The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
322 pages

What’s it about?
 "Two years before leaving home my father said to my mother that I was very ugly."  Giovanni is a 12-year-old girl living in Naples when she overhears this remark.  It unmoors her.  She no longer knows what to believe about herself and those around her.  This marks the beginning of a detachment from her parents.  As she tries to figure out who she is (beautiful or ugly, kind or spiteful, smart or cunning) she begins to understand all the lies the adults around her are advancing. Most of these lies revolve around sex.  

What did it make me think about?
 Elena Ferrante has such a unique writing style.  I really enjoyed all four of the novels that make up the "Neopolitan Quartet" and have been looking forward to reading this newest book.  Her stories are distinctly Italian, always told from a feminist perspective, and contain some really interesting characters.

Should I read it?
 This book seemed lighter than the the earlier novels in the Neopolitan Quartet. Yet the story shared many of the same themes. Elena Ferrante is able to capture the angst of those tumultuous teenage years so well.  I hope that we see more of Giovanna in the next book Elena Ferrante writes.  

Quote-
​"I didn't intend to be sarcastic.  Part of me really wished, at that point, to discuss with him the bad that , while you seem to be good, gradually or suddenly spreads through your mind, your stomach, your whole body.  Where does it come from Papa- I wanted to say to him- how do you control it, and why does it not sweep away the good but , rather, coexists with it."

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What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
​Milkman by Anna Burns
​​The Hearts Of Men by Nickolas Butler

9 stars

Olympus Texas by Stacey Swann
318 pages

What’s it about?
March was effectively banished from his hometown of Olympus, in East Texas, after having an affair with his brother's wife.  When he decides to return after two years away he has high hopes that the family can reconcile.  But families are never as predictable as you imagine.

What did it make me think about?
Can kindness can be self-serving?

Should I read it?
 What a great summer book!  It was so nice to just read a book and enjoy the story.  This was a well written family drama and I highly recommend it!
​
Quote-
"At first she chided herself for being annoyed with her husband's innate goodness, bt eventually she decided his kindness wasn't generosity.  It was self-serving.  He was the perfect son.  The magnanimous boss.  The patient husband with the irritable wife.  To feel good, he needed to be better than the rest of them. "

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Saints for All Ocassions by J. Courtney Sullivan
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

​8 1/2 stars

The Good Neighbor by Therese Anne Fowler
311 pages

What’s it about?
 Oak Knoll is a middle class, tight-knit neighborhood in a North Carolina university town.  When a new family decides to tear down an existing home and build a McMansion directly behind Valerie Alston-Holt's home she is deeply troubled.  She is offended by the vulgar display of wealth, the lack of care for the environment, and she is especially offended by her new backyard view.  When her favorite Oak tree begins to die due to root stress she decides to stand up for what she believes in and sue the new neighbors for damages.  Her son Xavier is not happy as he has made a connection with Juniper (the daughter of the new neighbors).  In the end will anybody be happy?

What did it make me think about?
 The narrator of this novel seems to be the collective voice of the neighborhood.  I found this off-putting and interesting at the same time.  I also could not help but think how easy it is to come off as smug if you are writing a story with a strong point of view.

Should I read it?
 This was easy to read but it was very heavy handed in it's message.  To me it seemed like every person in the novel was a caricature.  From the environmentalist professor to the crass businessman- every character played their part.   Because each character was so extreme it was hard to think of this book as anything other than a morals lesson.  I prefer to think through a story and find the meaning- not to be force fed.  This one just wasn't for me.

Quote-
"We'll say no one can be known by what's visible.  We'll say most of us hide what troubles and confuses us, displaying instead the facets we hope others will approve of, the parts we hope others will like."

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American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawaii Strong Washburn
​The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

6 stars

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
288 pages

What’s it about?
When Nora Seed decides she no longer wants to live anymore she finds herself suddenly thrust into "The Midnight Library”.  The Midnight Library is a place where she hovers between life and death. Here she can choose alternative lives to address her many regrets.  But what life (or death) will Nora ultimately choose?

