The Sleep Revolution, by Arianna Huffington

I'm always interested in reading about the benefits of embracing a healthier lifestyle, so I was intrigued by Arianna Huffington's new book about sleep, and its ability, according to the subtitle, to transform "your life, one night at a time." Ms. Huffington begins by recounting her own epiphany regarding sleep, when she was running herself so ragged that she collapsed in exhaustion one day, fracturing her cheekbone in the process. After her realization that she couldn't continue to live the way she had been, she began to explore and research sleep, through reading and interviewing doctors and other sleep professionals.

The Sleep Revolution consists of two parts, "Wake-Up Call" and "The Way Forward." In the first part, Ms. Huffington discusses the current sleep crisis in the U.S., with far too many people getting far too little sleep every night. She discusses the sleep industry, with its heavy reliance on sleeping pills, resulting in the subsequent heavy reliance on caffeinated drinks the next day. Further chapters cover sleep throughout history, the science of sleep, and sleep disorders.

In the second part, Ms. Huffington provides a lot of advice, tools, and techniques that can be used to help you get better at sleeping. She discusses the reluctance of couples to sleep apart, even when it would improve both partners' sleep experience. She provides many tips and techniques you can try to help you fall and stay asleep. She discusses the many changes that are taking place at work, school, and in professional sports as employers, teachers, and coaches begin to realize how much performance improves when someone has gotten enough sleep. Finally, she addresses the ubiquity of television and our many devices, and recommends keeping them out of the bedroom altogether, if possible.

There are a number of appendices that provide helpful information, such as a questionnaire to help you learn whether you need to change your sleep habits, guided meditations to help you fall asleep, hotels with the best sleep environments, and which mattresses are the best. There is also a robust notes section with citations to supporting research, as well as an index. Overall I found the book very informative, well-written, and entertaining. It's a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in how they can improve their own well-being or that of their child.

Arianna Huffington. The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. New York: Harmony Books (an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House), 2016. 392 pages. ISBN 9781101904008.

Sea Miner, by Chuck Veit

Sea Miner: Major E.B. Hunt's Civil War Rocket Torpedo, 1862-1863 is the story of the little-known development of a torpedo during the Civil War. Author Chuck Veit's research on this topic was inspired by the mention of a mysterious wooden box that was on Brooklyn's Naval Yard in the early days of the Civil War. His research reveals that the box contained a prototype of a rocket that had incredible range. However, its top-secret nature has prevented it from becoming more widely known, and likely prevented it from being completed after its inventor, E.B. Hunt, was killed in an accident.

Although I enjoy reading history, this was a narrower subject than I usually select. However, I found the writing to be very good, and the many images and drawings to be helpful in describing and showing how the rockets and torpedoes of the time were constructed. The book is heavily researched with lots of footnotes, an index, a bibliography of E.B. Hunt's scientific publications, and bibliographies of primary, secondary, and picture resources. Anyone interested in Civil War or military history will find this book interesting.

Chuck Veit's research specialty is naval, nautical, and Civil War history. His day job is as a graphic designer, which explains the high quality of this self-published book. Sea Miner was published through lulu.com, which allows authors to "create, publish, and sell your books for free." Sea Miner doesn't have the appearance of a self-published book; rather, it looks very much like a scholarly monograph published by a University Press. More about Chuck Veit's other books can be found here.

Chuck Veit. Sea Miner: Major E.B. Hunt's Civil War Torpedo, 1862-1863. Chuck Veit, 2016. 214 pages. ISBN 9781329736382.

Crawling Out, by Casey Morley

The subtitle of Crawling Out, "One Woman's Journey to an Empowered Life after Breaking a Cycle of Abuse No One Should Have to Endure" pretty much sums up this book. Casey Morley was one of six children whose alcoholic father abandoned them, and whose mother took up with an abusive, alcoholic boyfriend. At 16 years old, Casey leaves home and moves in with a family for whom she babysat. At 18 she had to move out and try to survive on her own. She succeeded in completing a course in cosmetology, and began working in a salon.

The focus of Crawling Out traverses her abusive childhood through two significant abusive relationships as an adult. In the first she was physically and emotionally abused by her boyfriend, Tony. In the second, she was emotionally abused and manipulated by a man whom she refers to as The Foreman, in an attempt to protect his identity. Throughout she tries to gain control over her life and actions, but she continues to allow them back into her life. Many times she is the one who reaches out to them in times of need or when she's feeling lonely. Her portrayal of herself as a victim, not really acknowledging how she herself perpetuated her unhealthy relationships by calling them, answering their calls, continuing contact with their family members, etc., wears a little thin. Of course it's easy to see this as an outsider, and perhaps harder for a victim of abuse to see clearly when they're in the middle of a situation.

This book is self-published; although the author did use a professional editor. I found the writing passable; however, the story could have been pulled together into a more coherent narrative. The author hints at a number of circumstances without making clear what she means. For example, when she is asked at 18 to move out of her house by Mrs. B (the woman who had taken her in at 16) she states "...it truly was time to leave. History had started to repeat itself." It's not clear what she means by that, although the implication is that Mr. B had perhaps begun to be abusive. There were some other grammatical or vocabulary issues throughout the book as well, although they weren't excessive. One that I noted a number of times was the author's use of the word "smirked" when she must have meant "smiled," as "smirked" has a negative connotation that wasn't appropriate in context. One thing I don't understand is that she refers to her son Nicholas throughout, but the book is dedicated to her son "Michael James." There is no explanation for this.

Overall, I found the steady recitation of one bad decision, experience, or health crisis after another to be fairly dreary reading. Nevertheless, this book may be helpful to women who are in a similar situation.

Casey Morley. Crawling Out: One Woman's Journey to an Empowered Life after Breaking a Cycle of Abuse No One Should Have to Endure. Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, 2014. 308 pages. ISBN 9781452514307.

A Pocket History of Scotland, by Blair Millar

During a recent trip to Scotland, a place that I've wanted to visit for many years, I realized how little I knew about Scotland's history, so I picked up this small, heavily illustrated history of Scotland to give me a quick overview. From prehistoric times to the present day, it gave me a good idea of how Scotland developed as a culture and nation. Since my recent vacation was only a week long, there was a lot that I missed while there. I really enjoyed reading about both the sights we were able to visit and the ones that I missed. The book is illustrated with  photographs as well as original drawings and paintings. This is a fun introduction to Scotland's history!

Blair Millar. A Pocket History of Scotland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2013. 255 pages. ISBN 9780717153725.

A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny

In Louise Penny's 12th mystery, A Great Reckoning, Inspector Gamache has taken on the leadership of Montreal's police academy in an effort to root out the corruption that he knows is there. At the same time, he begins an investigation into a map that was found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in his little town of Three Pines. He brings four of the academy students together to help him solve the mystery of the map, and they also become deeply involved in his search for the root of the corruption at the academy.

Louise Penny is a master at creating fascinating characters and revealing their inner struggles. This book also highlights an important part of Canadian history when the map is revealed to be related to soldiers who fought in the First World War. The characters who live in Three Pines add both levity and depth to the story; they include Ruth, a crazy poet, and her pet duck Rosa; Myrna, the book store owner; Clara, an artist; Gabri and Olivier, the bistro owners. Inspector Gamache's wife, Reine-Marie, as well as his daughter and son-in-law continue to figure strongly in the plot. Although I've only read three of the books in the series, I am very fond of these characters and how they've developed from one book to the next. This is one of those series that I find myself compelled to go back and start from the beginning; I can't wait to start!

I received this book at an event sponsored by the Association of American Publishers at the 2016 BookExpo America convention, held at the McCormick Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Louise Penny. A Great Reckoning. New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. Advance Readers' Edition. 389 pages. ISBN 9781250022134.

Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley

In this riveting, suspenseful novel by Noah Hawley, artist Scott Burroughs and a four-year-old boy are the only survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Long Island. Scott manages to swim to shore with the boy, but then becomes the focus of a media storm that questions how he was the only adult survivor. Was the crash an accident, or was the plane's owner (and the boy's father) the target because of his high-profile position as the owner of a news corporation? Was Scott having an affair with the owner's wife? Was someone after the vast fortune that the boy is set to inherit?

Many players enter the scene, trying to find the answers to these questions. The FBI, the NTSB, the media, and Scott himself are all trying to find out what happened. The novel explores each of the plane's passengers in turn, allowing the reader to become familiar with each character on the plane, and one by one eliminates them from consideration as a suspect or target. The author keeps us guessing until the end, when the culprit is revealed with a surprisingly banal motive. The writing is very good, with excellent character development and thoughtful explorations of how the media can create a story out of nothing.

I received this book at the 2016 BookExpo America convention, held at the McCormick Center in Chicago, IL.

Noah Hawley. Before the Fall. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2016. Advance Reading Copy/Uncorrected Proof. 390 pages. ISBN 9781455561780.

Catching up, July 2016

I've gotten a bit behind in my book reviews, so I'm just going to mention each book briefly. I wish I had more time to discuss them; there were a lot of good reads in this batch!

Aline Ohanesian. Orhan's Inheritance. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2015. 340 pages. ISBN 9781616203740. Advance reading copy.

I loved this book about a middle aged man who learns that his grandfather left his home to an Armenian woman and then decides that he has to track her down to learn her story.

Celeste Ng. Everything I Never Told You. New York: Penguin Books, 2014. 297 pages. ISBN 9780143127550.

This is an excellent debut novel about a young girl who never let herself be known by the people closest to her. Includes an interview with the author.

Sunil Yapa. Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2016. 306 pages. ISBN 978031638653. Advance reading copy/uncorrected proof.

This is about a bunch of characters who come together during the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle. I thought I would like this book more than I did, as I'd read a number of good reviews. Still worth reading.

Marie-Helene Bertino. 2 a.m. at the Cat's Pajamas. New York: Crown Publishers, 2014. 261 pages. ISBN 9780804140232. Advance readers' edition.

A little girl spends a night getting in and out of trouble, along with a big cast of characters including one of her school teachers. I wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't happening for me.

Colm Toibin. Nora Webster. New York: Scribner, 2014. 373 pages. ISBN 9781439170939.

This was a book club selection, and stars a minor character from another one of our book club books, Brooklyn. I had the same reaction to Nora Webster as I had to Brooklyn. The book seemed to be a reporting of the main character's activities; just a recounting of one thing after another. There is no narrative arc, and little build up of drama or tension. I found it hard to care about the characters, almost none of whom were likable. Not one of my favorites!

Lauren Groff. Fates and Furies. New York: Riverhead Books, 2015. 390 pages. ISBN 9781594634475.

This book reveals how a love story and marriage evolve over the decades, and how two people can still have so much that they don't share with each other even after many years together. Well written, but a little uneven. Also includes a number of really unlikable characters.

Lawrence Douglas. The Vices. New York: Other Press, 2011. 343 pages. ISBN 9781590514153.

This is the story of a man who becomes obsessed with his best friend's family. He digs up information about their history (much of which they made up). Oddly enough, I had read this book a few years ago but neglected to give the book away. When I picked it up last month to read I kept thinking that it seemed familiar, but it took a while for me to realize that I had actually already read it. I liked this book, although I found myself frustrated with the narrator and the poor choices he was making!

