Wish in' and Hopin'. By Wally Lamb

A re- read for me to celebrate the Christmas season. I wrote about this book in December 2011.

Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf ****

This book is our December choice for Book Club- it took maybe three sittings to read it, which was nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Addie is a 70-year-old widow, Louis is a widower who lives nearby. One day Addie knocks on Louis' door and wonders if he would come and sleep with her sometimes, for company, not sex. Thus begins a wonderful friendship and a lovely story. The author died before the book was published- he knew he was dying when he wrote this book. 

Elena Ferrante novels

My Brilliant Friend: Book One of the Neapolitan novels

This is the first in a series of four novels about two girls, Lila and the narrator, and their lifelong friendship. As an insight into small- town life in Italy, and the pressures of growing up in that small town, this was interesting, but not enough to make me want to read the remaining three novels. 

May, 2016

Well, I re-read this and I enjoyed it much more the second time. It's very well- written, for one thing. Lila gets married at age 17, so we'll see how that goes. I just saw these two girls, Lila and Elena, as Sophia Loren and Sylvana Mangano, larger than life, voluptuous, fiery.

The Story of a New Name: Book Two of the Neapolitan novels.

July, 2016

Book Two commences with the wedding of Lila and Stefano, and much of this novel is about the tempestuous relationship of these two, so much so that I did get a bit bored with the excessive time devoted to such things as beach vacations. Elena is the narrator, and she has her relationships too, including a bad experience on the beach, some lengthy breaks in her relationship with Lila, and a continued lack of relationship with her mother. Again, her academic career is her main focus, and it becomes obvious that she is much more gifted than she thinks she is.

I found myself rushing to the end- at a certain point for me, books just get too long! It seems a week is about the longest I want to spend on a book- this one was 470 pages and took me 11 days to read, with "rushing". I think I will continue with these books, though. The writing is good, the detail is colourful, and it's a picture of a completely different way of life.

Slow Dancing With A Stranger by Meryl Comer ***

Harvey was a respected surgeon when he showed signs of memory loss. He denied it, as did many of his colleagues, including those who examined him. This is written by his wife, Meryl. Her mother also suffered from Alzheimer's, and for a time, the author, along with a staff of workers, nursed them both in her home.

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill ***

I thought I already posted this, but I guess not! Another disappointment, all the more so because a strong opening did not lead to a strong main line. I still don't know who was more corrupt than honest, and there were two main characters so similar it was hard to distinguish between them. Together they would have made a strong finish, but no luck. This wasn't even close to the good writing of The Book of Negroes.

The Birthday Lunch by Joan Clark ***

I was disappointed with this novel. Joan Clark wrote An Audience of Chairs and Latitudes of Melt, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, somI was looking forward to this novel. It's a week in the life of a family in New Brunswick, centred around the death of Lily, the wife, mother and sister of the remaining characters. Clark obviously wanted this to be- as she says in her acknowledgements - " as tight as a drum", but for me, it ended up being like a reporting of events, rather than a deep look into each character, to find out why Laverne and Hal hated each other, why Laverne let the driver of the truck that killed Lily off the hook, why she put water in Hal's gas tank. I know it was jealousy, but I just didn't get involved with this book at all. 

I haven't had much luck with good reads this fall- I read 700 pages of The Edge of Eternity before I just couldn't stand it any longer. Yuck- good thing I've got my jigsaw puzzles and the Blue Jays!

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr *****

I just re- read this- my first reading of this beautiful novel was in October, 2014. Since then, Doerr has won the Pulitzer Prize, just about everyone I talk to about books has read it, and it's our first book choice for the fall in Book Club, so we'll be discussing it this Saturday.

This time, I read much more slowly to revel in the beauty of the language, and the exquisitely drawn characters. Marie- Laure is representative of all that is good, as is Werner's sister Jutta. Werner is good too, but he has to come through some challenges to his character before he does become a good person. He was able to wade through the cracks at the boys' camp he was sent to because he is smart and he has an affinity for radios, a useful tool for the Germans. But he stood by and watched his friend Frederick destroyed without speaking up. Volksheimer is a hit man, basically, but is like a father to young Werner, and says often of him " what you could be!" Papa is so devoted to his daughter and the Musée in Paris that it eventually leads to his imprisonment and likely his death. 

