April reading roundup #2

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, Anton Disclafani
After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Thea Atwell is sent from her secluded Florida home to a riding camp/boarding school. Away from her parents and twin brother for the first time, she gradually learns to live with the other girls, while reflecting on the scandal that brought her there. Full of dark secrets and beautiful writing; Thea is a complex, compelling narrator. To review for Shelf Awareness (out June 4).

Love Over Scotland, Alexander McCall Smith
The third 44 Scotland St. novel finds anthropologist Domenica studying the habits of pirates in the Strait of Malacca, Pat beginning her university course, and Matthew making a few disastrous fashion decisions. Gentle humor and philosophical questions, as always, abound. Good fun.

Smile at Strangers: And Other Lessons in the Art of Living Fearlessly, Susan Schorn
All her life, Susan Schorn wrestled with fear and anxiety. When she took up karate at a women-only dojo in Austin, she not only found a way to address her fear: she discovered an entirely new framework for life. Her smart, witty memoir traces her journey as a karate student and teacher, with plenty of pithy, often paradoxical life lessons and hilarious anecdotes. To review for Shelf Awareness (out May 28).

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems, ed. Caroline Kennedy
Kennedy has gathered her favorite poems under a dozen or so headings (“Falling in Love,” “Breaking Up,” “Marriage,” “Work,” “Motherhood,” etc.), with essays introducing each section. Some sections felt a bit trite, but I loved others, such as “Growing Up and Growing Old” and especially the last section, “How to Live.” A wide range of poems from different eras, and an interesting array of perspectives on womanhood.

Hattie Ever After, Kirby Larson
After a stint on a homestead claim in Montana (in Hattie Big Sky), orphan and aspiring writer Hattie Brooks heads to San Francisco to pursue her dreams. She starts out as a night janitress at a big newspaper, but quickly progresses to cub reporter – even gaining a few scoops. Hattie is a spunky heroine, but at times she seemed overly and improbably naive. Fun, but not as compelling as the original.

Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom, Deborah Yaffe
Although Deborah Yaffe was a longtime Austen fan, she had no idea how huge, diverse and sometimes bizarre the Janeite world could be. But she explores the spectrum of Austenmania in this fascinating blend of memoir and reportage. She interviews Jane fans ranging from pedantic academics to a Texan who orders custom-made Regency gowns every year. She also shares her travails with a Regency ball gown (and corset). Witty, informative and warmhearted. Jane would approve. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Sept. 10).

Garlic, Mint, and Sweet Basil: Essays on Marseilles, the Mediterranean, and Noir Fiction, Jean-Claude Izzo
These are more like mini-essays – snippets of Izzo’s thoughts about Marseilles (his beloved, multiethnic home), the cuisine and culture of the Mediterranean region, which bridges Europe and Africa; and one scene featuring the protagonist of his noir novels. Some lovely sentences and images of Marseilles, mostly relating to food (see title), but the substance here felt lacking.

The World According to Bertie, Alexander McCall Smith
Our fourth visit to Scotland Street finds Bertie adjusting to the birth of his baby brother, Ulysses, while Angus Lordie fights to clear the name of his dog, Cyril, who has been impounded for biting people. I love these books for their gentle musings on our everyday interactions with one another and the philosophical questions arising from those. McCall’s love for Edinburgh is evident in every page.

The House at the End of Hope Street, Menna van Praag
The titular magical house in Cambridge, England, is visible only to those women who need it and managed by Peggy, a wise, white-haired mother figure with a weakness for cream. Alba, a young, timid student, finds herself there after a serious betrayal. Gradually she (and the house’s other guests) regain the courage to face their fears, helped by the house’s former residents, who dispense advice through their Hogwarts-esque talking portraits. Whimsical and wonderfully bookish.

Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others, Stacy Horn
Though she only has a so-so voice and she’s not religious, Stacy Horn has sung with the choir of Grace Church in New York City for more than 30 years. Her memoir explores the joy we derive from group singing, with asides about the history of singing societies in the U.S. and the lives of several composers. As a singer, I enjoyed this book, though I got a bit tired of the author’s protesting-too-much assertions of agnosticism.