Elinor Lipman. The Family Man. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 305 pages. ISBN 9780618644667.

I loved this funny book about a retired lawyer whose estranged ex-wife and step-daughter come crashing back into his life.

Janwillem van de Wetering. Outsider in Amsterdam. New York: Soho Crime. 265 pages. ISBN 9781616953003.

Originally published in 1975, this book is part of the Soho Crime Passport to Crime series. Interestingly dated, and imperfectly translated, this was nevertheless an enjoyable detective story.

I got this book at a Soho Press special event at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.

David Downing. Jack of Spies. New York: Soho Crime, 2014. 338 pages. ISBN 978161952686. Advance uncopyedited edition.

Another Soho Crime book! I liked this spy thriller set in 1913, on the eve of the First World War.

Peter Robinson. In the Dark Places. New York: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2015. 326 pages. ISBN 9780062393081. Advance reader's edition.

Drug deals gone awry, people who've gone missing. This book is an especially well-written mystery and thriller. Lots of interesting characters, many of whom it's easy to root for.

Karin Slaughter. Pretty Girls. New York: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2015. 388 pages. ISBN 9780062429056. Advance reader's edition.

When Claire finds what appear to be snuff films on her recently-deceased husband's computer, she begins to investigate what he was into. This is a riveting suspense mystery that kept me glued to the pages.

The Last Brother, by Nathacha Appanah

The Last Brother is by far the best novel that I've read so far this year. It tells the story of Raj, a young Mauritian boy, and David, a Jewish boy from Prague who's being detained in the Beau-Bassin prison on Mauritius during the Second World War. Fleeing Europe along with 1,500 other Jews on the Atlantic, 10-year old David was turned away from Palestine because he didn't have the appropriate immigration papers, and sent to Mauritius, then a British Colony, where he was imprisoned.

Raj meets David at the prison when he delivers his father's lunch. A guard at the prison, Raj's father is demeaned at work, taking out his anger against Raj and his mother at night. Raj is lonely, having lost both of his brothers in a flash flood, and he becomes attached to David, overcoming cultural and language barriers. After a cyclone causes significant damage to the island, David escapes the prison and comes home with Raj. After hiding David there for a few days, Raj becomes afraid that his father will find out and convinces David to run away with him. They walk for three days, getting lost in the jungle and hiding from prison guards. David gets sick and on the third day dies from his illness, only hours before they are found by the guards (this is not a spoiler; we learn early on that David dies young). The novel is narrated by an elderly Raj, who only learned the true facts of what happened on Mauritius many years later, when he reads a newspaper article about Jews who returned to visit the Jewish cemetery where David and others were buried.

Although very short, this novel touches on many themes: family love, parental love, abusive fathers, the friendship of young companions, the tragedy of Jewish exiles during the Second World War, and more. The writing is wonderful, and the translation is superb. Everything rang true. Author Nathacha Appanah is incredibly talented. According to the author's biographical information on the back cover, she is "a French-Mauritian of Indian origin" and worked as a journalist before becoming a novelist. This is her fourth novel, and was published in The Lannan Translation Series, which funds "the translation and publication of exceptional literary works," according to the series page near the end of the book. Anyone who enjoys historical or literary fiction would love this book.

Nathacha Appanah. The Last Brother. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Graywolf Press, 2011. 164 pages. ISBN 9781555975753. Uncorrected Proof.

Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

This is the story of two families, American and Indian. Somer and Krishnan met while in school, fell in love and married. Krishnan assimilated completely to American life, rarely visiting India in the 20 years since he left. Somer made no effort to learn about her husband's culture, and has only once visited his family. Both physicians, they adopted a baby from India when they learned that they couldn't have children of their own. Kavita and Jasu were a young couple living in poverty in India. When Kavita gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Jasu took the child away and presumably killed her. Brokenhearted by this, she made arrangements to give her second child up for adoption when she learned that it was a girl as well. Asha is adopted by Somer and Krishnan, grows up in America, and only when she is grown does she decide to take a year off of school to work in India and meet her Indian family. This precipitates a crisis in Somer and Krishnan's marriage, and Somer moves out to work through her feelings about motherhood and her relationships with her husband and daughter.

Secret Daughter is very readable; however, I found a number of aspects of the book hard to believe. These include Krishnan's complete American assimilation; that he almost never visited his family; that Somer made absolutely no effort to learn anything about her husband's culture; that she was so shocked by aspects of Indian culture when they did visit; and that her friendship with a few women who did yoga was all it took to help her overcome her fears and get in shape. At the same time, I found Asha's actions and curiosity about her biological family, and the relationships she forms with her adopted Indian relatives, credible and touching. Overall, this was a good first novel that illuminates the differences in culture and how we might embrace and transcend them.

Shilpi Somaya Gowda. Secret Daughter. New York: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2010. 346 pages. ISBN 9780061928352.

In the Shadow of the Banyan, by Vaddey Ratner

Author Vaddey Ratner was five years old when the Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh and forced all of the city dwellers out of the city and into the countryside in an attempt to establish a communist agrarian utopia. In the Shadow of the Banyan is a novel that's closely based on her experiences as a child during the time the Khmer Rouge was in power, 1975-1979.

The main character of the book is Raami, the 7-year old daughter of a Cambodian prince. As a member of the royal family, they would have been immediately targeted for execution if her father hadn't concocted an alternate identity for them. Since he was well-known, however, he admitted his own identity, resulting in his removal from his family and presumed execution. Raami and her family are moved from place to place in the countryside, forced to do manual labor in rice fields and to construct levees. The mismanagement of all aspects of the government and agriculture resulted in widespread famine and millions of deaths. Anyone who was considered educated was targeted for the worst treatment and often assassination. Over the ensuing four years, Raami loses almost everyone important to her. This book tells her story, and by extension, Ms. Ratner's story as well. Much of what occurs in this novel did in fact occur to Ms. Ratner and her family members.

While this story is immeasurably sad, it is beautifully written. I couldn't put it down, and only did so to look up interesting details about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia to help with the historical context. Ms. Ratner's journey to safety lead her to the United States, and I'm glad she was able to tell her own and others' stories through her fictionalized account of her ordeal. This book is enhanced by the inclusion of an "Author's Note" and "A Conversation with Vaddey Ratner," in both of which she discusses her own story and how it differs from Raami's.

Vaddey Ratner. In the Shadow of the Banyan. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2012. 334 pages. ISBN 9781451657708. Advance Reader's Edition.

What They Found: Love on 145th Street, by Walter Dean Myers

This collection of 15 interconnected short stories are about a group of characters centered around 145th Street in Harlem. The central theme of the collection is love of all kinds. Including parental love, romantic love, the love between close friends, and the love of siblings for each other, these stories are emotionally satisfying while not being saccharine. They explore the challenges of poverty, war, single parenthood, and more. Many of the characters pop up in different stories. This book is a followup to an earlier collection by Mr. Myers, 145th Street: Short Stories, and many of the characters appeared in that collection as well.

I found all of the stories to be well-written. While dealing with serious subjects, there is still a lot of humor in this book. Although Mr. Myers often writes for the young adult audience, this collection would be appropriate for all ages. I haven't read the earlier collection, my prior experience with Mr. Myers' fiction being limited to Sunrise over Fallujah, mentioned here. The war in Iraq, written about so eloquently by Mr. Myers in Sunrise, reappears in the 15th story in this collection, "Combat Zone," which is about soldier Curtis Mason and the friendships and love he finds in Iraq.

Walter Dean Myers. What They Found: Love on 145th Street. Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Children's Books, 2007. 243 pages. ISBN 9780385321389. Advance Readers' Copy.

The Heart-Led Leader, by Tommy Spaulding

Everything you need to know about this book is summarized in the title: The Heart-Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change Your Organization and Your Life. Author Tommy Spaulding makes the case that operating from the heart and with love will improve your chances to succeed in both your work and personal life. Throughout the rest of the book he elaborates on this central theme by sharing dozens of anecdotes about people that he has known who have done just that.

Mr. Spaulding discusses 18 principles or qualities in the second part of the book; these correspond to the 18 inches that he writes is the distance from the head to the heart. These principles address love, humility, caring, passion, selflessness, authenticity, self-awareness, faithfulness, character, vulnerability, forgiveness, purpose, encouragement, empathy, generosity, honesty, trust, and transparency.

While there's nothing ground-breaking about this work or his presentation, The Heart-Led Leader is a useful discussion about what makes leaders successful, and what makes them worthy of emulation. Mr. Spaulding describes valuable leadership qualities and illustrates them with many anecdotes. This is clearly a heartfelt and honest look at what it takes to be successful in work and life. Those who aspire to be leaders will find this book a useful reminder of the values that make people great.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Tommy Spaulding. The Heart-Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change Your Organization and Your Life. New York: Crown Business, 2015. 238 pages. ISBN 9780553419030.

January and February Reads

I first became aware of Walter Dean Myers when I was in graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh and attended an event at which Mr. Myers spoke, co-sponsored by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Sunrise over Fallujah is a novel, yet, it too brings history to life for readers. Published in 2008 by Scholastic, it's intended for readers 12 years old and up; however, I found its themes of war, violence, and friendships under difficult circumstances make it entirely appropriate for adults as well. Mr. Myers' writing is excellent, and his characters and dialog are believable.

Mr. Myers spoke about his love of reading and how he tried to hide the fact that he was bringing books home from the public library by carrying them in a brown paper grocery bag. Author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, Mr. Myers is best known for his non-fiction, in which he brings history to life for young readers.

Walter Dean Myers. Sunrise over Fallujah. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Advance Reader's Copy. 281 pages. ISBN 9780439916240.

Euphoria by Lily King was my book club's January pick. The main characters in Euphoria are modeled after Margaret Mead and two of the men in her life. The book opens with Nell Stone and her husband Fen leaving a remote area where they had been living with a dangerous cannibalistic tribe, on their way to another area to find and study another tribe. During their journey they meet up with and befriend Andrew Bankson, another anthropologist, and he helps them find a tribe not far from his own. His motives are driven by his loneliness; he wants friends nearby who understand his work. Nell and Fen simply want an interesting tribe to study and write about. As they spend more time with each other, Andrew begins to see the tensions in Nell and Fen's marriage, some stemming from Nell's more successful career, and some from Fen's recklessness. This book was impossible to put down; the writing is excellent and the characters are fascinating.

Lily King. Euphoria. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2014. Uncorrected Proof. 253 pages. ISBN 9780802122551.

The title Dark Dude is based on a slur used by some in reference to a person of color with light skin. Rico is a first-generation Cuban-American living in Harlem in the 1970s. Facing financial difficulties, he changes from a private parochial school to a public school in his neighborhood, but is challenged by the violence he sees and experiences there. After skipping school one too many times, his parents decide to send him to Florida to attend military school under his uncle's supervision. Fearing that, he convinces his friend Jimmy to run away with him to live with their friend Gilberto on a farm in Wisconsin. The next year brings many challenges to Rico's and Jimmy's friendship, and they learn about the importance of family, friendships, and education.

