The Tortilla Curtain by T,C, Boyle

My rating: 4.8

Two couples – Delayne & Kyra, a writer and real estate broker, and their son live in Topanga Canyon trying to live the American dream and Mexican Illegals Candido and America cling to making their vision of the American dream come true.  

Yes, both sides are very polarized and Candido has more bad luck than befalls most people in 10 lifetimes but, what was amazing to me is how real the author makes all of these characters when three of them are very unlikeable and I only felt compassion for America.  This could be a very controversial novel for a bookclub discussion and yet I think it would be so good.

Book Assessment Sites

In regards to my complaining about being in
book limbo, I ran across a couple of assessment sites and took the quizzes.  The first one recommended a book that was high in my queue and the second one recommended a book by an author I have read and enjoyed before. These are short quizzes and I thought you might enjoy playing around with them:

http://www.purewow.com/entry_detail/national/11841/Quiz-What-book-should-you-read-next.htm

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarrylee/fall-in-love-with-a-new-book?&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Books%20108&utm_content=Books%20108+CID_6af2b4f33499a129dab120347d89969f&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=Which%20one%20should%20you%20be%20reading#4du3nxf

The Accident by Chris Pavone

My Rating; 4.6

Three worlds collide over an anonymous manuscript:
1. Literary agent Isabel Reed in New York, 
2. CIA operative Hayden Grey in Copenhagen, and 
3. The author of the manuscript in Zurich

This thriller espionage novel was quite entertaining.  I enjoy Pavone's writing and found this as entertaining as his previous book The Expats. 

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

My rating: 4.1

Ellen is a hypnotherapist who helps her client's overcome addictions and phobias.  Through online dating, she meets and falls in love with Patrick. When Patrick confesses that his ex-girlfriend is stalking him, Ellen finds this more intriguing than frightening.

This quirky fun chick-lit was thoroughly enjoyable even if it was a bit syrupy sweet with a neatly packed ending.

Book Limbo

I call ‘book limbo’ anytime I finish a book (usually a really good book) and I just can’t find another book that grabs me.  I read a couple of chapters of one before starting another book and it can take 3 or 4 books before something grabs me.  I realized that I waste a lot of time in book limbo.  

Do you suffer from book limbo?  Do you have any suggestions for me of how to minimize the time I spend in book limbo? 

Flight of the Sparrow

My Rating: 3.8

Set in Massachusetts in the late 1600's, Mary and her children are kidnapped by Indians.  When they are ransomed three months later, she suspects that she has changed too much to ever fit back in to English Society.

While this was a very enjoyable read, sometimes some of the characters were a little too polarized (her husband) 

If you are looking for a meatier book that gives you some amazing history, I highly recommend the non-fiction book Empire of the SummerMoon 

Love In The Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde

My rating: 4.6

If you haven’t noticed, I have been on a bit of a Catherine Ryan Hyde binge the last few months and, with good reason.  She is an easy to read author without being too fluffy or light.  Here books doesn’t put me off with being syrupy or too predictable.  She is so easy to turn back to after a hard day of work and it makes me feel good.  This novel was no exception.

There were a few parts in the beginning that were very uncomfortable/raw but, so real and essential in the character building.  Yes, some of it was a bit sweet but, it was deliciously so.  The story….

Pearl is only 18 years old and yet she has a 5 year old son, Leonard.  Life has given her every reason to mistrust people but circumstances force her to trust her neighbor Mitch.  As with all of Hyde’s books, this is beautifully written and has wonderful character development.  I absolutely loved the relationship between Leonard and Mitch.  This book has so many facets and layers and was absolutely delicious and will stay with me for a while.

100 Year Old Man by Jonas Jonasson

My rating: 2.8

I can definitely see why people compare this book to both Forrest Gump and The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry.  It was cute and entertaining but definitely not a book that I couldn’t put down or wait to get back to.  It was light, occasionally humorous but definitely more than a little far fetched.  I felt the characters were flat, the humor a little lacking and the writing wasn’t the best.

