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.