My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman 
370 pages

What’s it about?
 Elsa is 7 years old, smart, and very different.  Her best (and only friend) is her outrageous grandmother.  When granny dies Elsa is left with the fairy tales she told her, and a mystery to solve.
 
What did it make me think about?
"A Man Called Ove" was such a sweet book that I was really looking forward to reading this one.   Again the story is about the family you are born with, and the family you make.   This had the same sweet quality to it that "A Man Called Ove" had, but I just couldn't get into the fairy tale parts.  I will say that the story was moving and I wanted to continue to read it.  The cast of characters was really interesting too.   

Should I read it?
This is a hard one to review.   The main story was really moving but the fairy tale parts just bored me to tears....

Quote-
"Granny isn't particularly good at living in the real world.  There are too many rules.  She cheats when she plays Monopoly and drives Renault in the bus lane and steals those yellow carrier bags from IKEA and won't stand behind the line when she's at the conveyor belt at the airport.  And when she goes to the bathroom she leaves the door open.
     But she does tell the very best fairy tales ever, and for that Elsa can forgive quite a few character defects. "

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



6 stars

 The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
471 pages

What’s it about?
This is book two in the Neopolitan Novel series by Elena Ferrante.  I really liked the first book- but felt like it was an introduction to a very Italian cast of characters.  This second book really picked up steam.  The book continues following the lives of Lenu and Lila.  Two friends whose lives go in different directions.

What did it make me think about?
This book makes me think about the complexity of relationships, the pull of family, and how our early years are always a part of who we become.

Should I read it?
This was such a fun and engaging book.  However, almost without you realizing it,  Ferrante writes with layered precision about family and relationships.  This book has so much to say.   I can not wait to pick up book 3! 

Quote-
"I understood that I had arrived there full of pride and realized that- in good faith, certainly, with affection- I had made that whole journey mainly to show her what she had lost and what I had won.  But she had known from the moment I appeared, and now, risking tensions with her workmates, and fines, she was explaining to me that I had won nothing, that in the world there is nothing to win, that her life was full of varied and foolish adventures as much as mine, and that time simply slipped away without meaning, and it was good just to see each other every so often to hear the mad sound of the brain of one echo in the mad sound of the brain of the other."

If you like this try-
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler


8 1/2 stars

 Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
310 pages

What’s it about?
This novel seemed like  a collection of interwoven short stories.  Each chapter was from a different time and viewpoint.  The book begins with Lars.  Lars is a talented chef who loves food, his wife, and his new baby girl Eva.  The rest of the novel centers on Eva who is introduced to us as a baby with a "once in a generation palate".

What did it make me think about?
This novel centers on food and relationships.  Actually  two of my favorite subjects.  However this novel was so uneven to me.  It had some great sections and some disjointed sections.  I did love the last 25% of the book. I just wish the first 3/4 had been as compelling.  

Should I read it?
If you love food and the world of celebrity chefs then I would highly recommend this one.  Patience will be the key as this book all comes together in the end.  The wait was worth it for me.  The social commentary about the pretentiousness that surrounds food right now was spot on!  If food is not a subject that interests you then skip this one. 

Quote-
"As for Petite Noisette itself, it seemed a little weird.  Nothing she'd much care to read regularly. They reviewed restaurants and boutique hotels and seemed intensely concerned about where stuff like the cotton in your hotel towels came from or the chives on a baked potato were grown. They sourced every ingredient of every meal they reviewed and put them all on little maps.  Pat assumed they weren't very trusting people."  

If you like this try-
Dietland by Sarai Walker
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Elegies for the Broken Hearted by Christie Hodgen

7 stars

The Lucky Years by David B. Agus, M.D.
238 pages
 
What’s it about?
David Agus is a physician who has written several books on health.  His latest book, "The Lucky Years", makes the point that medically we are living in the luckiest time yet to be alive.  He discusses the latest in science and technologies and how they will help you to customize your own health care in the near future.  He also reiterates prevention; especially the importance of nutrition, sleep, and exercise in maintaining a healthy body.   

What did it make me think about?
I came away thinking I should try to always eat between 7am and 7pm, move as much as possible, and always get a good night's sleep.  I also am going to ask my Dr. about low dose aspirin, statins, and DNA testing.  Lots to think about- including how fast new information changes what is being recommended.

Should I read it?
 If you are interested in the future of health, or even in just your own future health, then this book is very interesting.

Quote-
"The explosion of medical information has far outstripped our ability to process it.  This is why we need a new way to make personal health choices.  After all, we have already entered the Lucky Years, and those of us who have the information to take action will only get luckier.  I can't reiterate this enough: your right to pass into the Lucky Years is not predicated on wealth, personal resources, or social status.  In the old world of medicine, only those who could afford the surgery and expensive, exclusive therapies to look younger could benefit.  But now the game has changed.  The Lucky Years don't discriminate based on money.  They're a privilege of the prepared and knowledgable." 

If you like this try-
Gut by Giulia Enders
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

8 stars

​