This Bookshelf: 2019 Books
Links to All Steve Hopkins’ Bookshelves
Web Page
PDF/epub/Searchable
Link to Latest Book Reviews:
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Links to Current Bookshelf:
Pending and Read
2019 Books
2019 Books
Links to 465 Books Read or
Skipped in 2018
2018 Bookshelf
2018 Bookshelf
Links to All Books from 1999
through 2018 Authors A-G
All Books Authors A through
G
All Books Authors A through
G
Links to All Books from 1999
through 2018 Authors H-M
All Books Authors H
through M
All Books Authors H
through M
Links to All Books from 1999
through 2018 Authors N-Z
All Books Authors N through
Z
All Books Authors N through
Z
Book of Books: An ebook of
books read, reviewed or
skipped from 1999 through
2018
Book of Books
This web page lists all books reviewed by Steve Hopkins at http://bkrev.blogspot.com during 2019 as well as books pending (The Shelf
of Possibility) or relegated to the Shelf of Reproach or the Shelf of Ennui. You can click on the title of a book or on the picture of any
jacket cover to jump to amazon.com where you can purchase a copy of any book on this shelf.
Key to Ratings:
*****
I love it
****
I like it
***
It’s OK
**
I don’t like it
*
I hate it
Title (Click on
Link to purchase
at amazon.com)
Author(s)
Blog
Date
Comments
Click on
Picture to
Purchase at
amazon.com
The Ghosts of
Eden Park: The
Bootleg King, the
Women Who
Pursued Him, and
the Murder That
Shocked Jazz-Age
America
Abbott, Karen
9/24/19
Remus. I don’t read a lot of true crime
books, but I’ve enjoyed Karen Abbott’s prior
books, so I picked up her latest, The Ghosts of
Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women
Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That
Shocked Jazz-Age America. I had never heard
of a bootlegger named George Remus who in
1935 owned more than a third of all the liquor
in the United States. Thanks to Abbott’s fine
writing, she pulls readers into the world of
this larger than life character and what the
USA was like during Prohibition. I defy
readers to complete these 400+ pages and not
at some time find oneself rooting for George
Remus, especially when one’s enthusiasm has
been enhanced by a few fingers of bourbon.
Merchants of
Truth: The
Business of News
and the Fight for
Facts
Abramson, Jill
4/19/19
Subscribe. Former New York Times
executive editor Jill Abramson has written a
great account of the disruption of the news
media, a book titled, Merchants of Truth: The
Business of News and the Fight for Facts. She
understands this business from the inside and
has gained perspective from the outside to
assess what all this turmoil means for
American life. Many people are losing faith
and trust in a free press. Readers who value
journalism should read this book and then
subscribe to another high-quality newspaper
in your town or someplace else.
Find Me
Aciman, Andre
12/16/19
Time. Andre Aciman revisits characters from
his 2007 novel titled, Call Me By Your Name,
decades later in another finely written novel
titled, Find Me. The title plays out in multiple
ways in the novel, to the pleasure of readers. I
was delighted by Aciman’s exploration of
time. Here’s one sample, from page 46:
“Basically, we don’t know how to think of
time, because time couldn’t care less what we
think of time, because time is just a wobbly,
unreliable metaphor for how we think about
life. Because ultimately it isn’t time that is
wrong for us, or we for time. If may be life
itself that is wrong. … because there is death.
Because death, contrary to what everyone
tells you, is not part of life. Death is God’s
great blunder, and sunset and dawn are how
he blushes for shame and asks our forgiveness
each and every day.” Here’s another sample
from page 104, ‘“And besides, if I give you an
hour now, you’ll want a day. And if I give you
a day, you’ll want a year. I know your type.”’
Fans of the earlier novel will love the return of
Oliver and Elio. As a last grabber for you:
Samuel and Miranda meet on a train. Read
the novel to find out what happens next.
Training School
for Negro Girls
Acker, Camille
3/26/19
Range. I enjoyed the range of experience
represented in the characters in each of the
stories in the debut collection by Camille
Acker titled, Training School for Negro Girls.
The situations, mostly set in the District of
Columbia, are recognizable and insightful. I
especially enjoyed Mambo Sauce, in which a
black woman who moved from Brooklyn
interacted with the owners and patrons of a
neighborhood food joint. The contrast
between how Constance and her white
boyfriend approached the mambo sauce and
the restaurant was perfect. Short stories can
leave some readers wanting more exposition,
but I found in each of these stories, Acker gets
the genre just right: we glimpse into the lives
of people we recognize and the ways in which
they behave tell us something about human
nature.
Waiting for Eden
Ackerman, Elliot
1/22/19
Intensity. Readers who enjoy finely written
literary fiction are those most likely to enjoy
Elliot Ackerman’s novel titled, Waiting for
Eden. Protagonist Eden survived an explosion
in Iraq and is at a Texas burn center thanks to
the efforts of medical personnel who saved his
life. What’s left of Eden weighs 70 pounds,
down from his normal 220. Eden’s distinction
is that his were the worst wounds of the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan that didn’t
immediately end in death. Eden’s wife Mary
has spent three years at his bedside waiting
for him to communicate, heal or die. The
narrator is a ghost: Eden’s best friend who
died in that blast in Iraq, who is also waiting
for Eden to join him in death. These three
characters are complex, and Ackerman
develops them with depth. From the
beginning to the end of the novel, Ackerman
maintains an intensity while he develops
multiple levels of meaning and explores issues
of loyalty, suffering and betrayal.
Dominion: The
History of England
from the Battle of
Waterloo to
Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee
Ackroyd, Peter
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Hardly Children
Adamczyk, Laura
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Children of Virtue
and Vengeance
Adeyemi, Tomi
12/20/19
Kingdom. The second novel in the Legacy of
Orisha series by Tomi Adeyemi is titled,
Children of Virtue and Vengeance. Magic has
gone rampant in Orisha with dramatic
consequences and changes in which faction
dominates. New readers should read the first
installment to avoid total confusion. Fans
may feel that this novel moves back and forth
in ways that may seem unsatisfying, but
should keep loyal readers engaged and
expecting the next installment. The attempt to
unify Orisha has many obstacles, and much of
the novel leaves us in a bloody morass as we
await what comes next.
The Coronation
Akunin, Boris
3/6/19
Abduction. I like to read entertaining
mystery novels, especially those that keep me
guessing long into the narrative. The first
novel I’ve read by Boris Akunin is titled, The
Coronation, and features a recurring
protagonist and private investigator, Erast
Petrovich Fandorin. The four-year-old son of
a Grand Duke has been abducted shortly
before the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II.
Ransom requests for royal jewels, including
ones that would be visible at the coronation
add to the urgency of finding the boy.
Fandorin uses great skills at disguise and
assimilation with criminals to try to solve the
crime. Akunin develops the characters with
skill and keeps the plot momentum at a fast
pace. Readers who enjoy mysteries, especially
in a historical setting, are those most likely to
enjoy this novel.
The Hazel Wood
Albert, Melissa
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Celestial Bodies
Alharthi, Jokha
11/14/19
Oman. I picked up a copy of Kokha
Alharthi’s novel titled, Celestial Bodies, after
it won the Man Booker International Prize.
This finely written novel draws readers into
the Omani culture and the changes to that
society over recent decades, through the lens
of three sisters. Oman’s history of slavery can
be disturbing, but Alharthi uses that history
to explore the many ways in which people are
bound and constrained. The women in this
novel are complex and interesting characters
and the society in which they live demands
change and extracts love and loss as time
passes.
Bad Stories
Almond, Steve
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
William Stoner
and the Battle for
the Inner Life
Almond, Steve
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Welfare
Anwyll, Steve
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Deeper the
Water the Uglier
the Fish
Apekina, Katya
12/9/19
Domestic. Many novels that present
dysfunctional family life offer insight into the
complexity of our human condition. In her
debut novel titled, The Deeper the Water the
Uglier the Fish, Katya Apekina elegantly
presents us with a tragic family saga. Mother
Marianne goes to a psychiatric hospital
following a suicide attempt. Teenage
daughters Edie and Mae leave life with their
mother in Louisiana and end up in New York
with their father, Dennis, a novelist. Through
different narrators, we see tragic lives in
different ways. As in many families, different
children describe their shared experience in
radically different ways, as if they were raised
in different places. Greek myths come alive
for modern readers on these pages, whether
recognized or not.
Amazing Things
Are Happening
Here
Appel, Jacob M.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Economists’
Hour: False
Prophets, Free
Markets, and the
Fracture of Society
Appelbaum, Binyamin
12/16/19
Markets. Readers interested in public policy
are those most likely to enjoy Binyamin
Appelbaum’s finely written book titled, The
Economists’ Hour: False Prophets, Free
Markets, and the Fracture of Society.
Appelbaum chronicles the influence of select
economists on American life over the past
half-century and assesses the outcomes from
that influence. Many of the economists and
their positions will be familiar to most
readers, and some stories may be new.
Whether you agree or disagree with
Appelbaum, his account is worth reading and
his assessment is cogent.
The Lies That Bind
Appiah, Kwame
Anthony
4/19/19
Identity. Kwame Anthony Appiah offers a
framework for thinking about identity in his
book titled, The Lies That Bind. Many readers
will find assumptions challenged about how
identities work. Appiah reveals how our
assumptions have been forged, whether as a
consequence of conflict, or a result of poor
science. Our differences are not as great as we
may think they are, no matter how we define
“we.” There are great stories and clear
thinking on these pages. Any reader who
enjoys philosophy written for a general
audience will likely appreciate this book.
Sea Monsters
Aridjis, Chloe
4/4/19
Quest. Why does a teen run away from
home? That’s the question Chloe Aridjis
explores in her novel titled, Sea Monsters.
Seventeen-year-old Luisa leaves home in
Mexico City on a quest to fulfill her obsession.
Her decisions and choices are exactly what
one would expect to flow from the unformed
teenage brain. While Luisa heads to the
Pacific on her quest, her father tries to find
his missing daughter by using every possible
connection he can uncover about her
whereabouts. We are all on a search for
meaning, and in that way, Aridjis pulls us
along on our own quest as she explores what
Luisa has to teach us all.
The Last Thing I
Told You
Arsenault, Emily
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Big Sky
Atkinson, Kate
7/16/19
Trafficking. Fans of the Jackson Brodie
series by Kate Atkinson will be delighted with
the fifth installment, a novel titled, Big Sky.
Patient readers will watch Atkinson meander
in what seem like unconnected ways and then
observe as she loosens some threads and
connects others. At the center of the novel
there’s crime: a human trafficking ring at
work. While the novel can stand alone,
readers of the earlier Brodie novels will enjoy
the reprised characters, the increased
complexity of their development, and the
changes in their life situations and behavior,
especially protagonist Brodie. Atkinson
respects the intelligence of her readers, and
feeds us with her humor, insight and clever
references. It’s been almost a decade since the
last installment, so enjoy the feast now that
it’s finally arrived.
The Testaments
Atwood, Margaret
10/15/19
Resolution. Fans of Margaret Atwood’s
novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, have waited
decades for the author to continue telling the
story. To prepare myself for a return to
Gilead, I re-read The Handmaid’s Tale, and
am glad I did. I was prepared to open the new
novel, The Testaments, with fresh memories.
I was delighted that one of the perspectives in
the new novel comes from Aunt Lydia. Her
insights help readers see Gilead from the
inside. As always, Atwood leads readers to
think for ourselves. Lydia is more complex
than I expected, and she offers an
understanding of the power of women in
Gilead. We also receive the perspective of
Agnes Jemima, born in Gilead as the daughter
of a Commander and a Wife. Atwood uses
Agnes to help readers understand the
expectations placed upon young women in
Gilead. The third narrator begins her story
outside Gilead, in Toronto, where she
gradually understands the truth about her
past. Atwood lets readers make up our own
minds as we hear these narratives and while
there is resolution by the end of the novel,
many questions remain. Readers are free to
reflect on many levels of meaning structured
in this novel and to ponder what it takes to
topple a corrupt and immoral regime. Atwood
continues to be a keen observer of life and
plays the role of messenger to readers about
living in our contemporary world and heeding
the signs of our times.
Frenemies: The
Epic Disruption of
the Ad Business
Auletta, Ken
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
(and Everything
Else)
The Missionary of
Wall Street: From
Managing Money
to Saving Souls on
the Streets of New
York
Auth, Stephen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Hyperfocus: How
to Be More
Productive in a
World of
Distraction
Bailey, Chris
2/2/19
Discipline. For as long as I can remember,
I’ve been productive, organized and
disciplined. After reading Chris Bailey’s book
titled, Hyperfocus: How to Be More
Productive in a World of Distraction, I
understand how and why some of my routine
practices have been successful. Readers who
have trouble with productivity or with
managing distractions will find a lot of
practical ideas in this book about ways to get
the right things done efficiently and
effectively. I especially enjoyed the section of
the book about scatterfocus, and the ways in
which that approach can lead to creativity.
Whisper Network
Baker, Chandler
8/15/19
Harassment. The novel by corporate
attorney Chandler Baker titled, Whisper
Network, deserves a wide readership. Set
inside the legal department of a corporation,
the action in the novel revolves around past
and present sexual harassment by the
company’s General Counsel. Corporate
attorneys and human resources managers will
take a busman’s holiday with this novel,
pleased that their workplace is a much better
place for women than the company in this
novel. Feminists are likely to feel that Baker
speaks their truth with eloquence and
explains the ways in which #MeToo gives
voice to matters once kept secret. Book clubs
are likely to embrace this novel and with wine
during conversations, personal stories are
likely to be revealed. Any man will benefit
from reading this novel especially if it leads to
improved listening to women and an
enhanced perspective about the lives of
women in contemporary society.
The Targeter: My
Life in the CIA,
Hunting Terrorists
and Challenging
the White House
Bakos, Nada
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Minute to
Midnight
Baldacci, David
12/16/19
Personal. The second installment in the
Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci is titled, A
Minute to Midnight. The unsolved murder of
FBI agent Pine’s twin sister continues to
preoccupy her, so she and her assistant take
some time off from work to return to Georgia
and investigate the old case. Small towns and
long held secrets go hand in hand, and Atlee
finds herself reliving the trauma of the past as
she uses her skills to solve the old case.
One Good Deed
Baldacci, David
9/3/19
Archer. Prolific author David Baldacci tries
something new in his novel titled, One Good
Deed. Baldacci sets this novel in a different
time period from his earlier novels. This time
out, Baldacci sets the novel in 1949, and
features a new protagonist, Aloysius Archer,
who served in World War II and, as this novel
opens, has been paroled from Carderock
Prison, where he served time for a crime he
didn’t commit. Directed to the small town of
Poca City, Archer quickly gets the lay of the
land, gets hired for a freelance job, and finds
himself in the thick of events in this town that
involve love and money and family. The plot
is entertaining and the protagonist
interesting.
Redemption
Baldacci, David
5/9/19
Infiltration. The fifth novel by David
Baldacci to feature memory man Amos
Decker is titled, Redemption. While Amos is
visiting the graves of his wife and daughter,
he is approached by Meryl Hawkins, a very ill
man recently released from prison. Hawkins
claims that he was innocent of the crime, the
first homicide case Decker worked on as a
local police detective. After Hawkins is
murdered Decker feels duty bound to revisit
the old case to see if mistakes were made.
Fans of crime fiction are those readers most
likely to enjoy the many plot twists in this
novel, and fans of the series will be rooting for
Decker at every turn.
The Divers’ Game
Ball, Jesse
12/16/19
Uncomfortable. Most readers will feel
unsettled while and after reading Jesse Ball’s
novel titled, The Divers’ Game. Using fine
prose, Ball pulls readers into examining a
society in which violence against the other is
not only commonplace, it is expected. Is this
who we are becoming? Where is compassion?
This short book packs a wallop and I can’t say
how long it takes for the unsettled feeling to
pass, because for me, it remains.
The Missing
Corpse
Bannalec, Jean-Luc
6/10/19
Belon. The fourth installment in the Brittany
Mystery Series by Jean-Luc Bannalec is titled,
The Missing Corpse. There’s no rushing
Commissaire Georges Dupin as he connects
the dots to solve a murder mystery. Much of
the action in this installment takes place
alongside the Belon River with its prized
oyster beds. There’s also a connection to
Scotland and Celtic heritage in Brittany
through shared cultivation of bagpipes and
oysters. This novel is a mystery lover’s treat,
with an added bonus for gastronomes. I
savored the engaging mystery and will now
search for a dozen oysters to pair with a
French white wine with just the right level of
minerality.
The Dakota
Winters
Barbash, Tom
2/21/19
Charmed. The protagonist of Tom Barbash’s
novel titled, The Dakota Winters, has
returned from the peace corps in 1979 at age
twenty-three to his childhood home in New
York City at the famous Dakota. Anton Winter
lives a charmed life as he tries to help his
father, Buddy, revive his career as a late-night
television host. The neighbors at the Dakota
include John Lennon, of course, and Lennon
behaves like a regular guy, takes Anton to sea
with him and on other adventures. This is a
coming of age story, a family tale, and the
erratic ways in which our lives play out.
This Land:
America Lost and
Found
Barry, Dan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Suspect
Barton, Fiona
2/2/19
Personal. The latest crime novel by Fiona
Barton to feature journalist Kate Waters is
titled, The Suspect. A story about two young
women missing in Thailand lets Kate jump
into the lives of the parents worried about
their daughters. The story turns personal
when Kate learns that her son, Jake, is a
suspect in foul play relating to the missing
women. The plot twists rapidly with action in
both England and Thailand, and family
dynamics are dramatic for lots of characters.
Children keep secrets from their parents for a
variety of reasons, and parents can be in
denial about the behavior of children. Barton
mines all that with great skill in this
entertaining novel.
Courting Mr.
Lincoln
Bayard, Louis
5/28/19
Springfield. Readers who enjoy historical
fiction are those most likely to enjoy Louis
Bayard’s novel titled, Courting Mr. Lincoln.
Set mostly in Springfield, Illinois, the novel
imagines the courtship of Abraham Lincoln
and Mary Todd. Bayard demolishes
caricatures of Mary that have endured, and
instead presents a lively, savvy, interesting
and loving woman with deep political
insights. Alongside the courtship story is the
tale of Lincoln’s friendship with Joshua
Speed. Bayard places readers into the social
milieu of Springfield, Illinois to observe the
interactions of these three historical
characters in context.
Charged: The New
Movement to
Transform
American
Prosecution and
End Mass
Incarceration
Bazelon, Emily
5/28/19
Prosecutors. Any reader interested in
public policy, especially criminal justice
reform, should read Emily Bazelon’s finely
written book titled, Charged: The New
Movement to Transform American
Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration.
Bazelon focuses on the power of prosecutors
to charge offenders and the incentives that
lead to choices made. She selects two
offenders, Noura and Kevin, and their
prosecutors in Memphis and Brooklyn
respectively. Bazelon makes a persuasive case
in this book that criminal justice reform is
needed, and that fixing the parts of the system
that are broken will lead to a stronger society.
Readers with no personal experience of the
criminal justice system will come away from
reading this book with eyes wide open, and
those readers with hands on experience are
likely to find many practical suggestions for
ways to repair this broken system.
Pretend I’m Dead
Beagin, Jen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
How Do We Look:
The Body, the
Divine, and the
Question of
Civilization
Beard, Mary
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Wonderful
Stroke of Luck
Beattie, Ann
8/5/19
Unpredictable. At the core of Ann Beattie’s
novel titled, A Wonderful Stroke of Luck,
there is this reality about life: it’s
unpredictable. Protagonist Ben was a star at
his private school, but has drifted since, not
quite living up to his perceived potential. That
potential was influenced by a manipulative
teacher, Pierre LaVerdere. I know I had
teachers like LaVerdere. In college, we called
one professor “Flies,” because where there’s
shit, there’s flies. It is difficult in youth to
discern truth. Lots of characters come and go,
each one revealing inner thoughts while being
walloped by reality. The nature of life is that
things never turn out the way we expect, and
Beattie delivers that truth with keen insight in
this novel. The title comes from the epigraph
and when you read it, you might be quite
surprised. It was a great note on which to
begin this novel. The reversals in the lives of
characters are so frequent that many readers
will feel as out of control as Ben himself. And
as to LaVerdere, he turns out to be more
despicable than I imagined, and when he
reenters Ben’s life years after their teacher-
student relationship ended, he attempts to
reprise his manipulation. Beattie reveals the
lies we tell each other and writes with great
precision about life as it is: messy,
unpredictable and often deceitful. If after the
first reading of this novel, you are frustrated
or confused, read it again, and its likely you’ll
see the skill with which Beattie writes this
novel.
Madness Is Better
Than Defeat
Beauman, Ned
5/24/19
Temple. My patience was tested while
reading Ned Bauman’s novel titled, Madness
Is Better Than Defeat. Set in remote
Honduras, two expeditions have arrived at a
temple site with divergent purposes: one to
shoot a movie, the other to dismantle the
temple and send it to New York City. Speckled
with humor followed by seriousness, I found
this odd novel a bit disturbing to read.
Questions about intentions and reality can
become confusing, and at about the halfway
point, I was ambivalent about how events
would play out. Read a sample before tackling
all four hundred odd pages.
If: The Untold
Story of Kipling’s
American Years
Benfey, Christopher
9/3/19
Range. I never paid much attention to
Rudyard Kipling’s writing, and I securely
locked him into a box labeled irrelevant old
white imperialists. Thanks to an interesting
book titled, If: The Untold Story of Kipling’s
American Years, by literature scholar
Christopher Benfey, I know more about
Kipling and think of him more highly. I had
been clueless about Kipling’s time living in
the United States, and the relationships he
developed in the late 19
th
and early 20
th
century with a diverse group of people
including Mark Twain, Henry and William
James, Teddy Roosevelt and John Hay. While
Kipling’s time living in Brattleboro, Vermont
was brief, his influence on the United States
was more than I expected, as was the
influence of the US on him. Readers
interested in this time period are those most
likely to enjoy this book.
The Gone Dead
Benz, Chanelle
7/3/19
Inheritance. Chanelle Benz’ debut novel
titled, The Gone Dead, will appeal to any
reader who enjoys fiction that presents family
stories in the context of particular places over
time. After protagonist Billie James inherits a
shack in the Mississippi Delta thirty years
after she left the place, she leaves
Philadelphia to spend some time in the house
that once belonged to her father, a black poet
who died in the Delta when Billie was four
years old. Once on site, Billie stumbles into
issues of memory, race and justice and pokes
at unhealed wounds until secrets are revealed.
Tell Your
Children: The
Truth About
Marijuana, Mental
Illness, and
Violence
Berenson, Alex
2/21/19
Evidence. Chances are your mind is made
up on the topic of legalization of marijuana.
Whether it is made up or not, consider
reading Alex Berenson’s finely written book
titled, Tell Your Children: The Truth About
Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence.
Berenson makes the case that there is ample
scientific evidence that marijuana can cause
psychosis. There is also a link between
psychosis and violence, and there is evidence
that crime is increasing among marijuana
users in the states that have legalized
marijuana use. We are generally poor at
estimating personal risks, and on a topic that
seems as settled for individuals as marijuana
use, how can we assess personal risks? Start
by reading this book that offers proof of
legitimate health concerns.
Firefighting: The
Financial Crisis
and Its Lessons
Bernanke, Ben S.,
Timothy F. Geithner
and Henry Paulson Jr.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Double Life
Berry, Flynn
5/24/19
Search. What would you do if your father
was suspected of murder and disappeared?
The protagonist of Flynn Berry’s novel titled,
A Double Life, does what most of us would
do: look for him. Claire was a child when her
father disappeared, and three decades later,
while working in London as a doctor, she
becomes focused on tracking him down.
Berry’s prose meanders through an irregular
plot but uses every scene to help readers
understand Claire. Toward the end of the
novel, most readers will anticipate what Claire
will do next. Fans of finely written literary
fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy
this novel.
The Malta
Exchange
Berry, Steve
4/25/19
Conclave. The fourteenth Cotton Malone
novel by Steve Berry is titled, The Malta
Exchange. Fans of this series are those
readers most likely to be patient enough to
stick with the complexity in this novel. A pope
has died, and there’s a scheme to get a
particular person chosen as pope at the
conclave. The complexity comes in the form
of a secret document kept by the Knights of
Malta, purported to go back to Emperor
Constantine and containing material
threatening to the Catholic church. There’s
also evidence about indiscretions by various
cardinals that have been documented and are
planned to be used to secure votes for the
person who wants to be pope. Various secret
agents are at work, and Cotton Malone is in
the middle of another mess. If you have any
questions about how Cotton fares, you’ve
never read anything in this series.
Mission-Driven
Leadership: My
Journey as a
Radical Capitalist
Bertolini, Mark
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Presidents of War
Beschloss, Michael
5/9/19
Sweeping. General readers who appreciate
readable and compelling presentations of
history are those most likely to enjoy Michael
Beschloss’ book titled, Presidents of War. I
paced myself while reading this doorstop of a
book, reading lots of other things between
sections. Beschloss focuses on these United
States Presidents: Madison, Polk, Lincoln,
McKinley, Wilson, FDR, Truman and LBJ. I
found just the right balance between detail
and summary. As with other fine writers of
American history, Beschloss knows how to
draw readers into the setting and the issues
through events that are carefully chosen to
support the narrative. The war powers of
United States Presidents are interesting to
explore, and Beschloss is an author who can
lead us toward greater understanding of
multiple dimensions of the many issues
relating to war.
Empire of Light
Bible, Michael
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Killing Habit
Billingham, Mark
5/24/19
Cats. The fifteenth installment in the Tom
Thorne crime fiction series by Mark
Billingham is titled, The Killing Habit.
Detective Thorne gets some ribbing when he’s
assigned a case that involves the killing of lots
and lots of cats in London. Thorne brings
Nicola Tanner into his new case, but she
remains involved in a different case involving
a new lethal drug. Billingham loves to develop
these characters and uses pauses in the action
to flesh out more about their personal stories.
Readers who like crime fiction with well-
developed characters are those most likely to
enjoy this novel and this series.
Their Little Secret
Billingham, Mark
9/13/19
Connections. The fifteenth Tom Thorne
mystery by Mark Billingham is titled, Their
Little Secret. Fans of the series will delight in
Thorne’s flaws and mistakes in this novel and
will appreciate his partnership with DI Nicola
Tanner. The mystery plot will engage all fans
of this genre, and few readers will see all the
twists and turns before they arrive on the
page. The characters are complex and
interesting, and Billingham leads readers into
just the right of empathy to make the
situations understandable, yet still chilling.
If You Ask Me:
Essential Advice
from Eleanor
Roosevelt
Binker, Mary Jo
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Murder in Bel-Air
Black, Cara
9/13/19
Mother. The nineteenth mystery novel by
Cara Black featuring Aimée Leduc is titled,
Murder in Bel-Air. Fans of the series will be
satisfied with the return to Paris, and to the
spunky Aimée who is caught between not
being the mother she’d like to be and dealing
with the hijinks set in motion by her own
mother. Aimée seems to never slow down:
running her business, raising her child, and
being used by others to achieve their own
ends. Readers who enjoy character-driven
crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy
this novel and this series.
Naamah
Blake, Sarah
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Guest Book
Blake, Sarah
7/26/19
Island. I won’t be getting to Maine this
summer, but thanks to Sarah Blake’s novel
titled, The Guest Book, I visited an island
there and a big old house. Have you ever been
in a resort community and noticed a special
house and found yourself wondering about
the people who live there? If so, this novel is
for you. Blake tells the story of a family and
what we know and don’t know about our
parents and their formative experiences. This
is a novel about white privilege and family
secrets. The names in the guest book for this
big old family house on an island in Maine
don’t include all the guests who have stayed
there. Blake explores what changes over time
and what doesn’t. The prose is terrific, the
plot engaging and the characters complex and
interesting. I was delighted to be in Maine
again through this finely written novel.
Frederick
Douglass: Prophet
of Freedom
Blight, David W.
6/18/19
Moses. Readers who enjoy finely written
history and biography are those most likely to
enjoy the terrific book by David W. Blight
titled, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of
Freedom. Blight brings all of Douglass to
these pages: the man and the myth. The
prophet Moses and the prophet Jeremiah.
The slave and the freeman. The patriot and
the critic. Whether you know a little or a lot
about the life of the great Frederick Douglass,
you’re likely to learn new things from this
book, thanks to private sources that Blight
used to inform his writing.
The Gulf
Boggs, Belle
8/27/19
School. If you think there’s a specialty school
for everything, you will not even blink when
you head to Florida’s Gulf coast to the school
at the center of Belle Boggs’ debut novel
titled, The Gulf. Protagonist Marianne is a
teacher and poet on the verge of losing her
Brooklyn apartment to condo conversion.
After her ex-fiancé and his brother offer her
the chance to live in Florida as the director of
a small school for Christian writers, she
agrees. Since we’re in Florida, the characters
are larger than life and there is a hurricane.
Some funding for the school comes from a
group that develops a variety of private for-
profit schools aimed at the Christian market.
There’s lots of wit on these pages, interesting
characters, genuine empathy and
understanding of our human foibles.
Eventide
Bohman, Therese
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Wrong
Heaven
Bonnafons, Amy
4/19/19
Offbeat. There are ten offbeat and finely
written stories in a collection by Amy
Bonnefons titled, The Wrong Heaven. The
stories are clever, funny, entertaining and
packed with insight about what lies beneath
the apparent ordinariness of life. If you can’t
imagine a world in which plastic statues of
Jesus and Mary can talk, you may want to
look elsewhere for something to read. If you
are at all curious about what those statues
have to say, this collection of stories should be
right up your alley.
Love Is Blind
Boyd, William
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Outside Looking
In
Boyle, T.C.
4/25/19
Sacrament. I like most of what T.C. Boyle
writes. I’ve especially enjoyed his skill in
skewering hucksters in his novels. While I was
reading his novel titled, Outside Looking In,
about Timothy O’Leary, I was remembering
his much earlier novel about the Kellogg’s
titled, The Road to Wellville. O’Leary
convinces disciples to follow him into lives
centered around the sacrament: LSD. The
tripping is described with great skill, and the
commune is filled with a cast of well-drawn
characters who behave exactly as most
readers would expect. Con men are great
characters, and Boyle offers readers O’Leary
at his conniving best. Fans of fine writing,
especially those with a good sense of humor
are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
A Ladder to the
Sky
Boyne, John
1/4/19
Maurice. Some of the finest protagonists in
literature are the despicable ones. John Boyne
gives readers the embodiment of our me-first
culture in a finely written novel titled, A
Ladder to the Sky. Maurice Swift knows how
to use others to his advantage, and Boyne
knows how to draw readers into Maurice’s
world, and lead us into an entertaining
adventure of manipulation, deceit and
immorality. When all societal norms and
golden rules are set to the side, we are left
with Maurice who stops at nothing to get
what he wants. The writing is terrific, and the
critique of ladder climbing is spot on.
My Sister, The
Serial Killer
Braithwaite, Oyinkan
10/10/19
Witty. Readers who enjoy dark humor are
those most likely to enjoy the witty debut
novel titled, My Sister, The Serial Killer, by
Oyinkan Braithwaite. Her prose grabbed me
with an opening scene that involved bleach,
and before long I was a co-conspirator with
these fascinating siblings as they face desire
and pain and the twists and turns of life. The
pace of this novel is brisk, and the characters
are engaging and interesting. I was
thoroughly entertained as Braithwaite tickled
the funny bone of my dark side.
The Spy of Venice
Brendreth, Benet
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Small Fry
Brennan-Jobs, Lisa
1/9/19
Complex. Choose your own reason for
reading Lisa Brennan-Jobs finely written
memoir titled, Small Fry. She writes
beautifully. She has the skill to be in her life
story and to be outside it at the same time.
You already know that her late father, Steve
Jobs, could be a jerk. He’s not the center of
this story, although the father-daughter
relationship comes across with love, pain and
intimacy. All families are complex.
Individuals are packed with strengths and
weaknesses. We grow up because of or in
spite of the child rearing we received. This
memoir reveals the skills of a fine writer and
an interesting person. Choose your reason but
read this finely written memoir.
