The House of Broken Angels

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea is a novel loosely based on his family. The whole family gathers for their Mother's funeral and within a week, Big Angel the eldest son dies of cancer; but first they gather one more time to celebrate his birthday as only Mexicans can. An entertaining story full of family memories and little moments of grace, however not my favorite book by Urrea.

Urrea is the author of The Devils Highway, the true story of a deadly border crossing from Mexico through the Southern Arizona desert. This is the book I would recommend reading by this author.

The World to Come

The World to Come by Dara Horn begins when a million dollar Chagall is stolen from a museum. The story moves from the past to present day, from Russia to Vietnam to New Jersey, following an unlikely thief who believes the drawing once hung in his living room.

This beautifully written novel is nothing short of magical; wonderfully imagined and filled with Jewish mysticism, it blurs the barriers that separate this world from the next. A great read.

The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek

The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is historical fiction telling about the last of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, particularly Cussy Mary Carter, a pack horse librarian under Roosevelt's Mobile Library Project. Scraping out a living was hard in Appalachia in the 1930's and although many people barely had enough to eat and in fact many more died of starvation and watched their children die, they still longed for the books and magazines the women of the Pack Horse Library Project would deliver weekly. Reading materials, including how-to manuals, recipes, etc. became a lifeline for many of these isolated hill folks.

Richardson beautifully portrays life in Kentucky at this time and what it was like to be blue, a rare genetic condition, and the awful prejudice people had against them. Cussy Mary is a real heroine, I wish I could have known her. A highly recommended read.

One More Year

One More Year is a collection of short stories by Sana Krasikov. The stories focus on the lives of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. I loved these stories because they gave me a window into cultures I know very little about.

They illuminate the truth all immigrants grapple with, being caught between two worlds and not quite belonging anywhere, yet desperately searching for a home, for happiness, for prosperity, for the American dream.

Honest, messy, sad, full of heart and beautifully written, a great debut collection.

Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson is a beautiful memoir written entirely in poetry; memory comes alive on the page. Woodson shares her childhood in Ohio, South Carolina and New York City, each place a part of her, each side of her family shaping her into the person she would become.The writing is simple, elegant and packed with emotion and imagery of what it was like to grow up an African American girl in the 60's and 70's, dreaming of becoming a writer.

One of the best memoirs I've ever read, I loved this book. Highly recommended.

Balcony on the Moon

Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine by Ibtisam Barakat is a memoir picking up where Tasting the Sky left off, although this is a stand alone book. It follows her through her adolescence in Palestine from 1972-1981 as she dreams of being a writer and helps her mother pursue her dream of graduating from high school.

This is a wonderful look into a culture not often represented in literature. Barakat is determined to follow her dreams despite all the adversity facing her and her family and all displaced Palestinians. A great read.

Elsewhere, Home

Elsewhere, Home is a collection of short stories by one of my favorite African authors, Leila Aboulela,  Aboulela writes with experience about Muslim immigrants from Sudan and Egypt living abroad in Scotland and London and the challenges that they face, the longing for home which never really goes away.

Beautifully realized, these are stories that will help bridge the gap between very different cultures. A great read that couldn't be more timely.

Light From Other Stars

Light From Other Stars by Erika Swyler is a wonderful novel about a young girl growing up in a small Florida town, watching Space Shuttles launch and determined to go into space herself one day. Both her parents are scientists and her father is working on an invention that will have ramifications for the whole town.

Traveling back in forth in time and space, Swyler has crafted a fantastic story about the relationship between parents and their children, the responsibility and accountability of science, the joy and wonder of the unknown, as well as an exploration of friendship, love, loss and grief.

An awe-filled adventure for those willing to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride.

Less

Less by Andrew Sean Greer is the story of Arthur Less, a failing writer about to turn fifty, whose boyfriend of nine years is getting married someone else. To avoid the humiliation of the wedding, Arthur pieces together a round the world book tour in order to be out of the country when it takes place.

Written with sharp wit, I found this book hilarious, wise and surprisingly moving. Even through all his mistakes and missteps, it was impossible not to root for Less. A great read.

Clever Girl

Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley tells the story of Stella, an ordinary Englishwoman whose life unfolds in snapshots in the novel, moving from the 60's to present day. Nothing extraordinary happens here, however it is Hadley's writing that elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary, deftly describing the ways in which Stella relates to the world and everyone around her.

