Roar by Cecelia Ahern

Lynnie

short stories, fiction

30 stories, each about a different woman as she navigates through the realities of family, work, life, and existence with a little magical realism.

I read Cecelia Ahern's P.S. I Love You a long time ago and thought a short story collection about women overcoming adversity would be a nice way to reintroduce myself to her writing. And Roar was... nice. And boring. And sadly, monotonous. With only a few exceptions where stories made me chuckle or smile, most of the stories, and the women in them, blurred together.

I just never connected with it. While I had hoped to feel sisterhood with the women in the stories, I really never did.

The Institute by Stephen King

Lynnie

Amy    

fiction, thriller

A former police officer gets a feeling that compels him to get off of an airplane and travel north.  In Minneapolis, a child prodigy's parents are murdered and he is kidnapped and taken to a place called The Institute in rural Maine where he meets other special children.  The story unfolds as each begins to understand and learn to operate within their new normal.

Lynnie's Review

I started this book thinking it would take me a few weeks to finish. Stephen King books, in my opinion, are notoriously long and often I find them meandering. That was NOT the case with The Institute- I was fascinated from the first chapter and found myself making excuses to stay awake unfortunately late so I could keep reading. I could not put this book down. This is my favorite King book other than The Stand, I think, and I do not say that lightly.

The Institute has the one thing I hate more than anything else- kids in peril- and yet, I could not stop reading. In the hands of any other writer, I likely would have been so disgusted by the machinations of The Institute that I would not have finished, but in King's world, bad guys are as bad as they can be but good guys are always there offering hope and redemption. In some ways this book actually reminded me of The Stand with the battle of good vs. evil front and center to the story.

As with many King stories, certain unrelated people and events come together serendipitously and when they do in The Institute the story ramps into high gear. It's hard to say too much without spoiling the story or the outcome so really all I can say is that if you are a fan of King's work you need to read this book.

FWIW, Goodreads has this book categorized as "Horror" and I strongly disagree. Creepy- absolutely, violent- yes, but not horror.

Amy's Review

The beginning was alright except for the fact that I read most of it from between my fingers since I wasn’t sure I really wanted to keep reading about children being treated badly. But halfway through, the novel really grabbed me.  And it truly held my attention for the remainder of the novel and contained great writing, suspense, and characters.  But… I never felt that the premise of the story was believable.  I wanted more from this novel based on the buzz around it.  Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

Amy's Favorite Books of 2019

Here are the best books I read in 2019. (These are not books that were necessarily released in 2019.) As of today, I’ve read 77 books (including 46 audiobooks) so far this year. That’s a new record number of books for me! Since I loved such a wide variety of genres this year, I’ve decided the format of this year’s list will be by genre. Plus, I’m adding a new category for audiobook narration this year. 63% of the books below were written by authors I’d never read before.

MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF 2019

A Ladder to the Sky (5 stars!) by John Boyne, fiction: This story is so fascinating! It is about one terrible person and is told in sections by four different characters with whom he has, unfortunately, crossed paths.  The final story is told from his point of view.  The novel was sometimes written in first person, sometimes in second person, and sometimes third person! The reader knows that each of these stories is going to turn out to be devastating but cannot stop reading! The desire to find out how everything resolves and to learn all the details around each of the situations is extremely compelling. I have never found myself so horrified and enraged by a non-war novel while still enjoying it so much! Boyne’s writing and storybuilding were outstanding. I loved the ride.

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BEST FICTION (Even though I’ve already listed a fiction novel as my overall favorite, I’m including this one too since I rated it so high.)

Beautiful Ruins (4-1/2 stars) by Jess Walter: This novel tells the stories of several characters whose lives intersected in quirky ways starting in an Italian village in 1962 and spanning time and continents to the present day. The story, which mostly focuses on an Italian man and an American woman, is told from different perspectives and from different time periods. Additionally, Walter wrote the story via multiple “mediums”—avenues through which the story is told: a movie pitch, a chapter from an autobiography, and a play (to name a few). I was entirely charmed! It has a little something for everyone: fate, determination, war, brawls, romance, art, music, family, responsibility, drugs, wealth, poverty, fame, religion, dishonesty, truth, history, relationships, scandal, health, and love. It was a compelling, wonderful, crazy story with fully drawn and funny characters. I laughed out loud several times! Walter has a gift with wit and words. I enjoyed his many similes and fabulous adjectives. Truly, he had fun with words and I loved the crafting of the story and the way the ending completed story arcs for not only the main characters but all of them! The novel touched me and speaks to people’s choices, philosophies, strengths, weaknesses, and desires. The narrator of the audiobook, Edoardo Ballerini, was terrific and I gave him an A+!

