Marlon Bundo

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by John Oliver and Jill Twiss is my favorite book of the year. If you haven't read it, order a copy now from Amazon, all the proceeds go to charity.

The book tells the story of Mike Pence's bunny Marlon Bundo, who finds himself in love with a boy bunny. They get married, despite the stink bug (that looks an awful lot like Mike Pence) telling them they couldn't. The message that stink bugs are temporary and love is forever is the best message to take away from 2018.

Becoming

It's fitting to end 2018 with the best selling book of the year, Becoming by Michelle Obama. The book is broken up into three parts, the first about her childhood and teenage years through college. This is the part I took the most issue with, as I feel like so much was left out. The reader never got a real view into teenage stumbles or anything that would be considered remotely controversial. Much is made about this book being honest, but it seems like much was glossed over and I felt very disappointed.

That being said, the next two sections about her marriage to President Obama and her time as first lady were fascinating. Although not nearly as candid as I had hoped it would be, overall it is an inspiring book by one of the decades most inspiring women. A recommended read.

Ordinary People

Ordinary People by Diana Evans is a novel that follows the lives of two black couples during a year of marital struggles in London, starting on the eve of the Obama presidency. One couple lives in a crooked, drafty, possibly haunted house which becomes a character all its own; the other couple has moved outside the city to get away from crime and to raise their kids. The four are friends and their lives intersect in ways that are both supportive and destructive.

The beauty of the novel is in the title, taken from a John Legend song, they are Ordinary People dealing with everyday life. Evans examines their hopes and fears, desires and longings, searches for identity, individual needs vs family needs etc. I didn't love this book, but I enjoyed it. Well written.

A Separation

A Separation by Katie Kitamura is a small, taut, suspenseful novel about a woman who has been separated from her cheating husband for six months, but his parents don't know. Then he goes missing in a small town in Greece and she is called upon to go look for him.

As the novel slowly unfolds, Kitamura's power to draw the reader in with her almost hypnotic prose is on full display. An undeniably smart, well written book, yet also forgettable.

Last Night in Montreal

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, is a novel about a young woman named Lilia who moves from place to place and has never learned to settle down, ever since her father took her away from her mother when she was a young girl and they spent years on the run.

St. John Mandel is a brilliantly original writer, I was mesmerized by this story of a lost young woman searching for truth and identity and trying to learn how to stay. A great read.

The Marriage Plot

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides is a novel about three college students in the 80's full of ideas and idealism, longing for romance and truth, each on different, yet intersecting paths.

This is a heady novel full of big ideas and literary references, sometimes at the expense of the story. Eugenides is an undeniably great writer, but by the end I was feeling more tired than inspired. An interesting, but forgettable read.

American Wife

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld is historical fiction based on the life of Laura Bush and her unlikely and reluctant rise to First Lady. This is a beautifully written book, I was completely drawn in from the beginning. It was illuminating and also frustrating to find out how differing her views were from her husband, yet she never really spoke up about important things she believed in, even though she was well read and educated.

A great read no matter what your political views.

Unsheltered

Unsheltered is the new highly anticipated novel from Barbara Kingsolver. It follows two families living in the same falling down East Coast house in two different centuries. I wish I could say I loved this book, but I didn't. Kingsolver used to be one of my favorite writers. In this book I didn't really like the modern day characters, I was much more interested in the past story of the female biologist who is actually based on a real woman. There were parts of that story that were fascinating and beautifully written.

Overall, the story is depressing and preachy and I found this book a terrible let down. Try Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer or Animal Dreams for a better read by Kingsolver.

Watch Me Disappear

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown, is a great mystery without the murder and violence and it made me wonder why there aren't more books like it. A young beautiful Berkeley Mom goes off hiking alone one weekend and falls off a cliff and dies. A boot is found, but no body. A year later her teenage daughter and husband are still trying to come to terms with their loss when they begin getting signs that the Mom might still be alive.

Here the mystery begins and keeps twisting and turning until the final pages. I loved this book, my favorite so far of Brown's books. A great, highly entertaining read.

The Unaccustomed Earth

The Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. Lahiri is my favorite writer of short stories and this is a wonderful collection. They are each long enough to stand alone, but taken together they are even better, and indeed the book ends with a trio of linked stories.

