The Household Guide to Dying

I've been reading a lot of pretty good books lately, but finally I read one that I loved! Debra Adelaide's The Household Guide to Dying is a wonderful novel. Although from the title, it seems a bit depressing, this is actually a very life-affirming novel.

Delia, the main character, is dying of cancer, and with all her typical organizational skills, she writes a guide about it, along with lists and other preperations for her family-she even orders her own coffin and takes pictures of herself in it for the cover!

The novel moves back in forth through time to when she was a young mother up to the present day. I don't want to write too much about the story. You should read this wondeful novel for yourself. It is an honest, tender and intelligent novel.

It is also full of so many references to literature, as Delia is a lifelong lover of books. This was just an added bonus for those of us who share her passion. I was sad to put this book down when it ended.

Red Hook Road

Read Hook Road, the new novel by Ayelet Waldman is set on the coast of Maine, and if you haven't been there, then this book will take you there-complete with lobsters, blueberries, sailboats, and the tension between locals and "from aways."

It is the tragic tale of the death of two young newlyweds just minutes after they are married. It could have been a depressing novel, but in Waldman's talented hands it became a story not only of grief, but of healing and forgiveness between the families of the bride and the groom. These two families couldn't be more different, and it takes the whole of this novel for them to find common ground.

Some of my favorite parts of the story were the beautifully written and lyrical passages between the older violin virtuoso, Mr. Kimmelbrod and Samantha, his young protege.

There are many different characters in this novel, and there were moments when I realized that I didn't care too deeply about any of them. However, by the end, Waldman brings them all together so well that every misstep along the way is forgiven, and I found that I truly enjoyed this book.

Outside the Ordinary World

Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller is a very good first novel. It follows the present life of Sylvia Sandon, as an adult and mother stuggling with her marriage, and it takes us back to her childhood, when she was 12 years old and a witness to the dissolution of her parents marriage.

It is the best book I have ever read about affairs. How and why they start, how they fulfill parts of us, and how they sometimes destroy us. Also, how sometimes they last. It is a deeply honest look at family dynamics, and how even the best marriages are tested by the burdens of children, work, and other outside pressures. It also shows the effect our marriages have on our children.

This is an honest, intelligent and heartfelt book. It shines a light on the joys and sorrows we all expereince in our everyday lives. Beautifully written and worth reading.

Heads by Harry

Heads by Harry, a novel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka,  is set in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since I spent many years living on the Big Island, I fell in love with reading the Pidgin English that this book is written in. However, this was a difficult novel to read. It was graphic, often violent and fiercely honest. These are also the things that made it a good book.

The story is about Toni, the middle child of 3, in a lower middle class local Japanese family in Hilo. Her dad Harry runs the taxidermy shop that they live above. The book centers around their lives and the lives of the other locals who share this block of downtown Hilo with them. There is a lot of brutality both in the hunting scenes depicted in the book and in the local drinking and fighting culture.

If you haven't been to Hawaii, this book will not make you want to go there. I can't say I enjoyed reading this novel, however I do think Yamanaka is a brave and wonderful writer showing us some painful truths, but also moments of great tenderness and beauty.

Long for This World

Long for This World is the wonderful debut novel by Sonya Chung. Chung's writing is precise and effortless, with nothing superfluous to get in the way of a good story.

It is the story of  a Korean family and their Korean-American relatives. There are many fascinating characters whose lives are woven together throughout the story. Although there is a lot of tragedy and loss, there is also a lot of hope here. Some are not "long for this world," but others are, and this is a story about the survivors and what that means.

It gave me a rare glimpse into Korean culture, a culture I know very little about. Chung is a brilliant writer who masterfully portrays both female and male characters. She has a keen eye for detail, and this is a superb novel. I can't wait for her next novel.

The Buddha is Still Teaching

The Buddha is Still Teaching-Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom selected and edited by Jack Kornfield is a wonderful book. I tend to read very fast and this was just the book to slow me down-way down.

I have been fortunate enough to meet and study with several of the teachers whose writings are included in this book, and I am familiar with many more from having read their books in the past. Some were entirely new to me. These are our present day teachers, carrying on the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, passed down through generations of teachers to us today. It is a wealth of wisdom compiled in this little book, and the only way to really let it sink in, is to slow way down with it. So I "took the one seat" as Jack Kornfield calls us to do, and I savored these teachings.

Whether Buddhism is new to you, or something you've studied for years, you will find this book to be a gem. I also highly recommend some of Jack Kornfield's earlier books, particularly After the Ecstasy the Laundry and A Path with Heart.

The Gift

The Gift by Cecilia Ahern is a magical holiday novel. It is the story of Lou, a workaholic, who meets Gabe, a homeless man, outside his building and gives him a cup of coffee and then a job in a moment of unusual generosity. Things get strange from there. Gabe (the angel Gabriel?) seems to know more about Lou's life than he knows himself, and he always seems to be in two places at once.

The novel is set in Dublin, where Ahern lives. It is meant to be a modern day take on A Christmas Carol. It is not Ahern's best. It was enjoyable to read, but not memorable.

I liked some of Aherns earlier novels much more, including  Thanks for the Memories and P.S. I Love You. She is a good storyteller and I enjoy reading her novels when I'm in the mood for something not too heavy. I also have a soft spot for Irish writers. I will look for what she writes next.

