Swing Time

Swing Time is the new novel by Zadie Smith. Set in London, two young brown girls study dance together falling in love with all the old musicals and dreaming of a life on stage. Only one has real talent and their lives eventually diverge. The unnamed protagonist ends up working as a personal assistant for a very famous white singer and travels with her to West Africa where she wants to start a school for girls.

Tracey, the dancer, manages to make it to the stage for a while before having three babies with three different fathers. I was very drawn into this story, I think Smith is a wonderful writer, I loved her earlier books, but I was disappointed with this one. By the end, it left me feeling sad and empty after I had invested so much in caring for the characters she created. Ultimately a disappointing read.

The Book of Speculation

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler is set on Long Island Sound, in an old house sitting precariously on a cliff side ready to fall into the sea. Here lives Simon, a librarian, who comes from a family of mermaids, and tarot readers and carnival performers. He receives a very old, mysterious book that belonged to his Grandmother and begins a quest to uncover the curse that seems to be haunting his family.

Set in the past and the present, the book is full of magic and magical characters, but also sadness and darkness. It isn't the best book of this sort I've read, I enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern much more, but it is well written and I was pulled in and enthralled by the story. A good read.

The Witches Market

The Witches Market by Mingmei Yip is a book about a Chinese American professor of anthropology in San Francisco who may or may not be a witch/shameness. She has a dream that takes her on a year sabbatical to the Canary Islands where she will supposedly write a book about witches.

What follows is the most ridiculous, poorly written book I've read in ages, not really as much about witches as about solving a murder mystery. I don't know how I even got to the end of this one, or how this book was ever published in the first place, ugh!

The Grown Ups

The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek follows three 15 year old kids starting one fateful Summer when all their lives changed. Their paths separate only to recross later as adults when their lives become entwined again with one another.

Beautifully written, emotionally charged, and full of wonderful details that pull the reader in and make us care for the characters. I enjoyed this book while reading it, however, I doubt it is one that will stay with me for long.

Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan is historical fiction based on the life of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife Fanny Osbourne. It's a fascinating adventure tale of two free spirited artists who met in France (Stevenson was Scottish and Osbourne American) and traveled the world looking for a place to call home.

I never knew Stevenson was chronically ill while writing Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; all the while looking for a climate where he could be healthy and thrive, finally ending up in the South Seas and building a home in Samoa. This is a well written, sweeping saga that drew me in from the first page. A good read.

The Mountain of Light

The Mountain of Light by Indu Sundaresan is historical fiction based on the 186-carat Kohinoor diamond and those who possessed it during it's long history in India, Persia, Afghanistan and England.

It's a fascinating story, however Sundaresan never lingers long enough on any of the characters for the reader to feel fully invested in what happens to them, and to understand what possessing this diamond really meant. An interesting read that could have been a fantastic story had it been better written.

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton, is a beautiful and sad novel about the survivors of Nagasaki, and those who didn't survive when the bomb was dropped. Painful memories come back to Amaterasu when a disfigured man knocks on her door and claims to be the grandson she lost 40 years earlier.

Beautifully written, heartbreaking, memorable. A great read.

The Boston Girl

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent, follows the life of Addie Baum, born in 1900 in Boston to Jewish immigrant parents. She is now 85 years old and telling the story of her life to her granddaughter.

Although a decent read, I found it somewhat forgettable, unlike The Red Tent which has never left me even though I read it many years ago.

The First Rule of Swimming

The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic is a novel about two sisters from a small island in Croatia. One never leaves the island, the other immigrates to America, then disappears in NYC. The story traces three generations of the family, through war and hardship as they each search for peace and a place to call home.

This is a beautiful, well written novel full of memorable characters. At times it seems to veer off track a bit, and I would have loved more background about Croatia, but the central relationship between the two sisters and what they will do for each other is where the beauty in this story lies.

Today Will Be Different

Today Will Be Different is Maria Semple's new novel. Where'd You Go Bernadette was so brilliant, clever and funny I was anxiously awaiting her next book and it doesn't disappoint. She is one of my favorite authors of the moment; with such original ideas, her writing is full of intelligence, wit, humor and heart.

The story follows one day in the life of middle aged Seattle animator Eleanor Flood. I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but the mini graphic novel in the middle of the book makes up for it. A great read.

Alexander Hamilton

Weighing in at 731 pages, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow kept me busy for quite some time. This is the biography that the musical Hamilton is based on and it's fascinating. Unless you're already a history buff, this biography will teach you more about our founding fathers than you ever learned in school, along with the American Revolution, the Constitution, our financial systems, our military and much more.

Alexander Hamilton was a genius and as his story unfolds in this well written biography, so does the story of our country. A worthwhile read.

The Past

The Past by Tessa Hadley is a novel set in Somerset where three sisters, a brother and their families gather for one last Summer together in their grandparents house before they may have to sell it.

Hadley is a undoubtedly a great writer, she moves back and forth through time to bring her characters stories to life. Full of secrets, and family tensions, yet in the end mildly depressing and mostly forgettable.

Truly, Madly Guilty

Truly, Madly, Guilty is the new novel by Liane Moriarty. Moriarty is one of my favorite writers; her books draw you in and you just can't put them down, This one is no exception. There is a mystery at the heart of the novel that takes place on a sunny day during a backyard barbecue in Sydney, and when you think you've figured out what happened, keep reading, you're probably wrong.