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April reading roundup #1

Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Gennifer Choldenko
This sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts (which I loved) takes us back to Alcatraz in 1935. Moose Flanagan’s autistic sister, Natalie, is finally in a special school that seems to be helping her. But Moose asked Al Capone for help in getting her in – and now Capone might want a favor in return. Darker and more complicated than the first book, but still humorous, with plenty of baseball.

Frances and Bernard, Carlene Bauer
An epistolary novel whose title characters meet at a writer’s colony in the summer of 1957. They eye each other warily at first but become friends, and eventually fall in love. But Frances’ fierce commitment to her work and Bernard’s struggles with mental illness threaten to tear them apart. (Based on the friendship of Flannery O’Connor and Robert Lowell.) The language was vivid and incisive, but I found both characters disappointingly conscious of their own cleverness.

Going Vintage, Lindsey Leavitt
When Mallory finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with a “cyberwife,” she swears off all “modern” (read: post-1962) technology. Reduced to talking on a rotary phone and researching a history paper in the library (gasp!), Mallory sets out to recreate her grandmother’s high school experience: starting a pep club, sewing her own homecoming dress. But life without the Internet isn’t so simple – and her ex’s cousin is distractingly cute. A fun, sassy story about first love, family (I loved Mallory’s sister, Ginnie), and finding out who you are when you’re alone.

His Majesty’s Hope, Susan Elia MacNeal
Maggie Hope, World War II-era mathematician and spy, returns for a third adventure, this time parachuting into Berlin on a secret mission. Working with the German resistance, she comes perilously close to the Nazi halls of power, and to a few secrets from her own past. Fast-paced, full of intrigue and replete with historical detail, and the ending left me eagerly anticipating the fourth book. (I received an advance copy of this book, out May 14. Look for a fuller review and a Q&A with the author closer to that time.)

I, Rhoda, Valerie Harper
I loved Harper’s dry wit and larger-than-life personality as Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and enjoyed this inside look at her life and acting career (both TV and live theatre). This is more autobiography (“I was born,” etc.) than memoir, but I loved her tales of being a young dancer on Broadway, and then the only newbie in a star-studded cast on MTM (the role that changed her life). A fun and joyous ride.

This Is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith
When teen movie star Graham Larkin sends an email to the wrong address by mistake, he’s surprised to get a reply from Ellie, a shy redhead from Maine. After months of corresponding without knowing each other’s names (a la You’ve Got Mail), their worlds collide when Graham begins shooting a film on location in Ellie’s hometown. A sweet, smart, funny story about first love in the Internet age, and a deft exploration of a young person living his life on camera.

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville, Clare Mulley
Krystyna Skarbek, a beautiful Polish aristocrat, became the first woman to work in the field for British intelligence during World War II. Adopting the name Christine Granville, she lived for adventure (and love), pinwheeling around Europe and North Africa, working to assist her fellow Poles when she could. Mulley recounts many of Christine’s exploits and exposes the Allies’ betrayal of Poland during and after the war. To review for Shelf Awareness (out June 11).

The House of Belonging, David Whyte
A slim book of poems about belonging to yourself, people, and places – Whyte beautifully evokes the Yorkshire of his childhood. I also like his poems about solitude, and the one about his son is sweet. Lyrical, if a bit vague at times, and mostly lovely.

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March reading roundup #1

Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde
Fforde departs from his ingenious Thursday Next series (which I love) to create the Colorworld, where a person’s color perception determines their social standing, career path and marriage prospects. Eddie Russett, a highly color-perceptive Red, travels to the Outer Fringes, where the local swatchman (healer) has mysteriously died, and powerful Yellows and Purples are hiding a number of secrets. The plot is wacky and inventive, if sometimes confusing, and I liked Jane and Eddie (though he’s a bit weak-willed). Good fun.