Such care was taken in the writing of this novel, and it is for that reason that I read it slowly, and really did not want it to end. Doerr ties the three stories together so masterfully - Marie-Laure, Werner, and Von Rumpel. I just can't say enough about this book!

No Regrets by Carolyn Burke ***

I read a bio of Edith Piaf many years ago, but I downloaded this more recent one as I was preparing for the concert this week, where I am accompanying Colombe. Since this is the closest I've ever gotten to Piaf's music, I was happy to take on this gig, even though Colombe and I had less than two weeks to work together. Reading this book at this hectic time of practising and rehearsing was very helpful, and helped me understand the songs even better.

And what a life! It wasn't hard to read at all!

The Purchase by Linda Spalding ****

Winner of the GG's award for fiction in 2012, this book has been on my list since Shirley told me about it about 3 years ago, actually. I found it in a second-hand bookstore in Bracebridge this summer, and I'm always happy to pick up books from my list when they're cheap! 

Since it's summer and there's so many books to read, I'm letting a reviewer from Amazon speak for me for this. I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the writing, although the Canadian connection is very small, and it could be a Book Club recommendation another year. So here's the review:

Linda Spalding's new novel The Purchase is a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction. Trust me, it's an absolute must read.

1798. Daniel Dickinson is a devout Quaker. But when his wife dies leaving him with five young children and he quickly marries Ruth, a fifteen year old orphan, he is cast out of the fellowship. With no home and no community, he then packs his family in a wagon and heads to Virginia to homestead. At an auction to buy needed farming tools, Daniel instead ends up with a young slave boy. As an abolitionist, this goes against everything he believes in. This purchase is the catalyst for a series of events that will change the lives of family, friends, enemies and more.

I literally hurtled through the first part of The Purchase. Spalding drew me into the lives of the Dickinson family. The characters are exceptionally well drawn. Daniel struggles with his ownership of Onesimus, his marriage to a girl he doesn't even know, his efforts to build a new life for his children in a wilderness that he is ill prepared for and trying to follow his beliefs. His oldest daughter Mary is stubborn, petulant, wilful but also kind and giving. But not to her stepmother. But it is quiet, silent Ruth that I was most drawn to. And to the slave Bett as well. There is a large cast of characters, each bringing a turn in the tale. And all elicit strong emotions and reactions. The interactions between the players sets up an almost tangible sense of foreboding.

I stopped after part one, which ends on a cataclysmic note, to gather my thoughts. Where could the story go from here? I started part two a few days later and didn't put the book down until I turned the last page. And then I sat and thought again.

Spalding's prose are rich, raw, powerful and oh, so evocative. She explores so much in The Purchase - freedom, faith, family, love, loss and more.

On reading the author's notes, I discovered that The Purchase is based on Spalding's own family history. She visited sites and settings that are used in the book. I think the personal connection added so much to the book.

Brilliant. One of my top reads for 2012. Can lit rocks!

Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith ***

I love McCall Smith's gentle yet pointed humor in his writing, and I was quite enjoying this novel, but it began to pall on me. Maybe I took too long to read it, so couldn't get into the flow of the novel. It was very cleverly done, and I enjoyed Mr. Woodhouse's phobia about germs and such, but maybe it was too long. Three stars is all I can gve it.

And The Birds Rained Down by Jocelyn Saucier ****

A beautifully written book set in the wilderness of Northern Ontario with the back story setting of the Great Fire of Matheson. This is a good candidate for our Book Club choices next year. I 've copied a review I found on Amazon:

And the Birds Rained Down is a delicate, introspective fiction of a photographer's journey to chronicle the great bush-fires that consumed so much of Ontario's north during the early part of the 20th century. In doing so, she (the photographer) uncovers the story of a boy who walked through six days of inferno to find the twin girls he loved.

The simplicity of the story, however, is belied by the complexity of the lives of the people who had been involved, now either dead or advanced in age, some of whom have retreated from society and live in isolation around a lake, each with a pact with death, to control their destiny with dignity and independence.

It is also a story of love found in the last act, of love never found, of love acted out through creative expression that ends up a legacy.

Beautifully and skilfully written, the story evokes emotion with a subtle hand. Highly recommended.

Last Friends by Jane Gardam ****

This is the final novel in the Old Filth Trilogy, and it tells Veneering's story- his mother, who collected coal, and his father, a former Russan spy- his marriage to Elsie, but not much about Betty, who was really the love of his life. The story of how Veneering and Filth become friends is in this novel, as well as the connection between poor old Fiscal-Smith and Dulcie, who was mainly a piece of fluff. 

I've really enjoyed this series, and I must read more of Jane Gardam's novels. She has a dry sense of humour and is able to say a lot in just a short scene or conversation.

The Man In The Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam****

Volume 2 of the Old Filth trilogy tells the story from Betty's point of view( Eddie Feathers' wife, who has died when Volume 1 has just begun). I enjoyed this story much more than the first volume. Much of what we learned about Betty in Volume 1 is explained more fully, especially her relationship with Veneering, who as we know was a long-time rival of Eddie's. We don't learn as much about her childhood, mainly I think because it was not important to the story of meeting, marrying and living with Eddie Feathers.there are a few coincidences in this novel, like Isobel Goldenby being a friend of Betty's, and Eddie never finds it, even though he also has a relationship with her.

I'm going to move right on to Volume 3- Lost Friends

Be Careful What You Wish For: volume 4 The Clifton Chronicles y Jeffrey Archer

Sebastian goes involved in banking, Giles gets a cabinet post, Don Pedro Martinez is still trying to get rid of the Barringtons and the Cliftons. This volume ends with the newly opened- launched Buckingham cruise ship with many of the B-C family on board, plus a team of men with a ticking bomb on board.

Best Kept Secret by Jeffery Archer ***

Book Three of the Clifton Chronicles.

Giles Barrington is re-elected as MP, with assistance from Harry Clifton son, Sebastian. Sebastian has a friend, Bruno, whose father turns out to be a mafia type fellow, who sends Seb to Argentina on a money- laundering mission,,without Seb ever finding out what it was all about - no, really- there is so much in these stories that is so implausible- there are potentially dangerous or scandalous situations that hold your interest, but it all ends up so disappointedly neutral. Giles' wife is so evil, but Giles never realizes it. Seb never knows what was in that statue. And I think Seb's going to fall in love with his step sister. But they are light reading, and always a cliff hanger ending. in this one, Sebastian and Bruno are in a sports car, being followed closely by a lorry. there is a collision and someone is killed, but we don't know who. I say it's Bruno, because Seb has to survive, he's a main character! Stay tuned.

China Dolls by Lisa See ***

This novel traces the lives of three girls, Helen, Ruby, and Grace, who meet in San Francisco in the late 30s. Helen and Grace are of Chinese parentage, while Ruby is Japanese, although she succeeds for awhile in passing for Chinese.  The three girls work as dancers in Chinese night clubs, and two of the girls at least achieve a measure of stardom. Ruby's background is discovered and she spends some time in an internment camp for Japanese, who of course are sworn enemies of the Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The novel is a good story of friendship with all its ups and downs,  plus a good depiction of entertainment by Chinese people  during the war. Maybe didn't have the impact of Dreams of Joy, or Snow Flower and The Secret Fan, but still held my attention- no mean feat these days with Mike in hospital and our future uncertain!

Language Arts by Stephanie Kallos ***

I read this off and on during Mike's long hospital stay, so it may have been a distracted reading of this novel, because I was never entirely sure what was going on. Plus, it seemed a long time before there was any strong action to keep me reading enthusiastically. For example, Sister Giorgia was a puzzle to me until I was more than halfway through the book, and even after that there were unanswered questions. I enjoyed the two previous novels by Kallos, but this one didn't reach me the same way at all.

The Poldark Series by Winston Graham

The Poldark series of 12 novels - and I'm pretty sure I read them all years ago- is a summer series this year on PBS. I downloaded the first four so I could re read them.

1. Ross Poldark - Ross returns from America and finds an urchin girl, Demelza, and hires her as a servant because she is abused at home. They are married by the end of the first novel.

Slow Dancing With A Stranger by Meryl Comer. ***

This is a memoir of the author's 20 years of caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his early 50s. A successful medical doctor, Harvey denied the reality of his problem, aided by his colleagues, who refused to accept there could be anything seriously wrong. Only Meryl knew, and there were several years of frustration while she tried to get a diagnosis.

Harvey also became quite violent, and full- time aides had to be hired, as she could not handle him on her own. He was basically asked to leave one residential facility, because he could not be controlled, and Meryl eventually decided she could do better at home with him.  In the middle of all this, her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so she moves in as well.

