My Last Lament
by James William Brown
Love in the time of terror (3/12/2017)
Set during a difficult time in Greece's history, Brown's engrossing novel explores important questions about love, family, and what happens to our relationships and sense of self during times of strife and terror. It is about resilience and what kind of power individuals retain even when they are essential powerless. Aliki's tale is full of humor and pathos, regret and understanding. Highly recommended.
Our Short History
by Lauren Grodstein
A family matter (2/18/2017)
With this novel, Grodstein has accomplished something that is nearly impossible—she has written a heart-breaking novel about love, family, acceptance, and what it means to live which is also laugh out loud funny. I liked the feistiness of the main character, Karen, but was torn about whether her actions were completely understandable. It would be a terrific pick for any book club.
Mercies in Disguise: A Story of Hope, a Family's Genetic Destiny, and the Science That Rescued Them
by Gina Kolata
When things go wrong (11/22/2016)
An interesting examination of one family's reckoning with a devastating, but rare, genetic disease. In clear, precise prose, Kolata examines the ethical and psychological issues that arise when science and religion collide. The first part of the book is equally divided between the family and science, but the latter part deals almost exclusively with the family and the issues it must deal with. A compelling, but also rather harrowing read.
Cruel Beautiful World
by Caroline Leavitt
Be careful what you wish for (8/1/2016)
A compelling novel which explores different kinds of love, the things we do in the name of love, and the repercussions of the choices we make. While it is well-written and the characters were believable and interesting, there are several parts that make no sense and took me completely out of the story. Even so, it would be a terrific book club book.
The Next
by Stephanie Gangi
Death, love, and revenge (7/14/2016)
The Next is an interesting exploration of different types of love and the things that it drives us to do. The book is well written, but it is both too dark and too sweet. While I like the idea of an in-between world, I got caught up in the technical details—if there are so many ghosts and they can be seen and if they can affect the physical world, then why aren't they more of a part of everyday life? Given all this, it would be a terrific book club selection as it would, I am sure, produce a lively discussion.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
by Phaedra Patrick
A delightful fable-like tale (3/22/2016)
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a charming, fable-like tale. Arthur Pepper is a wonderful character who undergoes a later-in-life transformation. Although almost everything in the novel turns out well a little too well, Patrick tells the story in such a way that I was willing to believe in a world in which strangers turn up to help at just the right time, healing words can always be found, and people learn to see what they most need to see. A truly lovely story.
Hunters in the Dark
by Lawrence Osborne
Ghosts of the Past (11/1/2015)
The past is ever present in this intriguing book set in modern Cambodia. Decades after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, atrocities of that era still resound, and as they mingle with more ancient beliefs in ghosts and karma an interesting dynamic is created in a nation trying to find its place in the world. Using shifting viewpoints and a number of different storylines, Osborne creates a steamy atmospheric novel with a compelling storyline. The beginning is a tad slow, but it is well worth making your way through it to get to the heart of the story.
Once We Were Brothers
by Ronald H. Balson
Disappointing (8/6/2013)
This was a complete miss for me. First of all, the writing left a lot to be desired. The dialogue was excruciating, and the didactic nature of the 'testimony' was ham-handed. Secondly, there were too many things in the story that didn't seem plausible or understandable. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the characters were pretty well either all good or all bad which stuck me as over-simplistic and rather silly. Overall, the book reminded me of a bad propaganda film from the 1950s.