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BEST MEMOIR

Becoming (4-1/2 stars) by Michelle Obama: Obama’s tale is compelling, genuine, and relatable. She was insightful, thoughtful, and reminiscent. She is a contemporary of mine—she is only a few years older—and I really enjoyed the memories of my own childhood and my own motherhood that were jogged by reading her memories from those same time periods even though our lives were very different. Her parents’ philosophies about raising children were inspirational. Her family was not materially wealthy but they were rich in family love and support. Obama’s effort to find her own balance juggling work and family is also so eloquently explained and familiar to me personally. Her honest feelings about not wanting to share her husband with the world as he was thinking about running for President were heartfelt and understandable. And I enjoyed her perspective about how much life in the White House is so different from regular family life. Reading about the political campaigns from her perspective was eye-opening. Her influence has made a difference to the very women, children, and future to which she devoted her energies. I loved learning about her very interesting and unique life. Also, I gave her A+ at narration of her own book!

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BEST FANTASY

Spinning Silver (4-1/2 stars) by Naomi Novik: What an outstanding epic fantasy tale featuring THREE strong, smart, and brave female leads! All are ordinary and must become extraordinary to improve their situations.  Miryem has been living in poverty even though her father, the money lender, should have been collecting money from his borrowers to keep his family comfortable.  She takes matters into her own hands and turns things around for her family.  Wanda’s father is one of the borrowers and she is sent to work for Miryem’s family as a form of payment.  She works hard to pay her family’s debt and decides to take measures to be able to determine her own destiny instead of allowing her father to marry her off to someone not of her choosing.  Irina, a duke’s daughter, has been married off to the Czar only to find out that he is possessed by a demon who wants to kill her and her people.  In an effort to save herself, her family, and the duchy, she finds a way to hold off the demon. Miryem’s, Wanda’s, and Irina’s paths intersect and they are able to work together for a time at a common goal before each lands in a place of their own choosing. I adored getting to know every character in this novel. They were all so real and most were endearing.  I was spellbound!  The novel cherished mothers (both birth and adopted) and respected multiple cultures (both real and imagined).

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BEST NON-FICTION

The Library Book (4-1/2 stars) by Susan Orlean: As a librarian, how could I not love this book? It’s about libraries! I wish everyone who asks me why I want to be a librarian or questions whether libraries are still relevant would read this! Its main topic is the monumental 1986 fire of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL). Orlean covers just about every related topic: architecture and art of the LAPL, the architect himself, the various librarians that managed the LAPL and their histories, the LAPL’s politics/culture throughout its existence, past and present librarians of LAPL, general history of libraries, issues related to and faced by present librarians of LAPL, the details of the LAPL fire, the story of the man accused of setting the fire, the aftermath of and responses to the fire, the past and present patrons of LAPL, the collections and offerings of LAPL—both those lost in the fire and the current materials, some history of the city of Los Angeles itself, international and traveling libraries, library organizations and vendors, and the future of libraries. All of this information is woven together in a stimulating pattern that keeps the material from getting boring. I found it all fascinating.

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BEST MYSTERY

The Mother-in-Law (4 stars) by Sally Hepworth: Lucy’s mother-in-law, Diana, has died under suspicious circumstances. The novel describes all the family members’ histories and relationships via past vs. present time periods and the differing viewpoints of Lucy and Diana. The mysteries of Diana’s death and her unusual relationship with her husband, Tom, kept me reading. It seemed that almost everyone had a reason to want Diana dead in order to get the inheritance. There were many red herrings and the crafting of the story was very well done. I was fooled until the point that the mystery was revealed. I’m not a huge mystery lover but the family dynamics in this one made it very appealing.

