Don't Stop Believin'

by Olivia Newton-John
Dec 23-28, 2019

Olivia, I'm hopelessly devoted to you. You were my first music love. I still remember the dances we made up to the Grease soundtrack, a vinyl album that we listened to daily on repeat. But, my sweet, you should let someone else do the writing.

I feel like we all know that Olivia is a goody-goody at heart, but this book amplifies the sweetness to the level of a mouthful of cavities. While all her thoughts are valid, the prose is oversimplified to the point of silliness. We really don't learn much of what we already knew, and I don't really care about the gas cap left off your car or how hilarious you found it. I found myself skimming parts. Plus, the obvious exclusion and glossing over of the real relevant occurrences in her life (missing boyfriend, anyone?). And I really had a hard time connecting with the spiritual healing and visions and herbs and potions that she is so trusting in these days.

Our girl sure has been put through the wringer, and it will be an awful day when she's no longer with us and that sweet voice is silenced. But I will stick to watching Grease, Xanadu and Hard to Hold as much as humanly possible. And of course listening to Please Mr. Please.

And with that, 2019 is a wrap!

* * * * *

Ask Again, Yes

by Mary Beth Keane
Dec 3-22, 2019

What a great way to (almost) end the year. I love a good family drama, especially one with such well drawn out characters, so this one surely satisfied. There were twists and turns I didn't see coming, storylines well crafted for future reference, and a comfortable ending.

“Then and now, I say yes.”

It's funny to me how the more I like a book, the shorter my reviews are. Ask Again, Yes is my sixth 4-star review of the year. Those that know me know that it takes a LOT to achieve a 5-star rating! But in a year that saw its share of far too many duds – nine 2-star reviews – I'm happy with the less-is-more review.

* * * * *

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong
Nov 10-24, 2019

This one was a challenge! What at first seemed a little self-indulgent on the author's part, soon became apparent that Vuong, most simply put, is a poet. People are raving of the beauty in his prose, and I can't disagree, but the sleepy, poetic quality really just disconnected me from the story and the protagonist. It was difficult to form any emotional investment around Little Dog, his mother, or his grandmother.

The novel, written as a letter to Little Dog's illiterate mother, jumped in timeline and stories, but wasn't difficult to follow. The book boasts an "unforgettable revelation," and there were plenty of times that I thought I could see the foreshadowing on the wall, only to be wrong time and time again. Finally, for me, said revelation was a complete letdown, and so quietly revealed, that I nearly missed it.

"What were we before we were we?"

(Beautiful, but not "the" revelation.) A bit of a slow burn with some excruciatingly graphic scenes; maybe a little too abstract for my tastes.

* * * * *

The City of Flickering Light

by Juliette Fay
Oct 23-Nov10, 2019

In the span of just one year, two strippers burlesque dancers and one tagalong get everything they ever wanted. That shallow description pretty much sums up the effort given to forming the plot of this book. So many reviews that I read lauded the author for her extensive research (if I read one more review that says how well-researched this book is!), but none of that really matters when the final result is so poorly executed. The descriptions and dialogue are meant to suggest the essence of the roaring 20s, but instead it comes off sophomoric and quite corny.

"She nodded and looked away to hide the gratitude in her eyes."

Huh?

Pick a hot topic and you'll find it within the pages. Rape, murder, pregnancy and drug abuse are just the beginning of the list. The result is almost laughably predictable, and again, seemingly a tactic to imbue a sign of the times. It's as if the author didn't give the reader enough credit to understand what was happening without dumbing it down  – I'm looking at you, Author's Note. Thanks, but I think I got it.

"The silence from Irene’s side of the bed was loud."

Well OK, then.

Overall, a completely non-challenging, quick read of an implausible "isn't-Hollywood-grand" stereotype. 2-1/2 stars.

* * * * *

The Water Cure

by Sophie Mackintosh
Oct 15-21, 2019

I don't get it. Dystopia? Nope. Sadistic women? Totally. But with vague descriptions and insinuations of the world around them, this book leaves the reader with more questions than answers, and not in a good way. Although I tore through The Water Cure, it was only because the writing was so shallow and asked very little of its readers. The author seemed to be under the assumption that the reader would know what the hell she was talking about.

The plot centers around three sisters and their parents living remotely on an island to supposedly shield themselves from toxins on the mainland and the violent men who inhabit it. But there is no solid proof that it's a dystopian society, and no real desire to find out more. Instead, it's a tactic that attempts to add intrigue and fails. What in truth is flat-out abuse in a cult created by ruthless parents, filling space with the abstract of "what is really happening in the world" was only distracting and really confusing.