A subtle, yet beautiful book.

Severance

Severance by Ling Ma is a post-apocalyptic novel set in NYC in the very near future. Candice Chen is so committed to the routine of her workday, she barely notices when Shen Fever sweeps the city and she is eventually left to survive alone.

Ma writes in a wonderfully satirical voice about the end of the world and her place in what is left of it. A funny, insightful and slightly eerie look at a path that is all too easily imaginable for our future. A great debut novel from a fresh new voice.

26a

26a is a semi-autobiographical novel by British author Diana Evans. In an attic room in London, two identical twins grow up together, sharing everything, and avoiding the unhappiness of their parents below. On a trip to Nigeria to visit their Mother's family, unexpected events lead to the first secrets between them, and their lives begin to slowly drift apart.

Beautifully written, Evans is a master of using language in new and creative ways. Poetic, full of humor, tragedy, and also hope. A stunning debut.

The Secrets Between Us

The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar revisits characters from her earlier novel A Space Between Us. Umrigar is one of my favorite Indian authors. Here she writes about the least visible of all people, a low caste illiterate woman who lives in a slum in Mumbai, and another who is homeless, both struggling to scrape by and hold on to their dignity.

The sights and sounds of Mumbai come alive, and the characters are so real I could not put this book down. It brings to light the most marginalized women in society, those with little chance to rise out of poverty, cast aside simply because of the circumstances of their birth . Yet through strength and perserverance and friendship coming from unlikely places, there is a glimmer of hope. A beautiful book.

Lost Children Archive

Lost Children Archive by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli is one of the most extraordinary books I’ve read in years. The characters remain unnamed, simply Ma, Pa, the boy, the girl. Told in alternating voices and filled with quotations, documents, polaroids, poems, musical references, the story becomes an incantation, a migration, a conversation with the past.

The family takes a road trip, searching for lost immigrant children, searching for their place in the world. They record sounds, language, birdsong, whispers of voices on the wind of people who no longer exist. Luiselli takes the reader on an incredible journey in this novel while exploring the experiences of Mexican immigrants and Native Americans. This is both a timely and important novel and a literary masterpiece.

The Dragonfly Sea

The Dragonfly Sea by Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is historical fiction based on the little known fact of Chinese sailors being shipwrecked on the small island of Pate on Kenya's eastern seaboard some 600 years ago. It is a coming of age story of Ayaana, a small girl growing up outcast and fatherless on Pate until she claims a sailor Muhidin, as her father. When dignitaries from China come to Pate and do DNA testing, Ayaana, now 21 is chosen to by the emissary between the two countries, called the Descendant. Her journey takes her far from home but ultimately this is a book about homecoming.

Adhiambo Owuor's writing is so delicious it reminded me of the first time I tasted a mango, something unique, extraordinary and indescribable. Filled with Kiswahili phrases, the lyrical, poetic language of the book washed over me like a warm tropical sea from which I did not want to emerge.

The Island of Sea Women

The Island of Sea Women is the latest historical fiction by Lisa See. This time she focuses on the little known Korean Island of Jeju where the women are the providers and the men stay home with the children. As soon as they are old enough, girls learn to dive from their mothers and grandmothers, harvesting riches from the sea.

The book follows two best friends through decades of colonialism, war, marriage, children and into modern times. See highlights the strength of women in all her novels, weaving culture and history together to create an unforgettable story. At times tragic and quite sad, it is not my favorite of See's books, but still a worthwhile read.

The Far Field

The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay is the book I've been most disappointed by this year, probably because of all the hype around it and how much I was looking forward to reading it. Although parts are beautifully written, I never understood or liked the main character, Shalini.

She is a wealthy, naive young woman from Bangalore who goes to live for a time with a family in Kashmir, this part is semi-autobiographical. However, the choices she makes are hard to understand and they endanger all the people around her. At the same time, I never really learned anything about the real situation in Kashmir from reading this book. I felt frustrated and disappointed and I don't understand all the praise this book is getting. There are far better books coming out of India these days in my opinion.

Mama's Last Hug

Mama's Last Hug, Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves by Frans De Waal is a book about the study of chimpanzees and other animals over the course of many decades. De Waal, one of the worlds leading primatologists, concludes that we should be treating animals better since they too have emotions. That this is still unknown to so many people is baffling to me.

