Recent Reads

Recent 5 star reads:

Finding Margaret Fuller – Allison Pataki – Fuller’s short-life, cut off tragically, as she moved to yet another peak in the mountainous range of her accomplishments, no doubt contributes to her loss to history. The eventful journeys in this book take us up-close-and-personal with the Transcendentalists and to the war for the liberation of Rome and unification of Italy–two breathtakingly different worlds. Fuller unites them, and the reader also feels deeply the daily pinches a woman endures who doesn’t follow the traditional path. Yet Fuller opened the door for all those who follow.

Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death – Maria Vale – funny, clever, and ridiculously entertaining take on opposites attract; characters grow ever more endearing as the plot continues fresh and unexpected, and completely predictable given the logic of preceding moment. Cinematic. Most touching conclusion.

Shayna – Miriam Ruth Black – although fiction, everything about this journey is truth. My aunt longed to ask questions of her parents, after they were gone, about their life in the shtetl and coming to America. This book gives us that story.

We Need to Talk About Antisemitism – Rabbi Diana Fersko – Important, especially now; good insights laid out clearly, articulating what I have felt and experienced, but couldn’t articulate; cogent, incisive, with some suggestions, too.

Lucy by the Sea – Elizabeth Strout – one of my favorite authors does it again. A slow-burn of a book, inside Lucy’s head–at times laconic, other times infuriating. By the end, she finds her feet again, as a mother, as a human, and leaves me, as ever with Strout, reflecting on what it means to have a life well lived.

Ragtime – E.L. Doctorow – a city-wide book club brings me back to this astonishing work. Now I encounter the ragtime rhythm with a different lens. Daring and audacious storytelling, masterful use of emblematic characters known by archetypal names who become profoundly personal, and commentary about the Soul of America in all its contradictory complexities: wow! What stood out as particularly relevant is the performative theme, touching almost every character. Performance is seemingly essential to a wild range of achievements. Though seemingly casual in structure, payoffs at the end loop back to early images and scenes. That means another read is in store…

Unlikely Animals – Annie Hartnett – a true inheritor of Richard Russo with a dash of Our Town. What a wonderful depiction of a community, full of rich characters, with incisive observations rounding out even the most minor. I laughed out loud, was touched, and felt the seriousness of contemporary issues woven in to the exuberant plot. Even knowing how it will all work out, I actually want to read it again (one of my criteria for 5 stars).

The Cat Who Saved Books – Sōsuke Natsukawa – magic realism that opens a door to understanding how our relationships with books reveals human nature itself. To be read and savored and discussed; as deeply satisfying as Garcia Marquez, referenced in the text itself.

Zorrie – Laird Hunt – Stark, sometimes blunt, writing suits this character study of a quiet life, closely observed. I was so engaged with Zorrie that when she took a strange and risky job as a very young woman, I said uh-oh out loud. The consequences only came much later, when her story had turned another direction completely. Overall taut plot line becomes elegiac. As beautiful as a life.

Concealed – Esther Amini – Eye-opening and deeply intimate portrait of an Iranian-Jewish immigrant family through the eyes of the youngest child, a girl in a misogynist world who wrestles with visibility and invisibility.

The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris – Well-developed, complex characters who act in unpredictable, yet totally believable ways, reveal the chaos of the very end of the Civil War in the South, and the first, tenuous moments of trying to live a good life afterward.

Magic Lessons – Alice Hoffman – a very welcome return to her witchy roots, great storytelling of a complete, satisfying world; a treat!

The First Actress – C.W. Gortner – vivid historical fiction of the event-filled life story of Sarah Bernhardt, noted for naturalistic performance and claiming her own career, and life.

A Time to Be Born – Dawn Powell – Sharp satire set in New York City just before entering World War 2, first published in 1942. Sentences worth rereading, characters and situations that are laugh-out-loud funny, and Dickensian sweep. Wow.

Half Broke – Ginger Gaffney – Saving horses and humans, or not, in this moving memoir; two-legged and four-legged underdogs you root for.

Dear Edward – Ann Napolitano – a one-of-a-kind healing journey that engages the reader every step of the way, so that the ending gives a satisfying catharsis; ultimately a metaphor for healing from any significant loss.

Continental Divide – Alex Myers – a coming-of-age story with a twist. Although predictable in its villains, much of the rest displays sensitivity to the complexity of issues faced by the coming out of a transgender teen and his communities.

Enemies: A Love Story – Isaac Bashevis Singer – surprising and revelatory, yet carefully crafted and somehow grounded in reality; remarkable, specific moment with particular people yet universal; eye-opening, disturbing, satisfying.

The Dutch House – Ann Patchett – this gentle, accessible novel slowly builds to a tender, satisfying conclusion, full of everyday justice for each of the characters we get to know so well.

Ladies Auxiliary – Tova Mirvis – unusual third person narration doesn’t prevent intimacy with the main character, keeping her intriguingly at arm’s length at times. Structured by the Jewish holidays which mirrored what was happening in the community. Clear writing, relatable characters, and grounded dilemmas make this book a memorable read.

Passing – Nell Larsen – genre of fiction about blacks passing as white; startling and personal, evocative and enigmatic, short with a big punch.

Jeeves and the King of Clubs – Ben Schott – I say! Good fun, what. Captures the tone of Wodehouse with spot-on language plus genius Jeeves and good-natured Bertie getting into twisted scrapes that, dash it, takes some concentration, and a few aunts, to keep straight.

Circe – Madeline Miller – While you can read this novel to relish the clever retelling of the myths, the story of this witch beautifully shows us how to be human and live a good life.

Here is New York – E. B. White – love letter, or love essay, to the city that is as spot on today as it was 70 years ago; you’ll feel like you’re there.

Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata – a fresh, quirky point of view, and each offbeat action fits in the logic of this wonderfully witty and oddball short novel.

Laura & Emma – Kate Greathead – Best approached as a binge read, surprising with its quiet psychological character development, quite refreshing these days. The characters are odd and completely relatable. I felt like I really knew Laura, and increasingly, Emma, making the ending a real jaw dropper.

Secret Life of the American Musical – Jack Viertel – As he breaks down the structure of classic American musicals, we get to relive each of their specific pleasures; learning while re-experiencing the shows? You can’t beat that!

The Hidden Light of Northern Fires – Daren Wang – little known piece of Civil War history vividly told with taut narrative pacing and remarkable characters; sourced from the author’s childhood home; a very different war story that pushed and pulled my heart.

Swimming with the Bridgeport Girls – Anthony Tambakis – an unreliable narrator, maybe deluded is better, takes us on a clear-eyed, entertaining ride through gambling addiction and the attempt to get his ex-wife back.

Everybody’s Son – Thrity Unrigar – Deeply emotional, with a sensitive portrayal of moral complexity and beautiful character arcs that resist heroes and villains; an exploration of culture outside the author’s own; ignore that criticism and read!

The Jane Austen Project – Kathleen Flynn – a really fun read about the future and the past with Jane Austen; a few cringe-worthy moments, but overall, the novel is so inventive and fresh that it’s sure to please Jane-ites and the Jane-curious.

News of the World – Paulette Jiles – with lively immediacy, we journey with the Captain and Johanna, a ten year old ‘rescued’ from the Kiowa who kidnapped her; a fresh look at Texas history during Reconstruction with two distinctive, compelling characters.

The Devil and Webster – Jean Hanff Korelitz – an academic thriller, if you can imagine those two words working together; a familiar framework freshened by surprises and believable conundrums.

The Women in the Castle – Jessica Shattuck – World War II stories are everywhere st the moment; this one explores the complexities of the immediate post war period in Germany through three women’s stories; detailed and sensitive, the narratorial voice is non-judgmental, making the experience of each all the more personal and affecting.

Lucky Boy – Shanthi Sekaran – immigrant tale of two cultures and two classes show the disparity of experience of the American Dream; I knew the stories would collide, but the empathetic writing style and balanced telling make the narrative all the more heartbreaking; Soli’s story is especially poignant

Love and First Sight – Josh Sundquist – I meshed into the witty voice of Will, a blind high school boy, as he explores his microworld and ‘comes of age’; his journey of blindness to some sight leads to new understandings of trust and how the senses help us know our world; unique bildungsroman

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb – Melanie Benjamin – historical adventure romp with an unusual hero; not a perfect book, but a wonderful opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes…and try on a little humbug

Tumbling Turner Sisters – Juliette Fay – I’m a sucker for just about anything Vaudeville, and this historical novel presents vivid characters and details about the circuit; there’s enough plot and social context to situate the reader and keep the pages turning and tumbling.

Bright, Precious Days – Jay McInerney – his style is almost old-fashioned, with sentences carefully crafted, yet smooth. His characters reveal themselves and their plots with subtle sensitivity and a respectful understanding as they push against NYC, “the city (that) is supremely indifferent to their transit through its arteries.”

