Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald is the story of Tamila Soroush, an Iranian young woman who marries an American man that she falls in love with while in the States in a tourist visa, then trys to go through the process to stay. It is an interesting cross cultural novel, however, I found the characters one dimensional and mostly unbelievable. A feel-good novel, where everything works out in the end. It is an OK read, but for a much…
Dan Brown’s newest book, Inferno, is another big thick page turner that you can lose yourself in. It is written in a similar style to Da Vinci Code. Professor Robert Langdon travels around Europe with a pretty young woman searching for hidden clues to unlock a mystery and help save the world. This formula works for him. Although not as good as Da Vinci Code, it is better than The Lost Symbol. It’s worth reading for the fabulous art history…
Kayak Morning, Reflections on Love, Grief and Small Boats by Roger Rosenblatt is a small, elegant book where Rosenblatt tries to come to terms with his ongoing grief over his daughter’s death two years earlier. He has taken up kayaking early in the morning near his home where he sinks deep into solitude and thought while he is out on the water. We are all richer because he has shared his experience with us. A review by Publishers Weekly states…
Vampires in the Lemon Grove is the new book of short stories by Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia! I’m not a big fan of short stories, I prefer reading novels, but I wanted to give these a try, as Russell is a fascinating, young author with a very original voice. Here she doesn’t disappoint in the originality department, however, these should have been labeled as horror stories, as that is what they truly are. Russell is an amazing writer with…
Oleander Girl is the new novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Divakaruni is a brilliant writer, and here she has crafted another wonderful story that follows Korobi, a young Indian girl engaged to be married, yet discovering a secret from her own past that sets her on an unexpected journey to the United States. Kolkata comes alive in these pages, as do the all the different characters that make up this novel. It is a story of culture, family, racism, coming…
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil is a feel good novel about second chances, through opening up your own knitting store in a small seaside village in England, and hanging out with glamorous movie stars. There’s nothing too original here, and the characters are pretty predictable, but it’s a fun read nonetheless, if you’re in the right mood. Personally, I love novels set in England for the language alone, not to mention the humor. This…
A Natural History of Dragons, A Memoir by Lady Trent is a fictitious memoir by Marie Brennan. It is written in the Victorian style and is full of adventure and humor, as Lady Trent recalls her first youthful expedition to study dragons. The most memorable part of the book is the fantastic drawing of the dragon on the cover. I wanted to be so drawn in that I would come away almost believing in dragons, but this didn’t happen. It…
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, is the haunting new novel by Karen Joy Fowler. Told by Rosemary, a 22 year old undergraduate at UC Davis, she recalls her early life with her older brother Lowell, and her sister Fern, neither of which she has seen in over a decade. The story of this unusual family becomes more mysterious as it unfolds. Fowler is a brilliant writer. She has created a story so complex and rich in detail, that it…
I never read The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank when it was wildly popular a decade ago. I just recently picked it up, and it is as funny and relevant now as it was then. It is written as a series of connected short stories featuring young, single Jane Rosenal trying to make her way through the treacherous territory of dating, family relations, work, etc. Bank’s writing is funny and insightful. I laughed all the way…
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin tracks a year of Rubin’s life where she sets out very systematically to become happier. I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t relate to most of Rubin’s thoughts on how to pursue happiness. It was not until the end of the book that she even considered changing her own attitude, and then only begrudgingly. She has methods and systems in place to help others set up their own Happiness Project and…