"I am always alternating between invincibility and the sick fear of dying."

I think readers who are true fans of the dystopian genre are far more outraged than I am. I'm simply annoyed by all the hype and false comparisons to better novels.

* * * * *

A Ladder to the Sky

by John Boyne
Sept 19-Oct 14, 2019

This book pulled a protagonist-fast-one on me. For whatever reason, I was ready to abandon it within the first 50 pages, mistaking its intention, when suddenly the pace picked up with no turning back. What at first appeared to be about an old German writer, Erich, changed dramatically in tone when the true lead, Maurice, took center stage.

Wow, what an utterly pathetic human being. I have never read a more dislikeable character, nor have I read such a skillful build-up and decline of a person. Just when I thought I couldn't like him any less, Maurice became even more despicable. Just when I thought, "oh no, he can't possibly," he did. Boyne was superb at bringing Maurice to life and creating a story that simultaneously could and couldn't ever really happen.

“... he was essentially talentless, nothing more than a good-looking hack, and that only charm and sycophancy could keep him in the game.”

The surprise appearance of Gore Vidal was clever and made me want to pick up a couple of his higher-praised works. The book constantly leaves the reader questioning the proverbial good vs. evil. Are Maurice's actions really that of a sociopath, or of cunning, calculated success? The fact that Maurice had absolutely zero self awareness answers that question with the former.

And then, out of nowhere, this:

“You’ve heard the wonderful news, I presume?” “No. Has Mr. Trump died?”

Ha! One could only imagine that world.

* * * * *

The Lost Girls of Paris

by Pam Jenoff
Aug 18-Sept 18, 2019

I wanted to like this book more than I did. What on the surface is a terrific premise, I came away with two major issues. The first was that the facts and the timeline were poorly researched and seemingly rushed to publish without proper fact-checking. The second was the author's note at the end. Much of why I love historical fiction is for the reason that I learn about events, people, etc. that I didn't know about before, and a successful novel will spur me to research its subject further. But pretty much the first sentence of the author's note said that while these overall events actually did happen, none of the actual story lines can be taken with even the slightest grain of salt. Extremely disappointing considering the backbone this book started with. Instead of an homage to these female heroes, we were "treated" to insipid love stories and unfortunately, stereotypical, shallow women.

The 1946 chapters told by Grace were completely gratuitous and did nothing to further the plot. While Grace's portions were meant to increase the drama, they did nothing but induce eye rolls and diminish the female viewpoint. A much more credible novel would have omitted this altogether. The "love" story between Marie and Julian was shallow, unbelievable and unnecessary. Again, trying to be too much. It speaks to why I would go several days in between before picking the book up again.

However, I will never tire of reading about Paris!

* * and 1/2 * * *

The Lost Vintage

by Ann Mah
July 22-August 25, 2019

The Lost Vintage wasn't on my radar until a friend recommended it. I am feeling very behind on my to-be-read list, and I try to stay with books released in the present year and not go too far back. But when I looked up the audiobook version and saw that it was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, I was all in. I also hadn't listened to an audiobook that wasn't somehow related to The All Souls World in a couple of years (they are amazing, look them up). They were how I knew about the fantastic voice of Maarleveld.

Anyway, what a great story. In times when Nazi-occupied France is a very popular genre, it's nice to get a little different perspective. And listening to it was a great refresher in French – for the most part, I still got it! The author's crave-worthy descriptions of Burgundy are enough to make me want to run out to the nearest wine store.

With a wine lesson, history lesson, and love story all mixed into one, Mah did a great job at keeping the story interesting, believable and not the least bit cheesy. It's always a good sign when I sit in my car in the garage to finish a chapter. Really an unexpected treat!

* * * * *

The Peacock Feast

by Lisa Gornick
July 23-August 18, 2019

A lot happens in this book. Almost too much in the beginning, and it felt a little disjointed, difficult to follow, then it hit its stride and was engrossing to the finish. Spanning from the early 1900s to present day, I found the mid-century stories to be the ones that kept me coming back for more. While some of the timelines lost a little focus, the successful ones gave a payoff that was completely worth it.

The subtle character development of each of the multiple generations of the family unfolds in both heartbreaking and satisfying ways. The character's relationships with one another are believable and surprising. The plot was a bit of a slow burn, but one that I didn't predict. I love that. While I think that it could use some editing and cleaning up of the presentation of facts, I was deeply moved by the ripple effect one action can have on future generations. A unique and original concept that takes just a bit of patience.

* * * * *

The Editor

by Steven Rowley
July 3-22, 2019

What has happened to time when the 1990s are now considered historical fiction?? Even so, this book was delightful and kind of snuck up on me in an unexpectedly charming way. I adored the protagonist's subtle sense of humor and found myself laughing out loud right from the beginning.

