The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames  by Kai Bird
355 pages

Non-Fiction

What’s it about?
The Good Spy is a biography of long time CIA agent Robert Ames.  It follows Ames from his start in the CIA through his many years as an agent in the Middle East.

What did it make me think about?
I found this book fascinating.  It shed some light on the history of the Middle East and how U.S. policy has helped to shape the world we live in today.  Much of the book is spent on the history of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.  This book illustrates how complex the Middle East always was, and still is today.  The Middle East was not, and will not in the future, be an easy place to practice diplomacy.

Should I read it?
I highly recommend it.   If you have any interest in the C.I.A. and, or the Middle East, you too will be fascinated.  Kai Bird is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and this biography was very readable.

Quote-
                  “Some thought Ames had an overt pro-Palestinian prejudice.  But in point of fact, most C.I.A. officers who spent any time in the region came to sympathize with the plight of the Palestinian refugees.  ‘Like all of us who get to know anything about the Palestinian problem,’ said George Cave, a veteran of more than three decades in the Agency,’ you can’t help but feel sympathy for them….When people ask me what to read about the Arab-Israeli problem I tell the Old Testament.’”

If you like this read-
Novels-
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
The Little Drummer Girl by John LeCarre

8 stars

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe
320 pages

What’s it about?
Nina Stibbe moves to London to work as a nanny to two school age boys.  The book is made up of her letters home to her sister.

What did it make me think about?
This book was charming and made me smile.  

Should I read it?
If you can get past the horrible book cover,  you will probably enjoy the book.  I went to pick it up at the library and almost put it back.  The cover put me off.  I was glad I kept it.

Quote-
 “Mary-Kay had bought toilet paper with pink rosebuds on it.  Looks nice until you use it.

Me:  I don’t like the rosebud toilet paper.
MK:  I know, I know.
Me:  It’s worrying.
MK:   I know, I didn’t think it through.”

Question-
Would you want a nanny like Nina?

If you liked this try-
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding

6 1/2 stars

The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner
383 pages

What’s it about? 
The main character in this novel is a 23-year-old young woman named Reno.  Reno is an artist that loves motorcycle riding, ski racing, and making short films.   The story takes us to three very different locations.  It is 1977 and we see the world of land-speed records in the West, the art scene in New York City, and the political upheaval of Italy. 

What did it make me think about?
This novel has some incredible passages, but lacked cohesiveness.  I would flat out call it weird.  My sister loved it and says, “it is the story of an artist that wants to make an impact on the physical landscape she inhabits through her art, and yet she makes no impact on the people around her in her own life”.   My smart sister hit on one of the major themes of this book.   However,  I think there were lots of themes in this book.  It would make a great book club selection for the right group.  Think AP book club!

Should I read it?
This book was not a page-turner.  It was on almost everyone’s Best of 2013 list so I really was expecting to love it.  I was initially disappointed, but I do find myself thinking about it now that I am done.  I certainly did not grasp all of what Rachel Kushner was trying to say, but hopefully I will continue to process this book in the days and weeks to come.   Should you read it?   That is a good question.....

Quote- 2 quotes because the writing is so good.
“Chance, to me, had an absolute logic to it.  I revered it more than I did actual logic, the kind that was built from solid materials, from reason and from fact.  Anything could be reasoned into being, or reasoned away, with words, desires, rationales.  Chance shaped things in a way that words, desires, rationales, could not.  Chance came blowing in, like a gust of wind. “

"You have time.  Meaning don't use it, but pass through time in patience, waiting for something to come.  Prepare for it's arrival.  Don't rush to meet it.  Be a conduit.  I believed him.  I felt this to be true.  Some people might consider that passivity but I did not.  I considered it living."

Question-
What did you think of the novel?  Share comments.  I need help with this one!

If you liked this try-

White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Underworld by Don DeLillo

7 stars (with the understanding that some of you will think it is 10 stars and some of you will never finish it.)

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
368 pages

What’s it about?
 This book follows a time-traveling serial killer ,named Harper, through Chicago from the 1930's through the mid 1990's.  Harper is a seriously scary man, but he leaves one murder unfinished and that sets the stage for a great story.  Kirby Mazrachi is the unlikely heroine of this novel.  With the great city of Chicago as the backdrop, we watch Kirby relentlessly hunt down her attacker.

What did it make me think about?
This book was so good!  Who would think to combine time travel and a serial killer?  Lauren Beukes is a very clever author.  She created complicated characters, and then set them in a story with time travel, which added a whole new dimension to the novel .   I also enjoyed seeing glimpses of Chicago during the different decades.  I really enjoyed the nail biting suspense of this book.

Should I read it?
If you like a good thriller then this is your summer beach book!   It made me think of last summer's blockbuster "Gone Girl"- but much better!

Quote-
 "The house demands more.  It wants potential- to claim the fire in their eyes and snuff it out.  Harper knows how to do that.  He will need to buy a knife.  Sharp as a bayonet."

Question-
Would you like to see Kirby in a follow up novel?

If you liked this try-
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Night Film by Marissa Pessl

9 stars  It's a nail biter!

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry
325 pages

What’s it about?
This unusual book alternates between two French narrators.  The first narrator, Renee Michel, is a 54-year-old concierge working in an older building in Paris. The second voice, Paloma, is a twelve-year-old student that lives in the same building with her family.  For different reasons, both characters hide their intelligence from the world.  Renee and Paloma have strong ideas on lots of philosophical questions.  Initially, we hear from each of them in what can best be described as short essays.  The last half of the book a new character is introduced and the plot picks up.  Monsieur Ozu moves into the building and this will change Renee and Paloma in ways they never expected.

What did it make me think about?This book made me feel intelligent one minute, and then stupid the next three minutes.  I did enjoy thinking about philosophy for the first time since my college days.  Especially the idea that we often do not get past our own preconceptions when we meet people for the first time.  We often just see what we expect to see.

Should I read it?
This is a book you will either love or hate!  You will either find it incredibly pretentious or amusing.  I think it will elicit strong responses.  The first half of the book is character driven and the second half is plot driven.  If you like quirky characters this will draw you in.  I really enjoyed it. The three main characters were very likable and I found myself rooting for them. I was amused and challenged by this book.  I was ready for a story that I could just enjoy and this hit the mark for me.  

Quote-
"As for Madame Michel...how can we tell?  She radiates intelligence.  And yet she really makes an effort, like, you can tell she is doing everything she possibly can to act like a concierge and come across as stupid.  But I've been watching her.....  Madame Michel has the elegance of a hedgehog: on the outside, she's covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent creature, fiercely solitary- and terribly elegant.

Question-
What is the author referencing when she mentions the hedgehog?

If you liked this book try-
( just for the quirky characters)
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

8 1/2 stars