Harvey eventually became worse, losing his speech, and Meryl never knew if he recognized her. She became involved with a foundation established for Alzheimer's research, and she found that this involvement saved her sanity. 

As the book ends, she is taking part in a study to see if she will develop the same disease.

Some of the phrases she used struck a chord with me:

His internal navigational compass has shut down. His disease is my crossword puzzle.

No disease should have as its victim both the patient and the caregiver.But that is exactly what is happening every minute of every day.

The most challenging point in his illness was when he was on the border between who he had always been and what would characterize the rest of his life.

Old Filth by Jane Gardam ***

Sylvia asked at Book Club if anyone had heard of this book, and lo and behold the very next night as I tucked myself into bed at Mildred's in Ottawa, there it was on her shelf! So I started to read it, found out it's the first book in a trilogy.

The title refers to a former judge in England who earned himself the nickname " Failed in London, Try Hong Kong", although we don't learn too much about this is this first novel. Filth, or Sir Edward Feathers, was a Raj Orphan, born in Malay to a woman who died two days after his birth, and a father who refused to acknowledge him, sent to England at a very young age, accompanied by a missionary, to be educated. 

This was an author whose name I had never heard before, and she's written some 17 novels!

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson ****

I read and studied this book for our Book Club theme of Language in May, 2015. The book is a history of the English language and is a wealth of interesting information, for example: why we can talk and animals can't, the dominance of Englishnin the world, how it was developed, the fact that there are no definitive rules of grammar, a chapter on names and how they developed, another on swearing. It was an interesting and informative read.

Dearie: The Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz****

Vickie, Mildred's friend from Ottawa, told me about this book a few years ago and I was finally able to find it in Books A Million in Panama City this past winter.

I was aware of Julia Child, and I certainly remember the spoofs on her, and I'm sad to say I thought that's how JC actually was, but I discovered an extremely personable, intelligent woman, despite her warbly voice and imperious manner. It was Julia who completely transformed American cooks by showing them how wonderful food could be prepared easily and deliciously. She never even discovered cooking till she and her husband Paul moved to France in the 50s, when she was 35!

And she worked hard, doing recipes time and time again until she knew every inch of the dish she was preparing. Since it was French food she focussed on, there were a lot of butter and cream sauces, rich meats, highly sweet desserts, but she always kept a slim figure, by following the dictum of moderation, small portions, exercising and weight- watching.

This was a very long, but very interesting book. A fascinating person and an American treasure.

Ru by Kim Thuy ****

Winner of Canada Reads 2015, a short read but very poetic, very intense. 

The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart ***

I was excited to purchase this and read it, because the setting was both Ireland and Newfoundland, and it was a family saga. It went a lot deeper than that, and I ended up somewhat bored by it all, but not enough to not continue until the whole novel was read.

There are two brothers, Naill and Kieran, Tam, who flew planes to various locations for the military during the war and who is Naill's mistress, Gerry- Anne, the Irish woman who raises Kieran after his mother dies and she is the only one who can calm down his rages of anger, Susan, Naill's wife. Tam is sitting inGander airport, having left Naill, and there she spends three days looking at a mural painted by the Canadian artist Kenneth Lochhead. We are taken into his preparation for this mural, too, although I'm not entirely convinced of its necessity in the plot.

So it gets three stars. She is a good writer, though, so maybe another half star for that!

The Love Story of Miss Queenie Hennessey: A Novel by Rachel Joyce *****

What a beautiful novel! This is the Queenie from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, the woman who Harold was walking to see after twenty years. Queenie fills  in a lot of the background to the first novel, as we learn all about her, how she met Harold, her relationship with Harold's troubled son, her illness, her fellow patients at the hospice where she now resides. And there is a lovely surprise at the end, too. I just loved this!

The Clifton Chronicles: The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer

Volume two, also read in two days, is mainly concerned with the struggle to determine whether Hugo Bannerman, a thoroughly despicable person, is Harry's father. Emma travels to New York to try and locate Harry, who has been jailed for murder because he took on the name of another man.

We certainly have the good guys and the bad guys in these novels, but everything seems a bit predictable, and just when you think something bad will happen to one of the characters, some implausible escape from disaster is at hand.

These are entertaining enough, and I'll probably read the other two books in the series, but I haven't found anything to really chew on.