What did it make me think about?
This story certainly made the point that all our choices (small and large) create our path in life. 

Should I read it?
This book was much like the most comfortable pair of shoes you own- just so easy to slip into.  My assumption is that this book will be a favorite too many- and offensive too few.   I liked the book and enjoyed taking a break from so many books lately that are trying to convince me of a viewpoint.  I would recommend this one- especially if you are ready for a break from heavy reads.

Quote
​“ ‘Between life and death there is a library’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever.  Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived.  To see how things would be different if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’ “

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Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevon
​The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart

8 stars

Stella by Takis Wurger
196 pages

What’s it about?
This coming of age novel takes place in 1942.  Friedrich decides to embark on a trip from his home in Switzerland to the city of Berlin.  Friedrich wants to pursue drawing but is also curious about Berlin and the rumors that have been flying around since the war began.  Once there he encounters Stella and falls deeply in love.  However love and  Germany are not exactly what he has envisioned.

What did it make me think about?
How hard it is to read books about Germany and World War 2.  Where does the need to remember blur into entertainment?  This novel is based on a real life woman who lived in Berlin and betrayed her fellow Jews.  Can  any author do justice to the angst and horror of that wartime decision?

Should I read it?
I liked Takis Wurger’s writing style.  However his characters never really came to life for me.  I still found the book interesting and will look for more books written by Takis Wurger.

Quote-“I wondered how to shake off the feeling of loneliness that had come over me ever since I’d stepped off the night train.  The flags, the high buildings, the people wearing stars, the noise, the smell- everything was strange to me.  From a distance the Germans seemed big; close up they were as small as I was.  Only the backdrop was big- above all the flags.  The German flags were very big.  I resolved to resume my travels soon.”

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The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen

7 stars

We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida
251 pages

What’s it about?
 This coming of age story takes us back to the early 1980's in San Francisco.  Eulabee is in eight grade and wanders the streets of Sea Cliff with her best friend Maria Fabiola.  ​When a lie ruptures the  friendship between Eulabee and Maria we see how quickly an adolescent girl's world  can change.

What did it make me think about?
This novel captures a particular time in life.  ​"We are thirteen, almost fourteen, and these streets of Sea Cliff are ours.  We walk these streets to our school perched high over the Pacific and we run these streets to the beaches, which are cold, windswept, full of fisherman and freaks.  We know these wide streets and how they slope, how they curve toward the shore and we know their houses." 

Should I read it?
There was something about this slim novel that really caught me. This book definitely had some sections that were stronger than others but it just captured a city at a particular time.  The neighborhood of Sea Cliff is almost a character in itself.  Ms. Vida writes about adolescence in a way that takes you back.  I really enjoyed this book.

Quote-
​"I run to the water's edge and the cold ocean licks my toes.  Without touching my face I can feel it's wet with fog and tears and sweat.  I stand there, on the cusp of the ocean and listen to its loud inhale. And then it recedes and takes everything from childhood with it- the porcelain dolls, the tap-dancing shoes, the concert ticket stubs, the tiny trophies, and the long, long swing."

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Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
​Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
​Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
​The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

8 stars

Remember by Lisa Genova
253 pages

What’s it about?
 This slim non-fiction selection will inform you (in a clear, concise way) of the most important features of how we make and then retrieve memories.  Lisa Genova is the best selling author of Still Alice and she is a great storyteller.  As our population ages more and more people are facing memory issues.  Ms. Genova is a strong and informed voice telling us not to panic, that forgetting is just as important to our memory as remembering.  "Forgetting is quite important; it helps us function every day in all kids of ways. It's advantageous for us to get rid of any unnecessary, irrelevant, interfering, or even painful memories that can potentially distract us or cause us to make mistakes or feel miserable. Sometimes we need to forget one thing in order to pay attention to- and remember- another, and so in this way, forgetting can facilitate better memory."  ​Who knew?

What did it make me think about?
 I just found this fascinating.  Lisa Genova makes a complex system easy to understand, and she is reassuring of our fallibilities at the same time.  
 
