Online Reading Challenge – November

Hello Challenge Readers!

It’s time for our November spotlight author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!

Adichie was born and raised in Nigeria. She came to the United States when she was 19 to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia. She has master’s degrees from John Hopkins and Yale universities and she has held fellowships at Harvard and Princeton. She is a vocal feminist both here and in her native Nigeria and a keen observer of race relations in the United States which is one of the main topics of her best known book Americanah. She now splits her time between the US and Nigeria.

When looking for books similar to Adichie’s work, I looked for titles that explore the immigrant experience in America, especially of people of African heritage. This look at America from an outsider’s view can often be uncomfortable to read, but they can also be enlightening and can open our eyes to issues we may not understand.

Besides Adichie’s books, look for titles by Yaa Gyasi (I highly recommend her book Homegoing) and Jhumpa Lahiri (stories told from the persepective of people from India). Other titles to look for include Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, American Street by Ibi Zoboi and The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett (although that one is not strictly about immigrants, it is similar to Adichie’s writing).

As always, there will be displays at each of the Davenport Library locations with more titles to choose from.

I am planning on reading Americanah which is about two Nigerian students who fall in love. They are separated when the woman moves to the United States but the man cannot follow and goes to London instead. It has many glowing reviews and I’m looking forward to reading it!

Now it’s your turn, what will you be reading this month?

Online Reading Challenge – October Wrap-Up

Hello All!

How did your October reading go? Did you find a historical novel that was especially good?

I read A Perilous Alliance by Fiona Buckley, part of a series of Tudor mysteries featuring Lady Ursula Blanchard. I was a bit reluctant to get started – my To-Be-Read list is never ending and this would have to be squeezed in. However, once I got started, I really enjoyed it. It’s well written with a story that moves quickly and lots of interesting action. This is part of a series – I might just have to add other titles to my TBR list!

Lady Ursula is a widow of independent means and some influence – she is the illegitimate half-sister of Queen Elizabeth. In the past Ursula has assisted the Queen by acting as a spy for her against her enemies, but she has tired of the danger. Hoping to withdraw from public life, she has moved to her country home to raise her little boy and manage her estate. Unfortunately, the public life follows her, with a request from the Queen’s advisors that she marry a French count, strictly for political reasons. Ursula is not pleased with this major life change and only reluctantly agrees to meet the French count.

Almost immediately there are warning signs that the count is not a suitable husband. The Queen insists, saying that the political alliance from the marriage is vital to the safety and future of England and Ursula reluctantly accepts the count’s proposal. However, the entire household is thrown into disarray just hours before the wedding is to take place and Ursula finds herself in a perilous position. Will she be able to untangle the reasons behind the mysterious death of one of her staff? Will she need to return to spying to track down the enemies of the realm? Will she be forced into a loveless marriage that will seriously curtail her independence?

This is a quick and lively read, with lots of details of the lives of ordinary people (well-off but not royalty) during this time. Fun and interesting.

What about you – what did you read in October?

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Anthony Doerr, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his previous book, All the Light We Cannot See (one of my all-time favorite books), has written a new book and while it is vastly different from the previous one, it has many of the same threads running through it – parallel lives converging, stories passed down through time and lessons to learn from history. It also shares beautiful writing and compelling characters

Cloud Cuckoo Land follows the lives of five people – Konstance, a young girl who is the only survivor on a spaceship bound for a distant planet; Seymour, a troubled teen in Idaho who is devastated by the ecological destruction he sees; Zeno, who lost his father to World War II, endured time as a POW in the Korean War then spent a quiet life working for the county; Anna, a young girl apprenticed to nunnery in a Constantinople about to fall to invading forces in 1453; and Omeir, born with a cleft palate and considered a demon, but saved by his grandfather.  All of these lives have a connection to an ancient Greek text, a comic story that was told to a child. How this story reaches each person, how it influences and changes their lives, how their lives intersect even across centuries makes an engaging story. In Doerr’s hands it becomes a masterpiece.