A Lucky Man
Brinkley, Jamel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Pisces
Broder, Melissa
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Fleishman Is in
Trouble
Brodesser-Akner,
Taffy
10/10/19
Me. New York Times journalist Taffy
Brodesser-Akner’s debut novel is titled,
Fleishman Is in Trouble. The fifteen-year-old
marriage of protagonist Toby Fleishman and
his wife, Rachel, has ended, and Toby seems
ready to start a new chapter in his life. I loved
the well-developed characters in this novel,
the finely written prose, and the exploration
of the challenges to all marriages when our
selfishness takes command and we focus on
“me” and not “us.” Brodesser-Akner deftly
touches on what men want and what women
want in contemporary upper middle-class
urban society. Readers are drawn into the
lives of Toby and Rachel and we are set up for
an ending that will please most readers.
Readers who like clever and complex novels
with fine writing are those most likely to enjoy
this book.
The Silent Ones
Brodrick, William
3/26/19
Justice. The sixth installment in the Father
Anselm mystery series by William Brodrick is
a novel titled, The Silent Ones. Brodrick
tackles the issue of clerical sexual abuse of
minors in this novel and offers readers a
sensitive and complex plot in which we
accompany Father Anselm in figuring out
what happened. The title refers to the victims
of abuse, and this quote (pp. 100-101)
captures part of the treatment of this topic:
‘“If you fail,’ said Littlemore, ‘then it’s not
only Harry who’ll suffer. There are many
others. They are the Silent Ones. They live
and die in their own private hell. You can take
the first step that might help them find their
voice. They’ve been lied to and cheated. Their
goodwill has been exploited. They’ve said yes
to a cover-up when they should have said no.
You can do something to change all that.’”
Readers who enjoy complicated mysteries
with well-drawn characters and good writing
should consider this novel and this series.
John Marshall:
The Man Who
Made the Supreme
Court
Brookhiser, Rochard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Love Your
Enemies: How
Decent People Can
Save America from
the Culture of
Contempt
Brooks, Arthur
5/28/19
Countercultural. In his book titled, Love
Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save
America from the Culture of Contempt,
Arthur C. Brooks offers a prescription to bring
Americans together. Polarization has led most
of us to associate exclusively with those with
whom we agree and to demonize those who
have different views. He encourages readers
to join him in a countercultural call to action
(p.213): “Go find someone with whom you
disagree; listen thoughtfully, and treat him or
her with respect and love. The rest will flow
naturally from there.” Imagine that and then
consider following Brooks’ advice.
The Second
Mountain: The
Quest for a Moral
Life
Brooks, David
5/28/19
Meaning. In his book titled, The Second
Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, David
Brooks describes two stages in life: one that is
self-centered that leads us to climb a
mountain of achievement; and a second stage
in which we focus on others and make
commitments to individuals and community.
While we may achieve some satisfaction in
meeting our self-centered goals as we climb
the first mountain, fulfillment comes when we
give ourselves to others on that second
mountain. Our search for meaning and
purpose in life involves dependence on others
in the context of community. Brooks tells
stories in this book about many individuals,
including himself, and the narrative will lead
all readers to be introspective about one’s own
life and the meaning we have found.
Small Animals:
Parenthood in the
Age of Fear
Brooks, Kim
2/2/19
Independence. From the earliest time I can
remember, I would leave our family’s
apartment in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn,
and my parents had only a vague sense of
where I might be. Were there days when I got
in trouble that could have been avoided? Yes.
Did I grow up with self-confidence and
independence? Yes. Today’s children and
parents assess risks differently, and the “see
something, say something” culture has led
concerned individuals to contact the police
rather than a parent when they are concerned
that a child might be in jeopardy. Kim Brooks
has written a book titled, Small Animals:
Parenthood in the Age of Fear, that uses her
own experience with leaving a child in a car
for a few minutes, to describe current social
expectations and the angst of parents. If
selected for your book group conversation,
count on hearing lots of stories about child
rearing in the past and present.
Ninety-Nine
Glimpses of
Princess Margaret
Brown, Craig
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Body: A Guide
for Occupants
Bryson, Bill
12/16/19
Comfortable. Find yourself a comfortable
chair, and settle in for Bill Bryson’s engaging
and entertaining book titled, The Body: A
Guide for Occupants. Packed with facts,
supported with anecdotes and maintained by
good writing, the book examines the human
body in all its wonder. Bryson has the ability
to take something familiar and bring a fresh
look and introduce something mysterious and
make it understandable. Get comfortable with
and in your body as you read this entertaining
book.
Oliver Wendell
Holmes: A Life in
War, Law, and
Ideas
Budiansky, Stephen
8/5/19
Zeal. I love reading a book that closes a gap
in my learning that I didn’t know was there.
Stephen Budiansky’s biography titled, Oliver
Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and
Ideas, taught me loads of things I never knew
about the renowned jurist. Before reading this
book, I knew about some of Holmes’ Supreme
Court opinions. Now, I know about his full
life: his zeal for living, how formative his Civil
War service was, his many engaging
relationships, his lively conversational style
and his hunger for knowledge. I feel a bond
with Holmes the fellow reader, and when I
read about him enjoying P.G. Wodehouse, I
felt like I made a new friend. Budiansky
writes for general readers in a style that will
keep all readers interested throughout this
finely written biography.
Moneyland: Why
Thieves And
Crooks Now Rule
The World And
How To Take It
Back
Bullough, Oliver
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Accident on
the A35
Burnet, Graeme
Macrae
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Milkman
Burns, Anna
1/9/19
Challenging. Reading is usually more fun
than roaming in the stream of consciousness
of Anna Burns in her novel titled, Milkman.
This book won the Man Booker prize, and
that’s why I added it to my reading queue. I
recommend this book to patient readers who
are comfortable with unusual structure,
unnamed characters, and few signposts to
help one figure things out. Fans of literary
fiction who enjoy finely written prose are
those most likely to enjoy this novel. I expect
Burns won the prize because of her finely
crafted language in this novel. For many
readers, it takes more than language to bring
reading pleasure. Those readers are warned
about this challenging novel.
The Art of Dying
Well: A Practical
Guide to a Good
End of Life
Butler, Katy
7/16/19
Quality. If after a certain number of decades
of living, your thoughts haven’t migrated
toward death, you’re avoiding the inevitable.
Quality of life means different things to
different people, and when it comes to the
notion of “dying well,” there may be different
meanings there as well. In her book titled,
The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a
Good End of Life, Katy Butler encourages
thinking about what a good end to life means
to an individual reader. She offers a variety of
anecdotes and practical and thoughtful ways
to engage on this topic. Not everyone dies
quietly at home in one’s sleep. This book
helps readers think about the choices that are
ours to make when it comes to our care at the
end of life. If you think you’ve made your
wishes clear to your loved ones, read this
book and think again and provide them with
greater clarity about your choices.
Little Faith
Butler, Nickolas
7/3/19
Children. After I finished reading Nickolas
Butler’s novel titled, Little Faith, I thought a
lot about faith and family, and the range of
behaviors that take place when there is
harmony and when there is discord. Children
are at the core of this novel. The death of a
son led protagonist Kyle Hovde away from his
Lutheran faith in rural Wisconsin. After his
adopted daughter, Shiloh, moves in with Kyle
and his wife, Peg, Kyle gets a chance to love
another child, Shiloh’s son, Isaac. Shiloh is
drawn into a religious community and under
the influence of a powerful minister. This
pastor believes that Isaac has healing powers,
and the family enters a period of discord.
Butler builds each character with recognizable
and relatable complexity and draws readers
into this great story of faith and family,
centered on the love of children.
Shortest Way
Home: One
Mayor's Challenge
and a Model for
America's Future
Buttigieg, Pete
3/18/19
Refreshing. I’m continuing my reading
journey through books by the various
aspirants for becoming the next President of
the United States. South Bend mayor Pete
Buttigeig offers a refreshing life story in his
book titled, Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's
Challenge and a Model for America's Future.
Born in South Bend in 1982, this Harvard
graduate and Rhodes scholar worked at
McKinsey, is a veteran of the war in
Afghanistan, has served as mayor of his
hometown since 2012 and married a guy in
2018. He makes a case for leadership by
individuals like him from an age cohort with a
lot at stake about the next few decades.
Little
Carey, Edward
3/18/19
Wax. Readers who love historical fiction are
those most likely to be delighted by Edward
Carey’s novel titled, Little, the story of the
orphan who became Madame Tussaud. After
the death of tiny Marie’s parents, she is
apprenticed to a man who makes sculptures
out of wax. Marie learns this art from him,
and they find themselves living in
Revolutionary Paris and exhibiting wax
heads. We all know what happened to heads
during the French Revolution, and Carey
places Marie in the middle of the action. If
you’ve ever wondered how Madame Tussaud
got started, you’re likely to love this novel.
Someone Like Me
Carey, M.R.
12/20/19
Place. Most great stories include an element
that informs readers that there’s more here
than meets the eye. In his novel titled,
Someone Like Me, M.R. Carey sets up his
story by introducing a cast of interesting and
complex characters. Several of the characters
are considered weird, and before long an
otherworldly component enters and takes
control. Several characters are linked by
common experiences, and all are rooted in a
place that ties them together and may be the
locus for the events that drive the thrilling
plot. Patient readers who can suspend
disbelief will be rewarded with a well-told
exciting and interesting story that reminded
me of some of Stephen King’s novels. You
may not see what others see, but that doesn’t
mean it isn’t there.
A Long Way from
Home
Carey, Peter
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Working
Caro, Robert A.
5/9/19
Process. Along with many fans of Robert
Caro’s books about Lyndon Johnson, I look
forward to reading the fifth and final book
whenever Caro finishes it. In the meantime, it
was a real joy to read his latest book titled,
Working, that assembles perspectives old and
new about his writing process. The
conclusions are not unexpected. Caro works
very hard. He digs deeper and deeper, turning
every page in research, asking more and more
questions in multiple interviews. He begins to
write after he feels his research is done, and
that takes a while. Once he starts to write, he
writes quickly, but then rewrites multiple
times. He wants to be sure that a reader is
brought inside the story: that the reader
understands the issues and feels as if one is
there with what Caro describes. Caro’s prose
reads so well that he makes it seem easy. This
book explains how hard it is to make prose
seem that easy.
Make Me a City
Carr, Jonathan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bad Blood: Secrets
and Lies in a
Silicon Valley
Startup
Carreyrou, John
1/9/19
Duped. Many readers may have followed the
story of Theranos and CEO Elizabeth Holmes
in the business press in recent years,
especially the work of The Wall Street
Journal’s reporter, John Cerreyrou. In his
book titled, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a
Silicon Valley Startup, Carreyrou pulls
readers into a business scandal involving
prominent people who were duped. I hope he
sold the book rights to Hollywood, since a
screenplay would be great binge-watching
melodrama. Holmes worked very hard to
suppress Carreyrouy’s reporting of the
scandal at Theranos, but her efforts failed.
His investigative skills and the help of
employees and others got the story right and
the bubble that was Theranos burst. Business
is usually more boring than this book, so
corporate readers can be titillated by this
narrative, and all general readers will find a
human story of manipulation and deceit and
greed that will keep the pages turning quickly.
I wonder if one day we will hear Elizabeth
Holmes’ side of the story, since she refused
Carreyrou’s requests to be interviewed.
What Do We Need
Men For? A
Modest Proposal
Carroll, E. Jean
10/25/19
Spunky. Set aside for a moment that you
already know one thing E. Jean Carroll says
about President Trump in her memoir titled,
What Do We Need Men For? A Modest
Proposal. With that off your mind, let me set
up the rest of this book. Carroll went on a
road trip asking women the question in the
title. The book is packed with anecdotes,
asides, interesting people, and stories from
the full and exciting life of the author over the
course of many years. This spunky writer is
full of life, humor and resilience. There’s a
dark history related underneath the lightness
of the narrative, and Carroll’s ability to convey
her story with grace makes this book capture
the highs and lows of an interesting life
during fascinating times.
Invisible: The
Forgotten Story of
the Black Woman
Lawyer Who Took
Down America's
Most Powerful
Mobster
Carter, Stephen L.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bookends
Chabon, Michael
8/27/19
Pleasure. I read for pleasure, and Michael
Chabon’s short collection titled, Bookends,
reminds me how much joy there can be in
reading and in sharing what we like with
others. For those of us with wide interests,
Chabon is a model for following any paths
where our interests lie. I think Chabon is one
of our finest contemporary writers, and he
prose sings in this collection. For the first
time, I learned about the writers who have
influenced Chabon, and I realized that none
of them surprised me. Any reader who
appreciates finely written prose can enjoy this
collection of brief pieces that reveal the
prodigious skill of this talented writer.
The City of Brass
Chakraborty, S.A.
2/8/19
Adventure. With her debut novel titled, The
City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty begins a series
titled, The Daevabad Trilogy. Fans of
adventure fantasy novels will find protagonist
Nahri as a delightful character, full of magic
and mischief. The world Chakraborty creates
has a complicated history and lots of long-
held resentments among different groups.
Nahri finds herself in the middle of conflicts,
and on an exciting adventure at the center of
power. She has learned to be a healer, and her
special skills are on display in many different
contexts. Readers who enjoy big fantasy
books with interesting stories should consider
starting this trilogy and joining in the ongoing
adventure.
The Kingdom of
Copper
Chakraborty, S.A.
6/10/19
Siblings. The second installment in S.A.
Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy is a novel
titled, The Kingdom of Copper. Readers who
have not read The City of Brass will lose the
context for the conflicts in this book. Political
conflict is building in Daevabad and sets of
siblings are in the middle of the action along
with powerful parents. The destruction and
violence along with fantasy elements will
appeal to those readers who enjoy action and
imagination. These six hundred pages provide
a transition to next year’s finale, a novel titled,
The Empire of Gold. Readers like me who’ve
invested time to enter into this imaginary
world anxiously await the conclusion of this
story.
Brother
Chariandy, David
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Perilous
Adventures of the
Cowboy King
Charyn, Jerome
2/2/19
Bully. TR fans will be dee-lighted by Jerome
Charyn’s historical novel titled, The Perilous
Adventures of the Cowboy King. We find the
raucous Teddy Roosevelt in this novel which
takes readers to the time he became
President. Charyn excels at dialogue in this
novel, and the language seems perfectly
suited to the time period covered, and never
comes across as awkward or clumsy to this
reader.
The Stress
Solution: The 4
Steps to Reset
Your Body, Mind,
Relationships and
Purpose
Chatterjee, Rangan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Cape May
Cheek, Chip
6/18/19
Desire. Chip Cheek’s debut novel titled, Cape
May, pulls readers into the honeymoon of
virgins Henry and Effie in 1957. The couple
arrive in Cape May from Georgia at the end of
September and see that the resort town has
pretty much closed down for the season.
Cheek presents their innocence and reveals
their desire for sexual intimacy. They cross
paths with Clara, who had teased Effie years
earlier. Clara is staying in Cape May with her
lover, Max, and Max’s sister, Alma. Before
long, the extended cast are eating, drinking
and sailing together. Desire among the
characters is like electricity in the air, and
Cheek takes the action one step at a time
during the rest of the honeymoon, with
consequences for the tenure of Henry and
Effie’s marriage.
Here and Now and
Then
Chen, Mike
4/25/19
Parenthood. Time flies and stuff happens.
That’s one summary of life. Mike Chen’s
debut novel titled, Here and Now and Then,
presents a typical dad, Kin Stewart, who loves
his wife and tries to be a good dad to his
daughter, Miranda. Unlike the typical dad,
Kin leads two lives. In one, he is a time-
traveling secret agent living in 2142. In
another, he works in IT in San Francisco
where he has been living since the 1990s
when he got stranded while on assignment.
After his time travel colleagues pull him out of
San Francisco, he still tries to be a good
parent to Miranda, while breaking all kinds of
rules. This is a great book for a dad to read
with a teenage daughter and have something
in common to talk about.
A Single Thread
Chevalier, Tracy
9/24/19
Embroidery. If you have any interest at all
in the lives of single women in England before
the middle of the 20
th
century, consider
reading a novel by Tracy Chevalier titled, A
Single Thread. Protagonist Violet Speedwell is
thirty-eight years old in 1932 and realizes that
she’s unlikely to marry, given the deaths of so
many men of her cohort during The Great
War. Living at home with her cantankerous
mother becomes unbearable, so Violet moves
to Winchester and tries to make a living as a
typist. She joins a group doing embroidery for
the cathedral and makes friends and learns
how to handle a needle and thread. Meeting a
bell ringer turns Violet’s life in quite another
direction. If any of that sounds appealing to
you, pick up this novel, return to the past, and
relax to the sound of the bells of Winchester
Cathedral.
Exhalation
Chiang, Ted
6/24/19
Possibility. There are nine short stories in a
collection by Ted Chiang titled after one of
them, Exhalation. Fans of science fiction often
enjoy the ways in which this genre allows
speculation about what might be possible,
and how the big questions in our own lives
can be pondered in the context of that
conjecture. Some science fiction writers have
a few clever ideas and build clunky prose
around their concepts. Chiang’s prose is finely
written and enhances his clever ideas. From
time travel to free will to multiple parallel
worlds to living under constant surveillance
and recording, Chiang’s speculations will
stimulate every reader to think about what is
possible and what that means for our lives.
Blue Moon
Child, Lee
11/9/19
Mayhem. The twenty-fourth installment in
the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child is a novel
titled, Blue Moon. This time out, Reacher
does a good deed to help an old man, and one
thing leads to another as a week of mayhem
unfolds. The old man was on his way to repay
a loan from a loan shark affiliated with the
town’s Albanian gang. Neither Reacher nor
the old man understood why the loan shark
didn’t show up to receive the payment. Within
the first few pages, readers learn that a gang
war has erupted between the Albanians and
Ukrainians, a conflict that Reacher stokes.
The body count is high in this novel as
Reacher uses all his skills to do the right
thing. By the time Reacher leaves town the
community is much better off. Fans of this
series and any reader who likes character-
driven action novels will enjoy this book.
Trust Exercise
Choi, Susan
5/28/19
Memory. Is truth what really happened or
what we remember? As I finished reading
Susan Choi’s novel titled, Trust Exercise,
that’s the question I came away with. We
meet Sarah and David at age fifteen at the
beginning of the book, set in 1982, as a third
person narrator describes their relationship
and the acting class that helped form them
when they were adolescents. The second
section of the novel is from Sarah’s
perspective in the late 1990s, after she has
become a successful author. Choi writes with
great skill, and she leads readers to the coda
of the novel at which time I found myself
thinking about the question I note at the
beginning of this review. Fans of literary
fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy
this novel.
The Prosperity
Paradox: How
Innovation Can
Lift Nations Out of
Poverty
Christenson, Clayton
M., Efosa Ojomo and
Karen Dillon
7/3/19
Lens. Some companies look for growth from
places where consumption can be observed.
In their book titled, The Prosperity Paradox:
How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of
Poverty, Clayton Christiansen, Efosa Ojomo
and Karen Dillon, offer a different lens to
consider. They provide loads of examples of
looking for situations of non-consumption
and providing innovative solutions that
provide expanded markets and stable growth.
Along that path, underdeveloped
communities can escape from poverty and
become self-sufficient. Few business writers
understand innovation as well as Christensen,
and this book will help many business leaders
ask and answer questions about market
engagement.
Let Me Finish:
Trump, the
Kushners,
Bannon, New
Jersey, and the
Power of In-Your-
Face Politics
Christie, Chris
4/25/19
Scores. There are some words that easily
come to mind when one thinks of Chris
Christie: blunt, brassy, cocksure, confident,
larger than life. All of that is on display in his
memoir titled, Let Me Finish: Trump, the
Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the
Power of In-Your-Face Politics. If you think
Christie has some scores to settle in this book,
you are correct, and he scores with skill. If
you expect the book is all “me, me, me,” you
are also correct, but after all, this is a memoir.
You’ll read about Bridgegate, the relationship
between the Christie’s and the Trumps, and
come away feeling exactly the same about
Christie as you did before opening the book.
Readers interested in public affairs are those
most likely to enjoy this novel. I assume all
the Kushners received signed copies, with the
compliments of the author.
Open: The
Progressive Case
for Free Trade,
Immigration, and
Global Capital
Clausing, Kimberly
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
New Patterns of
Power and Profit:
A Strategist's
Guide to
Competitive
Advantage in the
Age of Digital
Transformation
Clemons, Eric K.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Water Dancer
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
10/10/19
Conductor. Treat yourself by reading Ta-
Nehisi Coates’ debut novel titled, The Water
Dancer. I completed reading it within twenty-
four hours of its release because the well-told
story grabbed me, and Coates’ characters,
prose and plot are finely written. Protagonist
Hiram Walker is a young slave whose life is
transformed when he encounters the force of
a power he has inherited. Hiram escapes from
slavery and becomes a conductor on the
underground railroad. I found this to be a
powerful and imaginative story with finely
written prose that exposes the center of our
humanity, our aspirations for a better life for
ourselves and those we love.
We Were Eight
Years in Power: An
American Tragedy
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Run Away
Coben, Harlan
4/4/19
Secrets. Thanks to Harlan Coben, even
family trauma can be thrilling. In his novel
titled, Run Away, Coben takes us into the
challenges of the Greene family. Simon and
Ingrid Greene are disrupted from their
successful lives by their daughter, Paige, who
has become a drug addict. To what lengths
will a parent go for a child? Coben pulls
readers into the Greene family situation, then
kickstarts a nationwide set of connections to
revealing secrets long held. Most readers will
become anxious to keep turning the pages to
see the next turn in the exciting story. How
many secrets will be exposed and with what
consequences? Fans of thrillers are those
readers most likely to enjoy this one.
Directorate S: The
C.I.A. and
America's Secret
Wars in
Afghanistan and
Pakistan
Coll, Steve
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Future of
Capitalism: Facing
the New Anxieties
Collier, Paul
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Let Love Have the
Last Word
Common
6/24/19
Reflections. The many fans of musical artist
and actor Common will provide a natural
audience for his book titled, Let Love Have
the Last Word. Introspection about his life
leads Common to sharing candidly his
reflections about life and love. There’s an
upbeat message in this book that may be
inspiring to those readers who can hear the
lessons from another’s life and apply them to
one’s own situation. In an age when hate and
polarization gets loads of attention, it’s terrific
to spend some time basking in messages
about love.
The Last
Romantics
Conklin, Tara
8/27/19
Siblings. Sometimes siblings have the same
childhood, especially when they are close in
age. Other times, siblings recall family life in
radically different ways. In her novel titled,
The Last Romantics, Tara Conklin introduces
readers to the Skinner family. The three girls
and one boy shared major trauma in
childhood: the death of their father, and the
depression of their mother for multiple years,
a period they named “the pause.” The
perspective of the novel comes from the
future, giving comfort that the siblings
survived. Sorrow and love formed them and
changed them. Conklin tells their stories with
great skill and insight into human nature.
Dark Sacred Night
Connelly, Michael
2/2/19
Partners. Michael Connelly’s novel titled,
Dark Sacred Night, features both protagonists
Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard. Ballard’s
skills are underutilized while she works the
night shift at LAPD’s Hollywood station. After
she meets Harry in the wee hours at the
station, the two hit it off and begin to work as
partners on a neglected case. Connelly
develops Ballard a lot in this novel, especially
her dedication to the job, and the skills she
deploys expertly. Harry Bosch is a beloved
character and Connelly sets him up here with
a gig for more novels to come. Fans of crime
fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy
the plot and characters of this novel.
Pandemic
Cook, Robin
2/8/19
Plodding. Readers who enjoy medical
thrillers might be satisfied with Robin Cook’s
novel titled, Pandemic. If you’ve heard
anything about gene modification using
CRISPR/CAS9, this is the book for you.
Frequent Cook protagonists Jack Stapleton
and Laurie Montgomery are reprised in this
book and their relationship has become rocky
since Laurie became Jack’s boss at work. My
expectations of recent Cook novels have been
low, and this installment gave me the exact
level of entertainment I expected.
War of the Wolf
Cornwell, Bernard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Halsey Street
Coster, Naima
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Sacred Duty: A
Soldier's Tour at
Arlington National
Cemetery
Cotton, Tom
12/16/19
Honor. Fed up with partisan politics? Take a
busman’s holiday with a non-partisan book by
partisan politician Tom Cotton titled, Sacred
Duty: A Soldier's Tour at Arlington National
Cemetery. Cotton tells us about the revered
U.S. Army unit known as “The Old Guard,”
and the work they do to honor soldiers.
During a time period when respect seems
scarce, it was a respite to read this account of
the honor shown to fallen soldiers.
America’s Dark
Theologian: The
Religious
Imagination of
Stephen King
Cowan, Douglas E.
11/9/19
Questions. Any Stephen King fan who has
noted the religious imagery and themes in his
writing should consider reading Douglas
Cowen’s book titled, America’s Dark
Theologian. Cowan explores all the core
questions that King raises in his writing. This
invitation to questioning is prevalent
throughout King’s writing, and he is always
skeptical about those who purport to have the
answers to life’s big questions. Readers who
may not know why we love horror may come
away from this book with greater
understanding.
Big Business: A
Love Letter to an
American Anti-
hero
Cowan, Tyler
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Melody
Crace, Jim
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Dangerous Man
Crais, Robert
9/3/19
Quick. The eighteenth Elvis Cole and Joe
Pike novel by Robert Crais is titled, A
Dangerous Man. After a routine bank
transaction between teller Isabel Roland and
Joe Pike, both their lives get complicated very
fast. Joe watches Izzy get abducted from the
sidewalk in front of the bank. It’s no spoiler
that Joe rescues Izzy, but what happens to the
abductors and where the story leads will
delight those readers who like character-
driven crime fiction. The plot moves fast, and
the action seems constant. What could be
dramatic in other lives becomes just another
case for Joe and Elvis.
Harvest of Secrets
Crosby, Ellen
2/2/19
Workmanlike. The ninth installment in the
Wine Country Mysteries series by Ellen
Crosby is a novel titled, Harvest of Secrets.
Protagonist Lucie Montgomery faces more
than the usual challenges at her winery in
Virginia at harvest time. A storm is coming
before the grapes have ripened as far as
desired; old human bones have been
discovered just outside the family winery, and
there’s a murder to solve. While part of the
structure of the novel is formulaic and the
characters are often not fully formed, this
novel will appeal to those readers who enjoy
mysteries. I finished this book with the same
kind of feeling I get after a glass of a
moderately priced New Zealand Sauvignon
Blanc: workmanlike, tastes exactly as
expected, and not much complexity.
Recursion
Crouch, Blake
7/26/19
Memory. Science runs amok in Blake
Crouch’s novel titled, Recursion. Using a
common science fiction trope, Crouch
explores the consequences of time shifting
causing the erasure of memories. Many
readers can anticipate what happens after
false memory syndrome spreads in the
populace. Without spoiling the thrilling plot,
this is also the story of a hero saving the world
from Armageddon. Readers who enjoy
thrillers, whether with a sci-fi element or not,
are those most likely to enjoy this fast-paced
and entertaining novel.
The Moroccan Girl
Cumming, Charles
6/18/19
Recruited. In a novel titled, The Moroccan
Girl, Charles Cumming presents protagonist
Kit Carradine, a writer who is recruited by
MI6. Kit takes to the work quite well in his
novice outing, and Cumming may reprise
him, as he has done when writing other
novels. Fans of espionage novels will find all
the usual elements here: intrigue, deception,
danger, betrayal and uncertainty about who is
friend and who is foe. Thanks to Cumming’s
fine writing, the suspense is taut, the
characters interesting, and the story
captivating.
Sea of Greed
Cussler, Clive
3/6/19
Energy. Kurt Austin and the team from
NUMA are back for the fourteenth
installment in the NUMA Files series by Clive
Cussler in a novel titled, Sea of Greed. A
terrific female villain, Tessa Franco, has
invested in a method to eliminate reliance on
oil as a source of energy. As with all the novels
in this series, the technology is intriguing, the
action is fast-paced, and the heroes always
beat the bad guys. Despite that predictability,
this novel and the series can provide
satisfying entertainment that doesn’t demand
much thought.
The Oracle
Cussler, Clive
8/27/19
Girls. The eleventh novel in Clive Cussler’s
Sam and Remi Fargo series is titled, The
Oracle. Set in different parts of Africa, each
chapter begins with an African proverb. The
Fargo’s philanthropy supports a girls’ school,
situated near where members of a group like
Boko Haram are terrorizing the community.
True to the series, there’s a treasure to be
found, and the plot moves quickly as good
triumphs over evil. Most readers will fall in
love with one of the girls whose courage and
skill overcomes all obstacles. Fans of
formulaic fiction and this series are those
most likely to enjoy this novel. I can’t recall
Sam and Remi taking a break for delicious
food and fine wine in this installment, so
perhaps they’ll find multiple Michelin starred
restaurants on their next outing.
The Titanic Secret
Cussler, Clive
12/9/19
Mining. The eleventh installment in the
Isaac Bell adventure series by Clive Cussler is
a novel titled, The Titanic Secret. Cussler pulls
protagonist Dirk Pitt from a different series to
start this novel a century after the time when
the main action in the novel takes place.
Detective Isaac Bell investigates a Colorado
mine disaster in 1911 and before long goes on
a global adventure to track down the mining
of a rare earth element named byzanium. As
always, Bell is a terrific investigator who gets
into life threatening scrapes with bad guys.
Fans of formulaic character-driven fiction are
those readers most likely to enjoy this novel
and this series.
The Falconer
Czapnik, Dana
7/16/19
Lucy. How does a coming of age debut novel
stand out from the many others available to
read? Write well and develop interesting and
complex characters. That’s exactly what Dana
Czapnik has done in her novel titled, The
Falconer. Set during a senior year in high
school in New York City in 1993, we get to
meet Lucy, a talented basketball player who is
falling in love with her friend, Percy. Czapnik
taps into all the questions and concerns that a
seventeen-year-old girl faces, especially one
whose talent in sports can alienate from her
male and female peers. Readers should never
underestimate the interior lives of others, and
Czapnik reveals much insight about our
human condition as she develops the
character of Lucy for us.
The Shadow
President: The
Truth About Mike
Pence
D’Antonio, Michael
and Peter Eisner
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Wolf and the
Watchman
Dag, Niklas Natt Och
7/26/19
Justice. Historical fiction about unfamiliar
places can place extra demands on a reader.
An author needs to bring the place to clarity
in our minds and present characters and plot
that keep readers engaged. In his debut novel
titled, The Wolf and the Watchman, Niklas
Nat Och Dag brings late 18
th
century
Stockholm to life and offers a gripping plot
about justice filled with great characters.
Protagonist Cecil Winge is an attorney dying
of what we know now as tuberculosis, and
Mikel Cardell is a watchman. This dynamic
pair join forces to seek justice. Along the way,
we meet the rich and the poor and are
entertained by a complicated plot that I found
totally entertaining.
Franklin D.
Roosevelt: A
Political Life
Dallek, Robert
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Mama's Last Hug:
Animal Emotions
and What They
Tell Us about
Ourselves
de Waal, Frans
11/21/19
Observations. Primatologist Frans de Wall
shares insights drawn from decades of
observations of animal behavior for his book
titled, Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions
and What They Tell Us about Ourselves. He
has specialized in comparing human and
primate behavior, and the abundant
similarities he describes have significant
implications. It may be humbling for some
readers to accept the evidence that we
humans are not as special as we think we are.
There’s a heartwarming story at the core of
the book, and most readers will finish this
book with a greater appreciation of other
animals.
The Right Answer:
How We Can
Unify Our Divided
Nation
Delaney, John
6/10/19
Pragmatist. John Delaney announced his
campaign for the United States Presidency at
the end of July 2017. I’ve just read his book
titled, The Right Answer: How We Can Unify
Our Divided Nation, and it reflects a
pragmatism that seems refreshing in our
polarized political environment. With
experience as an entrepreneur and a member
of Congress, Delaney brings experience in
solving problems and in dealing with
frustration. Despite the long tenure of his
candidacy, his name doesn’t pop up in polls.
