A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

07 Monday Oct 2019

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Here is a book with characters you will love to hate.  A relentlessly immoral man having tasted literary fame once will stop at nothing in his pursuit of success.

“Boyne’s mastery of perspective, last seen in 2017’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies, works beautifully here….Boyne understands that it’s far more interesting and satisfying for a reader to see that narcissist in action than to be told a catchall phrase. Each step Maurice Swift takes skyward reveals a new layer of calumny he’s willing to engage in, and the desperation behind it….so dark it seems almost impossible to enjoy reading A Ladder to the Sky as much as you definitely will enjoy reading it.” —NPR

“Boyne expertly explores notions of originality and authorship through multiple first-person accounts of the despicable Swift. As a result, his latest novel is absorbing, horrifying, and recommended.”– Library Journal (starred review)

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A Necessary Evil (book 2) by Abir Mukherjee

30 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in detective, Fiction, mystery

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I just discovered this detective murder mystery series.  Once I finished the first book, A Rising Man, I had to rush to read this second one immediately and am anxiously waiting my turn on the wait list for the third, Smoke and Ashes.  That’s because Captain Sam Wyndam, former Scotland Yard detective, and Indian born, Sergeant Banerjee are quite the pair and it all takes place in post WW I India where there are still elephants, palaces, jewels, opium, temples, maharajas, harems, etc. It is a delectable read!

“Brilliant. Wyndam is an intriguing protagonist, offering crisp narration that’s sometimes slightly arrogant, sometimes amusingly self-effacing. Add in clever dialogue that’s laden with double entendre, and what more can a hardcore whodunit fan ask for?”- Bookpage (Top 10 Mystery of the Year)

“Mukherjee is adept at multifaceted, slow-burn plot manipulations. Packed with incident and intrigue, yet never in a way that sacrifices historical verisimilitude or character development for the sake of a thrill. At its heart, the novel and its prequel, A Rising Man, take the buddy-cop formula and turn it on its head in endless rotations. From the cars to the flowers to the moth-eaten flags, Wyndham sees empire for the lie that it is. This makes him an intriguing embodiment of the intricacies and hypocrisies of the period―especially in Mukherjee’s hands.”

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The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat: the Story of the Penicillin Miracle by Eric Lax

21 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by in History, Non-fiction

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This is the first selection for the Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group this September 2019 at the Weston Public Library.

“Beautifully researched and written, alive with scientific and human insight, Lax’s fine book likely will become the classic account of penicillin’s true medical beginnings.” ―Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Admirable, superbly researched . . . perhaps the most exciting tale of science since the apple dropped on Newton’s head.”—Simon Winchester, The New York Times

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The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

13 Friday Sep 2019

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“’The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna’ achieves what no sweeping history lesson about American immigrants could: It brings to life a woman that time and history would have ignored.” (Washington Post)

“If you’re going through Elena Ferrante withdrawals, this is the book for you. A rich, sweeping tale of an Italian-American family and their long-buried secrets.” (Harper’s Bazaar)

“Epic in scale and richly detailed…. Grames holds the reader under a spell from start to finish as she constructs a puzzle of identity formed against convention…. Grames’s clear and compassionate voice lets the figures of her heritage move freely.” (O, the Oprah Magazine)

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The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Her previous novel, The Invisible Bridge, is one of my all-time favorites. This one is based on the diaries of Varian Fry and again Orringer brings to light another WWII inspiring episode of history where Fry attempts to save the works and lives of Jewish artists.  Part history, part love story drenched in the glorious backdrop of 1940’s Marseille – superb.