Should I read it?
 Anyone who is interested in memory issues or neuroscience will enjoy this quick book.  There are lots of takeaways and they coincide with health suggestions across the board- eat a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and continue to learn new things are just some of the suggestions. She also suggests looking up from your phone once in awhile. "We live in a constantly connected, go-go-go time plagued by distraction. Your smartphone, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text alerts, e-mail, incessantly racing thoughts- all of these are attention thieves and, by extension, memory thieves."  Pick up this book and maybe you will even remember the details a month later.  FYI- I might not- but at least after reading the book I will understand why I forgot the details....

Quote-
​"The number one reason for forgetting what you just said, a person's name, where you put your phone, and whether already drove over a really big bridge is lack of attention.  You can't remember later what is right in front of you if you don't pay attention to it."

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Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Gut by Giulia Enders
The Lucky Years by David B. Agus M.D.
​The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis

8 1/2 stars

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
317 pages

What’s it about?
 When Jane moves to Boyne City, Michigan to start a job as a second grade teacher she does not expect to fall in love with the town's biggest ladies man.  Jane easily falls into a relationship with Duncan.  However, Jane adds not only Duncan to her life- but a  whole cast of characters come along with this relationship.  As Jane's relationship with Duncan (and the town) slowly  evolve we see how her life, loves,  and perspectives change.

What did it make me think about?
 This book (much like life) rewards those who stick with it.  I read and loved "Standard Deviation" by Katherine Heiny a few years ago and have been waiting for her next book.

Should I read it?
This novel was such a sweet, warm story. It's pace and character driven plot reminded me of "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo (which I loved twenty years ago).  If you are looking for a story with humor, love, and hope this is a good summer pick.

Quote-
​"Jimmy ducked his head in a pleased way.  It was so easy to make Jimmy happy.  It was actually easy to make almost anyone happy.  Why didn't she do more of it?"

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Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

8 1/2 stars

Good Apple Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York by Elizabeth Passarella
232 pages

What’s it about?
 Elizabeth Passarella works in journalism and has made a home in New York City.  In this memoir she discusses her Southern heritage, evangelism, marriage, parenting, and her love of  New York City.

What did it make me think about?
 Elizabeth Passarella would be fun to have dinner with.

Should I read it?
 I kept thinking that this book was having an identity crisis.  It was definitely a memoir but in what other category would it fit- Christian, parenting, marriage, humor?  Somehow Ms. Passarella makes it work- even though I am still not sure how to categorize this one.  It was enjoyable.  A step into a different life.  Plus who doesn't love a woman who admits her faults!

Quote-
"The whole calling New Yorkers elitist is not much of a sting, to start.  I'm not justifying it- only the shaman here- but, yeah, they are very happy to be elitist and do not consider this to be in any way an insult.  Explaining the gobsmacked misery that was New York the day after the election had as much to do with surprise as it did with the homogeneity of politics.  I'll put it in terms my Southern beloved can understand: picture being at a bowl game between Auburn and, I don't know, Brown, and Brown wins."

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I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott​
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
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​7 stars

The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell
206 pages

What’s it about?
 The Bomber Mafia is the name of a group of strategic military leaders that began working together at Maxwell Field in Alabama after World War 1.  They believed that warfare would change now that airplanes were becoming more sophisticated.  Their hope was that precision bombing would take out critical infrastructure and shorten the length of wars- thus minimizing heavy casualties.  Precision bombing and their idealism are both put to the test during World War 2.

What did it make me think about?
 This story reminded me that the choices we make say a lot about us as people.  Malcolm Gladwell writes,  "We live in an era when new tools and technologies and innovations emerge every day.  But the only way those new technologies serve some higher purpose is if a dedicated band of believers insists that they be used to that purpose."  

Should I read it?
 I believe Malcom Gladwell could make any topic interesting.  

Quote-
"The whole argument of the Bomber Mafia, their whole reason for being, was that they didn't want to cross the line.  They weren't just advancing a technological argument.  They were also advancing a moral argument about how to wage war."

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One Summer by Bill Bryson
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
​The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

8 stars​