A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Pages: 509 Original date of publication: 2011 My copy: 2011 (Black Swan) Why I decided to read: How I acquired my copy: Waterstone’s, Piccadilly, September 2011 Maybe I’ve been reading too many classic novels recently, but I thought that this novel fell a bit short for me. I guess I was expecting lush descriptions of India, vivid descriptions of historical events, and great characters. Sadly, I was disappointed. The Sandalwood Tree is a split-time novel. One half of the novel focuses on an American, Evie, whose husband Martin comes to India on a Fulbright scholarship to document the end of the British Raj and the separation of India and Pakistan in 1947. One day, she finds a packet of old, illegible letters that documents the friendship between two Englishwomen, Adela and Felicity in 1856. The chapters then alternate between the two stories; Evie’s story focuses on the disintegration of her marriage, while Felicity goes to India as a member of the “Fishing Fleet,”...

Pages: 238 Original date of publication: 1946 My edition: 2011 (Persephone) Why I decided to read: How I acquired my copy: Persephone shop, September 2011 Doreen is set during WWII and focuses on an issue that many parents living in cities at the time faced. Mrs. Rawlings is a cleaner in a London office who worries about what to do with her nine-year-old daughter during the Blitz. Through Helen Osbourne, a secretary at the office, Mrs. Rawlings finds a place for Doreen at home of Helen’s brother Geoffrey, a solicitor, and his wife, Francie. The Osbournes are a kind, loving couple, and Mrs. Osbourne begins to see a little bit of herself in Doreen. The relationship between Doreen and the Osbournes grows—maybe too much so, from the point of view of the eminently sensible Helen Osbourne. Barbara Noble writes with an insightful eye. She demonstrates without explicitly saying so the dilemma that many parents of the time faced: should London parents keep their children w...

Pages: 290 Original date of publication: 2006 My edition: 2006 (Grove Press) Why I decided to read: Amazon recommendation How I acquired my copy: borders, July 2010 The Perfect Summer chronicles the summer of 1911—one of the hottest summers of the 20th century in England. The coronation of George V took place in June 1911, and the summer was characterized by multiple strikes. It was one of the last few summers before WWI, one of the last summers of the Edwardian period, and a summer in which everything seemed idyllic. The book is arranged chronologically, from May to September 1911, and tells the story from the point of view of many different people—from queens to choirboys. Because of this method of organizing the book, it sometimes seems a little disorganized; there’s no central theme to any of the chapters (which are divided into the months of summer) and as a result they seem a bit unfocused. The book covers a lot of ground, too, from political events to social goings-on and beyon...

Pages: 270 Original date of publication: 1934-1941 My edition: 2010 (Persephone) Why I decided to read: it’s a Persephone! How I acquired my copy: Persephone website, April 2010 Dimanche and Other Stories is a collection of ten stories, some very short, some much longer. Irene Nemirovsky’s stories focus on average, everyday people in France just before and during WWII, when these stories were published. Love, in all its forms, is an overriding theme of this book, but Nemirovsky’s collection is also about the diametric differences in social situations of her characters. I’ll be honest and say straight away that I really didn’t like Suite Francaise when it was reprinted a number of years ago, although everyone else was raving about it. I just thought it was to depressing. In this collection of short stories, Nemirovsky deals with the same topics and themes, but for some reason I much preferred this book to her other. Nemirovsky is skilled at highlighting and putting under a m...

Pages: 470 Original date of publication: 2010 My edition: 2010 (Plume) Why I decided to read: It was offered on Amazon Vine How I acquired my copy: same, June 2010 Oh, man. This is another one of those “I really wanted to like this book, but…” kinds of books. Set between the years of 1200 and 1204, when King John disputed with Arthur of Brittany over the crown. Although the struggle is the backdrop of the story, it’s not the focus; instead the story centers around one Juliana de Charnais, a wealthy young woman who starts out as a novice but must marry in order to keep her inheritance. In comes Guerin de Lasalle, who’s just as eager as she is to end the marriage. At first it seems as though the plot of the novel is going to be one of those battle of the sexes things, where the hero and heroine eventually will end up with a happily ever after. I’ll give the author credit for taking the plot of the novel in a direction I never expected it to go in. however, the way in ...

