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.

August 2.0

A House With No Windows by Nadia Hashimi 
Back with her third adult book, Nadia Hashimi never disappoints me.  Her first book, The Pearl That Broke its Shell, was the winner of the Goodreads debut novel in 2014 and was one of my favorite books of the year.  Her second, The Moon Hangs Low, was a powerful story of Afghan refugees, as they tried to make their way to Western Europe.  Her latest novel focuses on the 'crimes' of women in Afghanistan, typically involving accusations of immorality and sex.  The main character, Zeba, after being found holding her husband's bloody body, is accused of murder and locked up in a women's prison.  Her lawyer Yusef, a young idealistic Afghan-American, returns to her village, going through the past history of Zeba and Kamal's marriage, as well as the traditions of their community.  As Zeba acquaints herself with the other women prisoners, we also see the honesty, the frustration, the dignity, and the ultimate inequities in the supposed legal system of this decimated country.  This is a powerful novel that tells a heart-wrenching tale of redemption and honor.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
It's hard to know where to start with this book...finalist for huge awards, loooooong (as in 814 pages), weird cover.  All these things combined negatively so it sat on my bedside stand for months.  Finally, a couple friends encouraged me to pick it up, saying it would be worth it.  That is an understatement, and I do not say the following lightly:  this is one of the BEST books I have read in my adult life.  Over the span of thirty years, this novel follows four young men who meet as college roommates and begin their adult life.  Boring, right?  Yep, that's what I thought, but by page 10 I was completely unable to put this book down.  Read in four days, early mornings and late nights, the story is so compelling, so intense, so raw, and so rich that it pulls you into their lives in a way I have rarely felt. Yanagihara is an incredible storyteller and beautiful writer, but she doesn't get caught up in the poetry of her words; she truly stays focused on the four friends, in particular Jude, the most tortured of the boys.  I have not wept this many tears over a book in I don't know when, and yes, it was worth every tear.  This will be a book I never forget; I cannot recommend it highly enough.


The Trespasser by Tana French

If you haven't read any of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad mysteries, and you like a well-written Irish story, you really need to pick one up. They do not need to be read in any order, as each book picks on a different detective and a new murder,  I have loved all but one (The Likeness - not her best), and her latest trip back to Dublin is one of the best in the series.  This time around, the two main detectives are some complex characters with unique issues. Antoinette is the only female detective in a sexist, bullying environment - she is tough, feisty, assertive, and brings the fight first. Her partner, Stephen, is a pretty boy who likes to be liked, but only on the surface; he is smart, manipulative, and loyal to the core.  As the two detectives investigate what should be an open-and-shut domestic homicide, they learn the dark side of the Murder Squad and those people who will do anything to protect their turf.  Great read!



The Light in Paris by Eleanor Brown
I loved Brown's first book The Weird Sisters; it was quirky, well-written, different.  I was excited to see a new book out from her after five years, figuring she took the time to write another winner.  However, I was underwhelmed by her latest effort.  The premise wasn't bad with two parallel stories: Madeline, a woman in the 1990's, unhappy in her marriage, tied to a 'conventional' life that she did not want, and Margie, her grandmother who spends a season in Paris in 1924, looking for that unconventional life denied her by a well-to-do family.  It had great potential, but was wasted in a predictable story line, and poorly drawn characters that were hard to root for.  I frequently just wanted to slap Madeline, tell her to quit whining, and MOVE ON; Margie was slightly more heroic, as she tries to make a go of living without her family's money and breaking out of all of life's rules to live the life of a French writer.  Alas, Eleanor Brown devolves into the convention that her characters tried so valiantly to escape in their own literary lives and writes an inevitable end that leaves no room for an 'ah-ha' moment, pleasure in the unforeseeable, nor any true feelings other than disappointment.

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

One part legal thriller, one part historical fiction, and one part love story, this new novel by Graham Moore (The Sherlockian, screenwriter of The Imitation Game) is a page turner.  Young attorney Paul Cravath (yes, you can find him on Wikipedia), is inexplicably hired by George Westinghouse for the patent battle against Thomas Edison.  Thus, the story of the beginning of the era of electricity, invention, and modern industrial age plays out and it is a fascinating look into the lives of these famous historical characters.  J.P Morgan and Alexander Graham Bell even have a cameo, as well as Nikola Tesla, who plays a bigger part in the invention of electrical current than I ever knew.   Reminiscent of the race between Gates and Job to invent the first personal computer, this was an intriguing novel that shows how creativity, concentration, passion, and greed shaped a new age for America.


Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne
I've only had about a million people ask me if I've read the new
Harry Potter; it's a logical question considering my obsession with Hogwarts, Muggles, and anything HP-related.  So now the answer is "Yes," I took a morning and read the script of the play currently on the London stage.  And "No," J.K. Rowling did not write this book, but merely acted as a consultant with the playwright to bring the world of Harry Potter back to life.  Here's my conclusions:  1) it was an absolute delight to find myself once more in this world, to be reading about characters I consider old friends - it warmed my heart 2) it's not a book - of course there's not deep character or plot development - it's a script of a play so put that into perspective 3) you need to be a fan of alternative-reality scenarios - there's a lot of them 4) is it worth it? Absolutely!  Jack Thorne gets this world, and he understands the lives of children - their anxieties, their friendships, their troubles with parents, etc.  He does a worthy job of weaving all the important pieces into a new tale of Hogwarts and its students; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

August Books

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (September 2016)

A brilliant new historical fiction, touched with surrealism, Whitehead has written what many of us booksellers feel is an award-winner.  He takes the context of the underground railroad, a system of houses and other hideaways, manned by abolitionists, and imbues it with magical fantasy, creating a 'real' locomotive that speeds runaway slaves away on their journey to freedom.  Cora, a young woman who lives a hellish life on a Georgian cotton plantation, ostracized by the other slaves, motherless and alone, is chosen by Caesar, a fellow slave, to catch the train to freedom.  Thus begins Cora's adventures, with allusions to Gulliver's travels as well as the travails of Odysseus.  The strangers who both assist and impede the slaves are complex, showing great violence at times, as well as great compassion.  It is a tale well told, that will leave thought provoking ideas behind in its wake.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Rich, handsome, ambitious man meets beautiful woman with a big heart, a heart so generous she chooses to be guardian to her sister with Down's syndrome.  Man woos her, proposes, has perfect wedding...except the broken leg of the sister...oops.  Then Jack and Grace live happily ever after, right? Not a chance.  What happens behind the steel shutters and locked doors of their English country home makes for a tense, psychological thriller.  Can Grace save her sister, much less herself, or will Jack convince the world that she is insane?  As the thread of madness spools out and the past is revealed, you will obsessively turn pages to see the true fabric of this marriage.  Already a huge hit in the UK and movie plans in the works, this book should take America by storm.

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton

Maggie Rose is a true-crime writer, yet also a renowned defense attorney in England.  In fact, she's a pro at getting murderers out of prison, after being convicted of heinous crimes.  So who better for Hamish Wolfe to hire, the handsome surgeon convicted of some fairly nasty murders?  This is a premise with some guaranteed twists and turns, as Maggie continuously questions his innocence or guilt.  Bolton takes us back in time to see the history of some of the victims, throwing in numerous red herrings to throw the reader off track.  This book will keep you up late at night, frantically turning pages, to see if you guessed right...guilty or innocent?

The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood
I loved Marwood's first two books (The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door), and this deliciously British mystery writer does not disappoint with her third novel.  Based loosely on the true story of Madeline McCann, the three year old English child who disappeared years ago while on vacation with her family, in this fictitious version, the young child is a twin who mysteriously vanishes one night while in a vacation home in Bournemouth.  The players of the story are what makes this book so fascinating:  her father, a rich nasty man who is a serial monogamist, ruining every marriage he touches; teenage siblings with a huge trough of bitterness inside; an absentee mother more concerned with her nails than who's watching the children; and a host of rich, self-centered, narcissistic friends who all have different stories of the night that Chloe vanishes.  It is a rich story, with complex characters and various nuances of plot twists that made my mouth hang open literally in the last few pages.  Loved this book!

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

A small neighborhood in Brooklyn, two mixed up teenagers, four adults with an 'interesting' history, and two marriages struggling to find happiness after years together, Straub (The Vacationers) has written another intriguing story of 'normal' people in America.  Zoe and Jane have been married for years, raising a rebellious daughter named Ruby, running a small restaurant, and forgetting the romance of how they found each other.  Elizabeth is the neighborhood realtor and uptight mom, married to uber-wealthy and privileged Andrew, who has never really found his 'thing' in life.  Yet, long ago, Zoe, Andrew and Elizabeth were in a college band that had that one big hit, the one-hit wonder sung by the long-dead heroin addict who deserted the band first.  Oh my, the complications of a simple life.  Straub does a masterful job of stringing out all the plot lines, and of making us care about each character; this is a great vacation read.