He may or may not gain traction after debates
and early primaries. Whether he does or not,
his positive approach to working together and
finding solutions to serious problems is worth
a fair hearing by those readers and voters
interested in public policy and politics.
Why Liberalism
Failed
Deneen, Patrick J.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Patsy
Dennis-Benn, Nicole
10/10/19
Hope. Both my parents emigrated to
Brooklyn, so when I read Nicole Dennis-
Benn’s novel titled, Patsy, featuring an
immigrant living in Brooklyn, I was receptive
to the story. Patsy left her life in Jamaica for a
better life in Brooklyn but finds her situation
more difficult than she imagined. She left her
five-year-old daughter, Tru, behind in
Jamaica and Dennis-Benn moves back and
forth over the course of a decade as she
reveals the changing lives of both Patsy and
Tru. Hope may be one of the most powerful
drivers of human behavior, and the bonds
between mothers and daughters take many
forms. Life often requires resilience, and love
can be a balm for what we do to harm others
and to heal our own wounds. I learned only
after my father’s death that he never wanted
to come to the United States. A brother had
booked passage and arrangements had been
made for him with a relative in New York.
That brother broke his leg, and was unable to
sail, so my father was told he had to quit his
job and go to the US whether he wanted to or
not. It took him forty years to see those
brothers face-to-face again. Dennis-Benn
understands.
French Exit
DeWitt, Patrick
5/24/19
Broke. Fans of dark humor and good writing
are those readers most likely to enjoy reading
Patrick DeWitt’s novel titled, French Exit.
Frances Price is a widow living on the Upper
East Side of Manhattan with her adult son,
Malcolm, and an old cat named Small Frank.
Prodigious and carefree spending have made
staying in NYC untenable, so where does one
go in such a situation? Paris, of course. By
what method should they travel? Ocean liner,
of course. Pop the champagne and settle in for
a very entertaining reading experience.
One Nation After
Trump: A Guide
for the Perplexed,
the Disillusioned,
the Desperate, and
the Not-Yet
Deported
Dionne, Jr., E.J.,
Norman J. Ornstein
and Thomas E. Mann
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Almost Midnight
Doiron, Paul
9/13/19
Vacation. Maine Game Warden Mike
Bowditch is on something of a busman’s
holiday in the 10
th
installment of this series by
Paul Doiron, a novel titled, Almost Midnight.
Lots of characters from the earlier novel are
back, including a wolf and dog hybrid,
Shadow. As with the earlier novels, the
protagonist is a complex and engaging
character who’s easy for readers to like and
root for. Doiron’s description of the Maine
setting will make readers feel the places come
alive, and the plots are consistently
entertaining. While on vacation when Mike is
asked to help a friend, his initial reaction is
hesitation. Loyalty wins out, and readers set
off with Mike on another rule-breaking
exciting adventure.
Akin
Donoghue, Emma
10/10/19
Rescue. Prepare yourself to settle into
another one of Emma Donoghue’s finely
written novels, a book titled, Akin.
Protagonist Noah is an old man, retired and
widowed, and ready for a trip to his birthplace
in France to explore questions from the past
about his family. Just before his departure,
Noah meets his eleven-year-old
grandnephew, Michael, whose mother is in
prison and who needs a new guardian. A
social worker has tracked down Noah and
when the choice comes down to Noah or a
stranger as foster parent, Noah finds himself
agreeing to a trial run, as long as Michael can
accompany him to France. What follows is a
touching story about the young and the old,
the links of family relationships, and a rescue
from the past and the present. As always,
Donoghue’s writing is superb, and most
readers will love the story, the insights and
the finely written prose.
No Sunscreen for
the Dead
Dorsey, Tim
3/6/19
Vengeance. Readers who have laughed
through the Serge Storms series by Tim
Dorsey are those most likely to enjoy the 22
nd
installment, a novel titled, No Sunscreen for
the Dead. The current stop for Serge and
Coleman’s Florida escapade is The Villages
where the guys want to observe seniors in
their natural habitat. As Serge gets to know
some residents, he becomes a man with a
mission: exact vengeance on behalf of those of
the greatest generation who have been
exploited by others. He recovers their
swindled funds and delivers creative justice to
the bad guys. If you like wacky humor and can
tolerate a lot of violence, this novel will be a
funny and entertaining treat.
Trump Sky Alpha
Doten, Mark
10/25/19
Satire. If aspects of contemporary life are not
dystopic enough for you, consider reading
Mark Doten’s satire titled, Trump Sky Alpha.
The novel is set one year after President
Trump’s nuclear war, and the title refers to
his huge aircraft available only for the very
best people who look terrific. The protagonist
is a journalist on an assignment to open the
door to the remains of the internet and
uncover its secrets. More serious readers of
this novel will see its exploration of the use of
media, the consequences of disinformation
and how hard it can be to determine what is
true, especially when distracted by all the
noise.
My Father Left Me
Ireland: An
American Son's
Search For Home
Dougherty, Michael
Brendan
11/14/19
Kindred. As he prepared to become a father,
Michael Brendan Dougherty freaked out a
little about how he would need to tell his
daughter who she is and where she comes
from. He writes a book titled, My Father Left
Me Ireland: An American Son's Search For
Home, as letters to his father who has been an
intermittent presence in Michael’s life.
Dougherty’s mother and father ended their
relationship in Ireland before he was born.
While he was raised in New Jersey, his
mother spoke to him in Irish and his father
visited from Dublin every few years. Facing
fatherhood, he wrote letters to his own father
that are heartfelt and moving. At some time in
our life we answer identity questions for
ourselves about who is kindred. If we are
fortunate, we also come to understand the
sacrifice that parents have made to improve
the lives of their children.
Dreyer’s English:
An Utterly Correct
Guide to Clarity
and Style
Dreyer, Benjamin
5/24/19
Fun. If you’re a regular reader who loves
words you should experience delight as you
read Benjamin Dreyer’s witty, sharp and
experienced judgments in his book titled,
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to
Clarity and Style. If you’ve ever wondered
what different editors do, this book will
explain their work for you. Dreyer’s writing is
playful, clear and reflects a clear
understanding of our foibles. The footnotes
can be a bit distracting, often because I kept
overlooking the marks that would send me to
the bottom of the page. The content of the
footnotes and text were a joy to read, and
whether my usage of the English language will
improve as a result of reading this book, only
time will tell.
Mean Girl: Ayn
Rand and the
Culture of Greed
Duggan, Lisa
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
How Schools
Work: An Inside
Account of Failure
and Success from
One of the
Nation's Longest-
Serving
Secretaries of
Education
Duncan, Arne
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Never Home
Alone: From
Microbes to
Millipedes, Camel
Crickets, and
Honeybees, the
Natural History of
Where We Live
Dunn, Rob
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Verdun Affair
Dybek, Nick
2/8/19
Quest. Fans of finely written historical
literary fiction, especially relating to World
War I and its aftermath, are likely to enjoy
Nick Dybek’s finely written novel titled, The
Verdun Affair. Fate brings Tom Combs
together with Sarah Hagen in 1921 as she is
searching for her missing husband. Dybek
uses multiple time periods and finely crafted
prose to draw readers into a quest to discover
both oneself and a loved one. Truth is, as
always, elusive, and subject to multiple
interpretations. Dybek’s complex structure
adds to the difficulty of the quest to decide
whether or not a solider with memory loss is
the missing husband, and who will get to
decide the truth.
Bottle of Lies: The
Inside Story of the
Generic Drug
Boom
Eban, Katherine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Washington Black
Edugyan, Esi
1/9/19
Freedom. Readers with all kinds of interests
are likely to enjoy Esi Edugyan’s novel titled,
Washington Black. Those who appreciate
finely written prose will delight in her superb
writing throughout this novel. Readers who
enjoy fiction with interesting and well-
developed complex characters will find a host
of them in this novel, led by protagonist Wash
Black. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy the
detail with which Eduygan describes the 19
th
century from Barbados to England to the
Artic. Finally, those readers who enjoy fiction
that leads to insights about life will come
away from this novel with increased empathy
for the suffering of others, with thoughts
about the nature of freedom and the nature of
slavery.
The Death and
Life of the Great
Lakes
Egan, Dan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Parade
Eggers, Dave
5/28/19
Road. Contractors are working on deadline
to complete a road as Dave Eggers draws
readers into consideration of the costs of war
in his novel titled, The Parade. Set in an
unnamed country, the characters Four and
Nine react to the situation in which they have
found themselves, and Eggers pulls readers
into our own emotional reaction as the road
comes to completion. We are all on a road of
one sort or another and can be so absorbed in
ourselves that we overlook what is happening
around us. Eggers demands attention and
reaction. Consider giving it to him as you read
this novel that leads to personal introspection
about important matters.
A Mind Unraveled
Eichenwald, Kurt
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Your Duck Is My
Duck
Eisenberg, Deborah
2/2/19
Words. I don’t know about you, but words
flow in and out of my consciousness all day
long. Where they came from and where they
are going is sometimes clear, and at other
times very obscure. Deborah Eisenberg plucks
words from whatever her source is, and
constructs them into six playful and quirky
short stories, a collection titled, Your Duck Is
My Duck. Eisenberg taps into the inner and
outer lives of eclectic characters and holds a
mirror up to our regular and strange ways of
being in the world. The characters are
compelling, the stories engaging, and the
words are chosen with great skill. Fans of
literary fiction are those readers most likely to
enjoy this collection.
American
Dialogue: The
Founding Fathers
and Us
Ellis, Joseph J.
1/4/19
We. What would our first four United States
presidents think about our current situation?
In a book titled, American Dialogue: The
Founding Fathers and Us, historian Joseph
Ellis creates a dialogue of sorts between those
founders and the issues we deal with today.
By reflecting on our history, past
compromises and choices, and the principles
underlying our Constitution, readers can gain
some perspective on current events. The
founders were by no means homogeneous in
their views, as anyone who has studied this
period knows. Their arguments were
thoughtful and principled. The shared
objective was to unite different interests to
bring meaning to “we the people.” Today, we
can use insight about our past to forge unity
about those important things we continue to
hold in common.
This Storm
Ellroy, James
8/15/19
Staccato. Readers are bombarded by the
rhythm of staccato sentences over the course
of almost six hundred pages of James Ellroy’s
novel titled, This Storm. Set in Los Angeles in
1942, the novel combines complex and
interesting fictional characters with some
historical characters and events. The pace
never lets up and the complexity increases as
the cast of characters grows. There’s a noir
mood from cover to cover and dialogue and
language that fits the setting may grate
contemporary readers. Patient readers are
rewarded with avarice, vice, corruption and
crimes aplenty. The world was crazy in 1942,
and Ellroy draws readers into one slice of the
world at that time and throws sentence after
sentence at us until we are immersed or
bludgeoned. I enjoyed the challenge of
reading this novel.
The Doomsday
Machine
Ellsberg, Daniel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Personality
Brokers: The
Strange History of
Myers-Briggs and
the Birth of
Personality
Testing
Emre, Merve
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Tell Them of
Battles, Kings, and
Elephants
Énard, Mathias
3/26/19
Commission. I relaxed into the flow of
Mathias Énard’s novel titled, Tell Them of
Battles, Kings, and Elephants, in which he
describes the time that Michelangelo
Buonarotti spent in Constantinople designing
a bridge for the Sultan that would cross the
Golden Horn. This novel is an homage to art
and to the artist, and while I read the lyrical
English translation, I can only assume that in
French the poetry must soar. This is a short
and quirky novel which draws from some
historical fragments.
Virgil Wander
Enger, Leif
1/4/19
Repair. I’ve waited a decade for another
novel written by Leif Enger, and having read
his novel titled, Virgil Wander, I can imagine
that it took him all of a decade to write with
such perfection. A small Minnesota Lake
Superior town struggles for survival between
an industrial past that is gone for good and an
uncertain future. Protagonist Virgil Wander
requires physical recovery and repair
following an auto accident. All characters are
yearning for hope, dreaming of a better
future, and along the way extending love, care
and concern for each other. Virgil’s cinema is
a bright spot in the town’s life, and young
Bjorn leads the recovery of a sense of
community. Readers looking for fine writing
and a story of redemption are those most
likely to enjoy this finely written novel.
Kaddish.com
Englander, Nathan
4/25/19
Birthright. I laughed my way through much
of Nathan Englander’s novel titled,
Kaddish.com. After all, the premise itself was
funny. Protagonist Larry is a secular Jew
when his Orthodox father dies. It is Larry’s
birthright and responsibility to recite the
Kaddish for his late father every day for
eleven months so that his father can find his
way to heaven. He finds a website,
kaddish.com, that allows Larry to outsource
his responsibility. Two decades later, Larry
has become a rabbi, and is drawn to repair his
past action: he needs his birthright back.
Underneath the humor, there is a serious
story here about purpose and obligations.
Englander’s writing is superb, and the
tenderness and humanity of these characters
will enrich all readers.
Range: Why
Generalists
Triumph in a
Specialized World
Epstein, David
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Blood Oath
Fairstein, Linda
5/9/19
Return. The twentieth installment in the
Alexandra Cooper crime fiction series by
Linda Fairstein is a novel titled, Blood Oath. I
always look forward to finding out the NYC
landmark that Fairstein describes for readers,
and this time out it’s Rockefeller University,
one of the country’s finest medical research
centers. Fans of the series may recall that we
left Alex away from her Assistant DA work on
a leave of absence. In this installment, she’s
returned to work and her first case is complex
and sensitive. Meanwhile, she’s considering
whether or not she wants to become the next
DA. The familiar cast of recurring characters
are tested anew on a case that fans are likely
to love.
Little Boy
Ferlinghetti, Lawrence
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Early Riser
Fforde, Jasper
4/25/19
Winter. Readers who enjoy imaginative
dystopian fiction are those most likely to
appreciate Jasper Fforde’s novel titled, Early
Riser. Set in Wales, this is a story of a
population who eat hearty as preparation for
sleeping through the harsh winter. Fforde
adds clever writing, humor, mystery and
mayhem to keep readers turning pages. Levels
of meaning enhance the reading experience
and improve the entertainment value of this
novel.
The Great
Successor: The
Divinely Perfect
Destiny of Brilliant
Comrade Kim
Jong Un
Fifield, Anna
9/3/19
Insights. Despite the cheeky title of her
book, The Great Successor: The Divinely
Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim
Jong Un, Anna Fifield is not writing a satire
about the current leader of North Korea.
Fifield’s extensive contacts and long
experience in covering North Korea combine
to provide great insights into Kim and his
regime. The book describes the context in
which Kim has thrived as a young leader, and
how his actions have been more reasoned and
reasonable that others claim. If like me, you
were never inclined to sell Kim short, reading
this book is likely to convince you that Kim’s
future will be bright.
The Vanishing
Man
Finch, Charles
8/27/19
Dorset. The twelfth novel in the Charles
Lenox mystery series by Charles Finch is a
prequel titled, The Vanishing Man. Set in
London in 1853, young Charles Lenox, fresh
off a solved case, is drawn into a new
investigation at the request of the Duke of
Dorset. A stolen painting brings Lenox into
the Duke’s orbit, but the investigation leads to
a rocky relationship with high society. Fans of
the series will enjoy seeing familiar characters
in their youth, and mystery lovers will find
great characters and an engaging plot.
Judgment
Finder, Joseph
4/4/19
Hardball. Watch out for Judge Julie, the
protagonist of a novel by Joseph Finder titled,
Judgment. After exercising poor judgment in
her personal life, Judge Juliana Brody faces a
full court press on her to rule in a certain way
concerning a case in her courtroom. Her
escapades to avoid being blackmailed demand
a reader’s full suspension at disbelief: one
must forget that the behavior of this person
matches that of a Superior Court judge. Once
reconciled to the context that judges are
people too, readers can join the brisk plot that
races to a very satisfying conclusion. Fans of
thrillers are those readers most likely to enjoy
this novel.
Chocolate Cream
Pie Murder
Fluke, Joanne
12/20/19
Soapy. The twenty-fourth installment in the
Hannah Swensen mystery series by Joanne
Fluke is a novel titled, Chocolate Cream Pie
Murder. Fans of the series will enjoy the
reprise of the large Lake Eden cast of
characters and the recipes for sweet goodies
that are in every chapter. The soap opera
feeling of the recent installments ratchets up
in this novel, as the recent marriage of
Hannah and Ross has fallen apart and
melodrama follows. As with the usual
formula, there’s a murder and Hannah is in
the middle of the action. Perhaps I’ve
exhausted my interest in this series, as I
found not a single recipe worth trying. Fans of
the series are those readers most likely to
enjoy the time spent with familiar characters
and desserts.
Christmas Cake
Murder
Fluke, Joanne
1/4/19
Backstory. The 23
rd
installment in the
Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke is
titled, Christmas Cake Murder. While the
author left fans with cliffhangers about
happenings in Hannah’s current life, she
diverts attention in this installment to part of
Hannah’s backstory. Hannah is preparing to
open the bakery business, The Cookie Jar,
making her dream come true. While that’s
going on, she agrees to help an elderly Lake
Eden resident in hospice care experience
again the Christmas Ball from decades earlier,
an event marked by special deserts, the area
in which Hannah will help. The crime in this
case is interesting, the recipes typical, and the
backstory interesting for those fans who really
enjoy this series. Most of the dialogue is as
sweet as the cookie recipes.
World Without
Mind: The
Existential Threat
of Big Tech
Foer, Franklin
5/24/19
Argument. Franklin Foer offers a cogent
argument about the threats from Google,
Apple, Facebook and Amazon, in a book
titled, World Without Mind: The Existential
Threat of Big Tech. Monopoly power has
consequences and what we are gaining in
benefits from these giant companies may not
be sufficient when weighed against the
evidence of what we are losing as individuals
and as a society. To what extent are we willing
to let these companies think for us? Whether
you’re a tech booster or a queasy Luddite,
reading this book gives you a foundational
way to think about some of the major issues
facing our evolving world.
We Are the
Weather: Saving
the Planet Begins
at Breakfast
Foer, Jonathan Safran
10/10/19
Act. Do something. Climate change isn’t
someone else’s problem. We make our earthly
home together and each of us can take action
that will help respond to the climate crisis.
That’s much of what Jonathan Safran Foer
proposes in his book titled, We Are the
Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at
Breakfast. He writes this as a personal
reflection and a call to action. He describes
his own hypocrisy when he acts in ways that
he knows are different from what he wants to
do. An individual action as simple as not
eating meat for a meal or two each day can
combine with a similar action by others and
reduce the number of animals raised for
human consumption and the environmental
consequences caused by those animals.
A Particular Kind
of Black Man
Folarin, Tope
9/3/19
Home. The finely written debut novel by
Tope Folarin titled, A Particular Kind of Black
Man, may seem at first to be a familiar story
of immigrant assimilation into the culture of
the United States. It is that and much more.
Protagonist Tunde Akinola can never feel
quite “at home.” He never fit in to life among
the Mormons in rural Utah, where his father’s
work and skills were undervalued. After his
mother left Utah to return to Nigeria, Tunde
becomes more adrift. A move to Texas doesn’t
improve the family’s fitting in. Years later,
Tunde visits family in Nigeria and his
memories of life are questions by different
aspects of the life he thought he knew and
remembered. Readers who appreciate literary
fiction will enjoy Folarin’s prose and
recognize that this short novel is about much
more than another immigrant family trying to
fit in.
The Whisperer
Fossum, Karin
10/10/19
Listening. The thirteenth installment in the
Inspector Sejer mystery series by Karin
Fossum is a novel titled, The Whisperer. Fans
of the series will be familiar with the
personality and style of Inspector Sejer and
enjoy the compassion and empathy he shows
to a woman held for a serious crime. Sejer
allows protagonist Ragna Reigel tell her story
and he listens closely and carefully, showing
her respect. Fossum allows readers to enter
into Ragna’s life in small bits surrounding
Sejer’s interrogations. Ragna speaks very
softly, hence the title, so we can imagine the
patience and care Sejer shows her as he gives
her time and space to speak up. Readers who
enjoy finely written mysteries are those most
likely to enjoy this novel and this series.
Beautiful Country
Burn Again:
Democracy,
Rebellion, and
Revolution
Fountain, Ben
1/22/19
Fiery. Instead of watching the State of the
Union address this year, consider reading Ben
Fountain’s book titled, Beautiful Country
Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and
Revolution. His view of how we came to this
point and where we are going should disturb
every reader. Fountain describes that
America’s first crisis was over slavery and led
to the Civil War. Our second crisis was the
Depression and that led to the New Deal. He
views that the country is now ready for a third
great reinvention. To bring readers to that
point, this book takes us month my month
through the 2016 campaign, along with
backward looks to lessons from the past.
Fountain writes with great skill and passion.
He senses something in the air. Maybe you
should read this book to see if you agree.
Hall of Mirrors
Fowler, Christopher
1/22/19
Flashback. The fifteenth installment in the
Peculiar Crimes Unit series by Christopher
Fowler springs a flashback on readers as we
return to the lives of Arthur Bryant and John
May in 1969. In the novel titled, Hall of
Mirrors, Bryant and May are assigned to be
sure that a prosecution witness shows up for
trial. The witness insists on spending a
weekend at a manor house in the country,
where Bryant is a fish out of water. When
there’s a murder, and the house party is
trapped at Tavistock Hall, it’s up to Bryant
and May to solve the mystery and save their
skins, or at least their jobs. Funny as always,
and well-plotted, the mystery is interesting
and the characters eccentric and terrific as
always.
A Well-Behaved
Woman: A Novel
of the Vanderbilts
Fowler, Therese Anne
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Crisis
Francis, Felix
12/20/19
Answers. Prolific novelist Felix Francis
returns to Newmarket horse racing in his
novel titled, Crisis. Protagonist Harrison
Foster couldn’t care less about horses, racing
or gambling, but after his crisis firm’s client
loses a valuable thoroughbred in a fire, Foster
is sent to investigate what happened and why.
Before long, Foster finds himself in the
middle of the dysfunctional Chadwick family
and heats up tension as he explores answers
to questions about secrets the Chadwicks
don’t want revealed. The plot moves briskly,
the characters are interesting, and the
mystery is satisfying to those readers who
enjoy this genre.
The End of the
End of the Earth
Franzen, Jonathan
5/24/19
Essays. While I had previously read some of
the sixteen essays in the collection by
Jonathan Franzen titled, The End of the End
of the Earth, each one felt fresh, thanks to his
fine writing, and crisp and cogent arguments.
I’m a sucker for fine writing in any form, and
Franzen’s fiction soars. His skill as an essayist
is also exceptional, and fans of fine writing are
those readers most likely to enjoy this
collection.
The King and the
Catholics:
England, Ireland,
and the Fight for
Religious
Freedom, 1780-
1829
Fraser, Antonia
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Field of
Blood: Violence in
Congress and the
Road to Civil War
Freeman, Joanne B.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Witch Elm
French, Tana
1/4/19
Memory. Fans of Tana French’s Dublin
Murder Squad novels will discover an
unexpected treat in a new standalone novel
titled, The Witch Elm. Protagonist and
narrator Toby is a complex and interesting
character whose memory and reliability fade
in and out of a great story. French writes with
great skill, and I enjoyed her humor as well as
the plot twists. The pacing of the novel
matched the gradual recovery in Toby’s body,
mind and spirit from physical trauma early in
the story. The setting and supporting
characters, especially Uncle Hugo, all add to a
very satisfying and entertaining novel.
Lost and Wanted
Freudenberger, Nell
6/10/19
Friendship. In her novel titled, Lost and
Wanted, Nell Freudenberger gives readers
one of the most interesting protagonists in
fiction. Helen Clapp is a tenured physics
professor at MIT. Her longtime friend and
Harvard roommate, Charlotte (Charlie)
Boyce, a Hollywood screenwriter, has just
died. After Helen receives phone calls from
Charlie’s phone, the rational persona of Helen
becomes a bit shaken. Packed with science
and insight, the novel is a story of friendship
and love set around a strong and
accomplished woman. The prose is finely
written and fans of literary fiction are those
most likely to enjoy reading this novel.
Rush: Revolution,
Madness, and
Benjamin Rush,
the Visionary
Doctor Who
Became a
Founding Father
Fried, Stephen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Lethal White
Galbraith, Robert
7/26/19
Falling. There’s a lot of falling in the fourth
Cormoran Strike novel by J.K. Rowling
writing as Robert Galbraith, a novel titled,
Lethal White. After every falling, there’s
getting up again. Protagonists Strike and
Robin Ellacott are both developed more in
this installment and the tension in their
relationships adds to the pleasure of the
novel. Fans of the Harry Potter series know
that Rowling tells great stories with
interesting characters and engaging plots. The
Strike series reflects similar elements and I
was thoroughly entertained by the 650 pages
of this novel.
Mr. Trump’s Wild
Ride: The Thrills,
Chills, Screams,
and Occasional
Blackouts of an
Extraordinary
Presidency
Garrett, Major
1/9/19
Curated. I really didn’t want to read
journalist Major Garrett’s book titled, Mr.
Trump’s Wild Ride: The Thrills, Chills,
Screams, and Occasional Blackouts of an
Extraordinary Presidency. First, I lived
through the early Trump Presidency and I
have paid attention, so why do I need
someone’s rehash? Second, I read enough in
newspapers and periodicals about Trump, so
why should I bother reading this book? Third,
we may need distance, more time, to process
what has been important or a distraction
during this period. Once I started reading this
book, I began to appreciate the benefit in
reading a curated first draft of how history
may consider the early part of the Trump
Presidency. Garrett skillfully sidesteps the
distractions and selects what he considers the
matters of most significance. History may
prove Garrett right or wrong in his take, but
this reader liked getting perspective from a
talented journalist who’s been in the scrum all
the way through.
The Moment of
Lift: How
Empowering
Women Changes
the World
Gates Melinda
6/18/19
Lessons. One path to improving life around
the world is to respect women, listen to them,
and support them in improving their local
communities. Melinda Gates shares in her
book titled, The Moment of Lift: How
Empowering Women Changes the World,
snippets of her own life and the lessons she’s
learned from philanthropic work. This book is
packed with inspiring stories to encourage
empathy and enough data to please skeptics. I
found the ways in which hard questions and
analysis combined with active listening at the
ground level lead to contributions that
produce great outcomes. This book promotes
inclusion, acknowledging the dignity of each
person, and acting in ways that nurture all
that is good.
Wit’s End: What
Wit Is, How It
Works, and Why
We Need It
Geary, James
1/9/19
Showing. Witty readers are those most likely
to enjoy James Geary’s creative ways of
demonstrating wit in his book titled, Wit’s
End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why
We Need It. Instead of telling readers all
about wit and analyzing it, he shows us what
wit looks like in various forms. I found this
book to be quick to read and I appreciated the
author’s cleverness.
There Will Be No
Miracles Here
Gerald, Casey
9/24/19
Perspective. Some memoirs provide vanity
bragging about one’s life. Casey Gerald takes a
different perspective for his memoir titled,
There Will Be No Miracles Here. He asks us to
stand next to him while we look together at
the world around him. By the time he brings
us into a dream, readers have become used to
seeing everything with Gerald. Often, I found
myself releasing what I expected and
appreciating the perspective that Gerald
writes about with such great skill. Do a search
for his TED talk titled, The Gospel of Doubt.
That will give interested readers a great
introduction to Gerald and prepare one for
standing with him and examining the world
in which he and we have been living.
A Terrible Country
Gessen, Keith
2/21/19
Moscow. I was thoroughly entertained by
Keith Gessen’s novel titled, A Terrible
Country. Andrei Kaplan’s prospects for work
and love in New York have diminished, so he
jumps at the chance to spend a few months in
the city of his birth, Moscow, caring for his
grandmother. Gradually, he understands why
his grandmother refers to Russia with the
phrase that is the title of the novel. There’s
hockey, activists, and a great novel here for
your reading pleasure.
Happiness As
Such
Ginsburg, Natalia
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Winners Take All:
The Elite Charade
of Changing the
World
Giridharadas, Anand
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Talking to
Strangers: What
We Should Know
about the People
We Don't Know
Gladwell, Malcolm
10/15/19
Structure. In his new book titled, Talking to
Strangers: What We Should Know about the
People We Don't Know, Malcolm Gladwell
uses a structure that has entertained readers
of his earlier books. He takes a sociological
nugget, in this case our inability to detect
truth or deception when we encounter
strangers. He selects an example, tells a story,
then builds his case with multiple ways of
looking at the issue. I listened to the
audiobook which contains special features
that come across as a mix of podcast and text.
As always, Gladwell is observant, thoughtful
and knows how to engage readers.
The Chateau
Goldberg, Paul
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Leadership: In
Turbulent Times
Goodwin, Doris
Kearns
3/6/19
Context. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
knows how to present history to general
readers: tell great stories to support key
points and provide context for the time
periods and people. She’s spent decades of
her life researching and writing about four
American Presidents who she calls “her guys:”
Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin
Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. In her book
titled, Leadership: In Turbulent Times, she
uses the lens of leadership to examine the
context in which these four men acquired the
ability to help the country achieve great
things. The presidents come alive through her
writing and we understand their humanity
and complexity. Their formative experiences
in life, especially their struggles, provide them
with the mettle to do a great job at leading a
country through crisis. Readers who love
history that’s entertaining to read should
consider reading this terrific book.
A Thousand Small
Sanities
Gopnik, Adam
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
On Thomas
Merton
Gordon, Mary
12/20/19
Writers. Most of my impressions of Thomas
Merton were set in place fifty years ago, when
I first read his works and read about him.
Since that time, I’ve read him from time to
time, and even listened to a recording of a
retreat he gave to some nuns using “modern”
technology: tape recordings he made in the
Abbey of Gethsemane and mailed to the nuns.
When I saw that the writer Mary Gordon has
approached Merton from the perspective of
his seven volumes of journals and the totality
of his writing, my interest in Merton was
renewed. Thanks to Gordon and her finely
written book titled, On Thomas Merton, I
understand Thomas Merton better as a
person, as a writer, and the struggles he faced
as a Trappist monk. I found one interesting
tidbit that I had not expected to read.
Merton’s superiors in the Trappist
community pressured him to publish as a
source of community revenue, and that
pressure didn’t play well with his struggles to
reveal himself through his writing. Thanks to
Gordon’s empathy with the struggles of a
writer, readers can understand Merton’s life
in new ways.
The Men and the
Moment: The
Election of 1968
and the Rise of
Partisan Politics in
America
Goudsouzian, Aram
10/15/19
Roots. Fans of recent American history are
those readers most likely to enjoy the brisk
examination of the election of 1968 by
University of Memphis professor Aram
Goudsouzian in a book titled, The Men and
the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the
Rise of Partisan Politics in America. He
structures the book into chapters featuring
the major contenders in the presidential
election. Goudsouzian reveals the roots of our
current political divide in the people and
events of 1968. He captures the essence of the
personalities of the key players and offers a
text accessible to any general reader.
The Infinite
Blacktop
Gran, Sara
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Seven Types of
Atheism
Gray, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Rise and Fall
of Adam and Eve
Greenblatt, Stephen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Perfect Liar
Greene, Thomas
Christopher
3/6/19
Chilling. Fans of thrillers will enjoy the
characters and plot of the latest novel by
Thomas Christopher Greene titled, The
Perfect Liar. Protagonists Susannah and Max
have moved from Manhattan to rural
Vermont with her fifteen-year-old son. There
are secrets that Susannah and Max keep from
each other, and someone seems on the brink
of revealing a secret to the world. Greene
keeps the tension taut throughout the fewer
than three hundred pages of this novel. I’m
not often surprised by the time the climax
occurs, but this one caught me, and I couldn’t
be more pleased with that.
The Last Tudor
Gregory, Philippa
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Stone Circle
Griffiths, Elly
9/3/19
Digging. The eleventh Ruth Galloway
mystery by Elly Griffiths is a novel titled, The
Stone Circle. Both Ruth and DCI Nelson
receive letters that remind them of a person
important in their past who they assume is
dead. Fans of the series will make many
connections from earlier novels, while first-
time readers (like me) may be a bit confused
by what’s really going on. Bones are dug up
and identification leads to reopening a cold
case. Meanwhile, life in the present takes
many dramatic shifts for both Ruth and
Nelson whose ties seem to endure against all
odds. Fans of character-driven crime fiction
are those readers most likely to enjoy this
novel and this series.