Oscar Hijuelos. Dark Dude. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2008. Advance Readers' Copy/Uncorrected Proof. 435 pages. ISBN 9781416969457.

In spite of the fact that John O'Hara was a Pennsylvania native who left his archives to Penn State, where I worked for 12 years, I've never read a John O'Hara novel until this past month when I pulled The Instrument off of a shelf. It tells the story of Yank Lucas, an aspiring writer, who almost dies when the flame on his stove goes out and his apartment fills with gas. Saved by a neighbor, he uses this experience as inspiration for the third act in a play he's writing, which turns out to be the best thing he's ever done. He becomes an overnight sensation and his play is overwhelmingly successful. Throughout the development and rehearsals for his play Yank begins an affair with the leading lady of his play, Zena Gollum. She leaves her husband for Yank and hoping for marriage, she's crushed when he leaves on opening night, not even watching the play to its successful conclusion. Yank drives until his car breaks down, then takes a room in a rural Vermont town. Known as the now famous writer, he becomes a focus of attention for the women in town, leading to another disastrous affair. Yank uses women as his muses, then finds that he has to leave them after the conclusion of each play. Although I like the writing, I have to admit that I don't like O'Hara's characters very much. The dialog reminds me of TV sitcoms in which the characters constantly banter and bicker; I don't know anyone who speaks like that in real life. Yank's misogynistic views on life and his mistreatment of women are unappealing; I found the character almost unworthy of a book-length study.

John O'Hara. The Instrument. New York: Random House, 1967. 308 pages.

The February pick for my book club was Bich Minh Nguyen's Short Girls. Van and Linh Luong are second-generation Vietnamese Americans. Written in chapters that alternate their points of view, Short Girls tells how they came to live such wildly different lives in spite of their childhood closeness. Van has grown up to become an immigration attorney and has what appears to be a dream marriage. Linh is a college dropout who has moved from job to job and who's dating a married man. Both of their lives come to a crisis point when Van's husband Miles walks out on her, and Linh tries to leave the married man she's been having an affair with. At the same time, their father is demanding their help and attention as he becomes an American citizen and finally succeeds in getting some interest in his inventions, in the form of a reality TV show that showcases inventors. I loved this book; the writing is excellent and the challenges the sisters face are recognizable to all women. Height is a theme throughout; Mr. Luong's inventions all try to improve life for short people. The challenges of assimilating into another culture are also thoroughly explored.

Bich Minh Nguyen. Short Girls. New York: Penguin Books, 2009. 292 pages. ISBN 9780143117506.

I picked up The Cry of the Dove at the State College AAUW book sale, and not being familiar with the author, I think it must have been the striking cover that caught my attention. Salma is a Bedouin Arab in Jordan who has sex out of wedlock and gets pregnant. Denied by her lover, she is taken away into protective custody to have the baby. Essentially, protective custody means prison, and it's necessary for Salma to protect her from an honor killing by her brother or father. Her daughter is taken away from her as soon as she's born, and Salma remains in prison for six more years before a nun arranges with the prison to take her away after a midnight release. She's spirited out of the country and eventually to England. Salma changes her name to Sally and lives an impoverished existence, first in a hostel and later renting a room from a drunken elderly woman. She gets a job as an assistant tailor and dreams of returning to get her daughter. The narrative goes back and forth among many time periods, from the time when she met her lover, to prison, to her early existence in England, to the present. As the characters and story develops it becomes clear how devastating life is for someone who loses her family, not to violence or death, but through ostracism and indifference. This sad story is all the worse for it being true to real life.

Fadia Faqir. The Cry of the Dove. New York: Black Cat, 2007. 282 pages. ISBN 9780802170408.

AAP LibraryReads BookTalk Breakfast at 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting

The third book-related event that I attended during the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting was the AAP LibraryReads breakfast, held on Monday, January 11, at the Seaport Hotel in the Lighthouse I room. I bumped into a colleague in the hotel lobby and we were directed back outside and across a parking lot to another building where the Lighthouse rooms were. Upon arrival we were greeted by the organizer and encouraged to take galleys of the books that were being promoted that day. After about 15 minutes of eating and chatting at our tables, the program began. Authors who were speaking and the books they were promoting included:

Chris Cleave

• Adam Haslett. Imagine Me Gone. Based loosely on his parents' lives, with his father suffering from severe depression.
• Ann Leary. The Children. Four step-siblings deal with the fallout from their father's death.
• Simon Van Booy. Father's Day. An irresponsible man adopts his niece after her parents' deaths; as an adult she plans a trip to Paris to honor and thank him.
• Helen Simonson. The Summer Before the War. Ms. Simonson is the author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand; this is her second novel.
• Lawrence Hill. The Illegal. An African immigrant making his living by running and winning races.
• Chris Cleave. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven. Mr. Cleave is the author of Little Bee.

I always appreciate the Association of American Publishers and the events that it holds for librarians at the ALA Midwinter and Annual Conference. Teaming up with LibraryReads, they promote the books and authors that are going to be of great interest to library patrons in the upcoming year. 

Bitter Sweets, by Roopa Farooki

In this 2007 first novel, author Roopa Farooki tells the story of three generations of a Bangladeshi-Pakistani-British family. Truth and deception are the major themes of the book. It begins when Henna, a poor 13-year old, conspires with her father to marry wealthy Rashid. His disappointment is immense when he found out the truth but he commits to the marriage, waiting until she's an adult before they begin a family. Their daughter Shona learns that deception is often more convenient than the truth and her children follow in the family tradition of telling lies. All of this deception leads to many years of unhappiness and unnecessary suffering for all.