Mourn Not Your Dead, Deborah Crombie
Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James return for a fourth case, investigating the murder of a high-ranking but unpopular Scotland Yard official. Interviewing the man’s family and neighbors, they discover a string of thefts in his village and an intricate web of relationships. Who might be lying to protect whom? And after a disarming encounter (in the previous book), can Duncan and Gemma repair their personal and professional relationship? An intriguing mystery, with a hefty dose of personal tension.

Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction, Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd
Kidder and Todd have a long-standing writer/editor relationship, and they team up to offer sound advice on writing nonfiction (and not a few ramblings about their experiences). Some great lines (I tweeted a few), and a dozen or so nods to Boston (which I appreciated). But this is less a prescriptive book on writing well than a meditation on the interplay between writer and editor. Still well written and worthwhile.

Dreaming of the Bones, Deborah Crombie
Duncan Kincaid (see above) fields an unusual call from his ex-wife: she’s writing a biography of a recently dead poet, and is no longer convinced the poet’s death was a suicide. Kincaid decides to investigate, which leaves his sergeant/new girlfriend, Gemma, feeling miffed but intrigued. Leagues better than the previous books in the series: more tightly plotted, better written, more emotionally satisfying (though quite sad in parts). And it contains a lovely meditation on Cambridge which resonated deeply with me.

The Third Son, Julie Wu
Saburo, the neglected third son of a Taiwanese family, meets a mysterious girl named Yoshiko during a bombing raid in 1943. As he works his way through school, dreaming of being an engineer, he doesn’t see her for years – until he discovers she’s dating his brother. Although they find happiness together, Saburo must go to America to pursue his career: will he and Yoshiko ever have the life they dream of? Beautifully written, heavy with questions about familial duty, responsibility, and the consequences of our actions for those we love. To review for Shelf Awareness (out April 30).

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson
I picked up this slim novel at Book Culture in NYC. I saw the charming film a while back, but had never read the book. And I loved it. Miss Pettigrew, a down-on-her-luck, fortyish governess, seeks employment and is mistakenly sent to the flat of a bright, flighty young woman who sweeps Miss Pettigrew up in her whirlwind of suitors, perfume and nightclubs. This dazzling day changes Miss Pettigrew’s life. Utterly charming – witty, sparkling, hilarious – with some lovely tender moments. Wonderful.

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January reading roundup #2

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love, Kristin Kimball
Kristin Kimball was a total New York City girl, until she fell in love with a handsome, charming, exasperating farmer. This is the story of their first year running a farm in upstate New York, when everything could (and did) go wrong. Despite the trials (and the dirt), Kimball fell deeply in love with her new life and work. She writes beautifully about that year’s triumphs and griefs, about finding new reserves of strength in herself, about struggling forward each day. Lovely and wise.

Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin
I loved Benjamin’s latest, The Aviator’s Wife, so I picked up this novel narrated by Alice Liddell, the original Alice in Wonderland. Benjamin explores Alice’s childhood and her (rather fraught) relationship with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). I am not an Alice in Wonderland fan; I find the story confusing and creepy. But I enjoyed the descriptions of Oxford in the 1860s/1870s, and I found Alice herself a complex, intriguing character. Benjamin also details Alice’s later life, about which I knew virtually nothing, and which I found fascinating and heartbreaking. A gripping (if at times uncomfortable) story of an unusual woman.

The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends, Humphrey Carpenter
I’m fascinated by the Inklings and enjoyed this “group biography,” meticulously researched and detailed. Because I recently read a new C.S. Lewis biography, the first part (about him) was repetitive for me, but I learned a great deal about Charles Williams, and about the group’s evolution over the years. (It saddens me that it eventually dropped off.) Carpenter’s fictional re-creation of an Inklings meeting, drawn from diaries and letters, is particularly spirited and fun.

The Plain Old Man, Charlotte MacLeod
I needed something light after Alice I Have Been, so picked up this sixth Sarah Kelling mystery. Sarah gets roped into painting both scenery and faces for her Aunt Emma’s community theatre production. All is well until an heirloom painting disappears and a cast member turns up dead. This story started slowly, but the pace picked up later and the eventual solution was clever. Part mystery, part comedy of errors, part wacky family story (as always). Good fun.

The God of the Hive, Laurie R. King
Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell’s tenth adventure finds them separated and on the run, from enemies known and unknown. Russell lands in a forest at a hermit’s cabin, while Holmes makes for Holland with his injured son. After resting and regrouping (and some great use of the Times agony column), they head for London and a confrontation with their foe. Fast-paced, with (thank heaven) more moments of levity than The Language of Bees. I was pleased at the return of Holmes’ bolt-holes around London and his well-known deductive reasoning. Lots of fun.

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My Favorite Books of 2012

I devour the “best of” book lists that abound this time of year, the critics and the reviewers and the book bloggers all gushing about books that blew them away, lavishing praise instead of cynicism and pleading, “Read this!”

It’s tough to winnow my favorites from the nearly 300 (!) books I read this year, but I did want to share the brightest gems with you. Not all these books were published in 2012, but I read them all (except Best Reread) for the first time in 2012.

Best Crime-Solving Couples: Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell, with their brilliant repartee, deductive genius and deep love for one another. And Agatha Christie’s duo Tommy and Tuppence, who are witty and sparkling and also rather good at solving mysteries.

Best Relatively Unknown Historical Novel: The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, with its brave protagonist Sira Quiroga, seamstress and spy in Morocco during the Spanish Civil War and the lead-up to World War II. Plenty of action, lush description, love and heartbreak and political tension. But it hasn’t been as widely hailed as I’d hoped. (Read it!)

Best Return to a Favorite Fictional Place: Joanne Harris took us back to the French village of Lansquenet (of Chocolat fame) in Peaches for Father Francis, and I loved every minute.

Best Reread: The Harry Potter series. It is almost impossible to overstate my love for these books. So I will simply beg you: Read them, if you haven’t already.

Most Delicious Memoir: My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss. A charming, yummy tale of Berlin and New York and Boston, of family and broken hearts and finding your way home again. (And cooking.) Made me want to be her best friend.

Most Haunting Contemporary Novel: The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier. I read this book in June, and I am still thinking about Elizabeth and her friend Kate, who inherits Elizabeth’s journals after her death and starts to wonder how well she really knew her friend. Powerful and thought-provoking.

Best Book on Faith: An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. It has left me trying to determine, again and again, what is saving my life right now. (If the answer is “I don’t know,” I know I need to pay more attention.)

Best Poetry Collection: Thirst, by Mary Oliver. As I was reading this, I read most of the poems at least twice. “Messenger” has been resonating in my head for weeks.

Best Catnip for Anglophiles: Mrs Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn, a wise, charming and often funny tale of Queen Elizabeth going on a quite unusual journey.

Best Peek Into Someone Else’s Letters: The wise, keenly observant and often self-deprecating letters of E.B. White.

Best Biography of a Strong-Willed Woman: Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. Julia was larger than life, literally and figuratively, and Spitz’s portrait of her is fascinating.

Best Classic I Can’t Believe I Never Read Before: Emma by Jane Austen. I’d seen the film, but it pales in comparison to the wit and brilliance of the novel. I wasn’t sure I would like Emma herself, but I ended up loving her.

Best Book My Husband Stole Before I Even Read It: After Mandela by Douglas Foster. A multi-layered, absorbing, often unsettling look at post-apartheid life in South Africa.

Coziest Fictional Village: Fairacre. (I discovered Miss Read long ago, but I read 16 of her Fairacre books this year. Obsessed? Maybe a little.)

Best Book Written for Teenagers: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, which made me laugh and cry and remember how difficult and wonderful life can be when you’re 14.

Craziest Fictional Family: Undoubtedly the Spellmans, Lisa Lutz’s family of private eyes who spend most of their spare time (and some of their on-the-job time) spying on each other.

Your turn. What are your favorite books from this year?

(I’m signing off for the next week to spend some time with my family. Merry Christmas!)

