Quick Book Reviews

the caretaker by a.x. ahmad

1/27/2016

The Caretaker by A. X. Ahmad
292 pages

What’s it about?
This literary thriller finds Captain Ranjit Singh working on Martha's Vineyard as a caretaker. Captain Singh is a former Indian military officer that left India in disgrace. On the island he inadvertently becomes caught up in a secret, international cover up that puts himself and his family in danger.

What did I think?
This is a great beach read or travel book. Captain Singh is a Sikh (a monotheistic religion found mostly in India) and this informs his daily life. The book was interesting, and also a quick page-turner. I did find the beginning a little slow, but once it picked up steam it was really good.

Should you read it?
Pick this one up for your next plane flight!

Quote-
“Ranjit looks away. Any more self-disclosure, and the next time the Senator sees Ranjit, he’ll be distant and aloof. That’s just how rich people are, their bursts of fellowship followed by a great remove.”

If you like this try-
Marry, Kiss, Kill by Anne Flett-Giordano
Silence Once begun by Jesse Ball
The English Girl by Daniel Silva
Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller

7 stars

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the tsar of love and techno by anthony marra

1/22/2016

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The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
329 pages

What’s it about?
This is a collection of short stories that are so interrelated, the book reads almost like a novel. Most of the stories revolve around Kirovsk, an industrial mining city, located in Siberia. A place I hope never to go. The stories span from the 1930's to present day Russia. As time moves forward the Chechen war also plays a role in the book.
Anthony Marra's, "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" was one of my favorite books a couple of years ago. I seem to be on a phase of revisiting author's I have appreciated. So far I have not been disappointed.

What did it make me think about?
This is a great book, and like all great books, it made me think a lot! How did a political ideology that was begun to help the masses, end up being so cruel to all but a few? Anthony Marra gives us a glimpse into this world of communism and what has been left in it's aftermath. It was a harsh existence, and it leaves behind a legacy.....

Should I read it?
I am sure this book will garner tons of awards and recognition. However I would recommend it because it is a beautiful book. Somehow Anthony Marra is able to show humor and love in the worst of situations.

Quote-
"We wanted to become gangsters, but who could we look up to? Where are our heroes? Our fathers drove gypsy cabs, washed dishes, and pumped gas, their blood so timid a guillotine couldn't make them bleed. They longed for the old days, not because their lives had been better, but because there had been an equality of misery back then. We were the sons and we wanted more."

If you liked this try-
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Girl at War by Sara Novic

9 1/2 stars

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the love story of miss queenie hennesy by rachel joyce

1/19/2016

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The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennesy by Rachel Joyce
366 pages

What’s it about?
This is the story of Queenie Hennessy. Queenie is waiting in a hospice for her long lost friend Harold Fry. Harold is walking the length of England on a Pilgrimmage to see Queenie. This is the companion book to "The Unlikely Pilgrammage of Harold Fry". I now know that the two books were written at the same time, but were released consecutively. I loved "The Unlikely Pilgrammage of Harold Fry" so much that I put off reading this book, fearing it would be a disappointment. I should of had more faith in Rachel Joyce!

What did it make me think about?
This is a kind, sweet book that again points out the beauty in the ordinary things in life.

Should I read it?
This book is a gift to those of us that loved Harold Fry. It does not disappoint!

Quote-
"Because if you picture other people like you, you will no longer be alone. And when you share, you see that your own sorrow is not so big or special. You are only another person feeling sad, and soon it will pass and you will be another person, feeling happy. It takes the sting out of life, I find, when you realize you are not alone".

If you liked this try-
The Unlikely Pilgrammage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikrey by Gabrielle Zevin
A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

9 stars

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ghettoside a true story of murder in america by jill leovy

1/15/2016

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Ghettoside A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy
366 pages

What’s it about?
This book follows the "ghettoside" murder (one young black man slaying another) of one teenager in South Central L.A. and the subsequent investigation.    As Ms. Leovy points out, "Homicide had ravaged the country's black population for a century or more. But it was at best a curiosity to the mainstream. The raw agony it visited on thousands of ordinary people was mostly invisible. The consequences were only superficially discussed, the costs seldom tallied. Society's efforts to combat this mostly black-on-black murder epidemic were inept, fragmented,underfunded, contorted by a variety of ideological, political, and racial sensitivities."

What did it make me think about?
I have always felt like anyone is lucky to have been born in America. After reading this book I see that being born black, in an urban area, in America is not always lucky.  This book helped me to actually SEE the problem and then understand many of the contributing factors.

Should I read it?
This was a really interesting book. Jill Leovy is an investigative reporter and she does an incredible job of laying out all aspects of the problem in clear terms. The book follows one murder case from start to finish. This gives the reader a personal story that we can all relate to. This book shines a light on black on black violence, police techniques, and some very special detectives in the LAPD.

