Category: Books for Adults

The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger

When Lady Duff Gordon, stricken with tuberculosis, leaves her home and family for the hot, dry climate of Egypt, her lady’s maid, Sally, accompanies her.  Much to Sally’s delight, Egypt offers her freedoms she would never have known in London.  She wears native clothing, learns Arabic, and falls in love with their Egyptian interpreter, Omar.  However, her new freedoms may prove her undoing.  A riveting plot with fascinating characters based on real-life events, Sally’s story examines power, race and class distinctions during Queen Victoria’s era.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

The subtitle gives quite a good idea of the types of things you’re going to find in this book — Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things — but there are just WAY too many awesome things for a simple summary to reveal just how awesome this book is.  Entries range from a few sentences to a few pages, and there are a lot of photos to illustrate the awesome topics at hand.  I loved that the author had such a positive outlook and that he found beauty in so many simple things.  I also loved that the entries were short enough that I could grab this book and read a bit even when I knew I would soon be interrupted — like in the doctor’s office waiting room, while waiting for dinner to finish baking, and when my kids were playing in the bath just to name a few.  Some of my favorites include finding extra fries in the bottom of the bag, illegal naps, and getting gas right before the price goes up (which actually happened to me about 2 days before I read that entry!).  Not quite sold on this book yet?  Try checking out his blog — http://1000awesomethings.com

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Charles Frazier, the author of the best selling  Cold Mountaun and  Thirteen Moons, hits a home run  once again with  Nightwoods, the intriguing and suspenseful story of a young woman living a solitary, isolated life in rural North Carolina.  Luce is content with her life as the caretaker of an abandoned lodge, far from the nearest small town.  Her harsh upbringing has led her to belive that people will only hurt and disappoint her, so she lives off the land, with only rare human contact.  Her world is upended when she becomes the guardian of her murdered sister’s children.  Damaged by witnessing their mother’s brutal murder, they will not speak and are interested only in setting fires.  As she struggles to find  a way to bring the children back to reality, Luce also finds her own life opening to both hopeful and sinister elements that will alter her views forever.  Although set in the  1960s, this timeless story will touch readers who enjoy stories with lush settings and compelling, characters.

The Great Divorce : A nineteeth-century mother’s extraordinary fight against her husband, the Shakers, and her times by Ilyon Woo

In the early 1800s a woman had few rights.  If she married, she didn’t own property.  If she separated from her husband, she usually didn’t have custody of her children.  Eunice Chapman, a small woman, enlisted the support of New York State legislators to get custody of her children after her husband joined the Shakers at the Watervliet site.  This true story reads like fiction.  It is balanced and enlightening.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman’s newest book, The Dovekeepers, is a mesmerizing story based on the 1st century battle at Masada between Jewish zealots and the Romans who were determined to eliminate them.  According to 1st century historian Josephus, over 900 Jews, expelled from Jerusalem, sacrificed everything to reach what they hoped would be a safe haven in a Judean desert fortress. The  story unfolds in the voices of four incredible women, each with different backgrounds and talents but dedicated to the survival of their faith and families. The tragic and iconic final battle of the small outpost against the vast might of the Roman military, and the survival of two women and five children, is both horrifying and uplifting.  This is a book that you won’t want to put down!

Other People’s Rejection Letters, edited by Bill Shapiro

Rejection letters are never fun . . . unless they are written to someone else!  This rejection collection includes letters by and to famous and not-so-famous people, ranging from the amusing to the disturbing.  While many names have been redacted to protect the innocent, the Postscript section at the end of the book sheds light on some of the recipients, including background on the letters and how the people moved on after the rejection.

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

This is the eighth book in the Meg Langslow series, all of which have birds in the titles and in the stories.  It all started with Peacocks.  The books do not have to be read in order.  Some have more laughs than others.  This one is laugh out loud funny.  You get exposed to Meg’s ever-growing extended family.  A body is found in her home while she and her fiancé are planning their wedding.  To add to the mix, a zoo-load of animals is being dumped off at their home.  Just sit back and enjoy.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

Just when I thought I had heard of most of the twists and turns related to the Holocaust, another facet is discovered.  This novel, based on a true situation, tells the story of four young women who go to Israel after World War II.  They were placed by the British in Atlit, an internment camp for “illegal” immigrants.  We learn about life at the camp, the different paths which brought the women to Atlit, and their life afterwards.  It is a richly told story by the author of The Red Tent.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson

It is 1933, and the post of U.S. Ambassador to Germany remains empty as the President battles with the Great Depression.  Quiet,  scholarly Chicago history professor William E. Dodd’s name is suggested as a candidate to the President, and he and his family find themselves in Berlin as Adolf Hitler is gaining popularity.  Dodd’s determination to maintain communication between his embassy and the Nazis is challenged daily by the Anti-Semitism of  German leaders and  pressures from American Jewish groups. While he walks a diplomatic tightrope, his beautiful and effervescent daughter engages in a lively social life, becoming close to Nazis and Socialists alike, complicating the picture.  This is an incredible and readable account of the years before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

In Victorian times, plants and flowers held symbolic meaning: you might give your love interest a bouquet of tulips (declaration of love), your enemy one of tansy (I declare war against you).  In Diffenbaugh’s novel, eighteen-year-old Victoria, alone and homeless, has just aged out of the foster care system.  Victoria’s knowledge of the sentiments conveyed by flowers proves to be her salvation and leads to employment with a florist.  Gruff, defensive Victoria cautiously begins to bloom in her new life, until a life-altering event derails her delicate progress.  In alternating chapters, Diffenbaugh weaves Victoria’s past and present until the two meet in a tender conclusion.

Definitely not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Chloe Parker is thirty-nine, divorced, owner of a failing letterpress business, and a total Jane Austen fan.  Desperate for cash to save her business and insure a good future for her daughter, Abigail, she applies and is accepted for a position on what she thinks is a total immersion documentary about Jane Austen’s England.  Imagine her suprise when she discovers that it is actually a period reality show, an 1812 version of The Bachelor.  This is outrageous!  This is ridiculous!  This is still $100,ooo on the line.  And so, Chloe decides to give it her best shot to win the heart of Mr. Sebastian Wrightman, a total hunk.  She’ll just ignore the tender feelings she begins to have for his cousin, Henry, who is also on the show in a secondary position.  In the process, she has to cope with nineteenth century hygiene or lack thereof, unpalatable food, and all the strict rules of society at that time.   Light and amusing, as well as informative about Victorian England.  Enjoy.

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks is known for her compelling historical novels, and Caleb’s Crossing does not disappoint.  The story of Caleb, the first Native American Indian Harvard graduate, is narrated by young Bethia Mayfield,  daughter of the local minister who begin’s Caleb’s education. Bethia, constrained by the puritanical times of the 1600s,  forms a forbidden friendship with young Caleb, learning about the life of his tribe and their surroundings on beautiful  Martha’s Vineyard.  Their friendship takes her to Cambridge, where she is indentured as a housekeeper and where she can observe the changes in her friend.  This is a beautiful and absorbing story!

When the Elephants Dance: A Novel by Tess Uriza Holthe

As World War II waned, Americans and Japanese battled for the Philippines, with villages and families caught in the crossfire.  In this compelling novel, the author tells of the Karangalan family, who huddle in their basement with their neighbors, emerging only when hunger and thirst force them into a world where the smallest misstep leads to capture by Japanese patrols who torture captives for information.  As the interminable hours pass, they share with each other the tales and myths of their country, granting them solace and courage.  Told through the voices of 13-year-old Alejandro, his spirited older sister Isabelle, and Domingo, a war-weary guerilla leader, the novel is a beautifully crafted story of strength and endurance in the face of unspeakable horror.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein

Many parents claim that boys are easier to raise because society is not nearly as judgemental about boys as it is about girls.  Based on my experience of having a son before a daughter, I definitely agree.  As soon as my husband and I found out we were having a daughter, people started plying us with pink clothing, miniature tea sets, and babydolls.  It was as if none of my son’s clothes or toys could possibly suffice because they weren’t girlie enough.  When describing my baby boy, people often used the words “smart” and “strong.”  When describing my daughter, the words “pretty” and “beautiful” were most common.  And, according to Peggy Orenstein, the focus on physical attractiveness is likely to stick around for the duration of her childhood and adolescence.  From the Disney Princesses to toddlers in beauty pageants, and from toy stores to schools, Orenstein’s research revealed many problems related to the girlie girl culture — some of which were even a shock to her.  Although there are no hard and fast solutions to the many problems this book addresses, I still consider it a MUST READ for anyone who plans to raise and/or work with girls!