While not a memoir, this book takes a very close look at a young woman who was born male and her journey, along with her family, to transition to the gender she was meant to be.
A BEAUTIFUL, TERRIBLE THING
I don’t read a ton of memoirs, but this one is GREAT! I devoured it, staying up way too late several nights in a row. Not only is the story completely hypnotic, the book is structured to keep you turning pages.
ANATHEM
Anathem is almost 1,000 pages long, and way outside my comfort zone of usual genres. It took me almost 200 pages to start enjoying it, but once I was in, I was ALL IN! The book is an incredibly crafted work of what the author himself calls “speculative fiction.” This means it takes place on an imagined planet with an imagined history, vocabulary, political landscape, etc. Having said that, if you can get past the made-up words, and allow yourself to be confused for a little while, the planet Arden begins to resemble Earth in more ways than one.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURESED CHILD
For those who are confused: no, there is not a new Harry Potter novel out. This is the published script of the play that is currently performing on Broadway and the West End in London, and it is a delight!
PRAIRIE FIRES
Caroline Fraser has written a fascinating biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Using precious little autobiographical information left by Wilder and supplementing it with a similarly small amount left by her daughter, Fraser adroitly weaves a compelling tale of Wilder’s life. She explains how Wilder came to write her beloved Little House on the Prairie series in the midst of the Great Depression when she herself was in her mid-sixties.
LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE
There is no doubt about it: I am a huge Anna Quindlen fan. She occupies a spot on my “must read” list. Every time I see that she’s published a new book, I scoop it up. (See reviews of Miller’s Valley, May 2017 and Alternate Side, June 2018.) Quindlen won the Pulitzer Prize and for a long time wrote a column for the New York Times.
ABOVE ALL THINGS
When I started this book I knew absolutely nothing about Mt. Everest or any of the people who have climbed it. I had no idea who the first person was to make it to the top. But even if you are someone who knows a lot of Everest history, I think this will still be an extremely enjoyable book, just a bit less suspenseful.
FIERCE KINGDOM
I first heard the term “child peril lit” many years ago when my Jodi Picoult obsession was at its peak. It so perfectly describes the genre that it suggests why someone might be drawn to it. You know: that feeling that reading about it somehow protects you and your family. Now that I have a daughter, I’m not sure that psychology is so useful for me anymore. In fact it seems to lessen my enjoyment of a book, taking me out because I can’t allow myself to get as emotionally involved out of self-protection.
YOU THINK IT, I'LL SAY IT
For me to pick up a book of short stories to read -- when it hasn’t been selected by one or another of my book clubs -- is unusual, to say the least. I must have received some sort of silent signal that this collection was going to knock my socks off. Curtis Sittenfeld wrote the books Prep andEligible, both great reads. I share with you now that she also writes great short stories.
H IS FOR HAWK
H Is for Hawk appeared on many “best books of the year” lists for 2015 and it’s been on my “must read” list since then. I want to spare all of you any further delay: pick up this book today and read it. It is an absolute treasure! I can honestly state that I’ve never read anything quite like it.
UNBELIEVABLE: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History
Unbelievable was recommended to me by a friend and frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. Don’t get me wrong. I happily spend many an evening glued to MSNBC, following Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow. But, the idea of using my leisure time reading about Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign run seemed potentially anxiety-producing, rather than pleasant. I decided to try it though, and I am delighted that I did.
AMERICAN PASTORAL
I found it funny how many people, when they saw the cover of American Pastoral over the weeks that I was reading it, stopped me and said, ‘Oh, that is one of my favorite books!’ It sparked a great conversation about other Roth books with my mom, in which I realized I have only read one other,Indignation.
AMERICANAH
I know I am a bit late to the party, but I LOVED this book! Honestly, all this time it’s been on my to-read list, I thought it was non-fiction. So I was thrilled to discover a smart, funny novel so full of love and thoughtfulness.
ONE GOAL: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together
If I weren’t a member of the Boston area Bates College Alumna Book Club, I might never have found One Goal, a true gem. Written by a Bates alumna, One Goal tells the story of the Lewiston High School men’s soccer team’s quest for a 2015 state championship with a team composed mainly of Somali immigrants that had settled in the Maine town.
ALL THE SINGLE LADIES: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
Neither my mom nor I read, or review much non-fiction, and for me part of my avoidance is that when I read non-fiction, I feel like I’m going to be tested. I get stressed like I have to remember all the facts and figures being thrown at me. But this book is incredible, and never once did I feel lost in a sea of statistics.
CLOCK DANCE
Anne Tyler has written more than 20 novels and after reading Clock Dance, I’m wondering why I haven’t read more of them. This is a quick and easy read with a really good story line.
THE ALCHEMIST
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!
BECOMING
In reading a first lady’s memoir you might expect descriptions, perhaps some even heartfelt, about what it was really like spending four, or maybe eight, years in the White House. Michelle Obama delivers that, hands down. But, in addition she offers her readers much, much more.
LAB GIRL
One gauge of a great book, I believe, is how long it stays with you after you’ve finished reading it. Another is how many excerpts you read out loud to your significant other. A third is how many times you talk about it with everyone you know who likes to read. A fourth is how many times you recommend it to your friends and family. By all these standards, Lab Girl is a great read.
THE BEST KIND OF PEOPLE
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.