In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
340 pages

What’s it about?
 A snowstorm in Brooklyn brings Richard, Lucia, and Evelyn together.  When Richard hits Evelyn's car during a snowstorm he hands her his information and is surprised when she runs away.  Things take a turn when Evelyn, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, arrives at his door later that evening needing help.   Richard turns to his neighbor Lucia to help translate. 

What did it make me think about?
 This was just an easy, enjoyable read.  The topic Allende's story focuses on is immigration, but there are so many current novels discussing immigration in a deeper way.  Having said that- Allende may get readers thinking about this topic that veer away from heavier books.

Should I read it?
 I would put this in the beach book category.  Great when you just want to read for pleasure, enjoy a little romance,  and not think too hard...

Quote-
"For years now he had lived in a perfectly controlled environment where there were no surprises or upheavals, and yet he had not completely forgotten the fascination of the few adventures he had known in his youth, particularly his mad passion for Anita.  He smiled at his apprehension, because driving a few blocks in bad weather was not exactly an adventure. At that moment he saw clearly how small and limited his existence had become."

If you like this try-
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

7 stars

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
337 pages

What’s it about?
 Isra is just 17 years-old in 1990 and living in Palestine when her marriage is arranged to Adam.  She leaves everything she knows and moves to America.  Traveling back in forth in time from Isla to her daughter Deya in 2008 we see how the conservative Palestinian culture is surviving in America.  This novel chronicles what life is like for many Palestinian women. Their lives are almost incomprehensible to me.  What an eye-opening novel.  I can not imagine it has been well received by the conservative Palestinian community.

What did it make me think about?
 Yes people another sad story.  But what a story...

Should I read it?
This novel had really well-drawn out characters and kept me interested from cover to cover. Etaf Rum is a beautiful writer. It is hard to believe this is her first book.  I can not wait to see what she writes next.  Having said that- I must add that the story was really disturbing.  The women are so oppressed in this culture!   This is happening in Brooklyn as we sit here?   Rum hints that this way of life is damaging to the men in the culture as well.  What a book!

Quote-
" 'Love each other? What does love have to do with marriage?  You think your father and I love each other?'
​     Isra's eyes shifted to the ground. 'I thought you must a little.'
     Mama sighed, 'Soon you'll learn that there's no room for love in a woman's life.  There's only one thing you'll need, and that's sabr, patience.'

If you like this try-
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
​A Place For Us by Fatima Farheer Mirza
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

9 1/2 stars

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
​344 pages

​What’s it about?
Wavy is the daughter of drug dealers.  When the story opens she is an 8-years-old master of staying out of the way.  Wavy does her best to look after her little brother Donal, and spends her time gazing at the constellations in the sky.  Over time she forms a strong bond with one of her father's henchmen- a bear of a man named Kellen.  Over the next few years Kellen will become the only adult she trusts and loves.  When Wavy's  aunt is called into the situation- she sees this relationship in a totally different way.   What Wavy sees as the most beautiful thing in her life, the world views a different way.

What did it make me think about?
This is a most unusual love story.  Something about this book reminded me of The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.  I read that book years ago so I am not sure what triggers the comparison, but I liked them both.  Two very unusual love stories.

Should I read it?
 OK- so I really did like this one.  It was so different than anything else I have read lately.  The beginning and end were really strong for me- but I must admit to getting slightly bogged down in the middle of the book. I gather that Bryn Greenwood's mom is a recovering addict and the details in the book ring true. I would recommend this book, especially to anyone who likes a good romance.  Be warned though- this is a different romance than most of us are comfortable with...

Quote-
   " 'Everything's going to be different this time,' she said.
   The first two weeks at The Program, it was different. She was Good Mama and          followed the rules.  She washed our clothes and put them away in drawers in the new apartment.  She cooked dinner.  She didn't hide in her bedroom and smoke her pipe like she did before she got arrested.
     Then she woke up Scary Mama instead of Good Mama, and I knew things weren't going to be different.  I never knew which Mama she would be when she woke up."

If you liked this try-
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
​All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
​Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

​8 stars
​

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
254 pages

What’s it about?
 Ten years after leaving boarding school ,under troubling circumstances, Lillian's former roommate and old friend Madison calls out of the blue asking for a favor.  Madison needs help with her strange 10-year-old step-kids.  She wants Lillian to be their caregiver and keep them out of the public eye.  The only problem is that they combust into flames at the drop of a hat....

What did it make me think about?
 The unlikely places we find love.

Should I read it?
 I SO enjoyed this book.  It has sat on my shelf for awhile just because it just sounded so strange- and am I pleased I finally picked it up.  It was just a quick, fun, unexpected story- told with a sense of humor.  Did I say quick- because this is an exceptionally fast read?  I can't wait to see what Kevin Wilson comes up with next!  

Quote-
​"This was how you did it, how you raised children.  You built them a house that was impervious to danger and then you gave them every single thing that they could ever want, no matter how impossible.  You read to them at night.  Why couldn't people figure this out?"

If you liked this try-
Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
2 AM At The Cat's Pajamas by Marie Helene-Bertino
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
​The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

9 stars

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
307 pages

What’s it about?
 Nuri, Afra, and their son Sami live in Aleppo, Syria amidst the chaos of a civil war.  Nuri is a beekeeper in the countryside and Afra sells her paintings in the market.  As the war infringes more and more on their lives they know they must leave Syria in order to be safe.  This novel imagines their journey out of Aleppo.

What did it make me think about?
This novel was unbearably sad.  It made me think about the millions of refugees out there and the millions of stories they must have to tell. 

Should I read it?
This is a beautifully written account of an immigrant family’s journey out of a war torn country.  Hard to fathom that this is a reality for so many people today.  Although the plot will keep you interested, the story will break your heart.  