The Trespassers by Tana French
In her Dublin murder squad series, Tana French has written some fabulous books and some 'meh.'  Her latest, however, is by far the best of the lot.  I love that this series does not have to be read in any order; each book stands on its own, focusing on a member of the Murder Squad and a new mystery, usually involving a dead body, family ties, complex relationships, and deeply developed characters.  In The Trespassers, Detectives Antoinette Conway and Steve Moran are the 'newbies' to the Squad, and must deal with harassment and non-stop dirty tricks to try and solve the murder of a beautiful young woman.  Extremely well-written, with numerous twists and turns, this is a fantastic new addition to the series.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
The author of Big Little Lies, The Husband's Secret, and What Alice Forget is back with her latest novel of Australian mom, relationships, and a little mystery thrown in.  I am always excited to pick up a Moriarty book, always good brain candy, always a bit of a page turner, always entertaining.  Unfortunately this time around, not so much.  Perhaps she rushed it after such huge hits?  Perhaps she's running out of material?  Or perhaps she forgot that amidst the stupidity of humanity, we also like to see a little heroism, character, or intelligence? Involving an 'incident' at a neighborhood barbecue, it takes forever to find out what happened, and quite frankly, to care about it, or the people involved.  Sorry, but I would take a pass on this one.

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
Remember your childhood favorite stories, the ones filled with magic and adventure, the ones that talked to you like you were a grown up, the ones that made your brain tick and your heart surge?  Tahereh Mafi's latest book is the perfect blend of all our old favorites - Phantom Tollbooth, the Oz stories, Narnia, The Wind in the Willows, the Secret Garden, Kipling's Just So stories.  This was a delightful romp through an enchanted land that should be a newfound classic.  The main protagonist is Alice (yes, some illusions to Lewis Carroll's heroine) whose father disappeared three years ago, and flunked her magical test into adulthood, choosing to go off on a hunt to find not only her father, but her true magical talent.  The beginning was a bit saccharine for me - I was concerned at first - but then Alice shows her sassy, feisty, independent side and never lets up.  Her sidekick in crime, Oliver, is a perfect partner with issues of his own.  This is a magical new tale for any reader ten years and up, and would be a wonderful gift for either a boy or a girl.

July

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (July 2016)

If you read the NPR book of the year (2015), In the Dark Dark Wood, then you read Ware's first novel.  The movie rights have been purchased and the paperback is still selling like hotcakes.  This is her second book, and it is another taut psychological thriller.  Instead of a hen party outside of London, the setting for this novel is on a yacht, a luxury liner on its maiden voyage into the dark north of Scandinavia and the Northern Lights.  Lo Blackwood, a London reporter placed on the ship to write about this new cruising idea for rich folks, has just experienced a horrific break-in at her flat, suffering post-traumatic stress.  As she begins her journey, she encounters a young woman in the cabin across the hall (yep, Cabin 10), yet never sees her again on the boat filled with a scant dozen guests.  Ware sprinkles her story with some strange, twisted characters, leading us down paths of "ah-ha" moments that then twist themselves around again.  As Lo ventures further into the mystery, we are dragged with her, turning page after page to see which passenger really is a psychopath.  Great vacation read for the mystery lover!


LaRose by Louise Erdrich
If you are a fan of Erdrich, her latest novel does not disappoint; if you have never read this award-winning author, she is worth an outing.  Part German and part Ojibwa, Erdrich writes of the indigenous people of her own youth, imbuing her stories with grief, tragedy, spirituality, and hope.  Her previous book, The Roundhouse (National Book Award winner) focused on revenge, while LaRose focuses on redemption.  Two families, related by blood and close in proximity, are visited by death - in a hunting accident, one father shoots and kills the son of the other family.  In an act of contrition, he then gives his own five year old son to this family to raise as their own.  Erdrich examines closely each family member:  the mothers, who deal with grief from two different directions; the siblings who miss their brother, and the grieving sister who gains a new one; and the father whose actions started it all.  It is a powerful story that would bring provocative conversation to any book club.



Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
On the Pacific Northwest bestseller list for the last month, this is the Fargo television writer's first foray into the world of novel-writing.  It is a unique story with a taut plot line that pulled me in from the start.  Struggling artist Scott Burroughs is offered a free plane ride with an eclectic wealthy crowd, to New York City from Martha's vineyard.  However, just a few short minutes after take off, the plane dives into the sea, and Scott and the young son of the family are left broken and alone in the ocean.  The ensuing publicity of Scott's unprecedented swim over eight miles of ocean drives Scott into hiding, and we see the past and present pieces of this plot line begin to knit together.  The over-riding question is how did this plane go down?  Was it an accident?  Was it domestic terrorism?  As Hawley explores each character that was on this fated airplane, numerous theories are floated as to the cause.  Trust me, you will read late into the night to discover each person's secrets and the ultimate reason for this tragic accident.

The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly
Having read Franklin's huge hit, Crooked Letter Crooked Letter, I am a fan of this southern writer.  This time out, Franklin teams up with his wife to create a fascinating story of the infamous 1927 Mississippi delta flood that changed not only the landscape of the south, but the history of the black migration.  The flood is the backdrop for the marriage of Dixie Clay, a poor southern girl mourning the loss of her first child, and her scumbag of a husband who is the top criminal in their small southern town of Hobnob.  Add in a couple of intriguing revenue agents looking for the backwoods moonshiner supplying that part of the state with whiskey, an abandoned infant, a flapper with a drug problem, and an unlikely love story, and the ingredients for a humdinger of a story are mixed together for a solid tale of history, mystery, and disaster.






H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
This book was a departure for me.  Found in the 'Nature' section of our bookstore, it is the story of a young British woman who raises and trains a goshawk in an attempt to assuage her grief over her father's death.  Full of descriptive details of both falconry and the English countryside, it is not my normal genre.  While not what you would call a page-turner, it was a welcome respite from the thrillers, fantasy, and tragic tales that typically rest on my bookshelf.  Macdonald delves far into the past, detailing her own obsession with hawks that began as a child, leading to the time when she chooses a goshawk, the most difficult to train of the hawks.  She intersperses her tale with the stories of D.H. White, author of The Once and Future King and the other tales of Camelot.  As Macdonald learns what not to do with goshawks from White's travails with his lost hawk, we begin to see the development of the relationship between Helen and Mabel, her aptly named hawk.  It is a beautiful story, one of grief spliced into the wildness and beauty of the natural world.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes (July 2016)
If you are an elementary teacher or parent of a middle-reader, this is a book for you.  In other writing, Rhodes has taken pivotal moments in recent U.S. history and turned them into thoughtful books for young readers; she does this in Towers Falling  for the events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001 and it is powerful.  She follows a young girl whose family has hit a bad patch; dad is unable to work, young children are at home, and they currently reside in a family shelter in Brooklyn.  Deja has never been outside of Brooklyn so when her teacher assigns a history project to learn about the towers, she is completely clueless.  The story follows Deja and her two friends, Ben and Sabeen, as they gather information on how the World Trade center's destruction impacted individuals and their families.  Rhodes does a spectacular job of looking at this in a holistic, multi-generational, and multi-cultural manner; it is a thoughtful, well-written story where kids will learn and be provoked to think about international events and the impact on their lives.

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

So often in the fantasy books written for elementary to middle school, violence and fearful creatures tend to take the lead.  In Circus Mirandus, however, debut author Cassie Beasley has created a magical tale of beauty and mystery.  Young Micah is heartbroken, as he watches his beloved grandfather wasting away and his overbearing great-aunt comes to take care of him.  Micah has been told the magical tales of the Circus Mirandus by his grandfather for his whole life and he believes that if he can find this circus, they will grant his grandfather the miracle he was once promised.  As Micah and his friend Jenny discover this magical world, they meet extraordinary creatures and put together the history of not only the circus, but his grandfather's past.  It is a beautiful story of love, family, and loyalty.  If you have a child in your life who needs a little magic, I highly recommend this book.

June Books

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (June 7, 2016)
Stunning.  Jaw-dropping. Brilliant. Those are the first words that come to mind with this debut novel of twenty-six year old Yaa Gyasi.  Homegoing has been the talk of the publishing world for months, and should garner all the awards in 2016, and yes, the praise is well-deserved.  The unique subject, plot-line, and writing style contribute to a novel that I will not soon forget.  It begins in the late 1700's, in Ghana, when two sisters who do not know the other exists, have life choices thrust upon them.  Effia marries a white British man who runs the Castle, the coastal prison where the Fante tribe members bring the slaves they purchased from the Asante tribe.  In the dungeon below, bodies piled upon bodies, lies Esi, soon to be shipped to America and a life far different than her sister's. Each chapter follows the bloodline of the two sisters, changing each generation.  We see the wars in Ghana, the colonization by the British, the tribal fighting, and the steps towards modernization.  In America, we see the utter degradation of slavery, the effects of the Fugitive Act, the outcome of the Great Migration, the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, and the struggles of the new century.  In each descendant's story, Gyasi creates complex characters, heart-wrenching situations, and deep love for family.  This book is truly a masterpiece.  