Equally enjoyable were the countless poignant moments between James and all the other characters. James' mother was built up to be cold and heartless, but by the end, the reader can easily empathize. For a while James loses his way with his partner Daniel, but he finds his way back in a way that was endearing and not the least bit forced.

“I posit that any riddle whose answer is woman is inherently unsolvable.” 

Of course no review of The Editor can go without mentioning the elephant Onassis in the room. What a treat to read a fictionalized version of a true historical gem and not feel for one minute like it was made up. Her entrance into the story was delightful. The friendship she formed with James was not only believable, but enviable.

Overall, a lovely story full of wit and wisdom.

* * * * *

Daisy Jones & the Six

by Taylor Jenkins Reid
June 9-July2, 2019

Documentary style – following a rock band through the height of their career – a super fun premise for a novel that kept it quick-reading and initially half-doubting if it was indeed true or not (did this band actually exist??). The problem is that the further I read, the more cheesy it became, with a lot of "of course" moments in the end. Think of every stereotypical impression people have of rock bands and it's in here – sex and drugs at the top of the list, "of course."

The band is also supposed to be loosely based on my all-time favorite, Fleetwood Mac. However, if you know anything about them, it doesn't really come close. The similarities boil down to one – a  band that rose to stardom in the 70s. The number of band members isn't even the same! FM didn't break up after Rumors! And Daisy as Stevie is a major NO. Not only did their lives not align even fictionally, but Daisy was desperate, pathetic and needy.

The last pages of the book served as a dust jacket of sorts, with all the song lyrics written out. Talk about cheesy! I found this to be a bit indulgent on the author's part, and honestly, just filler. I skimmed the lyrics at best. I don't see how this furthered the story in the least. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I expect a lot of my book choices. In the end it was still fun, just missed the mark of being fun and great.

* * * * *

The Altruists

by Andrew Ridker
May 18-June 9, 2019

Obviously the title is as ironic as it gets, because these people sucked. And that is about as much feeling as I can muster for this book. I'm completely indifferent about the plot and I'm just glad to be finished with it. The story lagged, was not funny (as it claimed to be) and generally fell flat.

Like a comatose patient with no DNR, his sedate lifestyle required a steady drip of funds.

A little indulgent, no? I also may or may not have choked on my wine when I found out the author was born while I was in college. So I suppose I can give him a break on his debut and hope that he succeeds in the future. But this book is utterly forgettable with zero impact.

* * * * *

Alternate Side

by Anna Quindlen
May 5-15, 2019

I read all genres, all age groups, all kinds of subjects, but the last few Quindlen books have just felt old to me. Even though the main human was less than 10 years older than I am, the whole thing felt so geriatric. And I said "human" because evidently the main protagonist was a parking lot. Not one thing felt fresh or inventive about this group of ho-hum neighbors on a coveted block in NYC. The dust jacket describes the story as "provocative" but that couldn't be more off-base.

A quirky technique that was hard to ignore was the constant use of the past perfect tense.

"Nora had had to yank their dog away from a cardboard container of moo shu something..."

I don't normally dial-in on grammatical styles, but I couldn't help but notice how often it was used – I don't think normal day-to-day conversation calls for it so frequently.

This is the third dud in recent years from Quindlen. For me she's lost her dazzle from the Black and Blue days. I'm done.

* * * * *

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

by Ottessa Moshfegh
April 30-May5, 2019

Well, that could very well be the most unlikeable character I've read in some time. The unnamed narrator of this story is a selfish, narcissistic, manipulative drug addict. She is downright mean. With the amount of prescription drugs she took, it's a wonder she didn't kill herself (yes, I know it's fiction).

The book jacket praises the book in many ways, but the description of being "at times blackly funny" is so far off the mark as to miss it completely. It's impossible to feel sorry for "her." She treats her best friend like dirt; she thinks of herself as a 10 even when she's withered away in a drug-addled state. Her psychiatrist...oh God, please tell me that there aren't real doctors out there like this one. Every facet of this book is unbelievable. And with the constant pushing of the date in the reader's face (2000-2001) it's plainly obvious where this book is going. And that ending was downright offensive.

As I'm reading other reviews, I'm learning that this is the author's "thing" –  to write extremely unlikeable feminine characters to the point of shock value. Doing that over and over again shows a lack of originality and even with this one book, I'm bored by it.

And magically, sleeping for a year drugged out of her mind, and suddenly she is cured! Um, OK.