The Guardians
Grisham, John
11/21/19
Innocence. Most readers know that John
Grisham can tell one hell of a story that will
engage a reader from the beginning to the end
of a book. In his legal thrilled titled, The
Guardians, the focus is on what it takes to
release the innocent from prison. Protagonist
Cullen Post is a lawyer working for a group
called Guardian Ministries that operates on a
shoestring. He’s also an Episcopal priest and
uses the dog collar judiciously in his prison
work. Guardian accepts just a few cases at a
time, and Grisham pulls readers into how
Post and the group get prisoners released. As
expected with Grisham, there’s tension, action
and great satisfaction in the story being told.
After you finish reading this novel, consider
making a contribution to one of the groups
that does this work pro bono. They need help
and there are plenty more true stories like the
ones made up in this book.
In Our Mad and
Furious City
Gunaratne, Guy
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Mind Without
Fear
Gupta, Rajat
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A World in
Disarray :
American Foreign
Policy and the
Crisis of the Old
Order
Haass, Richard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Porpoise
Haddon, Mark
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
This Life: Secular
Faith and Spiritual
Freedom
Hägglund, Martin
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Aristotle’s Way:
How Ancient
Wisdom Can
Change Your Life
Hall, Edith
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Parisian
Hammad, Isabella
5/9/19
Nablus. Fiction can help readers understand
life in a time and place especially through an
intense focus on one character’s life. In her
debut novel titled, The Parisian, Isabella
Hammad tells us about life in Nablus,
Palestine in the early 20
th
century.
Protagonist Midhat Kamal is the son of a
wealthy merchant and attains the moniker in
the title after his father sent him to study
medicine in Paris in 1914. Midhat finds a
different Nablus after he returns from Paris:
British occupation and activists pressing for
nationalism. Midhat’s life doesn’t turn out as
he or others expected. Neither has Palestine.
Here’s one of my favorite lines from late in
the novel: p. 547: “When I look at my life,” he
said, “I see a whole list of mistakes. Lovely,
beautiful mistakes. I wouldn’t change them.”
The Art of the
Wasted Day
Hampl, Patricia
6/24/19
Leisure. How unscheduled is your life? How
much do you go with the flow? Do you
daydream much? Is leisure for you a set of
structured recreational activities or is it a
period of being totally carefree? In her book
titled, The Art of the Wasted Day, Patricia
Hampl explores leisure and takes readers into
episodes from her life, as well as stories from
the lives of Michel Montaigne, Gregor Mendel
and others. We can discover a lot about
ourselves and others when we get off the
beaten path mentally and physically and lose
ourselves in thought and in the places we go.
Bottle Grove
Handler, Daniel
9/13/19
Monsters. There be monsters in Daniel
Handler’s novel titled, Bottle Grove. The
beasts are often human, despite the presence
of foxes, including a human one named
Reynard. Handler uses the tech environment
of San Francisco as the backdrop for this
comic dark view of contemporary life and
marriage. There’s love and greed, and a lot of
clunky prose on these pages. Every reader
open to reflecting about the forces inside and
outside us that bring us together or tear us
apart will find something to appreciate from
this novel.
Red Birds
Hanif, Mohammed
6/18/19
Weary. The darkly comic war satire titled,
Red Birds, by Mohammed Hanif uses
multiple narrators to move the story along
quickly. Readers weary of our seeming never-
ending wars may become even wearier after
reading this novel. Major Ellie is an American
bomber pilot who bailed out of his plane,
parachuted to the desert where he is
wandering and lost for eight days. His
narration speaks to the foibles of American
military intervention. Ellie is found by
another narrator, the dog named Mutt, whose
observations are the most cogent and
philosophical in the novel. It is Mutt who
gives us the title, as he observes the last blood
drops of those killed in war turning into birds
as they die. A teenage boy named Momo
narrates the many personas he tries on from
his refugee camp as he strives to become an
entrepreneur, especially where he sees the
most to gain: from warfare and refugee aid.
Hanif’s prose is skewering, and those readers
who can appreciate finely written satire are
the readers most likely to enjoy this novel.
Fifty Inventions
That Shaped the
Modern Economy
Harford, Tim
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Lost Connections:
Uncovering the
Real Causes of
Depression – and
the Unexpected
Solutions
Hari, Johann
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Lost Man
Harper, Jane
6/10/19
Desolate. The outback of Queensland
Australia can be a desolate place. In her novel
titled, The Lost Man, Jane Harper draws
readers into the setting with fine descriptive
language, then hooks us with her
psychological insights into the family
dynamics of three brothers raised in that
harsh and unforgiving place. The story
involves the mysterious death of one of the
brothers. Readers who enjoy surprise endings
are those most likely to enjoy this one.
The Truths We
Hold: An
American Journey
Harris, Kamala
2/21/19
Unity. We’re in that time cycle when anyone
thinking of or actually running for President
of the United States has a book to make a
pitch to a small segment of the electorate who
read such books. Since I’m one of those
readers, and open to hearing a pitch, I read
Kamala Harris’ book titled, The Truths We
Hold: An American Journey. Over the course
of over three hundred pages, Harris tells her
of her childhood as the daughter of
immigrants, her lifelong passion for justice,
and the many ways in which she has served
the public through various roles. Her pitch is
that she is the person who can lead us toward
unity through a focus on what we share in
common. Even if you are cautious when faced
with someone telling you what truth is,
consider reading this novel to get to know one
of the candidates running for President in
2020.
Not of this Fold
Harrison, Mettie Ivie
4/19/19
Immigrants. The fourth installment in the
Linda Wallheim series by Mettie Ivie
Harrison is a novel titled, Not of this Fold.
Linda finds herself caught up in what’s
happening in the “Spanish ward” and gets
herself and her husband, Kurt, in some hot
water with the Mormon power structure.
Harrison explores issues of immigration and
alienation in this novel and moves along the
development of the Wallheim family
presented in earlier novels. Fans of the series
are those readers most likely to enjoy this
installment.
Pulse
Harvey, Michael
3/26/19
Creepy. Those who have read previous
novels by Michael Harvey know that he can
really tell a good story. In his novel titled,
Pulse, Harvey takes us back to Boston in the
1970s. His prose brings to life the rawness of
the Combat Zone and the racial tensions in
the city. We get a crime story with murder,
bad cops, and enough foul language to last the
year. We also get the creepiest protagonist in
a long time, sixteen-year-old orphan Daniel
Fitzsimmons. His landlord explores with
Daniel how the mind can use energy to send
pulses to others to push them in desired ways.
Daniel tries the technique on his girlfriend
with humorous results. The creepy part comes
from what seems to be Daniel’s
foreknowledge of events. There’s something
for any eclectic reader in this novel:
fascinating characters, thrilling action,
crimes, and an otherworldly something.
Maybe Harvey will set his next novel back in
Chicago where everything is normal.
The Western Wind
Harvey, Samantha
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Grace Will Lead
Us Home: The
Charleston Church
Massacre and the
Hard, Inspiring
Journey to
Forgiveness
Hawes, Jennifer Berry
9/3/19
Ongoing. For most citizens, the tragedy at
Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South
Carolina in 2015 was one more in a series of
violent episodes in recent years. Thanks to a
finely written book by Jennifer Berry Hawes,
titled, Grace Will Lead Us Home: The
Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard,
Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness, interested
readers can understand the context and
aftermath more thoroughly. The survivors
and their families have stories that Hawes
tells with great skill, and there are issues with
Mother Emanuel church that I didn’t know
about until I read this book. Fans of
Charleston will appreciate the ways in which
this book tells the story of how this fine
community has engaged in a long healing
process.
Brief Answers to
the Big Questions
Hawking, Stephen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
America: The
Farewell Tour
Hedges, Chris
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The River
Heller, Peter
5/28/19
Wilderness. I consider cities and sidewalks
to be my natural habitat and try to spend as
little time as possible any place that might be
considered wilderness. I can visit remote
places vicariously in novels like the one by
Peter Heller titled, The River. Friends since
college, Wynn and Jack are on a carefree
canoe trip on a river in northern Canada. Both
feel at home in the wilderness and have the
competence to handle whatever comes their
way. Heller injects tension early in this well-
told story and maintains a thrilling pace over
two hundred and fifty pages as he describes a
fight for survival against imminent threats to
life. I’m less likely than ever to take a
wilderness trip after reading this exciting
novel.
Sing To It
Hempel, Amy
4/19/19
Voice. Amy Hempel presents readers with an
eclectic range of fifteen short stories in a
collection titled, Sing To It. Some of the
stories are very short and still complete. With
great economy, she can capture emotion
using just the right words. Her voice can come
across as odd and a bit quirky, which may
distract some readers. You can find laughter
and pain in sentences that follow each other
and feel that juxtaposition is perfect. The
longest story, Cloudland, surrenders economy
for taking us to many places and to different
emotions with depth and insight. Fans of
finely written literary fiction are those readers
most likely to enjoy the stories in this
collection.
Suicide Club
Heng, Rachel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Dorothy Day: The
World Will Be
Saved by Beauty:
An Intimate
Portrait of My
Grandmother
Hennessy, Kate
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Joe Country
Herron, Mick
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Maeve in America:
Essays by a Girl
from Somewhere
Else
Higgins, Helen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Newcomer
Higoshiro, Keigo
11/9/19
Details. Tokyo detective Kyoichiro Kaga
claims a well-earned place among the great
fictional detectives. In the second novel titled,
Newcomer, in this series by Keigo Higoshiro,
Kaga has been assigned to a new precinct.
Even before he’s assigned his first case, Kaga
walks through the neighborhood getting to
know people and places, constantly noticing
things. Thanks to the details that Kaga pays
attention to, he unravels the secrets that solve
a murder case. Fans of character-based crime
fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy
this novel and this series.
Ruskinland: How
John Ruskin
Shapes Our World
Hill, Andrew
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Full Throttle
Hill, Joe
11/14/19
Variety. I love reading a short story
collection with a wide range of settings, and
the baker’s dozen in the collection titled, Full
Throttle, by Joe Hill suited my taste perfectly.
There are a few new stories in this collection;
most have been published over the past
decade or so. Hill succeeds in each of those
stories by tapping into some part of human
nature and revealing it. Always interesting
and imaginative, the stories kept me engaged
for almost a fortnight as I doled out one story
a day. Any reader who loves short fiction
should consider reading this collection.
The Sun Does
Shine: How I
Found Life,
Freedom, and
Justice
Hinton, Anthony Ray
9/24/19
Inspiring. A friend couldn’t believe that I
hadn’t read Anthony Ray Hinton’s memoir
titled, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life,
Freedom, and Justice, so I picked up this
inspiring story and am glad I did. Hinton
describes his life as a poor black man in the
South who finds himself sentenced to death.
How he finds hope from that dark place, and
how three decades of incarceration
transformed his life and the lives of a
community of inmates, occupies much of the
narrative. By the time he achieves justice for
his mistaken imprisonment, most readers will
share Hinton’s joy and feel renewed hope in
the hope and endurance of the individual
human spirit.
The Bride Test
Hoang, Helen
6/24/19
Breakthrough. The protagonists in Helen
Hoang’s novel titled, The Bride Test, both
need to change their lives. Khai Diep falls on
the high functioning end of the autism
spectrum. He succeeds at work in California
and fails at relationships. Esme Tran wants to
be more than a hotel maid in Vietnam. After
Khai’s mother travels to Vietnam to find a
potential bride for Khai, she convinces Esme
that the young woman had nothing to lose in
coming to America to see if there’s a future
there for her. Hoang writes from her personal
perspective of what life on the autism
spectrum is like and offers in this novel a
sweet romantic story about the breakthroughs
that are necessary in any life to lead to
dramatic change. Readers who finish the
novel are likely to close the book with a smile.
The World That
We Knew
Hoffman, Alice
10/15/19
Morality. Alice Hoffman explores the forces
of good and evil in her novel titled, The World
That We Knew. Surrounded by the forces of
evil, but unable to escape Berlin in 1941, a
mother struggles to protect her twelve-year-
old daughter. Our world can turn upside
down in an instant and evil can seem
victorious. Love can survive loss and even in
dire situations, the power of love can prevail.
Hoffman’s prose is finely written, the
character development complex and
interesting, and the exploration of morality
unblinking at both goodness and evil.
I Think You're
Wrong (But I'm
Listening): A
Guide to Grace-
Filled Political
Conversations
Holland, Sarah
Stewart and Beth A.
Silvers
9/13/19
Nuance. Political differences can divide
families, churches, workplaces, and
neighbors. Polarization has led many of us
toward tribalism and to using shorthand that
concludes that my team is all good and the
other team is all bad. As a balm to heal any
wounds from this polarization and a guide to
moving ahead, consider reading a finely
written and practical book by Sarah Holland
(from the left) and Beth Silvers (from the
right) titled, I Think You're Wrong (But I'm
Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political
Conversations. Drawn on their personal
relationship in exploring areas of difference
on their weekly podcast, Pantsuit Politics.
Holland and Silvers recognize that issues are
often nuanced and can’t be summarized in a
talking point. When we respect others, we
listen to them, and when we choose to be
gentle and patient, good things follow. The
status quo in polarization is creating strangers
and we can do better. When we listen and find
values we hold in common, we can move
beyond the divisions toward healing and
acting in ways that serve the common good.
Judas: How a
Sister's Testimony
Brought Down a
Criminal
Mastermind
Holleeder, Astrid
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Comedy Sex God
Holmes, Pete
8/5/19
Journey. The title of Pete Holmes’ book,
Comedy Sex God, tells the truth about the
three topics covered inside. When I first saw
the cover, I thought the first two words of the
title were adjectives. Not so. Pete tells us
about his life in comedy, his experience with
sex in ways that will amuse many readers, and
his journey toward finding God in his life. All
of our lives are meandering journeys in one
way or another. Pete was raised as an
evangelical Christian and that influenced
greatly his coming of age sexually. Later in his
life after he abandoned his religious roots, he
rediscovered his spiritual life thanks to Ram
Dass. As most readers would expect from a
standup comedian, a lot of the stories in this
book are hilarious. There’s sincerity in his
spiritual quest that will resonate for fellow
pilgrims on that journey.
The Pandemic
Century: One
Hundred Years of
Panic, Hysteria,
and Hubris
Honigsbaum, Mark
7/3/19
Lessons. While I was reading Mark
Honigsbaum finely written book titled, The
Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of
Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris, there were news
stories about people vacationing in the
Dominican Republic dying of unknown
causes, and a woman who died from a flesh
eating bacteria that found an open cut on her
leg while she was walking at the beach.
Honigsbaum chronicles pathogens most
readers have heard about, and the spread of
them in well-known events including the
deadly 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic, and
events I knew nothing about, like the 1930
pneumonic plague in Los Angeles and parrot
fever. If you think we’ve learned lessons from
the twentieth century, you should definitely
read this book.
Forever and a Day
Horowitz, Anthony
1/9/19
Origin. Fans of James Bond 007 are those
readers most likely to enjoy reading the new
prequel to Casino Royale, a novel by Anthony
Horowitz titled, Forever and a Day. I
especially enjoyed the focus that Horowitz has
on the origins of Bond’s work as 007. We see
where his cigarette case came from, and his
preference for martinis. We learn the test that
Bond had to pass to become 007 and what his
first case entailed. It’s clear that Horowitz had
fun being true to Ian Fleming and to the
character of Bond, and I know I had fun
reading this installment in the series.
The Sentence is
Death
Horowitz, Anthony
6/18/19
Hawthorne. Anthony Horowitz reprises
protagonist Daniel Hawthorne for a second
mystery novel titled, The Sentence is Death.
As the character Anthony Horowitz in this
novel is writing about private eye Daniel
Hawthorne, they are investigating the murder
of a divorce lawyer in which the weapon was a
pricey bottle of French wine. Horowitz gives
readers an entertaining cast of interesting
characters, a clever mystery, and just enough
plot twists to keep a reader’s attention.
Spying on the
South: An Odyssey
Across the
American Divide
Horwitz, Tony
6/18/19
Olmstead. Renowned American landscape
architect Frederick Law Olmstead spent over
a year traveling through the South before the
Civil War and wrote about his observations
for a New York newspaper. In his book titled,
Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the
American Divide, Tony Horwitz followed
Olmstead’s route, connecting divisions from
the past with current polarization. People and
places, past and present, come alive in this
book, thanks to Horwitz’ fine writing.
Only Killers and
Thieves
Howarth, Paul
12/20/19
Survival. Paul Howarth’s debut novel, Only
Killers and Thieves, takes readers into
frontier life in late 19
th
century Australia.
Teenagers Tommy and Billy McBride are
forced to grow up quickly when violence and
tragedy enters their young lives. Life in an
unforgiving landscape is an ongoing battle for
survival, and the boys choose to follow
different paths in life. Howarth writes with
great skill, bringing the setting to life and
developing each character with insight into
the complexity of human nature and the
bonds of relationships.
Great Risks Had to
be Taken: The
Jesuit Response to
the Second
Vatican Council,
1958–2018
Howell, Patrick J.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Adults
Hulse, Caroline
11/9/19
Foibles. Parts of my funny bones were
tickled in just the right ways by Caroline
Hulse’s debut novel titled, The Adults. Matt
and Claire are the divorced parents of seven-
year-old Scarlett, and they decide that the
best Christmas holiday for Scarlett would be
to spend it with both her parents and their
current partners, Alex with Matt and Patrick
with Claire, at a resort called Happy Forest.
What could possibly go wrong when the exes
come together with their significant others?
They are all adults. One thing happens early
in the novel: someone is shot with an arrow.
That’s not in the Christmas spirit. The sixth
member of the holiday party is Scarlett’s
invisible big purple rabbit, Posey, whose
opinions fill Scarlett’s head. The foibles of
these individuals bring the characters to life,
but their predicament can often seem
slapstick. Readers looking for some humorous
distraction should consider reading this
novel.
Out of the Dark
Hurwitz, Gregg
7/3/19
Survival. The fourth Orphan X novel by
Gregg Hurwitz is titled, Out of the Dark.
Someone in government with a lot of power is
taking action to eliminate everyone involved
in the Orphan Program. Protagonist Evan
Smoak, Orphan X, now known as the
Nowhere Man, knows exactly who’s behind
this effort, and decides to take that person
out. This fight involves two opponents with
vastly different resources and capabilities.
Hurwitz maintains tension throughout a fast-
paced plot. Readers who enjoy thrillers are
those most likely to enjoy this novel and this
series.
Go Ask Fannie
Hyde, Elizabeth
3/26/19
Secrets. Each of us is an observer and
participant in family dynamics. Sometimes
fiction can help us observe family
relationships in other people whose nature is
just as human as ours and can lead to insight.
In her novel titled, Go Ask Fannie, Elizabeth
Hyde presents us with a dad, 81-year-old
Murray Blaire, and his adult children, Ruth,
George and Lizzie gathered together on
Murray’s farm for a weekend. Gradually, we
learn about two other Blaires: a wife and
mom, Lillian, and a son and brother, Daniel.
Family secrets are at the core of this novel,
and the power of the past to be ever-present.
Readers looking for a little distance from
one’s own family dynamics can spend a few
enjoyable hours with the Blaire family and all
of their dysfunction.
Wrecked
Ide, Joe
4/19/19
Threats. The third installment in Joe Ide’s
IQ series is a novel titled, Wrecked. This time
out, Isaiah Quintabe, IQ, seems more
established in his private investigator
business. That feeling of comfort leaves
quickly as IQ gets in trouble, and finds
himself in the crosshairs of the man who
killed his brother, Marcus. IQ isn’t working
alone and has found a new love interest.
Readers who enjoy well-written character-
based crime fiction are those most likely to
enjoy this novel and this series.
A Nice Cup of Tea
Imrie, Celia
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
I Might Regret
This: Essays,
Drawings,
Vulnerabilities,
and Other Stuff
Jacobson, Abbi
3/18/19
Anxieties. Fans of Comedy Central’s series,
Broad Street, are those readers most likely to
enjoy reading co-star Abbi Jacobson’s book
titled, I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings,
Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff. This creative
artist writes with humor and quirkiness,
revealing lots of her anxieties and issues.
Failing to sleep in hotel rooms during a
roadtrip, bagels she’s loved, and love woes are
all fodder for Jacobson’s reflections. She even
includes some of her artwork. Whether she
regrets making herself vulnerable through
this work is something left unaddressed, as
the title indicates.
Live a Little
Jacobson, Howard
10/15/19
Joy. I defy any reader of Howard Jacobson’s
novel titled, Live a Little, to come away from
the book without a feeling of joy. Protagonists
Shimi and Beryl are nonagenarians who are
approaching the end of life while giving a new
loving relationship one more try. Beryl has a
sharp word for everybody and enjoys every
volley she sends to people nearby. Shimi’s
popularity among the widows of his cohort
doesn’t bring him pleasure. He prefers
practicing cartomancy at the Chinese
restaurant when he’s not ruminating about
his past. Jacobson brings these opposite types
together and encourages them to do what the
title of the novel says. My heart was touched
by this novel and I laughed and smiled a lot
while reading it.
Cheer Up Mr.
Widdicombe
James, Evan
12/9/19
Class. Readers with an appetite for wit and
satire should consider reading Evan James’
debut novel titled, Cheer Up Mr.
Widdicombe. The cast of characters face first
world problems that apply specifically to the
most affluent among us. If Bernie Sanders
read this book, he’d be likely to say, “What the
hell is wrong with these people?” The title
refers to the message to paterfamilias Frank
Widdicombe who is bummed that his annual
excursion with buddies to France has been
scuttled. Readers who are wont to use
“summer” as a verb, and you know who you
are, are those most likely to see themselves
and friends described with pithiness in this
novel. Readers who don’t summer in an
exclusive setting can pick up this novel and
glimpse over the walls of class privilege but
might be hard pressed to appreciate the
humor.
Black Leopard,
Red Wolf
James, Marlon
4/4/19
Nose. Talented writer Marlon James opens
his Dark Star Trilogy with a novel titled, Black
Leopard, Red Wolf. Before a reader opens
page one, you should consider the
consequences of beginning to read what will
be three novels: a commitment to lots and lots
of pages. Once you start on this reading
adventure, James will pull you into stories
from African history and mythology while
creating a fantasy world that will consume
your time and attention for many hours. Once
James presented the character, Tracker,
whose nose allows him to find people by
following their scents, I was hooked. Once on
board, the adventure took me to strange and
unfamiliar places, to violence and intense
sexuality. The bulk of this first novel is the
journey of the nose named Tracker and his
search for a missing boy. James empties his
imagination with the creatures Tracker
encounters on this journey. I felt myself in
good hands with Marlon James as he made a
world in which I became intrigued, interested
and eventually caring. James is a master of
voice, and while in this installment the world
we see if from Tracker’s perspective, the next
novel may offer a different voice, another
point of view. I look forward to it. After all,
I’ve become hooked.
Cyberwar: How
Russian Hackers
and Trolls Helped
Elect a President
What We Don't,
Can't, and Do
Know
Jamieson, Kathleen
Hall
4/25/19
Sobering. University of Pennsylvania
professor Kathleen Hall Jamieson presents a
scholarly approach for general readers in her
book titled, Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers
and Trolls Helped Elect a President What We
Don't, Can't, and Do Know. This is a sobering
account of all the who, what, how and why
from 2016, along with an assessment of how
unprepared we are for waging the ongoing
Cyberwar. Whether the Mueller Report
answered your questions or not about the
2016 Presidential election, Jamieson’s book
will be of interested to all readers concerned
about public affairs and our cyber
vulnerabilities.
Finding My Voice:
My Journey to the
West Wing and the
Path Forward
Jarrett, Valerie
7/16/19
Optimistic. Valerie Jarrett’s memoir titled,
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West
Wing and the Path Forward, offers a story of
her life that’s so conversational that many
readers will feel like they are sharing a meal
with the author. Jarrett is both confident and
self-aware, so she tells us about her life in
ways that will connect to a reader’s own life
experiences. Her extraordinary
accomplishments in public service and
friendship with the Obamas come across as
relatable to our own friendships and our
accomplishments, no matter what those are.
The tone throughout the memoir is
optimistic, and it’s clear by the end that
anyone who can claim Valerie Jarrett as a
friend has lived an enriched life because of
her presence.
The Banished
Immortal: A Life
of Li Bai
Jin, Ha
5/24/19
Poet. Thanks to his fine writing, Ha Jin kept
me engaged in his biography titled, The
Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai. Li Bai
lived during the Tang dynasty, in the early
part of the eighth century. Readers get to
learn about the poet through his poems as
well as through the clear description of his life
as described by Ha Jin. Since the poet enjoyed
many a tipple during his life, I strongly
encourage a glass or two of some alcohol
while reading this book. When you hear about
his drinking exploits, you’ll be more
empathetic. Then read a poem and go to
sleep.
Treeborne
Johnson, Caleb
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Night Hawks
Johnson, Charles
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Everything Under
Johnson, Daisy
8/27/19
River. Readers who enjoy finely written
literary fiction should consider Daisy
Johnson’s debut novel titled, Everything
Under. Give yourself over to the flow of
Johnson’s prose as she meanders like a river
while updating the story of Oedipus to a
modern setting. While reading the novel, I
was often confused and uncertain about
where the story was and where it might be
going. Johnson’s prose kept me patient and
spending time with her on this journey of
words was rewarding, if only to remind me to
be patient.
Farsighted
Johnson, Steven
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bending Toward
Justice: The
Birmingham
Church Bombing
that Changed the
Course of Civil
Rights
Jones, Doug
5/9/19
Hope. It took decades for the victims of the
1963 bombing at a Birmingham church to get
justice. The junior senator from Alabama,
Doug Jones, tells this story with vivid prose in
his book titled, Bending Toward Justice: The
Birmingham Church Bombing that Changed
the Course of Civil Rights. Jones was involved
in the case in a major way as a US Attorney in
2001 and 2002. Homegrown terrorism is not
a recent phenomenon. Jones takes us into life
in Alabama in the 1960s and after, and he
leads us down the long road that ended with
justice.
How We Fight for
Our Lives
Jones, Saeed
11/14/19
Poetic. The memoir titled, How We Fight for
Our Lives, by Saeed Jones describes a young
life that may bear no resemblance to the
experience of most readers. That’s exactly one
of the good reasons to pick up this book and
enter into the experience of someone whose
life has been different from our own. Another
good reason is that Jones’ prose is finely
written, influenced by his poetry, and packed
with candor. This examination of a life is
reflective and disarming. Jones writes about
many relationships that are fraught with
drama, stress, even danger, but the memoir
turns warm when he writes about his mother.
Enemy of the
People: Trump's
War on the Press,
the New
McCarthyism, and
the Threat to
American
Democracy
Kalb, Marvin
3/18/19
Sobering. Journalist Marvin Kalb has
written a sober and passionate book about the
importance of a free press in his book titled,
Enemy of the People: Trump's War on the
Press, the New McCarthyism, and the Threat
to American Democracy. Kalb calls Trump,
not the press, the real enemy of the people.
Using his personal experience as a foreign
correspondent in Russia, and his experience
during the McCarthy investigations, Kalb
reinforces that a free press is the best
guarantor of a free society, and efforts to
suppress the press are despotic acts, not the
signs of a thriving democratic system. Words
matter and leadership can influence public
views for better or for worse. Readers
interested in public policy and the state of our
democracy and its threats should consider
reading this measured comparison of our
current situation to the ideals we hold.
Outside the Wire:
Ten Lessons I've
Learned in
Everyday Courage
Kander, Jason
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The White Book
Kang, Han
8/15/19
Meditation. Take a breath. Relax. Feel your
heart rate drop. Listen to your regular
breathing. Once you’ve reached a calm
rhythm, open a copy of Han Kang’s novel
titled, The White Book, and calmly mediate
with her as she riffs on the color white and
explores loss and grief. Let your own
memories become triggered by this prose and
remember in a gentle way. As all the white
images drift by, reflect on the fragility of life.
Let the words of this finely written book reach
you deeply. If any of that sounds like time
well spent, by all means read this book.
The Accomplice
Kanon, Joseph
12/16/19
Betrayal. There’s a quest for justice at the
heart of Joseph Kanon’s novel titled, The
Accomplice. Protagonist Aaron Wiley picks up
the trail of a Nazi war criminal in South
America and faces challenges in achieving
justice. Aaron may not be able to proceed the
way his Uncle Max desired before he died,
and wonders if he is betraying his uncle. The
criminal’s daughter faces choices of loyalty
and betrayal as well. With fine writing and
great psychological insight, Kanon offers
readers an engaging and complicated story
about human behavior and the choices we
make.
She Said: Breaking
the Sexual
Harassment Story
That Helped Ignite
a Movement
Kantor, Jodi and
Megan Twohey
11/21/19
Process. Investigative journalists Jodi
Kantor and Megan Twohey describe in their
book titled, She Said: Breaking the Sexual
Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a
Movement, the process they followed in
revealing sexual harassment by Harvey
Weinstein. Most of us are aware of the outline
of their story, and this book shows how the
story was built one interview at a time, and
one research investigation at a time. Whether
you think you know a lot or a little about the
job of a journalist, this book shows what the
work entails, and uses a prominent story as a
way to reveal the hard work and diligence it
takes to run down a story, as well as the
resources required and the willingness to
follow the story wherever it goes. In the case
of the authors, they had the full support of
The New York Times as they carried out their
work. I was amazed at the efforts Weinstein
took to kill their story. I strongly recommend
reading this finely written book and then
subscribing to quality periodicals that
generate the resources to pursue stories
effectively.
More Than
Medicine: The
Broken Promise of
American Health
Kaplan, Robert M.
7/3/19
Evidence. Any reader interested in the
subject of healthcare in the United States
should consider reading Robert Kaplan’s book
titled, More Than Medicine: The Broken
Promise of American Health. Kaplan’s
premise is that it’s time to rethink healthcare.
Instead of overspending as we do in attacking
disease after it arrives, we should invest in
reducing the occurrence of disease. He calls
on those setting public policy to respect the
evidence and take actions that foster health.
The Fall of
Wisconsin: The
Conservative
Conquest of a
Progressive
Bastion and the
Future of
American Politics
Kaufman, Dan K.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Say Nothing: A
True Story of
Murder and
Memory in
Northern Ireland
Keefe, Patrick Radden
8/27/19
Troubles. Patrick Radden Keefe has written
a compelling history of the troubles in
Northern Ireland titled, Say Nothing: A True
Story of Murder and Memory in Northern
Ireland. Keefe uses the story of Jean
McConville, a mother of ten, to pull readers
away from cold facts about the conflict and
into the human impact on particular people.
Filled with personal stories, betrayals and
violence, this book covers both the past and
the present with skill and insight. With Jean
McConville in our minds from the early part
of the book, Keefe uses the bulk of the book to
elaborate on the actions of leaders including
Gerry Adams and Margaret Thatcher. When I
read about the recordings at Boston College
that were made with an expectation of secrecy
but were released to be used in criminal
prosecutions, I saw one more dimension of
betrayal long after the conflict ended.
Interested readers should zip through this
book quickly as a foundation of knowledge for
whatever happens should Brexit proceed and
the hard border between Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland is restored.
Bone on Bone
Keller, Julia
1/9/19
Epidemic. The eighth novel by Julia Keller
featuring protagonist Bell Elkins is titled,
Bone on Bone. Fans of the series will look
forward to how the former prosecutor will
return to life in Acker’s Gap following her
incarceration. What Bell finds is a community
ravaged by drug addiction. Keller approaches
this theme with insight and sensitivity,
continuing to develop this protagonist’s
complexity and humanity. Fans will be
rewarded by the revelation of a long-held
secret by the novel’s end. Along the way, Bell
plays a part in helping her community with
the drug epidemic.