Invisible by Paul Auster

My rating: 2.0

I read this in 2011.  My girlfriend said I was too hasty in judging it so, without looking at my old review, I reread it.  While Auster is a talented writer, I wouldn't change a thing from my original review:

This book is akin to a car accident that you just can't help yourself with watching....even though you know you will regret it. The book is told in 3 parts, Summer, Fall & The Ending. Summer was very good, Fall was uncomfortable and The Ending was.....it just ended. I did LOVE the writing and that almost made me want to rate it higher but, the story line was lacking. I will definitely read something else by Auster in future.

If you are looking for a similar writing style but with a storyline that delivers, I highly recommend checking out Julian Barne's Sense of an Ending.

In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

My rating: 4.0

This book is the true story of 3 things:

1. Neil White and his unabashed self-examination of his attitude, flaws and crime of kiting checks

2. The prison and prisoners of Carville

3. The lepers in Carville (it doubled as a prison and leper colony)

White doesn't hide that he is an unlikable con-man and it took over half the book before he had the epiphany as to the error of his ways.  The prisoners of Carville were an eclectic group and, at times, downright funny.  The story of the lepers in Carville was fascinating.  All in all, an enjoyable read.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

My Rating: 4.8

About a self-centered, rich dysfunctional family.  The characters and prose and the fantasy descriptions were so well done.  People will either love or hate this book.  I am definitely in the ‘love it’ camp. Such a powerful and well crafted book.  The less you know about this book, the better. 

The Translator by Nina Schuyler

My rating:  4.7

This is a book for those who appreciate words and language…not for those who want action.  This is also not a happy or upbeat book but, very full of meaning and trying to understand people and life. This beautifully written book feels like the many languages of Hanne Schubert come together.  Hanne is a 53 year old translator and this novel opens with Hanne immersed in translating a well-known Japanese author’s work into English.  You realize the many potential interpretations of the words, sentences, paragraphs. 

When Hanne falls down a flight of stairs, her injury is an unusual but real condition--the loss of her native language. She is left speaking only Japanese, a language learned later in life. With her personal life at a crossroad, Hanne leaves for Japan. There, the Japanese novelist whose work she translated stunningly confronts her publicly for sabotaging his work…and she realizes how she has translated so many things in her life incorrectly. 

The language is stunningly beautiful and captures so much.  It gave me an appreciation for the art of translation and made me wonder how many things we have misinterpreted in our lives by seeing only our own perspective. 

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

My Rating: 4.2

I don’t care about ballet and yet I really enjoyed this book that completely immerses you into the world of professional ballet. This beautifully written novel follows the lives of a mediocre American ballerina who is good but not great and a world famous Russian dancer who defects to America.

Shipstead immerses you into the world of professional ballet and it is an enjoyable journey.  There was good but not great character development and the storyline definitely kept my attention.

Electric God by Catherine Ryan Hyde

My Rating: 4.8

50 year old Hayden lives in a remote cabin in Northern California and struggles with his past, his temper and so many events that haunt him.  At times, he seems to be mellowing in his old age until events unfold that, in an instant, have him reacting in his old ways.

I have read and loved quite a few of Hyde’s books (the author of Pay It Forward) and this one was no exception.  I felt for Hayden.  He became real to me and I felt his pain, his troubles and even empathized with his temper.  This novel is funny, wry, moving and has such believable characters.  I love how Hyde has a penchant for writing about flawed characters that have so many redeemable qualities you just can’t help but cheer for them.  I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and will definitely be reading more by Hyde.

The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad

My Rating: 4.4

This is an interesting and different novel with no continuous plot or character development, with the chapters being only loosely connected. Ahmad is a talented writer with a gift for poetry.

Each of these impactful stories are set in the Afghan/Pakistan area where the 80 year old author had a long civil service career.  He captures the harsh conditions with love and tenderness and the elegance of a nomadic lifestyle.

This is a series of short stories interlinked by Tor Baz (as the young boy becomes known).  The sparse writing and descriptions are sometimes reminiscent of Cormac MacCarthy. Beautifully told. 

The only things I didn't like was the short story/disjointed feel of each chapter as even though there was the constant of Tor Baz, you had to resituate yourself to each new situation/story.  The other complaint was that the book was so short as it was extremely well written.  If you like short stories, I would think you would find this book extremely enjoyable.