An American Beauty by Shane Abé

 This is the October selection for the Monterey book group, and it's very similar to some of the other fluff we've read lately, although slightly more interesting and slightly better written. We have a struggling family in the south, the mother encourages her beautiful daughter to work in a gambling (and later we learn house of prostitution), meets a wealthy railroad scion, becomes his mistress, and ultimately lives a life of captivity and frustration. A very sad story, really, but interesting to me to read about the wealthy in this post-Civil War time period.

The back cover advertises that Belle (the mistress) lives life on her own terms, but really, she does not. And she gives up her son for five years only because her man's wife demands it? Really odd and hard to believe... And this story is about the Huntington family, and the author claims to have reliable historical sources for much of the story. True or not, it does illustrate the pitfalls of seeking wealth and security through immoral deeds... It was hard to tell where the author stands on some of the thorny issues...Belle ultimately finds "true love" and marries again, but we wonder about that, too. They don't really know each other but feel this electric connection every time they meet? Hmmmm.

The stepdaughter and son turn out to be interesting characters, but we don't learn a lot about them. I felt sorry for Clara, who was obviously sucked in to what would surely be an unhappy marriage. And the unlikely meetings of Belle and "the wife" and all the secrecy surrounding their son...all of it dishonest and weird, really. Yet, it was an interesting story that was mildly entertaining and good fodder for my "read to sleep" habit. I'm definitely ready for something better. Something uplifting, something where the women make better choices!

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

 I almost quit this book just a few pages in...and then a couple of times after that. This author reminds me of Kristen Hannah; people rave about them, yet their writing and their plots are just mundane. Not anything uplifting or striving for good. Just mostly fluff. And always about wronged women... Am I in too many book clubs? Or the wrong ones? This is for the Monterey club, my neighbor Sandy's group. Their taste is not impressive!

One reason I almost quit is the rather rough and frequent sexual episodes. And the uneven and yet somehow predictable development of the characters. The two main characters are relatives, women, generations apart, yet their lives parallel each other in interesting ways. Emilia needs an outlet for her writing, but can't publish them as a woman; Melina seems to have the same problem in modern day.

Both struggle for their work to be accepted; both have men in their lives through whom they publish. And I can understand that I may not understand the worlds of either woman, both make such terrible decisions that it's hard to want to read about them. 

One aspect of the story that seems worth reading about and seems to be well-documented, is the research on whether or not Shakespeare wrote virtually ANY of the plays and poetry attributed to him. Picoult makes a good case, well-documented with sources, of the speculation that Shakespeare was really just an actor, and that there were most likely multiple authors of his canon. And this Emilia Bassano seems a likely candidate for many of them, considering her education and background, neither of which did Shakespeare have!

The author also frequently quotes Shakespeare and intersperses these quotes throughout the book and the dialogue. However, the dialogue between the characters of the time speak mostly just like us. It's hard to take such a disparity seriously!

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

 This is an incredible book that I almost didn't read! I could barely face another prison book, or another World War 2 book, or another book focused on starvation and cruelty. However, I gave it a go, because I wanted to be able to talk about it at our Stonebridge Ward book club meeting in September. It was available in the library, so I checked it out.

This author is Polish and is story is amazing! It was told to another person, who wrote it down. The author's sincerity and integrity comes through very strongly. He is wrongly accused of being a spy, is sent to Siberia for 25 years, and most of the story is his journey with some of his fellow-prisoners after they escape. Their brotherhood and their ingenuity in facing all the obstacles is incredible. It also showed what one is willing to do when they have nothing to lose!

My favorite part of the story is when their group makes it to the safety of Mongolia and enjoy the hospitality of the incredible people there. They live simply and share all that they have! It was fascinating to me, too, to learn about how much recovery time they needed in the hospital after they had traveled for the year. They found a man living in a cave with his dog and sheep. They saw creatures that sound like the abominable snowman! They ate snakes in the Gobi Desert to survive. They made moccasins about of sheep's hide. They starved and they thirsted for days at a time. They found a young woman and she joined their little band so bravely and fought the obstacles as long as she could. The slow death of Kristina and the other one, as their legs swelled and they stumbled in the desert was heart-breaking. So many memorable moments in this book. 

As I lay in my air-conditioned comfort, fully fed and wanting nothing, it makes me wonder how long I would have been able to survive this incredible challenge. I kept referring to the map in the beginning of the book to see the geography and miles they covered. I'm not familiar with that part of the world, but it all sounded incredible, in its own way. I came away grateful for my comforts and inspired by the human spirit of survival and love of freedom. Just an incredible story!