I will warn you though – there are a lot of moving pieces in this book. I’ve always enjoyed books that jump around in time and show different perspectives, but not everyone does. I found the start a little confusing, simply because I didn’t have a handle on the time jumps. However, it quickly became a can’t-put-down, what-happens-next kind of book for me. The writing style is beautiful with descriptions that transport you to each location and to each character’s point-of-view simply and quickly – you can almost feel the growing fear in Constantinople as the city is laid to siege, the cold and snow of an Idaho winter, the impersonal and metallic isolation of Konstance’s room.

This is a beautiful tribute to the enduring power of stories and books and the people that create them. Highly recommended.

 

Online Reading Challenge – October

Hello! Welcome to the October edition of the Online Reading Challenge!

This month our focus author is Philippa Gregory!

Gregory is best known for historical fiction, especially novels set in England during the Plantagenet and Tudor eras. This is a period of time that is especially ripe for novelists – Henry and his multiple wives, the religious wars, the constant struggle for the crown and the lives of powerful and important people. Gregory’s books usually look at these turbulent times from a woman’s point-of-view. Often dismissed or misunderstood, the women have a different understanding of what actually happened beyond historical dates and famous battles.

While Gregory follows historical timelines, she sometimes speculates with alternative theories of what actually happened behind closed doors. This makes for fascinating and interesting reading, but remember to read these as fiction, not irrefutable fact!

Gregory’s Tudor series is probably her most popular, following each of Henry the VIII’s wives. I especially liked The Other Boleyn Girl which is told from the point-of-view of Anne Boleyn’s sister, who had been Henry’s mistress before he married Anne (so tangled!) Mary Boleyn was a real person who bore Henry two children, but was set aside when his interest turned to Anne.

If you’ve read everything by Gregory or would like to try another author, there are some very good ones to check out including Hilary Mantel, Sharon Kay Penman, Allison Weir and Tracy Chevalier.  If you prefer mysteries you might try the Shardlake mystery series by C.J. Sansom or hunt down The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. It’s an older book that attempts to solve the mystery of the Princes in the Tower; it’s very good and well worth borrowing. And if you want something a little lighter and lots of fun, I highly recommend My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, an alternate history of Lady Jane Grey that is simply delightful.

Of course, you can choose to read a historical novel from any time period or country you wish – be the boss of your online book club!

I am planning on reading A Perilous Alliance by Fiona Buckley, one from her Ursula Blanchard mystery series. Ursula is distantly related to Queen Elizabeth and helps the Queen’s advisors with some spying and occasional detective work.

Now it’s your turn – what will you be reading in October?

 

Online Reading Challenge – September Wrap-Up

Hello Challenge Readers!

How did your month of Ann Patchett Read Alikes go? Did you find a great new book to read, or was this an off month for you?

I’ve already read several of Patchett’s books, so I decided to go with a Read Alike. I chose A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and it was a great choice. It’s a story that has stuck with me long after finishing it and one I’d recommend to anyone.

A Gentleman in Moscow opens in 1920 at the trial of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov. He is found guilty of writing a poem in 1913 that might possibly be interpreted as a call to action against the Russian Revolution and is sentenced to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel (where he was already living) for the rest of his life. At first he is unconcerned – he has a luxurious suite at the hotel, one of the finest in Russia and believes he will be quite comfortable. However, when he arrives at his suite, he finds all of his personal belongings being packed up – he is being moved to a single small room in the attic. He is allowed to take a few pieces of furniture, his clothes and a few personal mementos but must leave the trappings of his previous life behind.

Instead of falling into melancholy over his new circumstances, the Count chooses to master the situation instead and make the best of things. The Metropol was (and is to this day), one of the finest in Russia and the Count is able to carve out a comfortable if restricted life. He makes friends (and an enemy or two), finds a measure of safety and purpose amongst the swirling chaos that is Russia post-Revolution.