Quote-
“And for awhile on those evenings, with the apricots sweet and the smell of night jasmine, Firas on his computer and Aya sitting beside us with Sami in her arms while he chewed her hair, and Agra’s and Dahab’s laughter reaching us from the kitchen, on those nights, we were still happy.  Life was close enough to normal for us to forget our doubts, or at least to keep them locked away somewhere in the deep recesses of our minds while we made plans for the future.”

If you liked this try-
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Exit West by Moshin Hamid
Girl At War by Sara Novic
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji

8 1/2 stars

Hum If You Don't Know The Words by Bianca Marais
415 pages

What’s it about?
Robin Conrad is a 9-year-old white girl living with her parents in Johannesburg in the 1970's.  When the Soweta uprising happens her world drastically changes.  She will cross paths with a cast of new characters, including Beauty Mbali.  Beauty has come to the city from her rural village to find her college age daughter and bring her home to safety.  Their relationship will forever change how they view "the other side".

What did it make me think about?
 Racism and hope.

Should I read it?
Not only do the characters in this story pull you in, but the plot was so nicely paced that you could almost read this book in one sitting.  Ok- so most of us can't do that, but you will want to.....  I highly recommend this book and can't wait to pick up her next novel, If You Want To Make God Laugh.  Ms. Marais handles a serious subject with a light touch, just enough humor, and hope for what can be.

Quote-
​"Our homes are borderless just as the world was once free of boundaries; there would be no walls or roofs at all except for the essential shelter they provide.  Privacy is not a concept my people understand or desire; we bear witness to each other's lives and take comfort in having our lives seen.  What greater gift can you give another than to say: I see you, I hear you, and you are not alone?"

If you liked this try-
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
​The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

9 stars

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
444 pages

What’s it about?
 This is the story of four orphans on the run  from the authorities during the Great Depression.  We hear the story through Odie- the impish protagonist of the novel.   I would liken this book to Huck Finn meets the Odyssey.  Only William Kent Krueger could pull that off....

What did it make me think about?
 As so many good novels do- it made me think about what constitutes a family.

Should I read it?
One of my favorite books is William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace.  What a hard task It must be to follow up such a well-loved work.  I was not disappointed in This Tender Land.  The plot kept me interested and I always seem to love the characters Mr. Krueger creates.  Much like Mark Twain, these characters seemed uniquely American and of a certain time and place.  Sometimes I did feel like some of the passages were a little sugary-sweet, but I still bought into the story wholeheartedly.  I am sure anyone who loved ​Ordinary Grace will be more than satisfied with this latest novel.  I highly recommend this one!

Quote-
"Everything that's been done to us we carry forever."

"From the height of a certain wisdom acquired across many decades, I look down now on those four children traveling a meandering river whose end was unknown to them.  Even across the distance of time, I hurt for them and pray for them still.  Our former selves are never dead."

If you liked this try-
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

9 stars

An American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz
283 pages

What’s it about?
 Alex Kotlowtiz is the author of There Are No Children Here, about children living in public housing in the city of Chicago in the 1990's.  He now turns his attention to one summer in the city of Chicago- the summer of 2013.  He chronicles the violence that we read so much about in this city.  We hear the stories of perpetrators and victims alike.  Mr. Kotlowitz shares the stories of those involved in an effort to make us understand the horror of what is happening.  How this violence is shaping those who it surrounds.

What did it make me think about?
 How is this the reality for so many people in America?

Should I read it?
 This book sheds light on the violence and how it affects the residents of Chicago.  This book does not offer solutions.  However, if we can at least begin to see some of ourselves in the victims and the perpetrators maybe we will find a way forward.  

Quote-
"In Chicago, the wealthy and the well-heeled die headline deaths and the poor and the rambling die in silence.  This is a book, I suppose, about that silence- and the screams and howling and prayers and longing that it hides.  Over lunch that day, Pharaoh told me, 'There's a lot of stuff I want to forget.'  This book is written with the hope that we won't."

If you liked this try-
Hold, Love, Strong by Matthew Goodman
​My Brother Moochie by Issac J. Bailey
​Ghettoside A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy
Fire Shut up In My Bones by Charles M. Blow

8 stars

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
466 pages

What’s it about?
 This novel is set up as a letter to from Vivian (towards the end of her life) to a mystery woman named Angela.  In the letter Vivian recounts the story of her life.  She begins in 1941 as she arrives home to her parents after flunking out of Vassar college.  It is soon decided that she will go to New York City and visit her Aunt Peg (a woman rarely seen by young Vivian). Thus her real education begins.  Vivian recounts the ups and downs of her unusual life.  

What did it make me think about?
 What an interesting time period to be alive.  So much has changed for women in the last 75 years that it is almost hard to contemplate. 

Should I read it?
Not sure how to proceed with this one, as I may be one of the only people I know that did not like "​Eat, Pray, Love"- by the same author.  This book was also an easy read- I would put it in the category of light, beach books.   Sometimes I felt like it had a forced, breezy tone that got old for me.  And Vivian was just not all that likable for a good portion of the book- which for me personally is hard to overcome.  It takes an exceptional author to make me like a book when I do not like the main character.   I thought the first 350 pages were okay, but I really liked the last 100 pages (surprise, surprise this coincides with me finding Vivian more compelling).  So...that is a lot to read to get to a good 100 pages.  

Quote-
"The reason I don't remember any particular details about Bernadette is because I didn't pay much attention to maids back then.  I was so very accustomed to them, you see.  They were nearly invisible to me.  I just expected to be served.  And why was that?  Why was I so presumptuous and callow?
​Because I was rich."

If you liked this try-
​The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye
​The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
​Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
​​White Houses by Amy Bloom

7 stars