Lahiri writes mostly of young Indian couples in the US, and her characters are so well crafted the reader feels as if they know them. Wonderful stories, beautifully written, highly recommended.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo is a book that actually did change my life. This is different from every other self help, simplifying book I've ever read. I found Kondo's approach fresh, even revolutionary, and I dove right in, following her method completely.

It changed not only the space I live in, but how I live my life and where I put my attention. A highly recommended read.

Soulful Simicity

Soulful Simplicity:How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver, a minimalist blogger, is a self help book teaching the reader how to de-clutter, de-stress, downsize and enjoy the simple things in life.

Carver's wake-up call came when she was living a very busy and stressful life and was diagnosed with MS. There's a lot of good advice in here, just nothing too original.

The Power

The Power by Naomi Alderman imagines a world in which teenage girls gain an electric power in their hands that they can transfer to other women. With this new power, they soon become the dominate gender and begin to take over the world from men.

Although some parts of this book were fascinating, mostly I found it disturbing. As soon as women gained this power, they began acting as awful as the men who had oppressed them. A very grim view of the world. This is one to skip.

Fear

Fear:Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward, investigative reporter from the Washington Post who uncovered the Watergate scandal, is an in depth look at the first two years of the Trump presidency. If you weren't afraid enough of our current administration, this book will surely strike fear into your heart. It tells in detail how decisions are made on a day to day basis, addressing everything from North Korea, to Afghanistan, NAFTA, WTO, and much more, as well as how the staff try to handle Trump.

If this wasn't written by Woodward, perhaps one would question the truth of this administration being in such total chaos, but this is so extensively researched and documented, it's hard to deny. Most of the staff written about in the book have already left the White House or been fired. All I could think the entire time I was reading this book was 'How did we get here?!' Not for the feint of heart.

The Girls in the Picture

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin is about the early days of Hollywood, especially one of the first movie stars, Mary Pickford and her friend, screenwriter Francis Marion. They forged a strong friendship during the days of silent films, but their relationship suffered in later years, especially as Mary went off on tour with husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin.

Not my favorite of Benjamin's books, but great historical fiction about the early days of movies, a time when women had much more power in Hollywood than they do today.

When the English Fall

When the English Fall by David Williams, an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, is a novel about the Amish way of life. Told in simple, sparse journal entries, Jacob, an Amish farmer tells what happens when a solar storm disrupts all technology and life outside their community is thrown into chaos.

A beautifully written little book about what will happen if all our devices suddenly fail and we are left with no skills to survive. A meditative and timely read.

A Distant Heart

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev reads like a Bollywood movie without the dancing, which is of course much less fun. A story of two young lovers who met in their early teens.Kimaya had a rare condition and was locked in her sterile germ-free room, Rahul cleaned her windows and got to know her from the other side of the glass.. Their relationship survived all odds, but this is not just a love story, its a crime thriller as well. Rahul, now a cop, is trying to track down the leader of a black market organ ring and Kimaya is being targeted.

A mildly entertaining picture of life in modern day India, but not as good without the pulsing soundtrack.

Man

Man, which means perfect fulfillment in Vietnamese, by Kim Thuy is a beautifully written little novel about a Vietnamese chef who is married with kids and living in Montreal with her family, then meets a French chef who turns her world upside down.

With such sparse, well chosen words, Thuy transports the reader to another world filled with beauty, love, food, and passion. Poetic, lyrical, totally original, a beautiful book to read slowly and savor.

Recipes for a Sacred Life

Recipes for a Sacred Life by Rivvy Neshama is a little book of inspirations, or recipes as Neshama calls them, taken from her experiences that we all need to remember in order to live a better life. There's nothing new or particularly remarkable here, but they are nice reminders when we need them. The kind of sweet little book you can flip through and return to time and time again.

The Story Hour

The Story Hour is another fantastic book by Thrity Umrigar, one of my favorite authors. Lakshmi, an uneducated Indian woman living in the states far from home and married to a man who doesn't love her, tries to commit suicide. This is how she meets Maggie, who becomes her therapist and friend.