At first glance, you might think this will be a very sad and depressing book. After all, the main character must give up his freedom, his family heirlooms and his ancestral home. Instead, it is full of gentle humor, upbeat stories and exciting adventures. There is a lot of wisdom in how the Count conducts his life, and lessons that are relevant to any life. Highly recommended.

Now it’s your turn – what did you read this month?

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Here is a fun rom-com with two appealing main characters, a modern setting and a classic will they-won’t they slow burn, all showcased in The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.

Dev is the producer for long-running dating reality show called Ever After (think The Bachelor). He truly believes in happy endings and loves the idea of helping two people find true love. As a new season is getting started, the lucky bachelor is Charlie, a tech wunderkind. Charlie seems perfect – he is handsome and wealthy and smart, but the production crew soon learns that there is a problem – he is a wreck in front of the camera.

Charlie stumbles over his words and is awkward and shy with the contestants. This does not make for good television. So Dev is assigned to work with Charlie, help him relax and enjoy the adventures the show sets up for the program. And it works. Charlie learns how to steady his nerves and what to say to the women when he goes on dates with them.

But now there’s another problem – the more time Dev and Charlie spend together and get to know each other, the more they begin to fall for each other. This is not what the television show had in mind. The show insists that Charlie continue as outlined in his contract.

Will Dev get his happily ever after and will Charlie have the courage to go after his true love?

This is a quick read that’s lots of fun with witty banter and appealing characters who work against stereotype (including the women who are contestants on the show). Recommended for a lazy weekend read!

Online Reading Challenge – September

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

Welcome to the September edition of the Online Reading Challenge! This month our spotlight author is: Ann Patchett!

Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors. I love her smooth, unfussy writing style and the depth and complexity of her characters. The story lines and locations of her books are wide ranging, from the Amazonian rain forest to an unnamed South American capital to a family home in the suburbs, but while the locations are fascinating and integral to the plot, it’s the characters that really draw you in.

Because Patchett’s books are so varied in setting and subject, it’s hard to pin down authors that are exactly like her. Look for books centered on ordinary people facing difficult moral issues that examine how different people respond to significant events.

Plus, if you haven’t yet read any of Patchett’s books, I highly recommend that you choose of of hers! Bel Canto may be her most well-known book about a lavish party at an unnamed South American capital that is interrupted and held hostage by terrorists, or State of Wonder about a woman going to the Amazonian rainforest to search for her missing colleague and a controversial scientist. Her most recent book is The Dutch House, an intriguing look at a complex family dynamic and the grand house at the center of their dramas.

Patchett also wrote Truth and Beauty, a non-fiction account of her friendship with poet Lucy Grealy who suffered from a disfiguring disease and struggled with addiction and depression. A portion of the book takes place in Iowa City where they were both enrolled in the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

If you’ve already read all of Ann Patchett’s books, or would like to try someone else, here are a few suggestions.

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

The Immortalists by Chole Benjamin

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

Don’t forget, we’ll have displays of Ann Patchett books and read alikes at all three Davenport library buildings.

I am planning on reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles about a Russian aristocrat who is sent to live in a hotel room for life. It has been highly recommended to me by more than one person, so I’m hoping for a great reading experience!

What about you, what will you be reading this month?

Online Reading Challenge – August Wrap-Up

Hello Readers!

How did your August Challenge reading go? Did you find a fun, action-packed David Baldacci or similar book to read?

Here is my confession. I didn’t particularly like the book by David Baldacci that I read, and I’m not really interested in trying another. I can understand, though, why he is so popular – lots of gritty action, a flawed but righteous hero, corruption and wrong-doing stopped at the last possible moment. The plots are complex (convoluted?) and the action is non-stop. Great escape fiction, but not what I wanted to read right now!

I read The Innocent which introduces Will Robie, a paid assassin working for a clandestine, secret government organization. Robie is a loner, keeping himself apart from “ordinary” people living everyday lives. Each job is delivered to him via flash drive, all equipment (i.e. guns) that he’ll need are waiting for him at his destination, his exit route already outlined. Robie plans each job meticulously, studying the location and all possible escape routes in detail. When the job is done and he moves on to the next, he doesn’t think again about his target (or targets). It’s a job with clear parameter’s and no regrets.