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BEST ROMANCE

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) (4 stars) by Helen Hoang: In a potential marriage arrangement, Esme, a single Vietnamese mother down on her luck, was paid to come to America to convince an autistic man that he wanted to marry her. It was a fun romance with an interesting premise and lots of sexual tension.  The main characters each had significant personal hurdles and were easy to like.  I also read and enjoyed The Kiss Quotient earlier in the year but this sequel was better than the first (and this one stands alone so you don’t need to read the first one).  Also, the audiobook narrator, Emily WooZeller, was fabulous and I gave her an A+!

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BEST WOMEN’S FICTION 

The High Tide Club (4 stars) by Mary Kay Andrews: Brooke, a lawyer in coastal Georgia, is summoned to a mostly privately owned island off the coast to help the elderly owner and resident, Josephine, update her will. Josephine’s requests require some investigative work and gathering multiple people who are relatives of Josephine’s closest childhood friends. The more Brooke searches, the more she learns how her own family is involved in the island’s history and that there are some sinister forces at work. This was not the light, fluffy beach read I had been expecting. I liked the story, the characters, and the pace. And I liked the way Andrews uncovered the explanations of the mysteries via the flashbacks to the 1940s.

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BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

The Woman in the Window (4 stars) by A.J. Finn: This is about a woman who thinks she sees a murder take place through a neighbor’s window. She is probably the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever read! As Anna’s story develops and the layers are removed, the reader begins to wonder if they’re reading a total fantasy or not because Anna, obviously, cannot tell fact from fiction herself. At the same time, you know there must be some truth to it because of the facts and evidence peppered throughout her story. The ending isn’t a complete surprise but the telling of the tale and the pacing was great. I liked the device that Anna was a psychologist so that she could educate the reader about agoraphobia (fear of places and situations that could cause stress).

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BEST YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

Archenemies/Supernova (Renegades #2/#3) (4 stars) by Marissa Meyer: Somehow, Meyer’s series always seem to get better with each subsequent installment. The Renegades series was very fun overall but these final two novels were amazing. The Renegades are a group of superheroes who have taken over crime-fighting and punishment of criminals, especially villains who also have extraordinary abilities. The villains continue to try to destroy the Renegades’ claim to power. One of the villains infiltrates the Renegades in a plan to sabotage their leadership and recapture an artifact that the leader of the Anarchists needs to reclaim his power. Making for more drama, some of the characters have hidden alter-egos and forbidden love blossoms. These novels have a lot of action, forward momentum, lovable characters who experience growth, and a great moral about how we need to get along, treat each other with respect and fairness, and accept each others’ differences.  And I loved the twisty epilogue! Perhaps we haven’t heard the end of these characters. Meyer is a fabulous and creative storyteller.

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BEST HISTORICAL FICTION

The Indigo Girl (4 stars) by Natasha Boyd: This is a fictionalized story of real-life Eliza Lucas who, when left in charge of her family’s Charleston, SC plantations at the age of 16 in 1739, managed them with business savvy and ignited the indigo industry in the region. She faced many hurdles on a multitude of fronts but persevered with the help of some true friends and supporters. Eliza’s drive, good sense, and practicality won me over. The other characters were all easy to visualize and several were easy to love. I really enjoyed Eliza’s story. The audiobook narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, was fabulous and I gave her an A+.

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BEST AUDIOBOOK NARRATION

Juliet Stevenson (Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield): Stevenson has a naturally deep voice and does excellent male voices!  A rarity! Her voice acting was fabulous with such a variety of voices and ease of transition between them.  What a master! Very few people could do this and she’s the first woman I’ve heard pull off such a huge cast of unique character voices. I’m SUPER impressed!

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If you're hungry for more, here are my favorites from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Also, don't miss Lynnie's favorites of 2019! (For the first time EVER, we don't have any favorite books in common!)

--Amy

Lynnie's Favorite Books of 2019

I can't believe this is my fifth Favorites list for this blog!