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December books, part 1

A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband Master, Rachel Held Evans
I love Rachel’s blog and enjoyed her first book, Evolving in Monkey Town, so was prepared to like this one. And I did. She digs into conflicting verses and ideas about womanhood in the Bible, from levitical purity laws to the nebulous concepts of “modesty” and “submission,” and the idealized Proverbs 31 woman. Some of her activities felt more like stunts, but this was mostly a thoughtful exploration of what the Bible says (and doesn’t say) about being a woman. I applaud Rachel’s brave stand against those who would silence women, in the church and out of it.

Hemingway’s Girl, Erika Robuck
This novel brilliantly evokes the hardships and beauty of life in Depression-era Key West. Mariella Bennet – fiery, beautiful and stubborn – works odd jobs and occasionally gambles to provide for her mother and sisters after her father’s death. When she is hired as Ernest Hemingway’s maid, she glimpses a new, unsettling world of parties and power, finding herself drawn to the rowdy, larger-than-life writer. Mariella is a wonderful character – her complicated relationship with her mother, and her struggles with desire and love, felt real. I also loved Gavin, the steady, quiet World War I veteran who captures Mariella’s heart.

Still Life, Louise Penny
Jane Neal, artist and retired schoolteacher, is killed by an arrow in the woods near her home in Quebec. It’s hunting season, but it wasn’t an accident. Inspector Armand Gamache comes to Jane’s village of Three Pines to investigate her death. This is a quiet mystery, but I enjoyed watching Gamache untangle the threads, and spending time with the quirky cast of village characters. The slower pace allows for some wonderful insights into human nature. This is the first in a series; I’ll be reading more Gamache stories. (Recommended by Becca and Jessica.)

The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War, Daniel Stashower
We recently saw Spielberg’s brilliant film Lincoln, so I was primed for this exploration of a plan to murder him before he even took office. Allan Pinkerton, founder of the famous detective agency, deployed his agents in Baltimore to thwart the plotters (by any means necessary). He and the other men (bodyguards, advisers, friends) who surrounded Lincoln on his pre-inaugural journey get plenty of play. Colorful characters, simmering political tension and lots of background information on the beginnings of the Civil War. Fascinating. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Jan. 29).

Shepherds Abiding, Jan Karon
I love this Mitford Christmas story, with many beloved, familiar characters, and (as always) real insight into Father Tim’s daily life and struggles. I particularly love the way Hope Winchester, owner of Happy Endings bookstore, steps out in faith and embraces a new beginning. Sweet but not precious, this book always makes me cry several times. And this quote from Marcus Aurelius, shared by Father Tim, has been in my head for days: “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”

Thirst, Mary Oliver
It took me a while to come around to Oliver’s work, but this collection is my favorite yet. A few familiar gems (“Messenger”) and many new favorites (“Walking Home from Oak-Head,” “Praying,” “The Place I Want to Get Back To”). Her poems about faith are particularly fascinating, and her poems about grief are so moving. I’ve been savoring these words before bed, and will carry them in my heart.

The Aviator’s Wife, Melanie Benjamin
Anne Morrow was a shy, bookish ambassador’s daughter, until Charles Lindbergh chose her for his wife and changed her life forever. This novel traces the arc of their marriage, including their son’s kidnapping and death, Charles’ anti-Semitic views in the 1930s and his later work with the military and civilian air industries. Anne was a rich, complicated character: pioneering aviatrix, grieving mother, neglected wife and (finally) brave woman and writer. A gorgeous, heartbreaking story. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Jan. 15).

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October books, part 4

Mrs Queen Takes the Train, William Kuhn
I was utterly charmed by this novel, which asks and answers a fascinating question: what if Queen Elizabeth II went off on an unplanned break? Where would she go, and how? Who would follow her? And how would she get back home before a national scandal broke out? Kuhn brilliantly captures the inner monologue of not only The Queen, but half a dozen people (mostly members of her staff) who follow her to Scotland, forming some unlikely alliances as they do so. Wonderful characters from a cross-section of British society, and a lovely ending involving a performance of Henry V. (I cried.) Funny and enchanting, especially for Anglophiles like me.

Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen, Laurie Colwin
Colwin is a self-proclaimed home cook, rather than a foodie: she admits to grand cooking experiments, but she falls back on reliable, simple food when those experiments fail. I loved her tales of dinner parties in a wee New York apartment and serving comfort food to family, friends and strangers, interspersed with recipes. Her writing is warm and appealing, like the recipes themselves.

O Jerusalem, Laurie R. King
This fifth adventure starring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes takes us back to an interlude in The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (their first adventure) in which they briefly fled England for Palestine. The trip turns into a rather unusual working vacation, as Holmes and Russell (the latter disguised as a man) travel around Palestine hunting a dangerous criminal. As always, King masterfully blends history, mystery and a cast of fascinating characters, and the setting of Jerusalem is particularly rich.

Justice Hall, Laurie R. King
Holmes and Russell are back in England (and it’s the 1920s again, after the flashback of O Jerusalem). But they are reunited with two friends from their time in Palestine, distant cousins who served as their guides through that land. A large cast of family members and their secrets converge on the palatial Justice Hall, as our two intrepid detectives dig for answers and attempt to protect their friends. Fast-paced and wonderfully atmospheric.

The Journal Keeper, Phyllis Theroux
Sarah recommended this book, drawn from the author’s journals over six years. It is at once luminous and mundane, charming and ordinary – like all journals. Theroux is dealing with her mother’s illness and death, adjusting to an empty nest, worrying over her work and finances, and wondering whether she can find love again. My favorites were the small, crystalline descriptions of her settings – she has an eye for lovely details. Sometimes I grew frustrated with her doubts and questioning – but that is part of what journals are for. I certainly use mine that way.

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, Syrie James
I enjoyed James’ first novel, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, and liked this one even better. Samantha McDonough, Jane Austen fan and frustrated scholar, finds a letter hinting at an Austen manuscript that went missing at a manor house in Devon. She travels there, managing to convince the house’s (handsome) owner to help her look for the manuscript, and when they find it, they read it aloud together, while debating what to do with it. The framing story is a bit predictable, but fun, and the “manuscript” itself is a fine Austen imitation, well plotted and highly entertaining. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Dec. 31).

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October books, part 3

The Complete Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
Satrapi’s graphic memoir tells the story of her childhood in Iran, her adolescence during the Islamic Revolution, her teenage years in Vienna and her return home (a decidedly mixed experience). She conveys a whole world through her bold black-and-white drawings: cultural norms, relationships, irony, grief, the repressive Islamic government. Thought-provoking, often heartbreaking and a great lesson (even for us non-graphic writers) in using telling details.

A Fistful of Collars, Spencer Quinn
Chet and Bernie, PI team, take on an unusual gig: security for a high-profile movie star shooting a western in the Valley. Of course, there’s more to the situation than first meets the eye, and our heroes are soon on the trail of a complex situation involving drugs, blackmail and several murders. Bernie’s also dealing with a long-distance relationship, and narrator Chet (as always) has his own canine needs and perspective. A great addition to this fun series.

Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre, Miss Read
I love the cast of village characters in Miss Read’s Fairacre tales, and enjoyed this book focused on Mrs. Pringle, the dour school cleaner, and Miss Read’s relationship with her (sparring, but grudgingly affectionate) over the years. Mrs. Pringle will never be warm and fuzzy, but she’s a good soul and a hard worker, and Miss Read’s portrait of her is witty and amusing.

Changes at Fairacre, Miss Read
During a couple of sick days last week, Fairacre was the only place I wanted to go. Amid worries of her school’s closing (again) and the last illness of a dear friend, Miss Read contemplates her own future, eventually moving to a new house in the next village. This book had some melancholy spots, but was still full of the good cheer and kindness of life in Fairacre. I’ve grown particularly fond of Bob Willet, gardener and general handyman, and Miss Read’s bossy, good-hearted friend Amy.

