****The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner

A disturbing fictionalized look at what often happens to those raised on the "wrong side of the tracks". Where poverty, lack of education, imprisoned family members, crime, addiction, violence and sexual abuse are as commonplace as dance and music lessons, after-school sports, theater and educational vacations for the upper middle-class.  It doesn't always work this way, but the odds are stacked against one born into a family with generational poverty.  An engrossing and intuitive story.

****Praise Song for the Butterflies, NY Bernice L. McFadden

LibraryThing Early Review

A fictional account of the fetish shrines that were legally in existence in West Africa until 1998. These shrines forced female children into ritual servitude after they were left there by their families in hopes of appeasing the gods for the misdeeds of their ancestors. Innocent girls were considered slaves and abused in every way imaginable while lining the priest's pockets and satisfying their dangerous sexual appetites.

McFadden’s narrative is sparse; she does not use lengthy descriptions, nor is she poetic.  I am not a fan of this writing style, but she handles it with skill and builds a powerful revealing story that is, ironically, visual. While excelling here, she falls short by employing a questionable literary contrivance to open and close her work, one that is not consistent with her usual authorial craft. In fact, it is so out of place and character, I am not sure why it was used. She is, however, redeemed by the intervening pages which house a powerful voice with unforgettable imagery worthy of reading.

As we try to bring the world and the way women are treated and portrayed into the 21st Century, this is an important story that will someday remind us of where we came from and not where we are today.

****The Elusive Moth by Ingrid Winterbach

Afrikaans Literature

Winterbach’s narrative is like a series of images which encapsulate the essence of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment.  Each scene is depicted with tension, balance and spontaneity, capturing a moment in time. The essence of the moment is revealed, yet its full meaning remains elusive.

I was not surprised to learn that the author is a visual artist. Her work is hyper-visual and full of symbolism. Her descriptions of art are captivating, especially as they mirror the surrounding events. There is so much to this novel, I will be dissecting it for weeks to come. Well done!

*****Swann's Way, I Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1, by Marcel Proust

Magnificent! An Impressionistic work of art with a poetic beauty rarely achieved in literature. 

Books Read: January 1, 2018 - June 31, 2018

***Everything Here is Beautiful, by Mira T. Lee, 2018, American Fiction

***Straying,  by Molly McCloskey, 2018, American Fiction 

*****The Things We Don't Do, by Andrés Neuman, 2014, Spanish Literature 

*****Chronicle of the Murdered House, by Lúcio Cardoso, 1959, Brazilian Literature 

***Gun Love, by Jennifer Clement, 2018, American Fiction

****The Story of the Lost Child, by Elena Ferrante, 2015, Italian Literature

*****Those Who  Leave and Those who Stay, The Neapolitan Novels, Book 3, by Elena Ferrante, 2014, Italian Literature

*****Marjorie Morningstar, by  Herman Wouk, 1955, American Literature 


*****Mourning, by Eduardo Halfon, 2018, Latin American Literature

*****The Story of a New Name, The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2, by Elena Ferrante, 2013, Italian Literature

***An American Marriage , by Tayari Jones, 2018, American Fiction 

****My Brilliant Friend: Neapolitan Novels, The Neopolitan Novels, Book 1, by Elena Ferrante, 2011, Italian Literature 

*** A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline, 2017, Historical Fiction , American 

*****The House of Broken Angels, by Luis Alberto Urrea, 2018, Mexican-American Literature 

****Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman,the Man Who Killed John Lennon, by Jack  Jones, 1992, Biography

**Loquela by Carlos Labbé,  2015, Spanish Literature 

****The Distance Between Us, A Memoir, by Reyna Grande, 2012, Mexican American Memoir

*A Reliable Wife,  by Robert Goolrick, 2009, American Fiction

*****Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng, 2017, Contemporary American Literature

*****Brief Encounters With Che Guevara: Stories,  by Ben Fountain,  2007, Contemporary American Literature  

****Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado, 2017, Contemporary American Literature 

***House of Rougeaux, by Jenny Jaeckel, African-American-Canadian Literature,  2018

****The Great Alone,  by Kristin Hannah, 2018, Contemporary American  Literature 

****The Decay of the Angel-Sea of Fertility,  No. 4, by Yukio Mishima, 1974, Japanese Literature

*****Sing, Unburied , Sing, by Jesmyn Ward, 2017, African American Literature 

*****The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead,  2016, American Literature

***Reading The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore,  2016, Historical Fiction

*****Madame Zero, by Sarah Hall, 2017, British Literature

*****Every Man Dies Alone, by Hans Fallada, 1947 (2009 In English), German Literature

****Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid, 2017, Pakistani Literature 

*****The Things We Don't Do by Andrés Neuman

•Translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia

Neuman is, all at once,  insightful, humorous,  dark and creatively cerebral - quite a complex offering for a mere 190 pages!

*****Chronicle of the Murdered House by Lúcio Cardoso

●Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa & Robin Patterson
●Winner of the 2017 Best Translated Book Award Longlisted for the 2017 National Translation Award

A multilayered novel filled with deceptive twists and turns and a rich, opulent  narrative. Take your time with this Brazilian gem!

*****Mourning by Eduardo Halfon

LibraryThing Early Review

Halfon’s prose is pure elegance. It falls off the pages quietly, yet powerfully.  Storytelling as subject and method is important to the author. To tell one's story is to mark it in history - to testify - so it will not be forgotten.  Halfon uses writing to dissect his ancestral story and work through his Jewish history, especially as it relates to his maternal grandfather and the Holocaust.  The outcome is beautiful, sometimes satiric and often hauntingly sad. It is an exceptional work of literature.

****The Distance Between Us, A Memoir, by Reyna Grande

A powerful novel that describes the immigrant experience - from poverty, dreams of the "other land" and lack of opportunity to opportunity and success. These factors combined with parental abuse, abandonment and alcoholism render the struggle even more difficult. Considering our current political status regarding immigration, this is a highly relevant novel that could help those who villify our nations immigrants understand what it means and costs to hope for a better life.

***House of Rougeaux

LibraryThing.com Early Review

House of Rougeaux is an engaging, well written multi-generational family saga. The author explores key issues relating to slavery, racial and gender discrimination, homosexuality and family.  At times the book suffers from heavy- handed literary stratagems, yet is overshadowed by Jaeckel‘s skill at storytelling. Keep an eye out for future work by this talented new author.