Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley

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You may have seen this movie – I did years ago and really loved it.  But if you want to read something really fun, you’ll try the book!

Nick Naylor has one of the most challenging and unpopular jobs in the country – he is the primary spokesperson for the Academy of Tobacco Studies (a lobbying group for cigarette companies) in Washington.  In other words, he is a professional spin doctor who makes his living trying to convince others that there really is no proof that cigarettes can hurt you.  He is generally ok with being unpopular and brushes off his hate mail fairly callously; that is, until, during an appearance on a popular daytime TV talk show, his life is threatened by a particularly venomous caller who appears to be – and ultimately is – a true threat.  How Nick gets through this calamity brings the reader through plot twists that are wickedly and absolutely fun.

The best part of this book, for me, was the writing.  It is full of dark humor, sarcasm and wit.  Nick meets regularly with two other spokespeople (alcohol and gun lobbies), who call themselves the “Mod” Squad – only the MOD stands for Merchants of Death.  Their conversations alone are worth reading!  There is so much self-deprecation and funereal humor that I laughed out loud.

It is a crazy premise for a book, really, but it works – and it works really well! Highly recommend it!

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

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Out of the stunning beauty of the Mediterranean, on the isle of Mallorca, grows the story of Lulu and Gerald, whose marriage years ago, that was cut short by tragedy, has a lingering effect on everything and everyone that comes afterwards.  Lulu has moved on, to marry and divorce again, but to have given birth to Luc, to whom she is sometimes neglectful and sometimes movingly devoted. Most importantly, she is now running the successful resort, called “The Rocks,” where much of the story takes place.  Gerald, too, has moved on, to marry and have a beautiful daughter, Aegina, whose life also intersects with Luc’s.

It is the telling of the story, though, that is unique.  It is told by peeling off layer by layer of time in reverse order, almost in vignettes or short stories, but still clearly interconnecting.  As each layer is uncloaked, we learn more and more about each character — in the way a psychologist would, by digging deeper and deeper into one’s chronology to find the root of a behavior.   In these layers  are hidden some very deeply disturbing events, told so subtly that the full impact seems to hit in a delayed fashion.  The whole effect is actually quite powerful and the more I think about the story, the more I appreciate it.

There is a lot that is sad about this book, but there is beauty and culture as well.  An excellent read!

 

George by Alex Gino

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I diverged a bit by reading this latest book, as it is a children’s book – but it is on a subject that is utterly important and I was very curious.

George feels she’s been fighting the feeling for so long — that she is truly a girl, in spite of what she has between her legs.  Everyone has so many expectations of her – she’ll grow into a man, she’ll be comfortable in the boys’ bathroom, she’ll play the role of Wilbur when her class performs the story of Charlotte’s Web.  Well, what if she really wants to play Charlotte?  Her best friend, Kelly, becomes her ally as she slowly finds a voice for her feelings and gradually comes to terms with who she really is and what will make her happy.

I believe that this book is important, even while it may not be utterly realistic.  While George is definitely teased by the class bully for being “girlie,” there is also general acceptance of who she is on the whole.  George’s brother (who’d assumed George was gay, which is a common mistake), was almost instantly accepting, as was her mother (once she “got it”), and her best friend.  I appreciate that this is a positive light in which to introduce the concept, hopefully promoting the idea that revealing one’s true gender identity is safe.  Sadly, this is not always true.

And while the writing is a bit drab and the humor attempts fairly lame, the book is so important that I pray it is used in classrooms to promote discussions among children.  Hopefully, this will normalize transitioning and create safe places for children and adolescents to do so.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

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This was my favorite book of the summer!

Vivian has stumbled on the makings of a news story from her own family, when she receives a suitcase from an aunt she’s never heard about before, who is rumored to have killed her husband and run off with her lover.  In tracking down the details of her aunt’s romantic history, she also becomes embroiled in a romantic “situation” of her own.  And what starts as a simple tale of the heart actually broadens to a historical fiction saga of more worldly proportions.

