Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This was one of those jewels that has you laughing even as you’re reading about a subject that is profoundly serious.  On the surface, the story reads almost like a comical documentary, with the narrative intermixed with comments given by each of the characters who were peripherally involved in the death of a character (this is not a spoiler — this comes out in the beginning, but through the whole story it is unclear who is killed by whom).  On a deeper level, though, the story deals extremely sensitively and honestly with the frightening issue of relationship violence.

Jane is about to move to a new area in Australia near the ocean with her son, Ziggy.  During the kindergarten orientation, an incident occurs with sweet, little Ziggy that initiates a huge divide among the mothers of the class.  As alliances form, each of the characters shows her true colors and the friendships begin.  Jane is initially secretive about her own past, but as she warms to her new friends, she sees that revealing her own story can actually free her of the burden of  it.  She also learns that she is not the only one with secrets.

The characters in this story are remarkably real and 3-dimentional.  The story also has a number of different corollaries, which keeps it moving both sideways and forward and also works to add to the suspense of who is killed and by whom.  And while the underlying message is clear and strong, there is  a warm humor threaded through which kept me loving this book.

Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler (Migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Isabelle, an elderly white woman, has befriended her hairdresser, a younger black woman named Dorrie.  They have fallen into a comfortable routine, a weekly visit by Dorrie to Isabelle’s home, for Dorrie to fix Isabelle’s hair and truly to check in on her.  But even Dorrie is surprised when Isabelle asks Dorrie to accompany her on a mysterious journey to Isabelle’s hometown for a funeral. Dorrie embraces this opportunity to take a brief hiatus from her own family troubles, and she drops everything to help out Isabelle, Through their journey, they each share their own stories and the two come to understand each other in a deeper, almost mother/daughter way that truly tugged at my heart.

The story, almost prophetic in its timing, is about race and racism and in its tender way shows how while many things have changed over the years, many things have unfortunately remained the same in terms of black-white relations.  The women in this story defy the stereotypes and are so beautifully and realistically depicted that you can’t help falling in love with them both.  It is just remarkable to me that this is this author’s debut novel — I can’t wait to read her next!

My favorite part is the ending.  Not only is there a build up of suspense and a definite twist, but the author also finishes the novel.  All the pieces are wrapped up neatly in an incredibly satisfying, albeit sad, way.  It’s really a beautiful story.

Highly, highly recommend this book – and can’t wait to discuss it in our book club!

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

True confession:  the Shopaholic books are usually my secret, guilty pleasure.  The previous ones have been silly but fun and cute and highly entertaining.  This is why I am so sad to say that this latest one was an utter disappointment!

Becky Brandon, who is entranced by fashion and shopping and has been a personal shopper for Barney’s, now finds herself in the middle of LA with a possible connection to the “star du jour,” Sage Seymour.  As she fantasizes about becoming Sage’s stylist, and even a stylist for the “red carpet,” she becomes entangled in a brawl between Sage and her arch enemy, Lois Kellerton.  As Becky’s is thrust into the media frenzy that is LA, she is forced to choose between her loyalty to her husband and her best friend and her career, and she is seeing the less-than-glamorous side of fame.

It’s a cute idea for the story, but the writing actually becomes boring.  It is lacking the usual, amusing twists and turns, and it feels as if even the author gets bored because she just stops writing.  The ending arrives with a THUD with no resolution of the most interesting part of the story!

I was really looking forward to this book and was painfully disappointed.

Really – don’t bother!

Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scott

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is the quintessential beach read…  light, amusing, and easy on the brain!  It is the story of Jillian, a full-time mother and wife who has been thinking more and more lately about her ex-boyfriend, Jack and her ex-career as an ad exec, while lamenting the current status of her marriage.  She goes for her appointment for her massage, and suddenly she finds herself rewound about 6 years prior, with another chance to reset the trajectory of her life.

This is a cute premise — probably something everyone at some point wishes for, even briefly — and it is written in a cutely engaging prose.  But even though it is sprinkled with an occasional heady idea, it is fairly predictable and trite.

Again, it is a fun, light book to read through if you have a lot of time to read (like on the beach).  If your reading time is limited though, I would not spend it on this!

The Silkworm by Robert Gilbraith (JK Rowling) (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Once again, JK Rowling hits it out of the park with this somewhat creepy, very suspenseful and fun murder mystery.  Our detective, Cormoran Strike (introduced in the first book in this series, The Cuckoo’s Calling) is approached by the wife of an eccentric author because her husband, who is known to go missing for a few days at a time, has now been missing for about 10 days.  This is problematic, mainly because their daughter, who has special needs, requires constant care and she is having trouble managing without her husband.  Even while everyone surrounding the author feels as though his absence is routine, Strike is suspicious and in spite of himself cares what happens to the wife, even as odd as she is herself.

