Lila

Fiction by Marilynne Robinson.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the story of a girl who grew up homeless before and during the Depression era (back when people weren't called "homeless," but rather "hobos" or "bums") with a woman who loved her but wasn't her mother. With this upbringing, Lila is almost a wild thing, having never really been tamed to live indoors. One day, however, loneliness drives her to tie herself to a life in a house.

Intertwined with the story of Lila are a lot of unanswerable questions about human suffering and isolation. This is not a light story, although it is a short book. It gives you something to think about.

Gray Mountain

Fiction by John Grisham.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is exactly what you'd expect from John Grisham: a page-turner about a young lawyer bucking the system and trying to save the world. (Twist: this time it's a young female lawyer!)

It's a good story and very informative about some troubling legal/environmental/social issues.



I also read recently by this author: Sycamore Row,  The Racketeer, The Litigators, Skipping Christmas

The Gifts of Imperfection

Nonfiction by Brene Brown.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Generally I don't like nonfiction much, and I don't care for self-help, but this is the exception.

The title/subtitle says it all. Great book.

Child 44

Fiction by Tom Robb Smith.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Another book about Russia (see The Sky Unwashed), this is a rather bleak story set (except for a brief flashback) during the latter part of the Stalinist regime. I suppose one can't expect any happy stories from THAT time period, huh? Nobody makes musical comedies about Stalin.

The book has a really good ending, but there is a lot of awfulness to plow through to get there. It's a good novel all told; still, I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel. (It's the beginning of a trilogy.)



(On a side note, it's interesting that I've read two books with numbers in the titles this month--the other one being 44 Scotland Street--, and both are the number 44. What does THAT mean?)

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

Fiction by Kody Keplinger.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a fun, fast read: it's a teen book written by --gasp!-- an actual teen, so the voice feels very authentic.

44 Scotland Street

Fiction by Alexander McCall Smith.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

I have read several books by this author and really enjoyed them. The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is his best-known work; they are set in Botswana, Africa and are nice low-key character stories with some mild mystery thrown in. 44 Scotland Street is similar, but with more characters and less mystery.

This was a nice book. I recommend the audio version, just for the Scottish accent.

They Came Like Swallows

Fiction by William Maxwell.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

A quietly good novel, this story is set around the end of The Great War and during the "Spanish" influenza epidemic.

The King's Curse

Fiction by Philippa Gregory.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

I have read most (if not all) of Philippa Gregory's novels about England in the 15th and 16th century. They are all good, and each one shows a slightly different view of known historical facts. It is a mark of the author's true genius that she can hold the reader's interest through book after book, even though we all know how it comes out.

This story is about Margaret Pole, a cousin of the Tudor kings Henry VII and VIII, who lived her life a little too close to the English throne for those troubled times.


Also by this author: The Kingmaker's Daughter, The Lady of the Rivers

All the Light We Cannot See

Fiction by Anthony Doerr.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the story of an underage Nazi soldier, a blind girl in occupied France, and a sergeant-major gathering plundered treasures for Hitler.  It is a little long and can be confusing, but still a moving novel.

The Sky Unwashed

Fiction By Irene Zabytko.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Chernobyl in 1986. I am old enough to remember the horrible nuclear accident there, but it was so far removed from my young American "real" life at the time, I don't know much about it.

This book gives a firsthand (novelized) account of the people involved. It's amazingly affecting.

A short but powerful book, also recommended by my online book club.

The Color of the Soul

Fiction by Tracey Bateman.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Good book, recommended by my online book club... last month. It took me a while to get it from the library.