A Little Life

 Fiction by Hanya Yangihara

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I have heard a lot of opinions about this book; either people love it or hate it. It's award winning, and definitely an Intellectual Smart People Book, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel. Having read it, I say that I'm squarely on the love-it side; I think this story is a real masterpiece. Really, it's amazing! It's very sad, but that is only because the characters are so real.

This story follows a foursome of men who were college roommates (I think at MIT, but this was unclear) and are now in New York City navigating early adulthood; it goes on into their later lives. Interestingly, it is not set in any particular time, which I read is called "the eternal present-day setting." (See how I learn intellectual terms? I am pretending to be a Smart Person.) The narrative begins by telling you about each man (Willem, JB, Malcom, and Jude), and then it shifts to sharply focus on Jude alone. Jude's is the eponymous "Little Life" that the story is really about.

This is an odd thing to say about an 800-plus page book, but in some ways I wish it were longer. After the initial part, we never get any more of JB or Malcom's perspective, and I'd like to have had that. But that's a minor criticism. All in all this is a wonderful book, beautifully written and incredibly moving.

I was very surprised to learn that the author is a woman. I could not tell from the name, and based on the way it sounded, I just assumed it was written by a gay man. There are almost no female characters in the story, and the ones that appear are extremely peripheral, like someone's mom who shows up with a sandwich once and then disappears. But the male characters feel very real and extremely deep. 

As an aside, I don't care for the cover, but I understand the artistic choice behind it. It fits the story. I just dislike things that aren't pretty, because I'm shallow...

The Priory of the Orange Tree

 Fiction by Samantha Shannon

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

The story begins with Tane', a young woman who aspires to attain one of the highest positions in her society: to be a dragon rider. She has completed all the requirements when, on the night before her Choosing Ceremony, she sees a stranger emerging from the sea.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a young woman called Ead has been assigned to protect Queen Sabran of the West, whose bloodline is, according to prophecy, the only thing preventing the rise of the evil Nameless One, who had once almost destroyed the world.

This 800-plus-page behemoth took me a while to read, especially because it kept switching characters. It was still good, though. I liked that it was female-centered, unlike most fantasy novels.

The Evening and the Morning

 Fiction by Ken Follett

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is the prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, which was the beginning of a trilogy itself. That means that barnesandnoble.com lists it as book number four in the "Kingsbridge series." However, in this case each story could really be read on its own, because they are linked only by place and each separated by at least a century of time.

This book begins in 997 AD. (For context, The Pillars of the Earth takes place in the mid to late 1100's.) The characters are very good, as I'd expect from Mr. Follett, and the writing really transports you back into the time period.

It's a good book.

I also read recently by this author:  On Wings of Eagles

The Thorn Birds

Fiction by Colleen McCullough

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book was published in 1977 and is considered a classic by many readers. I'd heard of it (mostly because of the early 1980's miniseries version on TV that everyone talked about at the time) but had never read it, or watched the TV show.

It's a family saga type of novel, beginning in the early 1900's and set in Australia. I really liked the characters and enjoyed the story. I did feel like it was more tragic that it needed to be; when I become fond of characters I'd really prefer they end up happy. I mean, this IS fiction. The author can do what she wants with these folks, so why not make them happy? Still, this is a good book.

Killing Commendatore

Fiction by Haruki Murakami.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Translated into English, this book covers close to 700 pages; I don't know how long the original Japanese text was. IQ84, which I read several years ago, (see below) was of a similar size and was well worth the reading; it was a great story. On the strength of my memory of that book by the same author, I read this whole book (it took me almost two weeks), waiting for it to get interesting.

It didn't. Not really.

The characters were okay, but nothing much happened to them, and what did happen just didn't make any sense. It could be that the whole story took place inside the main character's head. The only things I know actually happened: At the beginning of the book, the main character's wife divorced him for no reason. At the end of the book they got back together, also for no discernible reason.

Lest you think this is a spoiler: it isn't. He actually says near the beginning of the story that they would get back together at the end.

I can't recommend this book, even though I really have enjoyed others by this author. Sorry. But I did finish it...

I also read by this author: Norwegian Wood, IQ84

The Organized Mind

Nonfiction by Daniel J. Levitin.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

My daughter looked at the cover and size of this book (528 pages!) and said, "Who would want to read THAT?!"

Granted, it's not the sort of thing I usually read, but....

This was a really interesting in-depth look at how the mind works, how we store and retrieve information, and how we can use our knowledge of these two things to make our own lives better. In particular, I liked the chapter about medical decision-making.

I'll admit I didn't read every word of this weighty tome, but it's an amazing book.

The Secret History

Fiction by Donna Tartt.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This novel held my attention from the beginning, although it's a strange type of story. Basically, it's about a boy who transfers from a community college in his native California to an exclusive private college in Vermont, and then tries to reinvent himself to fit the change, falling in with an even more exclusive group of classical Greek students. The characters were very realistic and believable, but not always likable.

I enjoyed this book, but it's not for everyone.


I also read by this author: The Goldfinch.

Mary

Fiction by Janis Cooke Newman.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a good fictionalized account of the life of Abraham Lincoln's wife. Somewhat like Philippa Gregory, this author possesses that rare talent which can make the long-dead breathe again. I enjoyed feeling like I was actually getting to know the real Mary Todd Lincoln.

She was not just a crazy lady, as history likes to dismiss her. In fact, I developed so much empathy for Mary it was difficult to read sometimes, knowing the life tragedies coming for her.

One drawback to this novel is its length, a full 700 pages. But I can tell you from experience: carrying about a book of such girth can make you appear much more intelligent; although, to be fair, sometimes you just look like a weirdo, depending on the audience.

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.