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes

In the spirit of full disclosure (and this blog was started as a place to record everything that I read) I must mention  The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes-A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury by Bill Watterson.

I checked this book out from the library for my husband who does computer animation, then I proceeded to read the entire thing myself. It has been so many years since I've read Calvin and Hobbes, I'd forgotten how funny it is. I now have a child Calvin's age (although not quite as precocious) whose constant companion is our cat, and I can relate so much more to the parents than I could before, so I found this book hilarious.

Calvin is so smart and imaginative. Watterson's comics seemed just as fresh to me as they did years ago. If you're looking for a really good laugh, you'll find it here.

Half Broke Horses

I finally got around to reading Jeanette Wall's Half Broke Horses. It is what she calls a true-life novel. It is the story of her grandmother, Lily Casey, and as such, it is a sort of prequel to her memoir The Glass Castle.

First, I will say that it is a wonderful book. Walls is a great writer, and with subjects as compelling as her grandmother, it makes telling a good story a lot easier. Her grandmother was a very strong, independent woman who grew up poor on ranches in Texas and New Mexico and Arizona. With a long stuggle to finally get an education, she became a teacher, but in the meantime she broke horses, drove cars, learned to fly a plane and even sold liquor during prohibition just to get by.

Even though it is such a great story, it is no Glass Castle. That memoir took me on such a wild ride I hardly knew if I should believe everything I was reading. Wall's grandmother's life seems no less interesting than her own or her mothers, yet it is told in a much drier and sometimes passionless voice that left me wanting just a little bit more. I would have loved to meet the real Lily Casey.

Half Broke Horses is definately a book worth reading, and if you haven't already read it, then get yourself a copy of The Glass Castle as well.

Born Under a Million Shadows

I just finished reading Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield. I loved this novel and I didn't want it to end.

It is the story of Fawad, an eleven year old Afghani boy growing up in Kabul, in post-Taliban Afghanistan. I was nervous to read this book because I was unsure if I was ready to delve into all the pain and tragedy that I know is a part of life for all Afghani people. I was so pleasantly surprised by Busfield's powerful and moving and often hilarious novel. It isn't without tragedy, but it doesn't dwell there.

Busfield is an English journalist who spent 2 1/2 years living in Afghanistan. She learned the language and fell in love with the country and the people, especially the children-and it shows. This is her tribute to them.

Writing in the voice of an 11 year old Afghani boy couldn't have been easy, but it was pitch perfect. I found myself looking at the world through Fawad's eyes, and this was so often laugh out loud funny. He is a very clever and lively boy with a big imagination and an even bigger heart. I can't remember the last time I fell in love with a main character as much as I did with Fawad.

This novel was an unexpected joy, and I think that everyone should read it. I look forward to hearing more from Andrea Busfield.

Note: At the back of the novel, Busfield mentions visiting the Shah M bookstore,  made famous in  'The Bookseller of Kabul'  by Asne Seierstad. This is another book about Afghanistan worth reading.

Into the Heart of the Canyon

Into the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde is a wild ride. It is a journey down the rapids of the Colorado River through the heart of the Grand Canyon. A dozen very different people are brought together for this 2 week rafting trip. Each character is well developed, interesting and believable, and the story unfolds as they journey down the river together, learning about each other and about themselves- with some interesting surprises at the end. The most powerful charcter in the novel seems to be the river itself, and I got a true sense of it while reading this book.

I have spent 8 days hiking through the Grand Canyon several years back and came across very few people. The river, the canyon, the magnificent colors of the rocks and the beauty of the place were indescribable. But I didn't run the rapids, and this wonderful novel made me feel almost as if I did.

This is Hyde's love song to the river, and it shows. I, for one, enjoyed the ride.


Note: I would also love to read Hyde's earlier novel, The Abortionist's Daughter which brings to mind, based on the title only, two other wonderful recent reads that I thought I'd mention: The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards and The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim. Both worth reading.

Reunion

Reunion by Therese Fowler is a perfect book to read on a rainy day, or even better, on the beach. I liked this book a lot. The characters were well developed and I couldn't put the book down-I wanted to find out what was going to happen.

Blue Reynolds aka. Harmony Blue is the main character, who, heartbroken at 19 runs off for a year and gets into trouble and has a baby boy that she gives up for adoption without telling anyone. 20 years later, when she is a rich and famous talk show host, she hires a P.I. to try to find her son.

The book is set partly in Key West where vivid descriptions of warm beaches and tropical birds and plants made me feel warm even during this cold, rainy winter when I was reading the book. It was a lovely escape. Here in Key West, Blue runs into her old love-the one that broke her heart 20 years ago, and from there the heart of the story unfolds.

Blue reunites with her younger self, her true heart, and a family who had a big impact on her when she was young. She finds true love unexpectedly as well.


Spoiler Alert:
I suppose this was the reunion of the title, however, I always took it to mean the reunion with her son, and although we are left assuming this is going to happen soon, we never get to witness the event. For me this was really disappointing. It was what I was waiting for the whole time, so I felt let down.

However, I enjoyed this book. I would like to read her first novel Souvenir as well.