Good Reads & Views

Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet
Fiction

Dishy vicar Max Tudor, formerly MI5, is in a happy place, romantically and figuratively, with his biggest challenge being the completion of his Easter Sermon. Then he attends a dinner party that includes some recent arrivals to the village and is pulled into crime-solving action when one of the dinner guests is found dead shortly thereafter. Clues of adultery, long-ago crimes and the French Resistance all could play a role in helping Max solve this crime in time to finish that dreaded sermon and spend some quality time with the love of his life. This is the third title in the series, newcomers may want to start with Wicked Autumn, followed by A Fatal Winter, both of which were nominated for Agatha Awards for best traditional mystery novel.

The Humans by Matt Haig
Fiction

The unnamed narrator is an otherworld alien who has taken human form in order to prevent humanity’s progress toward self-destruction. He has taken the place of a brilliant mathematician whose recent breakthrough has the potential to destroy the universe, and the narrator must remove all traces of this mathematical discovery, including any people who have knowledge of it. The narrator is initially disgusted by all things human, but as he lives among them as a man with a family and friends, he begins to discover the “weird and often frightening beauty of being human.” As a 43-year-old newborn on planet Earth, there is much that puzzles and intrigues him: clothing, dogs, coffee, peanut butter, music, dead poets (especially Emily Dickenson), and love. When he forges bonds with the friends and family of the man he has replaced, he begins to have second thoughts about his mission. An amusing and thought-provoking look at the best and worst of humanity, with an emphasis on the best.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
Fiction

J.K. Rowling’s attempt at mystery writing under a pseudonym does not disappoint. Cormoran Strike is a decorated war veteran who lost his lower leg while serving in Afghanistan. Now he is a London PI, sleeping in his office after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend, and in danger of losing his livelihood - he only has two clients left and is behind on his bills. Then office temp Robin walks in and a new client shows up whose sister, a famous model, committed suicide months earlier. The client, however, thinks it was murder and he hires Cormoran to prove it. With the help of Robin, who is only temping while looking for a much more appropriate position, Cormoran investigates this “suicide” and lands in a world of high-fashion, celebrity, family dysfunction and more murder. A compelling novel of detection with a pair of sleuths you’ll want to see more of.

Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand   
Fiction

Nantucket is the beautiful setting for this story about the Carmichaels and the Grahams who have gathered for a wedding. Plans for this special day were written down in a notebook by the bride’s late mother. Specific instructions are left for the bride, Jenny Carmichael and her groom, Stuart Graham. Everything should go smoothly but as expected they do not. The young couple, who are deeply in love, experience a little trouble of their own but it doesn’t compare to the lives of their families which are crumbling. In the days leading up to the wedding there will be heartbreak, scandal, and healing. The story is told from the bride’s father and sister Margot’s perspective with excerpts from the notebook. Wonderfully narrated by Therese Plummer.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Fiction

History, quantum physics, biology, natural history, myth and Japanese culture are all interwoven in parallel stories that take place on opposite sides of the world. Ruth, an author experiencing writer’s block, finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox while walking on the beach. Inside is a packet of letters, an antique watch, and the diary of a teenage Japanese girl. Ruth becomes involved in uncovering the mystery of these documents—the diary recounts the life of 16-year-old Nao, her 104-year-old Zen Buddhist nun great-grandmother, and her suicidal father. As Ruth and her husband read the diary and begin to uncover information about the letters, more questions arise:  Did the package wind up on Vancouver Island as debris from the 2011 tsunami? Did Nao and her family survive the disaster? Why is the Jungle Crow, indigenous to Japan, making a home on the island? How are the letters and watch related to Nao? Beautiful descriptions and fully developed characters are highlights of an intricately plotted and slowly evolving story that will reward the patient reader.

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld 
Fiction         
 
Sisterland is a novel about twin sisters born with ‘senses’ or psychic abilities.  Kate and her sister Vi learn early that they are different. As adults Vi has embraced her ability by becoming a psychic in their hometown of St. Louis, but Kate has done her best to avoid hers, becoming a wife and mother, settling down to a normal life in the suburbs. After a minor earthquake occurs Vi predicts, on television, that a bigger earthquake will hit the area on a specific date and Kate’s life is turned upside down by the possibility. It is a funny book, there are amusing interactions between the twin sisters, yet it is a thought provoking book as well. Beautifully written by the author and wonderfully narrated by Rebecca Lowman.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Fiction

Vic “the Brat” McQueen has a special skill—she can find lost things simply by riding her bike across the Shorter Way bridge straight to wherever the lost thing is hidden. Finding things has its price, both psychological and physical, as Vic discovers the time she goes looking for trouble and finds Charlie Manx. Every year, Charlie Manx seeks out a special child to drive in his vintage Rolls Royce Wraith to Christmasland, where it is Christmas every day and children never grow up. The trouble is Christmasland exists for Charlie’s amusement, not the children’s. When he tries to take Vic to his special place, she escapes, the only child ever to do so. Years later, when Charlie takes Vic’s son Wayne for a ride, Vic and Wayne’s father Lou set out to get him back. Vic is fearless and heartbreaking, Lou is kind and loving and Manx is terrifying.  Block out some time on your calendar, because once you begin reading Joe Hill’s (Heart-shaped Box, Horns) latest, you won’t want to stop until you’ve read this hefty tome from cover to cover.

The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
Fiction

The year is 1659 and in a small town in Bavaria, Germany, a young boy is found dead with a suspicious “witches mark” on his body. Soon, the local midwife is determined to be the cause of his death, thrown in jail, and the local hangman, Jakob Kuisl, is charged with getting a confession out of her. Convinced of her innocence, Jakob, his daughter Magdalena, and Simon, the town physician’s son, begin a race against the clock to prove her innocence. Vivid portrayals of town life and the local characters that inhabit it make this mystery a good choice for both readers of historical fiction and suspense (you will find a new appreciation for modern plumbing). As an aside, the author himself is descended from a line of hangmen, the real-life Kuisl family.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner 
Fiction      
 
In yet another good book by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, the lives of four very different women connect in unexpected ways. Each woman in the book faces an issue and each finds the solution they think will best solve the problem.  Princeton University senior Jules Wildgren needs money to send her dad to rehab to cure his addictions. A housewife from Pennsylvania, Annie Barrow, needs money to help her family stay afloat financially. India Bishop yearns to have a child with the man she unexpectedly fell in love with and Bettina, India’s new step-daughter finds herself in a very unexpected situation. The audio book is narrated by Jenni Barber (Annie), Aya Cash (Bettina), AnnaLynn McCord (Jules), and Karen Ziemba (India).

The Longest Way Home: One Man’s Quest for the Courage to Settle Down by Andrew McCarthy  
Nonfiction

Andrew McCarthy may be a well known actor, but he is not as well known as a travel writer, an editor at large for National Geographic and a winner of several awards. In The Longest Way Home he writes about his quest to figure out why he can’t commit to his fiancée of four years.  His journeys up the Amazon river, through the rain forest in Costa Rica and a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro help him to find the answers he needs. Andrew McCarthy is a gifted writer who gives us an honest look into his life and takes us around the world to some of the most beautiful spots.  This is also a moving book about the love he has for his future wife. The audiobook version is narrated by the author.