In 2019 I read more books than any year since I started to keep track- 61! I rated 80% of the books I read 3 stars or higher on Goodreads, which makes me happy to see; I love a good book!  I had a particularly great end of the year as 4 of my favorites were read in the last 3 months of 2019.  I gave 5 stars to 7 books this year, 2 of them cookbooks and 2 of them comics, and one of them was a single story in a collection.  Interestingly (at least to me) I barely read any young adult fiction during the year and none of those that I did read made my favorites list- a first for me.  

So, listed below are my favorite books of 2019 (organized, but in no order)- the ones I've been recommending to friends when they're looking for a great book. Click on the title for the full blog review of each book.  

Best Fiction: 

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Told from the perspectives of all the members of the fictional band Daisy Jones and the Six, the characters stole my heart from the very beginning.  I loved how the stories wove together to create the narrative and that, as a reader, we got to see the story unfold from so many perspectives.  

 
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

A sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, this was not a book that needed to be written and yet I enjoyed it immensely!  Told through the alternating viewpoints of Aunt Lydia and Offred's two daughters we learn the history and the future of Gilead.  Aunt Lydia's story particularly stands out as a reminder that sometimes the only way out is through.  



 
The Institute by Stephen King

I could not put this book down! Trust me that if you are a fan of Stephen King's you need to read this book. A young boy is kidnapped and taken to "The Institute" where they will try to harness his natural abilities of telekinesis for the better of society- or so they say. In King's world, bad guys are as bad as they can be but good guys are always there offering hope and redemption.

Best Nonfiction: 

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

Like reading the wise words of an old friend, this book is warm, funny, and full of common-sense-you-need-to-read-this advice.  Corrigan's stories are completely relatable and offer something for all of us to learn from.







Best Comic:

Invincible, Vol. 25: The End of All Things by Robert Kirman (writer), Ryan Ottley (illustrator), Cory Walker (illustrator), Nathan Fairbairn (colorist), Rus Wooten (letterer) 

This is the final volume of the Invincible series and my rating is for not only this book, but the series as a whole.  Invincible is the story of Mark Grayson, an average teenage boy who just happens to be half extraterrestrial superhero.  It's a series about family, acceptance, and yes, a lot of superhero space fights.  It's also one of my favorite comic series of all time.      


Best Cookbook:
 
Vegetables Illustrated by America's Test Kitchen

Some of you might know that I have not purchased a cookbook in about a decade... until this one.  It's such a great collection of how to work with any vegetable you can imagine (or at least, any vegetable I can imagine) and as someone who belongs to a farm share, this is a great way to figure out what to do with all those fresh, seasonal veggies each year.  Buy this book and eat more veggies!



Here's to another great year of reading ahead in 2020.  In case you're curious and looking for more reading ideas, here's a link to my favorites lists from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Also don't forget to check out Amy's Favorite Books of 2019 too. 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Amy  

fantasy

Spinning Silver is outstanding epic fantasy tale featuring THREE strong, smart, and brave female leads! All are ordinary and must become extraordinary to improve their situations.  Miryem has been living in poverty even though her father, the money lender, should have been collecting money from his borrowers to keep his family comfortable.  She takes matters into her own hands and turns things around for her family.  Wanda’s father is one of the borrowers and she is sent to work for Miryem’s family as a form of payment.  She works hard to pay her family’s debt and decides to take measures to be able to determine her own destiny instead of allowing her father to marry her off to someone not of her choosing.  Irina, a duke’s daughter, has been married off to the Czar only to find out that he is possessed by a demon who wants to kill her and her family.  In an effort to save herself, her family, and the duchy, she finds a way to hold off the demon. Miryem’s, Wanda’s, and Irina’s paths intersect and they are able to work together for a time at a common goal before each landing in a place of their own choosing.

I adored getting to know every character in this novel. They were all so real and most were endearing.  I was spellbound!  The story is told mostly by the three young ladies but we also get the points of view from a few other characters.  I thought it was very well done and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.  The magic was fun and the story was very creative. The settings were really well-drawn and I could easily picture all the different locations.  The novel cherished mothers (both birth and adopted) and respected multiple cultures (both real and imagined). This is the second novel by Naomi Novik that I've read and this is my favorite so far.

