Hollow Kingdom
Kira Jane Buxton

Every once in a while, we get books in that we hope with all our might we can just leave on display all the time. Why? They’re so darn hard to categorize. That’s how I’m feeling about a book I recently finished called Hollow Kingdom. (I listened to it on libro.fm and I highly recommend the audio). It’s science fiction/fantasy/apocalypse/horror/comedy with some commentary on humanity thrown in. See what I mean? In what section do I shelve that? And what is it? Hollow Kingdom refers to the world after most of the human beings are wiped out (those remaining are known as “hollow”—sort of like, you know, zombies.) The novel is mostly narrated by S.T., a crow who was once the pet of Big Jim. Also belonging to Big Jim is a lovable dog named Dennis. This is S.T.’s family, or as he refers to it, murder (the word used for “group” of crows.) One day, Big Jim’s eyeball falls out of his head, and honestly, everything changes after that. S.T.’s understanding of the world (and vocabulary) has been shaped by Big Jim, who, if I’m being honest, most of us probably wouldn’t care for. He gets points for taking care of a crow and a dog, but that’s about it. S.T. has a bit of an identity issue because he would rather be a human than a crow. Nonetheless, S.T. and Dennis set out into the world to figure out what’s happened. Along the way, they meet a number of other creatures. Hollow Kingdom is funny, full of heart, and sometimes a little profane. If you’re looking for something completely different than you’ve ever read before (and I mean ever), give this a try. The narrator of the audio is exceptional.

Virgil Wander
Leif Enger

I’m so glad for the chance to re-read Virgil Wander! I’m re-reading it because our women’s book group chose to discuss it for our September book discussion. I have a soft spot for Virgil, a character who lives in a small town running a movie theater and has a car accident which leaves him without adjectives. As a self-described word-nerd, I am completely sympathetic to such a predicament! As usual, Leif Enger’s writing in this book is exceptional. The combination of a great story with great writing, well, does it get any better?

The Dutch House
Ann Patchett

The variety of Ann Patchett’s books is amazing. Her latest is the story of a brother and sister, Danny and Maeve. They lived in the Dutch House with their father, an emotionally distant businessman. Their mother had abandoned the family years earlier, and the children became extremely close. Maeve was several years older, and was a surrogate mother to Danny. Eventually their father remarried, and his new wife and her children moved into the Dutch House. When their father died a short time later, their stepmother threw them out. (Not a spoiler, this happens early in the book and is mentioned in the description on the dust jacket.) The story covers five decades, as Danny and Maeve, struggle, thrive, age—but never quite overcome their past. It’s a great story told by a master storyteller.

Note: the book will be released September 24. We are currently taking pre-orders for it.

Heart Earth
Ivan Doig

This summer we went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park for a short vacation. Amazingly (ahem) I discovered an independent bookstore in nearby Medora. Not only that, the store had a book by one of my favorite authors, Ivan Doig, which was new to me. What a treasure! I’d read This House of Sky, Doig’s account of being raised by his father and his maternal grandmother after the death of his mother on his sixth birthday. Heart Earth is his story of his mother, made possible when he received a packet of her letters after the death of her brother. Doig weaves the letters with his memories of his mother and, most likely, the stories about her which others shared with him. The process was precious to him, and the product is a very poetic and touching book. I recommend the book highly, particularly to Doig fans.

The Dearly Beloved
Cara Wall

Generally, I see no benefit to the sleepless nights insomnia occasionally inflicts on me. However, I recently used the time to read The Dearly Beloved. I rarely am able to have long stretches of uninterrupted reading time, so I savored reading this book in the wee hours of two nights. It’s the story of four individuals—two couples—who meet when the men (of course—it was 1963!) are hired to co-pastor Third Presbyterian Church in New York City and restore it to its former vibrancy and relevancy. Although James and Charles are very different, their gifts complement each other. They become friends and form a very collegial working relationship. Their wives? Ah, a different story. James’ wife Nan, is a PK (preacher’s kid) and embraces her role as a clergy spouse. Her musical talents, understanding of how churches work, and willingness to throw herself into the stereotypical role of the pastor’s wife grated on Charles’ wife Lily. Although Lily, an academic, loved Charles, she was not a believer and struggled with his faith and calling. Over 50 years these four shared friendship and conflict, commitment and misunderstandings. Although the setting is the church, the story transcends that to explore four lives bound together in a variety of ways. It’s a remarkable achievement.

