Fiction
Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant. “A great, unintended airport discovery. A really offbeat story that features an opinionated tortoise and an IQ-challenged narrator who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery. Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers is living quietly in Oregon with Winnifred, her tortoise, when she finds out her dear father has been knocked into a coma back in Newfoundland. Despite her fear of flying, she goes to him, but not before she reluctantly dumps Winnifred with her unreliable friends. Poor Winnifred. When Audrey disarms an Air Marshal en route to St. John’s we begin to realize there’s something odd about her (more than keeping a tortoise). And we soon know that Audrey’s quest to discover who her father really was – and reunite with Winnifred – will be an adventure like no other. May be one of the only books you read this year with perspectives from a tortoise!”
Come West and See by Maxim Loskutoff. I found it on a NYT list of 10 summer reads you wouldn’t normally read. It’s a series of short stories about list in the U.S. West from frontier days to modern times. Excellent. Don’t read in the car with children. Some of the stories are surprisingly sexual. This book really gives you a sense of the Western mentality and Western values.
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah. “I found this book listed in a Guardian article where authors talked about their favorite books of the year. I forget now which author listed this book but since they also listed One Dayby David Nichols (which I loved) I thought I would pick this one up. As soon as I started it I groaned. Chick Lit! A middle aged woman is whinging about her looks, her family, the crush of the Christmas season...so she ducks into a hotel bar for a drink and meets a man. Could this possibly be on anyone's favorite book list? Although I had to admit that there were some funny lines so I decided to keep going. I'm glad I did. By the middle of the book I'm laughing and reading passages out loud to my husband (who says he will not read it himself because he doesn't like to read this kind of low brow humor although he was also laughing at what I read).”
The Commonerby John Burnham Schwartz. “Interesting fictional account of the life of Empress Michiko. I love this type of story, romance, contemporary and historical fiction of a fascinating culture all in one. Well written too!”
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. From the back cover: "One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny’s mother, Beverly—thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows among them.When, in her twenties, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another."
The Complete Stories of Truman Capote “A newly issued volume.”
The Confession by John Grisham. “I hadn’t read a Grisham book since his first few, but the Washington Post surprised me by giving the Confession a good review. Plus I had occasion to be exposed to the particulars of the ‘Norfolk Four’ case and how coerced confessions of the sort depicted in this novel can so thoroughly corrupt justice. The book was very suspenseful with a fairly well crafted story, and I finished it in a day. It was also better written than I remember Grisham being (should I read something he's written in the past fifteen years?). The negative was that I felt clubbed over the head with his caricatures. The novel is “advocacy fiction” (I think I’m making up that phrase, but you know what I mean) -- everyone is either angel or devil, depending on which side they are on. The innocent are perfect and pure and the pro-capital punishment characters are either: 1) corrupt and evil (anyone in an official role) or 2) ignorant, vengeful Texas rubes (all the rest). Shades of gray might have helped him Grisham deliver his message more effectively. I kept thinking of Tom Wolfe's book, I am Charlotte Simmons, where characters were so gratuitously cruel as to lack credibility. But again ... I read it in a day, so it obviously made a perfect beach read.”
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella: “This and other books in the Shopaholic series are total beach reading; I just bought my fifth one.” Another reader recommended Undomestic Goddess.
Cost by Roxana Robinson "This carried my book club through two meetings. No one could put it down, and we couldn't stop talking about it. Problem is, if I tell you too much of what it's about, you won't want to read it. But here's the basic premise: a mother of two grown sons finds herself sandwiched between their tremendous problems and her aging parents' aches and dementia. The tension runs so high in this novel that after every page you want just one more... a little like what drug addiction must be. Very well done, and deeply interesting as it explores the bonds between parents and children, and how they're broken."
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. Although the story is about a couples missing child it is a mystery that keeps you turning the pages quickly!
Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan. A super fun trilogy about the unimaginably wealthy people of Singapore. Unbeknownst to her, a very down-to-earth American is dating the highly eligible son of the most private, dynastic family in Singapore. She is thrown into his world on a summer trip to meet his parents and hilarity ensues. Just thinking about people having so many billions of dollars to throw around is hard to conceive. Kwan is from Singapore, and though clearly fiction, the novels have a ring of potential truth to them. Coming out in film soon, read the books first!
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. "A charming, stroll through friendship, marriage and family. This book is like taking a bite off of a bitter sweet apple." From Amazon: "Tracing the lives, loves, and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, it is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion, and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage." Cozy settings - academia and a summer place in Vermont.
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. "Four children living in northern Ontario struggle to stay together after their parents die in an auto accident in Lawson's fascinating debut, a compelling and lovely study of sibling rivalry and family dynamics in which the land literally becomes a character. Kate Morrison narrates the tale in flashback mode, starting with the fatal car accident that leaves seven-year-old Kate; her toddler sister, Bo; 19-year-old Luke; and 17-year-old Matt to fend for themselves. At first they are divided up among relatives, but the plan changes when Luke gives up his teaching college scholarship to get a job and try to keep them together."
Cry, The Beloved Country (Paperback) by Alan Paton. "I read and loved this before my South Africa trip. It is beautifully written and incredibly heartbreaking." It was first published in 1948 apartheid South Africa.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith. “This book - actually by JK Rowling - is a super read -- it's about a gorgeous murdered model in London and is fast-paced and compelling. For this Harry Potter series fan it was also very interesting to look for similarities to the famous series -- and there are some. Unlike her other novel The Vacancy, published under her own name, this book is not so dark and gloomy.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime: by Mark Haddon. “Quirky but good.” From Amazon: "Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years." Big hit when released in 2003, it's since been made into a play.
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig. “an older book but a newly discovered author for me…beautiful writer… I want to read more of his books.” From Amazon: The central volume in Ivan Doig's acclaimed Montana trilogy, Dancing at the Rascal Fair is an authentic saga of the American experience at the turn of this century and a passionate, portrayal of the immigrants who dared to try new lives in the imposing Rocky Mountains.
And the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass. “Julia Glass tells a detailed story of an unemployed art historian and his quest to locate his unknown father. His journey forces him to reconnect with his former step-father who leads him to others who will know the answer. Reader's of Glass's first novel, Three Junes, will recognize Lucinda, the mother of music critic who died of AIDS. The story is a memorable tale about the youthful choices that steer destinies, the necessity of forgiveness, and the risks that we take to face the past.”
The Darlings by Christina Alger. “It’s a racy novel about the Wall Street financial scandal written from a young woman who knows her way around the rich and famous and Wall Street. She paints an accurate description of NYC lifestyles and the Hamptons and an inside glimpse into the crash. It’s a page turner.”
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. “The first in a planned trilogy, the worst thing about this book is that you can’t immediately run out to read the next two. Karou is a mysterious 17 year old girl with naturally blue hair who grew up in a dusty shop run by chimeric creatures who collect animal teeth, grant wishes, and give her languages as gifts. She does not know what the teeth are for or where she came from, but she is forced to run errands across the world for the collection. On one of these errands, she meets an angel who helps her unravel the mystery of her life.”