The narrator of the audiobook, Lisa Flanagan, was a good voice actor but she did not do a good job at giving the three leading ladies individual voices. Sometimes, there wasn’t enough of a break to even realize that we’d changed points of view which was confusing and annoying. She did a better job with some of the other characters’ voices but it wasn’t enough to make up for not distinguishing the leads enough. I give her a B+.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Amy    

mystery

Lucy learns that her mother-in-law, Diana, has died under suspicious circumstances.  After this surprising news, the reader learns about the family members, their relationships, and their histories via past vs. present time periods and the differing viewpoints of Lucy and Diana. 

The mystery around Diana’s death is an effective attention keeper as well as the secondary mystery of how Diana and Tom got together.  The different viewpoints show that Lucy and Diana had a complicated relationship and they never quite clicked. However, it seems that almost everyone has a reason to want Diana dead in order to get the inheritance.  There are many red herrings and the crafting of the story was very well done.  The Mother-in-Law is the third novel written by Sally Hepworth that I’ve read.  All three were very different and enjoyable in their own way. But this one was definitely my favorite.  Hepworth’s characters are always easy to know.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik. I had liked her narration in a book I listened to in September but I didn't recognize her in this novel because she spoke in an Australian accent the entire time! Her accent was totally believable and I had no clue the narrator wasn't Australian. She also had to throw in an African accent for a few characters and did a nice job with those too. However, I did not feel she did a great job distinguishing character voices in this one. I sometimes had a hard time determining which character was speaking. Therefore, I'll give her an A-. I enjoyed her interview with Hepworth at the end (in her normal American accent) too. 

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Lynnie

fiction, sequel

I did not expect to like The Testaments as much as I did, but there you go. This was a novel that didn’t need to be written and yet I was drawn back into the world of Gilead easily. Because we’re all now familiar with the religious extremism and misogyny of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood is able to tell a different story. Rather than a warning of what could be, The Testaments provides hope; this is how we get ourselves out of the mess. Atwood reminds us, particularly through the vantage of Aunt Lydia that the only way out is through; you first have to survive in order to make a difference.

I was not expecting to hear Aunt Lydia’s story, nor to be so compelled by it. Combined with the narration of Offred’s two daughters, Agnes and Daisy, we are shown the beginning of Gilead, how they are viewed by the outside, and, through Agnes, what it’s like to be raised in such an extreme society. While Agnes’ and Daisy’s story lines were similar in tone, Aunt Lydia’s tale alone is worth reading this book.

I don’t know if I enjoyed it more because I re-read The Handmaid’s Tale so recently, but I do think having it fresh in my mind helped me feel more invested in the story.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Lynnie

Amy    
   

dystopian, fiction 


Lynnie's Review 

I first read this book in high school, shortly after it was released. I can't remember now whether it was assigned or if it was just a suggestion by my AP English teacher, but my reaction to it then was very similar to my reaction now- this is a book that makes me angry.

When I first read it, the very notion of women having their rights completely stripped away as government was taken over by religious extremists seemed so absurd to me. These days, however, as women's reproductive rights are systematically being challenged and in many cases removed, it seems much less the realm of fantasy and more like a possibility. I won't get into the interdependence of cultural and structural violence, but this book demonstrates exactly how that works- the culture believes that women are "less than," that they are literally only good for certain tasks and not to be trusted to make decisions for themselves or others, then reinforce that believe with the structural design and rules for the population, which reaffirms the cultural beliefs.

I have not seen the miniseries, and have no intention of doing so, but I think this book is an important work of fiction that demonstrates how quickly evil can spread under the guise of "what's best" and how people are likely to stand by, feeling helpless and watch it unfold.

Amy's Review

In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a woman’s life is stolen from her (along with her husband and daughter) and she is held hostage by an organized culture that forces her (and some unknown number of others) to be a baby-maker for a man and his wife who are unable to conceive.

I had expected something more compelling.  I mean, I wondered how things had gone wrong in this world and was curious enough to keep reading, although I was never grabbed by the story or the characters.Unfortunately, these grim details were unsatisfactorily and slowly doled out in almost casual thoughts that were given suddenly and out of context in many instances.  So, I often had to re-read a passage after asking myself if I had just read what I thought I’d read.  I normally don’t mind a jumping between time periods but this was done in a jerky, disorganized manner so I was often confused. 