Although I appreciate Moriarty's writing skill and her gift for keeping the reader in suspense, I found myself disappointed as I just didn't care about any of the six adult characters in the novel. Well written and entertaining, but forgettable, not Moriarty's best book.

The Forgetting Tree

The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli is a novel set on a large citrus ranch in Southern California that has existed for many generations. When tragedy strikes, it seems there is no moving forward, yet somehow the family does. Years later, illness strikes Claire, the mother, and a Caribbean born caretaker is found as a live-in aid, bringing two radically different cultures together.

At this point the book takes some very strange turns and I felt like I was reading a whole other novel. Interesting and well written, yet I just didn't believe everything that happened could occur without the family ever knowing or intervening. I couldn't fully buy into the story, so it left me feeling disappointed.

Homegoing

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is a novel that spans 300 years of one family's history in Ghana and America. The novel goes back and forth between two branches of the family tree, each chapter skipping to the next generation. Written in this style, the book felt more like a series of connected short stories than a novel; each time I grew interested in a character, the story moved on to another completely new character.

What Gyasi set out to accomplish was enormous, and I'm not sure she was entirely successful. The book has moments of brilliance, and is worth checking out for a deeper understanding of Ghanaian culture. However, as far as a good story goes, there is very little redemption here, and never a chance to get to know any of the characters enough to deeply care about them.

The Girl With the Ghost Eyes

The Girl With the Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson is a novel set in San Francisco's Chinatown at the end of the 19th century. A daughter of a famous exorcist is cursed with being able to see spirits. She is drawn into a plot to take control of Chinatown by gangsters, spirits, curses and evil spells. She must call on all her magical and martial arts training to fight them, with the help of a little spirit in the shape of an eyeball.

Enter Boroson's strange yet historic world of old Chinatown. He grew up obsessed with kung fu movies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and in fact, this would make a much better movie than a book. A fun and fairly entertaining read.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad is a collection of 13 short stories that read together as a book. Lizzie is the girl in the title who is fat most of her life, until she gets thin. Even after she gets thin, she still sees herself as a fat girl.

Awad's writing is clever and witty, sad and tender. She brings into the spotlight our culture's obsession with body size. Her observations are spot on, yet I found this a painful book to read. I was hoping Lizzie just might find a way to be happy with herself. Well written, but sad.

Falling

Falling, A Love Story, by Jane Green, seems full of cliche characters in a very predictable story, but it takes a rather tragic turn near the end. This makes the book less predictable, but not better, just sad.

I used to like some of Jane Green's books, but this is one to skip.

And After Many Days

And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile is a deceptively simple little novel that packs a huge emotional punch. Ile's writing is sparse and lyrical, the spaces he leaves speak volumes.

It is the story of the Utu family and their three children. When Paul, the oldest boy, goes missing one day, the family is thrown into disarray. Mostly told from younger brother Ajie's point of view, the novel is partly a portrait of a Nigerian family struggling to put the pieces together and partly the story of a Nation in a state of unrest.

A beautiful and powerful book not soon to be forgotten. A great new voice in fiction from Nigeria.

Gold Fame Citrus

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins is a fever dream of a novel set in an imagined near future where the drought in Southern California has reached extreme measures and everyone except a few stragglers have been evacuated. Luz and Ray, squatting in a starlet's mansion, are drifting through the days playing house until they encounter a child and decide to head east and look for a better life.

The Amargosa, a huge dune sea growing and swallowing everything in its wake is overtaking the Southwest. Vaye Watkins has created a plausible future in this upsetting, original and gripping novel.  Some of the characters encountered along the way seemed a bit cliche to me, and the plot seemed to get lost, but the fabulous writing made up for it. A great new voice in fiction.

The Year of the Runaways

The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota is another immigrant book, this one much grittier and more painful than Behold the Dreamers. It tells the story of four Indian immigrants, three young men and one young woman, all trying to make a better life for themselves and their families by finding work in England. Once there, the reality of finding any kind of work is brutal and if they are there illegally, almost impossible.

Sahota follows the lives of these four not quite friends as they intersect and come to depend on each other. An incredible novel, painting a very vivid and often grim picture of the struggles of immigrant life. It also gives a not very pleasant look into Indian culture and caste system.

Behold the Dreamers

Behold the Dreamers is a wonderful debut novel by Imbolo Mbue. It is a novel about an immigrant family from Cameroon and the rich white family they work for in NYC. Mbue captures both cultures beautifully, and we come to care deeply for the characters she has created.

This is a brilliant novel that deeply explores the immigrant dream, with all its struggles, false hopes and ultimate redemption. A great read.

Water Ghosts

Waters Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan is a very atmospheric little novel about a small Chinese farming town on the Sacramento River in the 1920's. Yang Ryan weaves history and myth together to paint a picture of Chinese immigrant life.

When three women arrive in town on a boat coming in from the mist, no one is sure of who they really are and how they got there. The whole novel felt like a dream. A worthwhile read.

The Friends We Keep

The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallory is a novel about three women in a small southern California town, each dealing with their own family problems; from divorce, to teen pregnancy to being unable to have a baby. They are there for each other through thick and thin.

It was a decent read, with well drawn characters, but a bit too predictable and easily forgotten.

A Tale for the Time Being

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is a brilliant novel. Nao, a sixteen year old Japanese girl writes a diary about her life and her 104 year old grandmother who is a Buddhist nun. The diary washes ashore an island in the Pacific Northwest inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox where Ruth, a writer, finds it.

The story is at times very sad and disturbing, but it is also funny, wise and tender. Both stories and characters are equally compelling. One of the best written novels I've read in years. Ozeki is a master, I couldn't put it down.

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai, author of The Inheritance of Loss, is a satire about life in a small Indian village. Sampath, a twenty year old boy unremarkable in every way, decides he is tired of his life, his family, his job, etc. He climbs a guava tree in a nearby orchard and promptly takes up residence there.

Suddenly he is seen by the town as a holy man and all manner of chaos ensues as people come from far and wide to hear his advice, and a tribe of drunken monkeys begins terrorizing the devotees. Desai captures the hilarity of the situation in pitch perfect tone, and I was laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. A fun read.

The Power of Meow

The Power of Meow by David Michie is part of the Dalai Lama's Cat Series. Another great little story written from the point of view of HHC or His Holiness's cat as she is known. This book is filled with simple wisdom, Buddhist teachings and funny moments as HHC observes the everyday happenings in her neighborhood, has dreams of her past lives, and learns to meditate.

Profound life lessons are given here in a simple and humorous way; it's hard not to fall in love with HHC. A worthwhile read for everyone.

Yarn Harlot

Yarn Harlot, The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a book I thought was a novel but is actually a series of essays by a very obsessed knitter. Pearl-Mcphee has a blog by the same name and these often felt like reading blog entries.

Some were very funny, others mildly amusing, all would have surely been much more enjoyable if I were actually a knitter. In fact, I felt like giving this book to all my knitting friends as they will surely get a good laugh from reading it. If you're not a knitter, this book will not make you want to start knitting anytime soon, but you might enjoy it just for the laughs.

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson is a novel I picked up because of the catchy, but somewhat misleading title. In 1923, English sisters Eva and Lizzie and friend Millicent head to Kashgar as missionaries. Eva does not feel a religious calling, but wants to write a book about her trip, and keeps this secret.

A parallel present day story finds Frieda just returning to London after months working abroad and drifting a little lost when she finds out a woman she has never heard of left all her possessions to her. The two stories do of course converge by the end.

This is a beautifully written novel, with well developed, interesting and unique characters, that pulled me into both stories equally. However, I was disappointed that there never was much riding of a bicycle by anyone, but I enjoyed the novel nonetheless.

Island of a Thousand Mirrors

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera is a novel set in Sri Lanka during the long years of Civil War. It tells the story of two girls, one Tamil, who grew up in the North during the war, the other Sinhalese, whose family fled to LA to escape the war.

This is a beautifully written novel evoking the sights and sounds, smells and tastes of Sri Lanka as well as chronicalling the immigrant experience in the States. It is at times very difficult to read, as Munaweera doesn't shy away from the horrors of War. In this way it reminded me of The Kite Runner, painful at times, but well worth reading. A great debut.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio is set in a Seattle houseboat community in the 1950's and present day. It's an interesting story paralleling the lives of two lonely women living in the same houseboat 50 years apart. 

I usually enjoy Jio's books, but I found this one a little too perfectly wrapped up to be believable. Everything came full circle at the end, all loose ends are tied up and the stories converge in a very unrealistic way. An ok, mostly forgettable, slightly disappointing read, by an author who'se written much better books.

To My Dearest Friends

To My Dearest Friends by Patricia Volk is a novel about a woman who dies of cancer and leaves a letter to her two best friends who've never met each other. They are unsure what to do with the secrets contained in the letter, and unsure if they even like each other.

The novel is a love song to New York City and to female friendship. A quick easy read with an unexpected ending, well written, enjoyable, but also forgettable.

Open House

Open House by Elizabeth Berg is a novel about a woman dealing with divorce and raising a child on her own. I usually enjoy Berg's books, but this was not one of my favorites. Samantha, the protagonist played the victim almost the entire book and I found it really tiring.

Berg is a wonderful writer who gets straight to the heart of the emotions of her characters, yet this was not a book with characters I felt I could relate to. Fans of Berg might enjoy it.

Euphoria

Euphoria by Lily King is historic fiction based on the life of Margaret Mead during the 1930's while she was working as an anthropologist in New Guinea. This is a well written novel about Mead and her husband and a fellow anthropologist, who is in love with her, and their differing approaches to learning about the native tribes they are studying while revealing even more about themselves.

It is a fascinating portrayal of human behavior and relationships, of the tribes in New Guinea and the anthropologists themselves. An intelligent, entertaining, great read.

For All the Tea in China

For All the Tea in China, How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose is a fascinating real life adventure of botanist Robert Fortune sent in the mid 1800's by the British East India Company into the mountains of China, disguised as a Chinese businessman to steal tea plants, seeds, and the secrets of processing tea held for 2000 years by the Chinese.

This is an incredible adventure story full of mystery and intrigue, espionage, danger and near death, made all the more fascinating because it is true. Well written and highly entertaining, a great read.