The Clifton Chronicles: Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer ****

This was recommended to me by Sandy Weeks, and I read this first volume in two days. It's an easy read, but a good story, told by Maisie Clifton, her son Harry, Hugo Barrington, who may be Harry's father, Giles Barrington, who is Harry's best friend,and Emma Barrington, the woman he falls in love with, old Jack Tar, Harry's friend from the dockyards and his mentor.

The plot is also good, with lots of angles, and even though I wish Joyce Carol Oates had written this, because it would have been deeper and darker, I was thoroughly entertained.

On the volume two, The Sins Of The Father.

They Left Us Everything: A Memoir. By Plum Johnson ***

This is a memoir of a family who lived in a huge old house in Oakville.  The book won this year's RBC award The Taylor Prize for best non- fiction writing, and I heard the author interviewed on CBC- sounded interesting so I downloaded the book.

It was interesting enough, and the story of the parents was intriguing, but it certainly wasn't earth- shattering. Basically a normal family, although the parents were quite colourful people.

Travelling to Infinity ( The True Story behind "The Theory of Everything" by Jane Hawkings *****

This was a wonderful memoir of Jane's life with Stephen Hawking, who is probably the greatest scientific genius of modern times, and who has suffered from motor- neuron disease, known in North America as ALS since he was in his 20s. 

If I had seen that the print was as small as it was, I might not have purchased the book, and at 479 pages of text, it was sometimes demanding physically to read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed every single page. It is a clear, honest depiction of the duties of a caregiver, and in Jane's case, those duties fell on her shoulders from before their marriage through the births and growth of their three children, all the while trying to fulfill her own academic goals, not to mention the high level of care required around the clock for her husband, whose celebrity had several adverse effects on their lives: people thought they were rich, so didn't need assistance, Stephen himself naturally enough bathed in the glow of this celebrity and the knowledge that he was the center of everyone's attention,,so that Jane felt herself just to be a caregiver, and in the opinion of his family and the nurses who eventually took over his care, not a good caregiver. 

There was an interesting dynamic in this family, with the musician Jonathon - I don't think we're ever told his last name- becoming a part of the family, and actually a godsend to Jane, whose emotional and physical well-being were somewhat restored by his inclusion. 

Probably one of the best memoirs I've ever read.

I reread this for Book Club , November 14, 2015. I found Jane a little harder to take in this reading. I think she should have stood up to Stephen a little earlier, and I feel she became very bitter towards everyone as time went on. Considering her relationship with Jonathon, I think she should have welcomed Elaine's involvement with open arms.

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews ****

This book,was chosen for our Book Club this year, and I read part of it last June, but I put it down less than half- way through. I was busy that month preparing for my solo recital, and I just couldn't understand how a woman with such talent as a concert pianist was doing everything she could to kill herself. So,I tried again this month and found it much easier to read, although still difficult to understand Elf's compulsion to kill herself. I found myself agreeing with all the arguments against it, how the nurses in the hospital virtually washed their hands of her.  I could find little more than selfishness in Elf, and could at least understand the continuing despair of those who loved her. And as I read on, I didn't experience any change of mind. 

It should be a good discussion at Book Club in April. I re-read this in April for Book Club. I understand more Elf's situation- her depression, and the inability of her family to save her. I saw also the relationship between the two sisters, although I never did understand the scene where Elf said she had to be perfect for her father. It was a good discussion.

Faithful Place by Tana French. ***

I've seen this author's name before, but didn't take much notice of it. Then Imwas browsing through the mystery section at PCB Library, discovered she is an Irish writer, and sets her stories in Ireland, so I decided to read one of her books. This is a very Irish story, set in Dublin, and involving the family members of an undercover cop, Francis Mackey, an extremely dysfunctional family at that. Twenty years earlier, Francis was prepared to leave Ireland with his sweetheart, Rosie, but the night she is to meet him to leave together, she fails to show up. After twenty years, her suitcase is discovered and soon after that, her body, so Francis returns to Dublin  to solve the mystery of why she didn't leave and who murdered her. 

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

There are two Burgess Boys, Jim the hotshot lawyer, and Bob, the nice one, plus their sister Susan, who no one seems to like. Her son, Zachary, gets into trouble over an incident involving some Somali immigrants, thus bringing the Burgess boys together again, learning to deal with their childhood, learning to live with each other, and becoming a family again.

I'm a big fan of Strout's writing, but I found this took a while to really grab me. Good character development and good writing, but it lacked the power of Olive Kitteridge.