The Cold Way
Home
Keller, Julia
9/24/19
Secrets. The eighth installment of Julia
Keller’s series of books featuring protagonist
Bell Elkins is a novel titled, The Cold Way
Home. Set as always in the small town of
Acker’s Gap, West Virginia, where news
spreads at the speed of light, fans will delight
in the return to this place and to the reprise of
the familiar cast of characters. Keller delves
into the past and focuses attention on a long-
closed local state mental hospital called
Wellwood. While Bell is looking for a missing
girl on the grounds of Wellwood, she uncovers
a dead body. What follows involves what
happened at Wellwood in the past and the
secrets that remained buried for years.
Readers who like character-driven crime
fiction are those most likely to enjoy this
novel and this series.
Presidio
Kennedy, Randy
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Death in Provence
Kent, Serena
5/24/19
Fresh. Protagonist Penelope Kite gives
herself a fresh start by moving to Provence in
a novel by Serena Kent titled, Death in
Provence. Her dreams face reality after she
discovers a corpse floating in her swimming
pool. Beware of starting this novel, since Kent
starts a series with this book, and if you’re like
me, you’re likely to want to read each
successive installment. The characters are
well-drawn, the mystery interesting, and the
writing more than acceptable for this genre.
Serena Kent is the penname of Deborah
Lawrenson and her husband, Robert Rees.
The pace of the narrative is relaxed, which
seems to suit Penelope’s life in Provence and
this reader’s attitude while reading this genre.
Every Day Is Extra
Kerry, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Thinking and
Being
Kimhi, Irad
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Good
Neighbor
King, Maxwell
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Institute
King, Stephen
9/13/19
Evil. If the words that come to your mind
when you think of author Stephen King are
“horror,” “supernatural,” or “creepy,” and you
avoid reading him because that’s not the
reading experience you’re looking for, take
another look at this talented writer and his
new novel titled, The Institute. As always,
King tells a great story. The characters are
interesting, complex, and they resemble us or
people we recognize. The new novel starts so
gently that some readers may feel lulled into a
state of calm. While we are feeling calm,
children with special talents are being
abducted and abused, locked in a Maine
facility that gives the book its title. King
explores the evil inside those characters who
become used to abusing children to support
some distant government official’s notion of a
greater good. Once the use of a child has been
completed, the child is destroyed. King lays all
this out, then gives the children agency, and
lets them use their power. Both good and evil
can be powerful and King offers readers a well
written story that resonates for our time.
Unsheltered
Kingsolver, Barbara
1/4/19
Foundations. Many of us crave stability and
desire some solid foundation to anchor our
lives. In her novel titled, Unsheltered,
Barbara Kingsolver explores instability and
uncertainty during two time periods: today
and 100 years ago. She explores the lives of
two families united by a house and their
common inability to maintain that house as
they face societal change and economic
hardship. Kingsolver presents a cast of
characters who reflect both time periods and
highlights the dramatic divisions and
differences between individuals in both eras.
In the contemporary plotline, a professional
working couple have done everything they
thought was right, followed the rules, and find
themselves in late middle age with little to
show for their efforts, and great uncertainty
about finding the means to provide for
themselves and their dependents. The plotline
from the past includes threads to Darwin and
to a scientist neighbor whose naturalist
observations encourage a teacher whose boss
won’t allow him to teach about evolution.
Instability is uncomfortable, and the fearful
and unstable characters in this novel may
disturb some readers. Thoughtful readers will
want to talk about this novel with others and
share the discomfort.
Rabbits for Food
Kirshenbaum, Binnie
7/26/19
Depression. Can a writer find humor in
mental illness while remaining empathetic
and providing insight? Read Binnie
Kirshenbaum’s novel titled, Rabbits for Food,
for yourself to answer that question. I found
the major depression experienced by the
protagonist, Bunny, to be presented with
sensitivity and insight, and the humor to be
genuine. Bunny is a fascinating and complex
character. Kirshenbaum captures the
bleakness of treatment for mental health with
great insight. While she is institutionalized,
Bunny is pressed to sign up for activities for
which she has no interest. One item on the list
seems ok: time with the therapy dog. Day
after day, the therapy dog never shows up.
Kirshenbaum shows us in this novel that
there is help for all of us in this crazy world,
whether the therapy dog shows up or not.
How to Love the
Universe: A
Scientist’s Odes to
the Hidden Beauty
Behind the Visible
World
Klein, Stefan
2/21/19
Excitement. I remember in college that
there were two introductory physics classes:
the one for physics majors met for three hours
starting at 8am on Saturday mornings; the
other was called “physics for poets” and met
after lunch for about an hour every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. I took neither but
realized decades later that the majors spent
their Saturday mornings in the late 1960s
learning things that were later disproven. For
them, and for any reader with eyes open to
the world, there’s a great book to consider by
Stefan Klein. Titled, How to Love the
Universe: A Scientist’s Odes to the Hidden
Beauty Behind the Visible World, this book
offers great images, well-written prose and an
attitude of excitement about the world. It’s
never too late to learn a thing or two about
particle physics, even if you think you already
know it all.
Palaces for the
People: How
Social
Infrastructure Can
Help Fight
Inequality,
Polarization, and
the Decline of
Civic Life
Klinenberg, Eric
6/24/19
Shared. Our isolated social bubbles can
reinforce the divisions that cause a
breakdown in social order. In his book titled,
Palaces for the People: How Social
Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality,
Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life,
Eric Klinenberg explores how we can make
society stronger by supporting places that
bring different people together. Libraries,
parks, and welcoming religious and civil
organizations can provide places where
people can increase interaction and build
stronger networks and communities. Through
investments in creating these places, we will
make our society stronger and more resilient.
Any reader interested in public policy and in
building a better community and country
should consider reading this book and taking
action along the lines Klinenberg describes.
The Ditch
Koch, Herman
8/5/19
Marriages. All is not well in the life of the
mayor of Amsterdam as presented in the
novel by Herman Koch titled, The Ditch.
While the mayor gives us his name as Robert
Walter, that is not his name, nor is his wife
named Silvia. Koch explores the interactions
of couples in marriage and exposes the
consequences of what is not expressed with
clarity. Robert has suspicions. Sylvia has been
and will always be a foreigner. Robert’s own
parents are another study in being both
together and apart. A formative experience of
Robert’s is revealed late in the novel, as well
as the meaning of the title of the novel. Koch
riffs on trust and distrust in many aspects and
patient readers are rewarded by the end of the
novel with insights about what has been going
on in this entertaining novel.
Forged in Crisis:
The Power of
Courageous
Leadership in
Turbulent Times
Koehn, Nancy
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
If She Wakes
Koryta, Michael
8/5/19
Driving. The latest thriller by Michael
Koryta is a novel titled, If She Wakes. The title
makes reference to the vegetative state of Tara
Beckley, who was in a car crash. Protagonist
Anny Kaplan is an insurance adjuster looking
into the crash, and she knows a lot about
driving, thanks to her former career as a stunt
car driver. Things are not as they appear, and
Koryta drives Amy and readers on a trip that
has lots of curves and accelerations. Readers
who like well-written thrillers are those most
likely to enjoy this novel.
An American
Summer: Love and
Death in Chicago
Kotlowitz, Alex
5/28/19
Faces. Crime statistics are cold. In his book
titled, An American Summer: Love and Death
in Chicago, Alex Kotlowitz goes behind the
numbers to present readers with rich details
about the human lives at stake. Based on over
two hundred interviews, the book describes
the people behind the crime statistics in the
violent summer of 2013 in Chicago. Whatever
distance each of us may have created between
ourselves and those touched by violence,
Kotlowitz brings the human faces close to
ours in this finely written book. Empathy and
understanding are likely to follow from this
encounter.
The Mirage
Factory
Krist, Gary
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Assault on
American
Excellence
Kronman, Anthony
10/10/19
Academy. It’s time to stop the nonsense at
universities. That’s the message of Anthony
Kronman, former dean of Yale Law School, in
his book titled, The Assault on American
Excellence. He calls for universities to return
to their principles and stop yielding to those
pressing for actions that avoid discomforting
students and create greater egalitarianism.
Perhaps it was the way in which the
administration at Yale flip flopped on the
issue of renaming Calhoun Hall that set off
Kronman. Readers interested in the state of
the academy today are those most likely to
enjoy reading this book, whether one agrees
or disagrees with Kronman. I found lots of
clear thinking on these pages, to my delight.
This Tender Land
Krueger, William Kent
10/15/19
Storyteller. The action in William Kent
Krueger’s novel titled, This Tender Land,
takes place in the summer of 1932. The
United States is in the throes of the Great
Depression. Farmers have lost their
livelihoods, and desperate people are living in
Hoovervilles where conditions are horrible.
Using gorgeous prose, Krueger deploys
thirteen-year-old narrator Odysseus O’Banion
to draw readers into one pivotal summer
when Odie and three other orphans escape
from the abusive Lincoln School in Minnesota
and take a river journey toward a new life.
Readers who love gripping storytelling are
those most likely to enjoy this finely written
novel.
Fault Lines: A
History of the
United States
Since 1974
Kruse, Kevin M. and
Julian E. Zelizer
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Death in the
Rainforest: How a
Language and a
Way of Life Came
to an End in Papua
New Guinea
Kulick, Don
10/25/19
Isolated. Readers interested in learning
about the work of an anthropologist should
consider a book by Professor Don Kulick of
Uppsala University titled, A Death in the
Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of
Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea.
Over the course of three decades, Kulick spent
time in Papua New Guinea documenting an
isolated language, Tayap. Kulick tells us the
story of these people and how they live in a
changing world, as he takes us behind the
scenes to show what an anthropologist does.
Reading this book reminded me why my
undergraduate major in anthropology never
led to graduate school or to fieldwork.
Immigrant,
Montana
Kumar, Amitava
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Milk!: A 10,000-
Year Food Fracas
Kurlansky, Mark
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Certain American
States
Lacey, Catherine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Limits of
Tolerance:
Enlightenment
Values and
Religious
Fanaticism
Lacorne, Denis
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Girl Who
Lived Twice
Lagercrantz, David
9/24/19
Fire. David Lagercrantz continues the late
Stieg Larsson’s millennium series featuring
Lisbeth Salander with a novel titled, The Girl
Who Lived Twice. Fans of the series will enjoy
the return of Salander and Mikael Blomkvist
in another exciting adventure. Both
protagonists are on a search for answers and
truth and they need each other’s help. Both
are driven by a fire inside that propels them
on their quests. Physical fire also appears and
raises the stakes. Larsson’s estate made a wise
choice with asking Lagercrantz to continue
writing this series. I found this sixth
installment as well written and engaging as
the ones earlier in the series written by
Larsson. Readers who like character-driven
action novels are those most likely to enjoy
this novel and this series.
The Other
Americans
Lalami, Laila
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Wall
Lanchester, John
5/9/19
Other. What makes people require an
“other” to frame our own behavior? In his
novel titled, The Wall, John Lanchester offers
a future that some will consider dystopian
and others anticipate as likely. Rising sea
levels led an island nation to build a concrete
barrier around its territory. Protagonist
Joseph Kavanagh works as a defender with
one mission: to ensure that the Others don’t
breach his section of the wall. Lanchester is a
terrific storyteller, and his creativity in this
novel captivated me. This novel falls within
the long tradition of imaginative fiction and
the telling of stories that engage readers.
Maid: Hard Work,
Low Pay, and a
Mother's Will to
Survive
Land, Stephanie
3/18/19
Poverty. Most readers don’t have a clue
about what it is like to be poor in the United
States today. Thanks to Stephanie Land’s
finely written memoir titled, Maid: Hard
Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to
Survive, there’s no excuse for not gaining an
understanding about people usually out of
sight and out of mind. Life is a daily peril, one
illness or accident leading toward financial
catastrophe. The amount of time Land spent
proving her need to social service providers
took away from her time spent working hard
as a maid for minimum wage. Making too
much money as a maid could lead to the loss
of more valuable housing or nutritional
support payment. I feel much better informed
about one aspect of poverty in contemporary
American life, and I’m thinking again about
the advantages of a universal basic income.
Afternoon of a
Faun
Lasdun, James
8/27/19
Complicity. Have you ever reflected on an
episode from your past and felt differently
about it in light of current mores? James
Lasdun’s short novel titled, Afternoon of a
Faun, offers readers a perspective about
sexual relationships and the stories we repeat
to ourselves over time. A journalist has been
accused by an old friend that he sexually
assaulted her years ago. Lasdun uses an
unnamed narrator to relate the action in the
present and in the 1970s when the alleged
abuse occurred. We participate as readers in
determining who the victims are and of what.
Lasdun understands the nature of complicity
and uses that insight to increase the power of
this novel.
To Obama: With
Love, Joy, Anger,
and Hope
Laskas, Jeanne Marie
3/18/19
Empathy. Have you ever wondered what
people write in letters to the President of the
United States? Are you curious about how
those letters are handled, and what responses
are made? If so, you’re the reader most likely
to enjoy Jeanne Marie Laskas’ book titled, To
Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope.
Laskas reprints selected letters sent to
President Obama during his term in office.
She focuses on the process used to select ten
letters to the President that were selected
every day from the huge amount of incoming
mail and given to him so he had one more
way of keeping in touch with everyday people
and their concerns. The individual voices of
the letter writers tell great stories about these
people, often in just a few sentences. The
responses consistently convey the message
that the letter writer had been heard. This
empathy lifted my spirits as I read this
engaging and interesting book.
Agent Running in
the Field
le Carré, John
11/9/19
Anger. Prolific spy novelist John le Carré
taps into the prevailing emotion of anger
throughout contemporary life in his novel
titled, Agent Running in the Field.
Protagonist Nat has put in his time in the field
for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service
running agents, and he seethes as he sees the
signals that he might become sidelined. One
advantage of his recall to London is the
chance to play more badminton at his club,
where he’s champion. He begins regular
matches with Ed, a player half his age and
both men enjoy the competitiveness of their
contests. Over beer, Ed expresses anger about
Brexit, Trump, and his job. Nat bumps into
many of the elements of the toxic angry
political environment in his new role where
he has been placed in charge of a small group
of spies. With great writing skill, le Carré
moves the story along swiftly, allowing the
anger to flow, and leading the interesting cast
of characters toward a very satisfying
resolution. Fans of le Carré and spy fiction are
those readers most likely to enjoy this novel.
Sh*t Show!: The
Country's
Collapsing . . . and
the Ratings Are
Great
LeDuff, Charlie
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Undressing
Lee, Li-Young
3/18/19
Contemplation. When was the last time you
read a poem? How about a collection of
poems? Every time I open a collection of
poems, I vow to read more poetry. A fine
collection I can recommend to any reader is
Li-Young Lee’s book titled, The Undressing.
These poems are grounded in God, love and
spirituality, although the words may not
always convey that. This book can be a source
for well-spent contemplation. These are
words of love, peace, and passion in the
context of the refugee experience and violence
around the world. We want to understand
why we are here, and these poems can lead us
toward such understanding.
Revenant Gun
Lee, Yoon Ha
1/22/19
Finale. Sometimes when a trilogy comes to
an end, a reader can wish and hope for
another installment. When I closed the 400
th
or so page of Yoon Ha Lee’s third installment
in his Machineries of Empire series, I felt it
came to a satisfying ending, and I hope to
read not another word. The final novel titled,
Revenant Gun, couldn’t stand alone. Readers
who enjoy science fiction or fantasy are those
readers most likely to be patient enough to
devote the time to the three novels in this
series.
Inhuman
Resources
Lemaitre, Pierre
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Unto Us a Son Is
Given
Leon, Donna
4/19/19
Inheritance. The twenty-ninth installment
in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series by
Donna Leon set in Venice is titled, Unto Us a
Son Is Given. For the first time in my
memory, we have an extended one on one
conversation between Guido and his father-
in-law, and a request for help from the older
man to the younger. Leon explores in this
novel the things we do for love and the
essence of inheritance. There’s an adult
adoption at the core of the story, and the ebb
and flow of friendship across decades.
Longtime fans may be surprised by what
Guido is reading. Readers who enjoy
character-based crime novels with complex
and interesting characters are those most
likely to enjoy this novel and this series.
These Truths: A
History of the
United States
Lepore, Jill
8/15/19
Gallop. Don’t blink while reading Jill
Lepore’s book titled, These Truths: A History
of the United States. If you blink, you might
miss a major episode in American History
because Lepore writes at a galloping pace.
Believe it or not, this almost thousand-page
book manages to be concise while still being
comprehensive. I can’t think of something
important that she skipped. No matter how
much you think you know about American
History, it can be helpful for a fresh
examination through the scholarship of a
contemporary historian.
The Topeka School
Lerner, Ben
11/14/19
Language. Ben Lerner demands readers of
his novel titled, The Topeka School, to go
deep or go home. When Lerner unveils the
interior lives of characters, we see the ways in
which the forms of language shape ourselves
and our environment. As he shifts
perspective, Lerner demands our eyes follow
his as we look to the past and see the
trajectory toward our divisive present from
multiple points of view. Words matter and
Lerner shows us why. Fans of finely written
literary fiction are those most likely to enjoy
this novel.
America,
Compromised
Lessig, Lawrence
6/18/19
Corruption. Something is rotten in the
United States and Lawrence Lessig explores
what that might be in a book assembled from
the Berlin Family lectures he delivered. Titled,
America, Compromised, this book describes
the various ways in which some of America’s
core institutions have become corrupted.
Lessig does not ascribe our current condition
to bad apples, but rather to the gradual ways
in which compromises have led to a decline in
trust and a culture of corruption. Money is the
usual cause of a diversion by institutions from
their original purpose toward some
compromise that leads to corruption. Lessig
gives loads of examples. Readers interested in
public policy are those most likely to be
receptive to Lessig’s concerns.
The Cost of Living
Levy, Deborah
12/9/19
Brisk. The short book by Deborah Levy
titled, The Cost of Living, allows readers to
sample her fine prose while eavesdropping on
a few selected episodes from her life. Levy
calls this “a working autobiography,” and it is
a glimpse into the writer’s observations about
living in our world with interesting other
people. All of a writer’s life can become source
material, and in this book, Levy takes us
behind the curtain to spend time with her
memories and observations. I finished the
book wanting to meet her mother and I
smiled when I finally reached the phrase that
became the title of this book. Fans of literary
prose are those most likely to enjoy this book.
Where Reasons
End
Li, Yiyun
7/16/19
Words. Where does a writer go to grieve?
After Yiyun Li’s 16-year-old son committed
suicide, the writer turned to words. In her
novel titled, Where Reasons End, Li imagines
conversations between a mother and her dead
son. The novel captures grief with all its
confusion, sadness and attempts to find a way
to stay in touch with a lost loved one. The
intensity that Li captures in her writing will
resonate for any reader who has experienced
deep grief. Every odd conversation is a way of
reaching for a connection that can never be
made again. The prose is finely written and
readers open to falling into the grieving
process are those most likely to appreciate
this novel.
Good Riddance
Lipman, Elinor
8/27/19
Yearbook. The high school class of 1968
dedicated its yearbook to teacher June Winter
Maritch. The action in Elinor Lipman’s novel
titled, Good Riddance, begins after June’s
daughter, Daphne Maritch, throws away her
late mother’s yearbook. A dumpster-diving
neighbor, Geneva, retrieves the yearbook and
approaches Daphne with her plan to make a
documentary based on the yearbook. Hijinks
follow, as Lipman weaves a romantic story
and peeks inside family dynamics. Readers
looking for light entertainment are those most
likely to enjoy this novel.
Lady in the Lake
Lippman, Laura
8/5/19
Reporter. The location for Laura Lippman’s
latest standalone novel titled, Lady in the
Lake, is Baltimore, as usual, and the time
period is mostly the 1960s. Protagonist
Maddie Schwartz has just left a twenty year
marriage and frees herself to do something
meaningful with her life. She wheedles her
way into a job at a Baltimore newspaper, and
proves her worth as an investigative reporter
helping solve a mystery. The novel is packed
with a cast of fascinating characters, and the
great story that Lippman writes even includes
a surprise twist.
Hark
Lipsyte, Sam
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Become America:
Civic Sermons on
Love,
Responsibility,
and Democracy
Liu, Eric
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Most Fun We
Ever Had
Lombardo, Claire
9/3/19
Losses. I was primed to think favorably
about Claire Lombardo’s debut novel titled,
The Most Fun We Ever Had. Lombardo sets
the novel in her hometown, Oak Park, Illinois,
where I live now, and I’ve lived in this village
longer than anyplace else. The gingko leaves
on the cover are from a tree in Oak Park that
plays an important role at multiple points in
the novel. Because Lombardo presents a large
ensemble of characters, this is a long novel as
she never rushes to develop interesting
characters and reveal their secrets, their loves
and their losses. Lombardo moves us forward
and backward in time as the narrative
demands, and I found myself enjoying every
new dimension more that the last. Every
family has its ups and downs, and in this
extended family we get to feel the loves and
losses with depth and insight. Lombardo gives
readers a messy family for our messy times.
Patient readers are rewarded with embracing
the fullness of life and the ways in which the
answer to most questions involves love.
Horizon
Lopez, Barry
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Killing with
Confetti
Lovesey, Peter
8/15/19
Wedding. The eighteenth installment in
Peter Lovesey’s mystery series featuring Bath
head of CID Peter Diamond is a novel titled,
Killing with Confetti. Fans who love
character-driven crime fiction that’s well-
plotted are those readers most likely to enjoy
this novel and this series. After his son has
become engaged to the daughter of a
prominent criminal, George Brace, the
Deputy Chief Constable, selects Peter
Diamond to be in charge of security for the
wedding. Lovesey drops lots of great clues and
structures a terrific and engaging story. As
always, Diamond chafes under his boss
Georgina’s management, and skirts expected
norms and rules in doing his effective work.
The Coddling of
the American
Mind
Lukianoff, Greg and
Jonathan Haidt
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Italian Party
Lynch, Christina
6/10/19
Siena. Christina Lynch takes readers to
Tuscany in her novel titled, The Italian Party.
Set in the 1950s, protagonists Scottie and her
husband, Michael, have moved to Siena as
newlyweds, bringing along their respective
secrets and hiding new ones in plain sight.
Lynch explores truth and lies, while we
vicariously eat, drink, watch the Palio and
can’t wait to see what happens next to this
cast of interesting characters.
Severance
Ma, Ling
12/9/19
Routine. I enjoyed the deep insight into
contemporary life on the pages of Ling Ma’s
debut novel titled, Severance. Protagonist
Candace Chen came to the United States from
China as a little girl. Most of the action in this
humorous and satiric novel takes place while
Candace is working in New York as a young
adult following the death of both parents. Her
routine is constant: work for a Manhattan
publisher monitoring the production of
specialty books in China, followed by
watching movies in a basement apartment in
Brooklyn. A global disease called Shen Fever
is killing people everywhere, but Candace
seems immune and continues her routine.
Readers will recognize Candace as a
representative of her age cohort and as the
child of immigrants who wanted the best for
her. We root for her as she does what’s
necessary to survive the Shen Fever.
Underland: A
Deep Time
Journey
MacFarlane, Robert
9/13/19
Guide. Readers could find no better nature
guide than Robert MacFarlane, and his book
titled, Underland: A Deep Time Journey,
takes us on a global tour of what is and has
been beneath the surface of the earth. On one
page we’re thinking about the moment of
creation, on another we’re peering at cave
paintings and thinking about that part of the
past, and then we find ourselves wondering
about our stewardship of the earth and what
lies ahead for our planet. He takes us to the
Paris catacombs and to a place where nuclear
waste is stored. MacFarlane’s writing is as
beautiful as the world he calls on us to notice.
I haven’t experienced this much awe since
reading Carl Sagan. Most readers will finish
this book as I did: feeling a closer connection
to those and what has come before us.
The Spy and the
Traitor: The
Greatest
Espionage Story of
the Cold War
Macintyre, Ben
2/8/19
Gripping. Sometimes a difference between
fiction and non-fiction is that the real-life
version can seem to demand way too much
suspension of disbelief. In his true story
titled, The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest
Espionage Story of the Cold War, Ben
Macintyre tells us about the life of Oleg
Gordievsky, a Russian spy and the child of
KGB agents. Beginning in 1973 he was
working secretly for MI6 and played a key
role in defusing cold war tensions. His
dramatic extraction from Russia kept my
heart beating rapidly as I read of his ordeal.
Readers interested in international relations,
especially espionage, are those most likely to
appreciate this gripping story.
The Water Cure
Mackintosh, Sophie
12/9/19
Protection. Sophie Mackintosh’s debut
novel is titled, The Water Cure. Some
undescribed catastrophe hit the mainland, so
parents named King and Mother have taken
their daughters, Grace, Lia and Sky, to an
island for protection. The daughters are
subjected to a variety of therapies to keep
them pure, including keeping their hands in
frozen water and sweating in a sauna until
unconscious. Taught to fear strangers,
especially men, the daughters live in isolation
with ways of living to which they have become
accustomed. This situation can’t endure, so
after King disappears, and strangers arrive on
the island, the therapies for protection fall
aside and unmet needs are confronted.
Readers are left to ponder big questions from
this novel about gender, cults, and the stories
we can be led to believe and the ways we can
live when prompted that this is the way things
are.
Democracy in
Chains: The Deep
History of the
Radical Right's
Stealth Plan for
America
MacLean, Nancy
1/22/19
Assault. Sometimes a historian stumbles
into a trove of documents and can connect the
dots about past events. After Nancy MacLean
ran across economist James Buchanan’s
voluminous and overlooked files, she
unraveled the secret plan developed by
wealthy members of the radical right to shape
America in specific ways. In her book titled,
Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of
the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America ,
MacLean describes the history of a libertarian
movement and the planned and careful ways
in which a minority became the arbiters of
how our democracy operates. While MacLean
considers these actions as an assault on
democracy, some readers will see this book as
documentation of the success of a very long
plan. Any citizen interested in learning about
political power in the United States should
consider reading this book.
Mrs.
Macy, Caitlin
4/19/19
Connections. Caitlin Macy set her novel
titled, Mrs., on the Upper East Side of
Manhattan, just after the financial crisis, and
offers a cast of characters including the old
rich and the new rich. One connection among
the characters involves their children who
attend what all the elites know is the best
private school. Backstories and past
connections among characters provide depth
to the novel in which Macy delivers great
insight into the lives of the wealthy in
Manhattan. There’s a group of school moms
who provide the bitchy equivalent of a Greek
chorus. At the core there’s a smaller cast of
characters of deep complexity and secrets.
Macy uses multiple points of view to draw us
into this world. While lots of readers will
enjoy this novel, it seems tailor made for book
clubs, especially ones with school moms.
Blowout:
Corrupted
Democracy, Rogue
State Russia, and
the Richest, Most
Destructive
Industry on Earth
Maddow, Rachel
10/15/19
Transparency. You already know what
Rachel Maddow thinks about the fossil fuel
industry by the subtitle of her book titled,
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State
Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive
Industry on Earth. Inside this book, you’ll
find over 400 pages describing corruption
and malfeasance in the oil and gas business
around the world. Maddow offers pride of
place to Rex Tillerson and his calm demeanor
while he enters into lucrative and shady
partnerships with Vladimir Putin. Maddow
calls for action including transparency, the
elimination of subsidies, and steps to reduce
the corrupt influence of this business on
democracy.
Landfall
Mallon, Thomas
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Philosophy of
Ruin
Mancusi, Nicholas
9/13/19
Nihilism. What’s it all about, Alfie?
Philosophy should help steer us toward a
deeper understanding of the meaning of life.
In his debut novel titled, A Philosophy of
Ruin, Nicholas Mancusi offers a brisk and
exciting narrative that hovers around what
happens if one’s philosophy is nihilism. If life
is meaningless, how would we live?
Protagonist Oscar Boatwright is a philosophy
professor whose life has begun to unravel.
Mancusi pulls readers into caring for Oscar
and other characters as they struggle. Often
dark, at times funny, the novel propels
readers toward an expected ending. Mancusi
writes with great skill and many readers after
enjoying this initial outing will look forward
to more fine prose from this author.
The Prison Letters
of Nelson Mandela
Mandela, Nelson
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Notes from the
Fog
Marcus, Ben
3/18/19
Mordant. In each of the baker’s dozen of
stories in a collection by Ben Marcus titled,
Notes from the Fog, readers are likely to
wince or laugh and experience a focused barb
at contemporary life. Few readers will finish
these stories feeling that they’ve read it all
before. Marcus’ originality comes across as
fresh and alert to the consequences of trends
in modern life. Fans of literary fiction who
appreciate fine writing are those readers most
likely to appreciate these short stories.
Ohio
Markley, Stephen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
In the Closet of the
Vatican: Power,
Homosexuality,
Hypocrisy
Martel, Frédéric
10/15/19
Scandal. While I read Frédéric Martel’s
almost six-hundred-page book titled, In the
Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality,
Hypocrisy, I found myself wondering why
people were willing to talk to him and reveal
the many examples of scandal and
misbehavior that he reveals about the
Catholic clergy. For whatever reason, they did
as he conducted loads of interviews for this
book over a long period of time and chronicles
a story that most readers will find both sad
and scandalous. I kept thinking about the
reality that humans do stupid stuff and that
goodness and evil exist side by side within
each of us. After a while, though, I found the
hypocrisy overwhelming, so I paced myself
over several weeks while I read this book.
Many readers will finish the book anxious for
dramatic reform in the Catholic church and
sad that such reform is highly unlikely during
our lifetime.
Early Work
Martin, Andrew
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Fire and Blood
Martin, George R.R.
1/22/19
Prequel. Please don’t quiz me to
differentiate all the characters and dragons in
the Game of Thrones prequel by George R.R.
Martin, a novel titled, Fire and Blood.
Westeros fans have been pressing Martin for
the next installment and this 700-page
diversion is likely to meet with mixed reviews.
Structured as a history, I think it is also book
one of another series. The cult of Martin
wants him to write faster, and I expect even
he has some trouble keeping all the characters
straight. For readers who like the world of
Westeros, here’s another hefty installment
with intrigue, treachery, battles and dragons.
I read it in Chicago waiting for Winter to
come and was well entertained.
The Reign of the
Kingfisher
Martinson, T.J.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Why Don’t You
Write My Eulogy
Now So I Can
Correct It?: A
Mother's
Suggestions
Marx, Patricia and Roz
Chast
5/9/19
Gift. Sample a page or two of the book titled,
Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I
Can Correct It?: A Mother's Suggestions, and
you’ll know whether this is the right gift for
any mother in your life. Patricia Marx’s text
presents things her mother has said over the
years, and cartoonist Roz Chast provides
terrific illustrations. It’s clear that both
women present this short book out of love for
their mothers. Whether it resonates with you
or the mother in your life depends on the
nature of your relationship and how much
humor has been in your family dynamics.
The Winter Soldier
Mason, Daniel
6/10/19
Atmospheric. Readers who enjoy
descriptive historical fiction are those most
likely to enjoy Daniel Mason’s novel titled,
The Winter Soldier. Set during World War I
in Austria and Poland, the novel tells a story
of war and medicine. The protagonist is a
twenty-two-year-old medical student named
Lucius Krzelewski, whose limited training has
not prepared him for the field medicine he is
called on to practice. Thanks to the expertise
of Sister Margarete at the field hospital to
which he is assigned, Lucius learns quickly
how to care for wounded soldiers. Mason’s
finely written prose makes every setting
atmospheric, appropriate to the time and
place described. Mason presents the
condition of PTSD with insight and wisdom.
Mason’s prose brings beauty to grim settings.
Uncivil
Agreement: How
Politics Became
Our Identity
Mason, Lilliana
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Short Film
About
Disappointment
Mattson, Joshua
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Costalegre
Maum, Courtney
8/15/19
Refuge. Courtney Maum’s novel titled,
Costalegre, assembles many elements inside a
compact work. War is looming in Europe in
1937 and wealthy art patron Leonora Calaway
is arranging for artists and her art to be
transported to Mexico where she has a resort
named, Costalegre. Almost as an
afterthought, she pulls her fifteen-year-old
daughter, Lara, out of school to join the
eclectic group in their refuge in Mexico. It’s
Lara’s point of view that controls the
narrative, and she so longs for attention from
her mother that readers can feel her anguish.
Maum breaks tension with humor and
presents the lives of artists with vivid
imagery. Maum presents privilege and
longing in a lush setting and she writes about
losing and finding ourselves as we live in this
world of conflict, anxiety and uncertainty.
