definitely check out her next book as I thought her character development was rich.

March 2.0

Fall Back Down When I Die by Joe Wilkins
The first fiction book by award-winning Joe Wilkins is a powerful and raw look at the dry region out in Montana, a place seeped in hopelessness and history. This story and its characters seethe with quiet rage: the widow and teacher who drinks too much, who stuffs her memories deep, who wants to change the trajectory of children's lives; the orphaned farm hand, caught in bitterness, trying to do right by his young nephew, always one step behind success; the little boy, abandoned by his drug addicted mother, terrified, speechless, seeking safety; and the story threaded through all their lives, that of Verl, who creates his own rules and regulations to live by, who seeks freedom through hate and violence. The landscape becomes a major player as well, as Wilkins uses the description to put us in this beautiful yet lonely land, the writing never too sparse, never too verbose. I found this to be an extraordinarily compelling story, telling of an area that I know little of, a region full of powerful emotions that deserves to be heard.

If Then by Kate Hope Day
Who has not thought about the other lives we might have led, or be leading? Are their parallel universes where I was a neuropsychologist instead of a teacher, where I chose to be a single independent woman with no children, where I traveled the world as a photo-journalist? Yes, those are all my 'lives' I lead elsewhere. Kate Hope Day has taken my hidden thoughts and put them into a fascinating debut novel. In her setting, a small community in Oregon waits on the precipice of an 'event.' This event brings flashes of other lives to their eyes: the community hospital doctor who sees her life with another mate; the bereaved daughter who catches glimpses of her recently deceased mother; the university professor who sees himself as madman, searching for safety in a dangerous world; the young mother who sees herself still pregnant, but this time with a boy. I was riveted by this story and by the inner desires that drive these characters. Do not bother trying to figure out time lines and which life is intersecting where - it pays to just go with the flow and experience the creativity of the story. I am still not sure of the ending, yet it has me thinking which I think is the point of literature? Well done to a first time author:)

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Yes, I finally got on this memoir train after months of debating. And YES, it is well worth the ride, especially if you listen to Michelle tell her own story on the audio version. She truly does cover her entire life: growing up on the southside of Chicago in a working class family, her years of education and friendship, the overt and subtle racism directed towards her, her romance with a goofy looking law student, the passion for changing kids' lives, her years in the White House. What I found most surprising, beyond the interesting trivia of behind-the-scenes incidences, was how inspiring I found this book, particularly for working mothers. Michelle gives some great ideas of how to juggle jobs, small children, ambitions, and romance without losing one's own identity, something I struggled with for those busy years. She is a beautiful writer with a fascinating story to tell - highly recommend.

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
What was life like before dictionaries? Yes, another nerdy story about words, who has ownership of them, how we determine the multitude of meanings, and how the first Oxford dictionary was put together. Simon Winchester is the master of research, and in this case, a crack narrator of his own story. But beyond the story of the dictionary is the story of an American soldier, suffering from PTSD from the Civil War, a convicted murderer, stuck in an English insane asylum, who becomes the go-to man for much of the Oxford dictionary. I don't know that I would have liked this one as much if I read it (could be a bit dry) but the crisp British accent gave me an intriguing movie in my head as listened to this book non-stop.

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace
Just the title sounds like the biggest nerd fest ever...okay, it is a little nerdy but it is also an unbelievably fascinating story with a great narrator, if you like listening to books. The story covers the heist of bird feathers from a small museum in England. One might think "Hmmm, so what? Who cares about bird feathers?" But did you know there's a huge black market for them due to fly fishing? Or that bird feathers from centuries ago can tell how how the earth is doing, or not doing? That the feather industry was humongous in the 19th century, employing thousands of workers? Author Kirk Wallace isn't even a scientist, but a man who got pulled into an obscure lil mystery while he worked in his foundation to  aid resettlement of Iraqi support officers to America. Yep, it's an obsessive story, trust me.

The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley
2.5 Stars  I am a big fan of an earlier book of Buckley's, The Good Goodbye, but this one was a miss for me. The plot swirled around a dysfunctional family, a young woman trying to escape the witness protection program, and a retired sheriff still grieving the loss of a child. The first half was a bit slow for me, the second half definitely created more tension for this thriller, but the ending left me rather disappointed. The characters just did not gel for me, lacking significant development and the plot seemed rather implausible so nope, hard to recommend this one.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
Ditto this one unfortunately and it's getting a lot of positive buzz from readers - not sure I truly understand why?? The writing style is awkward and stilted, the characters are thin and wholly under-developed, and the entire plot line of "let's keep the brain-dead girl alive for months on end to incubate a baby"???!!! What happened to the rights of the mother? And the medical interventions done to keep the 'incubator' alive are literally never addressed, nor is the moral dilemma which quite frankly would have made for a more compelling read.  I have read other reviews that this book should be labeled YA but I disagree - good YA books are much better. Sorry but this was a complete miss for me.

