Another Ann Tyler-"Digging to America"

Our book club just read Ann Tyler's The Beginner's Goodbye which everyone liked.  Her books are usually popular with book clubs.  While researching the author, a news story noted that her husband was an Iranian psychiatrist and had died in 1997.  It sounded like he had been the great love of her life and as a tribute she wrote the 2006 story Digging to America.  This seemed intriguing although when the book first came out it was not that popular with our patrons.  

Random House has this to say about the book:  "Two families, who would otherwise never have come together, meet by chance at the Baltimore airport-the Donaldsons, a very American couple, and the Yazdans, Maryam's fully assimilated son and his attractive Iranian wife.  Each couple is awaiting the arrival of an adopted infant daughter from Korea.  After the instant babies from distant Asia are delivered, Bitsy Donaldson impulsively invites the Yazdans to celebrate:  an "arrival party" that from then on is repeated every year as the two families become more and more deeply intertwined. Even Maryam is drawn in - up to a point.  when she finds herself being courted by Bitsy Donaldson's recently widowed father, all the values she cherishes - her traditions, her privacy, her otherness - are suddenly threatened."

The audio version is a wonderful surprise.  Read by actress Blair Brown, it feels as if friends are speaking to you about their lives.  As Random House says, this truly is a "luminous novel brimming with subtle, funny and tender observations that immerse us in the challenges of both sides of the American story".  The characters, especially Maryam and Bitsy, stay with you long after the last disc has played.

 

Anne Tyler's "The Beginner's Goodbye"

Anne Tyler, the Pulitzer Prize winning author (for Breathing Lessons), is now 72 years old.  She has a reputation for being reclusive, almost in the same category as J.D. Salinger of Catcher in the Rye fame.  Then, after 35 years, she started giving interviews when her new book, The Beginner's Goodbye, was published.  When asked why, she responded "why not?".  

 Ms. Tyler seems warm and friendly in her interviews with no hint of the eccentric recluse some would make her out to be.  She's lived in Baltimore for over 40 years and has set most of her novels there.  Her characters are quirky as illustrated by her famous novel The Accidental Tourist which was made into the 1988 Academy Award nominated movie starring Genna Davis.  She told an interviewer for USA Today that she visualizes all of her characters forming "a small town in Baltimore where they pass each other in the street".  That would be a charming town indeed.


John Waters, the director of Hairspray, is a friend of the author and says "She beautifully captures regular people who are not trying to be noticed.  She writes about real life".  

The Beginner's Goodbye tells the story of a quiet young man who works in his family's publishing house.  A tree falls on his home, killing his wife instantly, leaving him a widower.  Publishers Weekly says the book is "an uplifting tale of love and forgiveness.  By the end of this wonderful book, you've lived the lives and loves of these characters in the best possible way".

Anne Tyler's books have a gentleness about them.  There is A Patchwork Planet about a lovable loser who starts a business called Rent-a-Back doing odd jobs for elderly clients.  Back When We Were Grown-ups features a 53 year old widow who operates a catering business out of her home and  is questioning every aspect of her life.  Rather than being depressing, Ms. Tyler's novels are uplifting, witty and poignant.  There are 19 to chose from so be sure to check  one out.

 

"Still Life" by Louise Penny

First in the series

Patrons are mentioning Canadian author Louise Penny's mystery novels more and more.  It may be time you met her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache for yourself.   

Still Life is the first of nine in this delightful "whodunit" series. All are set in the fictional village of Three Pines in the province of Quebec.  You don't have to read the novels in order but it will be more satisfying to get to know the delightfully quirky characters as the series unfolds.

Louise Penny is a former Canadian journalist.  She submitted the first book to United Kingdom's "Debut Dagger" and came in second out of 800 entries.  Since then she's won five Agatha Awards and all her books have been nominated or won many prestigious awards.

The recent How The Light Gets In is the 9th in the series.  It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.  Kirkus starred review says it has "luminous insights into trust and friendship". 