I’m being vague about the description here because I don’t want to give anything of this twisting and turning novel away.  The author throws curve balls when the reader least expects them and I don’t want to ruin it for anyone lucky enough to read this book.

The writing of this book is exquisite!  The voice of Vivian is delightful – with a playful and biting edge and air of self-deprecation.   And the voices switch from Vivian to her aunt Violet, as the time switches back and forth as well.  I found myself giggling throughout, even as the plot thickens and becomes quite suspenseful, there is always humor to lighten the tone.

Between the writing, the gorgeous characters, and the story itself, this is a great read for all.  A definite “Must read!”

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips

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I was very excited to read this book, as I had a bit of insight into the writing of this book.  At BookCon, in May of this year, I was lucky enough to attend a session with an author, an agent, and an editor to learn about the process of a book being published through the eyes of each of these essential figures.  It was this book that was discussed at that session, and each of the individuals was really interesting to listen to.  The author spoke of the arduous process of writing the book, delivering it to the agent, who initially rejected it.  It went back to the author, who sat on it for a year (during which she’d given birth to her daughter) and then she went about the process of trimming it down quite a bit.  The new version went back to the agent, who now liked it and passed it on to the editor.  The editor, in turn, then felt it needed to be filled in just a bit and so some detail was added to the book – and then it was published.  It was a surprisingly drawn out process, the making of this book.  It really made me appreciate how many authors spend years writing and possibly never get published.  On the other hand, those who do get published, may need to be flexible and responsive to many opinions.

Unfortunately, this book was very different from the books I usually enjoy – and I’m having a hard time trying to describe it.  It’s a futuristic glimpse of a woman, Josephine, balancing a boring/rote job with her life as a married woman.  Her boss remains throughout the story identified only as “The Person with Bad Breath” and never even attains a gender.  Her husband, Joseph, disappears frequently without explanation and somehow makes all the decisions about where they are to live, switching them from apartment to apartment with no input from Josephine.  The ending is something of a twist on each of their jobs and somehow makes a very bizarre statement about the determination of birth and death.

I think the problem with the story, besides the obvious bizarre details, is that none of the characters is at all real.  Even Josephine, who is the main character, remains 2-dimensional.  Her husband, Joseph, is even more remote and unrealistic.  I think this is intentional, giving each an automaton-like feel, but it does not do anything to really engage the reader.

Not my favorite, unfortunately…

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

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There’s nothing like a wedding to bring out the best or the worst in people; certainly there was nothing like his daughter’s wedding to bring out the worst behavior in Winn Van Meter.  His daughter was to be married in a few days and between Winn’s crush on his older daughter’s bridesmaid, his insensitivity to his younger daughter’s recent heartache, and his overriding obsession with social status, he just all-out behaves badly.

There are many amusing scenes in this book and some of it actually reaches “madcap” status, but many scenes are also cringe-worthy and almost painful.  I really enjoyed how the story starts out – it definitely grabbed my attention — but by the middle, it begins to meander a bit.  The cringing comes later in the story, when Winn really spirals downward, and the tragedy of his character overwhelms him.  The reader does feel a bit sorry for him – it is clear why he is who he is — but I couldn’t help hating him just a little, too.   There are some other great characters, though. I very much liked the character of his younger daughter, Livia.  She is bright and passionate and honest and she stands up to whomever crosses her, including her own father.

This was a good light read to bring on vacation in Cape Cod – luckily, that’s where I read it!

Paper Towns by John Green

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Unsure if I was actually going to see the movie, I decided I’d like to read the book first, nonetheless.  I really like John Green and I also love reading books my kids have read.  And lo and behold, this was a really enjoyable one!