The Nest

The Nest by Cynithia D'Aprix Sweeny, is a novel about four grown siblings in a very dysfunctional New York family each counting on a nest egg from their deceased father. All four have their reasons for wanting the money, yet one brother gets himself in trouble and almost all the money goes to bailing him out. What ensues is a complex story of how each of the siblings tries to deal with the problem alone and through coming together as a family.

This is such a well written book that it made me care about these mostly unlikeable characters and their problems. I was completely pulled into their story, their journey and their ultimate transformation. A great read.

The Secrets She Keeps

The Secrets She Keeps by Deb Caletti is a novel based on the divorce ranches that existed in Nevada in the 50's. Women would come and stay for six weeks to get residency, then legally get a divorce. The atmosphere was often like a big party, with cocktails and dancing and city women falling for cowboys, there were Hollywood stars who came and of course a lot of heartbreak.

Caletti moves back and forth from present day to the Summer of 1951 when something happened at Tamarosa Ranch that has been kept secret all these years. Although somewhat predictable, it's a good story and a good read. I could almost feel the wild Mustangs running by!

Sweetbitter

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is a novel about a small town girl in her early 20's who comes to NYC and lands a job as a backwaiter at New York's most popular restaurant, which is hard to believe to start with. The novel spans the course of her first year in New York where she has an awakening through sex, drugs, and food.

I didn't love this book as much as the critics did, but I thought it was a good debut novel.

Cleopatra's Shadows

Cleopatra's Shadows is the debut novel by Emily Holleman. It is historical fiction based on the lives of Cleopatra's lesser known sisters, younger sister Arsinoe and older half-sister Berenice who became the first Queen to rule Egypt alone in a thousand years.

Interesting from an historic perspective about Ptolemaic Alexandria, yet Holleman never drew me in enough to care deeply about any of the characters in the book, and there was not enough written about the larger picture outside the palace walls; I was left with more questions than answers. A disappointing read about an intriguing royal family.

Sweet Salt Air

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky is set on an imaginary island off the coast of Maine.Two childhood friends who spent Summers there growing up reunite after not seeing each other for ten years. They come together to work together on a cookbook based on island food, rich with local recipes including somewhat magical herbs that are an island secret.

Secrets are uncovered and both women's lives changed forever by what they discover during this Summer. Delinsky is a great storyteller and with just the right amount of mystery, romance and a great setting, she pulled me in. This is the kind of book that sweeps you away and transports you to another place.

I found the ending a bit predictable, but it was fun while it lasted.

Gena/Finn

Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson is a book I read solely because of the title. Written entirely in blog posts, texts, emails, messaging, and journal entries, its a modern take on friendship in the digital age.

Two fangirls, Gena and Finn, short for Stephanie, meet online while writing about their favorite show, whose characters are more real to them than people they actually know. What starts out as a funny book, becomes surprisingly heavy as these girls get to know each other, develop a deep bond and share intimate secrets.

I was quickly pulled in and read it in one sitting. Surprisingly entertaining and touching.

After Alice

After Alice by, Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, tells the story of Ada, a friend of Alice's who's briefly mentioned in the original work. Ada goes in search of Alice and finds herself tumbling down into Wonderland and into her own adventure.

Alice's sister Lydia, meanwhile is above ground and not too worried that Alice has disappeared while in her care. Its a wonderful and inventive new take on a familiar story with some added characters and new twists and turns.

Maguire is known for rewriting fairy tales with his own unique and offbeat take on them; fans of his or of Alice will enjoy this new work.

The High Mountains of Portugal

The High Mountains of Portugal is the new novel by Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi. It is told in three parts. Starting at the turn of the 20th century a young man grieving for his wife and son sets forth in one of Europe's first cars on a quest into the mountains of Portugal. Forty years later, a Portuguese pathologist, and devotee of Agatha Christie mysteries, finds himself drawn into his own mystery. Another fifty years on we meet a Canadian Senator, also grieving for his wife who relocates with his newly acquired pet ape to the small mountain town in Portugal where his parents were born,

All three stories are fascinating in their own way and intersect by the end. Although I greatly enjoy Martel's writing I felt very disappointed by the end of the book. It just didn't all come together for me.

Loving Eleanor

Loving Eleanor, The Intimate Friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, by Susan Wittig Albert is historical fiction based on the lives of these two extraordinary women and their decades long relationship, hidden because of the times and because of Eleanor's position as First Lady.

Researching over 3000 letters written back and forth between the two, Albert has written a beautiful book illuminating the lives of these very fascinating women, and full of historic details of the times. A worthwhile read for fans of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Secrets of the Talking Jaguar

Secrets of the Talking Jaguar, Memoirs from the Living Heart of a Mayan Village by Martin Prechtel is a memoir of Prechtel's time in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala where he was initiated as a Shaman.

The book is at times fascinating and at other times tiring and hard to follow because of Prechtel's writing style.

However, the Mayan language is rich and poetic and informs their way of life; if you are interested in Mayan culture it is a worthwhile read.

At the Water's Edge

At the Water's Edge is the new novel by Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants. This book is set in Scotland during WWII where a privileged young American man who cannot serve in the war drags his new wife and best friend to hunt down the mysterious Loch Ness monster.

