June 4, 2024

Twelve Books in May

Nine Fiction

1. Three Mysteries

• The Hunter by Tana French (2024) 467 pages. I probably should have read her earlier book, The Searcher, to know some of the backstory set in Ireland, but I think I followed it ok. Cal is a retired policeman from Chicago who has no connection to the village but has found home there and has created a new avocation for himself as a woodworker. The story involves a scam–supposedly discovering gold in the mountains there. Lots of ins and outs, but I loved some of the Irish vernacular. “She’s ninety-two years of age, hasn’t left the house since God was a child…” p. 339.
  Don’t keep me hanging about, I’ve a mouth on me like Gandhi’s flip flops.” p. 347.
• Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (2024). I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Horowitz’s earlier books, but that may be because I read it in small chunks and didn’t feel the flow. A resident of Riverview Close is murdered with a crossbow; a man who was disliked by every one in that community of old homes.
• The Mystery Writer by Solari Gentil (2024) 366 pages. Again, an ok mystery and I liked her earlier book, The Woman in the Library much better. Plus, the number of proofreading errors, more than I’ve ever noticed in a book, distracted me. A young writer meets an older writer, and they have an affair. His literary agents shows interest in the younger writer’s book. Get ready for conspiracy theories and survivalist groups.

2. Two Family Sagas

• Mercury by Amy Jo Burns (2023) 315 pages. The story of the Joseph family: father Mick, Mother Elise and three grown sons, Baylor, Waylon, and Shay –all with complicated personalities. “In the Joseph family Mick aimed for the impossible, Waylon hoped for the best, Baylor planned for the worst. And Shay? Shay baby was all right, always. Like the mail coming every weekday at four, like Lake Erie freezing over in January.” (p. 136) Waylon is married to Marley and they all live in the same house. Marley tried to create order in the family’s roofing business and to assert her individuality. The story unravels. “At some point a marriage must become a junkyard of things, unfinished sentences and earring backs scattered across the floor.” (p. 274) Well worth reading.
• Leaving by Rosanna Robinson (2024) 327 pages. See my review of this book in my May 30 post. I loved this book.https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3557

3. One Book Set in the Future: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enter (2024) 329 pages. Ron Charles book reviewer for the Washington Post calls this book a “sweet apocalyptic novel,” and that feels about right. Set in the near future on Lake Superior, Rainy is a musician married to Lark who owns a bookstore–a dangerous occupation. He embarks unexpectedly on an odyssey after tragedy upends his life. Climate crisis, economic disparity and political decay are in the background of this book, along with references to 16 wealthy families called “astronauts” who control everything, book banning, closed libraries, and an illiterate president. I was not surprised to like this book by Enger, for I have loved his other books, Peace Like a River, So Brave, Young and Handsome, and Virgil Wander, but I was surprised by the dystopian quality.

4. One Book Where Structure is Almost a Character. Trust by Hernan Diaz (2022) 402 pages. See my review of this book in my May 30 post.https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3557

5. One Book Set In Paris. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (2024) 265 pages. No surprise, this book is charming! No surprise because the author is food critic/writer, this book includes lots of references to food. Mouth-watering food. When Stella’s estranged mother Celia dies, she leaves her tickets to Paris; a trip that brings Stella home to herself. Along the way she meets wonderful people and offers her a mission–the search for paintings by a woman who had been a model for many famous male artists. That part of the story is true. I loved all the references to the famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, too.

6. One Fantasy. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (2020) 396 pages. Many people have recommended this book to me, and I am so glad I finally read it. Linus Baker is a case worker for the DCOMY, the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and he is sent to investigate an orphanage on an island. He sets off with his ever-present book of Rules and Regulations, but he didn’t count on being intrigued by the children he met there. For example, Talia is a female gnome who has a beard; Phee is a sprite; Lucy is short for Lucifer and you know what that means. The master is Parnassus and turns out to be a …..read the book and find out. This is a book about tolerance and believing in one’s self and standing up for what is right and also, true love.

Three Nonfiction

1. An Unfinished Love Story, A Personal History of the 60s by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (2024) See my review of this wonderful book in my May 25th post. https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3525
2. Somehow, Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott (2024) 191 pages. I reviewed this book, which I also really liked, in that same May 25th post. https://wordpress.com/post/livingonlifeslabyrinth.com/3525
3. How To Walk into a Room, The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away by Emily P. Freeman. (2024) 218 pages. Ok, now that I have devoured this book and underlined almost everything, I intend to re-read it slowly, carefully. Freeman is the a spiritual director, author of The Next Right Thing and has a podcast of the same name, and she often focuses on questions of discernment, using the metaphor of rooms. Is it good to stay in a “room,” or is it time to leave? And what about the “hallways” of our life? I like her acronym, PRAY which stands for point and call, remember your path, acknowledge presence, and yield to the arrows. Freeman offers both practical guidelines and inspiration for deeper reflection. I have been recommending this book to everyone–and now to you!

Twelve Books in May–and now on to June!

An Invitation

Have you read any of the books I mention? I would love to know.