Quentin has lived next door to Margo since he was two, and has been in love with her for most of that time.  Unfortunately, it has been years since they’ve spent time together, as Quentin is in his group of mainly extremely funny, slightly nerdy guy friends, and Margo has been in hers (of course, the “cool” crowd).  But suddenly, Margo asks him to come on an all-night adventure and then she mysteriously disappears.  Quentin finds a number of clues she has apparently left behind just for him and he is determined to find her, whether she’s alive or not.

The writing is great – full of youthful fun and angst and sarcasm and philosophical commentary, some of which is truly profound and some had me laughing out loud.  The characters become your friends and you feel a great deal of sympathy and affection for Quentin and his friends.  There is quite a bit of discussion about friendship, knowing someone and liking someone for who they really are vs for who you want them to be.   A ot of these big ideas are innocently couched in some very ordinary, adolescent goofiness, and that is what makes this young adult novel both accessible and worthwhile.

I really liked this book – now the question is:  should I see the movie?

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

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This is a really fun read!  Clay Jannon takes the reader with him on this very high tech journey into the workings of a very unusual bookstore.  The clients of the store come in at all hours, are generally older, and never actually pay for the books they read.  The books are written in code and Clay really has no idea what this is all about.  As his curiosity gets the best of him, and he delves into the mystery of the code and the store itself, he rouses both himself and Mr. Penumbra to challenge an old, mysterious secret society.

What is great about this book is the writing – it is witty and light and even with the technological descriptions (and I’m the furthest from being techy!) it never slows or lags.  There is suspense and mystery and even something of a romance, but it is always kept light and amusing.  And in its own, very innocent way, it highlights both the strain and the synchronicity of age/wisdom vs. youth/modernity.  There is also an underlying theme of what it means to achieve immortality, but it is subtle and very tenderly woven in.

A great read – summer or otherwise!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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Lydia is dead, but no one besides the reader is aware of this at the beginning of the story.  Slowly, as the story unfolds, her life and death is deconstructed and the reader is gradually, almost painfully, let in to the lives of Lydia and her repressed family, and it is understood how Lydia has died.

This well-written but bitterly sad story is probably well worth reading, but it is not easy.  Each of the characters is depicted carefully and thoroughly and there is a psychological depth that makes the characters quite authentic.  There are race issues and longing for acceptance that is very human and almost any reader can relate to this.

What is almost overwhelmingly sad in this book however, is the profound absence of communication between the family members and this is what I find so troubling about this book.  I am not accustomed to this ( there is probably an over-communication issue in my family!) so it was a little extreme/unrealistic in my mind.  I am sure, though, that there are a great many families that have this blockage in communication, whether for cultural or psychological or whatever reason, and this is both scary and tragic for me.  There are so many moments that could have prevented the death of Lydia (and I’m sure in real life, real tragedies) just if there was better communication.  I think this is the take-home message…

So while depressing and tragic, it is a well-written book with a lot to teach us.

The House on Oyster Creek by Heidi Jon Schmidt

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Subtle is the word I think describes this novel.  It begins slowly as Charlotte’s world is introduced to us.  She has married Henry, some 20 years her senior, who treats her frankly, with disdain.  He is seemingly unfeeling, intellectualizing everything and minimizing Charlotte’s work and intellect.  She yearns for his approval and affection, but contents herself with the love she gets from her daughter, Fiona.  On learning that Henry has inherited his family’s home in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod, Charlotte picks up her family and moves them to this new home.  As they get to know the locals, who view them as intruders, she becomes embroiled in a controversy over property and loyalties and even finds love.

What I found strange about this book was that there was indeed a lot to the story on hindsight, but it did not feel that way while I was reading it.  It progressed somewhat quietly, getting slightly mired in description, but definitely building in complexity.  It definitely addressed issues of class, intellectual and socio-economic, and the insiders and the outsiders.  It also addressed issues of ecology vs. industry and progress.  There is also a love story here as well, that overrides the whole story.

It is not a “fun” read, but it is decent writing and a solid story in the end.