Beyond
Charlottesville:
Taking a Stand
Against White
Nationalism
McAuliffe, Terry
9/13/19
Racism. For those readers who can set aside
partisan politics (there must still be at least a
minyan of us left who can do that), former
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s book
titled, Beyond Charlottesville: Taking a Stand
Against White Nationalism, helps us reflect
about racism in the United States and what to
do about it. The death of Heather Heyer and
two Virginia state troopers during the violent
“Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville
grabbed national attention. McAuliffe
describes that event from his perspective at
the time as governor and calls on citizens to
unite in a fight against racism, hate and
extremism. Even if you read this book as a
fierce partisan, consider what tangible steps
you can take toward addressing racism in our
divided nation whether you agree with
McAuliffe or not.
The Threat: How
the FBI Protects
America in the Age
of Terror and
Trump
McCabe, Andrew
3/6/19
Service. Chances are that any reader will
come to Andrew McCabe’s book titled, The
Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the
Age of Terror and Trump, with positive or
negative views about the former acting FBI
director. I opened the book expecting him to
tell his side of a story that plastered the news
and to attack President Trump. Instead, I
read a finely written account of a life of
government service and how the Federal
Bureau of Investigation does its job. He
describes the well-controlled processes
followed by the Bureau and takes readers
inside the investigative process. Any reader
interested in public policy should read this
book and reflect on the state of our
government and its institutions. He spends
very little time promoting himself and many
pages talking about the investigative process
and the importance of doing things by the
book.
Bowlaway
McCracken, Elizabeth
4/4/19
Inheritance. A New England bowling alley
turns out to be the perfect place to discover
identity. In her novel titled, Bowlaway,
Elizabeth McCracken takes readers into a
bowling alley and its resident owners and
patrons across multiple generations. The
inheritance of the bowling alley depends on
identity. Protagonist Bertha Truitt may be the
most fully formed of the large cast of
characters in the novel, and she will come to
life for most readers as she brooks no
question or objection about her abilities as a
woman to do as she pleases. McCracken goes
wild in this novel, and readers are enriched as
a result, thanks to her fine writing. I had to
look up many words while reading this novel
because McCracken uses terminology suited
to each time period we visit. I also had to
learn what candlepin bowling is and saw that
it’s available in Chicago. Readers whose taste
leans toward the quirky are those most likely
to enjoy this novel. Treat your wild side with
this novel and leave behind no regrets.
Truth in Our
Times: Inside the
Fight for Press
Freedom in the
Age of Alternative
Facts
McCraw, David E.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Pioneers: The
Heroic Story of the
Settlers Who
Brought the
American Ideal
West
McCullough, David
6/24/19
Cutlers. Readers who enjoy history that’s
lively and well-written should consider David
McCullough’s book titled, The Pioneers: The
Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the
American Ideal West. McCullough focuses on
the movement west in the settlement of the
Northwest Territory, the place that became
the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois
and Wisconsin. McCullough tells of the Cutler
family, especially Manasseh Cutler, a
Massachusetts minister, whose efforts led to
the settlement of this region, and whose
leadership ensured that three key provisions
were included in what Congress approved:
freedom of religion, a prohibition of slavery in
the territory, and universal education. Cutler’s
son, Ephraim embodied these values, and
ensured his father’s values would continue.
McCullough tells the story of this time in
American history through the Cutlers and
through a few other significant characters. As
a result, readers are brought into the time and
place in a very readable narrative.
Machines Like Me
McEwan, Ian
7/3/19
Turing. Intelligent and thoughtful readers
are those most likely to appreciate Ian
McEwan’s novel titled, Machines Like Me.
Many of us wonder about how different the
world might have been if certain events
turned out differently. In the 1980s setting for
this novel, among other changes, Great
Britain loses the Falklands War, and Alan
Turning lives. Protagonist Charlie inherits
some money and uses it to purchase Adam, an
early automated human life form. McEwan
riffs on the Turing test, and allows readers to
consider how the full cast of characters
measure up to living a good life and being a
good human.
The Reservoir
Tapes
McGregor, Jon
7/3/19
Connected. The quirky exploration of an
ordinary place and a missing girl that Jon
McGregor began with his novel titled,
Reservoir 13, continues with a new book
titled, The Reservoir Tapes. McGregor offers
fifteen perspectives of members of this small
community. In this second novel, McGregor
helps readers see how a tragedy can fade into
the background life of any community. The
village we met in the first novel seems very
different in the second. McGregor first
presented this narrative on BBC Radio 4, and
some readers may want to receive the text in
audio rather than print form. I found that
hearing helped me appreciate McGregor’s
skill in capturing the cadences of everyday
speech, while connecting the pieces to allow
us to gain insight into how people reveal their
inner selves. While this novel stands on its
own, when read in conjunction with the
earlier novel, a reader can appreciate the
breadth of McGregor’s writing expertise.
Throw Me to the
Wolves
McGuinness, Patrick
7/16/19
Chapleton. After every chapter of Patrick
McGuinness’ novel titled, Throw Me to the
Wolves, I found myself liking it more, thanks
to the many ways in which the author
succeeds. At the core, this is a crime novel: a
dead body, a suspect, two detectives. That
only provides the structure in which
McGuinness struts his stuff. His prose is
finely written, and he allows his characters to
surprise readers with humor, psychological
insight, and reflections about memory and
childhood. The suspect in the murder is a
neighbor of the victim, a retired public school
teacher. One of the detectives went to that
school, Chapleton, and knew the suspect as a
teacher. McGuinness exposes the impact of
tabloids in contemporary society, and the
ways in which anyone who seems different
can be held suspect. The action alternates
between the present and thirty years earlier at
Chapleton. Fans of literary fiction will be
delighted by the prose. Readers who love
complex characters will revel in this cast.
Those who love crime fiction will find a
satisfying investigation and engaging mystery.
Falter: Has the
Human Game
Begun to Play
Itself Out?
McKibben, Bill
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Chain
McKinty, Adrian
7/26/19
Diabolical. Fans of action thrillers are those
readers most likely to enjoy the clever plot
and fast pace of Adrian McKinty’s novel titled,
The Chain. The life of protagonist Rachel
O’Neill seems to finally turn in the right
direction, given successful chemotherapy for
cancer and completing her divorce from an
immature husband. Instead, her thirteen-
year-old daughter has been kidnapped.
Raising the ransom required was a stretch,
but more insidious was the other condition:
the requirement that Rachel kidnap someone
else’s child to continue a long running chain
of serial abductions to enrich the diabolical
kidnappers. We may think our morality is
certain and fixed, but what would most
parents do to save one’s child? McKinty puts
that question before all readers and leaves us
with a well-told and memorable story to think
about as we ponder what we would do.
Saudi America:
The Truth About
Fracking and How
It's Changing the
World
McLean, Bethany
1/4/19
Transitions. Financial reporter Bethany
McLean has written a compact and engaging
book about the energy industry titled, Saudi
America: The Truth About Fracking and How
It's Changing the World. She describes the
transition from what seemed to be “peak oil”
in the United States, to the expensive and
creative ways in which fracking has reduced
reliance on foreign energy sources. McLean
tells us about the people, the money, and the
science. Whatever you think you know about
fracking, read this book, and you’re likely to
want to learn even more.
The Good
Detective
McMahon, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Patch
McPhee, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Sea Stories: My
Life in Special
Operations
McRaven, William H.
9/13/19
Iterative. Retired US Navy Admiral William
H. McRaven has written a terrific book titled,
Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations,
about the thirty-seven years he served as a
Navy SEAL. Each anecdote builds on the prior
one in some form or another, supporting the
iterative process of building on past
experience. I recall talking to one of my
bosses many years ago who was apprehensive
about an important meeting. I calmed him
with the reminder that all kinds of
experiences brought him toward this meeting,
and he is as prepared as he could possibly be.
McRaven’s life was one layer of experiences
built on another, and by the time a reader
reaches the story of the raid that killed Osama
bin Laden, we know how he will approach this
mission. Most readers will finish this book
offering thanks to McRaven and the
thousands of others whose valuable service
deserves recognition and gratitude.
The Ruin
McTiernan, Dervla
10/25/19
Links. The debut novel by Dervla McTiernan
is titled, The Ruin. Set in Galway, the novel
links two cases of detective Cormac Reilly: the
recent death of Jack Blake, and two decades
earlier when as a rookie policeman he met
Jack with sister Maude at the death of their
mother. Sure in Ireland the past is always
present and the ghosts never go away. Fans of
crime fiction will find the cases compelling,
the characters interesting, and the writing
satisfying.
The Scholar
McTiernan, Dervla
12/16/19
Galway. The second novel in the Cormac
Reilly series by Dervla McTiernan is titled,
The Scholar. The work lives of Cormac and his
girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, intersect at
the beginning of this novel after Emma finds a
body at Galway University and calls Cormac
who’s the first officer to arrive on the scene.
As an investigation and mystery case
develops, McTiernan pulls us back to observe
her writing with admiration as she taps into
the doubts and insecurities faced by many
characters. Fans of crime fiction are those
readers most likely to enjoy this novel and
this series.
Songs of America:
Patriotism,
Protest, and the
Music That Made
a Nation
Meacham, Jon and
Tim McGraw
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Instructions for a
Funeral
Means, David
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The First
Conspiracy: The
Secret Plot to Kill
George
Washington
Meltzer, Brad
11/9/19
Spies. In a pause from writing fiction,
prolific novelist Brad Meltzer paired up with
researcher Josh Mensch to write an engaging
work of non-fiction titled, The First
Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George
Washington. Meltzer takes us to New York
during the American Revolution and the
shifting loyalties between those supporting
the English monarchy and those in revolt for
independence. While Washington tries to
train and equip a ragtag group of soldiers into
a fighting force, there are active plans to take
out Washington himself. Plenty of historians
have written about what a close-run thing the
Revolutionary War was. Meltzer adds this
book as another easy read that describes true
stories of that era that will enlighten and
entertain readers.
Same Same
Mendelsund, Peter
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Martin Buber: A
Life of Faith and
Dissent
Mendes-Flohr, Paul
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Finding Again the
World: Selected
Stories
Metcalf, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Apprentice:
Trump, Russia
and the
Subversion of
American
Democracy
Miller, Greg
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Conviction
Mina, Denise
8/5/19
Podcast. I share an interest in podcasts with
Anna McDonald, the protagonist of Denise
Mina’s novel titled, Conviction. After hearing
a podcast episode about a true crime, Anna
and the plot take off. It turns out that Anna
was very familiar with the crime described on
the podcast. For almost four hundred pages,
Mina writes with clever wit and readers learn
about a secret from Anna’s past and the
efforts she takes to come to terms with solving
a mystery and finding out the truth about
something that changed her life.
Elastic: Flexible
Thinking in a Time
of Change
Mlodinow, Leonard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Sleep of Memory
Modiano, Patrick
3/26/19
Places. Life goes on in the small moments
just as well as in the great events. Patrick
Modiano explores the nature of our
recollections in a novel titled, Sleep of
Memory. After I finished the book, I thought
of the closing line spoken by the nihilist
played by Greta Garbo at the end of the
tumultuous 1932 movie, Grand Hotel:
“people come, people go, nothing ever
happens.” That line followed lots of large and
small happenings. Modiano takes us into
recollections of the small moments from the
past, in neighborhoods of Paris, where a
person can seem to be departed from the
world after moving from one neighborhood to
another. This is an atmospheric novel, very
focused on place, and a gentle way for readers
to think about places and memory.
The Widows
Montgomery, Jess
2/2/19
Mining. In a finely written debut novel by
Jess Montgomery titled, The Widows, the
protagonists Lily and Marvena are connected
through the Sheriff of a small Ohio coal
mining town, Daniel Ross. Set in the 1920s,
the novel is packed with interesting
characters and plot momentum involving
violence, greed, loss, and restraint. Lily and
Marvena are also connected in a battle for
justice, a cause for which these two widows
are formidable warriors. Readers who enjoy
historical fiction and well-developed complex
characters are those most likely to enjoy this
novel.
Nine Perfect
Strangers
Moriarty, Liane
2/21/19
Spa. One recipe for a novel: conjure up some
interesting people and put them in an unusual
place. In her novel titled, Nine Perfect
Strangers, Liane Moriarty puts a cast of very
interesting characters in a wellness spa called
Tranquillum House. All is not as it appears at
this health resort, and the lives of the
characters have levels of depth that take a
while to reveal. Over the course of more than
450 pages, Moriarty reveals who these people
are and what is really going on at Tranquillam
House. You may never go to a spa again.
American
Messiahs: False
Prophets of a
Damned Nation
Morris, Adam
10/25/19
Audience. Throughout American History
religious leaders have arisen to present an
alternative message to receptive followers. In
his book titled, American Messiahs: False
Prophets of a Damned Nation, Adam Morris
surveys a wide range of these leaders, some
well-known and others obscure. General
readers may find the narrative a bit bland
while those knowledgeable in history and
religion may find that the narrative leaves
many gaps. I enjoyed hearing about people I
never knew, like Cyrus Teed in the nineteenth
century, and some I enjoyed learning more
about, like Father Devine in the twentieth
century. Some self-proclaimed messiahs were
benign and others dangerous. Any reader
with interest in both history and religion will
find these stories interesting.
Edison
Morris, Edmund
11/14/19
Prolific. Edmund Morris’ biography titled,
Edison, was published after the author’s
death. Were he alive, I would have asked him
why he chose a structure for the book that was
as difficult as its subject. While most
biographies procced chronologically, Morris
goes backward, mostly, and organizes in the
following categories: botany, defense,
chemistry, magnetism, light, sound,
telegraphy, and natural philosophy. The
prolific and talented Edison explored all those
areas, and he patented inventions at a great
clip throughout his life. Despite the
challenging structure, most readers will find
Edison a great subject and Morris a fine
presenter of the complex and voluminous
material of a highly productive life.
The Tattooist of
Auschwitz
Morris, Heather
2/8/19
Hope. For those readers who look to fiction
to explore the scope of human behavior,
consider reading Heather Morris’ finely
written novel titled, The Tattooist of
Auschwitz. Protagonist Lale Sokolov arrives at
the concentration camps of Auschwitz-
Birkenau in 1942. Because of his language
skills, he is selected to work as a tattooist to
mark numbers on prisoners. Morris sets up
the contrast between the evil behavior of the
Nazis and Lale’s ways of helping others and
fostering hope in himself and others. This is a
love story between Lale and Gita, a woman he
meets in the camp. Based on a true story,
Morris draws readers into horror and hope in
ways that affirm our ability to express love
and survive against all odds.
In My Mind’s Eye
Morris, Jan
12/9/19
Endearing. Jan Morris calls her book titled,
In My Mind’s Eye, “a thought diary.”
Wherever those thoughts come from, they are
finely written, endearing and certainly
eclectic. Some of the daily diary entries are
short, and others are finely developed essays.
Most are quips that will cause readers to smile
and become charmed by this talented author
who still amazes in her nineties. Could there
be something magical in the water in Wales?
The Source of Self-
Regard: Selected
Essays, Speeches,
and Meditations
Morrison, Toni
8/15/19
Prowess. If the occasion of Toni Morrison’s
death leads you to read or reread her fiction,
by all means do it. A few days before her
death, I read a collection titled, The Source of
Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and
Meditations, and she has been on my mind in
recent weeks. I love her novels, and this
collection reveals that same clear voice in
personal ways and with vision and deep
thought. Whenever and however Morrison
spoke, attention must be paid by those willing
to learn a thing or two. On some pages, we
hear Morrison the teacher, on others, the
editor, and on others the award-winning
author. Her prowess appears throughout, and
I finished reading this collection inspired and
perhaps a tiny bit wiser.
The Clockmaker’s
Daughter
Morton, Kate
11/21/19
Voices. Fans of big and complicated
historical mysteries are those readers most
likely to enjoy Kate Morton’s novel titled, The
Clockmaker’s Daughter. Some readers may
become unsettled with the pacing of the
novel, as Morton shifts voices and time
periods just as a reader settles into one of the
puzzle pieces. It can feel like starting over
with a new voice, and it is. Patient readers will
be rewarded by the gradual reveal, and with
an engaging mystery packed with interesting
characters.
Ghost Wall
Moss, Sarah
3/26/19
Abuse. What did you do on your summer
vacation? In Sarah Moss’ novel titled, Ghost
Wall, protagonist Silvie joins her family in the
countryside in the north of England for her
father’s favorite leisure activity: an Iron Age
reenactment. In addition to her father’s
obsession with this unusual activity, he also
beats her. In this dark context, Silvie becomes
aware that there may be a better way of life
outside the ghost wall that her father has built
for their family. Fans of literary fiction are
those readers most likely to enjoy this short
novel.
Killing
Commendatore
Murakami, Haruki
6/10/19
Painting. One reading of Haruki Murakami’s
novel titled, Killing Commendatore, may lead
to one or two more for devoted fans. For me,
once through was more than enough. An
unnamed painter leaves a relationship and
moves to the home of a famous artist where
he finds a painting in the attic. What follows
is a detachment from the world and a journey
of discovery into ideas and metaphors and a
search for understanding. Loneliness drags on
for dozens of pages in this long novel, and
ghostly and otherworldly figures become
commonplace. Patient readers who enjoy
literary fiction are those most likely to enjoy
this novel.
1,000 Books To
Read Before You
Die
Mustich, James
1/4/19
Temptation. I should never have picked up
a copy of James Mustich’s book titled, 1,000
Books To Read Before You Die. In recent
years, I’ve been reading at the pace of about a
book a day. My focus has been to try to drink
from the fire hose of newly published books
and try to select an eclectic sample to match
my interests. I was curious to see how many
of Mustich’s selected 1,000 I’ve read during
my six decades of reading. While I did not
read everything Mustich had to say about
each book he selected and referenced
(actually about 6,000 altogether), I turned
every page and was alarmed by how many
authors he chose who were totally unfamiliar
to me. I think I’ve read over a third of his
selections. Now I am tempted toward the two-
thirds. I sensed a kindred spirit in Mustich
when I read his take on diversity in reading
appetite: “No matter their pedigree,
inveterate readers read the way they eat – for
pleasure as well as nourishment, indulgence
as well as education, and sometimes for
transcendence, too. Hot dogs one day, haute
cuisine the next.” (p. ix) Any reader looking
for something interesting to read can use this
book to fulfill reading appetites of all sorts.
Will I abandon my focus on new books and
turn toward the past to recover what I’ve
missed along the way? Time will tell.
The Selected
Works of Abdullah
the Cossack
Naqvi, H.M.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Best People:
Trump's Cabinet
and the Siege on
Washington
Nazaryan, Alexander
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
We Can Save Us
All
Nemett, Adam
12/20/19
Princeton. Readers will need to be patient
while getting into Adam Nemett’s debut novel
titled, We Can Save Us All. The setting is
Princeton University, but this is not one of the
eating clubs with which you may be familiar.
The USV, Unnamed Supersquadron of
Vigilantes, is more like a cult, in a climate
changed near future, with a plan to make a
difference. Our near future might get the
superheroes we deserve, and the USV just
might be the ones who accomplish what the
title demands. I enjoyed the fine writing and
the scope of creativity by the author. It’s an
odd book that may put off some readers, but I
liked this complex story with quirky
characters living in a complicated world with
conviction and passion.
The Thirst
Nesbo, Jo
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Downhill from
Here: Retirement
Insecurity in the
Age of Inequality
Newman, Katherine S.
3/6/19
Reality. There’s no shortage of big issues to
worry about from global climate change to
terrorism. For a sober reality check on the
inability of most Americans to ever stop
working before death, read Katherine S.
Newman’s book titled, Downhill from Here:
Retirement Insecurity in the Age of
Inequality. Most Americans over age 55 have
no retirement savings. The financial crisis
wiped out home equity for many. Social
Security will cover a little over a third of pre-
retirement income. Pensions have either been
diminished or eliminated. What’s at the
bottom of the hill of aging? Poverty. Newman
tells a lot of personal stories that pack a
wallop in this book, especially of those people
who thought they were doing the right things
and now face the reality that promises made
to them have been broken. Readers interested
in public policy, especially those who would
like to retire one day should consider reading
this book and gaining a sober reality check
about the future.
The Heavens
Newman, Sandra
4/25/19
Dreams. Do we change, or is it reality that
changes? Where did we come from and where
are we going? Protagonist Kate is as confused
as the rest of us about life, as described in
Sandra Newman’s novel titled, The Heavens.
In New York in 2000, Kate meets Ben at a
party, and they hit it off. While she sleeps,
Kate dreams of 16
th
century London where
she lives as Emilia. After each dream, her
return to New York introduces her to an
altered reality from the one she left before
sleep. While Ben loves Kate, he finds her
changes unsettling and disturbing. Fans of
literary fiction are those readers most likely to
enjoy this novel.
Digital
Minimalism:
Choosing a
Focused Life in a
Noisy World
Newport, Cal
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Victorian Fairy
Tales
Newton, Michael
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Darkening
Age: The Christian
Destruction of the
Classical World
Nixey, Catherine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Strike Your Heart
Nothomb, Amélie
3/26/19
Jealousy. Some fiction writers enjoy writing
hundreds and hundreds of pages to flesh out
stories about our human condition. Amélie
Nothomb condenses lots of insight about life
into a novel of just over one hundred pages
titled, Strike Your Heart. Protagonist Diana is
the firstborn child of a beautiful woman
named Marie. Their relationship, marked by
Marie’s jealousy of Diana, provides the core of
this finely written novel. Alienated from
Marie, Diana finds relationships with other
women and those are fraught with turmoil. I
expect that any book club that selects this
novel with lead to revelation of one’s own
maternal and sibling relationships and an
extra glass of wine or two.
The Monarchy of
Fear
Nussbaum, Martha C.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
My Coney Island
Baby
O’Callaghan, Billy
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Election of
Pope Francis: An
Inside Account of
the Conclave That
Changed History
O’Connell, Gerard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Shadowplay
O’Connor, Joseph
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Flatshare
O’Leary, Beth
7/26/19
Fun. Summer vacation is a perfect time to
pick up a novel that’s pure fun. The romantic
comedy titled, The Flatshare, by Beth O’Leary
fit that bill for me. After Tiffy broke up with
her boyfriend, she needed to move. Leon
needed some extra cash, so he offered his
apartment for someone to share. The unusual
arrangement involved using the flat during
shifts. Since Leon works nights and stays with
his girlfriend on weekends, the new flatmate
would use the apartment on weekends and on
weeknights after Leon leaves for work. Tiffy
was ok with this, and Leon’s girlfriend
interviewed her and told Leon to go ahead. An
unusual aspect of sharing involved the one
bed: one person used the left side and the
other the right. Given that backdrop as
structure, O’Leary lets us fall for all the
interesting characters and their adventures.
Readers who are looking for light reading are
those most likely to enjoy this entertaining
novel.
Henry, Himself
O’Nan, Stewart
8/5/19
Seasons. We spend most of our time in the
ordinary routines of life. In his novel titled,
Henry, Himself, Stewart O’Nan reprises
characters from earlier novels. We get to
observe the everyday life of protagonist Henry
Maxwell and his wife, Emily, as they go
through the change of seasons and do what
most of us do: fall into our typical patterns,
and stumble into new people, places and
things that tend to surprise us and shake us
out of our routine. O’Nan offers readers a
portrait of a guy in Pittsburgh who could be
any one of us. Readers looking for lots of
action and drama won’t fine it here. What
patient readers will find is a good man living a
good life and well-written prose.
Gray Day: My
Undercover
Mission to Expose
America's First
Cyber Spy
O’Neill, Eric
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
None of My
Business
O’Rourke, P.J.
3/26/19
Yuks. The latest humorous commentaries on
contemporary American life by P.J. O’Rourke
are contained in a new book titled, None of
My Business. O’Rourke’s wit and funny
observations are often entertaining, and it
won’t take a reader very long to zip through
these three hundred pages. I found his usual
curmudgeon dialed down a bit in this book,
and that his stride seemed best on a subject
like bitcoin where his writing soars. Readers
looking for an entertaining diversion should
consider reading this book.
Hazards of Time
Travel
Oates, Joyce Carol
1/22/19
Paths. From the discomfort of the present,
Joyce Carol Oates projects to the future and
revisits the past in a finely written dystopian
novel titled, Hazards of Time Travel. A high
school valedictorian in the future uses her
commencement speech to exert independence
and ask her classmates a series of question.
Her behavior doesn’t suit the norms of
society, so she finds herself sent to the past
for rehabilitation in 1950s Wainscotia,
Wisconsin. Oates doesn’t need to tell readers
about all the details of both past and future:
she makes the settings atmospheric and we
fill in the gaps. Our young female protagonist
becomes our eyes and ears in both settings.
We have many paths projecting from today
toward the future. Oates offers one that
should scare every reader.
Becoming
Obama, Michelle
1/4/19
Conversational. Place politics aside, and
listen to Michelle Obama’s conversational
story of her life in her memoir titled,
Becoming. From describing her childhood on
the South Side of Chicago to life in the White
House, she tells her story in ways that are
very personal, revealing, and come across as
genuine. Her optimism fills every chapter of
this book, even when she takes a swipe or two.
Whether as daughter, student, lawyer, boss,
spouse, mother or first lady, she
communicates with wit and candor. Hers is
an American story, and I enjoyed ready every
page.
An Orchestra of
Minorities
Obioma, Chigozie
3/18/19
Sorrow. The omniscient narrator of Chigozie
Obioma’s novel titled, An Orchestra of
Minorities, is the guardian spirit of
protagonist Chinonso. Obioma allows this chi
to weave slowly the life story of Chinonso, a
naïve chicken farmer, whose life choices
toward joy lead to sorrow and pain. Nonso
falls in love with a woman named Ndali, who
is from a very wealthy family who consider
Nonso too far beneath them in station to be
worthy enough for the lovers to marry. I was
delighted by all the twists and turns in
Nonso’s life, and the ways in which Obioma
uncovers the dimensions of good and evil in
the world and in ourselves. Many pages
explore the process of forgiveness. For those
readers who find that some of the sections of
the novel seem to move too slowly, I
encourage you at those times to focus on the
fine descriptive language throughout the
novel and wait for momentum to resume.
Bad Advice: Or
Why Celebrities,
Politicians, and
Activists Aren't
Your Best Source
of Health
Information
Offit, Paul A.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Country Dark
Offutt, Chris
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
White Shoe: How
a New Breed of
Wall Street
Lawyers Changed
Big Business and
the American
Century
Oller, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Library Book
Orlean, Susan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Only to Sleep
Osborne, Lawrence
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Where the
Crawdads Sing
Owens, Delia
7/3/19
Marsh. While I’ve noted that Delia Owens’
debut novel titled, Where the Crawdads Sing,
has been on the best seller list for almost a
year, I didn’t settle down to read it until a few
days ago. Owens offers readers the full life of
protagonist Kya Clark, who lived for six
decades in the marsh on the coast of North
Carolina. The setting is described with such
care that most readers will visualize the place
where Kya lives. For much of the plot, there’s
a mystery to solve, and Owens fills the space
around that core with pulling readers deeper
into understand all the complexity of this
interesting protagonist who battles for
survival in a difficult environment.
Gingerbread
Oyeyemi, Helen
5/28/19
Imaginative. Readers who enjoy finely
written literary fiction are those most likely to
appreciate the prose in Helen Oyeyemi’s novel
titled, Gingerbread. Oyeyemi tests impatient
readers who may feel confused at times, but
attentive and patient readers will be rewarded
by the author’s rich imagination and great
skill at choosing just the right words for very
sentence. There’s joy in this novel that can
become contagious and elements of folklore
or magic that can lead to transcending our
ordinary lives.
Our Man: Richard
Holbrooke and the
End of the
American Century
Packer, George
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Matriarch:
Barbara Bush and
the Making of an
American Dynasty
Page, Susan
7/26/19
Beloved. Susan Page has written a terrific
biography of the late former First Lady
Barbara Bush titled, The Matriarch: Barbara
Bush and the Making of an American
Dynasty. With access to decades of personal
diaries and interviews with scores of people,
Page offers readers a comprehensive look at
this beloved woman who led a large family
whose public service was exemplary. This
book is no hagiography, as Page presents
achievements alongside shortcomings. As
with many women of her time, Barbara Bush
has been undervalued and underestimated. A
reader will come away from this book with a
perspective about whether her husband and
her son would have been elected Presidents of
the United States were it not for her.
The Fork, the
Witch, and the
Worm
Paolini, Christopher
12/9/19
Return. Fans of Christopher Paolini’s
Inheritance Cycle and the Eragon stories are
those readers most likely to enjoy the return
to Alagaësia with the three stories collected in
a book titled, The Fork, the Witch, and the
Worm. I especially enjoyed the excerpt from
the memoir of Angela the herbalist. For
readers who thought Paolini could only write
massively long books, here’s an example of
the author’s ability to tell great stories
efficiently.
The Caregiver
Park, Samuel
2/8/19
Daughter. Can a child ever truly understand
the lives of one’s parents? Samuel Park
explores that question and others in a finely
written novel titled, The Caregiver.
Protagonist Mara Alencar grew up in a Rio de
Janeiro flavela knowing some aspects of her
mother Ana’s life, but not understanding
critical actions during her childhood. Now
working as a caregiver in Los Angeles for a
woman named Kathryn who suffers with
stomach cancer, Mara finds herself being
treated as a daughter by her employer and
questioning her past and that of her mother.
Park moves the action between past and
present as we gradually learn about the lives
of these fascinating characters. I’m usually
skeptical of a man’s ability to write with
insight about female characters. In this case,
Park seemed to understand the mother-
daughter relationship extremely well. He also
understood what Kathryn was facing with
cancer. Park died of stomach cancer not long
after he finished writing this novel.
The Dutch House
Patchett, Ann
11/14/19
Conroys. Fans of finely written prose with
deep and complex characters are those most
likely to enjoy Ann Patchett’s novel titled, The
Dutch House. In addition to the members of
the Conroy family, who we get to know over
the course of five decades, we also see the
depth and richness of their family home. Any
reader who has lived in a home that was more
than a place to live will delight in the magic of
this house and why it attracts some and repels
others. There’s a sibling relationship at the
center of this novel and Patchett captures the
intensity of that special bond with great skill.
Each of us has someone in our extended
family who does something that we just can’t
understand. Many of the characters in this
novel do exactly that and we love them all the
more because of their behavior. I loved every
minute I spent with the Conroy family and
imagined living in the house during good
times and bad.
Out of Many
Faiths: Religious
Diversity and the
American Promise
Patel, Eboo
11/9/19
Minorities. Eboo Patel offers readers a
robust defense of religious diversity in his
book titled, Out of Many Faiths: Religious
Diversity and the American Promise.
Following Patel’s argument, there are
commentaries on the subject by others. This
book is part of a series called, Our Compelling
Interests. Patel describes his view of what the
American promise is, and how minorities
enhance the common good. Diversity is a
great strength in the life of our country, and
religious diversity is of special value. If you
believe that the United States is a Judeo-
Christian nation, you should read this book
and reflect on what our future should be like.
If You See Me,
Don’t Say Hi
Patel, Neel
2/2/19
Alienation. Many children of immigrants
feel alienation not only from their parents
who grew up in a different place but also from
their peers, whose family lives can seem more
homogenous. In the eleven short stories in the
collection by Neel Patel titled, If You See Me,
Don’t Say Hi, the characters struggle with
identity and with finding ways to escape
dysfunction of many types. There’s loneliness
in these stories, anxiety about family
expectations, and couples who are out of sync.
The intimacy that Patel creates with just a few
paragraphs in these stories leads to insights
about human behavior that may be
enlightening to many readers.
The Paris
Diversion
Pavone, Chris
6/10/19
Plans. The action in Chris Pavone’s novel
titled, The Paris Diversion, takes place on a
single day. Multiple characters have big plans
for the day and the expectation of receiving
significant financial rewards when those plans
are executed. Pavone lays out the action
sequentially, draws readers to a point of
tension, then shifts from one setting to
another to layer on the complexity of what’s
happening among multiple characters. The
scheming is complicated, the characters
competent and interesting, and the plot
thrilling.