There are few storytellers who have the ability to create such sympathetic characters and draw the reader in the way that Umrigar does. She writes about race, gender, family, class, identity, depression without ever preaching. Told from alternating perspectives, we discover surprising truths about both women. I couldn't put this book down. A highly recommended read.

Britt-Marie Was Here

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrick Backman takes a small character from My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and gives her her own book. This is my favorite so far of the books I've read by Backman. Britt-Marie starts out as a not very likable, fastidious older woman set in her ways and blunt with her opinions of others. When her husband leaves her for a younger woman she must find a job for the first time in decades and this sets her on an unexpected, often hilarious journey.

It's impossible not to fall in love with Britt-Marie by the end. A surprisingly moving, deeply touching, always funny book. A great read.

This is Where We Live

This is Where We Live by Janelle Brown is a book set in LA about a newly married couple, an artist and film maker, both hoping for their big break in Hollywood. They've invested all their money in a cute but overpriced bungalow in the hills. A series of events from an earthquake to the return of the now famous ex-girlfriend leads to serious challenges to their marriage.

Although filled with some cliches, Brown's keen observations and writing skills turn this into a relatable story with even a few moments of wisdom. A decent, but mostly forgettable, read.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

If I'm in the right mood, no one can make me laugh like David Sedaris, and I laughed all the way through Me Talk Pretty One Day. He has a rare intelligence and wit combined with brutal honesty that make his writing original, fresh, hilarious.

The first part of the book is set in the states and tells some funny stories of his family and his teacher's attempts to get rid of his lisp; the second and better half is about his life as an expat in Paris and his attempts to learn French. If you're in the mood for a good laugh, and some slightly raunchy humor, you should enjoy this book.

Spill Simmer Falter Wither

Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume reads more like a long poem than a novel. An abused one-eyed dog gets taken in by a lonely bachelor and the two become fast friends. Living in a small coastal Irish village, people in town begin to feel threatened and the two take to the road rather than be separated.

Full of lyrical passages and wonderful descriptions of nature, this is a beautifully written, but quite sad little book. I really appreciated the writing and the keen observations, but I was left feeling depressed by the end; perfect if you're in the mood for an atmospheric, melancholic read.

Diamond Head

Diamond Head by Cecily Wong is a novel that spans generations and continents from China to Oahu. The Leong family is the wealthiest in the islands, but secrets have followed them from China to Hawaii, with devastating results only revealed decades later. Told by the wives and daughters, this is a story of family, culture, betrayal, and redemption.

Filled with Chinese lore and local Hawaiian culture, lovers of historical fiction will enjoy this book.

Saints and Misfits

Saints and Misfits is a young adult novel by S.K. Ali. The book follows Janna, a hijabi teen who has a non-religious father and a mother and brother who are practicing Muslims. Janna is searching for her own identity and path while keeping a secret that is destroying her inside.

Janna could be any teen coming to grips with her identity and finding it hard to speak out when something bad happens to her. She's unsure of who her true friends are and she has a crush on a boy who her family wouldn't approve of. This is a beautifully written book, highly recommended.

The Sunshine Sisters

The Sunshine Sisters is the latest novel by Jane Green. Three very different sisters that grew up with a semi-famous, self centered mother, return home at her request only to find her very ill. Each has traveled a different journey with their mother and each must come to terms with their life choices and relationships in her own way.

Heartfelt and well written, this is one of Jane Green's best.

The Optomistic Decade

The Optomistic Decade by Heather Abel follows a teen activist at a back to the land Summer camp led by Caleb, the idealistic founder of the camp. The land was acquired from ranchers years ago who now want it back.

Full of ideas about the right way to live, devoting one's life to causes and knowing when its time to give up. This is also a coming of age story and a story of betrayal and discontent, of finding one's identity in troubling times and of becoming disenchanted with one's family.

This could have been a good book, but I couldn't wait for it to end; I didn't like the characters or the story and I found it all tiresome. One to skip in my opinion.

Literally

Literally by Lucy Keating is a YA novel about a teenage girl in Malibu whose life seems perfect, until it doesn't. Suddenly she discovers she's being written into existence by an author who is controlling her whole life, creating tension, love triangles and trying to set her up with the perfect boyfriend.