Gruen weaves an intricate story, where nothing is as it seems to be at the beginning. As we watch all the characters develop and grow before our eyes, the reader is drawn into another world and another time. Part historical fiction, part fantasy romance; this is a great read.

In Search of Lost Time

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, A Graphic Novel adapted by Stephane Heuet, is a wonderful book to introduce the reader to Proust's epic work. The artwork is beautiful and the story comes alive. I have not read Proust before, and at times I found his writing absolutely brilliant, and other times tedious; it is not necessarily to my taste.

However, I loved reading it in graphic form, in fact I most likely would not have read this novel otherwise. I imagine fans of Proust will love this new addition to his work.

The Secrets of Midwives

The Secrets of Midwives is the debut novel by Sally Hepworth, author of The Things We Keep. I read this book in one sitting, just couldn't put it down. It tells of three generations of midwives, who all have great love and respect for each other even if they have chosen slightly different paths.

This is a good, somewhat predictable, easy read, full of details of midwives lives. Secrets, past and present are slowly revealed to keep the reader engaged until the end. A satisfying read.

The Dream Lover

The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg is historical fiction based on the life of writer George Sand. George Sand, whose real name was Aurore Dupin Dudevant was the first woman writer in France to become an international bestseller. She dressed as a man, smoked cigars, had many lovers and friends, both men and women, and led a fascinating life split between Paris and the French countryside.

Berg is a wonderful writer, she brings Sand to life on the page and the many famous men and women she spent time with, from Chopin, to Flaubert, Hugo and more. However, I felt frustrated reading about Sand's brilliance then watching her time and time again give her love to unworthy men, it was a tiresome pattern, and it made me want to read more of Sand's own books to discover a bit more about her.

A Paris Apartment

A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable is historical fiction based on the life of Marthe de Florian, a renowned courtesan painted by Giovanni Boldini, one of the masters of the Belle Epoque. After her death, her grand daughter shut up her apartment and fled Paris during WWII. It was discovered more than 70 years later full of artwork, furniture and much more that would draw millions at auction.

The novel is set in modern day Paris where April Vogt of Sothebys is sent to organize and catalogue everything in the apartment, and in the past as told in Marthe's journals. Although a great story, not the greatest novel, I wanted better writing, and to care more deeply about the characters.  It was fun to look at the actual pictures of the apartment and its contents online. A worthwhile read for its historical content alone.

The Bookstore

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler had the potential to be a good book; a love story to old fashioned bookstores, and to New York City itself. Esme, fresh from London, on a scholarship at Columbia, falls in love with rich, blue blooded Mitchell and that's where everything goes wrong.

Mitchell is such a creepy, unlikable character, it was impossible to believe Esme would fall for him and keep coming back to him.  I wish it had been more focused on the bookstore and less on the romance, could hardly wait to be done with this one.

The Well of Lost Plots

The Well of Lost Plots is a Thursday Next novel by Jasper Fforde. I haven't ready the whole series, but so far this is my favorite. Jurisfiction officer Thursday Next is pregnant, her husband has been eradicated and she has been relocated into an unpublished book in the Well of Lost Plots where plot devices are sold on the black market, a misspelling vyrus can mean total destruction for all, and someone is trying to erase her memory.

Fforde's imagination has no bounds and this is a fun adventure through literature for all those who love to read.  A wildly original ride; you may never look at a book the same way again.

Daughter of Fortune

Daughter of Fortune is a book that shows Isabelle Allende's incredible gift for storytelling,. It tells of an orphan girl raised in Chile by an upper class family, then stealing away on a ship to follow her lover to California at the height of the Gold Rush of 1849, in the process she undergoes many changes.

An epic novel, well written and filled with wonderful characters, history, adventure, romance, friendship, family, self-discovery and all you could want from a great story, it's one of Allende's best.

A great read.

H is for Hawk

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald is a beautifully written memoir filled with nature writing, history, poetry and much more. It defies all genres and stands alone as a brilliant work of literature.

It was written during an intense period of grief after the author lost her father and comes to terms with her own depression through training a goshawk named Mabel.

She refers often to TH White, author of The Once and Future King, who also trained a goshawk and wrote a book about it. This was a tiresome and often disturbing part of the book that I wish hadn't taken up so much of the story.

Overall a beautifully written, yet very heavy book.

The House at Tyneford

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons is set at a beautiful English country house by the seashore, where 19 year old Elise takes a post as a maid to flee Vienna at the start of WWII. She leaves behind her family and a life of privilege to become a servant in a foreign land. At first lost and lonely, she finds friendship in unexpected places and the beauty of Tyneford House grows on her.

Full of historical details, Solomons transports the reader to another place and time. A wonderful story of English country life before the War changed everything.

Someone

Someone by Alice McDermott is a deceptively simple novel about the life of Marie Commeford, an ordinary girl growing up in pre-Depression era Brooklyn. This is a beautifully written book full of observations of everyday life with all its ups and down.

It is a slim novel, and I would have loved even more character depth, but a lovely read nonetheless.

The Things We Keep

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is a novel about a young woman Anna, only 38, diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. She is placed in an assisted living facility with older people and one younger man named Luke, only 41, who also has Alzheimer's. While their memories quickly begin to fade, they find unexpected happiness with each other.