The Dante
Chamber
Pearl, Matthew
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Can American
Capitalism
Survive?: Why
Greed Is Not
Good, Opportunity
Is Not Equal, and
Fairness Won't
Make Us Poor
Pearlstein, Steven
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bob Honey Who
Just Do Stuff
Penn, Sean
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Better Man
Penny, Louise
10/25/19
Fear. The Chief Inspector Gamache series by
Louise Penny is one of those rare cases in
which new installments continue to get better.
One of the best novels yet, the fifteenth in the
series, is titled, A Better Man. Armand
Gamache’s suspension from the Sûreté du
Québec has ended, and to the surprise of
politicians who wanted him retired, Gamache
has returned in a demoted role, head of
homicide, a role he shares with his son-in-law
Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who will soon be leaving
Canada to work in the private sector in
France. Penny uses this installment to explore
fear in many forms, which she does with great
skill. The mystery at the heart of this story
keeps many readers guessing among lots of
possibilities until the very end of the book, to
great satisfaction. Along the way, a full cast of
familiar characters supports the action.
Gamache draws on a lifetime of experience to
use his psychological insights to solve a
complicated case and to assume his demoted
job with skill and sensitivity. Loyal readers
will savor this installment, and any crime
fiction reader can start this series anyplace
and find good writing and terrific characters.
Kingdom of the
Blind
Penny, Louise
1/22/19
Drugs. The fourteenth novel in the Chief
Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny is
titled, Kingdom of the Blind. While this
installment can stand on its own, first time
readers will understand context better by
holding this book in queue while reading the
last two installments. The action in this novel
begins as Gamache remains suspended from
his job pending an investigation. Dangerous
drugs from the case that led to his suspension
are about to hit the streets of Montreal.
Gamache coolly implements a risky plan to
save lives. Penny continues to develop
interesting characters with this installment
and contrasts gritty city life with the
tranquility of Three Pines. Crime fiction can
become formulaic and is often poorly written.
Penny crafts some of the best contemporary
fiction in this genre and the current novel was
a delight to read.
Yes We (Still) Can:
Politics in the Age
of Obama, Twitter,
and Trump
Pfeiffer, Dan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Need
Phillips, Helen
11/21/19
Bizarre. Things are not as they appear for
both the characters in and readers of Helen
Phillips novel titled, The Need. Protagonist
Molly is not the only parent who, while at
home with young children, hears footsteps in
the house. Is she just sleep deprived or is
there something more sinister at play? A long
day with children can be bizarre for any
number of reasons, but Phillips pulls readers
into her speculative and thrilling story and
demands that we follow her images and story
wherever it leads. Patient readers are
rewarded with a bizarre and entertaining
story.
Disappearing
Earth
Phillips, Julia
12/20/19
Anguish. The debut novel by Julia Phillips
titled, Disappearing Earth, opens with the
disappearance of two sisters. Set in
Kamchatka, Russia, the novel describes that
area with finely written prose and draws
readers into a year of anguish during which
no progress seems to be made on finding the
missing girls. Readers who enjoy literary
fiction and the exploration of an unfamiliar
place are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Notes to Self
Pine, Emilie
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Women Rowing
North: Navigating
Life’s Currents and
Flourishing As We
Age
Pipher, Mary
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Visible Empire
Pittard, Hannah
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Audience of One:
Donald Trump,
Television, and the
Fracturing of
America
Poniewozik, James
11/9/19
Window. Journalist James Poniewozik,
television critic for The New York Times, tells
two stories in his book titled, Audience of
One: Donald Trump, Television, and the
Fracturing of America. The first story flows
from job as TV critic: he relates the role of
television in American life and how it has
evolved from the beginning of the medium to
the present. The second story involves using
television as a window into gaining a deeper
understanding of Donald Trump. Poniewozik
projects how television helped form the
character of Trump through what he watched
as a child, to his self-promotion as a
businessman, through his fame via The
Apprentice, and then on to politics through
Fox News. I found that Poniewozik described
the evolution of television with insight, and he
uses his observations of the changes in
television over decades as one way to explain
increased polarization among Americans and
to offer a view about how television made
Donald Trump.
Lanny
Porter, Max
6/24/19
Interest. There’s a lot of interest in a small
village outside London in the eponymous
protagonist of Max Porter’s novel titled,
Lanny. We learn of Lenny through the
viewpoints of multiple characters, but not
from Lanny himself. He is recognized as a
very special young man by his parents, by an
artist neighbor and by a version of the Green
Man, a spirit called Dead Papa Toothwort.
Porter writes in an unusual way, especially
when he tries to let readers hear all that Dead
Papa Toothwort is listening to at the same
time as village life is being conducted,
something unlike hearing snippets of multiple
conversations in a busy restaurant. Fans of
unusual literary fiction are those readers most
likely to enjoy this novel.
The Travelers
Porter, Regina
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Radical Markets:
Uprooting
Capitalism and
Democracy for a
Just Society
Posner, Eric and E.
Glen Weyl
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
How to Break Up
with Your Phone:
The 30-Day Plan
to Take Back Your
Life
Price, Catherine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
What to Read and
Why
Prose, Francine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Woman of No
Importance: The
Untold Story of
the American Spy
Who Helped Win
World War II
Purnell, Sonia
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Tangled Tree:
A Radical New
History of Life
Quammen, David
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Night Agent
Quirk, Matthew
3/6/19
Mole. Fans of spy fiction are those readers
most likely to enjoy a novel by Matthew Quirk
titled, The Night Agent. Protagonist Peter
Sutherland is an FBI agent whose latest
assignment is a special desk in the White
House Situation Room. Before long, Peter is
in the middle of a spy network that includes a
highly placed Russian mole. Peter’s late father
was suspected of being a Russian spy, so the
FBI has never fully trusted Peter. The
characters are interesting, the plot twists
exciting and the resolution very satisfying.
The Third Pillar:
How Markets and
the State Leave the
Community
Behind
Rajan, Raghuram
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Farm
Ramos, Joanne
7/26/19
Surrogate. What does it mean to be a
mother? Joanne Ramos explores that
question as well as the consequences of
income inequality in her novel titled, The
Farm. The Farm is what the residents call the
rural and isolated estate named Golden Oaks
where they are isolated while awaiting the
birth of babies. Rich people outsource all
sorts of unwelcome tasks, and in the case of
Golden Oaks, they outsource the birth of their
children. Women are selected to be hosts and
are well compensated to live in isolation and
tight surveillance while they carry the progeny
of the mega rich. Many of these surrogates
have made this choice as a way to provide a
better life for themselves and their families.
Ramos can be provocative in this novel and
yet makes the arrangements seem perfectly
normal and mutually beneficial. As we get to
know the characters, we understand the
consequences of the choices that are made.
In a House of Lies
Rankin, Ian
2/21/19
Consequences. The twenty-second
installment in the John Rebus crime series by
Ian Rankin is a novel titled, In a House of
Lies. All the familiar characters are back for
this novel, the fifth since Rebus was forced to
retire from the Edinburgh police. After the
remains of a private detective who
disappeared a decade ago are uncovered,
Siobhan Clarke thinks her mentor, John
Rebus, might help her solve this cold case.
Some events from the past have serious
consequences in the present if they come to
light, and Rebus, aware of the risks, tries to
use the case to press his own agenda. Fans
know that that agenda includes Big Ger
Cafferty. If none of this makes sense to you,
consider reading this novel or this series
anyway. The writing is great, especially for
those readers who like crime fiction.
A Diet of Worms
Rasmussen, Erik
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Mastermind:
Drugs. Empire.
Murder. Betrayal.
Ratliff, Evan
4/4/19
Gripping. Investigative journalist Evan
Ratliff tells the story of criminal genius Paul
Calder Le Roux in a book titled, The
Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder.
Betrayal.. Were this fiction, I would have
stopped reading after a few pages. Instead,
knowing that the story is true, I was
engrossed from beginning to end in a tale of
terror and chaos. Le Roux’s crimes helped
fuel our American opioid crisis, and the book
describes how that happened using doctors
and pharmacies who were ensnared by Le
Roux. The pages flew by as I read Ratliff’s
finely written account of a global criminal
enterprise.
Crown Jewel
Reich, Christopher
6/24/19
Schemes. The second novel by Christopher
Reich to feature protagonist Simon Riske is
titled, Crown Jewel. This time out, Riske
accepts a job to investigate unusual losses at a
casino in Monte Carlo. A cover story for
Riske’s arrival at the scene is a car race in
which he gets to drive the car of a billionaire
client that returned to Riske’s shop at an
opportune time. Following a chance meeting
with a German heiress, Riske agrees to help
solve her problem as well. Thanks to Reich’s
great pacing, the schemes twist and turn, with
Riske in the middle of everything. Fans of
action thrillers are those readers most likely
to enjoy this novel.
Prisoner: My 544
Days in an Iranian
Prison—Solitary
Confinement, a
Sham Trial, High-
Stakes Diplomacy,
and the
Extraordinary
Efforts It Took to
Get Me Out
Rezaian, Jason
3/18/19
Harrowing. A memoir can introduce
readers to individuals similar to us in some
ways and different in others. In his book
titled, Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian
Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial,
High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the
Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out,
Washington Post journalist Jason Rezian tells
us the harrowing story of his ordeal in Iran
during 2014 and 2015. While he writes from
the perspective of his life after he returned
home to the United States, I marveled at his
description of how he dealt with
imprisonment in Iran. He seemed to maintain
hope humor and discipline while being
anguished at his predicament. There’s a love
story here, lots of humor, and a clear view of
life from the inside of Iran.
Democracy:
Stories from the
Long Road to
Freedom
Rice, Condoleezza
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Losing Earth: A
Climate History
Rich, Nathaniel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Hits and Misses
Rich, Simon
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Moscow
Sleepers
Rimington, Stella
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
It’s Great to Suck
at Something: The
Unexpected Joy of
Wiping Out and
What It Can Teach
Us About Patience,
Resilience, and the
Stuff that Really
Matters
Rinaldi, Karen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
In Love with the
World: A Monk's
Journey Through
the Bardos of
Living and Dying
Rinpoche, Yongey
Mingyur
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Dawson’s Fall
Robinson, Roxana
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Great Eastern
Rodman, Howard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Normal People
Rooney, Sally
5/9/19
Relationship. The protagonists of Sally
Rooney’s novel titled, Normal People, are
well-developed and interesting characters
struggling with relationships in contemporary
life. Marianne and Connell are, as the title
says, normal people. They come from
different backgrounds, fall in love and
meander in and out of sync with each other,
just as other normal people do. Their dialogue
seems familiar. Marianne communicates her
truth with clarity. Connell seems reluctant
and often regrets not saying what he could
have. As readers, we come to know Marianne
and Connell better than they seem to know
themselves, and we want to shout at them to
avert a direction that we know will be
perilous. Readers may not like Connell and
Marianne, but we recognize them, the ups and
downs of their lives and the nature of their
relationship. Love endures, but come on
people, take the right steps to keep it alive.
Car Trouble
Rorke, Robert
6/24/19
Himself. In his debut novel titled, Car
Trouble, Robert Rorke presents the teenage
life of protagonist Nicky Flynn in Brooklyn in
the 1970s. The center of much attention
throughout the novel is Nicky’s father,
Patrick, an alcoholic the family calls,
“himself.” One of Patrick’s quirks is to buy
beater cars at police auctions and run them
into the ground. The descriptions of the cars,
life in Brooklyn, and family dynamics are all
finely written. My own coming of age in
Brooklyn came to mind often as I read this
novel, especially when triggered as Rorke
describes the sounds of crossing the Marine
Parkway Bridge from Brooklyn to Rockaway.
One of my fondest memories in the 1960s was
driving as a pre-teen with my own father, also
known as himself, in a 1953 Mercury with a
claw-footed bathtub on the roof, secured by
ropes that went through the passenger door
handle, leaving me trapped in a death seat
should peril occur. Readers with a connection
to Brooklyn will find special interest in this
book, as will anyone affected in any way by
alcohol abuse.
The Persian
Gamble
Rosenberg, Joel C.
5/9/19
Stakes. Fans of exciting thrillers are those
readers most likely to enjoy the second novel
by Joel C. Rosenberg to feature former U.S.
Secret Service agent Marcus Ryker titled, The
Persian Gamble. The cliffhanger from The
Kremlin Conspiracy kicks off the new novel
and the action never stops. Ryker, assassin
Oleg Kraskin and CIA station chief Jenny
Morris scramble to get out of Russia alive.
Meanwhile, the North Koreans are plotting to
sell nuclear weapons to Iran. What could
possibly go wrong with that? The action is fast
paced from beginning to end.
You Know You
Want This
Roupenian, Kristen
2/21/19
Satisfying. There are twelve finely written
short stories in a collection by Kristen
Roupenian titled, You Know You Want This.
Not all of the stories are as terrific as Cat
Person, the story that went viral after it
appeared in The New Yorker in 2017. I find
the key to many great short stories involves
the efficient development of interesting and
complex characters. Roupenian wastes few
words in sharing characters whose behaviors
will draw in readers, whether we recognize
ourselves or others in those characters or not.
The writing is superb and any reader who
likes well-written short stories should
consider reading this collection.
All the Lives We
Never Lived
Roy, Anuradha
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Quichotte
Rushdie, Salman
9/24/19
Satire. Fans of literary fiction are those
readers most likely to revel in all the levels of
delight that can be found on the pages of
Salman Rushdie’s novel titled, Quichotte.
Rushdie structures the novel as a story in a
story. Part of the novel pays homage to
Cervantes by updating that classic satirist
with a skewering take on contemporary life.
Words ricochet from racism to reality
television to the opioid crisis. In more subtle
ways, Rushdie explores family separation and
the things that can alienate us from close
family members. For every three references
that made me chuckle, I’m sure two passed
me by in the writer’s exuberance and my
inattention. Smart readers can open these
pages to be treated with respect and then lean
toward understanding the importance of
reconciliation in our lives.
Best of Enemies:
The Last Great Spy
Story of the Cold
War
Russo, Gus and Eric
Dezenhall
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Destiny Thief:
Essays on Writing,
Writers and Life
Russo, Richard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
From a Low and
Quiet Sea
Ryan, Donal
11/21/19
Stories. The finely written prose of Donal
Ryan in his book titled, From a Low and Quiet
Sea, weaves together three stories that will
pull empathy out of every reader’s heart and
propel us toward recognition of what we need
to atone for in our own lives as we journey
toward redemption. I love the gentle ways in
which Ryan sneaks up on us, pulling us in
with our leaning toward compassion for these
characters. By the time most readers can see
what Ryan has done, he’s finished, and leaves
us to marvel at his handiwork. Readers who
enjoy literary fiction are those most likely to
enjoy this well-crafted work of great fiction.
Lock Every Door
Sager, Riley
11/14/19
Bartholomew. Fans of thrillers are those
readers most likely to enjoy Riley Sager’s
novel titled, Lock Every Door. Protagonist
Jules Larsen gets a lucrative job at just the
right time as a house sitter for a unit in the
Bartholomew, a prestigious and mysterious
New York building. While the rules for her
residency are strict, the pay is great, and the
digs are spectacular. After a fellow house
sitter from another apartment disappears,
Jules starts to investigate the mysteries of the
Bartholomew. Readers are treated with her
thrilling adventure. Next time you walk by
one of those signature exclusive residences,
you may speculate on what’s going on inside.
Where We Go
from Here: Two
Years in the
Resistance
Sanders, Bernie
2/8/19
Movement. In his book titled, Where We Go
from Here: Two Years in the Resistance,
Bernie Sanders does a calendar review of
2017 and 2018 and selects those things that
reinforce the progress made on Sanders’ ideas
becoming mainstream, and examples of
success in opposition to a government that he
claims works for the rich instead of all the
people. This chronology of what has
happened lays out what’s coming next, setting
the stage for Bernie to throw his hat in the
ring for President in the 2020 election. Fans
of Sanders and prolific readers about current
events will find all Bernie’s recurrent themes
covered in this book.
The Perfect
Weapon: War,
Sabotage, and
Fear in the Cyber
Age
Sanger, David
2/21/19
Cyberwar. Any reader interested in public
affairs should consider reading David
Sanger’s book titled, The Perfect Weapon:
War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age.
Sanger is the national security correspondent
for The New York Times, and he offers not a
word of fake news in this finely written book.
The threat of cyberwarfare is real, and
America and its citizens are vulnerable. You
may not sleep well after reading this book, but
you will be better informed about a serious
threat to our lives. Be afraid.
I Am God
Sartori, Giacomo
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Them: Why We
Hate Each Other--
and How to Heal
Sasse, Ben
2/8/19
Neighbors. Ben Sasse, junior United States
Senator from Nebraska, has written a book
titled, Them: Why We Hate Each Other--and
How to Heal, that he says is not about
politics. Having read the book, I’m willing to
take him at his word. His book suggests a
solution to our hyper-partisan polarization:
love your neighbor. He calls for building
community at the local level, and that strong
communities will lead to unity and a
reduction in hate. He suggests that we root
ourselves in some real physical space and find
common ground with our neighbors.
The Plaza: The
Secret Life of
America's Most
Famous Hotel
Satow, Julie
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Piranhas: The
Boy Bosses of
Naples
Saviano, Roberto
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Aug 9 – Fog
Scanlan, Kathryn
6/24/19
Collage. I know I’ve never before read
anything like Kathryn Scanlan’s book titled,
Aug 9 – Fog, and I’m guessing that most
readers haven’t either. Fifteen years ago,
Scanlan bought a diary at an estate sale. The
diary was written by an octogenarian woman
over the course of several years. I was
reminded of refrigerator poetry and what
impressions can be made from assembling
different words. Scanlan doesn’t transcribe
the diary; she curates it in pieces, carefully
selecting what words and phrases will best
reveal the diarist and her life. The result is an
odd book that will appeal to adventurous
readers.
Trillion Dollar
Coach: The
Leadership
Playbook of
Silicon Valley's Bill
Campbell
Schmidt, Eric,
Jonathan Rosenberg
and Alan Eagle
10/15/19
Tribute. Three current or former Google
executives offer a touching tribute to their late
friend, mentor and coach in a book titled,
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership
Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell.
Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan
Eagle found trust, love, caring and friendship
in Bill Campbell who helped them succeed in
work and in life. In addition to relating their
personal experiences with Bill, the trio
interviewed about eighty others who were
impacted by him. Managers and executives
will find the stories engaging and the lessons
compelling.
Come With Me
Schulman, Helen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
From the Ground
Up: A Journey to
Reimagine the
Promise of
America
Schultz, Howard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Pure Hollywood:
And Other Stories
Schutt, Christine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Leaving the
Witness: Exiting a
Religion and
Finding a Life
Scorah, Amber
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Beneficiary:
Fortune,
Misfortune, and
the Story of My
Father
Scott, Janny
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The World Doesn’t
Require You
Scott, Rion Amilcar
12/20/19
Creative. The fictional town of Cross River,
Maryland links the short stories in the
collection by Rion Amilcar Scott titled, The
World Doesn’t Require You. This town was
founded by those who led a successful slave
revolt, and this alternative history is written
with great skill and creativity. There’s some
magical realism on these pages, and a lively
cast of characters across a long time frame.
Each story is told with great care, and Scott
provides such depth of understanding about
loneliness that it might take your breath
away. Readers looking for well written and
creative stories should consider reading this
collection.
The Island of Sea
Women
See, Lisa
4/4/19
Divers. Clear your calendar to spend as
many hours as you need to read Lisa See’s
novel titled, The Island of Sea Women. This
book tells us the story of the lives of two best
friends from the island of Jeju, Mi-ja and
Young-sook, who have been trained in the
tradition of Haenyeo women from their youth
as skilled divers to reap bounty from the sea.
While the novel is packed with love and the
joys of friendship, the brutality of life in Korea
in the 1940s can be challenging to read.
Tragedy strikes Mi-ja and Young-sook in
different ways and their strengths are tested
by the sea and by life’s circumstances. Most
readers will want to talk to a friend about this
novel or discuss it in a book group.
Seven Days
Senecal, Patrick
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Raymond E.
Brown and the
Catholic Biblical
Renewal
Senior, Donald
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Once Upon a River
Setterfield, Diane
3/6/19
Thames. A river is both constant and
changing. Close your eyes for just a moment
while meandering down a river and you may
lose a sense of where you are. From the
beginning to the end of Diane Setterfield’s
novel titled, Once Upon a River, the Thames
is present, constant and changing. The action
starts dramatically at the Swan, an inn on the
Thames that’s the locus for community
storytelling, on the longest night of the year,
when a drenched stranger barges through the
door of the inn carrying what looks like a doll
and he collapses to the floor. What looked like
a doll then appears to be a dead girl who then
revives despite not registering a heartbeat
when checked. No one knows who she is.
After that dramatic opening, Setterfield calms
readers down and sets us on a meandering
journey forward and backward in time as
three different families believe they know the
identity of the girl. Impatient readers may
find the diversions tedious, but for those
readers who are patient with a large cast of
characters and who have plenty of time to let
the tale spin out, there’s a well-told story here
and some entertaining hours spent by the
Thames.
Standing for
Reason: The
University in a
Dogmatic Age
Sexton, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Right Side of
History: How
Reason and Moral
Purpose Made the
West Great
Shapiro, Ben
5/28/19
Values. Is Western civilization heading
toward collapse based on the rampant
abandonment of long-held values? That’s the
question that Ben Shapiro explores in his
book titled, The Right Side of History: How
Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West
Great. Many readers may be skeptical of
Shapiro as he explores selectively the
importance of Judeo-Christian values over
hundreds of years. A contemporary culture in
which moral relativism and individualism
dominate may be leading us toward decline.
Shapiro calls for paying attention to moral
purpose and finding ways to work together for
the common good.
Restless Souls
Sheehan, Dan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Human
Archipelago
Sheikh, Fazal and Teju
Cole
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Property: Stories
Between Two
Novellas
Shriver, Lionel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Identity Crisis:
The 2016
Presidential
Campaign and the
Battle for the
Meaning of
America
Sides, John, Michael
Tesler and Lynn
Vavreck
3/26/19
Ripe. If it’s not too soon for you to stand
back and examine the 2016 United States
Presidential election, consider reading a book
titled, Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential
Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of
America, by John Sides, Michael Tesler and
Lynn Vavreck. Using lots of data and charts,
the authors describe an electorate ripe with
the conditions necessary to elect President
Trump. While I think the authors provide a
comprehensive view of the conditions at play
in that election, it’s still a bit too soon for me
to look back at that time, and to think that
any valuable perspective can be gained at this
time. Political junkies and data nerds are
those readers most likely to enjoy this book.
The New Girl
Silva, Daniel
7/26/19
Headlines. The nineteenth Israeli spy novel
by Daniel Silva featuring protagonist Gabriel
Allon is titled, The New Girl. Fans of the
series will love the latest installment, as Silva
takes recent news from the Middle East and
incorporates those topics and issues into this
novel. While any reader who loves spy
thrillers can read this book as a standalone
novel, those who have read the entire series
will appreciate all the nuances of the large
cast of characters who are reprised in this
installment. As usual, the plot is engaging, the
characters complex and the good guys prevail
in the end.
The Island
Dwellers
Silverman, Jen
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Enough As She Is:
How to Help Girls
Move Beyond
Impossible
Standards of
Success to Live
Healthy, Happy,
and Fulfilling
Lives
Simmons, Rachel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Team of Vipers:
My 500
Extraordinary
Days in the Trump
White House
Sims, Cliff
4/4/19
Perspective. How often have you thought
about being a fly on the wall in the White
House? If once or more, consider reading a
book by Cliff Sims titled, Team of Vipers: My
500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White
House. He was that fly on the wall. This inside
perspective by a low-level White House staffer
doesn’t gossip or attack President Trump.
Sims gives his perspective on what he
observed and what he thinks it meant. He
affirms what most of us already know: many
of the people around President Trump fight
with each other and pursue individual
agendas. The expected dysfunction is
supported by many anecdotes, which come
across as believable. Political junkies of any
stripe are those readers most likely to enjoy
this book.
The Rosie Result
Simsion, Graeme
8/15/19
Project. The third installment in the Don
Tillman series by Graeme Simsion is titled,
The Rosie Result. Time has flown since the
last installment. Don and Rosie’s son,
Hudson, is on the brink of high school, and
Don shifts his focus from work to parenting
and takes on the project lead role for what is
the Hudson project. The project involves
achieving the right result by following the
right process. Hudson has his own ideas and
Don and Rosie know that he has to find his
own way in the world, with or without an
autism assessment. As with the earlier novels,
the characters are endearing, the plot
interesting, and the humor frequent. Plus,
there’s a cocktail bar.
Into the Raging
Sea: Thirty-Three
Mariners, One
Megastorm, and
the Sinking of El
Faro
Slade, Rachel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Adèle
Slimani, Leila
2/8/19
Dismal. Some protagonists provide positive
role models for readers: these are lives we
want to emulate. Other characters make us
glad that people like them are not part of our
lives. In her novel titled, Adèle, Leila Slimani
introduces readers to the title character
whose dismal life is rooted in sex addiction.
Lives that can appear enviable from an
outside perspective may be miserable to those
who know the truth. Addictions often become
obsessive and overpowering. Spending even a
short time with Adèle, I found my mood
descending and I needed to take a pause. The
writing and the insights into this desolate
character kept me reading to the end. Readers
with any interest in troubled characters and
the consequences of addiction are those most
likely to enjoy this novel.
Heartland: A
Memoir of
Working Hard and
Being Broke in the
Richest Country
on Earth
Smarsh, Sarah
9/24/19
Poverty. Any reader interested in getting
perspective about poverty and our national
class divide should consider reading Sarah
Smarsh’s finely written memoir titled,
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and
Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth.
Smarsh blends her personal story with
reflections and observations about life in
America. I found myself thinking about
choices and the challenges of breaking out of
poverty, as well as the rewards of hard work.
The lives of women dominate this narrative
including the imagined unborn daughter of
the author who is addressed in a quirky way
in the text. Nonetheless, whether a reader
experienced poverty or is merely curious, this
memoir is likely to stimulate reflections about
life in our contemporary culture.
The Colors of All
the Cattle
Smith, Alexander
McCall
2/8/19
Politics. The nineteenth installment in the
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by
Alexander McCall Smith is a novel titled, The
Colors of All the Cattle. Smith gives readers
the familiar gentle pace of a plot filled with
familiar characters, while he introduces
surprising new developments. This time out,
apprentice mechanic, Charlie, does some
effective detective work for Mma Ramotswe.
Believe it or not, Grace and Phuti have a fight.
Most surprising of all, is that Mma Ramotswe
is convinced that she should run for the city
council on a platform to stop a property from
being developed next to a cemetery. Who’s
her opponent? Violet Sephotho. If none of
that makes sense to you, you haven’t been
reading this series, in which case you should
treat yourself. Fans will laugh while reading
this installment, and finish the book as
always, filled with good feelings.
The Department of
Sensitive Crimes
Smith, Alexander
McCall
7/16/19
Wolf. Prolific novelist Alexander McCall
Smith kicks off a new series with a novel
titled, The Department of Sensitive Crimes.
Protagonist Ulf Varg (translated: Wolf Wolf)
leads a team of detectives in Malmö, Sweden,
whose focus is as the title indicates. Instead of
what readers usually experience in
Scandinavian crime fiction, with Smith at the
helm, readers will laugh and bask in the good
parts of human nature. As always, the
characters are complex humans and engaging
for readers. Before you know it, Smith has
gotten you to think deeply about something,
once you stop laughing.
To the Land of
Long Lost Friends
Smith, Alexander
McCall
12/16/19
Tricky. I might have missed it, but there
wasn’t time for relaxing with a cup of bush tea
in the twentieth installment of Alexander
McCall Smith’s #1 Ladies Detective series, a
novel titled, To the Land of Long Lost
Friends. The pace of life in Botswana remains
placid, although Mma Ramotswe has to
navigate some tricky family issues in this
installment. Smith pulls long term fans back
into a familiar setting and cast of characters,
lays out a storyline slowly, and then wraps it
all up in a quick jolt. It’s always comforting
and relaxing spending time with Precious
Ramotswe and her enduring goodness and
kindness to others.
The Maze at
Windermere
Smith, Gregory Blake
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Liberation of
Paris: How
Eisenhower, de
Gaulle, and von
Choltitz Saved the
City of Light
Smith, Jean Edward
11/14/19
Decisions. I love to read a short work by a
prominent historian that enlightens me about
a single topic. In his book titled, The
Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de
Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of
Light, award-winning historian Jean Edward
Smith describes the decisions that were made
to liberate Paris in 1944 and the consequences
of those decisions. Readers who enjoy history,
especially those who love Paris, will read in
this book how Paris was liberated and what
that meant for the city we see today as well as
how saving Paris led to a longer war. I closed
the book wondering what would have
happened to Paris in 1944 if Ike and Mamie
Eisenhower hadn’t lived there in the 1920s
and 30s.
The Siberian
Dilemma
Smith, Martin Cruz
12/9/19
Bears. The ninth novel by Martin Cruz Smith
to feature Moscow investigator Arkady Renko
is titled, The Siberian Dilemma. Fans of
character driven crime fiction are those
readers most likely to enjoy this novel and
this series. Renko leaves Moscow to find his
girlfriend Tatiana who’s been away for over a
month and her absence is giving Renko agita.
Outside his urban element, Renko encounters
new threats, including bears of various types.
Smith includes many elements of
contemporary Russian life: oligarchs, corrupt
politics and the risks to journalists as they do
their work.
Marilou Is
Everywhere
Smith, Sarah Elaine
10/25/19
Outsider. Sarah Elaine Smith’s debut novel
it titled, Marilou Is Everywhere. Protagonist
Cindy Stoat is coming of age in rural
Pennsylvania as an outsider. She and her two
brothers have been living on their own since
their mother abandoned them. After Cindy’s
brother Virgil’s girlfriend, Jude, disappears,
the siblings begin spending time with Jude’s
mom, Bernadette. While at first in her
alcoholic haze, Bernadette doesn’t register the
presence of Cindy, before long she begins to
mistake Cindy for the missing Jude. Missing
her own mother, Cindy falls into a situation
where she is being loved in a home with
affluence. Smith offers this story using finely
written prose that will be savored by those
readers who can overlook a lot of the quirky
aspects of this novel.
Permanent Record
Snowden, Edward
12/16/19
Context. Edward Snowden’s memoir titled,
Permanent Record, gives readers some
context for why he revealed government
secrets. By telling his side of the story,
Snowden helps readers understand how his
conscience was formed, how his assessment
of right and wrong influenced his actions, and
why the revelations he made became a logical
next step despite the personal consequences.
Whether you consider Snowden a hero or a
criminal, you may want to listen to his side of
his story before you close the book on him.
The Briefing
Spicer, Sean
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Atmosphæra
Incognita
Stephenson, Neal
8/15/19
Tower. Fans of Neal Stephenson who have
become accustomed to feasting for many days
over his epic novels will be as surprised as I
was with the snack size novella titled,
Atmosphæra Incognita. Packed into this little
book is a plot about the building of a giant
tower and the technical obstacles overcome to
reach significant heights. I recall Frank Lloyd
Wright designed a mile-high skyscraper that
was never built. Stephenson’s imagination
exceeds such a modest effort. Stephenson’s
architecture of this story includes great
precision and longtime readers will see a
master at work on these pages.
Fall; or, Dodge in
Hell
Stephenson, Neal
6/18/19
Paradise. Patient readers looking for escape
into a gigantic novel this summer should take
a look at Neal Stephenson’s new book titled,
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell. While some characters
are reprised from an earlier novel, which may
appeal to Stephenson fans, new readers can
take this standalone novel and be well-
entertained. Stephenson explores the afterlife,
and presents a contemporary version of
Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise
Regained. Readers are entertained by
adventures in parallel worlds: the world of the
flesh, meatspace, and the afterlife, bitworld.