The detective and hero of the story, Strike, is a completely fallible and endearing character whose complicated past keeps him very real, even as he solves a very tangled web of a murder.  His assistant, Robin, also becomes a more prominent character in this book and their relationship is quite tender even as it is innocent.  As always, Rowling manages to write an intricate plot even as she develops wonderful characters.  You can’t help caring deeply about what happens because they become your friends!

I can’t wait for the next one!

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Gilbraith (JK Rowling) (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This is a fun read!

   Cormoran Strike, an endearingly flawed private detective with a complicated past, is hired by a lawyer named John Bristow, to investigate his sister’s death, which had been ruled a suicide.  Bristow, distraught over his supermodel sister’s death, does not believe the suicide theory and convinces Strike to pursue the real killer.

   In usual JK Rowling form, the writing is crisp, witty, and engaging and each of the characters is so genuine.  Strike, in particular, evokes such sympathy, affection, and respect, as he goes about his cleverly conducted inquiry with a Columbo-like air of feigned innocence.  In going into Strike’s own story, Rowling makes the mystery almost personal and gives it much deeper dimension.

   And of course, as it is a mystery, the story itself runs through twists and turns and occasionally takes the reader completely by surprise.  It actually made me wonder why I don’t read mysteries more often!

   I’d hurry and read this one — it’s a great summer read and it’s already the end of July!

Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Another fun book to add to your list of lighter, summer fare!  When Grace finds her husband having sex with her personal assistant and in her fury drives his very expensive sports car into their pool, she is sentenced by the judge to a “divorce recovery group.”  It is here that she meets her new allies who really do support her through the unfamiliar terrain of going through a divorce and landing back on her own two feet.

What makes this book fun is really the multiple lines of the story.  There are different relationships that develop among the characters who I felt I came to really like, there is an illegal scam to be uncovered, and of course, a romance that is budding even from the group itself.  And the outrageous behaviors of ex-spouses taking revenge also add a sometimes comedic/sometimes tragic note to this story.  In any case, there were a number of times I had to exclaim out loud at this book!

If you’re on your way to the beach be sure to pack this book next to your towel!

The One and Only by Emily Griffin (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Shea is a football fanatic in a small town in Texas, who has found herself stuck in a small-time job , with a small-town relationship. Her best friend’s father, the coach of the local college football team whom she has idolized, suggests to her that she needs to get out of her rut.  In the process of making some needed changes, she sort of comes full circle in discovering what she really wants in her life.

With her usual uncanny ability, Griffin scooped me right up with this very engaging story.  Her characters are smart and sassy and there is a lot of humanity in them as well.  There are real conflicts with real layers just as in real life, but there’s just enough glamor mixed in to make it fun to read.  And even though I know nothing about football -it’s got to be one of my least favorite sports! – I still was able to follow the gist of what was going on.

Basically a great summer read – perfect for the beach, which exactly where I read it!

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

This gorgeously written novel is the story of Alma Whittaker, the physically and intellectually imposing daughter of a self-made botanist/pharmacist, who has a forceful need to understand their world.   Circumstances of her childhood, such as the adoption of a second daughter by her parents, and the development of her only friendship as a child, prove to have an enormous impact on the course of Alma’s life and shape the woman and scientist she grows to be.  Her life experiences take Alma and the reader to fascinating places with unusual characters and lead to some extraordinary ideas on Alma’s part.

It’s the elegant use of language that really makes this book stand out.  The imagery is stark and beautiful.  The characters are colorful and the settings often exotic. Alma is an extremely sympathetic character, in spite of all her awkwardness, and I felt myself rooting for her almost out loud at certain moments.  There is also some very interesting historical fiction and quite a bit of science to the plot and I never felt bogged down by it.

This book is smart and interesting and altogether unique. Try it!

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

If you’re looking for a vacation/beach book, this is it.  It’s not fine literature but it’s a fun, suspenseful read.  Kate, the single, hard-working lawyer mom of Amelia, a sophomore at an elite Brooklyn high school, gets a call to come to school immediately because her daughter is in trouble.  In fact, her daughter is dead.  As Kate recovers from the shock of losing her daughter to what has been deemed a suicide, the suspicion that her daughter was not suicidal grows in Kate’s mind.  Triggered by an anonymous text, she is spurred on to discover an intricate cover-up of sorority-like hazing/bullying in which both she and her daughter have been victims.

Again, this is not high literature.  There is not exactly deep character development. There are some cheesy scenes and some dead-end story lines.  But you are still taken in by the plot and through the whole story you are itching to know what happens.

Definitely pack this is in your suitcase next to your toiletry bag!