Fiction

Family Pictures by Jane Green.  “Grown up chick lit where the secret parentage of a young girl gets exposed because of her friendship with someone at school who takes her on a trip to NY to "visit colleges."  Turns out Dad had a secret life AND FAMILY.  Dun-duhn-DDUUUUNNNNNNN.  A quick, easy read and perfect for a breezy Saturday afternoon read on the front porch.

Farm City by Novella Carpenter. “ A daughter of hippies moves to the ghetto of Oakland and tries to live off the abandoned lot next door.  She begins with bees and vegetables, moves on to poultry and rabbits and finally adds pigs to her small urban plot.  Her lessons from the land, attempts to keep up with the feeding and maintenance, run-ins with landlords, and her education of those around her, is in turns inspirational and hilarious.  A wonderful read for anyone who has tried to grow their own foods.”

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  “John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death, love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? Does my life, and will my death, have meaning?--has a raw honesty that is deeply moving.”

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.“Terrible writing, cliched up the wazoo and a basic insult to any woman with a strong, independent, and feminist mindset.HOWEVER, this sexually charged trilogy of ‘Mommy’ porn is positively addictive and part of pop culture now, so have a fun read, discuss it with friends (and your mate), become enthralled and be a part of the phenomenon.Absolutely crazy but awesome at the same time!” And: “An erotic romance…. great beach read for summer.” And: “Despite pedantic prose of the heaving bosom variety, this book has obviously struck a nerve.I gather it is beloved by husbands everywhere. If you catch my drift." [Ed: I refused to make this a “Top Pick,” even though everyone is mentioning it.“But wait!” you say, “Did this list not have the TWILIGHT series as a top pick?”Yes, well, there you have it.Somewhere in between 50 Shades and Twilight lies the standard.Such as it is.]

The First Husband by Laura Dave. “Easy chick lit, but it won't make you stabby.  Actually pretty nicely written with a few little twists here and there.  One of my favorite authors, Jonathan Tropper, blurbed this book which is why I picked it up.  I'm glad I did.”  [Ed: I bought this.  If it was good enough for this particular contributor AND for Jonathan Tropper, it is a worthy beach read]

The Fishermen: A Novel by Chigozie Obioma. “Told from the point of view of nine year old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, THE FISHERMEN is the Cain and Abel-esque story of an unforgettable childhood in 1990's Nigeria, in the small town of Akure. When their strict father has to travel to a distant city for work, the brothers take advantage of his extended absence to skip school and go fishing. At the ominous, forbidden nearby river, they meet a dangerous local madman who persuades the oldest of the boys that he is destined to be killed by one of his siblings.  What happens next is an almost mythic event whose impact-both tragic and redemptive-will transcend the lives and imaginations of its characters and its readers. Dazzling and viscerally powerful, The Fishermen never leaves Akure but the story it tells has enormous universal appeal. Seen through the prism of one family's destiny, this is an essential novel about Africa with all of its contradictions-economic, political, and religious-and the epic beauty of its own culture. With this bold debut, Chigozie Obioma emerges as one of the most original new voices of modern African literature, echoing its older generation's masterful storytelling with a contemporary fearlessness and purpose.”

Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser (and others in the Flashman series). These are guy books. Drew has really enjoyed them. They are “satirical histiography” about this a rascal -- Harry Flashman – who finds himself amid great events of the 19th century, while being chased by jealous husbands and getting (and accepting) credit for courage that he didn’t actually possess.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.  “It’s weird how easily you can get to know someone from the traces they leave behind when they go.” This line from The Flatshare is ostensibly about tea.  Tiffy and Leon share a flat, but, as he works nights as a palliative nurse and she works days as a book editor, it's some time before they even meet in person. Even before they do, however, they begin to know one another by "traces” left behind (like a nearly-empty mug of tea in the sink) and through post-it notes they write to each other, which are amusing and, as the novel proceeds, increasingly heart-warming. At first, The Flatshare seemed like pretty standard British chick lit. What unfolded, however, was a much richer story than I anticipated - a story about the other traces people "leave behind when they go," including scars from emotional abuse.  The premise is amusing, the characters are quirky, there are lots of Britishisms, and even an awkward encounter in the bathroom that would have worked perfectly in a 1990’s Hugh Grant rom com. And it has the tied-up-with-a-bow ending. However, it's far more interesting than the average fare.  I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it.

Flight Portfolio by Julia Orringer. I honestly don’t know when I’ve been so absorbed by a novel. I tend to be a non-fiction kind a girl. I loved this book so much I went to Politics and Prose this afternoon to buy the” Invisible Bridge” - another book by Julie Orringer - not wanting to wait for an Amazon delivery. An extraordinary piece of writing.

Florida by Lauren Groff. Her imagination and writing style is impeccable.  The beginning starts strong, then it wanes. Her inability to fight her own pretentiousness comes close to ruining this excellent series of short stories.  If you took French and want to try and see if you still remember it, this is your book.