Armand Gamache is not one of your down and out, depressed Scandinavian detectives.  He is dignified and has deep affection for the villagers.  He also gives gentle life lessons.  He tells each of his new agents four statements that will lead to wisdom in solving crimes:

• I was wrong.
• I am sorry.
• I don't know.
• I need help.

Actually, these four statements would help bring harmony to all human relationships.  Check out Louise Penny's thoughtful volumes today.

The latest in the series

New Books

There are several new books worth checking out!

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert sounds fascinating but at 512 pages it may be too long for a book club read.  Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame turns out to be a great writer, at least according to the rave reviews she's getting for her new historical novel.  Many readers loved Eat, Pray, Love but the 19th century female botanist of this new book sounds much more interesting to me.

Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri's new novel, The Lowland is short-listed for The Man Booker Prize.  
Set in India and America it's "the tale of two brothers bound by tragedy and a fiercely brilliant woman haunted by her past".  

Malcolm Gladwell of Outlier fame has written another thought-provoking book this time about his observations of David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants.  

Doctor Sleep:  A Novel is Stephen King's sequel to The Shining.  He said this will be his only sequel (not counting one he did with a co-author).  Prepare to be scared according to the reviews.

Bill O'Reilly is keeping up with his "killing" books with Killing Jesus.  Although the reviews say that there is no new information explored he does write with a fast-paced, thriller type style that makes these books interesting.

For readers who prefer to cry their way through a book, Nicholas Sparks has a new one entitled The Longest Ride. It's a tale of two love stories (two for the price of one!).

John Grisham has a new book coming out October 22nd entitled Sycamore Row which revisits the Ford County lawyer from his blockbuster A Time to Kill.

Publishers Weekly says "Thriller Award winner John Sandford ventures into DaVinci Code territory in his clever, quirky 7th Virgil Flowers novel".  The title is Storm Front and will be released October 8th.

We Are Water by Wally Lamb is coming out October 22nd. A friend recently mentioned that one of her favorite books of all time is his I Know This Much is True.  Mr. Lamb does not publish often and his books always become bestsellers.  The cover says with humor and compassion he "digs deep into the complexities of the human heart to explore the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives."

With the early darkness of autumn now is the time to skip TV and check out a new book at your  local library.  Hope this has given you a few good ideas.

Meet Author Tess Gerritsen Tomorrow, October 1, 2013 at 6:30 p.m,

We are thrilled to welcome the internationally known bestselling author Tess Gerritsen to our library October 1, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Publisher Weekly has dubbed her "the medical suspense queen".

Ms. Gerritsen says "I had the idea of a library tour some years ago because I know there are so many libraries with meager budgets who never get author visits.  It's my way to thank our public libraries because that's where I first learned my love of books!". 

 Ms. Gerritsen will present a general talk about her books and the ideas that inspired them.  There will also be a question and answer session. Ms. Gerritsen will sign your own copies of her books and Barnes and Noble will have books for sale.

All are welcome to meet Ms. Gerritsen tomorrow, October 1st!

"Falling Angels" by Tracy Chevalier

Our evening book club just discussed Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier.  This was a very pleasant surprise!

Highgate Cemetery, north London

The book is not long or exceptionally complicated but the author weaves in so much history that it is amazing.  The fictional story, inspired by Highgate Cemetery in north London, England,  keeps you reading and while you're on this journey you're learning some fascinating history about Victorians including their mourning and death rituals and also the beginnings of the women's suffragette movement.

The story starts the day after Queen Victoria's death in January, 1901 and ends the night before King Edward VII's  funeral in 1910.  This is the Edwardian period and was, according to the author, "the transitional period between the strict social codes and elaborate commemoration of the dead, and the modern world where...death is no longer celebrated".

The story follows two families who meet in the cemetery because their family plots are next to each other.  Each family has a young daughter who become fast friends even though their mothers don't approve.  One family is middle class while the other is more upper class.  One family clings to the old Victorian values even as the world is getting more modern.  The story is told from shifting perspectives:  wives and husbands; the two girls; the grandmother; the servants.   The 20th century is coming full force and with it come disappointment and then tragedy for the families.