A sad, tender and compassionate look at this disease and how it affects families as well. Not as good as Still Alice, by Lisa Genova, but still a worthwhile read.

Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee is the follow up to To Kill a Mockingbird. Written before Mockingbird, Watchman is set two decades later when Scout is a young woman 26 years old living in NYC and returning to Maycomb, Alabama for a visit. What she finds when she returns home, disturbs her greatly and turns her whole world upside down.

Her Father and her fiancee are not the perfect men she always believed them to be and she cannot reconcile her feelings with her childhood beliefs. A compelling novel, beautifully written and painfully honest. A must read for fans of To Kill a Mockingbird.

The Dalai Lama's Cat

After reading Dinner with Buddha, someone recommended The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie. Told from the cat's perspective the book is filled with rare insights and bits of wisdom gathered while sitting on the Dalai Lama's lap or in the windowsill while he entertains famous visitors from around the world.

A funny, charming book for cat lovers, Buddhists, or anyone interested in an entertaining read filled with simple life lessons for greater happiness. This is the first in the series, I look forward to reading the rest.

Winter Stroll

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand, is set on Nantucket Island at Christmastime where the Quinn family reunites for their yearly ritual. The past year has been full of sorrow because one son is in jail for insider trading and another is missing in action in Afghanistan. However, they come together to celebrate the baptism of the third son's new baby girl and there is much joy to go around as well.

It was somewhat fun to escape into a family's drama whose problems are so much worse than your own. Mildly entertaining, yet forgettable; not Hilderbrand's best.

Emma

Emma, by Alexander McCall Smith is a modern day retelling of  Jane Austin's classic. I'm embarrassed to say I've never read the original, so I can't make a comparison of the two. However, I did enjoy McCall Smith's novel.

Emma is a spoiled, snobbish and rather unlikable young woman living in the English countryside, zipping around in her Mini Cooper and meddling in everyone's lives. Over the course of one summer, she learns a lot about life and becomes self-reflective enough to be considerate of others feelings and not just her own.

This is all accomplished with McCall Smith's usual wit, charm and humor. A light, enjoyable read.

My Name is Lucy Barton

I'm not sure why I keep reading Elizabeth Strout's books, but I do. Her latest, My Name is Lucy Barton, is about a woman who lives in New York with her husband and two young daughters and is in the hospital for nine weeks when her mother, who she hasn't seen or spoken to in years, shows up from her childhood home in Agmash, llinois.

The book is made up of Lucy's reflections on their conversations during this week. Strout's writing is deceptively simple and sparse, it gets right to the heart of the matter with little fuss. I have always felt compelled to read her books, yet I always feel mildly depressed by the end. Her characters are rarely happy and not fully formed enough to care about. A well written, yet unsatisfying read.

The Other Daughter

The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig is a novel set in 1920's London. When Rachel's mother dies, she returns from her job as a governess in France to discover a picture of her father who she believed died when she was four. He is a famous and respected Earl, while she has lived her life in near poverty.

She seeks entrance into society to find out the truth about her family and to seek revenge. It was all a bit cliche and forgettable to me.

Dinner with Buddha

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo is a follow up to his earlier novel Breakfast with Buddha. Fifty-one year old Otto Ringling had lost his wife, his job and his way.

He takes time out to visit his sister and enlightened brother in law, Volya Rinpoche and embarks on another road trip across the Western United States in search of...he's not exactly sure. It's impossible not to be drawn into Rinpoche's simple wisdom, humor and gentle nature.

A wonderful story full of insight and small beautiful moments worth worth slowing down to enjoy. A recommended read.

The Photographer's Wife

The Photographer's Wife by Suzanne Joinson is a novel set in 1920's Jerusalem and 1937 England. The protagonist is not actually the photographer's wife, but rather 11 year old Prue, daughter of an English architect living in Jerusalem. Seventeen years later, she is an artist living by the English seaside with her young son, when memories of her childhood in Jerusalem come back to haunt her.

A beautifully written book, almost like a dream, yet lacking in depth and character development. It is a story of Colonialism and the horrors that can accompany it, seen through the eyes of a child. An ok read, I would like to read Joinson's earlier novel, A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar.

The Turner House

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy is a novel about a big American family with thirteen kids from Detroit and the house they all grew up in.

They are grown now, and the oldest brother Cha-Cha is seeing a psychiatrist because he believes he has been seeing a ghost, or a haint, as they are called down South where his parents are from. The house is empty now and in what's become a bad neighborhood in the city. Most of the siblings gather to decide whether to try to save it, or finally let it go.

This is a wonderfully written novel, memorable, full of well developed characters, linked together through history, family, place, desires. A great debut.

Untwine

Untwine is the new novel by Haitian author Edwidge Danticat. Set in Miami, it is the story of two identical twin sisters, born holding hands. Sixteen years later, one wakes up in a hospital room unable to speak or move and tries to piece together the tragedy that just befell her family.

A beautifully written novel; a heartbreaking story about loss and finding yourself again. However, I kept hoping something else was going to happen in the story, and when it didn't, I just felt sad at the end of the book. I enjoyed Breath, Eyes, Memory, one of her earlier novels, more.

The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is historic fiction set at the time of the fall of Jerusalem (70 C.E.) to the Romans, specifically the Jewish stronghold of Masada where over 900 Jews committed mass suicide rather than be taken as slaves by the Romans.

