H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
283 pages

What’s it about?
This memoir centers equally around grief and the natural world.  Helen Macdonald is a young adult when she loses her father.   She then loses herself in her grief.   She eventually  finds her way out with the help of a Goshawk named Mabel.

What did I think?
I felt as if I was reading a classic book written at a different point in history.  At times it was a little slow (she was fascinated with author T.H. White) but her story was always interesting.  I knew nothing about falconry and it’s origins so I learned a lot.  

Should you read it?
If you are interested in nature,  English history, or the grief process this memoir is a must read.  If you just love a book with beautifully constructed sentences then you will also not want to miss “H is for Hawk”.

Quote-
“Here’s a word. Bereavement.  Or, Bereaved. Bereft.  It’s from the Old English bereafian, meaning ‘to deprive of, take away, seize, rob’.  Robbed. Seized.  It happens to everyone.  But you feel it alone.  Shocking loss isn’t to be shared, no matter how hard you try. “

“The hawk was a fire that burned my hurts away.  There could be no regret or mourning in her.  No past or future.  She lived in the present only, and that was my refuge.”

Question-
What did you think of falconry after reading this book?

If you like this try-

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Levels of Life by Julian Barnes

8 1/2 stars
 

The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer
408 pages

What’s it about?
This is a classic espionage novel that takes place mainly in Egypt.

What did I think?
I really enjoyed this book.  After all the deep, character driven novels I have read of late I was so ready for some ACTION!    This book was a very well written spy story.

Should you read it?
Of course!  I grabbed this book off Powell’s staff recommendations table while I was visiting Portland, and was so glad I did.  I have never read anything by Mr. Steinhauer, but I gather he is well known and gets rave reviews.   I see why.   I will be reading more of his novels in the future!

Quote-
“His optimism, John realized, wasn’t naïve.  Like Jibril’s, it was merely American, the belief that all anyone in the world wanted was to live in their own little America.”

8 stars
 
If you like this try-

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

Norwegian by Night by Derek Miller

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler 
358 pages 

What’s it about?
This is the story of the Whitshank family.  The Whitshanks are an average American family living in Baltimore.  Through flashbacks we see the family as it was, and as it is in the present day.    The concerns of the Whitshanks are the concerns many families face over time.  It is a story with broad appeal.  

What did it make me think about?
How very complicated all families are- even the ordinary ones. 

Should I read it?
This is another book that centers more on character than plot.  The plot is almost non-existent, and yet I wanted to keep reading about the Whitshank family.  If you like a good character driven novel then I recommend this one.

Quote-
 "The disappointments seemed to escape the family's notice, though.  That was another one of their quirks: they had a talent for pretending everything was fine. Or maybe it wasn't a quirk at all.  Maybe it was just familiar proof that the Whitshanks were not remarkable in any way whatsoever."

Question-
Did anyone else think this family did not communicate well? 

If you liked this try-
Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout


8  stars

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
309 pages

What’s it about?
This is the story of a family of performance artists.   The children (Annie and Buster) immediately become involved in the “art” that their parents are hell-bent on creating.  As Annie and Buster Fang grow older they begin to distance themselves from their parents and the art they have always been a part of.  Until events in their adult lives bring them back into collision with their art- crazy parents and they are forced to confront their upbringing.

What did I think?
This book was easy to read and thought provoking at the same time.  It is told in a amusing, flippant way but underneath it is sad.  I did love the relationship between Annie and Buster.

Should you read it?
  I think I was expecting this book to be incredible ,because of the great reviews, and it was just good.  The book does ask some interesting questions.  Do the rights of children matter less than the preferences of their parents?  However, I did not think it was a "book of the year".

Quote-
“ ‘That’s what I want to talk about,’ Eric said, his face bright, his left eye twitching. ‘You were “Child A” in all those art pieces that your parents created.  You were, for all intents and purposes, the star.’

                  ‘Oh, Buster was the star, for sure.  He had it much worse than me.’ 

                  She thought of Buster, tied to the lamppost, stuck in a bear trap, making our with the St. Bernard, the numerous ways he’s been left in some bizarre situation and made to fend for himself.”

Question-
Was this art?

If you like this try-

Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
This is Where I leave You by Jonathon Tropper

7 1/2 stars

 The Antiquarian by Gustavo Faveron Patriau
209 pages

What’s it about?
 This is a psychological thriller that centers on a murder committed three years ago.  It is written in a strong Spanish, Gothic style that you will love or hate.  It reminded me in ways of one of my favorite books,"Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, but this was so much more difficult to read!

What did it make me think about?
This book is a labyrinth.  Every time you turn the page a new fable or twist awaits you.  Stories are written into stories.  My strategy was to just keep reading, even when I had no idea what it all meant.  In the end, all is made clear, but you must have the fortitude to keep reading through the fog.

Should I read it?
If you love a challenge wrapped up in a gothic novel then I would recommend this to you. This story is not for anyone that wants a light read.  This is a book for language lovers, that are willing to commit.

Quote-
"It's not that I refuse to look at the world around me, but that I refuse to pretend it's anymore important than everything else, you know what I mean?  The moments from the past or from the future, the unreal scenes from tales, dreams, the projects we push aside each day that exist in the doubt we stop having in order to live- they're all worlds as true as this one, and I neither abandon nor degrade them.  So, I suppose that if I live in so many spaces at once, being absent from this one from time to time should be excusable, don't you think?"

Question-
Did you see how the story was going to end? 


If you liked this read-

*The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

*The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

*much easier to read


6 stars

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