Pages: 221 Original date of publication: 2009 My edition: 2009 (Quaestor) Why I decided to read: it’s April’s book of the month on HFO ( follow the discussion here ) How I acquired my copy: Amazon.com There’s a dearth of novels based on the early middle ages—probably because it’s such a hard period to research and then recreate. Very little is known about England prior to the Viking invasions, but Carla Nayland’s wonderful novel about early 7 th century Eboracum (York) and Deira (Yorkshire) successfully fills the gap nicely. This is the story of Eadwine, a prince of Deira whose lands are invaded and conquered by Aetheferth, king of a neighboring tribe. After a devastating battle, Eadwine goes into exile with some of his followers. They stop at a farmhouse occupied by three women, one of whom is Severa, a healing woman of sorts and their leader. Most of the story follows Eadwine, biding his time as he waits for the opportunity to reclaim his lands and betrothed (who...

Pages: 304 Original date of publication: 2010 My edition: 2010 (Villard) Why I decided to read: I’ve enjoyed Laurie Notaro’s books of essays before How I acquired my copy: Review copy from Amazon Vine I’ve noticed a thing about Laurie Notaro’s books. Her collections of essays tend to be better than her fiction is. Spooky Little Girl is a novel about a woman named Lucy, who goes on vacation and returns to find out that her fiancée has mysteriously dumped her and thrown her stuff out on the lawn, and that she’s lost her job. Lucy drives up to Flagstaff to visit her sister, and gets hit by a bus. She later finds herself as a ghost, in “ghost school,” and later haunting the last place she ever wanted to be in. Why has her fiancée dumped her? And why did nobody attend her funeral? The idea isn’t so original—it borrows a bit from the movie Ghost (in fact the ghosts even watch the movie while in school). Notaro even borrows from herself—I’m pretty sure that Ruby Spicer...

Pages: 284 Original date of publication: 1980 My edition: 1980 (St. Martin’s Press Why I decided to read: heard about it through HFO How I acquired my copy: From the library, Febryary 2010 What would happen if you were suddenly thrust back into the 12th century? What would you do? Where would you live? What would you wear? What would you eat? How would you travel? What would your attitude to life be? And how would you seek justice, if you’d been wronged? Fitzempress’ Law is a novel that succeeds in answering these questions. It’s the story of three teenagers from the present who are thrown back in time when their motorcycle crashes. Pete becomes a knight; Len becomes a villein; and Sal becomes a novice, set in a convent when her betrothal goes awry. Soon, all three must use the law—that of the King, Henry II, also called Fitzempress—in order to right wrongs that were visited upon them. It’s a brilliant evocation of the late twelfth century—the sights, the smells, the people, all come ...

Julia and Valentina Poole have inherited a flat, and money, from a dead aunt they’ve never met. One of the stipulations of Elspeth’s will is that the twins move to London for a year before selling the flat. Once the girls get there, they meet the other residents of Elspeth’s building: her lover Robert, a guide at nearby Highgate cemetery; Martin, a man with OCD (though it sounds more like Asperger’s syndrome to me); and we’re introduced to Martin’s wife, Marijke, who leaves him after 23 years of marriage. It’s a complicated novel to explain. Niffenegger’s novels seem to be populated with characters with biological irregularities. This time, it’s Valentina Poole, whose insides are the reverse of everyone else’s. She’s the “weaker” of the twins, with a heart defect and a very strong reliance on her sister. The story is a modern love story about identity; I think it’s no coincidence that the girls are in their early twenties, at that “quarterlife crisis” age when people are trying to figu...