“No book this year could possibly compare with The Flight Portfolio: ambitious, meticulous, big-hearted, gorgeous, historical, suspenseful, everything you want a novel to be.”
—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less

“Sympathetic and prodigiously ambitious…scrupulous… Her landscapes regularly rise to a Keatsian sensuousness.  Her Marseille breathes as a city breathes…a thriller.”
—New York Times Book Review, cover review

“Varian Fry lit a small, bright lamp in a world of darkness, and in the deft hands of Julie Orringer—under the spell of her masterful prose, her feeling portraiture, her classic spy-thriller plotting and her vivid recreation of that beautiful and terrible world—I found the radiance of Fry’s courage, flawed humanity, and steadfast resistance shedding an inexhaustible light on our own ever-darkening time.”—Michael Chabon

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Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham

30 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in 20th century, History, Non-fiction

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I picked up this book after watching the recent HBO series Chernobyl. It is a great companion to the show, but also fascinating and well-written on its own. It describes the political climate and human errors that led to the devastating accident at the nuclear power plant, as well as the aftermath and effects on the people that lived and worked in the surrounding areas.

“A gripping miss-your-subway-stop read . . . Higginbotham captures the nerve-racked Soviet atmosphere brilliantly.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Midnight in Chernobyl is top-notch historical narrative: a tense, fast-paced, engrossing, and revelatory product of more than a decade of research. . . . A stunningly detailed account . . . For all its wealth of information, the work never becomes overwhelming or difficult to follow. Higginbotham humanizes the tale, maintaining a focus on the people involved and the choices, both heroic and not, they made in unimaginable circumstances. This is an essential human tale with global consequences.”—Booklist, Starred Review

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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abby Waxman

16 Friday Aug 2019

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This novel keeps up a fun, friendly patter while still dealing realistically and respectfully with mental health issues in the form of anxiety.  A good “cozy read,” a good “beach read,” a good choice for a wide range of readers.

“Waxman has created a thoroughly engaging character in this bookish, contemplative, set-in-her ways woman. Be prepared to chuckle.”—Kirkus Review (starred review)

“Book nerds will feel strong kinship with the engaging, introverted Nina Hill, who works in a bookstore, plays pub trivia, and loves office supplies… Readers will be captivated by Nina’s droll sense of humor.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Move over on the settee, Jane Austen. You’ve met your modern-day match in Abbi Waxman. Bitingly funny, relatable and intelligent, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a must for anyone who loves to read.”—Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck With That

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The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

12 Monday Aug 2019

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In 1945 Barcelona, Daniel’s father brings him to a special library to pick out a book, which he will then be responsible for guarding. The book he chooses attracts attention from several other interested parties, some good, some evil. This page-turner has mystery, adventure, romance, a colorful cast of characters, and celebrates books. A fun summer read!

“One gorgeous read.” –Stephen King

“ Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.”
—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“Gabriel Garcia Marquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Wonderous… masterful… The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.” —Entertainment Weekly (Editor’s Choice)

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Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

05 Monday Aug 2019

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Through a DNA website, Dani’s husband submitted their DNA as a lark. And in one day Dani’s life as she ever had known it was turned upside down.  With the speed of the Internet and You-Tube, her personal mystery unravels at top speed!

“Fascinating… With thoughtful candor, [Shapiro] explores the ethical questions surrounding sperm donation, the consequences of DNA testing, and the emotional impact of having an uprooted religious and ethnic identity. This beautifully written, thought-provoking genealogical mystery will captivate readers from the very first pages.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“For all the trauma that the discovery put her through, Shapiro recognizes that what she had experienced was ‘a great story’—one that has inspired her best book.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Page after page, Shapiro displays adisarming honesty and an acute desire to know the unknowable.” —Booklist (starred review)

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Ask Again, Yes: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane

29 Monday Jul 2019

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“Mary Beth Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction—how to write about human decency. In Ask Again, Yes, Keane creates a layered emotional truth that makes a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love.”— Louise Erdrich, author of The Round House

“Keane’s story embraces family lives in all their muted, ordinary, yet seismic shades… offers empathy and the long view… Tender and patient, the novel avoids excessive sweetness while planting itself deep in the soil of commitment and attachment. Graceful and mature. A solidly satisfying, immersive read.”—Kirkus (starred review) 

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