Hoffman tells the story through the voices of four different women who came to Masada and became the dovekeepers there. The language is mesmerizing; she beautifully weaves their stories, their lives, their voices together as if they are rising up from the past. This is a brilliant novel, taking the reader into the desert, into another time and place where we can hear from those few who survived this massacre.

An extraordinary novel, highly recommended.

Fingersmith

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, is such a well plotted, suspenseful novel, with so many twists and turns, I kept having to go back to see what I had missed. Set in 1860's London, amongst a group of petty thieves, known as fingersmiths, a plot is hatched to make them all rich, or is it?

Waters is a master of her craft. Hers is a dark world to enter into, but even so, almost impossible to put down. Paying Guests remains my favorite of her novels, but this one is still  worth a read.

Winter Sea

If you like time travel, historic fiction or romance novels, you will love Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsly. Set on the coast of Scotland in present day and 300 years ago during a Jacobite uprising, a writer rents a small cabin only to discover she is reliving her ancestors memories and her life beings to parallel that of the past.

Kearsly has beautifully crafted the story. A great book to escape into, I was transported to Scotland past and present and didn't want to leave. A well written and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Maybe This Time

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise is a slightly entertaining, mostly silly book about ghosts haunting a castle where two orphans are left alone living with the housekeeper. A woman gets sent down there to take care of them by her ex-husband, craziness and seances ensue, the ex's get back together, adopt the kids and all live happily ever after.

Now you can skip the book, its not worth reading.

The Portable Veblen

The Portable Veblen, by Elizabeth McKenzie, is a brand new novel that's been labeled quirky, original, highly entertaining. All these things and more are true, it's fresh, and unexpected, and I loved the pictures.

Veblen is a thirty something woman working as an office temp, translating Norwegian, with a passion for studying the economist Thorstein Veblen, her namesake. She also talks to squirrels.

Her fiance is a neurologist working on an invention that could make him rich fast and allow him access to the materialistic life he dreams about in Silicone Valley. Although they seem quite at odds, and are not helped much by their dysfunctional families, a wise squirrel steps in to save the day.

Hilarious,well written and thoughtful, I loved this book. Recommended read.

Fear of Flying

I just read Fear of Flying by Erica Jong, which was republished 40 years after it originally came out.

Apparently a big sensation in 1973, Isadora Wing, the protagonist travels all through Europe having sex with many different men, fantasizing about even more men, while freely and openly exploring her sexuality and talking about it.

I found her to be whiny, spoiled and totally annoying. Is this the picture of a feminist? She can't imagine spending one second without a man. I suppose the book seemed quite revolutionary in the early 70's, today it feels dated and not worth the time spent reading it.

After Before

After Before by Jemma Wayne is a novel that tells the story of three women whose lives overlap one British winter, all struggling with different issues. Lynn, not yet 60 is dying, Vera, a newly converted Christian engaged to Lynn's son is battling with secrets from her past, and Emily, Lynn's caregiver is trying to forget the horrors she survived during the Rwandan genocide that killed the rest of her village.

Sad, tragic and at times difficult to read, yet there were moments that I was very drawn into this book. However, I didn't really like most of the characters other than Emily, and even some of the choices Emily's character made near the end of the book were not quite believable to me.

It seems like Wayne was trying to do a lot of different things with this book, and although it packs an emotional punch, for me, she didn't quite succeed.

How to Start a Fire

How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz is a novel about three female college friends who manage to stick together through thick and thin over the course of 20 years.

Jumping back and forth through time and space, at first I found the novel's format disconcerting, but once I surrendered to it, everything fell into place by the end.

Lutz has created unique, well drawn characters that are impossible not to care about. Quirky, witty, clever, sad, beautiful, brave, each of these women are all of these things and more. One of the best books about female friends I've read in a long time.

The Marriage of Opposites

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman is historical fiction based on the life of Camille Pissaro, the Father of Impessionism, and his mother Rachel Pomie Petit Pizzaro.

Both born and raised in St. Thomas and later living in Paris, this is an imagined story of the painter's early life and ancestry on this little island in the Carribean.

Beautifully written, Hoffman brings to life 1800's St. Thomas and one fierce girl who always dreams of Paris. Hoffman is a wonderful storyteller, the book is rich in details and full of characters real and imagined. A great read.

Act of God

Act of God by Jill Cement is slim novel about a glowing mushroom found in a corner of a closet in Brooklyn that turns into a super mold that destroys blocks of the city, leaving many homeless and some dead.

Part comedy, part horror story, and totally original, it is really the story of a small group of people coming together and what it means to be a family. I found it so compelling that I couldn't put it down until I was finished. However, I was disappointed that so many characters fates were left hanging at the end. It felt more like a short story than a novel.

Affinity

I loved Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, so I thought I'd read one of her earlier novels. Affinity is a Victorian Era crime mystery lesbian love story set in a women's prison in London.

Waters is an amazing storyteller, there were so many twists and turns, by the end I felt like I needed to read it all over again to see what I had missed. Not as good as Paying Guests, but Waters is such a brilliant writer it is still worth a read.

Dietland

Dietland by Sarai Walker seems at first to be a light comedy, but quickly becomes quite subversive, a feminist call to arms.

