Book Review: The End of Your Life Book Club

Rating: 4 / 5

Upon returning from a trip to Afghanistan, Mary Ann Schwalbe fell ill, and after a subsequent doctor’s visit, discovered she had pancreatic cancer.  Her son Will accompanied her to many of her chemo treatments, and it is during that time that they discuss books they are currently reading.  Thus, the end of your life book club was born.  Although it began as books they were currently reading, it started including titles that they would read together.

The End of Your Life Book Club isn’t just about books.  Throughout, Will describes how strong of a woman his mother was, and also how much compassion and heart she had for other people.  Not only did she take care of her family, but she also sought a career outside of home life at a time when women weren’t expected to work.  The pride and admiration Will has for mother is palpable, and it is hard not to be impressed and moved with Mary Ann’s achievements. 

I consider myself someone who reads a lot, and yet the vast majority of books Will and his mother read I hadn’t even heard of.  While I didn’t need to have read them beforehand, I think I would have enjoyed the books more if I were more familiar with the titles.  However, this book is a lovely either way, and if nothing else, I did put a few titles Will mentioned on my tbr list.            

The ending of The End of Your Life Book Club is not surprising, but I was surprised which how much heart was in this book.  The impact of Mary Ann on Will’s life is enormous, and this book is a touching tribute not only to her, but to the power of education and of the written word. 

Book Review: The Hit by David Baldacci

Rating: 3 / 5

I wrote in a past review that I wished David Baldacci would expand the Will Robie series instead of John Puller.  And here Baldacci has written The Hit, and I didn’t love it. I’m beginning to think that Robie is Puller’s long lost brother. Their personalities for the most part are the same, just different names. 

Will Robie is the most successful assassin employed by the US, but his latest mission will be his most dangerous one.  The only assassin who is nearly as ruthless and proficient as Will is Jessica Reel.  Reel is suspected of killing her handler, and now Robie has been tasked with eliminating her.  The premise of The Hit is interesting, but I thought the execution wasn’t well thought out.  Jessica’s motives, when they finally were unveiled, seemed flimsy.  I also don’t think the ending resolved the multiple plot lines.  There was plenty of action, but again, I thought the plot was weak.  The Innocent was a much better effort and Robie was actually more interesting in that installment, but that maybe because the dynamics between him and Julie were more powerful and entertaining than between him and Jessica.

Book Review: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Rating: 5 / 5

Sixteen-year old Nao has decided to end her life.  For her, there simply is no other choice; she has been subjected to never-ending bullying from her classmates and her father has tried unsuccessfully to take his own life.  But before she ends her life, she has decided to document the life of her great-grandmother, Jiko, a Buddhist nun who is 104 years old and full of knowledge and wisdom. On the other side of the story is Ruth, who has come across Nao’s diary in the ocean, possibly as flotsam from the devastating 2011 tsunami.  As Ruth reads Nao’s diary, she learns of Nao’s struggles and wonders what has happened to the girl whose life was so bleak she planned to commit suicide.

I’m not sure when I’m going to stop gushing about this novel.  It was an absolute gem of a story, beautifully told and highly emotional.  Nao’s story was incredibly moving, heartbreaking, and stunning.  For the most part it was sad, but Nao is such a character that at the most random moments I found myself laughing out loud.  She is definitely indelible and a force of nature. 

I didn’t think Ruth’s storyline was interesting, and at many points I questioned why Ozeki even took this route of putting Ruth’s character in A Tale for the Time Being.  And then, magically, halfway through, I got it.  Her life and her story could not outshine Nao’s, but she served an important purpose in getting the back-story out to the reader, and she served as a mechanism to get information across which Nao herself would not have known. 

A Tale for the Time Being is heart-warming, rich, and captivating.  It is multi-layered, and while it covers many deep topics such as bullying, suicide, the meaning of life, familial duty, and cultural differences, none of it felt forced.  While the topics were serious, there was a certain lightness that came from Nao’s point of view and perspective that was refreshing and astounding. 

I can’t say enough about A Tale for the Time Being, except that it is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is an extraordinary novel that I highly recommend. Please please please pick up a copy! And thank me later!

