 | The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon 210 pages What’s it about? Will and Phoebe meet their first month at an elite American university. They both have things to hide. Will is a scholarship student who has just transferred from a small bible college and Phoebe is struggling with grief. They are immediately drawn to each other, and simultaneously Phoebe is drawn to John Leal and his fanatical religious organization on campus. The story is told through memories and it is a really effective tool. What did it make me think about? This slim novel is about the fine line between faith and fanaticism- in both religion and in personal relationships. It also touches on the slippery slope of truth- what we wish to share and what we keep to ourselves. "I wished I could ask how he'd survived giving up so much. But in general, he avoided talking about life as a Christian. He'd joke; otherwise, he pushed it to the side. With me, too, once I'd told him about my mother's death, he shied from bringing it up. It was like high school, after the crash, when even close friends failed to ask about it: afraid, I think, to remind me I was grieving. They hadn't known it wasn't possible, since I didn't, at any point, forget." Should I read it? Don’t read the book jacket first- it gives too much away!!!! The ideas in this book hurt my brain sometimes. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It just touched on so many complicated and difficult themes- fanaticism being just one of them. A big punch is packed into a really quick 210 pages. Quote- “People with no experience of God tend to think that leaving the faith would be a liberation,” he says, “a flight from guilt, rules, but what I couldn’t forget was the joy I’d known, loving Him. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing — the old, lost hope revived. I was tantalized with what John Leal said was possible: I wished him to be right.” If you like this try- How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid Less by Andrew Sean Greer Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf The Enchanted by Rene Denfield 9 stars |
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 Our Little Racket by Angelica Baker
495 pages What’s it about? This book takes place in Greenwich, Connecticut at the height of the financial collapse of 2008. Bob D'Amico runs a powerful investment bank until things begin to crumble all around him. Has he just taken too many risks or is he a criminal? Either way he has ruined the lives of a lot of people. Seen through the eyes of his daughter Madison and four other women that are close to the household- this novel gives us a slice of how families were affected by the financial crisis. What did it make me think about? I just so hope that this is not what the wealthy women of Greenwich are really like.... The women in this book come across as manipulative, cunning, shallow, and insecure. “Many of these other women were like Mina, had grown up in places that were nothing like this, but they’d forgotten it so fast. They’d blinked and then suddenly were women who deserved this, who could talk to Isabel D’Amico and pretend they understood her. The only thing that remained of their old selves was the survival instinct, the willingness to claw another women out of the way." Should I read it? I had two issues with the book. First- Angelica Baker is a fine writer but she needed some self restraint and a better editor! No one wants to read almost 500 pages about these people. They warrant 300-350 pages at most. Second- the motivations of the characters were oblique and hard to decipher. The women were almost cartoonish in the way they were portrayed. I am sure their is some truth in here but it seems buried under a lot of cliches. It is an ok beach read...but who are these people? Quote- "A few Italian words sprinkled here and there and the annual Christmas-Day car ride to Nanna Connie's because Isabel would never say anything in front of her mother-in-law. It wasn't the potential weight gain that bothered her mother, Madison knew, or that wasn't what bothered her the most. It was the wanton disregard for discipline, Madison's willingness to let everyone around her see how bottomless her appetites were, how raw her hunger. If you wanted something, her mother believed, you took steps to acquire it in the privacy of your own home, so that by the time you are out in the world again, you had everything you needed. You did not let other people see you as grasping, desperate." If you like this try- The Swans of New York by Melanie Benjamin Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe The Unfortunates by Sophie McManus 5 stars
 Tangerine by Christine Mangan