It’s late 1139, and Catherine LeVendeur is a novice in the convent of the Paraclete, whose abbess, Heloise, is the former lover of Abelard. A psalter has disappeared from the convent, one that could severely damage the already-damaged Abelard, and Heloise sends Catherine away from the convent, ostensibly in disgrace for misbehavior, to get the book back. But at the Abbey of Saint Denis, a stone mason literally falls dead, and it’s up to the intrepid Catherine to figure out, using her wits, what happened. The historical detail is quite good. I understand that the author has a PhD in medieval history, and she definitely shows it off a bit. Those who aren’t well versed in medieval history might find themselves wishing that the book provided a glossary of terms; the author continually uses words and phrases like bliaut (a women's loose-fitting overgarment), aversier , bricon (rascal), chainse (a linen chemise), gaufre (waffles), braies (an undergarment tied at the waist) awaeris t...

I was introduced to Laurie Notaro’s books back in 2007, when I inadvertently stumbled across a copy of The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club . Since then, I’ve read each of her collections of essays (except the one about Christmas), and I’ve enjoyed them immensely. That’s why I was thrilled to pick up a copy of her latest. Notaro’s essay collections are laugh-out-loud funny, and Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death joins her sisters' ranks. By far my favorite essay was the one after which this book was named—only the day before, I’d had my very own sort-of Laurie moment behind the wheel of my car (except I didn’t react nearly the same way as she did). I also greatly enjoyed Laurie’s story about taking a cruise. I was a little bit put off by the potty humor in this book, but I guess that’s what she’s known for. Other than that, though, this book had me rolling in my seat with laughter.

It’s 1498, and the Renaissance is at its height in the city-states of Italy. Savonarola has just been executed in Florence, and Rodrigo Borgia is Pope Alexander VI in Rome. And half of Europe is in a race for dominance across the Atlantic in the New World. Venice is the home for a convergence of cultures in the Mediterranean, allowing its residents to experience foods never before seen in Europe (including the supposedly poisonous “love apple”). Luciano is a homeless Venetian street urchin, forced to live hand-to-mouth and to steal in order to survive. One stolen pomegranate and Luciano finds himself as the apprentice to the chef of the doge, the secular head of Venice. When the doge (not named here, but probably Agostino Barbarigo) poisons a peasant in the palace’s dining room, Luciano embarks on a search for a highly-prized book that holds secrets that many powerful people will kill for. But what are those secrets? Venice comes to life in this vibrant novel. The author has clearly do...

The Eight started out promisingly enough: it's been compared to Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose , but in actuality The Eight comes nowhere near that fabulous book. As I read, I hoped that Katherine Neville was writing a parody of an action-thriller, but I guess not. Where to begin? Overly contrived plot with more holes than Swiss cheese; really, really bad writing style with an over-use of adjectives and past participles; too much historical inaccuracy; too much historical name-dropping, so much so that this novel read like an issue of US magazine (Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Robespierre, Voltaire, and many, many other historical figures are thrown in, sometimes gratuitously); too much foreshadowing, is in, “little did I know…”. The characters were extremely one-dimensional, and I absolutely loathed the heroine, Cat Velis. The book started off well enough, but I found myself rolling my eyes the further I read. I’m all for reading historical thrillers, if the plot is enough ...

Sarah Nelson explores a wide range of books in her quasi-essay about a year of reading. She is so much like me in so many ways, but so different in so many others. How do you even begin to talk about books? The impact that some of them have had upon your life? A book that changed your ideas of something? These are questions that Nelson tackles in her long essay about what it means to be a reader. Nelson found that she couldn't meet her goal. She basically read whatever she felt like reading, whenever she felt like reading it. Sure, she had "must-read" books, and books that had been recommended to her; but they all came in the course of time- whatever felt "right" was the book she read at that particular time. The thing is, you can't just sit down and read a book a week for fifty-two weeks! It may take two days to read one book, but then two years to finish another book. I go through phases of reading, and its good to know that I'm not the only one who do...