The author's website at tchevalier.com is full of interesting information. While there click on any of her book titles and you'll find all sorts of interesting facts about the history of the period she's writing about, her inspiration to write the book, a summary and reviews.  It is one of the most informative author websites.

Ms. Chevalier was born in Washington DC but has lived her entire adult life in England.  Her second novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring sold 4 million copies and was made into a movie starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson.

One book club member who has read almost all of her books said she would recommend every one. Based on Falling Angels I can definitely say I'll be reading more of Tracy Chevalier's books.

The author in Highgate Cemetery

Meet Author Tess Gerritsen October 1, 2013

Mark your calendars!  We are thrilled to welcome the internationally known bestselling author Tess Gerritsen to our library October 1, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Publisher Weekly has dubbed her "the medical suspense queen".

Ms. Gerritsen says "I had the idea of a library tour some years ago because I know there are so many libraries with meager budgets who never get author visits.  I had thought of trying it out first in West Virginia but when Mary Clare (of Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus, Indiana) e-mailed me, inviting me to speak at her library, I thought why not start in Indiana? So it's a bit of an experiment.  It's my way to thank our public libraries because that's where I first learned my love of books!". 

The author has taken an unusual route to her writing career.  After graduating from Stanford University she went to medical school and became a doctor.  She began writing while on maternity leave.  She is now a full-time writer residing in Maine.

Her first novels were romantic thrillers.  Then her first medical thriller Harvest put her on the New York Times Bestseller List.  She has since won the Nero Award for Vanish and The Rita Award for The Surgeon.  She also has a series of novels featuring Rizzoli and Isles which inspired the TV show.

 Ms. Gerritsen will present a general talk about her books, the ideas that inspired them and the TV show.  There will also be a question and answer session.

All are welcome to visit with Ms. Gerritsen October 1st!

Tess Gerritsen at a book signing

"Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver

 

Most readers will agree that Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderful writer.  Our book club just finished Flight Behavior.  Some thought it was a little too long but overall we highly recommend it.  

Her sentences are so beautifully written that you want to share and remember them.  Then you realize you'd be copying down the entire book. As Time Magazine says "Kingsolver is a gifted magician of words".  

She is also funny and spot-on in her observations.  Here are samplings from Flight Behavior:

"Honk of you love Jesus, text while driving if you want to meet up."

"Will you explain to me why people encourage delusional behavior in children and medicate it in adults."

"I never learn anything from listening to myself."

In Flight Behavior we get to know Dellarobia Turnbow from Appalachia who is running from her stifling life when she happens onto a shocking "valley of fire" filled with millions of monarch butterflies.  The butterflies draw scientists, the media and local townspeople with everyone weighing in on explanations as to why the butterflies are where they aren't supposed to be.  

Kingsolver's books are known for pushing her personal convictions and in this novel it is climate change. Amazon says "she never reduces her characters to mouthpieces" which we all agreed was true.  

She is the author of several highly acclaimed novels including The Poisonwood Bible which follows a missionary family in the Congo. It is interesting to note that when Kingsolver was seven years old her physician father took the family to the former Republic of Congo for his work in a health care capacity.  She also wrote about her family's attempts to eat locally in the non-fiction Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
She has received numerous awards and prizes and has been nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award and The Pulizer Prize.  

Flight Behavior and any other of her works are great book club selections as they bring up interesting and possibly controversial topics leading to living discussions. Check one out today.

A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity at Trine University

Here is an amazing opportunity for those of us that live/work close to Trine University in Angola, Indiana.  More than 40 books and manuscripts are on loan to Trine from The Remnant Trust, a public foundation that shares its collection of works, some dating to 3000 BC.  There will be texts and documents from the classics in history, philosophy  literature, politics and the sciences.

The book 1,000 Years, 1,000 People:  Ranking the Men and Women Who Shaped the Millennium named the 1,000 most influential people of the past 1,000 years.  Johannes Gutenberg was No. 1.  His printing press was credited with lowering the cost of books, making accessible to almost everyone the wisdom and knowledge of the greatest minds of the ages.  The first book Gutenberg printed was of course the Bible.  At Trine University you will be able see some amazing items including a leaf of one of the first printed pages by Gutenberg (1455), a first edition of the King James Bible (1611), a 16th century text of the Torah, an early copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and books by Copernicus, Galileo and Darwin.