I'm glad this book is out if this is what is needed to help change the minds of the majority who treat animals as if they are machines, and if it helps bring awareness to the horrible way they live in factory farms and laboratories, for it is truly a crime. Anyone whose spent any real time with animals understands this.

Practical Magic

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is the original book about the Owens family, of which the more recent The Rules of Magic is the prequel. I really enjoyed The Rules of Magic, but was disappointed in this book, it felt dated and indeed it was written in 1995. Too little magic, too many abusive relationships, it just wasn't a very good book and it was turned into an even worse movie.

I still think Hoffman is a great writer, but this is not one of my favorites.

You Think It, I'll Say It

You Think It, I'll Say It:Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife, reminded me why I don't read short stories. Even when written by writers I like, they almost always disappoint. Here were several stories with unlikable characters that made me wonder why I wasted my time reading about them. Skip this collection and pick up one of Sittenfeld's novels instead.

The Rules of Magic

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman is a prequel to Practical Magic, which I haven't read yet. Hoffman is a prolific writer and a couple of my favorites are The Dovekeepers and The Museum of Extraordinary Things. In this novel we meet the Owens' siblings, Franny Jet and Vincent, all with unique magical gifts but cursed with great tragedy if they fall in love.

Set against the backdrop of NYC in the sixties, Hoffman is a wonderful storyteller; she has created great characters and woven historical fiction with magical realism to create a truly fantastic read. I was completely swept away and didn't want this book to end. I'm looking forward to reading Practical Magic and catching up with the next generation of the Owen's family.

One Part Woman

One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan is written in Tamil and was hugely popular in India. Now translated into English, I feel all the richer for having been able to read it.

Set in rural South India, a loving couple Kali and Ponna are unable to have children. This is an unacceptable situation in their village and they are treated with disdain by everyone, family included. Murugan wonderfully portrays this struggle in an otherwise happy marriage. After praying and making offerings to every conceivable God, their family hatches a plan that could divide them.

A beautifully written, sad and important book.

All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders is a hard novel to describe, part fantasy, part sci-fi, part love story, part mystery; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. However, Anders is a truly original voice and one to watch in my opinion.

An ancient society of witches led by the powerful young witch Patricia, who talks to birds and trees, battles a high tech group of scientists led by young brilliant Laurence, who have known each other since they were kids and also happen to be in love. The book is filled with humor and sadness and big ideas about the end of the world. It also addresses the very real challenge of growing up different in a world that doesn't always recognize what is special.

An uneven, yet fascinating and enjoyable read.

The Golden State

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling takes place in a little known part of Northern California in the fictional high desert town of Altavista. A young mom, Daphne, leaves her stable job in San Fransisco with her toddler to spend 10 days in her grandparents empty house that now belongs to her. Meanwhile, her husband is stuck in Turkey due to a "click of the mouse" error that wont let him back in the country.

We follow Daphne on a near breakdown as Kiesling addresses the strains of early motherhood, isolation, exhaustion, as well as family dynamics, racism, and a growing political divide even in a state as liberal and progressive as California. A well written, powerful and timely read.

The Genuine Stories

The Genuine Stories is a novel by Susan Smith Daniels. These linked together stories moving back in forth in time to tell the story of Genuine Eriksson and her unique healing abilities that fist showed up when she was a child.

Each story can stand alone, but taken together they paint a portrait of a truly original character. Enjoyable and well written, a small book that makes you believe that anything is possible

The Emissary

The Emissary by Yoko Tawada is a slim little surrealist novel set in Japan after an imaginary apocalypse. Old people live forever, but young people are born sick, barely able to walk as children, and aging each year. Everything is turned on its head.

At the heart of the story is young optimistic Mumei living with his constantly worrying great-grandfather Yoshiro. At times funny, at times sad, always full of heart. A witty, original read, not for everyone.

The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean is a fantastic story about Public Libraries. This is a non-fiction book about the fire that destroyed the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, yet it reads like a mystery or a detective story, uncovering the truth bit by bit.

Written as only Susan Orlean could, this is a love song to Libraries, an ode to our last free public community spaces that do so much more than just check out books! It made me want to go back to school to become a librarian. Highly recommended.