In spite of the sober themes of this book, it's written in a lighthearted way that is very compelling for the reader. The characters are well-developed; their motivations clear albeit misguided. Most of them are quite likable which made me root for them throughout. At the end, Shona comes to realize the price that they've all paid for their many deceptions, and begins the healing process by telling the truth about key events in their lives.

I found the writing to be excellent and the pace good. The story never dragged, but it wasn't rushed either. Ms. Farooki takes her time letting us get to know each of the main characters. I enjoyed the book very much and intend to read more of Ms. Farooki's works. Bitter Sweets was short-listed for the Orange Award for New Writers in 2007.

Roopa Farooki. Bitter Sweets. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007. 354 pages. ISBN 9780312382063.

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore, by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley departs from his more well-known crime fiction with this exploration of a woman's transformation as she leaves her career as an adult film actress. Debbie Dare's husband dies in a freak accident as he's "auditioning" a young girl in their home, and Debbie realizes that she no longer wants to continue the lifestyle that she stepped into when she was just fifteen years old. As she learns about how her husband has mismanaged their finances, she realizes that she has to pull together all her resources to be able to afford the funeral and pay off his debts.

As Debbie makes the transition back to Sandy (her real name), she reconnects with her mother and brothers, and makes plans to take back her five year old son who's been living with her sister-in-law. She calls on friends both inside and outside the porn industry to help her manage her affairs and fend off debt collectors. She begins to make new friends, always insisting that they know and understand her past. We go along with her as she struggles with keeping it all together or just giving up and committing suicide. I found myself rooting for her as she faces her challenges and tries to find out who she really is. I enjoyed this well-written novel that illuminates the difficulty and the courage it takes to turn one's life upside down.

Walter Mosley. Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore. New York: Doubleday, 2014. 265 pages. ISBN 9780385526180.

The Antelope Wife, by Louise Erdrich

The Antelope Wife tells the interconnecting stories of many characters across generations. It begins with the tale of a post-Civil War raid on a Native American village. As soldiers kill the Native Americans, one of them notices a dog running away with a baby strapped to its back. He follows it for days before catching it and freeing the baby, which he ultimately raises as his own daughter.

Another story relates how a man fell so deeply and suddenly in love with a woman that he kidnapped her, in the process ruining both of their lives. He fails at everything he tries from that point forward until he eventually realizes that he has to free her.

One chapter is written from the point of view of a dog named Almost Soup. As a puppy he came close to being served up as dinner, but was saved at the last minute by a young girl who raised him.

There's an element of magic realism that runs throughout The Antelope Wife. I found it challenging to keep all of the characters straight, especially as the stories go back and forth in time and the characters' back stories are told from different perspectives. The stories are beautifully told and Ms. Erdrich shows her compassion as she illuminates the struggles that her characters face with love, hate, revenge, and daily life.

Louise Erdrich. The Antelope Wife. New York: HarperFlamingo, 1998. 240 pages. ISBN 0060187263.

AAP LibraryReads Best in Debut Authors: 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting

The Association of American Publishers collaborated with LibraryReads to host an event that spotlighted six new authors. Each author spoke for about 10 minutes about what libraries mean to them and how they got started with their first books. The books presented were:

• Kaitlyn Greenidge: We Love You, Charlie Freeman.
• Shobha Rao: An Unrestored Woman.
• Trudy Nan Boyce: Out of the Blues.
• Steve Toutonghi: Join.
• Victoria Kelly: Mrs. Houdini.
• Steve Rowley: Lily & the Octopus.

It amazes me that an author can talk about their background, love for libraries, and inspiration for their first book in just 10 minutes. Some of their comments were so heartfelt that they brought tears to my eyes. Shobha Rao spoke very passionately about the women who were kidnapped during the 1947 partition of India, and how they were "recovered" but never "restored." Steve Rowley discussed his love for his dachshund Lily and how writing the fictional Lily & the Octopus helped him heal after her death from a brain tumor. All of the authors were engaging and funny speakers. A great program!

HarperCollins Title Presentation: 2016 ALA Midwinter

One of the benefits of attending the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting is having the opportunity to attend publisher presentations of new and upcoming titles. Usually they promote books that they think will be big hits over the next year, and which they're hoping libraries will acquire. I really enjoy these meetings because the editors are so enthusiastic about the books they're discussing. This morning I attended the HarperCollins title presentation, and learned about a lot of upcoming books, many of which I look forward to reading.

Some of the most exciting of their upcoming books are:

• Louise Erdrich: LaRose. Especially exciting since I've been reading her lately.
• Joe Hill: The Fireman. I loved his Heart-Shaped Box, and NOS4A2.
• Jennifer Haigh: Heat & Light. She also wrote Mrs. Kimble, The Condition, and Faith, all great reads. 
• Jacqueline Woodson: Another Brooklyn.
• Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: The Nest.
• Paul Tremblay: Disappearance at Devil's Rock.
• Nadia Hashimi: The House with no Windows.
• Sally Thorne: The Hating Game.
• Robin Wasserman: Girls on Fire.
• and many more....

In addition to breakfast and handouts listing their upcoming books, HarperCollins generously provided each attendee with a tote bag containing four advance reading copies.

More recent reads

Bailey and Bella (sitting up)

After adopting two Lhasa Apsos in November, I'm finding it difficult to keep up with my writing! These are Bella and Bailey, two 7-year olds whose original owner passed away. Their second family didn't keep them long because Bailey nipped at their grandson. So now they live with us and we're all trying to get acquainted. Incorporating two dogs with four cats has been interesting to say the least!

I've tried to keep up with my reading; it's just the writing that has suffered. Here's a list of my recent reads:

Robert Galbraith. The Silkworm. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2014. 455 pages. ISBN 9780316206891. For my book club: we all loved it.