An interesting concept and a somewhat interesting read. It reminded me of the film Stranger than Fiction, but not as good. A fun book for YA readers.

What We Lose

What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons is a coming of age story of a young South African/American woman searching for her true self in the wake of her mothers death.

A slim little novel that packs a real emotional punch. Clemmons writing is sparse, lyrical; she writes in a stream of consciousness style often moving back and forth through time and place, yet always returning to themes of grief, race, and identity.

A powerful book by a wonderful new writer to watch.

A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah  tells the very tragic but true story of kids 12 years old and younger who've lost their families, been given drugs and Ak47's and turned into soldiers to fight wars they don't even understand. This is Beah's story set in Sierra Leone in the 90's; he is one of the few who have survived, been rehabilitated and been able to share his story.

It's a beautifully written yet heartbreaking account of war's brutal affects on children. A book that should be read by all.

The Female Persuasion

The Female Persuasion is the new novel by Meg Wolitzer. It is about the relationship between an older feminist, reminiscent of Gloria Steinem, and a bright young feminist in the making named Greer. The novel follows both women as well as Greer's boyfriend Cory and her activist friend Zee.

Wolitzer shows what it means to be a feminist, fighting for women's right to decide and to chose for themselves on so many issues. Fighting for the right to be safe and equal. She shows how women stand together and how at times they betray one another and even their own ideals.

This is not a perfect book in any way, and in fact I was quite disappointed by the ending, where the story was jumped forward and summed up quickly and happily as if Wolitzer ran out of time and energy to finish the book. However, I found the book very timely; there's a lot to think about here and it would make for a great discussion.

A Place for Us

A Place For Us is the debut novel by Fatima Farheen Mizra and the first book released by Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint SJP for Hogarth. Its also one of the best books I've read in a long time.

It tells the story of an Indian Muslim family in California, whose children were born and raised in America under strict cultural rules. The novel starts at the oldest daughters wedding, where all the family has gathered for the first time in years; then works its way back and forth through time, painting a complete picture of family and culture, identity and belonging, choices and mistakes made, and the love that survives through it all.

Beautifully written, with characters that became so real to me that I didn't want it to end. An astonishing accomplishment for a debut novel,

Lily and the Octopus

I have to start by saying I loved this book. Lily and the Octopus is a novel by Steven Rowley but is based on the true story of his relationship with his dachshund. I don't want to day too much here as it would spoil the magic of the story.

Once you surrender to the story and decide to just go along for the ride, I guarantee this book will make you laugh, will make you cry, will make you stop and think; and if you have pets, it will make you appreciate them even more than you probably already do. A great read.

Still Me

Still Me by Jojo Moyes is a story about a young woman from England who gets a job as an assistant to a very wealthy but depressed woman in NYC. She has to move far away from friends and family to start a new life she's excited about, and things turn out very differently than she had planned.

I enjoy Moye's books, and this one is no exception. I was fully caught up in Louisa's story and didn't want it to end. Moye's character's are very real and its hard not to be drawn in. By the end its a bit unbelievable, but that's also what makes it enjoyable. A fun read.

Stay with Me

Stay with Me by Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo is an amazing portrait of a woman destroyed by the pressure to produce children for her husband's family. After years of trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, yet being told there's nothing wrong with her, Yejide starts to go a bit crazy.

They story that unfolds from there is powerful and fully unpredictable. A brilliant book by an exciting new author. One I won't soon forget.

The City of Brass

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is a big juicy fantasy novel full of deavas and djinns and magic, set in ancient Egypt. I got fully drawn in to the story of Nahiri, a young con artist from the streets of Cairo who accidentally summons the djinn warrior Dara to her side and begins the journey to understanding her true destiny.

After more than 500 pages I was disappointed that Chakraborty left so many characters and plot points hanging. A sequel in the making I hope? I'm a fan of mythology and historical fiction, so I mostly enjoyed this book, but ultimately felt let down by the ending.

Armada

Armada by Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One, is not the typical book I read, but I was in the mood for something different. Aliens are finally invading Earth and the worlds best video gamers are called into a real live battle that they've been training for their whole lives without knowing it.