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

 So, another Kristin Hannah. Again, not great writing, but some insightful moments of being human. The first 134 pages were a frustrating re-hash of the daughters' frustration with their mother and one daughter's deteriorating marriage. On and on. Finally, things started to break loose as the daughters convinced their mother to share her story. 

We get the story in increments, and it is a harrowing story of suffering, starvation, and hope lost during the siege of Leningrad under Stalin. I've read of this before. It's hard stuff. Up close and personal descriptions of the loss, the pain, and the hunger. Anya (Vera) is the mother-story-teller and is an example of post-trauma suffering, and eventual redemption. 

We're reading this in the Monterey book club; otherwise I wouldn't have chosen it and I will never choose it again. However, it did hold my interest and the daughters and their dialogue and relationship had elements of truth... I'm sure they'll (book clubbers) will all want to drink vodka shots at our meeting; something the daughters begin as a tradition with their mothers. I gert a little tired of their (book clubbers) glorifying each others' drinking, but I'm hanging in there for now...

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

 What a happy surprise this little gem of a book is! Someone in our Stonebridge Friends book club recommended it, and we'll discuss it in August. It was available at the library now, so I snapped it up. It is witty, clever, sweet, and has TONS of literary allusions and suggestions. A wonderful little read! Well, not so little -- 258 pages, but they went by quickly.

There are some F bombs, but not too many. And there is some jumping into bed early in relationships, but these do not dominate the story. And I can live with them, given the sparkling dialogue and compassionate story. It's also got a little mystery that is tied up neatly and surprisingly at the end. The characters are delightful and you want them all to be your friend. I loved how the curmudgeonly A.J. develops into a very sweet person. 

One of the highlights for me is the way several people in the story describe what they like to read. They are so specific! And there are many books and short stories that are recommended and they would make a great TBR list on their own. The little town on Alice Island sounds quaint, and the book store is where you wish you could shop. I also loved it when A.J. was able to educate the police chief's taste and then grow a police book club grow.

I'm considering buying my own copy so I can reread it and mark up the parts I like best. It was fun to watch the relationship grow between Amelia, the book rep, and A.J., the book seller. I might do that in time for our meeting in August. I'm very curious to know who recommended this one. I'm also excited to see that this author has other books. And since this was published in 2014, maybe there are even more? I hope so!

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

 This story begins in the 80s and the author purposefully gives us lots of fashion and cultural references to be sure we get it. They lessen as the story unfolds into later decades. It was kind of fun to remember some of the trends, like the big poufy bangs...but at other tines I felt she was hitting me over the head.

And the characters...These three daughters and their relationship at times felt true and at other times felt contrived, as did all of the characters. There were some stunningly accurate portrayals of inner thinking and love, and how we can deceive ourselves about whom and how we love.  

The first few chapters made me mad, and I thought, why do I read this sappy escapist tripe, and at other times, I thought wow, I've felt that way. I liked the horse settings and stories. I liked how accurately the prejudice against Native Americans was portrayed in this small Washington town. I was also pretty sure that Dallas, the dark Native, would eventually be exonerated, but it took a long time and a lot of pages. 

The story got better and more interesting as Winona started to see herself and her foibles more accurately; she was the know-it-all sister who was unlucky in love but lucky in her legal career. Eventually she comes to some good conclusions and some right actions. So she was the most interesting to me... I actually considered quitting the Monterey Book Club while I was reading this. I thought, if THIS is what they think is a good reading, then I'm out of here. But on the other hand, there were some redeeming ideas...I still may exit if the next few are like this...There are so many good books, why would we choose such mediocrity?

I just reread my reviews of the other two Kristin Hannah books I've read, and I liked them better. I can see how she has developed as a writer; this True Colors was written earlier. She's good at captivating the reader and with some surprises along the way. I think her research and depth have improved over time.

For when we talk about this book in book club, the three sisters are: Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann. Vivi Ann and Dallas have a son named Noah...

The Ruby Prince by Beth Brower - Book Two of Imirillia

 It was fun to fill in the middle part of the story, after having read the third book. I enjoyed this one, because it described the mythical city of Zarbadast, and we get acquainted with Prince Basaal's brothers and fathers. Eleanor continues to exhibit royal and noble behavior throughout, despite falling in love with the Prince. They agree their countries come first...Queen Eleanor's journey back to Aemgen is the beginning of the end of this part of the story. 

Quietly enjoyable, a little repetitive, not too much character development, and some beautiful descriptions of interesting landscapes. Not worth recommending, but a good foray into fantasy for me. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I only took this one on because of the author's other work. Still awaiting news about Book 9 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion!