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.

Cain at Gettysburg by Ralph Peters
Fiction

When I read a review that compared Cain at Gettysburg favorably to Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels I confess I was skeptical. But this book truly rivals—and in some ways surpasses—Shaara’s Civil War literary masterpiece. In Cain at Gettysburg, author Ralph Peters presents an unflinchingly realistic view of the battle. We see the story unfold from the viewpoints of a variety of Union and Confederate privates and officers, and their stories show the grittiness and the camaraderie of war. For Civil War buffs and fans of modern war classics such as The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen
Nonfiction

In this memoir, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Will Allen tells the inspiring true story of the Milwaukee urban farm he developed by cashing in his retirement fund. After a professional basketball career and success in the corporate world, he took on the challenge of addressing several issues in one fell swoop: the urban food desert, public health, racism, and unemployment. The One Book, One Batavia 2014 selection.

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.

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media by Brooke Gladstone
Nonfiction

Not a graphic novel reader? No problem. This book still might be for you. Gladstone, a journalist herself, examines the history and current state of journalism. She provides several new lenses through which a person can view the media, and it makes reading/watching/listening to the news even more interesting after reading about the various types of bias (it’s more than just political) and thinking about how objective a journalist could (and should) be. Gladstone’s narrative voice is casual, which fits the format. Graphic nonfiction—it’s education in comic book format, folks!

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.