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

A mystery written in 1946, set at a Physical Education school for girls. The crime does not happen until the last third of the book, so you get to know the characters well, especially Miss Pym, who is the narrator of the book, and a guest lecturer in psychology at the school. Tey has little patience for artificiality and I really enjoyed her " asides" as the novel went on.

Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party by Alexander McCall Smith

Really just a longer short stry this was the tale of Fatty and his wife Betty and their adventures/misadventures on their trip to Ireland. I read this in one day!

The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson

An amusing story, quite satirical, reads like a fable, but I don't think it teaches any lessons, other than raising a mirror to our various imperfections as human beings. The book is extremely well- written, and the translator certainly did an excellent job. This is about a South African cleaning lady, a set of twins, both wth the same name, an atomic bomb, and two Mossad agents. We get a capsule history of Sweden's royalty, and of their political system. I'm sure this book is a hit in Sweden!

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins ***

A

Rachel travels to London by train every morning, returning to her room in a friends' apartment every evening. On her daily journey, she sees a beautiful young couple on the patio of their home, and imagines their relationship, even to the point of naming them. But one day she sees "Jess" kissing another man on that patio, just before Jess goes missing.

A pretty good thriller told from the vantage point of three women. It was a quick read, not much substance, but I guess that's not expected from a thriller. I like to have a thought or two to chew on in my reading- I guess that's why mysteries are not high on my list of preferred reading.

While The World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

I read this book just a week after seeing the film "Selma". The movie begins with the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, a bombing that killed four young girls, all of whom were friends of the author of this book. 

Carolyn relates her life story up to the day and hour of the bombing, concentrating on the discriminatory practices. I recall particularly Carolyn's grandmother, who spent the last two weeks of her life in a segregated hospital, in the basement of the hospital with dripping pipes, little food, and only cursory examinations by a doctor once in a while. 

Then there s her telling about the terrible treatment the blacks received at the hands of Bull Connor and the Birmingham police. Carolyn suffered for many, many years after the bombing that killed her friends. She was in the church that day and had just left her friends in the restroom when the bombing killed them. 

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules- Catharina Ingelman- Sundberg ***

This was a quick, entertaining read about a group of pensioners in a retirement home in Sweden where they are not treated properly, so five of them form a group to commit a crime that will send them to prison, where they believe life would be better.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story by Barbara Leaming ***

This biography delves much more into Jackie's life than anything else I've read. And I learned many things, some of which I'll list, not in any order:

Her father, Black Jack Bouvier, was a ladies' man, just like President Kennedy.

She was engaged to someone else when she met Jack.

She never recovered from the traumatic events of November 22, 1963, and suffered from PTSD.

She seemed to be genuinely fond of Onassis, who became very close to her children.

She didn't monopolize the attentions of Bobby Kennedy, as other books have maintained.

She didn't get along that well with Jack's sisters.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandela ****

The story begins in Toronto at the Elgin Theater, where King Lear is being performed the evening a terrible virus called the Georgia Flu begins to wipe out civilization as we know it. Twenty years later a group of survivors called The Travelling Symphony wanders through Michigan and Ontario performing Shakespeare's plays in a completely altered world. The story goes forward and back in time, but is still easy to follow, as we learn how the lives of the main characters are inter- connected.

Easy to read and interesting approach- sort of a combination of literary fiction and science fiction. The characters are all human, too- no monsters or space ships visiting from another galaxy. We get a pretty good glimpse of what our world could look like in the future, and how we might deal with the changes.

Top Ten Books For 2014

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin - purchased in paperback

Road Ends by Mary Lawson- Kindle

Paris by Edward Rutherford- purchased in paperback

Longbourn by Jo Baker- KL library

The Invention of  Wings by Sue Monk Kidd- KL library

Grave-Digger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates - purchased in paperback

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing - KL library

Sweetland by MichaelCrummey- KL  library

All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

Non- Fiction: Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult ***

I didn't understand the significance of the title until I had read- and re- read - the last few chapters of this book. A very cleverly thought-out story, and loads of information about elephants. The three main characters: Jenna, a 13- year-old searching for her mother; Serenity, a physic, and Virgil, a former detective make an interesting trio. 

I've read a number of Picoult's books, and I'm repeatedly impressed at her story- telling, her research, and the wide- ranging audience of readers she writes for.