The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

My Rating: 4.8

Wow. I just finished this for my bookclub next week.  I thoroughly enjoyed this well researched piece of historical fiction. This is the story of Rachel growing up on the risland of St. Thomas along with her friend Jestine.  This is about friendships, love, prejudice and life in the Caribbean.

It is also about the painter Camille Pissarro, the father of Impressionism but, I found the story of his mother Rachel to be much more fascinating. For myself, the part about Camille seemed to drag a bit but it was all worthwhile in the end.

Bookmarks Magazine for Nov/Dec 2015

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - WOOHOO! Here are the reads that are jumping out at me that I am going to put in my queue: Let me know what books you have in your queue (whether from Bookmarks or some other source)

        
       


I am almost finished reading this book for my book club and agree with their fabulous reviews:

I already have this on my kindle and iPod so I need to prioritize it.

This month's Bookmarks featured the 4th Ferrante novel.  It reminded me that I want to read this series and I have My Brilliant Friend, the first in this series on my kindle.

To get 11 Book recommendations at only first glance - I love this magazine! :-) BTW, my library had all of the above books available on kindle/overdrive...gotta love the library. Maybe that should be in my favorites next month!

I don't typically like short stories but there were a few in there that I may consider. This was definitely a great month. I would love to hear any books that are on your radar. 

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

My rating: 3.0

After a woman's husband is murdered in Kabul, she is forced to take her 3 children and flee the country.  While this was a well written book that captured the plight of refugees / immigrants, I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

I felt the story was worthwhile but could have been much shorter.The first half of the book told in the mother's voice, worked better for me than the second half where the narrative switched between the mother and the son. Maybe it was my lack of connection to the characters that made this feel very long and drawn out.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

My Rating: 5.0

I have had girlfriends recommending this book to me for years. I knew two things about it, neither of which were selling points: 1) It is a Western 2) It is long.  When I started it, it seemed very slow and rambling and I thought "I don't think this book is for me". My girlfriend made me promise to read 100 pages before I gave up on it.  By about page 50 I was hooked.

Wow.  I loved it.  I loved all the characters but especially Gus (my gf is going to call her next dog Gus!). This is about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.  I 'felt' what it was like to live in those times.  This is amongst my all time favorite books. Did I say 'wow' already?  Amazing! Read it.  You won't be sorry.

The Art of Communicating byThích Nhất Hạnh

I have been wanting to read more self-help books and so glad that I picked this gem to revisit. This is short, simple and powerful. Some of the way things are expressed sound 'clunky' or 'out dated', but the examples given flow smoother and all of the advice is applicable.

This is one for the night stand that is good to ponder and revisit in order to get the most out of it.  I will continue to re-read this book over time and glean additional thoughts from it every time.

Sweetness In The Belly by Camilla Gibb

Rating: 4.3

After her hippie British parents are murdered, Lilly is raised at a Sufi shrine in Morocco. As a young woman she goes on pilgrimage to Harar, Ethiopia, where she teaches Qur'an to children and falls in love with an idealistic doctor. But even swathed in a traditional headscarf, Lilly can't escape being marked as a foreigner. 

Forced to flee Ethiopia for England, she must once again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. identity, life choices and travels (although I cringed at some of her choices), 

The juxtaposition of Lilly's life in the 70's in Ethiopia and her life in the 80's in London was beautifully done.

This is part education on Ethiopa, politics, Muslim, prejudice and love story. While this is not entirely an accurate portrayal of Muslimism, This was a quiet, well written book. 

The Divers Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida

Rating: 3.8

A woman travels to Casablance, is robbed of her backpack which contains her identity. This captures identity, life choices and travels (although I cringed at some of her choices), 

For "The Famous American Actress" was anyone else picturing Angelina? lol! I also laughed at some of the descriptions of Morocco.  I have been in places with no street signs and directed to "go to the shop by the KFC/Pizza Hut intersection" only to find more than one place matching that description.

The entire novel is written in the second person. You will either love or hate this. You will either see the character as immature or go with the story and enjoy it's unfolding. I loved the second person narrative so much that I was able to overlook the character not being particularly likable. This is not a must read or even a recommend but it was entertaining, especially on audio.

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Rating: 4.8

I read this as it is on the long list for the Man Booker Prize. This is about a close-knit family in 1990's Nigeria. It is told by 9 year old Benjamin. This large family consists of the strict father, loving mother and Ben's 3 older brothers and his younger brother and sister.