Ink and Bone by Lisa Junger (June 2016)
You know those books that call to you throughout the day, and the ones that you say "just one more chapter" laaaate into the night? Yep, this is that kind of book.  From the very first page, I found this story and its characters quite compelling.  Finley Montgomery has come back home to the Hollows, a small hill town outside of New York.  Her grandmother, Eloise, is a world renowned psychic and needs to teach Finley how to control the ghosts she has seen since childhood.  Up until now, Finley has merely inked all these faces onto her body, reminding her of the spirits that need her help. Now it is a young family from NYC, whose daughter disappeared ten months ago and is crying out to Finley for help - it is Finley's turn to work with the private detective to find some answers.  In the negative vortex of the Hollows, ancestors call out to their family everywhere and strange forces unite; this is a spine-tingling mystery that will raise the hair on the back of your neck and yes, keep you reading well past midnight.


So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
Considering what is happening currently in the international news, with the shaming of the parents of the little boy who crawled into the gorilla enclosure, this is a very topical cultural criticism book.  Jon Ronson explores the idea of shaming by society through Twitter, Facebook, 24/7 news shows, and newspapers, not only the rags but established news sources.  He gives examples of stories you will recognize, and shows how one poorly thought out comment completely ruins their lives.  Ronson also examines shaming that is used in the justice system, as well as how people who feel no remorse avoid the public shaming that destroys most people.  I found this to be a fascinating look at the practice of lightening speed condemnation and judgement, thanks to a globally connected world.  This would be a fascinating discussion for any book club.




Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh
I am, admittedly, a huge Jennifer Haigh fan; I have read all of her books (Mrs. Kimble, Bakerton Towers, Faith, The Condition, and News from Heaven).  Critically acclaimed and winner of the Pen/Hemingway award, this author has a gift for creating and sustaining complex characters amid the minutia of their lives.  In her latest novel, Haigh goes back to the town of Bakerton, a small Pennsylvania community, dying as the coal business has disappeared and the young people have fled.  The latest 'savior' of their town is the newest energy industry, the one that drills deep, shoots millions of gallons of water into rock, and extracts gas and oil from the shale.  We know it as fracking.  Haigh looks at all sides of this issue:  the impact on the farmers, the economic plusses and minuses, the environment, and the geologists involved with both the testing and the industry itself.  It is a fascinating look at what occurs in a town that just wants to sustain its way of life.  This is not a page-turning thriller, but it is a darn good book that taught me a lot about an industry I hear about, but did not really understand.


Redemption Road by John Hart
Another one of my favorite authors (yep, read all of his books also), John Hart is a master of combining family drama, mystery, bad cops in the South, and even a little bit of love into a page-turner of a book.  This time around the main protagonists are Adrian, an ex-cop recently released from prison after serving thirteen years for murder, and Elizabeth, a veteran detective who was the only cop who believed in Adrian years ago.  Young women are once again being murdered and put on display at the old country church, and again, Adrian is the suspect.  Add in a few crooked prison guards and their warden, an old, wily country lawyer, a motherless boy who wants revenge, and a preacher estranged from his daughter and you've got a humdinger of a story.  This is a great vacation read that will leave you very satisfied.




The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the California by David Dyer
We all know how the Titanic ended up...at the bottom of the ocean.  However, did it really have to happen?  I don't mean the iceberg; it was freezing temperatures in the North Atlantic - icebergs happen.  Yet, when the ship first struck the ice, why did no one come to its rescue?  That is the question author David Dyer attempts to answer, as he looks closely at the sailors on the California, a British steamer that was just five miles away from the accident.  While this is historical fiction, Dyer does a masterful job of research, using transcripts from the actual Senate hearings, as well as the trial in England.  We meet the Second Watch on the California, as well as the captain, the reporter who seeks out the hidden story of the botched rescue, as well as the heartfelt story of an entire family of ten, wiped out by the tragedy.  It is a very different perspective from the norm; if you are a fan of Titanic stories, this would be a good one to add to your mix.