Book Review: Market Street by Anita Hughes

Rating: 2 / 5

Cassie Blake is heiress to Fenton’s, an exclusive San Francisco department store.  Her mom has always wanted Cassie to step in and take over for her, but Cassie decided to marry Professor Aidan Blake, be a housewife and volunteer at Edible Schoolyard.  When she discovers that Aidan has been cheating on her, Cassie temporarily moves in with her best friend Alexis, and considers running the food emporium her mother is developing at the basement of Fenton’s. 

Market Street is an easy breezy book, and I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did.  I started out liking Cassie’s character, but as the novel moved along, I ended up being more annoyed with her.  She lacks the capacity to think through her problems, which impacts her decisions-making ability.  And while Aidan of course is highly unlikeable, I felt that James could have been so much more instead of the guy who finds himself in a disastrous relationship and quickly falls for Cassie.

Market Street is a light beach read, but I felt that it didn’t reach its full potential and was slightly disappointed. 

Book Review: The Good House by Ann Leary

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Hildy Good is a life-long resident of Wendover, Massachusetts, and as the most successful real estate broker in the sleepy town, she knows everyone and just about everything that is happening. She is a descendent of Sarah Good, an accused witch hung during the notorious Salem witch trials and one of her “talents” is being able to read people. Her life seems to have finally settled down to a predictable pattern, except for her teeny tiny problem with alcohol.  It seems that she understands she has a drinking problem, yet cannot seem to overcome it. Added to that is the fact that the McAllisters have moved into town, and no one seems to be able to befriend Rebecca McAllister, wife of a billionaire hedge fund manager.

I loved Hildy.  I thought she was charming, witty, and while flawed, was interesting and relatable. Sure, she is an alcoholic, but I couldn’t help but root for her to get better.  I enjoyed reading about life in Wendover from Hildy’s point of view, with all the rich history and scandals between residents.  However, as much as I liked Hildy, I found it difficult to figure out exactly where this book was going.  The way Leary wrote, I felt like it was a lot of background information to lead the reader to a climax or a huge event, but nothing like that happened.  Also, I thought Rebecca could have used more character development or background.  She does come off a little mentally unstable, but there is no context of why, or how her life was before moving to Wendover. 

Overall I thought The Good House was well written and Hildy was an engaging narrator, but I felt like part of the book was missing. I wished there was more to the Hildy/Rebecca or Rebecca/Peter relationship than what was given, and that there was an arc to the story. It was enjoyable, but ultimately I was hoping for much more.

Book Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler

Rating: 4.5 / 5

I’ve always been a little fascinated with the wives living in the shadow of their more famous husbands.  Society always put successful people on a pedestal on their own with little regard for those who have helped them achieve success and fame.  When I read The Paris Wife last year, I couldn’t help but think, “Poor Hadley, it’s such a shame married Ernest Hemingway.” Knowing how much I enjoyed that novel, I just had to read Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. Author Therese Anne Fowler does an amazing job detailing the fragile and torrent relationship between Zelda and Scott. Most people only refer to Zelda as the crazy woman Scott married, who was nowhere near as talented as her husband. 

Zelda is portrayed as beautiful, vibrant, and full of life.  Although the story is told from Zelda’s point of view, and therefore is sympathetic to her plight, it’s hard to believe that Zelda was the downfall of Scott, as so many believe.  The marital bliss ended when Scott’s drinking outpaced his writing, yet neither one could let go of living the high life. Many times, it felt like they suffered from the, “keeping up with the Jones” mentality.  Though they were considered the “golden couple” of the 1920s, both of them had destructive tendencies that fed off one another and made the relationship worse.

Z, however, is about more than just Zelda’s relationship with Scott; it delves into the time period when men were considered superior to women in every way.  I can’t imagine living in a time when it was frowned upon for women to work, or to have hopes and dreams beyond raising children.  Scott wanted Zelda to be a trophy wife, one whom his peers would envy and would embrace the parties, fame, and success with him.  When she began to carve out her own identity and show potential as a writer, Scott became jealous and afraid that she might actually outshine him.  The fact that both of them could not strive to be successful in their own right is telling of the cultural and societal expectations of that time.