This book is about this family's spiral into ruins after a madman's prophesy drives one brother to be plagued with fear. The first part had me laughing out loud with the wonderful stories that capture African families their story-telling and beliefs, the last half had me clutching my heart and wishing I could help the characters. This is a dark, haunting, tragic story that will stay with me. So sad.

Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes

Rating: 3.1

I was on a psychological thriller kick while I was in Maui. This was a perfect beach read being light and easy.  Genevieve wants to starts life over again but needs money to buy her dream - a boat.  She takes a weekend job as a pole dancer/stripper.  When she is able to buy her boat she quits her job and leaves London but, she doesn't leave everything behind.

I was a bit disappointed in this book.  It had poor character development and the ending felt rushed and then too 'wrapped up with a bow' for my liking. Definitely not the same caliber as Into The Darkest Corner which I really enjoyed.

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Rating: 1.5

I really enjoyed Mary Kubica's book The Good Girl so was excited when she came out with a new book.  Unfortunately, I wasn't very far in before I realized that  

The Story:  Heidi sees a homeless teenage girl holding her infant baby and can't get them out of her head.

This book is very slow paced but I could have handled that if the character development was plausible. All of the characters had flaws and pain. I felt that the author was relying on hooking the reader for their sad circumstances, rather than doing proper character development with depth. Here are some things that I just couldn't overlook:

Heidi - Unrealistic and unbelievable behavior.  Doing things we all know not to do, no matter how much your heart is in the right place....and then things go downhill from there
Heidi's husband Chris - I don't know one man who would just go along with his wife's behavior
Willow - One minute Willow is acting like the 8 year old child she was when her family dissolved and the next she is acting like a 17 year old. I don't think the author knew what this girl's personality was supposed to be.  I understand abuse and her character was not realistic. She would revert to being 8 years old at all different tims (not just trigger moments) and her speech was sometimes very simplistic and other times very mature
Zoe - the 12 year old daughter was the most plausible character showing upset and frustration for her mother's unacceptable behavior and being a normal 12 year old

This whole plot line felt so contrived and did not have any twists. Definitely not anywhere near as good as her original book.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Rating: 4.9

Completely deranged psychopaths with murder on their minds. This one is twisted and unpredictable with characters you can lovingly loathe. The chapters shift in point of view as the narrative unfolds -- teasing the reader to stick glued to the pages. 

Ted Severson, married man, meets Lily Kintner late one night in an airport bar. That's when the trouble begins... Alcohol consumed, secrets spilled, plans made. But all of the players in this complicated scheme have not been entirely truthful, and things fall apart for them in completely unexpected ways.  I devoured this book in two days.  It was so good and kept me on the edge of my seat.  Such a guilty pleasure beach read.

Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson

Rating: 4.6

Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek, the Butcher of Zamosc. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser Ben Solomon is convinced he is right and engages attorney Catherine Lockhart to bring Rosenzweig to justice. 

Ben insists that he can't be rushed and has to tell his story so that Catherine can understand all the background to decide if she will take the case.  As his story unfolds, he draws in Catherine as well as the reader.  I found this was mesmerizing and heartbreaking.  I agree that I could see this becoming a movie.

Benedication by Kent Haruf

Rating: 3.8

The last in the trilogy with three completely new storylines: Dad Lewis dying of cancer, the little girl next door living with her grandmother is reminded of her own mother's death from cancer and a preacher who has moved to town with his wife and son.

This continues with Haruf's beautiful slow writing style but didn't grab me as much as his previous books.

Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

Rating: 4.9

Sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row.

IMO, this is better than Gone Girl, Girl on a Train, The Good Girl and all similar types of books. This beautifully well written book is intense, suspenseful and flows. I love the moving back in forth in time and having to piece it all together. I didn't have it figured out at all. If you like psychological thrillers, this is a definite recommend.

Eventide by Kent Haruf

Rating: 4.6

This is the 2nd book in the Kent Haruf's Trilogy. Just like the 1st book, Plainsong, I loved the Rancher brothers characters. I felt for  the mentally handicapped couple, Luther & Betty Wallace, but was equally frustrated as I was sad.

George Hearn was the perfect narrator for this book with his relaxed, throaty voice and slow pace, he captures every character perfectly with only the slightest of alterations.

I have already started the 3rd book in this series, Benediction. So far, I think that his last book, Our Souls at Night, was his best but I think Haruf's calm peaceful writing that captures the folksy lifestyle is so beautiful.