Everything changes when he is tasked with killing a mother of two young children, a woman that has no obvious ties to global wrong-doing. When his back-up finished the job for him (killing one of the children as well as the woman), Robie breaks away, saves the second child then goes on the run. He has multiple escape plans, a safe house unknown to the agency and a fast track to disappear. Again, his plan is interrupted when he encounters another person on the run – Julie, a 14-year-old runaway who has just witnessed the murder of her parents and is hiding from the murderer. At first reluctantly, then as a team, the two work together to find the people who want them dead.

Ok, I think I missed a couple of twists and turns, and for a story about two loners this book had a lot of added characters, many with mysterious names (The Blue Man). It did deliver on action though and, while not necessarily my cup of tea, it was hard to put down.

Now it’s your turn – what did you read this month?

One, Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Laurie Frankel’s new book, One Two Three  examines love and loyalty, how to let go of the past and how to move toward a new future, all through the eyes and actions of three sisters (triplets) in this lovely, bittersweet story of one family and how they cope with disaster.

17 years ago, the tiny town of Bourne became briefly famous when its water turned green and was declared unfit for use.  Belsum Chemical Plant was forced to close but was never held responsible. High concentrations of cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders wasn’t considered enough to convict the company in court. Belsum disappeared, leaving the town and it’s citizens broken, to cope with the lingering damage on their own.

Three sisters are born here as the disaster is unfolding. Mab, Monday and Mirabel are very different from each other but understand each other on an almost telepathic level. When Belsum Chemical makes plans to return to Bourne, promising jobs but no further regulations, the sisters and their mother fight back. But what can a girl in love with the son of the family who owns the chemical plant, a neuro-diverse girl with autism and a girl confined to a wheelchair who cannot speak do? Each are brilliant in their own way and together they create a fearsome opponent.

I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of humor and heart in the story, from the way the townspeople support and accept each other to the way the girls’ mother loves and tends to each one. The sisters are amazing – it’s fun to watch them blossom and become their own person, yet stay connected to each other. Each girl has a voice in the book, with the multiple chapters rotating between them, One, Two and Three (their names for each other) which gives you different viewpoints of what is happening as they campaign for the chemical plant to do right by them and the town. Highly recommended.

Radar Girls by Sara Atkinson

Here is a World War II story with a slightly different point-of-view – that of the women who monitored the radar stations in Hawaii in Sara Atkinson’s Radar Girls.

The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 shattered the quiet, isolated world of Hawaii in a few, terrifying minutes. Battleships lay in ruins, hundreds were dead and the fears of an imminent second attack were very real. Suddenly, the United States was at war and Hawaii was on the leading edge.

Daisy Wilder and her mother live in a ramshackle house on the beach near Pearl Harbor. The attack turns their lives upside down – her mother leaves for the mainland while Daisy stays behind so that she can join the WARDS, the Woman’s Air Raid Defense System who become known as the Radar Girls.

Daisy, along with dozens of other women recruited into the WARDS, help guide pilots onto blacked out air-strips and track unidentified aircraft across the Pacific. The job requires a lot of skills in mathematics and mapping, as well as the ability to stay calm under pressure, to work quickly in difficult conditions and to work long hours. The women that join the WARDS are a diverse group from many different backgrounds, but despite differences, they come together to form an unbreakable bond.

Against the background of the work the women are doing, there are several other stories – a romance between Daisy and the son of a wealthy rancher which seems doomed from the start, the search for a lost horse, the fear and concern those left on the island have for the men that are fighting. There is a lot of tension and buildup for the battle of Midway, one of the most dangerous and important naval battles of the war.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book, especially the descriptions of Hawaii and it’s people and culture. You can almost see the ocean and feel the breeze on the beach. I also appreciated learning more about another lesser known aspect of the war effort that was actually a key component to eventual victory.