The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jeffries is a historical fiction set in Ceylon during the 1920’s. A young Englishwoman marries a tea plantation owner and moves to Ceylon, only to discover that his family has many dark secrets she is unaware of. It is a novel about race and culture, prejudice, guilt and family, and of course, tea. Jeffries captures the cultural tensions between the locals and Europeans as well as the tension between the Sinhalese people and the…
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is one of the most famous mystery novels of all time, so I finally got around to reading it. Full of wonderful characters and a wonderful story, Christie weaves a tale of intrigue that only Poirot could untangle, as I certainly could not. Although I don’t usually go in for murder mysteries, this was a very clever and entertaining read.
My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith is another witty little novel by perhaps the worlds most prolific writer. A food and wine writer heads to Tuscany to work on his latest book after his girlfriend of four years leaves him for her personal trainer. In a bizarre twist, he is unable to hire a rental car and is offered a bulldozer to use to get around while he is there. Along the way, he meets interesting characters, samples food…
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, is his memoir about growing up in South Africa. He was six when apartheid ended. Born to an African mother and a white European father, his very existence was a crime. His mother kept him indoors for most of his early life. The book is full of incredible stories that Noah lived through and it is an in depth look at what the end of apartheid was like for…
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is historical fiction based on the life of Heminway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson. She was a quiet 28 year old who met and fell in love with the young 20 year old Heminway long before he became a famous writer. They married and set sail for Paris in the 20’s becoming friends there with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and more. McLain gives the reader a portrait of life in Paris at…
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan is the perfect book lover’s book to read on a cold winters day, even better if you’ve ever dreamed about owning your own little bookshop. It takes place in small town Scotland and is chock-full of charm. Nina is a librarian in a busy city in England, and when her library shuts down and she loses her job, she risks everything to follow her dreams. A lovely, enjoyable, feel good read.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a great novel spanning four generations of a Korean immigrant family living in Japan starting in the early 20th century. Strong, hardworking women are at the heart of this novel. When young Sunja’s gentle minister husband is imprisoned, she goes to work to provide for her family, trying to give her elder son the best education possible and keep her younger son out of trouble, all the while keeping a powerful secret that could…
The Story of Arthur Truluv is the latest from Elizabeth Berg. A short, sweet little novel about 85 year old Authur who meets 18 year old Maddy in the cemetery where he goes daily to visit his wife. They form an unlikely yet tender relationship which is the heart of this novel. Arthur’s neighbor Lucille joins in the fun and everyone’s as happy as orange blossom cookies with a good cup of tea. Perhaps a little too quaint, but its…
Hiddensee, by Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, is a retelling of the life of Drosselmeier, the beloved Godfather of the Nutcracker’s Klara. It is the story of young Drosselmeier’s upbringing, how he died, met fantastical forest creatures, came back to life and eventually became the toy maker who carved the famous Nutcracker. A wonderful and engaging story set in the enchanted Black Forest of Bavaria and reminiscent of Grimm’s Fairy Tales; an enjoyable read.
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson is a book about a woman who writes graphic novels and comics for a living. Her half sister is the perfect, married, stable mother, or so it seems. When her grandmother in Alabama becomes ill, she returns to the South to look after her, and all sorts of unexpected events unfold, not least of which is the appearance of Batman (you’ll have to read it to find out.) This is a great book that…