Z is a captivating and wonderful account of the lives of two great personalities trying to co-exist.  It is an engaging and tragic story, and while the author clearly states that it is a fictionalized account of the Fitzgeralds, Fowler did an amazing job of bringing the story to life.  I easily recommend this book, especially for those who are die hard Team Scott, just to get a different perspective on this couple.  

Book Review: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

Rating: 3 / 5

The Interestings reminds me of many books which were hugely applauded and loved and yet I didn’t think were all that great.  I’d consider it decent, but can’t really recommend as there were so many other novels I’ve read this year which I thought were more interesting.  Jules Jacobson attends an arts summer camp, Spirit-in-the-Woods when she is sixteen.  The five friends she bonds with during that one summer name themselves The Interestings, and embark on lifelong friendships.  Her closest friend from Spirit-in-the-Woods is Ash, who is now married to their other good friend, Ethan.  Ethan initially was attracted to Jules, but after repeated rebuffs, found himself with Ash instead.  And after a fateful night in New York City, Cathy severs ties with the group, and Goodman finds himself in trouble. 

The Interestings follows this group of friends over decades, with copious amounts of regret, sadness, love, and challenges thrown in. Most of the novel is told from Jules’ point of view, which is the obvious choice given that of the group, she is the outsider.  Unlike the other campers, her family is not wealthy, famous, or distinguished, like Ash, Goodman, or Jonah, and she seems to have no goals or special talent, like Cathy or Ethan.  She is grateful and relieved when they welcome her into their group, and seems to always try her hardest to emulate them. 

There are few books where the narrator is not likeable yet the book is riveting and exciting (I’m specifically thinking about Gone Girl). Here though, I didn’t particularly like Jules, which was a huge factor in why I didn’t end up liking The Interestings as much as I had anticipated.  Jules didn’t have the depth in personality or charisma to carry this book.  Her whole life seemed consumed with what she didn’t have; when she was growing up it was a wealthy family, and when is an adult, it is the fame and money that Ethan achieved.  I guess you could say that I was turned off by the fact that Jules seemed to live a life of “what if” and throughout her adult life, was always either consciously or subconsciously thinking how much better her life would have been if she didn’t reject Ethan’s advances that summer at camp.

While The Interestings touched on many heavy topics (AIDS, cancer, rape, privilege and autism), I felt that Wolitzer was trying to do too much.  Some parts were moving and enjoyable to read, but those were few and far between.  I so badly wanted to smack Jules and tell her something along the line of, “you’re not as rich as you expected, and maybe you should have given a romantic relationship with Ethan a chance, but you didn’t, so just accept the life you have now.” The fact of the matter is that Jules didn’t have any particular talent or goals, so her life ending up mediocre should not have been the least bit surprising to her.  I think it is a different look at relationships, but in the end, it just wasn’t interesting.

Book Review: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Rating: 3 / 5

Clay Jannon is working as a clerk at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.  This is pretty much the only job he could get with the recession, and it is the nightshift, when few customers ever pass through the front doors.  Jannon notices that the customers that do come in usually request obscure books that Jannon has never heard of, rather than current New York Times bestsellers.  Intrigued by the store itself along with its patrons and the owner’s odd rules, Jannon begins digging into Mr. Penumbra’s story and the history of the bookstore, heading straight towards a whirlwind adventure he could have never imagined.

I find it really hard to adequately describe this book; it is so many things tightly woven together.  Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a story about love, technology, design, passion, and the quest for immortality. I loved Clay Jannon’s personality-it was sharp, witty, and honest- I couldn’t help but root for him and his nerd-crush on Kat.  The intermingling of ancient books and secret societies with Google and the high tech world was intriguing and I liked the magical aspect.  But for some reason I just didn’t love it (and I know I am in the minority here).  Maybe it is because I think this would have been better as a YA book.  Or maybe because reading this, I thought the author either works at Google or worked at Google.  At times I thought there was too much love for Google, like Google could solve all the world’s problems if there was just enough time.

I also didn’t think the ending was a homerun.  Like Jannon, I didn’t think the great discovery everyone in the cult was looking for actually existed, but what was given was a tad bit lackluster and anti-climatic.  Overall Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore was entertaining, but I was hoping for more umph.