Translation of Love – Lynne Kutsukake – evocative, astonishing, yet so satisfyingly quotidian; an intimate look at several intertwined lives of Japanese and westerners in WW2-ravaged Tokyo.

The Two-Family House – Lynda Cohen Longman – assured writing embraces from the first paragraph to the last; tender, gentle plot with deep character development; masterful

The Hours Count – Jillian Cantor – a harrowing read about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg through their neighbor’s eyes; the nature of national and personal power and paranoia

House of Thieves – Charles Belfoure – evocative of Gilded Age New York, in all its grit and glamour; set aside incredulity, and you’ll go on a wild ride of architecture and crime

Two Across – Jeff Bartsch – a wonderfully satisfying romance for language lovers with two characters who create a life full of literate surprises; at once cinematic and brainy

Go Set a Watchman – Harper Lee – Don’t let other people’s biases take this book away from you.  I loved every page, laughed, loved, and got sick with Scout, and am ready to talk about it all with anyone who dares.

The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell – William Klaber – if it had been straight fiction…but it’s not; an evocative, lively account of a woman whose story broke my heart

The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty – Amanda Filipacchi – the author creates fascinating women characters with fantastical gifts; a comic horror genre with satirical bite

An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England – Brock Clarke – while not quite living up to its madcap premise, it satisfies the reader willing to go on a fantastical, and rather sad, journey that starts with accidentally burning down the Emily Dickinson House

Shotgun Lovesongs – Nickolas Butler – what Richard Russo does for small town New England; a meditation on the emotional lives of 4 Wisconsin men organized around weddings and divorces; masterfully crafted, wistful, very real

Pearl that Broke its Shell – Nadia Hashimi – two Afghan women separated by a century surviving impossible lives by crossing the gender line; fascinating and heart breaking

Famous Writers I Have Knnown – James Magnuson – a very funny send-up of the writing world, with a con artiist for a narrator; his story seems truthfully told, but will we ever know?

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed out of a Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson – hilarious characters and situations; a Swedish Forest Gump, along with Herbert and Amanda Einstein, who are priceless

Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd – often difficult, always compelling story of the abolitionist sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimke, along with the fictional Handful; grows in power to the end

Revolutionary – Alex Myers – a woman fights in the Revolutionary War, written by a transgendered author, heightening my attention to the gender-identity elements

We are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler – a unique sibling story like I’ve never read; the last image lingers in my mind and my heart

Signature of All Things – Liz Gilbert – despite needing an editor to weed through all that science, Gilbert creates an unforgettable character, Alma, on a distinctive, vivid journey

Sisters Weiss – Naomi Ragen – despite occasional lapses into pedagogy, an affecting story of fallible characters and the complexities of minds and hearts

The Rose Project – Graeme Simsion – funny, funny, funny; a rom-com with the emphasis on com, as a professor with Asperger’s attempts to complete his Wife Project

The Golem and the Jinni – Helene Wacker -goes around the world and back in time in an inventive and believable way, the mythological dropped into the historical Lower East Side

The Other Typist – Suzanne Rindell – subtly written, miss a sentence-miss a clue; unreliable narrator obsessed by an unreliable character; the last paragraph twists yet again

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Stout – she writes unlikeable characters in a way I find compelling; a believable, grounded story of 3 siblings and their developing relationship

The Dinner by Herman Koch – I rather hated where the author took me, but I couldn’t stop reading; the most intense kind of moral dilemma and question of justice

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg – the minutiae of one family, honestly told from multiple points of view; each voice seems just right; a companion to “The Whale”

The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro – a terrific art thriller, need I say more?

Big Girl Small by Rachel deWoskin – coming of age story with a serious twist; a very sure voice

Elsewhere by Richard Russo – his relationship with his mother, a fully drawn, rich characterization, resonated: touching, confounding, frightening, recognizable

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty – wonderful 3rd person personal point of view; glamor pushed to the side

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – he got the women’s voice just right; a feisty, fresh point of view

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – kept me guessing, a page turner

Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont – I cared about this protagonist

The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby – just so much fun for the insider scoop on Golden Age Athens

Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach – good characters, good plot, engagingly written

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett – couldn’t be more delightful for anyone passionate about reading

An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer – how refreshing to look at later in life love

A Good American by Alex George – love a good immigrant story, and this one’s a fresh take

Blindspot by Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore – when art historians write some fiction for a colleague, the result is rollicking good fun about colonial Boston and its portraitists;  I love a good pants role

Plus many 4 star books.

If you haven’t already, take a look at GoodReads.com.  It’s a great way to keep track of what you’ve read (plus what your friends are reading, too).