William Styron. Lie Down in Darkness. New York: The Viking Press, 1951. 400 pages. I picked this up for 50 cents at the State College chapter of the AAUW annual used book sale. It's been on the end of the shelf nearest my bed for a while, so after looking at it every day for nearly a year I broke down and read it.













Suzan-Lori Parks. Getting Mother's Body. New York: Random House, 2003. 257 pages. ISBN 1400060222. Loved it!

Terry McMillan. Mama. New York: Washington Square Press, 1987. 260 pages. ISBN 0671745239. Given how popular Terry McMillan is, I expected to like this a little bit more. This was her first book, so maybe her later efforts are better.

Sherman Alexie. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 232 pages. ISBN 031600202X. I wasn't bowled over by Alexie's novel Indian Killer, so I resisted this book for 8 years, but I loved it. I plan to read more now.














Colm Toibin. Brooklyn. New York: Scribner, 2009. 262 pages. ISBN 9781501106477. While the setting and historical realities described in Brooklyn are fascinating, I felt that this story was a little flat.















Louise Erdrich. Tracks. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1988. 226 pages. I didn't care much for Love Medicine, Erdrich's first novel, so I've put off reading others by her, but I loved this book. I will have to give Love Medicine another shot.













Michel Faber. Under the Skin. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. 2001. 319 pages. ISBN 0156011603. I loved this creepy sci fi!

Recent reads

Here are some recent reads:

The girl in the spider's web, by David Lagercrantz. Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 399 pages. ISBN 9780385354288. Fourth installment in Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. Different writing style, but once past that, a worthy successor.

Redshirts, by John Scalzi. Tor, 2012. 317 pages. ISBN 9780765334794. Mind-bending sci fi with a good dose of humor.

Clearing the clutter for good feng shui, by Mary Lambert. Fall River Press, 2001. 96 pages. ISBN 9780760722039. Great advice for improving one's environment.


 









The age of speed: a new perspective for thriving in a more-faster-now world, by Vince Poscente. Bard Press, 2007. 215 pages. ISBN 9781885167675. Most books are telling us all to slow down; this one advises us to embrace the speed. Not convincing...

 



The Martha rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business, by Martha Stewart. Rodale, 2005. 195 pages. ISBN 1594864705. Good business advice from Martha, inspired by her time in prison where she met a lot of women who aspired to starting their own businesses after incarceration. Well-written, and includes a lot of relevant anecdotes from Martha's own career.

What do you listen to on road trips?

Music is the only thing that will help me stay alert on solo road trips. Many of my friends and colleagues swear by them for entertainment and making the time fly by on long trips. One friend missed not just one exit, but three on a long trip home to State College from Illinois while she was listening to one of the Harry Potter books (I forget which one). I've tried listening to audio books, which I have enjoyed while walking, but they haven't worked for me when driving. Maybe I haven't tried the right ones, but listening to an audio book for more than 10 minutes in the car makes me drowsy.

So that leaves music to keep me awake for long drives. And not just any music will do; it has to be something that I can sing along with. No classical or jazz, and nothing that's slow; it has to be upbeat. Any music in the rock and roll genre from the 1950s through the present is a candidate for me, although when my husband's along I have to eliminate rap and heavy metal, both of which he passionately dislikes. On a recent solo trip to Fairport, New York, this was my playlist:

Pink. The Truth about Love. Almost every song on this 2012 album is good; these are my favorites:

• Are we all we are
• Blow me (one last kiss)
• Try
• Just give me a reason
• True love
• Slut like you
• The truth about love
• Beam me up
• Walk of shame

Leonard Cohen. I'm Your Man (Soundtrack). I had never listened to Leonard Cohen before 2009 when I watched the documentary about him called I'm Your Man. It's an excellent film and features a lot of well-known and lesser-known artists singing his songs and speaking eloquently about how much they were influenced by his songwriting. I love the whole album but my favorite songs are:

• Tower of song, sung by Martha Wainwright
• Tonight will be fine, sung by Teddy Thompson
• I'm your man, sung by Nick Cave
• Chelsea Hotel #2, sung by Rufus Wainwright
• Everybody knows, sung by Rufus Wainwright
• The Future, sung by Teddy Thompson

The Killers. Sam's Town. Every song on this album is excellent.

Lenny Kravitz. Greatest hits. All good songs, but my favorites are:

• Are you gonna go my way?
• Fly away
• It ain't over til it's over
• Can't get you off of my mind
• American woman (I might even like this version better than the original by The Guess Who)

Mark Ronson. Uptown Special. This is one that I can't listen to with Mike in the car, but it's really growing on me. It first came to my notice when I saw the video for "Uptown Funk" which features Bruno Mars. Then I read an article about the album and learned that one of my favorite authors, Michael Chabon, co-authored some of the lyrics (although not the lyrics to "Uptown Funk"). That was enough to convince me to give it a try.

King Crimson. In the Court of the Crimson King. I love this album but I had to switch to something else after listening to the first song "21st Century Schizoid Man." The rest of the album can be slow and melancholy and just not good for the car.

Imagine Dragons. Night Visions. I like every song on this album, especially "Radioactive" and "Demons." I'm astonished that a band's first album could have such a stellar lineup of songs. I've listened to this one so much that Mike's a little sick of it.

Metallica. Metallica (i.e., The Black Album). This is another one that I can't listen to when driving with Mike, but it's one of my favorites. When this album came out 24 years ago, I was working at the University of Pittsburgh, doing copy cataloging. I listened to this cassette on my Walkman and sometimes attribute my high statistics to listening to thrash metal while working. Just listening to this is like drinking three cups of coffee!

