Hope in a Jar by Elizabeth Harbison

This was a great, light read- – chick lit.  I really enjoyed it as I could relate to the setting of the book.  Meet three high school friends as they reunite at their 20^th high school reunion. The book flashes back and forth from the late 1980’s to the present day. Allie and Olivia were inseparable in school and then something happened to ruin their friendship. Olivia and her mother suddenly left town and the girls hadn’t spoken since. As you read you will learn what happened in high school, and if they can all be friends again.  I listened to this on audio and thought it was fantastic.

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

What a disappointment! I have enjoyed all of Macomber’s recent fiction, but this novel is as predictable as an old Harlequin romance, and just as straining to any sense of credibility. A working woman in her early thirties goes to a matchmaker who guarantees to find her  a husband for the price of $30,000.00? How many people have this kind of money lying around, and if they do, isn’t it a bit far fetched to trust one man to find a perfect mate?   The whole plot is totally predictable from the get-go, and the character development, which has been Macomber’s strong point, is sadly lacking. Please, Debbie,  you are a better writer than this–don’t turn to the dark side and start churning out formulaic romances.

Who by Fire by Diana Spechler

Who by Fire by Diana Spechler is a story of Jewish guilt embedded in a culture of self-pity and escape.  This dysfunctional family is like the proverbial nursery rhyme: “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put [this family] together again.” Or can they? A family is destroyed after the youngest child is kidnapped.  Although the novel is painful to read, you just can’t put it down. ~Ann

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz

I’ve read a number of Koontz’s novels,  primarily those in which dogs figure prominently in the story. This book, however, is nonfiction–about a very special golden retriever named Trixie. Trixie is everything anyone could want in a companion–sensitive, intelligent, friendly, and a good judge of character to boot.  (She correctly sized up several shady acquaintances  even before the author realized that they were not to be trusted.) Anyone who has ever had a wonderful canine companion (or wished for one) will enjoy reading about Trixie and the joy she brought into the world with her “big little life.”

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

I enjoyed this book, which has been called a “novel in stories.”  It evolves through a collection of interlinked stories about residents of a small town in Maine and appearing in each one (sometimes peripherally) is retired junior high school math teacher Olive Kitteridge. The author allows us to get a multi-dimensional portrait of Olive by utilizing this technique. Just when we think she is incredibly mean and obnoxious, we see her kindness towards a young woman with an eating disorder. And when we judge her as an unbearably cranky wife  in the beginning, we see her devotion to her husband in one of the later stories. I loved this technique of developing the character and her milieu, and will look forward to reading Strout’s fiction in the future.

Don’t Dump the Dog by Randy Grim

The author, who has fostered many animals through his organization, Stray Rescue of St. Louis, offers  valuable tips on problems commonly found with rescue dogs. Though his specialty is feral dogs, animals which have lived on the street since birth, he addresses many of the problems people face with their companion animals such as separation anxiety, jumping, and marking. Mostly, he says, the problems are with people expecting too much too soon. He gets justifiably annoyed with those who seem to want a dog as an ornament, advising them to purchase a stuffed animal instead. The advice Grim offers is very practical, and his book is laced with his unique sense of humor.

Homage to Dominick Dunne

 

I first heard of Dominick Dunne when he wrote articles for Vanity Fair magazine covering the O J Simpson murder trial.  I thought his articles were fair, informative and insightful.  I saw him from time to time on Larry King’s show, giving his opinion on the much publicized celebrity events of the day. I decided it was time for me to revisit his body of work. I re-read three of Dunne’s books written in the late 1980’s and 90’s:  Season in Purgatory, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles , and An Inconvenient Woman.  All of these books are thinly veiled stories of a much publicized celebrity or political events of the time.  The stories are based on the twists and turns of circumstances which happened in the lives of these famous people.  (Season in Purgatory is a thinly veiled story of one of our most prominent families.)  Interestingly, Dunne places himself in the role as a writer in most of his novels.

In revisiting Dunne’s body of work, I found him, again, to be a great storyteller.  I enjoyed reading these books a second time and I hope another generation will appreciate the legacy he has left with us.   Dominick Dunne died in August 2009 at age 83.  ~Inez

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

You think you’ve heard all the horrors that Hurricaine Katrina wrought upon the people of New Orleans? Read this! This journalistic tour-de-force follows the trajectory of a Syrian-American citizen, Zeitoun, who defies common sense and decides not to evacuate.  After sending his family away, Zeitoun is initially gratified to be useful –safeguarding his property, taking care of abandoned animals and helping to rescue people. But the situation quickly turns surreal when he is incarcerated by federal agents who suspect him of criminal activities. A suspenseful, sad, yet ultimately hopeful book that reads like fiction.

Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors

I don’t know why I keep returning to musicals, but lately all the books I have recently read remind me of them. Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors has a peculiar similarity in flavor to “South Pacific.” Although the plot has some differences, there are many parallels in this WWII historical novel. An injured Japanese prisoner of war and a young American nurse develop an unusual love affair after their hospital ship is torpedoed. They and the other seven survivors are marooned on a tropical isle where madness, rage, anguish, and intrigue is fraught with the undercurrent of prejudice that this couple is sure to face from both sides of their respective cultures.  The author touches delicately on this issue.  Shors develops the plot mainly from Akira’s (the Japanese prisoner of war) point of view, yet switches to the other characters seamlessly.  His inclusion of haiku (“Waves march like soldiers,To bleed upon sun-bleached shores.I long for old moss.”) and beautiful imagery make for a memorable read.~Ann

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

This is the story of the Dashwood sisters: the logical Elinor (sense) and the emotional Marianne (sensibility). I actually listened to this novel on audio, and the narrator was so good it was difficult to stop listening to get anything else done.  Austen draws us into the world of Regency England, where women are looking for husbands, preferably rich ones, and men are looking for beauty, preferably accompanied by fortune. But there’s more to this story than that. I found myself occasionally laughing aloud as the narrator read; some things that were amusing in 1811 actually still are. Jane Austen pokes fun at her characters, and many of their foibles are recognizable as things we would mock today. One example is the description of  conceited young gentleman (many of the ladies refer to him as a “cockscomb”) who is seen in a jewelry story arguing with a clerk over the kind of jewel-encrusted toothpick holder he needs to purchase.  This is unquestionably one of the best books I’ve ever read; I highly recommend the audio narrated by Wanda McCaddon, who also uses the names Nadia May and Donada Peters.