Hag-Seed
Margaret Atwood

I'm re-reading Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood in preparation for this month's Sort-of-Shakespeare book club. Last month we had a terrific discussion of Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (a re-telling of Taming of the Shrew) and I'm looking forward to the next meeting when we discuss Atwood's Hag-Seed, a retelling of The Tempest. In Hag-Seed, Felix loses his job as the artistic director of a theater festival, just when he was on the cusp of producing his best work ever. Following his job loss, Felix retreats to the woods. While there, Felix broods and mourns—broods his firing and mourns the deaths that have so impacted him—until......a local jail announces it will be hiring a theater director to do a production with the inmates. I'll say no more.

The Heavens May Fall
Allen Eskens

Detective Max Rupert and attorney Boady Sanden have been friends and worked together on cases throughout the years. Their friendship is tested when the wife of attorney Ben Pruitt is murdered. Max is working to solve the murder, while Boady chooses to defend Ben, who has become a prime suspect. Ben claims that he was in Chicago for a meeting at the time of the murder and couldn't have done it. Could Ben possibly have anything to do with his wife's death? Allen Eskens lives in Minnesota and includes places and information that will be familiar to readers who know the Twin Cities area. His experience as a lawyer also contributes to a story that rings true. This suspenseful legal mystery is filled with unexpected twists and turns. The conclusion is satisfying, but leaves open the possibility of a sequel. I will look forward to reading whatever comes next from Eskens.

The Exo Project
Andrew De Young

So a few weeks back, I was helping set-up for the Author Fest the store put on and Sally says we have a Sci-Fi author here. Now this was really surprising to me because we NEVER have Sci-Fi authors come to the area (are Minnesotans too grounded in the here and now?) Anyway, I was cautious as a few “Fantasy” writers sneak in now and then. So I slide by his table carrying a fake box of books and steal a glance at the cover of his book. Remember spaceships good, unicorns bad. Well, there was something that looked like a spaceship “blur” and no unicorns so I thought I’ll keep an eye on him and talk to him toward the end. When I did talk to Andrew he made points right off the bat when he started talking Star Trek and Star Wars. I also found out he studied literature in college (subtract points) but had an associate who was in engineering /physics who assisted with the scientific concepts in the book! (Add the points back).

He’s written the book for Young Adults (YA.) I’m always perplexed by what that means. I don’t think I would hand it to a 9 year-old but most teens would find it entertaining. I too found it easy reading and entertaining and, at times, something I didn’t wish to put down. It’s a story about two cultures at either end of the universe coming together. One is a futuristic earth that has screwed up its environment and has to go planet shopping. Certainly something for young people to be exposed to.

If you are interested in a book for a YA or are new to Sci-Fi and want a little taste, you might try this book out. I think this it’s well worth considering.

Wish You Happy Forever: What China's Orphans Taught me about Moving Mountains
Jenny Bowen

Jenny and husband Dick adopted a daughter from China. When they went to China to pick up Mia, they found conditions in her orphanage to be heartbreaking. After a short time, with lots of love and physical contact, Mia changed into a happy-go-lucky little girl. Jenny and Dick could not forget the girls left behind. They, along with other adoptive parents, founded Half the Sky Foundation to transform conditions in Chinese orphanages. Sometimes reading this book made one teary eyed. In the end, one wants to shout “yes!” This is a great book to discuss and share with others.

Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the animals who helped him save lives in World War II
Vicki Croke

Our story begins in 1927 in the country of Burma. Billy Williams has a new job with the Bombay Burma Trading Company, which is felling teak trees and sending them downriver to be sold. Elephants are used to haul the logs to the rivers. Later, when Japan invades Burma, Billy is instrumental in saving a number of Burmese people and also the elephants from capture. They travel over very treacherous terrain. This book is packed with adventure and excitement. Maps, photos and sketches enhance the story. I would call this a man's story for both men and women to enjoy. It would make a good choice for a men's group.

Edge of the Earth
Christina Schwarz

It's the 1890's and Trudy's parents have her life all planned. She is to marry the son of their best friends. But Trudy is looking for adventure and finds it with her fiancée's cousin. They marry and travel to a remote lighthouse on the wild coast of California. Trudy discovers life never goes as you’d planned, especially when she discovers what hides between the rocks. Christina Schwarz wrote the New York Times bestseller Drowning Ruth. Two books came to mind as I was reading Edge of the Earth: Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier and The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. I think lighthouses hold a fascination for readers. This is a suspenseful and rewarding read.

Al Franken: Giant of the Senate
Al Franken

Franken lets his funny loose, making this a highly readable book. His history is fascinating, and his insights into how our government works and what's gone wrong in recent years are invaluable. Minnesota has given the nation a treasure. Even Franken's video describing the cover of the book is magnificent.

Thieves Fall Out
Gore Vidal

I saw a documentary about the Vidal-Buckley debates, and wanted to read something by Vidal. I stumbled on this book: he originally published it under a pseudonym in 1953, because he was in trouble for writing such racy novels. Of course, today it would barely rate a PG13. It's definitely a pulp novel, but Vidal writes really well. It takes place in Egypt, and includes political matters that are still timely. It even features a character named Mohammed Ali!

Hag-Seed
Margaret Atwood

Another in the "Sort of Shakespeare" series. I'm not familiar with The Tempest so I read a brief summary before I started: there's a really good one in the back of the book. Also, Atwood clues us in to the play in a fun way as the story moves along. I feel that almost everything I could say would be a spoiler: just know that if you want to get an education about Shakespeare, The Tempest, and contemporary theater while reading a delectable novel, you are in good hands. Dive right in.

The Travelers
Chris Pavone

The Travelers is a spy thriller following the actions of Will Rhoades, a columnist for a fading travel magazine. He is recruited by the CIA while working abroad. However, many shadowy forces have been following Will, and Pavone does a great job at introducing new mysteries and clues to flip your perceptions of each character and make you wonder what sort of secrets everyone is hiding. A great globe trotting read!

Arcadia
Lauren Groff

I read Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies because President Obama said it was his favorite book of 2015. I was intrigued, because I would have expected him to pick a political or historical book, but instead he chose literary fiction. I loved the book and Groff's writing, so I went in search of other of her books to read. A friend suggested Arcadia, a book about a hippie commune in upstate New York in the late 60s and early 70s. Like so many Utopian ideas, it had its bright moments and then burned out. The book traces one main character throughout his childhood in Arcadia and his adult life in New York City after the commune dissolved. It was a good read, and a believable peek into an alternative lifestyle of days gone by, examining both the beneficial and not-so-beneficial effects on the people who lived it. 

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter
Kate Clifford Larson

I will never know the profound fear that can grip a family trying to hide a special needs child. In Rosemary, I found the account of educational and mental health services for our most at risk population in the early 20th century fascinating. I’m thrilled to realize the advances these fields have made. I was amazed at the extremes the Kennedy family took to ensure Rosemary's needs be kept secret. The author wrote in a way that also gave an understanding of the family dynamics and journeys each member traveled to accept and advocate meeting the needs of our most at risk population. I enjoyed this book.

The Women in the Castle
Jessica Shattuck

Not many writers spend time exploring the ‘aftermath’ of war and its effects on relationships. (Margaret Mitchell being a notable exception). We all seem to be drawn to the build-up of something, or the ‘hail’ of current events as they happen. Much less do we think about how people cope with the results, perhaps because we’re so eager to ‘pass through’ a period glamourless struggle, freighted with defeat. Shattuck explores the lives of several different women immediately after WWII, coping in their very different ways, with the personal losses they experienced.  I was especially interested in the differences of Shattuck’s characters, well developed and believable.