October Books

Less by Andrew Greer is, surprisingly to me, the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Basically, this is a satirical odyssey of a gay American author abroad, ruminating about age, love, time and success (Is he a failed author or a failed gay?) The New York Times has hailed Greer as "inspired, lyrical," "elegiac," "ingenious," as well as "too sappy by half." Less shows a talented writer “raising the curtain on our shared human comedy”, but I especially agreed with the “too sappy by half”.

*The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason is an unforgettable love story of a young doctor and nurse at a remote field hospital in the First World. It contains intriguing insights into Vienna’s aristocracy, medical education, and the brutal realities of warfare or battlefield medical care. A “lyrical and affecting novel about the costs of war and lost love will satisfy readers of quality fiction.”

 

Strangers in Budapest by Jessica Keener describes post-Communist Budapest from the perspective of a young, entrepreneurial American couple who become enmeshed in an old man's plan to seek vengeance for his daughter's murder. “Despite the book's bleak tone, (the characters) all draw our interest as people to care about, and Budapest becomes a powerful symbol of past horrors, lush culture, and an uncertain future.”

**The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dale Bredesen, MD is “a paradigm shifting book that offers hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline”.  Bredensen suggest that AD is not one condition, but three with different protocols. Basically, the protocols emphasize testing to establish benchmarks which can document progress or decline and then chart an individualized plan to show how to rebalance key lifestyle components such as nutrition, exercise, sleep quality, stress and socialization. The book is often dense with scientific data and frequently self-serving but seems to be based on quality research and of interest to caregivers or everyone over forty who worry that their memories aren’t what they used to be.

August-September Books

*A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and  his wife celebrating their wedding anniversary at the remote, luxurious Manoir Bellechasse. True to form, this classic drawing room mystery rich, cultured, and respectable family arriving  for a celebration of their own. One of them I murdered and most of them can be considered suspects.  Penny’s trademark lyrical descriptions and people and places, sumptuous means and sly clues lead to satisfying resolution of multiple mysteries.

The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer is an introspective analysis of the aftermath of the double suicides of an art critic’s  wife and protégé, who were suspected to be lovers, Daniel Lichtmann evaluates how his career and choices have been influenced by World War II, the Jewish culture and a talented young ketubah artist. Highly recommended by a good friend,  but a bit too much Judicia and introspective for me.

The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, best-selling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics presents an almost accessible exploration of the nature of time. Rovelli challenges assumptions that time is linear or even measurable while explaining the critical role of perception.  According to The Sunday Times, “The Order of Time is a dazzling book." I needed to be smarter to grasp much of the well-written prose.

*The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah is set in the Post-Vietnam and follows a girl coping with the dangers of an alcoholic father, domestic violence and the harsh realities of living off the grid in Northern Alaska.  Descriptions of the wild natural beauty are nicely done and the extreme dangers of life on the “last frontier” are intriguing, but the tale of star-crossed lovers has been told often and more convincingly.

*Lincoln’s Last Trial:  The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams recreates Abraham Lincoln's last (of 25) murder trial-- as he defends the son of a close friend and loyal supporter. It attracts national attention because there is speculation that he might run for the presidency and the added publicity generated by the transcribed proceedings provided by pioneer stenographer and future congressman, Robert R. Hitt.  Sometimes tedious, but useful insight into the practice of law before the Civil War.

-Exit Strategy by Charlton Pettus got a good recommendation by the NYT, but I don’t know why. The brilliant founder of a financially ruined tech startup uses a secretive organization to stage his death, create a new identity and help him escape all his problems.  With a dizzying variety of setbacks, double crosses, unbelievable coincidences, improbable characters and disjointed scenes, the book lumbers to a lame conclusion.

**Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman "brings...wit, timing and intelligence to this novel." (NYTimes).  With unpredictable characters, wry voices, excellent pacing, and plot twists, this may not be great literature but is an engaging, enjoyable read about a young couple who embark on a dream honey to  Bora Bora where that make a discovery that will change both their lives.  "This capivating if credulity-stretching debut marks Downton Abbey alum Steadman as a new writer to watch."

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje, author of the Booker Prize-winning The English Patient, features a 14-year-old protagonist dealing with his parents announcement that they are going away for a year and that he and his 15-year-old sister, Rachel, will be left in the care of a strange acquaintance known as the Moth. Set at the end of World War II, Nathaniel and Rachel accept the Moth’s warning “that nothing was safe anymore,” and adjust to adolescence in a strange new world. “Contemplative and mysterious, Warlight is utterly engrossing,” but also often confusing to me.

July Books

The World’s Best Cook: Tales from My Momma’s Table by Rick Skaggs, my brother’s favorite Southern author, is “a delectable, rollicking food memoir, cookbook, and loving tribute to a region (North Alabama), a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother…”  Margaret Bragg was an extraordinary octogenarian cook from Alabama who wore out 18 stoves and had no use for things like mixers, blenders or measuring cups.  The first 100 pages were brilliant and engaging, but even I wasn’t hungry for another 400 pages of stories about Alabama families even more dysfunctional than my own. 

Natural Causes: The Certainty of Dying and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer   by Barbara Ehrenreich examines the ways in which we obsess over death, our bodies, and our health. “A razor-sharp polemic which offers an entirely new understanding of our bodies, ourselves, and our place in the universe.” Perhaps, but while the first chapter lived up to and exceeded my expectations, the remainder didn’t seem to hold together for me...If only I, like the author, had a Ph.D. in cellular biology.

*A Long, Bright Future by Laura Carstensen, co-founder of the Stanford Center on Longevity, is built around the insight that “The twentieth century bequeathed us a fabulous gift: thirty more years of life on average.” She debunks the popular myths and misconceptions about aging that stop us from adequately preparing for the future: that growing older is associated with loneliness and unhappiness, and only the genetically blessed live well and long. She then addresses other important components of a long life—including finances, health, social relationships, Medicare, and Social Security.

Exit Strategy by Steve Hamilton is a terrible book I read because I thought it was recommended by the NYT…my bad.  Lots of truly senseless violence with almost no plot or character development. It turns out that the recommendation was for a book of the same title written by Meredith Barnes.  I’ll let you know.