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The Heist. Another album that's only for my solo drives. I first became aware of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis during the 2014 Grammy Awards show when they performed "Same Love" with Queen Latifa and Madonna and staged a group wedding for dozens of couples, most but not all of them same-sex. You can see the video of that performance here. Here are some of my favorite songs:

• Ten thousand hours. Perhaps the only song ever inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers?
• Can't hold us
• Thrift shop. As a big fan of thrift shops, I particularly enjoy this one. Check out the video here.
• Thin line
• Same love
• Make the money

What do you like to listen to when you're driving?

These Shallow Graves, by Jennifer Donnelly

In this historical mystery, aspiring writer Jo Montfort investigates the circumstances surrounding her father's death, first determined to be an accident, then suicide. But was it really suicide? It's not really adding up for Jo. Set in 1890s New York, These Shallow Graves manages to be a riveting mystery while it shows us what life was like for both rich and poor at that time.

Jo is a young woman in her final year of finishing school, destined to marry the son of wealthy family friends. She's fond of the young man but her greatest desire is to be a journalist like Nelly Bly and write stories about the plight of women and children in poverty. Her father's death throws all of this into jeopardy and her family makes sure that the cause of death is reported as an accident. Jo just can't believe this, knowing her father to be especially knowledgeable and skilled with his guns. As she begins to dig into his death, details emerge that show her father's business partners to have been involved in unethical and potentially illegal activities decades prior. Could someone from the past be blackmailing them?

In the meantime, Jo has befriended a young reporter at the newspaper that her family owns. Eddie is a writer who grew up in poverty; he's completely inappropriate as a companion for Jo and her reputation could be ruined if she's discovered spending time alone with him. At first she and Eddie work together to help solve what's looking more and more like a murder. Eddie introduces Jo to his contacts and friends from his past and they play key roles in Jo's search for the truth. As the deaths pile up and it begins to look like Jo's uncle might be involved, Jo doesn't know whom to trust.

These Shallow Graves was impossible to put down. Jennifer Donnelly is a good writer; she brings 1890s New York to life and makes even implausible plot turns believable. Anyone who enjoys mystery and detective stories will enjoy this adventure.

Jennifer Donnelly. These Shallow Graves. New York: Delacorte Press, 2015. Advance Reader's Copy. 482 pages. ISBN 9781101916247.

Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh

Eileen is a twenty-four year old misfit who lives with her father, a dysfunctional, alcoholic, former policeman. She works in a home for delinquent boys in 1960s Massachusetts. Abuse and neglect are rampant, and Eileen observes everything from her position as a receptionist. She narrates the story many years after the events in Eileen have passed.

Eileen's life is going nowhere, and she spends her free time drinking with her father or at the local pub, and fantasizing about disappearing and leaving everyone behind. Everything changes when a new staff member shows up at work. Rebecca is beautiful and fascinating, and Eileen instantly develops a girl-crush on her. She's intrigued as she sees Rebecca taking an interest in one particular boy's story, and finds herself getting caught up in a violent crime as Rebecca confronts and accuses the boy's mother of horrific abuse.

Reviews of Eileen have been generally positive. Those reviews include adjectives such as "black," "dark," "funny," "shocking," "bleak," "creepy," "satisfying," and "bizarre." I agree with many of those descriptions, but I have to admit that I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. In addition to the terms mentioned above, I would also describe the book as gross, disgusting, and repulsive. There are no characters, including Eileen, who have any redeeming value whatsoever. Everyone is mean, stingy, uncaring, and nasty. Nevertheless, Ms. Moshfegh's writing is very good. Part of what makes this book funny is the deadpan way that Eileen narrates her life, from her bathroom habits to the drinking and violence that made up her home life growing up. I will be very interested to see what Ms. Moshfegh comes up with next.

Ottessa Moshfegh. Eileen. New York: Penguin Books, 2015. Advance uncorrected proofs. 260 pages. ISBN 9781594206627.

The Chess Queen Enigma, by Colleen Gleason

The Chess Queen Enigma is the third in a series of steampunk mysteries starring Evaline Stoker (sister of Bram) and Mina Holmes (daughter of Mycroft and niece of Sherlock). Evaline is a vampire hunter and Mina is a budding sleuth who practices Sherlock's methods of deduction. An important diplomatic mission from the Kingdom of Betrovia is visiting London, and the two friends are asked to keep the Princess Lurelia company for the duration of the visit. The mission is intended to repair relations between the two countries by delivering a letter that had been written by Queen Elizabeth and recently found in Betrovia. However, during the ceremony when the letter was to be handed over, the lights go out and chaos ensues. When the lights come back on, the letter is missing.

Mina and Evaline decide to solve the mystery of the stolen letter. They learn that the letter contains a clue that was to reveal the location of a missing chess queen which itself is the key to a lost treasure from Betrovia hidden inside a locked chess table that only the missing chess queen can open. In the adventure that follows, Mina and Evaline partner with Lurelia and learn that their nemesis "The Ankh" is somehow involved. Along the way they battle a small vampire invasion and work with their friends Inspector Grayling (from Scotland Yard) and Dylan Eckhert (from the future).

Not having read the first two books in the series I found it hard to get into the book at first. Characters are introduced without much background context. I think the writing is a little messy and could have used a more thorough edit to smooth over some of the transitions. However, I found the characters and story to be engaging and amusing. Fans of Sherlock Holmes may enjoy this take on the characters and setting of the original series. Fans of contemporary young adult fiction will enjoy this mash-up of steampunk, detective, and paranormal fiction.

Colleen Gleason. The Chess Queen Enigma. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2015. 354 pages. ISBN 9781452143170.