* * * * *

The Library Book

by Susan Orlean
April 19-30, 2019

The Library Book is absolutely the author's homage to the library. Explained in the blurb: "weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire ... author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians ..." This is all true, EXCEPT, I wouldn't say the book weaves. It's kind of an unorganized jumble.

"It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever."

All of it was fascinating, from the history of the LA Public Library, to the 1986 fire that destroyed nearly half a million books, to the suspect Harry Peak, but for me this was one case where I would have preferred a linear timeline. And while the main focus should have been on the fire itself, it wasn't. That's what I wanted more of. Everything else was very interesting, but the combinations of so many topics and dates left the book spread a little too thin.

* * * * *

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

by Heather Morris
April 14-19, 2019

A book that was short on pages, but not on importance. Morris did an incredible job portraying Lale's will and tenacity to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. In a time that seems to flooded with books on WWII, a reader can get a little weary of the subject. But it helped that this one was centered around real people and that the author interviewed him for years before writing it all down. Although it's evident that Lale survives, it didn't ease the stress level of reading what he went though. It's amazing how a person finds ways to risk his own life in order to help others when they have never had to do anything close to it in "real life."

“If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.”

It's difficult to rate a book that is based on facts. Especially these gruesome facts. Of course Lale and Gita's story is one that should be shared and never forgotten, so read this book for that reason alone. Morris is clearly a screenplay writer and it shows here in her debut novel.

* * * * *

The Dakota Winters

by Tom Barbash
March 31-April 14, 2019

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. The premise was really interesting and I love any chance to learn more about the Dakota. But the Dakota as a character fell flat and was unresolved. And while the beginning chapters were compelling, the book took a nose dive for me around the halfway point. I started to ask myself, what's the point? I adore historical fiction, but I really had a hard time believing the relationship with Anton and John Lennon. Someone who is so incredibly famous shouldn't be written in a fictional sense. I couldn't accept this relationship, no matter how much research the author did.

However, the name-dropping and events of the late 70s into 1980 were a fun trip down memory lane. It was when Barbash attempted to blend these people and events into a fictional family's experiences that I began to find the story gratuitous and shallow. I can usually accept historical fiction for what it is and allow myself to suspend belief, but the more I read, the more vapid it became. The fictional characters were all underdeveloped and the real characters left me doubting the historical accuracy. The entire plot was simply asking too much of the reader. Total miss for me.

* * * * *

The Paris Seamstress

By Natasha Lester
Mar23-29, 2019

Wow, I loved, loved, loved this book. So totally unexpected and just what I needed right now. Two separate love stories that were not the least bit schmaltzy, but truly powerful and heart-breaking. What I thought going in was going to be a story mainly focused in Paris during WWII, was instead about a dress designer fleeing Nazi invasion. And so much more.

Something really cool was that some of the characters actually existed. Lester took liberties with their pasts to incorporate them into the story and it worked out beautifully. None of the outcomes were overly-predictable or outrageous, just satisfying resolutions to the endurance of love. The character development was so complete that my feelings for each one was powerful. Overall just great.

* * * * *

Educated

by Tara Westover
March 10-23, 2019

It somehow seems wrong to judge a person's memoir. But that's just about what I am going to do. I understand that there are definitely people out there that live sheltered, unfathomable lives. But this one was eye-roll inducing. The first issue I had was with the "I think it happened this way; so-and-so thinks it happened that way." None of her memories are truly clear. There were too many footnotes like this that reduced some of the credibility. All of her memories are of horrific accidents and injuries and yet not one person died from these events. Her mother makes tinctures that save lives. Let's get the Cleveland Clinic to knock on their door...it's a miracle! Second, the timeline was disjointed at best. At one point the book jumps from Y2K to September 11. Tsk-tsk for an author with a PhD.

Which leads me to the "Educated" portion. If your delusional, government-fearing father is so anti-education, and you live on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, how do you even know you want an education? And once this education begins, Westover somehow becomes like the Forrest Gump of college – being afforded insanely generous opportunities to BYU, Cambridge and Harvard. And somehow there's enough money and scholarships for this to happen.

I understand the someone so cut off from society could truly be ignorant to the ways of the world. But,

"Was I pregnant? I wasn't sure."

This naiveté did not evoke empathy, just annoyance. COME ON. You are at BYU. Google it for goodness sake.

The memoir did start to come together more for me towards the end, but by that point, I just wanted to finish it. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I'm just tougher to please these days. (A- on the cover design though.)

* * * * *

Ohio

by Stephen Markley
Feb 18-Mar 10, 2019

I'm going to find it hard to put my review into words. So many thoughts and emotions swirling through my brain as I finished this book only an hour ago. I was nearly ready to give up on it after the prelude, but like a pas de deux, I continued to dance with my partner, this book, until the coda. I'm so glad I did. What a complex, challenging, heart-breaking book.