Filled with all the 80's pop-culture references from movies, to music to old video games one would expect from Cline, I was in for the ride. Although not as good as Ready Player One, this book was a lot of fun.

Summer Island

 Summer Island is another novel by Kristin Hannah. A Mom and her daughters have been estranged for more than a decade. After a scandal and an accident, they all return to the island in the Pacific Northwest where they used to spend Summers together, and here the real healing begins.

I liked this book, but not as much as other books by Hannah. I found the characters and story a bit hard to believe and hard to care about. A just ok read.

Trus Colors

True Colors by Kristin Hannah is a family saga set on a ranch in Washington state. Three sisters who lose their mother when she is young, stay very close until a stranger comes to town one day and changes all their lives forever.

Hannah delves into family dynamics as well as racism and how it plays out within the judicial system. I found it fascinating and deeply moving. Her characters were well developed, flawed and honest. A great book to lose yourself in for a while.

The World in Half

The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez is about a daughter's search for the Father she never knew in Panama. She finds love letters he wrote years ago to her Mother, who is now suffering from Alzheimer's. Without telling her, she goes in search of her Father.

This could have been a really great book, but it drifted off and never really went anywhere. I was having a hard time caring about any of the characters. Henriquez didn't go deep enough. A just ok, mostly forgettable read.

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway is set in the Bronx in the 1890's. It is a story about a family of artists, four sisters and a brother living in genteel poverty after their father dies. Ginny wants desperately to be a published author, yet struggles to find a publisher because she is a woman. When her brother brings her to a salon of artists she seems to find a place where all voices are equal, male or female, and a new life begins for her. However, there is something darker going on beneath the surface that threatens them all.

Based on the life of Callaway's own grandmother, it is a fascinating portrait of a female artist's life in late nineteenth century New York. A worthwhile read.

Touch

Touch by Courtney Maum is a timely and modern novel addressing life in our high tech, digital era where we often touch our iphones more than we touch each other. Sloane is a trend forecaster and anti-breeder. When hired by a huge tech company, she begins to sense that old-fashioned values and physical intimacy might be making a come back, along with the flip phones and postage stamps.

I found this book at turns hilarious and terrifying, thinking of the implications of where we might be going and what is being lost. An intelligent and witty book, well worth reading.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven is Sherman Alexie's first collection  of stories, some written when he was only 19. The movie Smoke Signals, which I loved, is based on this collection of stories. Here, Alexie gives us a rather bleak depiction of reservation life near Spokane Washington for modern day Indians. Almost every story features very drunk Indians, often getting in fights. But there is so much more here. His writing is beautiful, poetic, sparse, lyrical, funny. There is hope in these pages and they hint at something deeper; family, tradition, storytelling, love and joy.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian remains my favorite book by Alexie, but this collection is worth a read as well.

Hum if You Don't Know the Words

Hum if You Don't Know the Words is the excellent debut novel by South African writer Bianca Marais. Set in the 70's in Johannesburg, it tells the story of a privileged young white girl and Xhosa woman, who under normal circumstances would never have met, but end up changing each others lives forever.

Told from alternating perspectives, it is a brilliant portrait of racism set in apartheid-era South Africa, yet sadly still relevant today. A great read.

I'll Be Your Blue Sky

I'll Be Your Blue Sky is the new novel by Marisa De Los Santos. Although this isn't my favorite of hers, I love all her books. Twenty-something Clare is engaged to the seemingly perfect man, but has cold feet on her wedding day, when she meets Edith, an older woman, who with her gentle wisdom shows Clare she doesn't have to go through with the wedding if it doesn't feel right. Three weeks later, Edith is dead and has left Clare her house.

What unfolds from there is a mystery with many layers that doesn't fully reveal itself until the end of the novel. Although some parts were predictable, it was filled with De Los Santos' usual, charm wit and intelligence. A lovely read.

A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove is the debut novel by Fredrik Backman. I decided to go back and read this after reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Although not as good as his later novels, I still found this to be a worthwhile read. Ove is a very grumpy older man whose wife has just died, and with nothing left to live for he's decided to take his own life. However, things like nosy neighbors keep getting in his way.