Leopard at the Door
Jennifer McVeigh

It is 1952 and, at the age of eighteen, Rachel has returned to Kenya.
She lived with her parents in Kenya until her mother's death when she was twelve years old. On the same day as her mother's death, she witnessed a violent act which has great significance in her future.

Twelve-year-old Rachel was sent to England to attend boarding school and live with her grandparents. Throughout her long absence, Rachel longed to return to her childhood home. When her dream becomes a reality, she finds much that is familiar but also significant changes. Her father has a new woman in his life who lives at the farm with her son, Harold. It is a time of political unrest; the Mau Mau uprising. The Mau Mau fighters were drawn mainly from the Kikuyu, Kenya's major ethnic group. Their revolt was a significant step in Kenya becoming free of British rule. Rachel faces great danger, and conflicting views of Kenya and the people and land that she loved and thought she knew. Leopard at the Door gives a rich sense of time and place. It is a powerful story.

My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite

A serial killer is defined as a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. Korede’s sister Ayoola fits this description quite nicely, having dispatched three of her boyfriends with increasingly less remorse. Korede is understandably disturbed but will do anything to protect her sister, including cleaning the crime scenes and disposing of the bodies. Korede’s loyalty, seemingly impenetrable, is tested when Ayoola sets her sights on Korede’s long time crush. This book reminded me of An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good with it’s dark, often humorous, take on death. This is a shorter read that I finished in one sitting. 

The Alice Network
Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is a group of women recruited as spies during WWI. Most of us haven't heard how important these women were in turning the tide of the war. In 1915 Eve burns to fight the Germans and gets her chance when recruited to work under the queen of spies, Lili. In a counter story set in 1947, we meet pregnant Charlie St. Clair on the verge of being thrown out of her proper family. When banished to France she looks for her cousin Rose, who vanished in WWII. Charlie and Eve meet and team up to look for Rose and Eve's old enemy, Renee Bordelon. The author weaves in real women spies to make this great historical fiction. It’s a long book, but the suspense keeps one engrossed to the end. It’s a book for war buffs and anyone who loves a fast moving, intriguing story.

The Reluctant Fortune Teller
Keziah Frost

At 73, Norbert Zelenka is broke with only his dog for company. Three senior women decide to make him their project and establish him as the town's fortune teller. Years of observing people make Norbert a surprising hit, but disaster looms ahead. Each chapter is titled with a card from a deck of playing cards plus the possible meaning of the card as it is turned over. This adds to the fun of the story. This is a first book for the author, so it’s not as polished as it might, be but I found it to be a delightful read.

Her Fearful Symmetry
Audrey Niffenegger

Julia and Valetina are twins as are their mother Edie and estranged aunt Elspeth. An envelope comes in the mail stating that Julia and Valentin are sole heirs of their aunt’s London apartment. There are two conditions. One: that they live in the flat for a year before selling it, and two: their parents are not to enter it. The twins move to London, meeting some unusual people and soon discover some unusual happenings. Is their aunt really dead? A most unusual book! The author also wrote the bestselling book The Time Traveler's Wife.

There There
Tommy Orange

First we learn the background stories, stories that explain the different personalities of ten native American characters. Gradually they come together in an Oakland, California powwow. The title of the book has two explanations: first, a quotation from Gertrude Stein, “What was the use of my having come from Oakland it was not natural to have come from there… there is no there there.” She is referring to the fact that her childhood home had been torn down. Orange makes the point that all of traditional native lands are gone. But he also says that nature includes everything that people have created, that the spirit of nature which native peoples value is there everywhere, including asphalt streets. It’s a paradox, a new way of beginning to wrap our minds around what it means to be an urban Indian.

What Came Before He Shot Her
Elizabeth George

I’m still working my way through the Lynley murder mystery series, but I wasn’t prepared for this one. It’s amazing. The previous novel, With No One As Witness, has a shocking ending. In What Came Before He Shot Her, George takes us back to the year before and shows us the people that brought about the tragic incident. These are mostly well-intentioned people who make understandable mistakes. If you read the books in order, you know where the story is heading, which makes it all the more heartbreaking. Usually when I feel bad for a character in a book, I can remind myself that this is fiction, that the characters don’t really exist, and feel better. It didn’t work in this case. George has made me care too much.