This book tells the struggle of a lower-class New Mexico town as it tries to regain back lost land and, inevitably, a heritage. It begins with the farmer Joe Mondragon, as he proceeds to irrigate one of his fields, contrary to regulation. The characters are vibrant and alive, and even though I could not sympathize with their plight, I felt sympathetic towards them. This book is laugh-out-loud funny. I read this book for the first time a few years ago; in a waiting room I couldn't stop laughing and I got a few stares from some other people. But its a book that you won't forget; each time I've read it, I come away with something new. And I always feel as if I have read it for the first time, even though I know what will happen. Its a wonderful innovation of characters and plot that always keeps me turning pages. There are some characters in this book that you simply cannot put out of your mind. There is, of course, Joe Mondragon, the farmer who irrigates his field. I also lov...

Surprisingly, I liked the Time Traveler's Wife . Although there were one or two things about the book I didn't like--such as, I thought it was too sappy at some points, and it was about a hundred pages too long. But I love Niffenegger's writing, and the way she writes about these two very complicated characters. The book opens when Clare and Henry meet for the first time in real time, in 1991. Henry's a mild-mannered librarian, age 28, and Clare is an artist, age 20. The book then jumps back to when Henry and Clare meet for the first time during his time travels, when he's in his thirties and she's six years old. Henry has a birth defect which causes him to involuntarily travel back--and once, forward--in time. Therefore, the book takes place, not chronologically, for the most part between the late 1960s and 2011. Clare and Henry's relationship is written about beautifully, though Clare's character isn't as delineated as Henry's is. At times, if ...

I didn't know what to think about I Think I Might Be Going to Hell. On one hand, Laurie Notaro's sense of humor is as sharp as ever; on the other, she lays the similes on pretty thick, and the first hundred pages or so read as though they're a fictional account of her life now that she's moved away from Arizona. However, Maye is more likely to hold her tongue--though, of course, she shares her thoughts with the reader. Maye Roberts is an overweight thirty-something woman whose life changes suddenly when her college professor husband is offered a position at a university in Spaulding, Washington. Maye starts out with no friends, and no hope of making any--except through the annual Swer Pipe Queen contest, into which pretty much anyone can join. Desperate to find a sponsor, Maye goes in search of a town legend, Ruby Spicer, and learns a few things about herself--and the town--in the process. Notaro's first work of fiction is just as funny as her previous collections ...

The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club was recommended to me by Amazon.com, and I have to say that I absolutely loved it (the book, though the website has its advantages)! The book is actually a collection of short essays, written by Laurie Notaro, the heavy drinker and smoker who tells of her exploits with candor and a sense of humor. And along the way, she's able to laugh at, and with, herself. The essays can be read alone, but they work best when they're read in the order in which they're presented. I loved the essay about her attending her high school reunion (I think we all have a story in which we do something mortifyingly embarassing in front of old high school/ college classmates. I sure do), and the one where she explains oral sex to her 82-year-old grandmother. Although not very well written (sometimes Notaro sounds as though she's in middle school), The Idiots Girls' Action Adventure Club was a quick read (I read it in one day) and had me laughing s...

The Empanada Brotherhood revolves around the story of a collection of Hispanic men, along with their gringo hanger-on (who also happens to be the narrator), living in the Village in the 1960s. The unnamed narrator, called "blondie" by his friends," is a struggling author who does menial jobs to pay the rent. I was extremely excited to read this novel because I'd read and loved The Milagro Beanfield War , also by John Nichols. What I liked about this novel was character and place development. John Nichols knew intimately the New York of the 1960s, and place is key in this novel. Specific places and street corners are mentioned over and over again. Each character has his or her own defining characteristics, whether it be a porkpie hat, one hand, a burnt face, or blonde hair. Although a lot of the dialogue is in Spanish, it's that Spanish that gives the book and the characters within that air of authenticity. Although the book is short at just over 200 pages, it...