Fiction

Mrs. Miniverby Jan Struther. “This book is in no way about action or adventure of war. Instead it is overflowing with observations about human nature that were amazingly accurate - the kind of thing that you never thought of before but once put into words you realize that so many feelings and actions are universal to the human race. Mrs. Miniver musings include trying to put words to the sound that her windshield wipers make and mustering up false urgency to Christmas shop early. She even contemplates the personalities of the people who go in with the swing of a swinging door vs those who push against the flow to try to enter faster. Somehow when I write them down they just don’t sound as brilliant but I can pick up the book now, turn to any page and find a little gem. Meanwhile, the war is brewing and Mrs Miniver takes her children to be fitted for gas masks. She also goes to the dentist and watches the last autumn leaf fall from the tree outside her window…so life is going on while the world slowly boils.”

Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell.  “Gaslit London is brought to its knees in David Morrell’s brilliant historical thriller.”  A brutal murder that took place in 1811 is being recreated in 1854 London, causing panic.

Museum of Extraordinary Things From Amazon: "Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s 'museum,' alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

“The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie... 

"With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding."

The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk's. "Please give this a try, and don't listen to Virginia complaining that it is sad. By the Nobel Prize winner, and author of Snow, it is sad, but it is astonishing." (Ed: Yes, I did say it was too sad. Of course, I hadn’t actually READ it, just read ABOUT it.)  From Amazon:  It is 1975, a perfect spring in Istanbul. Kemal and Sibel, children of two prominent families, are about to become engaged. But when Kemal encounters Füsun, a beautiful shopgirl and a distant relation, he becomes enthralled. And once they violate the code of virginity, a rift begins to open between Kemal and the world of the Westernized Istanbul bourgeoisie. In his pursuit of Füsun over the next eight years, Kemal becomes a compulsive collector of objects that chronicle his lovelorn progress—amassing a museum that is both a map of a society and of his heart. Orhan Pamuk’s first novel since winning the Nobel Prize is a stirring exploration of the nature of romance.

My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain. “This book intertwines the stories of two women, an Irish travel writer living in present-day London, and a British landowner's wife during the 19th century potato famine, who was convicted of committing adultery with an Irish groom. This book has gotten lots of great reviews."

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You I'm Sorry by Fredrik Backman. Elsa is seven years old. She is brilliant and bullied.  Before her grandmother (who had been her best – really only – friend) dies, she gives Elsa a letter and asks her to deliver it.  This is the beginning of what turns out to be a great odyssey, with Elsa delivering letters to various people to whom her grandmother wished to extend posthumous apologies.  In the process, Elsa learns about herself and her family.  It’s a heartwarming and engaging story.

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares. "Daniel is a rare person who remembers each of his previous lives, and in each one is haunted by the soul of a girl he met briefly in his first life and fell in love with in a subsequent life. He chases after her through centuries and lives, always separated by age or circumstance, trying to get her to remember and love him as well. Total beach read page-turner; apparently planned as a trilogy. Don’t be turned off by the author (of Traveling Pants fame); this is an adult, not teen, book."

My Sisters Made of Light by Jaqueline St. Joan. "This is Ms. St. Joan’s first novel and is just incredible, both moving and thought-provoking. The protagonist, Ujala, is a young Pakistani woman who is inspired by her mother to travel through various parts of rural Pakistan teaching young girls and women. In this capacity, Ujala witnesses a number of “honor crimes” – in which a “woman” (she could be as young as 10) is beaten, permanently maimed (think acid thrown in your face) or killed because she has, in the eyes of her family, brought dishonor to them (by, for example, talking in public with a male cousin). Ujala and her three sisters ultimately all become involved in trying to turn the tide of this cultural horror in Pakistan. While the topic is horrific, the beautiful and passionate story woven by Ms. St. Joan is tinged with hope and optimism. Much like the four sisters, Ms. St. Joan is determined to make a difference in the current lives of Pakistani women who, right now & every day, are being subjected to these honor crimes: half the proceeds from her book are going to be used to fund the building of a safe house in Pakistan where women and children trying to escape abuse can be sheltered."

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.  From Amazon:  In The Namesake, Lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection [Interpreter of Maladies] an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignantly, the tangled ties between generations. Here again Lahiri displays her deft touch for the perfect detail -- the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase -- that opens whole worlds of emotion."

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. In case you (like me) have a vague sense you've heard of this book, it was made famous when Barack Obama told the New York Times Magazine he was reading it. "This is a good one. Haven't finished it yet, but like it so far."