You can view the collection in Taylor Hall's Wells Gallery through May, 2014.   The gallery will be open for viewing at the following times in September:

Sunday, September 8, 2013 - grand opening 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Saturday, September 14, 2013 - from 1 - 3 p.m.
Sunday, September 15,2013 - from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Saturday, September 21, 2013 - from 1 - 3 p.m.
Sunday, September 22, 2013 - from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to participate in 30 minute talks followed by discussion on topics generated by the texts.  For a list of topics and dates e-mail Sarah Young at youngs@trine.edu.

Additional viewing hours will be announced later.  Visit trine.edu for details.  

To arrange a tour for your organization contact Dareen McClelland in the Office of the President at (260) 665-4102.

Congratulations to our favorite mystery writer Brian Freeman

Congratulations are in order for one of our favorite mystery writers, Brian Freeman.  Brian was so gracious when he came to our library a few years ago to speak about his love of writing.  

He has just won Best Hardcover Novel 2013 in the Thriller Awards.  Here is what he had to say:  "I'm leaving New York...after one of the most memorable and emotional nights of my life.  ...in a ballroom filled with amazing suspense writers, I heard my name called.  ...my book Spilled Blood was named the Best Hardcover Novel of 2013 in the Thriller Awards.  I can't remember when I was more unprepared or overwhelmed.  I cried.  I thanked a lot of people...bu this is my chance now to thank you, the readers, for your support, which has been so important to me.  If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be in this position today, I never would have believed them.  This is the fulfillment of a dream.  And what it makes me want to do is go home and write more books."

Brian also writes a mystery series featuring Duluth Lieutenant Jonathan Stride.  The first in the series is Immoral.  For fans waiting for the newest in the series, the UK edition, The Cold Nowhere, is available at Amazon UK.  Unfortunately, there is no date set yet for the US edition.  Brian also writes stand alone mysteries including the just honored Spilled Blood.  My personal favorite stand alone is The Bone House. 

Brian has been writing since he was a teenager and didn't get published until he was 41.  He just laughs when people call him an overnight success.  He's the most down-to-earth, nicest guy and we are hoping he will come back to visit our library when we celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2015.  In the meantime, we will keep enjoying his suspense-filled, award winning novels!

Author Brian Freeman

"The Lotus Eaters" by Tatjana Soli

The Lotus Eaters by first time novelist Tatjana Soli is a surprisingly good read.  It is about Vietnam which is a hard sell to some.  Several book club members did not read it which truly is their loss.  

The story revolves around Helen, a naive college student, who drops out to go to Vietnam when the war is in its beginning stages. Over several years she becomes an award-winning photojournalist.  Sam Darrow, her mentor/competitor is also her lover and draws her more and more into the darkness of this beautiful and mysterious country.  Their friend and co-worker eventually becomes her lover after Sam is killed and Saigon is falling.

The author is never heavy handed in her descriptions of the war but evokes the changing atmosphere as the war escalates. Her research is extensive but the reader is swept up in the story and never feels this is a history lesson.  The author has said that she based Helen on a compilation of several actual women.  For additional information the reader may be interested in learning more about Dickey Chapelle, one of the first female war correspondents in Vietnam.

Goodreads says "Tatjana Soli paints a searing portrait of an American woman's struggle and triumph in Vietnam, a stirring canvas contrasting the wrenching horror of war and the treacherous narcotic of obsession with the redemptive power of love.  Readers will be transfixed by this stunning novel of passion, duty and ambition among the ruins of war."  Well said.

The Lotus Eaters is definitely a fine selection for book clubs and others wanting an alternative to light summer reading.

 

"The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom

 

Our recent book club selection was The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.