This novel had been on my To Read list for years. I had heard mixed reviews about it so had not gotten around to actually reading it until it was a book club selection.  I never watched the television show because the premise did not interest me. Now that I’ve read the novel, I’m still not interested in the TV show.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Amy   

fantasy, historical fiction

Lincoln in the Bardo is both historical fiction and fantasy. It describes historical facts surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s 11-year-old son Willie’s death. At the same time, the novel describes events that took place in the cemetery where Willie’s body was interred including the activities of all the souls living in the “bardo” (which is the Tibetan’s transitional state between death and rebirth).

What a bizarre book. I almost gave up after the first 40 minutes of the audiobook.  Instead of writing a plotted narrative, George Saunders provides the historical backdrop for the story via lists of excerpts from multiple historical sources, each one credited immediately following the excerpt.  It was odd enough listening to the constant interruptions of a non-storyline. But compounding the discomfort, the excerpts were never ending! UGH! I’m not a lover of lists--whether they are long lists of adjectives or nouns within sentences or a long series of examples with which to make a point.  I’m quick on the uptake.  If I get your point but you keep rambling on and on and providing more evidence or variety around the same basic principle, you lose me.  I’m bored. I get it. You're creative. But please move on!  So, these interminable lists really bothered me with one exception.  (The exception was the multiple viewpoints of how the sky looked on the night Willie died. The accounts all contained different recollections of the color of the moon, some saying a clear night, some saying a cloudy night, etc.  I found the vast published discrepancies to be humorous.)  Breaking up these frustrating lists was an incredibly odd story describing young Willie Lincoln’s time in the bardo told by, and including, an immense cast of characters.  In addition to Willie and President Lincoln, there are three main characters in the story who are residents of the bardo.  The other hundred and fifty (or thereabouts) characters are window dressing having very little to do with moving the main story forward.  After a while it felt like frivolity and excess (like those LISTS). 

I understand that Saunders is known for his short stories and I believe it.  This novel was so ADHD with all these tangent people each having their own stories and the back-and-forth jumps between the bardo and the historical excerpts. Sure, the author’s creativity is on full display.  But, it was almost gratuitous and certainly too frantic to me—like trying to follow Robin Williams’ mind.  I found myself craving the story arc from the bardo which was, itself, just a novella told in pieces.  I sighed every time the narrative went back to historical excerpts.  Granted, I saw brilliance at times. I appreciated all the research that was done to dig up and assemble the historical excerpts, I appreciated the moments of humor, and I really loved a few scenes and mini-stories. It was uniquely crafted. However, The Graveyard Book by NeilGaiman has already covered the idea of a community of graveyard residents and Gaiman did it much better.  And these LISTS!  ARGH!

As for the audiobook, bravo to the director. What a chore it must’ve been to work with such a huge cast on a relatively short novel.  There must’ve been infinitely more work involved with this audiobook than any other.  And most of the recordings sounded unified.  Only a couple stood out as having a different recording sound. Also, most of the narrators did a good job with their parts.  A few were terrible and sounded like they were flatly reading their parts—I’m assuming these were the relatives of the author and the relatives of other actors that are credited.  Thankfully, they were brief—only a couple of sentences here and there.  The main actors were really great.  The bulk of the narration during the bardo story was done by Nick Offerman and DavidSedaris.  I had never heard either of these men speak.  I was convinced that Offerman was really Hugo Weaving and was shocked to learn that I was wrong. He sounds just like him!  And David Sedaris has a very wispy, high, slightly strained voice much like Winnie the Pooh when Sterling Holloway narrated the character.  I give them both A+.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Amy    

historical fiction

British Alice and American Bennett meet while Bennett is touring England in the late 1930s, they fall in love and get married, and move to Bennett’s home in Kentucky. Alice is bored and dissatisfied in Bennett’s home and decides to accept an opportunity to be a traveling packhorse librarian, delivering books to far flung homes in the mountains, in order to get out of the house and have something to do.  As a librarian, she develops friendships and grows to love the Kentucky outdoors.