308 pages What’s it about? Lucy and Alice are inseparable college roommates until a terrible accident tears them apart. Alice leaves college and marries. She moves to Tangiers with her new husband John. Unexpectedly Lucy appears in Tangiers and at her door one day. What did it make me think about? This novel is all style and suspense. This book had me turning the page and not thinking too much at all. Should I read it? Something about this book reminded me of “Rebecca”. Not the plot but the stylish writing and the sense that at any moment something is going to happen. If you like a psychological thriller then try this one. It is not amazing- but it is fun. I hear George Clooney has bought the rights so you may be seeing it in a theatre near you soon. Quote- "Over a year now, and it was still cast in a hazy fog that I could not seem to work my way out of, no matter how long I tripped through the labyrinth. It's better that way, my aunt had said afterward, when I told her about the vaporous sheen my memories had taken on, how I could no longer remember details of that horrible night, of the days that followed. Leave it in the past, she had urged as if my memories were objects that could be packed away in boxes secure enough to ensure they would never let loose the secrets within." If you like this try- The Loney by Micahel Andrew Hurley Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller So Say theFallen by Stuart Neville The Life We Bury by Allen Eskins 7 1/2 stars
 A Place For Us by Fatima Farheer Mirza
382 pages What’s it about? This book opens at a family wedding in California. Hadia is getting married in a traditional Indian- Muslim ceremony. Hadia’s mother, father, younger sister-Huda, and younger brother-Amar are all in attendance. As the story opens you realize that for an unknown reason Amar is estranged from the family. The rest of the novel goes back and forth in time and viewpoints to explain Amar’s place in the family. What did it make me think about? This book captures the complexity of family relationships. It made me think of how we all see shared experiences so very differently. This story emphasizes how our age, our generation, and our life experiences influence those viewpoints. What grandparent can't understand this quote- “ A young child was asleep on her father’s shoulder, her little feet bare, her mother following with her shoes hooked on curled fingers. They had their whole lives ahead of them: they moved through the world where anything was possible and did not even know to be grateful for it. " Should I read it? So this book has gotten a lot of hype because it is the first book from Sarah Jessica Parker’s line for Hogarth. Such a shame as all the hype should be about this amazing new writer. I thought this book was a treasure. I wanted to slow down and just savor the last fifty pages. One of my favorite books I have read in years! Don’t miss the one. Quote-couldn't choose just one! “She knows her father. His pride, his values, his adherence to religious rules. They are more important than love. More important than loyalty to one’s child. She always sensed conditions to their parents’ love so she did nothing to threaten it. Amar senses the same and only thought to test its limits. See how far he could push them before they left him.” “We pray together and when it is time for us to ask our hearts desire, my first wish is that he remain steadfast in faith, and then, if he does not, that he never believe that God is a being with a heart like a human’s, capable of being small and vindictive.” If you liked this try- And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout 9 1/2 stars
 The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
464 pages What’s it about? Greer Kadetsky is a college freshman when she experiences the full weight of being a woman in a man’s world. Not long after that she meets Faith Frank, a famous leader of the women’s movement. Greer becomes inspired. This is the story of Greer and her progression as both a feminist and a person. What did it make me think about? This book questions what feminism means. Should I read it? This was a good book. However, I have never been enthusiastic about Meg Wolitzer’s books. This story hasn’t changed my mind. I am not sure why? The writing is good, the plot moves along, and the characters are interesting. Still- just didn’t love it.... Quote- “So! Faith Frank hired me, originally based on nothing. She took me in and taught me things, and more than that she gave me permission. I think that’s what the people who change our lives do. They give us permission to be the person we secretly really long to be but maybe don’t feel we’re allowed to.” If you like this try- A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeymii The Nix by Nathan Hill The Nest by Cynthia D''Aprix Sweeney 7 stars
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A sad, poignant, mystical read. I won't give too much away. Quick and well worth it!
9 1/2 stars!
A coming of age story set in Mexico. It certainly gives you a whole new view of all the people coming over the border.
9 stars
Quirky characters and the story told through letters to Richard Gere. Who could ask for more? 9 stars
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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
― Charles William Eliot
― Charles William Eliot
ratings
1 to 2- I did not enjoy this book.
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
3 to 4- I found some aspect of this book redeeming but would not recommend it.
5 to 6- I really enjoyed something about this book (characters, plot, meaning etc.) but it was uneven. Some aspects were stronger than others.
7 to 8- It was a good book. I liked lots of aspects of this book. I would recommend it.
9 to 10- I was sorry to turn the last page. I highly recommend this book!