Myth lovers and any readers who love a
complicated meandering and fantastic story
are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Kopp Sisters on
the March
Stewart, Amy
10/25/19
War. The fifth installment in Amy Stewart’s
series featuring the Kopp Sisters is a novel
titled, Kopp Sisters on the March. Set in 1917
when the United States is preparing to enter
World War I, Stewart sends the sisters from
New Jersey to Camp Chevy Chase, a National
Service School, outside DC. The purpose of
the training camp for women is to train them
how to help in the war effort. Constance uses
her experience as sheriff, while Norma pitches
the military on using messenger pigeons in
battle, and Fleurette enlivens the camp with
entertainment. Readers who enjoy historical
fiction are those most likely to enjoy this
novel and this series.
The Lager Queen
of Minnesota
Stradal, J. Ryan
9/3/19
Sisters. I was unprepared to be blown away
by J. Ryan Stradal’s novel titled, The Lager
Queen of Minnesota. Many finely written
novels hold up mirrors to human behavior in
ways that offer great insight into our human
condition. This novel does that in spades.
Additionally, Stradal gently delves into family
dynamics that involve estrangement, income
inequality and the deep desire to work at
doing a job that is recognized and rewarded.
The dynamics between sisters Edith and
Helen are revealed in gradual ways
throughout the novel. One came to beer early
in life, and the other later, in different ways.
But don’t think of this as a book about beer.
This is in the category of the finest novels: it’s
an exploration of what it means to lead a good
life. Since the novel is set in Minnesota, it’s no
spoiler to reveal that leading a good life has
something to do with being nice. Every few
years there seems to be a novel that captures
the issues of the day. For 2019, and for me,
this is that novel.
Olive, Again
Strout, Elizabeth
10/25/19
Unfiltered. Fans of the memorable
character Olive Kitteridge from a collection of
stories with that title by Elizabeth Strout will
be delighted that Olive has returned in
another connected story collection titled,
Olive, Again. Olive continues to speak her
mind, bluntly, unfiltered, and often without
awareness about the impact of her words on
others. In other words, Olive is older, but not
mellower. Beneath her crotchety veneer, there
is deep love and kindness that comes out with
each story in this collection. Best of all are the
things Olive comes to realize over time, and
what she never quite learns about herself.
Strout leads readers to think about aging and
the things we can learn and reflect about as
we get older. The setting in Maine brings
current rural life there in vibrant images in
these stories. Strout writes with great skill,
and I loved the return of Olive even more than
I enjoyed meeting her over a decade ago.
Off Season
Sturm, James
4/19/19
Stress. I don’t read many graphic novels and
I try to stay on the lookout for ones that I
think will be interesting and satisfying to
read. I thoroughly enjoyed James Sturm’s
novel titled, Off Season. The book covers the
stress and strain in a marriage, set during the
divisive election year of 2016. The words and
images combine to present a well-told story,
and the mood is enhanced by the shades of
gray throughout the book. For readers who
don’t ever think to read graphic novels,
consider this one. For fans of the genre, you
may find this novel to be very satisfying.
Every Other
Weekend
Summerfield, Zulema
Renee
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Socialist
Manifesto: The
Case for Radical
Politics in an Era
of Extreme
Inequality
Sunkara, Bhaskar
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
How Change
Happens
Sunstein, Cass
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Chesapeake
Requiem: A Year
with the
Watermen of
Vanishing Tangier
Island
Swift, Earl
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Things to Make
and Break
Tan, May-Lan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
There’s a Word for
That
Tanen, Sloane
8/5/19
Inheritance. After I finished reading Sloane
Tanen’s novel titled, There’s a Word for That,
I thought of something a psychiatrist said
after pointing toward his copy of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders: “we’re all in there somewhere.”
Tanen uses the members of multiple
generations of the Kessler family to describe
aspects of inheritance and help readers laugh
at our lifelong foibles. Protagonist Marty
Kessler is a 75-year-old movie producer
heading to rehab because he’s hooked on
opioids. A fellow resident at the rehab in
Malibu is Bunny Small, a 70-year-old writer
to whom Marty had been married briefly
decades earlier. Tanen defines some German
words at the beginning of chapters to support
the meaning of the book’s title. I felt mildly
entertained and found Tanen’s prose
enjoyable both in dialogue and exposition.
Maybe all the dysfunction in the relationships
was just tiring.
Democracy May
Not Exist, But
We’ll Miss It
When It’s Gone
Taylor, Astra
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Efficiency
Paradox: What Big
Data Can’t Do
Tenner, Edward
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Liar’s Candle
Thomas, August
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Unthinkable: An
Extraordinary
Journey Through
the World’s
Strangest Brains
Thomson, Helen
10/10/19
Envy. Have you ever wished that you had a
better memory? Be careful what you wish for.
One of the nine interesting brains that Helen
Thomson explores in her book titled,
Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey
Through the World’s Strangest Brains,
involves a man who remembers every single
detail of his life. Other examples include
hearing music that isn’t “there,” and one
doctor who feels his patients’ pain. Thomson
writes with real verve and proposes ways that
our more typical brains can work better for
us. The biology is fascinating, the cases
compelling, and the overall text cogent and
thoughtful.
Advice for Future
Corpses (and
Those Who Love
Them): A Practical
Perspective on
Death and Dying
Tisdale, Sallie
11/21/19
Candid. Someone I knew while I was in
college would sit down at the breakfast table
every morning and say, “Here we are one day
closer to the grave.” While that may have
somewhat morbid and definitely not been a
cheery start to the day, it was certainly
accurate and reflected an awareness of the
certainty of death. That awareness is made
candid and useful for every cogent person in a
book by Sallie Tisdale titled, Advice for Future
Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A
Practical Perspective on Death and Dying.
Drawn from her experience in nursing and
palliative care, Tisdale explains with clarity
what to expect with dying. She includes lots of
helpful tools to improve communication
about the process of dying and in making
one’s wishes well known. Read it today, since
you are now one more day closer to your
grave and you should be prepared.
The Black Ascot
Todd, Charles
8/27/19
Hiding. Inspector Ian Rutledge is back and
he’s breaking more Scotland Yard rules in the
novel by Charles Todd titled, The Black Ascot.
A murder suspect, Alan Barrington, in a case
that happened at the 1910 Ascot race has been
missing for over ten years, and Rutledge gets
permission to try to track him down. Fans of
this popular crime series know that despite
his nightmares from his World War I
experience, Rutledge will doggedly investigate
this case, and discover where Barrington has
been hiding. Readers who enjoy character-
driven crime fiction with engaging plots are
those most likely to enjoy this novel and this
series.
Mad, Bad,
Dangerous to
Know: The Fathers
of Wilde, Yeats
and Joyce
Toibin, Colm
11/9/19
Influencers. I’m willing to hazard a guess
that more books have been written about the
relationships between mothers and daughters
than fathers and sons. Colm Toibin has
written a brisk and interesting book titled,
Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers
of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce, about William
Wilde, John Butler Yeats and John Joyce, the
fathers of writers Oscar, W.B. and James
respectively. Toibin brings to life the
marvelous imperfections of these interesting
fathers and the ways in which they influenced
the lives of their sons and how they show up
in the writers’ work. Fans of Irish Literature
are those readers most likely to enjoy this
finely written book that walks us through
Dublin and offers great insight into complex
relationships.
Flights
Tokaczuk, Olga
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Boomer1
Torday, Daniel
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Good and Mad:
The Revolutionary
Power of Women's
Anger
Traister, Rebecca
1/22/19
Release. I am a man very uncomfortable
with anger, both my own and others. Rebecca
Traister has become comfortable with her
anger and has found healthy ways of releasing
her rage. In her book titled, Good and Mad:
The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger,
Traister asks readers to listen to the source of
women’s anger. She asks women to remember
the feeling, and to put rage into action.
Traister explores women’s history and the
forces of subjugation. I encourage any reader,
male or female, uncomfortable with aspects of
modern life, to listen to Traister’s fine writing,
and consider ways in which anger and being
mad can lead to good. I’m on board.
I Was Told
There’d Be
Sexbots
Troost, J. Maarten
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
A Shot in the Dark
Truss, Lynne
3/6/19
Clever. Lynn Truss kicks off a new crime
fiction series set in the 1950s featuring
Brighton Police Constable Twitten with a
novel titled, A Shot in the Dark. Constable
Twitten is a delightfully annoying smart aleck
who rubs his colleagues the wrong way. Truss
combines humor and satire with a traditional
police procedural plot and produces a novel
that was very entertaining to this reader. The
more you know about Brighton and crime
novels, the funnier this book will be for you.
The Man That Got
Away
Truss, Lynne
12/9/19
Brighton. Lynne Truss returns to Brighton
with the second Constable Twitten novel
titled, The Man That Got Away. The humor in
this novel exceeds the first installment and
will appeal to those readers who enjoy a good
spoof of the crime mystery genre. The full cast
of characters will amuse most readers and as
Twitten settles into Brighton, he becomes
even more loveable and perhaps even a bit
flexible.
An Elderly Lady Is
Up to No Good
Tursten, Helene
1/22/19
Villain. The protagonist of a group of related
stories by Helene Tursten titled, An Elderly
Lady Is Up to No Good, is an elderly woman
named Maud. For those readers who cheer for
the bad guy, Maud will be the ideal villain.
Who could possibly think Maud is up to no
good? Read these terrific stories to meet a
fascinating character who behaves in
unexpected ways. You may never look at an
elderly woman in the same way again.
The 7 ½ Deaths of
Evelyn Hardcastle
Turton, Stuart
4/19/19
Complicated. Fans of murder mysteries
who are bored with plots that are simple to
solve are those most likely to enjoy Stuart
Turton’s complicated debut novel titled, The 7
½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Protagonist
Aiden Bishop is trapped inside Blackheath
House. He can be released only after he
identifies the killer of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Aiden has eight days to do this, and over the
course of each day he inhabits the body of one
house guest. The creativity and twists will
delight those mystery readers who can be
patient with the complicated exposition.
Accessory to War:
The Unspoken
Alliance Between
Astrophysics and
the Military
Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Unquiet
Ullmann, Linn
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Mind and Matter:
A Life in Math and
Football
Urschel, John and
Louisa Thomas
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bureau of Spies:
The Secret
Connections
between
Espionage and
Journalism in
Washington
Usdin, Steven T.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Strange Bird
VanderMeer, Jeff
4/25/19
Perspective. Jeff VanderMeer adds another
perspective to the world he created in his
novel titled, Borne, in a smaller novel titled,
The Strange Bird. Fans of the earlier novel are
those readers most likely to enjoy this creative
and imaginative addition. The bird was built
in a laboratory from a variety of parts: avian,
human and who knows what. Where does this
creature fit in the world? She knows captivity
and searches for the place where she truly
belongs. VanderMeer explores captivity and
freedom and raises questions about the world
we create.
Deros
Vanek, John A.
1/9/19
Jake. The debut novel by John A. Vanek
features a strange title, Deros, and a daring
choice for a protagonist these days: a Catholic
priest. Let’s get the title out of the way first: it
stands for Date of Expected Return from
Overseas. Protagonist Father Jake Austin is a
war veteran who trained as a physician, and
finds himself assigned to his hometown of
Oberlin, Ohio. Vanek portrays Jake as a
normal healthy guy, troubled by his wartime
service, and prepared to fill in at a parish for
an ailing pastor and work at a local hospital.
Jake arrives in Oberlin just in time to attend
his high school reunion and the stuff that
happens then provides the plot for this first
novel in a planned series featuring Father
Jake. I enjoyed the story and the development
of several characters.
Miracles
Vanek, John A.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Halibut on the
Moon
Vann, David
7/3/19
Insight. One reason we read fiction is to gain
insight into human nature, to understand
people just like us, and people who are very
different from us. In his novel titled, Halibut
on the Moon, David Vann pulls readers into a
family for whom mental illness defined their
world. Readers become swept up in the
swings from depression to euphoria, and in
the sensation of being out of control. Vann
captures the pain of mental illness with
insight and writes with great skill.
This Poison Will
Remain
Vargas, Fred
9/24/19
Recluses. What was I thinking? I’m usually
reluctant to pick up a crime novel by a prolific
writer I’ve overlooked out of fear that I may
add yet one more series to my reading queue.
I read a review of French novelist Fred
Vargas’ ninth Commissaire Adamsberg series,
a book titled, This Poison Will Remain, and I
decided to read it. I was pulled into this
gripping story of revenge and justice
populated with two different recluses: the
spider variety and a nun. Adamsberg is a
detective in the tradition of the greats:
overflowing with instinct; respectful of his
team; and a detective who follows a
meandering path until he achieves resolution.
Now that I’ve been bitten by Vargas with this
novel, I’ll be on the lookout for her next
installment in this series.
The Trouble with
Women Artists:
Reframing the
History of Art
Vieville, Camilie and
Laura Adler
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Keeping At It: The
Quest for Sound
Money and Good
Government
Volcker, Paul
2/21/19
Cogent. If you know about Paul Volcker, you
will be glad to read his memoir titled, Keeping
At It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good
Government. If you think you’ve heard the
name Volcker, but can’t remember much
about him, you must read this book. The
former chair of the Federal Reserve reflects
on his life of service in this memoir, and he
highlights three critical principles that he has
followed throughout his life: stable prices,
sound finance and good government.
No Good
Alternative
Vollmann, William T.
9/24/19
Absolution. The second volume of William
T. Vollmann’s carbon ideologies treatise is
titled, No Good Alternative. Having come to
grips with nuclear energy in the first part,
Vollmann now turns his attention to natural
gas, oil and coal. Vollmann explores our
reliance on fossil fuels and the consequences
of that for our planet. He writes with passion
and empathy, asking for absolution from
future generations over what this generation
has done, explaining as the title indicates, we
were not able to find another way. Through
both volumes, Vollmann tries to listen and
learn and understand why.
On Earth We’re
Briefly Gorgeous
Vuong, Ocean
10/10/19
Poetic. If your mother were illiterate, and
you knew that a letter to her would never be
read or understood, what would you write?
We’re shown what we could write in the debut
novel by Ocean Vuong titled, On Earth We’re
Briefly Gorgeous. Using finely written prose,
Vuong’s skill as a poet shines in this
exposition about life as it is, unvarnished,
conveying one’s trust. What does it take to be
heard? There’s tenderness on these pages,
and also the violence of life in a society where
class, race and masculinity become toxic for
the narrator of the novel, a man in his late
twenties named Little Dog. The revelations in
the novel can be dramatic and are always
reflective, insightful and finely written.
Sacred Liberty:
America’s Long,
Bloody and
Ongoing Struggle
for Religious
Freedom
Waldman, Steven
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Dreamers
Walker, Karen
Thompson
4/4/19
Sleep. Some writers have the ability to tap
into core emotions like fear and write fiction
that takes readers from caution to insight
about those emotions. In her novel titled, The
Dreamers, Karen Thompson Walker explores
what happens when people begin to fall
asleep and not wake up. They are alive and
dreaming, but they cannot be awakened. It
begins in a college community in Santa Lora,
California and there is fear about a virus
spreading this condition everywhere. It’s easy
to become afraid when we’re confused about
what happened in the past and what is a
premonition about the future. We can wonder
how our community would respond to the
spread of a virus. We can dream with the
characters in this novel and think about what
is read and what is imagined. Fans of good
creative writing are those readers most likely
to enjoy this novel.
The Body in the
Castle Well
Walker, Martin
7/16/19
Artworks. Fans of the Bruno Chief of Police
series by Martin Walker will enjoy a return to
the Dordogne in the fourteenth book in the
series, a novel titled, The Body in the Castle
Well. You already know from the title that the
crime in this installment involves someone
found dead in a well. The plot required a lot of
building before we finally got to sit down to
eat and drink with Bruno and his friends. An
authenticator of artworks has a house full of
works that he wants to be seen by others after
he dies. The Americans descend on Bruno
because the deceased belonged to an
influential family. The full cast of familiar
characters returns for another interesting
adventure in a special place. Take a virtual
vacation in the mythical French town of St.
Denis, and savor everything the region and
this novel have to offer.
Cherry
Walker, Nico
1/4/19
Addicted. The debut novel by Nico Walker
titled, Cherry, takes readers into the lives of
characters addicted by opioids. Walker
develops these characters with skill and helps
readers understand the complexity of lives
and the choices individuals make every day.
There’s darkness and wit in this novel, side by
side, including war experience and PTSD. If
you know addicts, you will recognize the
characters in this novel. If you are far
removed from the American opioid crisis,
congratulations, and use this novel as a way to
understand the ways in which drug addiction
takes over one’s life. Walker’s voice is blunt
and unblinking and may offend some readers.
The Uninhabitable
Earth: Life After
Warming
Wallace-Wells, David
4/25/19
Alarm. How ready are you for severe
weather events, climate refugees, food
shortages and increasing civil unrest? After
reading David Wallace-Wells' book titled, The
Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming,
you’re likely to wish you were more prepared.
Packed with loads of data, the book tells a
horror story about what scientists predict as
likely if average temperatures continue to
rise. In summary: a horror show will follow. I
don’t know what it will take for the United
States and the world to take climate change
seriously. This book may have no impact. Any
informed citizen open to listening to some
evidence should consider reading this book.
What each of us decides to do in this area is
up to us, but we need to find ways to be better
informed, and this book represents one more
way to pay attention to this critical topic.
Kushner, Inc.:
Greed. Ambition.
Corruption. The
Extraordinary
Story of Jared
Kushner and
Ivanka Trump
Ward, Vicky
7/16/19
Character. Most observers of the Kushner
and Trump families will acknowledge that the
pursuit of self-interest is the first priority or
overriding value of the members of these
families. In her book titled, Kushner, Inc.:
Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The
Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and
Ivanka Trump, journalist Vicky Ward
describes the formative experiences of Jared
Kushner and Ivanka Trump and chronicles
the ways in which they enrich themselves and
their families as they attain positions of great
influence in the Trump Administration. Ward
presents their actions for readers to come to
our own assessment of personal character.
While sources are not disclosed, most readers
will conclude that Ward talked to lots of
people who confirmed her account of their
actions.
Rusty Brown, Part
1
Ware, Chris
10/15/19
Inexplicable. I worked hard while reading
Chris Ware’s graphic novel titled, Rusty
Brown, Part 1. Some of the panels are very
small, and the text required me to ratchet up
to 2.5x readers and a bright light. On and
between the covers of this unusual book,
readers can become immersed in the highs
and lows of life. This is a story of the struggles
of life and love. By calling this volume one,
Ware is preparing loyal readers to anticipate
continuing the story. This book is way beyond
my ability to explain, so I suggest that any
interested reader pick up the volume and
sample what Ware has to offer.
The Turn of the
Key
Ware, Ruth
11/9/19
Story. My prescription for you on the next
cold and windy night is to pour a few fingers
of a fine single malt for yourself and sit in a
comfortable chair with a copy of Ruth Ware’s
novel titled, The Turn of the Key. Ware eases
us into the story of Rowan Caine written in
the form of Rowan’s letter to her attorney
from prison where she awaits trial for
murder. The action builds slowly, so sip at
leisure. Once the action builds, you will soon
forget there is a beverage at your side. Ware
uses the whole gothic toolbox for this novel: a
remote setting in the Scottish Highlands, a
young woman accepting a lucrative job as a
nanny, loads of red herrings, spooky settings,
superstitions and ghosts, and a bit of
romance. While the early exposition might
seem plodding, seeds are planted, and the
second half of the novel races toward an
exciting end well before your glass of scotch is
consumed. The setting at Heatherbrae House
blends the horrors of smart home technology
with a house that was the place for tragedy in
the past.
Semicolon: The
Past, Present and
Future of a
Misunderstood
Mark
Watson, Cecelia
11/21/19
Audience. As I kept reading Cecelia
Watson’s book titled, Semicolon: The Past,
Present and Future of a Misunderstood Mark,
I found myself wondering about her intended
audience. After fifty pages or so, I concluded
that I wasn’t the target reader, but I slogged
through to the end. Are there really enough
readers who truly care about punctuation? I
expected something a bit jauntier than what’s
on offer in this book. I truly didn’t know that
the semicolon is controversial. I didn’t know
that there have been periods of popularity
followed by periods of aversion whether
following or violating contemporary rules of
grammar. I know some editors who would
appreciate this book, but they may be too
busy to take the time to read it. Sample a few
pages to see if you might be the targeted
reader for this book.
Mortal Republic:
How Rome Fell
into Tyranny
Watts, Edward J.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Fight Like a
Mother: How a
Grassroots
Movement Took
on the Gun Lobby
and Why Women
Will Change the
World
Watts, Shannon
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Still Life with
Monkey
Weber, Katharine
4/4/19
Quality. Slowly and tenderly Katharine
Weber pulls readers into the lives of Duncan
and Laura Wheeler. In a novel titled, Still Life
with Monkey, Weber explores the balance
between the will to live and the desire to die.
She taps into questions about the quality of
life, and our ability to adapt to change.
Duncan is a successful architect who became
paralyzed following an auto accident in which
one of his assistants died. Duncan is broken
physically and mentally by the accident, and
Laura, who works as an art conservator,
wants to do all she can to repair her husband.
She brings a trained monkey helper into the
house, a capuchin named Ottoline. With
finely written prose and insight into human
nature, Weber takes us into the Weber lives
and draws us into answering for ourselves key
questions about the quality of life. She could
have gone from insight to melancholy at any
turn, but the quality of the writing keeps the
novel crisp and cogent.
Mrs. Everything
Weiner, Jennifer
11/21/19
Choices. The place of women in society from
the middle of the twentieth century until now
is the subject of Jennifer Weiner’s novel
titled, Mrs. Everything. Sisters Jo and Bethie
Kaufman grew up in Detroit and Weiner
describes key episodes in their lives and the
choices they made with intention or out of
necessity. Constrained and defined by others,
both women survived what life threw at them.
Along the way, readers are pulled into people,
places and situations that may cause
discomfort, but reflect aspects of the times
described. The life we imagine for ourselves is
often different when reality sets in and
choices are made. Weiner’s prose and insight
into human nature lead readers toward
introspection. Contemporaries of the main
characters will want to tell their own stories of
this era after reading the book, so for the right
book club, this novel will generate robust
conversation.
Paris in Stride
Weiner, Jesse Kanelos
and Sarah Moroz
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Chosen Wars:
How Judaism
Became an
American Religion
Weisman, Steven R.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Last Lobster
White, Christopher
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Unpunished
Vice: A Life of
Reading
White, Edmund
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Nickel Boys
Whitehead, Colson
8/15/19
Elwood. It seemed that I had finished
reading Colson Whitehead’s novel titled, The
Nickel Boys, just minutes after I started. I was
hooked by the story of Elwood Curtis and his
diversion from the road to college to serving
time at the Nickel Academy, a reform school.
Whitehead exposes evil in his exposition of
individuals and the institution and the
community. Within a handful of pages,
readers will become incensed by scandalous
behavior and injustice at an institution whose
mission entails reform. Whitehead’s fine
prose soars on the pages of this novel, and the
powerful story is enhanced by a well-crafted
plot and complex and interesting characters.
If the finest fiction reveals the depths of
human behavior and draws readers into
feeling deeply, this novel does that expertly.
American Spy
Wilkinson, Lauren
5/24/19
Recipe. Consider whether or not this set of
ingredients will suit your taste in reading: a
smattering of politics, race and gender,
layered with a Cold War conflict set in
Burkina Faso, and very compelling
characters. That’s all in the novel by Lauren
Wilkinson titled, American Spy. Protagonist
Marie Mitchell has always wanted to be an
intelligence officer. As a black woman
working at the FBI, she isn’t often picked for
the exciting work. When approached with the
chance to play a role in bringing down the
communist president of Burkina Faso, Marie
is all in. Wilkinson structures all the
motivation in the novel as family-based.
Marie narrates her life as an agent as a
personal story with her two sons as the
intended future audience. She is also working
under the shadow of her late sister, whom she
admired greatly. The prose is finely written
and readers who enjoy literary fiction with
well-developed characters and an interesting
plot are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
The Conservative
Sensibility
Will, George F.
7/16/19
Thoughtful. Longtime readers of George
Will’s newspaper columns expect his views to
be calm, reasoned and thoughtful. He
sustains those qualities over the course of
more than six hundred pages in his book
titled, The Conservative Sensibility.
Swimming against a current that distills
thoughts to sensational and partisan
soundbites, Will lays out principles of
conservativism in this book, and a philosophy
to which he measures our current state of
affairs. He uses Madison, Hamilton and other
founders as the touchpoint for his analysis
about government. Any reader looking for a
greater understanding of what conservatism
means will find a persuasive view expressed
in this book. I came away from the book with
insight about why conservatives want a
smaller government and a weaker executive
branch.
What the Hell Do
You Have to Lose:
Trump's War on
Civil Rights
Williams, Juan
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Supper Club
Williams, Lara
9/3/19
Appetite. I found Lara Williams’ debut novel
titled, Supper Club, to be very odd. A group of
women formed a club at which they satisfy
their appetites. The hungers are real and the
ways in which desires are fulfilled kept me
scratching my head, unsure whether to laugh
or cry. I mostly laughed but recognized that I
was reading about deep depression and the
ways in which making connections with
others in contemporary society can be
difficult. Each of us engages with the world in
a unique way. Protagonist Roberta is fully
herself in this novel, and as we get to know
her, we come to understand her engagement,
no matter how different it is from our own.
Williams’ prose is finely written, and I can say
with certainty that I’ve never read a novel
quite like this one.
Genesis: The Deep
Origin of Societies
Wilson, Edward O.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Baby You’re
Gonna Be Mine
Wilson, Kevin
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Impeachers:
The Trial of
Andrew Johnson
and the Dream of
a Just Nation
Wineapple, Brenda
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Mosquito: A
Human History of
Our Deadliest
Predator
Winegard, Timothy C.
11/14/19
Deet. After reading Timothy C. Winegard’s
book titled, The Mosquito: A Human History
of Our Deadliest Predator, I checked to see if
we had mosquito repellent with deet in the
house. Have you ever known something but
experienced pleasure when someone else
plays back to you what you know in a more
coherent narrative? That was my experience
on reading this book. I already know about
how disease killed people over many
centuries, and how in some wars there were
more casualties from disease than from
battle. Thanks to Winegard, I was able to
follow a coherent narrative presenting the
mosquito as human’s most powerful enemy
across many centuries. I also read this book
when Eastern equine encephalitis was
spreading in the United States. That explains
my search for deet. So far, so good.
We the
Corporations:
How American
Businesses Won
Their Civil Rights
Winkler, Adam
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Border
Winslow, Don
6/10/19
Conclusion. Don Winslow wraps up his
Power of the Dog trilogy with a doorstopper of
a novel titled, The Border. Fans of the series
are those readers most likely to feel that this
is a great conclusion to a thrilling series.
Some political partisans may find that certain
fictional characters Winslow presents in the
novel portray President Trump and members
of his extended family in ways that are biased.
Less sensitive readers will find an exciting
thriller packed with action centered around
the war on drugs. Fans of the series will see
consistency in the reprised characters and
stories of new characters that will resonate for
most readers. Winslow also brings to life the
struggles of those addicted to drugs as well as
those fleeing violence in Central America.
Golden State
Winters, Ben H.
6/18/19
Lies. In his novel titled, Golden State, Ben
Winters describes a society in which lying is a
crime. Protagonist Laszlo Ratesic works for
the state in a role called a Speculator, and his
job is to investigate anomalies. The
surveillance state records everything in
multiple ways, so getting to the truth should
be based on evidence contained in the record.
Laz learns over the course of this novel that if
something can be done, it will be done, and
his worldview becomes turned upside down
when faced with alternate truth. Can records
be altered? Wouldn’t that be a lie? How can
we discern truth? If any of this sounds
interesting to you, you’re likely to enjoy this
novel.
Frankissstein
Winterson, Jeanette
10/25/19
Hybrid. Should your book club select
Jeanette Winterson’s novel titled,
Frankissstein, be prepared to open more wine
as questions explored in the novel will lead to
more questions. She weaves two stories: the
familiar Mary Shelley story and a
contemporary story featuring a transgender
doctor who works in cryogenics. Questions
arise about the purpose of the body, the
meaning of life, defining our identity and
following our desires. Will we be a hybrid of
body and machine? After the second glass of
wine at book club, let the likely conversation
about sexbots meander toward laughter. Then
ask another deep question.
The Shepherd’s
Hut
Winton, Tim
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Reader, Come
Home: The
Reading Brain in a
Digital World
Wolf, Maryanne
12/20/19
Neuroscience. What happens in my brain
when I read? That’s the question that led me
to opening Maryanne Wolf’s book titled,
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a
Digital World. Some of my reading is through
printed books, some through digital text and
some by listening to audiobooks. Wolf
describes in this book the impact of screens
on our brains and her presentation will cause
readers to think about the meaning of deep
reading and to assess one’s ability to maintain
or increase our intellectual capabilities. Wolf
writes for a general audience in a style that’s
engaging and interesting. Now that I’ve read
this book, I know that my brain achieved
positive outcomes from the process, and I am
pleased to recommend this book to your brain
as well.
Siege: Trump
Under Fire
Wolff, Michael
8/5/19
Bannon. After all the dirt dished in Michael
Wolff’s 2018 book titled, Fire and Fury, I was
surprised that a second volume titled, Siege:
Trump Under Fire, would follow so quickly.
In the same way that political insiders talk to
Bob Woodward knowing he will write about
what they say whether flattering or not, it
seems that Wolff has no shortage of people
willing to dish dirt on the record. One obvious
source, Steve Bannon, shows up throughout
this book. Political junkies of any partisan
stripe are those readers most likely to buy, if
not actually read, this book.
Friends Divided:
John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson
Wood, Gordon
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Red at the Bone
Woodson, Jacqueline
11/21/19
Immersive. The novel by Jacqueline
Woodson titled, Red at the Bone, packs a
wallop inside a compact two hundred pages.
Woodson plants us into an extended family
and uses their voices and the atmosphere of
their lives to explore race, teenage pregnancy,
and finding our place in the world. The
multiple voices in the novel scramble us in
time and focus us on what’s important.
Woodson explores love and loss with great
insight. The humanity of the characters in the
novel will remain with most readers long after
the last page is turned.
Godsend
Wray, John
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Billion Dollar
Whale: The Man
Who Fooled Wall
Street, Hollywood,
and the World
Wright, Tom and
Bradley Hope
1/9/19
Heists. There’s nothing new about financial
fraud, greed and hubris, but the scale of it all
provides quite a story in a book by Wall Street
Journal reporters Tom Wright and Bradley
Hope titled, Billion Dollar Whale: The Man
Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the
World. You may have read their reporting
about the Malaysia kleptocracy and the 1MBD
scandal involving Goldman Sachs. The book
tells us about a young Wharton graduate, Jho
Low who knew how to game the system,
heisted a fortune for himself and others, at
least $4.5 billion, and got lots of senior
executives to be swayed by his manipulation.
While there’s an entertaining aspect to this
story if your money is not at stake, here’s a
scary takeaway (p.85): “His was a scheme for
the twenty-first century, a truly global
endeavor that produced nothing – a shift of
cash from a poorly controlled state fund in the
developing world, diverting it into the opaque
corners of an underpoliced financial system
that’s all but broken.” The barn door may still
be open.
The Curse of
Bigness: Antitrust
in the New Gilded
Age
Wu, Tim
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Fox and Dr.
Shimamura
Wunnicke, Christine
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Escaped Nuns:
True Womanhood
and the Campaign
Against Convents
in Antebellum
America
Yacovazzi, Cassandra
L.
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The War on
Normal People:
The Truth About
America's
Disappearing Jobs
and Why
Universal Basic
Income Is Our
Future
Yang, Andrew
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Seventeen
Yokoyama, Hideo
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Bridge of Clay
Zusak, Marcus
2/2/19
Dunbars. There are loads of levels of
meaning for the bridges in Marcus Zusak’s
novel titled, Bridge of Clay. Protagonist Clay
Dunbar is building a physical bridge. He also
bridges the family relationships and finds
identity as a Dunbar boy, one of five brothers.
Zusak bridges past and present in erratic ways
as he tells the Dunbars’ story in mixed pieces
of exposition. The building blocks become
clearer over hundreds of pages of what seems
unclear or circular while on the reading
journey. Patient readers will be rewarded with
a finely written family story.
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