The Lost Girls of Paris

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff is historical fiction that tells the little known story of female agents sent into Nazi occupied France from England during WWII. Jenoff's novel follows the women from 1944-1946 as the tale of their training, bravery and often disappearance unfolds.

A fascinating subject, however this book is more fiction than history. I found the ending improbable and disappointing, but overall an interesting read.

Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers is the latest by Liane Moriarty. I've read and enjoyed all her books and I think she is a great writer. Although not my favorite of hers, I could not put this book down, nor will I soon forget it.

Nine people book a ten day cleanse at an exclusive health resort in Australia. The owner is a gorgeous, magnetic, if slightly odd woman. At first all is well, but things get stranger as the book goes on. Told from alternating perspectives, Moriarty keeps the reader captivated throughout; however, I felt dissapointed by the end, especially when comparing this book to some of her earlier novels.

Go, Went, Gone

Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck is a novel about African refugees in Germany. Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky. A retired professor comes across a group of refugees living in tents in Alexanderplatz and becomes interested in learning more about them. He slowly befriends them and hears their stories.

This is both a beautifully written, poetic novel and a truly heartbreaking one, although ultimately hopeful. It couldn't be more timely as we are faced with decisions of how to treat refugees at our borders. These decisions are usually made with little or no understanding of the people whose lives are unimaginable to most Americans and Europeans. A profound and important book, highly recommended.

Burning Bright

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring is set in late 18th century London, in the neighborhood where poet and artist William Blake lived. It tells the story of a family recently moved there from the countryside and working for the renowned Astley's Circus nearby.

Chevalier's historical fiction is always well written and well researched and takes the reader to another time and place which is what I loved about this book. However, I was hoping to learn more about William Blake and although he was a part of the story he was mostly on the sidelines. An interesting read, but not as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring.

The Lost Art of Gratitude

The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith is another book in his Isabel Dalhousie series. McCall Smith's books are always charming and witty and enjoyable while reading, a nice way to pass the time with a good cup of tea. This one was equally charming, but more forgettable than other books I've read of his.

Spark Joy

Spark Joy, an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo is the companion to her earlier book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up:The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Marie Kondo is everywhere now with her own Netfilx special, so if you're not yet aware of these books, you probably will be soon.

This second book should be read and used only after reading the first book. If you are already on your own personal decluttering and tidying mission, this illustrated guide is wonderful tool for helping you organize everything. Life changing indeed! Highly recommended.

The Perfect Nanny

The baby is dead. This is the opening line of The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, translated from the French. After having two young children, the mother decides to return to work and looks for a nanny for her kids. After seeing so many candidates that won't do, the seemingly perfect nanny arrives at their doorstep.

However, with an opening like that, the reader knows something terrible is going to happen and it is Slimani's writing and pacing that keeps us in thrall throughout the book. Well written, but also sad and disturbing; a portrait of what can happen when mental illness goes untreated and there is no one there to notice until it's too late. I wouldn't consider this a great novel or a great psychological thriller, it is just ok. However, it is one I won't soon forget.

Calypso

Calypso is the latest by David Sedaris. I love David Sedaris and am going to see him read later this month. However, this is probably my least favorite of his books. Deeply personal and quite heavy, with topics ranging from aging, to his sisters suicide, his relationship with his father, his mother's alcoholism, etc.  Although still very clever and witty, I found this collection somewhat depressing; nowhere near as laugh out loud funny as Me Talk Pretty One Day or some of his earlier books. I still think he's a great writer, I was just hoping to laugh a bit more.

The Clockmakers Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter is the new novel by Kate Morton. I love getting lost in her books. This time it is set at a house in the countryside in England on the banks of the Upper Thames. The novel follows all those who have lived in or passed through the house. There is a tragedy and a mystery at the heart of the book and one narrator who sees it all.

I love Morton's writing and even at 500 pages it ended too soon for me. I am always transported to another world and this time was no exception. Not my favorite of her novels, but still a worthwhile read. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is a beautiful novel about a socially awkward young woman who spends all her time alone when she is not working. As circumstances throw her into an unlikely friendship with a coworker, we see her inner world slowly open up in the most intimate, vulnerable and often hilarious ways.

A character reminiscent of Fredrik Backman's Ove and Britt-Marie, but wholly her own, it is impossible not to laugh out loud and fall in love with Eleanor Oliphant. .