*****Sudden Traveler by Sarah Hall

LibraryThing.com Early Review

I am not a big fan of short stories. I often feel they are incomplete, that they end too soon. (Full disclosure, I love a good tome.)  Sarah Hall's work is different.  Whatever the length of her story, or subject matter,  each piece - each phrase -  is complete.  Her words work together like an exquisite piece  of art.  Line by line, story by story, one feels ultra satisfied and powerfully moved, such is the quality of her writing. Hall is truly a master of the written word.

***Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz

LibraryThing.com Early Review Ordinary Girls is a memoir that illustrates what defines ordinary in a poor community where dysfunctional families are the norm and drug use runs rampant; where the only hope of escaping this life is through an early death or education. With minimal, if any, family support education is not an obtainable goal for many. The author, Ms. Díaz, is one if the fortunate ones. She made it out. How she gets there is not the subject of her story. Living and growing up under these extreme, yet all to common, circumstances defines her book. Ms. Díaz has a deeply compelling story to share. Unfortunately, it suffers from a lack of editing. The last half of the book is redundant and the structure weak. Despite this problem, the first half of her memoir confrms that she is a talented writer. Revision would have greatly improved the overall quality of her book.

*****Special Topics in Calamity Physics

“One should never dribble speculation like a leaky garbage bag.”

I love Pessl’s writing! It is witty, intelligent and imaginative.  Despite dark themes of murder, suicide and deception, Pessl humors her reader with her astute narrative and finely crafted plot.  This is a brilliantly conceived novel that will make you laugh… and shudder.

*****A Dance to the Music of Time, 2nd Movement by Anthony Powell

Powell’s comic magnum opus is beautifully  illustrated with reflective passages that weave back and forth through time effortlessly.  In short, Dance is a meditative social history which depicts the rhythm of life. It is an understated work that sometimes feels tedious, yet is often hilarious and quietly infectious.  Patience is required when reading Powell, but his literary prowess is an apt reward.

*****From the Shadows by Juan José Millás

Darkly humorous and surreal, this novel delivers! It is psychological and allegorical fiction rolled into one as is revealed through these alluring themes: family secrets, jealousy, love, voyeurism, madness and murder. I thoroughly enjoyed and savored the skill, pure imagination and creativity of this talented author. From the Shadows is the first of Millás' novels to be published in North America. I look forward to future translations of his other work. A true treat!

*****Things That Fall From the Sky by Selja Ahava

Finnish Literature

Ahava’s novel centers around two main interconnecting themes:  grief – our need to make sense of, and clearly define, life and death; and the randomness of life – its haphazardness, whether good or bad. These themes overlap and converge and are affected by the weight of time.  The author explores our human desire to fully comprehend the incomprehensible; to define what cannot be fully defined. 

Ahava’s skill at normalizing the very randomness of life is both intuitive and sensitive.  She has created a highly relatable novel with nuance and subtlety. I enjoyed this work and look forward to future translations by this talented author.

****City of Jasmine by Olga Grjasnowa

An intensely moving novel that shares the fictionalized experiences of individuals who live and lived under Assad in wore-torn Syria. The violence, despair, ruined dreams, escape experiences, and then their lives as refugees is nothing less than horrifying.  Ms. Grjasnowa’s writing style is unpretentious and direct, yet not overbearing. She writes with fluidity and care.  This is a relevant read considering today’s national and international political climate. City of Jasmine is an interesting, well thought out novel, that tells a story and informs.

*****The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

Mishima uses a real event in history to construct and portray the inner workings of a young adolescent struggling existentially and emotionally with the concept of beauty.  His obsessive and disturbing thoughts are revealed through the author's exceptional philosophical prose that relies heavily on visual, audio and psychological atmosphere. Beautifully crafted, Mishima's work mesmerizes the reader from beginning to end. An exceptional work of art.

****Learning to See -Dorthea Lange, by Elise Hooper

LibraryThing.com Early Review

This work of historical fiction is not so much about Dorothea Lange's work as an artist -her aesthetic-  but her life as a woman raising children while being the primary bread winner before and during the Depression, and the difficulties that continued throughout her life as a photographer, wife and mother.  It illustrates how challenging it was for women to work and raise children during the earlier part of the 19th century and the obstacles they faced. Despite a woman's position or pay the primary childrearing responsibilities was left to the female.  While not a new concept it continues to be a relevant issue, especially in today's social and political climate.   As one reads this book one is reminded that, while a great deal has improved, there is still much to be done regarding the rights and expectations of women, both culturally and economically.  A well-thought-out novel.

Books Read July 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018

  ****The Woman Next Door, by Yewande Omotoso, 2017,  African Literatures 

*****The Late George Apley , by John P. Marquand, 1937,  American Literature

*****Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi, 2018, Arabic Literature 

*****Half a Lifelong Romance, by Eileen Chang, 1951, Chinese Literature

****Pamela, by Samuel Richardson, 1740, English Literature

***My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh, 2018, American Fiction 

 ***** Jesus's Son, by Denis Johnson, 1992, American Literature 

***Unsheltered,  by Barbara Kingsolver, 2018, American Literature

*****Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson, 2011, American Literature 

****The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner, 2018, American Literature 

****Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Márquez,  1985, Columbian Literature 

***The Column of Fire by Ken Follett, 2017, Historical Fiction 

***The Letter, by Kathryn Hughes, 2016, English Fiction

****Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout, 2017, American Literature 

****Praise Song for the Butterflies,  by Bernice L. McFadden, 2018, African American Literature

***Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 2006, Biography 

***Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate, 2017, American Historical Fiction

****The Elusive Moth, by Ingrid Winterbach, 2014, Afrikaans 
Literature 

****Pretend I'm Dead, A Novel, by Jen Beagin, 2018, American Literature

****West, A  Novel by Carys Davies, 2018, Literature 

***Being Mortal, Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande, 2014, American Nonfiction 

****Stay With Me, by Ayobami Adebayo, 2017, Nigerian Literature 

***** Three Floors Up, by Eshkol Nevo, 2017, Israeli Literature

***Orphan Train Rider, A Boy's True Story, by Andrea Warren, 1998, American History

****Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness and a Mother's Love by Zack McDermott, 2017, Memoir

*****Swann's Way, I Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1, Marcel Proust, 1913, French Literature

****Educated, A Memoir, by Tara Westover, 2018, American Memoir

****Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje, 2018, Canadian Literature