Quote-
"Prison was safer than freedom for young black men in California, who were much more likely to be murdered outside than in. Some gang members even described incarceration as a reprieve- a temporary break from the terror of the streets, like a soldier's leave from battle.
The young man indicated his 'gang identity' was a ploy to survive. 'Gotta play the role,' he told Skaggs. "

If you like this try-
Their Are No Children Here by Alex Kotowitz
Hold, Love, Strong by Matthew Aaron Goodman
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

9 stars

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the bartender's tale by ivan doig

1/8/2016

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The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig
414 pages

What’s it about?
Rusty is twelve years old in the summer of 1960. He lives in a small town in Montana with his father Tom. Tom owns, operates, and tends bar at the best joint in this small western town.

What did it make me think about?
This novel is really a coming of age story. It touches on family, forgiveness, and the complexities we face as our childhoods come to an end.

Should I read it?
This was a really good book, but it moves at a slower pace. Somehow that feels right in this novel. The pacing matches the story line and the book feels like a leisurely trip back in time. I finished the book yesterday and have been surprised how much I am already missing the characters. No picking the book up today to see what is going on in the bar!

Quote-
"Yet, as peculiar a pair as we made, the bachelor saloonkeeper with a streak of frost in his black pompadour and the inquisitive boy who had been an accident between the sheets, in the end I would not have traded my involuntary parent for a more standard model. It is said that it takes a good storyteller to turn ears into eyes, but luckily life itself sometimes performs that trick on us. In what became our story together, when life took me by the ears, what a fortunate gamble it was that my father included me in his calling. Otherwise, I'd have missed out on the best seat in the house- the joint, rather- when history came hunting for him.
I turned twelve that year of everything, 1960. But as my father would have said, it took some real getting there first."

If you like this try-
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
Empire Falls by Richard Russo

7 stars

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favorites of 2015

1/5/2016

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favorite non-fiction 2015

favorite fiction 2015

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My brilliant friend by elena ferrante

1/3/2016

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My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
331 pages

What’s it about?
This novel is book one of four in the Neapolitan Novels series by Italian writer Elena Ferrante. I have been reading great reviews on these novels and somehow had just not gotten to them. What a mistake! This first book introduces us to Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, two young girls living in a poor neighborhood in Naples right after World War II. Lila is brilliant and Elena works hard to keep up.

What did it make me think about?
Italy! This was not my neighborhood growing up! The setting was so interesting. More importantly it was a very honest portrayal of the beginnings of a significant friendship. A friendship that helps two smart young girls cope with their world.

Should I read it?
This book was just the introduction to two women that I want to know more about. What happens next? I can not wait to read the rest of the series!

Quote-
"I feel no nostalgia for our childhood: it was full of violence. Every sort of thing happened, at home and outside, every day, but I don't recall having ever thought that the life we had there was particularly bad. Life was like that, that's all, we grew up with the duty to make it difficult for others before they made it difficult for us. Of course, I would have liked the nice manners that the teacher and the priest preached, but I felt that those ways were not suited to our neighborhood, even if you were a girl. The women fought among themselves more than the men, they pulled each other's hair, they hurt each other. To cause pain was a disease."

If you like this try-
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

8 stars

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the caretaker by a.x. ahmad

the tsar of love and techno by anthony marra

the love story of miss queenie hennesy by rachel joyce

ghettoside a true story of murder in america by jill leovy

the bartender's tale by ivan doig

favorites of 2015

favorite non-fiction 2015

favorite fiction 2015

My brilliant friend by elena ferrante

next up

some favorites of the last decade

best of winter 2020

best of summer/fall 2019

best of winter/spring 2019

best of summer/ fall 2018

best of winter/spring 2017-18

best of spring/summer 2017

best of winter
2017

best of fall
2016

best of spring-summer 2016

best of winter
2016

best of fall 2015

best of summer 2015

best of spring 2015

best of winter
2014-15

best of fall 2014

best of summer 2014

last spring favorites

on my nightstand

edge of your seat

guest reviews

and the mountains echoed

the bully pulpit

ratings

favorite non-fiction 2015

favorite fiction 2015

next up

some favorites of the last decade

best of winter 2020

best of summer/fall 2019

best of winter/spring 2019

best of summer/ fall 2018

best of winter/spring 2017-18

best of spring/summer 2017

best of winter2017

best of fall2016

best of spring-summer 2016

best of winter2016

best of fall 2015

best of summer 2015

best of spring 2015

best of winter2014-15

best of fall 2014

best of summer 2014

last spring favorites

on my nightstand

edge of your seat

best of winter
2017

best of fall
2016

best of winter
2016

best of winter
2014-15