All in Fiction
For me The Alchemist is the perfect example of that category of books—super famous, oft-quoted but that I only pretend to have read. Embarrassing confession: I actually read a passage from The Alchemist at my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding without having read the book. But now I have and I need hide my ignorance no longer!
If you are looking for an absorbing read about lives falling apart, look no further. Set in a small town in Connecticut, the book begins with a beloved teacher and town hero being accused of sexual misconduct by several of his teenage students. He is arrested and held without bail until his trial.
Stephen King is not one of my go-to authors. I read The Shining way back when I was in college and decided that scaring myself silly wasn’t really my idea of a good read. That probably explains why I was totally unaware that King had published a prize-winning novel of a different sort that puts a man in the position to alter history by traveling back to 1963 and trying to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
One good thing about having a long reading list, is sometimes by the time I get around to reading a book, the buzz has subsided and I can’t remember what all the fuss was about. I feel like I came to Go Set A Watchman with almost no preconceived notions except that I remembered that Harper Lee had written To Kill A Mockingbird, which I haven’t read since I was 12.
Unsheltered is the best book I’ve read in a very long time! I can’t recommend it highly enough. Barbara Kingsolver is a master storyteller who creates sympathetic characters. Her dialogue is as realistic and believable as any I’ve ever read.
Psychological thriller is not a genre I gravitate toward with any regularity. So when my Bates Boston Alumna book club selected The Woman in the Windowas one of our reads, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it. Well, it is a page-turner and a book that you will have a very hard time putting down until you’ve figured out all the story’s twists and turns.
At the other end of the spectrum of writing, this suspenseful beach read will keep you turning the pages with ease.
Continuing this month’s theme (for me) of books that ended up surprising me, I heartily recommend News of The World. From the opening pages, I loved Jiles’ writing style. In fact, the author description on the jacket lists her first as a poet, second as a memoirist and third as a novelist. Her use of language is gorgeous--very poetic and very cinematic. The pace of the novel was where I had difficulty.
In my continuing quest to learn more Canadian history without actually picking up a textbook, Jane Urquhart is becoming one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved her book Away about several generations of Irish women and their family’s immigration to Canada. The Stone Carvers is similarly well written, if slightly less absorbing.
When reading a Pulitzer prize winning novel, I find myself not only enjoying the read, but also wondering what it is about the novel that made it worthy of such distinguished recognition. Less is the absolutely charming story of Arthur Less who is approaching his 50th birthday, realizing his mortality and coming to terms with his less-than-notable writing career.
Have you noticed how many wonderful novels have been published recently about women and the various interesting roles they played during the World Wars? FromThe Nightengale by Kristen Hannah to The Women In The Castle by Jessica Shattuck toManhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan to Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly to Atomic City Girlsby Janet Beard, we can now experience through historical fiction some of the important ways women contributed to the war efforts. The most recent book I’ve read in this genre and absolutely loved is The Alice Network.
Incredibly popular when it was released in 2011,The Art of Fielding has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. It’s intimidatingly thick, and although I love baseball, I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to such a long read on the topic. But boy, was I ever missing out!
Another popular read, which I am a bit late getting around to,Sweetbitter was every bit as entertaining as promised. I have not watched the television adaptation, but I can imagine it is also quite fun.
Continuing the dystopian theme, I recently got around to reading this 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winner and completely loved it. Unlike The Girl with all the Gifts, an action packed story where everything goes wrong, in Ishiguro’s dystopia, it is almost hard to distinguish the differences between his world and ours.
Full disclosure, Dan and I listened to this one on tape, so I can’t technically say that I “read” it, but what I can enthusiastically say, is go read/listen to it! The audiobook is read by Finty Williams, who is an incredible voice over artist (and actress), which certainly increased my enjoyment.
Anita Shreve was one of my favorite authors for a while. Every time I saw that she had published a new book, I’d happily buy it and enjoy every minute reading it. (Remember The Pilot’s Wife? Fortune’s Rocks?) For the past few years, I hadn’t been aware of any new books by her until The Stars Are Fire.
If you’re an Elin Hilderbrand fan like I am, then you know that all of her 20 previous novels have been set on Nantucket. The Perfect Couple is no exception. What sets this 21st novel apart is that Hilderbrand has written a murder mystery. Not being a particular fan of that genre, I was dubious that her new book would live up to her previous offerings – which I eagerly devour as soon as they’re published. I’m happy to report that this new novel is right up there with her best.
Beginning on the day of Queen Victoria’s death,Falling Angels tells the story of two households with wildly differing philosophies as they navigate the changing world of London in mourning and beyond. The relationship between the two families begins, very appropriately, in a graveyard, when they discover their family plots are side by side.
I think Lisa Genova is a fascinating author. With a PhD in neuroscience, she writes novels with characters who suffer from some form of brain disease. Her breakthrough novel was Still Alice, and if you haven’t read it (even if you have seen the movie), I highly recommend that you read it.
Every once in a while, I like to read a classic novel that I feel I should have read, but haven’t. Especially when I can pick it up for a few bucks at a library sale! And although I enjoyed my trip to Victorian-era New York, I was expecting more from the first novel by a woman ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. For example, that it might have a female protagonist…