Plum, an overweight woman about to have surgery to release the skinny woman inside her has been struggling with her weight her whole life. Everything in her life gets turned upside down when she finds herself being followed by a mysterious girl in colorful tights and combat boots. From there she becomes involved with all kinds of women she never even imagined existed and questions everything she thought would make her happy.

Walker comes on strong and this book is certainly not for everyone, but I found it compelling, original and thought provoking, shedding light on real issues of our times.

All the Stars in the Heavens

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani is historical fiction based on the Golden Years of Hollywood in the 1930s. Trigiani reimagines the love affair between Clark Gable and Loretta Young and the daughter they had together that they hid from the world.

I enjoy Trigiani's novels, her characters, her storytelling and all the rich details she fills in the scenes with. This is not my favorite of her books, however. Much of the way she painted the characters was not believable to me and I wasn't drawn in the way I usually am to her stories.  

Trigiani fans will probably enjoy it, but if you are new to this author, start with one of her earlier books.

Mobile Library

Mobile Library by David Whitehouse is a novel about a group of misfits who somehow write their own story and become a family while traveling through England and Scotland in a huge Mobile Library.

It's a wonderful little book for all those who love stories and always imagined they could be the protagonist of a great adventure story. Funny, sweet, and entertaining; full of great characters, a good read.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal is a novel that really has very little to do with kitchens of the mid-west. We meet Eva Thorvald, the protagonist when she is just a six month old baby and can't get enough heirloom tomatoes at the Farmers Market. However, from there the book jumps around so much and introduces so many other characters, with Eva often on the periphery, we never get to know her deeply, understand, or care about her.

This is an interesting and quirky little book with some great moments, that I really wanted to like, but it never really came together for me. Food is a part of the story all the way through, yet not in the way one would expect. There were some very funny laugh out loud parts, but overall, the book was disappointing.

The Improbability of Love

The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild, the first woman chair of the National Gallery in London, is a wonderfully original and very funny novel about the absurdity of the London art market and the world's mega-rich who will do anything to own the latest hot painting.

It tells the story of Annie, a young chef, caught up in the madness by mistake and in a clever twist, many of the chapters are voiced by the painting itself.

Well written, witty, entertaining, and full of wonderful characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Passionate Nomad

Passionate Nomad, The Life of Freya Stark by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, is a biography of one of the most famous women travelers of the 20th century. Freya traveled through parts of the Middle East where no European woman had been before, wrote numerous books, spoke many languages, was self-taught, admired by many and disliked by even more.

Surely hers was a fascinating life, and what started out as a fascinating book was bogged down by so many names and details, and the author's disparaging remarks about her subject, that the great story was lost. I was tired and bored by the end of the book and couldn't wait to be done with it. However, Freya played an interesting part of history, especially during WWII, and lovers of history and non-fiction might find this book interesting. Better yet, read the books written by Ms.Stark herself!

House Rules

I had to take a break from reading Jodi Picoult books, as her subject matter is often disturbing. However, even though House Rules is a murder mystery, I couldn't put it down.

The main character, Jacob, is a teenager with Asperger's, and Picoult gets inside his mind so we can see how he thinks, feels, expresses himself. It was fascinating.

A well written, often hilarious, page-turner. Recommended read.

A Well-Tempered Heart

A Well-Tempered Heart by Jan-Philipp Sendker is the sequel to his beautiful novel The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. It is now ten years later, and Julia, a lawyer in New York finds herself drawn back to visit her brother in her father's native country of Burma.

Beautifully written, and often times mystical, yet lacking the beauty of the first novel, it felt a bit contrived and left you hanging at the end. I assume there will be a third book to follow. I am still a fan of Sendker's writing, but I found this book to be a bit of a disappointment after Heartbeats.

The Table of Less Valued Knights

The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips is a comedic take on the traditional stories of King Aurthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In this book, the less valued Knights sit at a rectangular table, with one leg shorter than the rest, far from the King, eating the leftover food.

When one of these Knights sets out on a quest hoping to redeem himself, the real comedy begins. He leaves with his Squire, a small giant riding an elephant, and a lady in distress.

Fans of Monty Python, and The Princess Bride will love it. Witty and often hilarious, this is a fun, easy read.

Land of Love and Drowning

Land of Love and Drowning, the debut by Tiphanie Yanique, is the first book I've read by an author from the Virgin Islands. Yanique's unique voice and writing style completely transported me to another world.

Set in The Virgin Islands from the time of transfer to the US in the early 1900's until the 1970's, the novel follows three generations of  Bradshaw women. Full of magic, love, island culture and a fair amount of incest, Yanique's dazzling prose is what makes this novel magical.

Yanique is a fresh new voice, an original and masterful storyteller; this is enough to make the reader overlook the flaws in the novel. A worthwhile read.

My Year with Eleanor

My Year with Eleanor by Noelle Hancock is a memoir of a year of doing one thing each day that scares you, the idea taken from a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. I don't usually like books where women take a year off to find themselves, but this one is quite amusing.

Hancock decides to do one scary thing every day for a year, until her 30th birthday. Some of these are small things, like sending back food in a restaurant, but she also dives with sharks, goes to trapeze school and climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro, to name a few.

Its definitely entertaining to be along for the ride. A fun, easy read.