The Favored Queen

The Favored Queen, A Novel of Henry VIII's Third Wife, by Carolly Erickson, is historical fiction lite.

This is a novel about Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's wife following Anne Boleyn. It was mildly entertaining, but way too  much of the story was fabricated. It left me disappointed, and longing for a more in depth tale of Tudor England.

Look Me in the Eye

Look Me in the Eye, My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison is a memoir about growing up different from everyone else, but not knowing why.

Robison wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's until he was 40. Until then, he was told all sorts of reasons why he was different. That he was a deviant sociopath seemed to be a recurrent theme, because he was percieved as being rude, and he would never look people in the eye when talking to them.

He grew up thinking something was very wrong with him and this led him to fail out of school when he was 15 even though he tested in the 99th percentile. From there, his life takes all sorts of interesting turns, including designing smoking guitars for KISS.

This memoir is written with humor and honesty, and gives great insight into the life of people with Asperger's. It was a wonderful book. Highly recommended reading.

The 19th Wife

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff is historical fiction based on polygamy within the Mormon church, both in the past, and as it exists today.

It is the fascinating story of Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young's infamous 19th wife, who divorced him, left the church and fought to get polygamy made illegal in the United States. Her story, and the story of the founders of the church and it's first pioneers, is intermingled with a modern day story of a 19th wife in jail in Utah for murdering her husband.

I loved this book and only wish the modern day story had more to it, as it deserved a novel of its own. Edershoff really takes us on a journey to discover what it must be like to be a plural wife, or a child raised within this system. The things Brigham Young did and said in the name of God are downright scary, as is the fact that this is still going on in modern day America.

At times, the format of the book didn't always work. Still, I highly recommend it both for its historical interest and because it's a really good story. I couldn't put it down, and it left me with a lot to think about.

Empress

Empress by Shan Sa is historical fiction based on the life of China's only female Emperor, Empress Wu (AD 625-705) who lived and ruled during the golden age of the Tang Dynasty.

Her story is written in the first person, beginning by narrating her own birth. EmpressWu, known as Heavenlight in the novel, rises from obscurity through her own intelligence and determination to become China's only female Emperor in 5000 years. She is wise and strong and sometimes very cruel. Its hard to know how much of the novel is based on truth and how much is imagined.

It was an interesting and rather depressing look at life inside the Forbidden City- full of gossip, scandal, power struggles, murder and intrigue (not at all unlike life in the Imperial Zenana of Mughal India described in the Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan.)

However, I did not love this novel. I found it often slow and indulgent, caught up in too many minor details, and by the end, depressing and difficult  to read. It is obvious that Shan Sa has the heart and mind of a poet and a feminist and is immensly talented, but here her talent was somehow lost. I love historical fiction, but this was not the best.

The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise

The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart is a quirky novel set in the famous Tower of London.

Our protagonist, Balthazar Jones, is a Beefeater (Yoeman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Member of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extrodinary.) 

He is given the job of keeper of the Queen's menagerie, which includes all the exotic animals that have been gifted to the Queen from all over the world; including a zorilla, a Komodo dragon, and an Etruscan shrew of a particularly nervous disposition, to name a few.

What enfolds is a hilarious tale, intermixed with the gory history of London's famous prison and all its resident ghosts. At the heart of the novel is a very tender love story between the protagonist and his wife Hebe Jones.

This novel is many different things at once and yet somehow succeeds. I found it highly entertaining and original.

A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards

A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards is a brilliant and emotionally charged debut novel by Ann Bauer. She writes of  4 year old Edward disppearing from his family and the world, into a slow and uncharted descent into Autism.

Bauer writes from the point of view of Rachel, Edward's monther, and shows the effect Edward's withdrawal has on her, and her marriage, and the things that desperate parents will do to try to help their children.

The story is so believable in part because the character of Edward is loosly based on Bauer's own child, and in part because she is a wonderful writer.

I found the book sad, moving, at times funny, but always engaging-I just couldn't put it down-and I won't soon forget it..

The Dive from Clausen's Pier

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer is an amazing debut novel-the best novel I've read in a while.

Set in Wisconsin and New York City, we follow the lives of young Carrie Bell and her fiance Mike as their relationship changes, due at first to growing apart and then to a tragedy that changes them both forever.

I loved Packer's writing and was drawn in from the start. She created a story with honest characters and moral dilemas I will continue to ponder long after having finished this novel.

A brilliant piece of storytelling that won't soon be forgotten. Highly recommended.

Quite a Year for Plums

Quite a Year for Plums is a quirky little novel by Bailey White. The story was original and funny and engaging. I loved all the peculiar characters.

Roger, the peanut pathologist, Della the bird artist, Louise and the typographer attempting to contact aliens with just the right combination of letters and numbers, to name just a few.

I was transported to the slow pace of small town Georgia life and didn't want to leave. Bailey White is a magnificent storyteller and I look forward to reading  Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Sleeping at the Starlite Motel, also by her.

Bossypants

Bossypants by Tina Fey seemed to be a huge hit with everyone this past year, so I decided to read it. I did find it mildly entertaining and at some moments even laugh out loud funny, but it just kept making me think of  another book - Everybody into the Pool-True Tales by Beth Lisick, a female comedy-memior that really had me laughing out loud until I was crying. Very different books for sure, and Lisick's book might not be for everyone, but I loved it, and even enjoyed her follow up Help Me Help Myself, (although not quite as much.)

Back to Tina Fey. Admittedly a funny woman.  I loved her on Saturday Night Live as Sarah Palin, so the jokes weren't lost on me-but do we really need to read about what we all saw already?  I haven't watched 30 Rock, so there were huge sections of the book that were meaningless to me. And I still question memoirs at the age of 40.

If you love Tina Fey (and she really really wants you to) you will find this book interesting and funny and worth reading. Its quick and harmless enough (if you can get past the disturbing cover.)