Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

 We have been buying a new home and attempting to sell our current one, here in St. George. It is a stressful business, and I needed to stay focused! So, I went without a book for awhile, because I needed to keep my nose to the grindstone. When there was a little breath of a break, I went to the library. I knew I wanted something lighter and relaxing. I had just finished A Gentleman in Moscow for the third or fourth time, and I loved it so so so much, but it also required my focus to remember all the characters and all the little tempting bread crumbs along the way. Elizabeth Berg seemed the right one to take a break with. I'm so happy I did. I checked out three at once. So luxurious! This is the first of the three.

The story is set in both Minnesota and San Francisco, which are both places I love. So that was fun. Berg has a way of writing that is lighter and delightful; great analogies and great insights into relationships and the way people think and feel. Conversations feel authentic. Nothing is too dangerous or gruesome, despite an abduction in this book. I enjoyed the relationship between the divorced parents and their daughter, and the way they all learned and grew and became more self-aware. I thought it interesting that the mother was the one character who refused to grow...but maybe that is reality. At any rate, it was a great little enjoyable respite from the stress of our house selling and buying!

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

 This sounded cute and witty in the reviews and in the first few pages. I was sold when several different book reviewers online recommended it. Well, it's inane. Really frustrating. But there was enough humor to keep me going after I got into it, and the plot was a little intriguing, so I enjoyed it until the end. Still, I often thought, why am I wasting my time? Because I wanted to see how the various plot lines would come together. 

The main character owns a practically deserted teashop in SanFerancisco, and one of the more interesting parts of the story were the various teas she brewed for various purposes. Later she prepares Chinese feasts, and these dishes are described in an interesting way. The characters and plot were nothing special but the tea and food were fascinating! This is NOT a keeper. 

However, it has motivated me to move on to some classics instead of trying to find something valuable from today's authors! Next up: David Copperfield!

1st to Die by James Patterson

Robin, a woman we play pickleball with here in Bismarck, mentioned she was reading this series and that she really enjoyed it. She's a fun person, intelligent, and so I thought I would take a chance that maybe our tastes would be similar. I have read James Patterson before and found him ho-hum, but since this first novel in the "Women's Murder Club" series is set in the Bay Area, I though it might be really fun to read.

I have to say it was a real page turner! Patterson is great at short chapters that end in a way that makes you HAVE to begin the next one... Very enjoyable that way. However, the characters were disappointingly superficial, although likable. There was much to admire in the positive characters and nothing to admire in the perpetrator. Kind of predictable that way. And the settings, the streets and neighborhoods of San Francisco and some in the Napa Valley, were also superficial and were things that anyone just passing through casually would know about. Nothing special about the settings, either.

So...a good page turner with superficial characters, lots of plot twists and turns, and some gory murder scenes mean that this will be my first and last read in the series. Too bad. I really miss Kinsey Millhone in the Alphabet murder series by Sue Grafton. Maybe I should reread those?!

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

Leonard surprised me with this book. He chose it because he remembered that I liked The Joy Luck Club by the same author. I love how Amy Tan opens up the world of Chinese immigrants, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, to her readers.
This was an engaging book, from beginning to end. The modern daughter has no idea about her mother's past; this book is the story of her mother's coming of age in China. It reveals a harsh male dominant culture that is hard to read about. The powerlessness of women in that society is described in graphic but tasteful detail. Winnie, the mother, tells her story with lots of questions about her own role and choices in it. It's fascinating to read about how she considers herself both weak and strong. We are invited along her thought process and get to witness incredible patience, courage, fortitude, and love. It's inspiring.
I enjoyed this book because both my sister and I had Chinese friends in high school and college. While reading, I would sometimes think back to some experiences I had with them...this book explained some things for me...It's fascinating to consider how different and how hard the transition to American life would have been for these immigrants. And how baffling their own American-born children would be to them! I imagine this book could be a welcome bridge-builder in those families.