March 2019

A Woman is No Man ny Etaf Rum
Prediction: this book should be long- and short-listed for every major book award in 2019, and should win at least one if not more. Yes, this book is THAT good. Set in both Brooklyn and Palestine, it is the story of three generations of Palestinian women: Fareeda, the grandmother trapped by circumstance of war; Isra, a daughter of refugees, who knows only the confines of her home in Palestine yet follows a stranger in an arranged marriage to America; and her daughter Deya, who questions the plans for her future, who lives in America but is not of America, who wants to find her voice in a voiceless society. This book will take your heart and squeeze it until you cannot breathe, it will make you weep, it will make you stronger, it will give you hope in a hopeless world, it will move you like no other, it will leave your jaw on the floor as you slowly read the final paragraph. Do not miss this book.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Yes, I have read every one of See's fiction books; some are my all-time favs, some were just fine. This one though...more than fine. This novel centers around the matrifocal society of Jeju, an island off the coast of Korea, and is utterly fascinating, heart-wrenching, and inspiring. Lisa See is the master of flushing out female relationships and she has created an extraordinary friendship here. Mi-Ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, shunned by the village women yet taken in by the head of the haenyeo collective and taught the skills of sea diving. Young-sook, the collective head's daughter and heir-apparent, forms a deep bond with this outsider. Shown through flashbacks of the 1930's during the Japanese era of colonialism, the years of WWII, the terrible times of civil war, and ultimately the present days when the society of the haenyeo has irrevocably changed. The haenyeo have been studied, examined, tested, you name it for many many decades; their ability to dive deep over and over in frigid waters, to test the boundaries, to support their families is truly breathtaking. This book has seared my heart and will not be forgotten any time soon.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Let me preface this review with the fact that I am not a huge music fan. I listen to books, not songs. Yet this tale of a 1970's rock band is an obsessive page-turner. Reid pulls us in through her unique plot design - documentary style as she 'interviews' the band, family members, and managers to tell the tale of how this rock band hit it big. Her characters are shockingly well-developed, considering we only get to know them through their conversations with the documentarian asking the questions: the handsome hunk of a lead singer, his addictions and drive steering the wheel at all times; the young singer, wealthy, off-the-rails, driven; the sidekick brother who never gets the girl; the disgruntled bass player; the sassy drummer; the independent, knows-what-she wants key boardist; the supportive wife; the stressed-out manager. This cast of characters is unique and utterly fascinating. One can see the train wreck coming and it just does not matter. This book is a winner:)

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The author of The Alice Network is back with another WWII thriller involving spies, Nazis, and badass women...does it get better than that? The plot line moves through three different perspectives: Nina, the Russian 'witch,' as she relates her time during the WWII as a bomber pilot; Ian, a former famous war-time journalist now turned into a Nazi hunter; and Jordan, the young Boston girl, dreaming of work as a professional photographer, but stuck in an antique store with her new stepmother who has some secrets. This book is incredibly well-researched, using fascinating tidbits of history to weave a story of great tension and mystery. The characters are rich and complicated, leading to a more than satisfactory ending. If you like historical fiction mixed with some mystery this book is definitely for you.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
In a follow up to her first big hit The Ghost Bride, Choo has written a lyrical tale of spiritualism and mystery in Malaysia. Using two characters to tell the story, the reader is immersed in a mystery, the underworld, and even a little romance. First is Ren, an eleven year old houseboy who has 49 days to find his dead master's finger and reunite it with his master. Enter Ji Lin, a girl who dances with strange men at a parlor in order to pay off her mother's mahjong debts who becomes the recipient of...yes, a finger. I know, sounds weird, but it is laced with magical realism and the mystery of Chinese cultural beliefs in Malaysia, as well as the legend of tiger men (think werewolves but in striped form). Somewhat slow, but a beautifully told tale that will take one far away from the present world.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor
Having loved her debut book, I was anxious to dive into Tudor's latest. Set once again in a small English town, the main character returns to his childhood town to teach in its mediocre school. Joe rents the cottage where a terrible murder has just taken place,  a former teacher killed her young son and then herself. Lovely digs, right? Yep, it just keeps getting creepier as Joe finds strange beetles in the home, encounters his former mates who no longer see him as their friend, rediscovers the mysterious hidden tunnels and caverns at the coal mine, and is haunted by the disappearance and eventual death of his own sister years ago. My problem with this book is that it seemed as if it couldn't decide between a mystery and horror, and admittedly, I am not a big horror fan. Ultimately, I was entertained but not completely satisfied.