Next up comes Careless in Red. Back to Lynley and his friends, to see how the tragedy affected them. I’m so glad Sally started me on this journey!

Love & Treasure
Ayelet Waldman

The treasure: a bejeweled art deco peacock pendant; enameled purple, white, and green.

In the prologue, a heart-broken young lawyer quits her job to spend time with her terminally ill grandfather, Jack. He gives her the pendant, but he has a strange emotional attachment to the jewel. As the book opens, we go back to the end of WWII. Jack is put in charge of a train full of treasures robbed from Hungarian Jews. He meets a beautiful red-haired survivor from a town that has a connection to the peacock pendant. Later we follow his granddaughter’s search through Hungary and Israel as she and a Syrian art dealer attempt to find the rightful owner of the jewel. Finally, we go back to Hungary in 1913 where we meet an early psychiatrist, a suffragette, and a lovely dwarf. The peacock has been a token of love in each story.

This fine book takes us into new and fascinating places in history with great characters and plot twists that keep us guessing and reading on.

Seeing in the Dark
Tom Stetzler

In Seeing in the Dark, poet Tom Stetzler plumbs the depth of solitude and loss, writing of loves moved on, parents gone, and the forgotten among us. There is solitude here, sometimes welcome, sometimes not. The poems, however, carry hope and “the one treading trouble. . .[is] redeemed.” This collection is a clear eyed view of the things we shed and the things we keep. Tom Stetzler really can see in the dark.

Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours is an excellent book. The author blends two stories together: a modern romantic mystery with a historically accurate tale about a riverboat family during The Great Depression and the awful practices of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

In 1939, the Foss family live a challenging but free life on the river, until a medical emergency leaves the five children alone and at the mercy of abductors, who bring the children to the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage. There, oldest sister Ril, tries to keep the other four children together, but despite her heroic efforts, the children are separated and adopted by different families.

In the present time, wealthy, successful and politically connected Avery Stafford returns home to South Carolina to help her father during a medical crisis. A random encounter with an elderly woman at a nursing home begins a mystery that, as it unravels, threatens to upset her family's political ambitions as well as Avery's belief about herself and those around her.

The German Midwife
Mandy Robotham

This book of historical fiction had me hooked! The book explores the possibility of events had Eva Braun become pregnant. Anke Hoff is the main character, a midwife, who is doing her best to help the women of a labor camp in Nazi Germany. Anke’s work does not go unnoticed and she finds herself being offered a deal to help her family. Mandy writes of the conflicts of the heart that Anke has to work through. Along the way, we see unlikely friendships being forged. By the end of the book, my head was swirling with all the what if’s and this really could have happened! This is the first book for Mandy Robotham and she scored!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Marlon James

If one is lucky, the book you’re reading is really good. Occasionally, it’s really good and rewarding. But sometimes you find yourself startled and amidst a work that you understand is changing the boundaries or criteria of how we’ve been judging what we read. Marlon James, (winner of the Man Booker Prize for his book A Brief History of Seven Killings), has now written what is being called the Black Panther (reference the recent film) of Fantasy Fiction, or the African version of Game of Thrones. Seriously! Here’s a writer of breathtaking dynamism and scope.

The Education of an Idealist
Samantha Power

Here’s a memoir of the idealist we all wish we could be, contending with the political realities of Washington D.C. and the wider world. We come to realize this is not always satisfying, and often desperately dangerous, painful & disheartening. Irish born Harvard Law Professor, journalist, 2003 Pulitzer Prize Winner, and the U.S.’s youngest U.N. Ambassador ever, Power tells how she remains idealistic, and continues growing.

Note: this book will be released on September 10.

Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary
Joe Jackson

This book is the biography of Black Elk, the Oglala Holy Man and subject of Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt. Black Elk was present at the battles of Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, and was a member of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, but more importantly, he saw himself as being instrumental in preserving the essence of Native American culture and spiritualism. Jackson details not only the events of Black Elk’s life, which straddled arguably the most devastating period of destruction of Native American Plains Indians, but explains Black Elk’s hope that his association with John Neihardt would be the means of accomplishing his Great Vision, his spiritual life’s mission. Given our present situation, our spiritual failure to interact and preserve the planet’s environment, it might be that Black Elk’s vision was greater than he knew.