The author has taken the long route to her first novel.  She was born in Canada, became a nurse, then an ad executive at a graphics company in Manhattan.  She eventually relocated with her husband to an old plantation in rural Virginia.  Her website recounts "As we restored our old plantation home, I began to research the history of our home and the land that surrounded it.  Then I discovered the notation "Negro Hill" on an old map.  Unable to determine the story of its origin, local historians suggested that it most likely represented a tragedy.  To this day I am uncertain why the notation captured me so, but fascinated, I gradually set aside everything else to pursue the research and writing of the story that is now The Kitchen House.  

The book tells a fascinating story of an 18th century orphaned Irish girl who becomes an indentured servant in a plantation's kitchen house. The slaves become her loving adopted family but her color sets her apart.  She eventually goes to work in the big house where circumstances lead to tragedy.  The book details daily life on the plantation for the slaves and owners as well as creating a fast-paced emotional story.  This is an excellent choice for book clubs as it created lots of lively discussion.

"Juliet, Naked" by Nick Hornby

No, there aren't any naked women in "Juliet, Naked" by British author, essayist, songwriter and screenwriter Nick Hornby.  Annie is 39 years old living in a small village with Duncan, a nerdy professor. They've been in a 15 year relationship that has fallen into boring platonic sameness.  Then there's the reclusive Tucker Crowe, an aging Dylanesque rocker whose real life doesn't live up to or deserve Duncan's obsessive adoration.  

Hornby creates honest, flawed but likable characters and is funny with a slightly sardonic wit.  As a reviewer on Goodreads said, Juliet, Naked is a reflective follow-up to one of Hornby's most famous novels, High Fidelity.  

There is something deceptively simple about Hornby's prose.  He captures his characters emotions so you feel you know these people and can relate to them (even though sometimes they seem a little eccentric). 

Annie is telling her therapist, Malcolm, that she doesn't want to "be quite content with my unhappy, boring, frustrating marriage.  I want more....Malcolm stared hard at the carpet, which was presumably where this conundrum had ended up somehow.  "Well" he said. "I'm not sure that's it."  "So what is it? If it's not that?"  "You said you don't want to be quite content."  "Yes. With. A. Rubbish. Life."  She said it as if he were deaf...." "But people who are quite content don't have a rubbish life," he said."

Get to know these characters and all their idiosyncrasies.  Find out what happens to Annie when she decides to leave Duncan. You will find yourself engrossed.  Then try Nick Hornby's other books which include High Fidelity, About A Boy, Fever Pitch and Slam.


 

"Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah

 

Winter Garden - what a wonderful surprise.  

Southern California lawyer turned author Kristin Hannah has written over 20 books in the last two decades.  She started with historical romance in the early 1990s and graduated to contemporary romance with the publication of Home Again in 1996.  As her career progressed she has moved on to more complex character-driven novels.

Our library picked Winter Garden as the January selection for our 12 Months 12 Books Challenge.  It seemed an easy pick for our Thursdays With Maureen book club since readers were returning the book with glowing reviews. 

Winter Garden has turned out to be one of our favorite books in the five years of our club.  When asked who her favorite character is from all her books Kristin Hannah responded with Anya Whitson, the subject of Winter Garden.  

The book introduces us to two adult sisters as their father is dying.  Their relationship with their mother is strained and without their father to smooth the way things deteriorate rapidly.  Admittedly, setting the scene in the first half of the book starts to drag.  But this is one of those books where the less said the better.  Just know that as the mother starts to tell her daughters a "fairy tale" that her dying husband made her promise to do, the book becomes impossible to put down. 

The period the fairy tale evokes is so beautifully and hauntingly told that it will stay with the reader.  Anya Whitson will indeed become one of your favorite characters.

 

"Clara and Mr. Tiffany"

One of our book clubs just finished reading the engrossing historical novel Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland.  She is the author of other historical books including Girl in Hyacinth Blue and Luncheon of the Boating Party.  Her writing centers around art related themes.

Clara Driscoll (b.1861 - d.1944) refers to a long forgotten worker in Louis Comfort Tiffany's stained glass studio in New York City.  Clara was in charge of the women workers and in the novel seeks artistic recognition from Mr. Tiffany.  It is said Clara was one of the highest paid women workers in the country during her time at the studio. Tiffany had a policy of only hiring unmarried women so once a worker was married she had to quit.  Clara anguishes over this and ultimately must decide what is most important to her.