Complex: Attempting to keep all the characters straight and comprehending the political aspect of Bill's character. Challenging: I found myself looking up several words I had never heard of – verisimilitude, threnody, senescence – and yet there was not an ounce of pretension in the author's voice. Heart-breaking: At times, the graphic depictions of war, rape and self-mutilation were unbearable, but I realized that they were absolutely necessary.

As we all know, the way memory works is that the sweep of your life gets explicated by a handful of specific moments, and these totems then stand as narrative. You must invent the ligature that binds the rest.

And the draw was so familiar and comfortable, because, well, Ohio. Every mention of my happy places from Cleveland to Akron to South Bass Island, made me feel like home. While I'm not native to our great state, it's still my home.

“Johnny Appleseed. Ever heard of him? Ohioan.”

It seemed to take forever for me to finish, but I realize it was only short of three weeks. Worth every minute and with a payoff no reader could ever see coming. In an interview at the end of the book, Markley is quoted as saying,

"You just want those last forty pages to shock the shit out of you and yet feel totally inevitable in retrospect."

Absolutely. Poetically lovely, and absolutely relevant.

"And they were gone, these infinitesimal creatures, walking the surface of time, trying and failing to articulate the dreams of ages, born and wandering across the lonesome heavens."

* * * * *

The Girls at 17 Swann Street

by Yara Zgheib
February 9-16, 2019

Super quick read that takes the reader into the mind of an anorexic. The author (whose credentials are eye-poppingly impressive by the way) succeeded in not only writing a book that made me understand the anxiety and mental struggles of anorexia, but also made it so engrossing I couldn't put it down.

It's amazing that as Anna was down to a mere 88 pounds, the people she loved allowed it to happen. While they admitted their mistakes, it's just a fact that people see what they want to see and think they are being protective. It's also fascinating how two people remember stories completely differently. Anna remembers wonderful times and fun trips and her husband remembers her fainting and having to force her to eat.

The writing style and lack of punctuation could be a little distracting at times, but overall the sentences flowed at a rapid pace and the ending leaves the reader cautiously hopeful.

* * * * *

Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens
Feb 1-10, 2019

What a heartbreaking, yet somehow deeply satisfying book! At first a little hard to follow with the "slang" of North Carolina, I soon got a rhythm and was clinging to every word, every piece of poetry. This is a story about abandonment, isolation, racism and cruelty that had me in tears, but in the end turns rather triumphant.

"She feels the pulse of life, he thought, because there are no layers between her and her planet."

Although I was a little put off at first that it was turning into a murder mystery, the evolution made sense and the outcome was not the least bit predictable. Again, I feel like the more I like a book, the less I have to say about it. But this is one of the best I've read in a while, and definitely got me out of an early 2019 slump that was beginning to worry me. Highly recommend!

* * * * *

Sold on a Monday

by Kristina McMorris
Jan 19-27, 2019

What a missed opportunity. I expected a beautiful, heart-wrenching account of children sold during the Depression, and instead I was disappointed by a cheesy, foolish caper. Nothing about it felt timeless like good historical fiction so successfully does. The dialogue was incredibly corny and the author even went as far as describing a woman in an orphanage as "colored." Come on. How does that add to the story when it's not even used in the vocal exchange between characters?

It's not a story about the children who were sold by their dying mother. It immediately lost its focus on the hardships of the Depression after the first few chapters. It was about a reporter with a shallow storyline and a woman inaccurately misrepresented in 1931. I really can't believe this book got as many positive reviews as it did. It was supposedly inspired by a real-life photo of four children next to a for sale sign, but the (mis)interpretation was ridiculous.

* * * * *

How to Stop Time

by Matt Haig
Jan 5-17, 2019

First review of the year! I really like an occasional fantastical story that can almost be believable. In How to Stop Time, the overarching theme holds true whether fact or fiction – no one should be alone. At what cost or sacrifice can loneliness ever be justifiable?

"If I could live without doubt what would I do? ...  If I could love without fear of being hurt? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?"

Tom is 439 years old. He's been convinced by the leader of a secret society of equally-aged people that no one can ever find out. The society only has one rule – never fall in love. So he moves around every eight years, never allowing roots to be planted or friends to be made. But, he did personally know Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. These were fun "facts" that kept me invested in this unique plot. And then, this quiet, meandering sweep through four centuries suddenly turns sinister. Luckily, it happened in the last ten percent of the book, because for me there was no going back. It's a shame really. Such a fun concept with real life questions; I think the opportunity was missed to end a better way.

* * * * *