I usually put in a list of the best books I read the previous year. Last year, I read as much as usual, but few were really memorable. The following are the only ones I give my tepid recommendation to. The comments are my notes on the book.
The Japanese Lover, A
Novel: by Isabel Allende
Excellent, interesting book that follows Alma, who is sent
to America by her Jewish parents to escape the Nazis. She is raised in
California by affluent, loving relatives.
She falls in love with the son of the Japanese gardener and has a
lifelong secret romance with him.
Interesting weaving of historic elements with fiction.
The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore
True, interesting
exploration of two black men from Baltimore with the same name. One ends up a Rhodes Scholar, the other in
prison. The Rhodes Scholar Wes Moore
befriends the prison Wes Moore and explores the backgrounds of each, looking at
what made the difference in their lives.
Lafayette and the
Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
Fascinating, fun history/commentary about Lafayette, his
life and legacy. I learned a lot and
laughed as well. Her comments are
priceless. Read this if you want to laugh and learn history at the same time.
Every Last One, by
Anna Quindlan
Suburban mother with
three children, a landscaping business, and ophthalmologist husband is living a
basically happy life through about half the book, although the daughter has a
weird ex-boyfriend and son Max seems to have problems. There is always the undercurrent that this
can’t last, and it doesn’t. A good page-turner.
The Storied Life of
A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle
Zevin
Good story about a bookstore owner who ends up adopting a
child who was abandoned in his store. He
goes from being a curmudgeon to almost human—falling in love and being a good
father. Lots of book allusions, which
was fun for a reader like me.
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