Long forgotten letters between Clara and her mother and sisters and just one mention in a old booklet about a stained glass exhibit brought Clara Driscoll to the attention of art scholars and this author.  The letters indicate that Clara was directly responsible for the famous Tiffany dragonfly and wisteria lamps as well as some of the bronze bases to the lamps.  The Tiffany studio did not give credit to individual workers and it is particularly noteworthy that a woman was actually responsible for these beautiful pieces.

The book is an absorbing account of the artistic life in New York City in the early 1900s as well as piquing an interest in Tiffany and his beautiful creations.  The studio went out of business in the early 1930s and Clara died in obscurity having tried to continue her art but never achieving the glory of these masterpieces she had helped to create. 

the real Clara Driscoll at work

wisteria lamp

dragonfly lamp

 

"Fall of Giants" - A Hefty Companion to Downton Abbey

It seems that almost everyone in our book clubs and for that matter everyone everywhere is mesmerized by the PBS series Downton Abbey.  If you are under a certain age; however, you may not know that much about that time period.  Many things lead up to World War I.  It was one of the most troubled times in modern history and all you may remember is just bits and pieces as told by your grandparents.

A very readable historical novel that attempts to explain the period from 1911 - 1924 is Ken Follett's Fall of Giants, Book One of the Century Trilogy. It is a fascinating novel journeying through the Russian Revolution, the fight for women's vote, World War I and its aftermath.  It follows five families from different countries and social classes as political events unfold.  The New York Times has an excellent review at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/books/review/Boylan-t.html.

Winter of the World, Book Two of the Century Trilogy, takes the reader on a journey with the children of the same families through the rise of the Third Reich, the Great Depression and World War II.  A third novel is planned for release in 2014 with the families' third generation during the Cold War.

Internationally famous Welsh author Ken Follett was only 27 when he wrote the spy thriller Eye of the Needle.  His later works include Pillars of the Earth and its sequel World Without End about 12th century England.  

If you want to learn fascinating historical details about the 20th century along with a good family saga check out Ken Follett's Century Trilogy. 

Remembering Willie Sutton and Our Troubled Past

Sutton's Law is taught in medical schools and states that when diagnosing you should first consider the obvious.  That sounds almost too obvious to state but in this age of  healthcare reform and upheaval you might need that simple reminder.  The Sutton of Sutton's Law is Willie Sutton (a/k/a Slick Willie, a/k/a Willie The Actor), a famous bank robber born in a tough Irish Brooklyn neighborhood in 1901.  He died in 1980.   That doesn't seem long ago but he is not the household name that he once was.

J.R. Moehringer has written a fictionalized account of Willie's life entitled Sutton.  During his sprees he stole almost two million dollars from 100 banks and spent more than half his life behind bars.  He prided himself on his disguises (hence "The Actor") and the fact that he never killed anyone.  The book takes the reader on a New York City tour with Sutton, "Reporter" and "Photographer" on Christmas Day, 1969, when the sickly con is released due to good behavior and ill health. As they drive, Sutton relates his life story.  

The writing is fast paced and well researched.  The contrast between the early 20th century and 1969 is fascinating. The reader can't help but like Willie who was a folk hero to many during his lifetime.  He lived during a time when the "cycle of panics, depressions and soaring unemployment" turned people against banks and many rooted for him as a modern day Robin Hood.

Moehringer is the Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the Los Angeles Times whose first book The Tender Bar:  A Memoir was named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2005 by The New York Times. That book is a poignant account of the author's fatherless childhood whose role models were cohorts of his uncle's at the local watering holes.

Getting back to Sutton's Law and other musings of Sutton's -

On why he robbed banks Willie stated the obvious - "That's where the money is" (although Willie claims he never said that).

On why he carried a gun - "You can't rob a bank on charm and personality".

On his "career" success - "Success in any endeavor requires single-minded attention to detail and total concentration".  How true.

For a look into another troubled time check out Sutton.  

Willie Sutton