It took me a while to warm up to Ove, but in the end it was impossible not to laugh and cry with him. A great character and a great book.

the Immortalists

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is a novel about four siblings in NYC who go to a fortune teller her when they are all very young and she tells them each the day of their death. What enfolds is each one's life story and the creepy end predicted by the fortune teller. Is it fate? Self fulfilling prophecy?

This story was so far fetched I had a hard time finishing the book, I found it ridiculous, depressing and pointless. A great disappointment as Benjamin is clearly a good writer and there was potential here for a great book, however, this is one to skip.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is the latest book by Swedish author Fredrik Backman. It follows seven year old Elsa on a journey of discovery as she attempts to give letters to all the people her Grandmother wants to apologize to after she dies. Her Grandmother was her very best and only friend, and she was a little bit crazy. They shared a made up world and language, and now Elsa is left on her own to discover the meaning behind her Grandmother's fairy tales.

Wonderfully written, full of great characters, funny and full of heart, it's hard not to fall in love with Elsa. A great read that celebrates what it means to be different.

The Oleander Sisters

The Oleander Sisters by Elaine Hussey is a novel set in Biloxi Mississippi on the Gulf Coast in 1969 as hurricane Camille fast approaches. Sis, Sweet Mama, Beulah, and Jim all rally around Emily when she decides to marry a man they all know to be abusive.

There is little here that is original and I thought I'd die if I had to read the words Amen Cobbler one more time. This is one to skip.

LaRose

LaRose by Louise Erdrich is another of her novels about the Ojibwe people of North Dakota. This one opens with Landreaux, a recovered alcoholic, out hunting deer, and mistakenly shooting and killing his neighbors five year old son. As everyone involved is devastated by this accident, Landreaux turns to an old Ojibwe tradition of giving his five year old son LaRose to his neighbors in retribution.

What follows is one of the most painful, brilliant and ultimately redeeming novels I've reading in a long time. Erdrich is an incredible writer and storyteller. I found this book both amazing and hard to get through because of its stark honesty and unflinching look at grief, family, justice and how we cope with the unthinkable. The character of LaRose is a marvel, not soon to be forgotten.

The Tea Planters Wife

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries is a historical fiction set in Ceylon during the 1920's. A young Englishwoman marries a tea plantation owner and moves to Ceylon, only to discover that his family has many dark secrets she is unaware of.

It is a novel about race and culture, prejudice, guilt and family, and of course, tea. Jeffries captures the cultural tensions between the locals and Europeans as well as the tension between the Sinhalese people and the Tamils that still exists today. I loved being transported back in time to a tea plantation in Ceylon. An enjoyable read.

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is one of the most famous mystery novels of all time, so I finally got around to reading it. Full of wonderful characters and a wonderful story, Christie weaves a tale of intrigue that only Poirot could untangle, as I certainly could not.

Although I don't usually go in for murder mysteries, this was a very clever and entertaining read.

My Italian Bulldozer

My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith is another witty little novel by perhaps the worlds most prolific writer. A food and wine writer heads to Tuscany to work on his latest book after his girlfriend of four years leaves him for her personal trainer.

In a bizarre twist, he is unable to hire a rental car and is offered a bulldozer to use to get around while he is there. Along the way, he meets interesting characters, samples food and wine, makes friends and perhaps finds love. Nothing too original here aside from the bulldozer, and not McCall Smith's best, but charming enough to be enjoyable.

Born a Crime

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, is his memoir about growing up in South Africa. He was six when apartheid ended. Born to an African mother and a white European father, his very existence was a crime. His mother kept him indoors for most of his early life.

The book is full of incredible stories that Noah lived through and it is an in depth look at what the end of apartheid was like for the people of South Africa. Funny, moving, honest, Noah has a gift for turning tragedy into comedy, and this book is a love song to his mother. When I saw Noah do his stand up show live, there were subjects I wished he had talked about less and other subjects I wished he had expanded on more. That's the same way I felt reading this book. However, I still found it a fascinating and worthwhile read.

The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is historical fiction based on the life of Heminway's first wife, Hadley Richardson. She was a quiet 28 year old who met and fell in love with the young 20 year old Heminway long before he became a famous writer. They married and set sail for Paris in the 20's becoming friends there with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and more.