Judging a Book by Its Lover, Lauren Leto
A snarky, erudite, mostly funny guide to today’s book culture, including advice on “Stereotyping People by Favorite Author” and “How to Write Like Any Author.” These wisecracks are amusing, but I prefer Leto’s more sincere moments of book love. She’s a true bookworm (though she argues convincingly for changing the book lover’s mascot to a “bookcat”). I confess I skimmed the “How to Fake It” section, which runs 80 pages (nearly a third of the book). Fun for book geeks. (I received a copy from the publisher, but was not compensated for this review.)

Farewell to Fairacre, Miss Read
Though not quite ready to retire, Miss Read finds herself plagued by health problems, prompting her to consider ending her long teaching career. She savors her final year of teaching, relishing the small details (as always) and enjoying the antics of her pupils. I always feel refreshed after a few hours in Fairacre, in Miss Read’s witty company. This book provided yet another installment of her friend Amy’s matchmaking efforts and Miss Read’s insistence on remaining a satisfied spinster. So fun.

Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, Susan Elia MacNeal
Feisty Maggie Hope, English-born and American-raised, goes undercover at Windsor Castle tutoring the Princess Elizabeth in maths (she’s really an MI-5 agent investigating a murder). A kidnapping plot, a Christmas pantomime, a new romance and several suspicious characters figure in this fun, fast-paced mystery (the sequel to Mr. Churchill’s Secretary). The writing, plot and characters were all much stronger in this book than its predecessor, and I’m looking forward to the third book, His Majesty’s Hope (out next spring).

All-of-a-Kind Family, Sydney Taylor
I read this book as a child, but picked up a copy at the Tenement Museum in New York recently, and reread it in one sitting. A series of charming vignettes about a Jewish family with five daughters, living on the Lower East Side at the turn of the last century. They visit the library, go to Coney Island, observe the Sabbath and the major Jewish holidays, and celebrate the Fourth of July. Such a fun, sweet, innocent story, and the first in a series. (Jessica recently reread this one too.)

What are you reading lately?

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October books, part 2

The Chaperone, Laura Moriarty
This novel was the hit of the summer, and I finally picked it up – and loved it. Cora Carlisle, an outwardly conventional Wichita matron, accompanies 15-year-old Louise Brooks to New York in the summer of 1922. Louise takes dance classes and delights in shocking Cora, but Cora is secretly on another mission: she’s searching for the mother she never knew. This is a richly textured historical novel, and also a profound story of the secrets we keep, the ways we present ourselves to the world, and how much appearances can (and should) matter. Wonderful.

The Last Dragonslayer, Jasper Fforde
Jennifer Strange, nearly 16, is mostly content with her job managing a magicians’ employment agency, even if she does live in a world where wizidrical power is waning. But when rumors begin flying about the impending death of the last dragon (and magical power, oddly, starts surging), Jennifer may play a larger role than she realizes. Fforde’s writing, as always, is zany and clever, and he creates yet another world whose wacky rules make a weird kind of sense. Great fun.

Vaclav & Lena, Haley Tanner
A beautiful, heartbreaking story of two children of Russian immigrants who meet in an ESL class (in modern-day Brooklyn) and become best friends. Vaclav plans to be a magician, with Lena as his lovely assistant, but when they are 10 years old, she disappears. Vaclav knows Lena’s home life is tough, but he doesn’t know where she went or why, until they reconnect on her 17th birthday. Tanner inhabits the voices of both these characters so well, and I also loved Vaclav’s mother, Rasia, who fiercely loves and protects both her son and Lena. The ending felt a bit odd to me, but I still highly recommend this book.

My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City, ed. David Haskell & Adam Moss
I picked this collection of essays up at Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers on the Upper East Side, during our recent visit to NYC. Contributors include Nora Ephron, Mike Myers, Liz Smith, Thomas Wolfe and about 50 others, both famous and unknown. The essays range from first impressions to war stories to nostalgic moments, but above all they capture the gritty, confusing, dazzling, pulsating magnetism that is New York. Read it during (or after) a visit to the city.

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, Anne Lamott
Lamott has famously asserted that there are only two real prayers – “help” and “thanks” – but I think “wow” is a good addition to that list. She begins by exploring what prayer is (a seeking of connection, essentially), and goes on to muse, briefly but powerfully, on each of the three prayers, ending with a few pages on “amen.” This book is Anne Lamott lite – gentler than usual, but still wise, and I appreciate her distilling these prayers to their essences. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Nov. 13).

Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, Ammon Shea
I am a word nerd, and I own a huge dictionary (a relic of my Spelling Bee days). But I’ve never tried to read it, much less tackling the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary. Shea does, though, and his journey is nerdy, fascinating, often hilarious and a wee bit masochistic. Short essays on reading, dictionaries and the OED open each chapter, followed by lists of words he particularly enjoyed discovering. Great fun if you’re a word geek like him – or me.

The Woman Who Died a Lot, Jasper Fforde
Thursday Next, book-jumping heroine, is back for her seventh adventure. She’s recovering from an assassination attempt, so she takes a job as a librarian and continues to fend off her enemies, while also dealing with her teenage children’s issues. As usual, Fforde’s writing is fast-paced, wacky and slyly humorous (as he was in person when I saw him recently). This was an enjoyable ride, but I missed the usual literary zaniness of Thursday’s jumping back and forth to the BookWorld. I hope she gets to go back there in the eighth book. Still great fun.

What are you reading lately?

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Books to begin October

Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave, Deron R. Hicks
Colophon Letterford, age 12, overhears a conversation about a mysterious family treasure, and sets off to find it and (she hopes) save her family’s publishing business. With her eccentric cousin Julian, she visits the church where Shakespeare is buried, trying to tease out the Bard’s connection to her ancestors. This is Hicks’ first novel and the writing is a little clunky, but the (enjoyably bookish) plot has potential and I’m curious to see where he takes this middle-grade series.

A Letter of Mary, Laurie R. King
Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell team up again, trying to find out who killed a friend of theirs, just after she left an old and possibly valuable piece of papyrus in their keeping. The writing and plotting in this series are brilliant, and this book explores the potential for flare-ups in the church over newly discovered documents. (More relevant than King could have known, writing in the mid-90s.) It also includes a gorgeous paean to Oxford.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to Devonshire to investigate the death of a baronet, ostensibly caused by the sight of a huge, demonic hound and a family curse. This was my first genuine Conan Doyle and it was great fun: well plotted, darkly evocative, wryly witty. I’ll be reading more of the originals as I continue spending time with Holmes and Russell.

I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory, Patricia Hampl
This book of essays was a mixed bag. Some of them (including the title one) contain lovely, lucid images and musings on writing memoir. I was also fascinated by Hampl’s experience reviewing a “definitive edition” of Anne Frank’s diary, and the essay on how Augustine invented autobiography. But some of the other essays were rather dull and tangential. Still worth reading.

The Moor, Laurie R. King
Holmes and Russell return to the terrain of Baskervilles (see above) to investigate strange happenings on the moor. The action ratchets up slowly; King carefully builds up the gray, moody setting (and Mary’s reaction to it). The death of a wandering moor man, plus sightings of a carriage allegedly made of bones and (of course) a supposedly demonic hound form an interesting case for the pair. Not my favorite in the series, but still evocative and fascinating.

Sapphire Blue, Kerstin Gier
I loved this sequel to Ruby Red, following the further adventures (and feuds) of a secret circle of 12 time travelers in London. Gwyneth Shepherd, a modern-day teenager who just discovered she carries the time-traveling gene, is still trying to figure out how to manage her new life (and a handsome, moody time-traveling boy). Gier piles on the details concerning time travel and the Circle, which can be a bit confusing, but the plot is intriguing and Gwen’s voice is fresh and fun. I also enjoyed the talking gargoyle ghost and a few bits of clever wordplay. (I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but I was not compensated for this review.)

What are you reading lately?

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