McLain gives the reader a portrait of life in Paris at the time, full of drinking, jazz, sex, art, friendship, betrayal and everything else it entailed. Heminway went on to have many more wives in his life, but it seems his first was the one that meant the most, evidenced in the novel A Moveable Feast he wrote shortly before he killed himself.

The Bookshop on the Corner

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan is the perfect book lover's book to read on a cold winters day, even better if you've ever dreamed about owning your own little bookshop. It takes place in small town Scotland and is chock-full of charm.

Nina is a librarian in a busy city in England, and when her library shuts down and she loses her job, she risks everything to follow her dreams. A lovely, enjoyable, feel good read.

Pachinko

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a great novel spanning four generations of a Korean immigrant family living in Japan starting in the early 20th century. Strong, hardworking women are at the heart of this novel. When young Sunja's gentle minister husband is imprisoned, she goes to work to provide for her family, trying to give her elder son the best education possible and keep her younger son out of trouble, all the while keeping a powerful secret that could destroy everything shes worked for.

Lee is a master storyteller and this book is rich in details describing the struggles Koreans have faced in Japan, even the ones born there. Thoroughly researched, full of wonderful characters, I loved this book. I thought it would have benefited from ending a few chapters earlier, but still a great read.

The Story of Arthur Truluv

The Story of Arthur Truluv is the latest from Elizabeth Berg. A short, sweet little novel about 85 year old Authur who meets 18 year old Maddy in the cemetery where he goes daily to visit his wife. They form an unlikely yet tender relationship which is the heart of this novel. Arthur's neighbor Lucille joins in the fun and everyone's as happy as orange blossom cookies with a good cup of tea.

Perhaps a little too quaint, but its been a while since I read such a sweet book. Wish it had been a bit longer, just as you start caring about the characters, it's over. It felt more like a short story than a novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hiddensee

Hiddensee, by Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, is a retelling of the life of Drosselmeier, the beloved Godfather of the Nutcracker's Klara. It is the story of young Drosselmeier's upbringing, how he died, met fantastical forest creatures, came back to life and eventually became the toy maker who carved the famous Nutcracker.

A wonderful and engaging story set in the enchanted Black Forest of Bavaria and reminiscent of Grimm's Fairy Tales; an enjoyable read.

The Almost Sisters

The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson is a book about a woman who writes graphic novels and comics for a living. Her half sister is the perfect, married, stable mother, or so it seems. When her grandmother in Alabama becomes ill, she returns to the South to look after her, and all sorts of unexpected events unfold, not least of which is the appearance of Batman (you'll have to read it to find out.)

This is a great book that explores racism in the South, past and present; it's about what it means to be a family, about what it means to be an artist. Jackson is a great writer and I was pulled in from the first page. I loved this book.

The Bedlam Stacks

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley is a fascinating book set in the mountains of Peru during the mid 1800's. A small party from the East-India company is sent from England to smuggle cinchona tree cuttings out, as their bark is rich in quinine for treating malaria. What they find is truly magical.

Pulley's descriptions were so fantastical that I often struggled to visualize what she was describing, and I found this tiring. The line between what is real and what is myth or fairy tale is blurred. A beautiful, and dazzling book, if a bit slow paced and at times hard to get through.

The Wanderers

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey is a brilliant novel about three astronauts going through a seventeen month simulation to prepare them to be the first humans to go to Mars. Howrey did a great deal of research for this book and based it on an actual trial simulation.

We follow an Helen, Yoshihiro, Sergi and their families during the simulation and learn about the inner life and strength and sacrifice that it takes to venture into space. Beautifully written, transformative; I loved this book.

In the Midst of Winter

In the Midst of Winter is the new novel by Isabel Allende. It brings together three very different people during a snowstorm in Brooklyn. An American professor in his sixties, a young Guatemalan illegal immigrant and a Chilean woman and fellow academic. Their lives intersect after an accident leads to unexpected discoveries that throw them all together.

Told in past and present, Allende is, as always, a brilliant storyteller. However, I have read all of her books and this is probably my least favorite and most likely to be forgotten. It's missing Allende's usual lyrical passages and magical charm.