While it’s not a bad novel, it’s a disappointing Jojo Moyes novel.   There is no humor in this story.  It’s just a straight up historical novel but not an amazing example.  In fact, it had a couple factors I didn’t like at all.  One was the tragic downturn of the story around the 2/3 mark that kept the novel depressing and uncomfortable until the very end.  The other was the fact that the main character, Alice’s, solution to her situation with her husband was obvious (and, frankly, unfathomable) early in the novel but the characters never figured it out until the last few pages and, therefore, suffered needlessly throughout the story.  The happy ending was insufficient to make the duration of the suffering worth it for me.   Much of the story had a lot of heart and even made me tear up at one point. But it was just alright. I appreciated learning about the packhorse librarians of the time. Unfortunately, when the best part of a historical fiction novel is the history, that means that the fictional storyline is lacking. Also, the book title, The Giver of Stars, was weak. I recognize its source but it doesn’t represent the novel at all.

I’m going ahead and giving it 3 stars even though I’m strongly leaning towards 2-1/2 because my disappointment weighs on me.  But, if this novel had not been authored by Moyes, from whom I expected more, I probably would have given it a solid 3 stars.

I would also like to let my opinions be heard regarding the accusations of another author who claims that Moyes stole some of her story ideas.  The accusations and facts are detailed in this article: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomiobaro/jojo-moyes-the-giver-of-stars-kim-richardson-bookwoman-of

I think Richardson’s claims are ridiculous.  I cannot tell you how many novels I’ve read with similar plot points.  The things that are similar in these two novels are not so inconceivable to have been coincidences.  The plot points which Richardson feels are too similar are story lines that I can see anyone coming up with when trying to build a full novel around historical events in this specific time and place.  Of course there’s going to be an attack in the mountains to add some excitement and drama.  And many authors nowadays are trying to incorporate a diverse cast of characters, so it’s not far fetched that both authors would insert women of color in their fictional accounts even when there were no women of color documented factually.  Besides, Jojo is a very successful author, has no reason to need to steal ideas, and did not plagiarize actual written sentences.  To me, I feel that Richardson, on the other hand, is simply disappointed that another author wrote a story about Kentucky packhorse librarians, thereby taking some of her perceived glory.  Too bad, so sad, I say.  I attended a discussion with Jojo Moyes when she discussed how she had come up with the idea of writing about this period from a magazine article published a few years ago.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Richardson read the same article and her idea was ignited at the same time.  Anyway, I think The Giver of Stars’ only problem is that it’s not all that terrific.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Amy   

mystery

Alicia is in a mental institution in London after being charged with murdering her husband.  She tied him up and shot him five times in the face, slit her own wrists (but survived), and never spoke again. Theo is a psychotherapist who is infatuated with her case and finally gets the opportunity to work with Alicia in an effort to learn her story and help her situation.

I had heard The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was un-put-downable.  However, it was entirely put downable.  I mean, it held my interest but did not grip me in suspense or make me feel tethered to the story while reading it.  To me, it got most interesting around the ¾ mark.  Before that, it was just lots and lots of background information.  Don’t get me wrong. I liked it.  I am just discrediting the claim that you can’t put it down. It was classified as a psychological thriller but it really feels more like a psychological mystery to me. Also, the title is a lie.  The main character is not the silent patient.  That’s just the character that brings the readers to the book in the first place and around which the most mystery exists.  But the main character is really Theo.  He’s much more interesting, realistic, and present in the telling of the tale.  The novel alternates between Theo’s narration and Alicia’s diary. Theo acts as a detective, breaking rules and propriety in his efforts while his own life is in chaos. 

I appreciated the red herrings and the big twist.  I didn’t see it coming.  However, I had a hard time getting around Alicia’s silence.  I suppose there must be some actual patients who fell into this condition in the world, but it felt very far fetched and more like a device of the novel’s story-telling than a believable situation. So, while I enjoyed the novel, the premise was a bit large to swallow.

The audiobook was well done.  There were two narrators, Louise Brealey read the passages from Alicia’s diary and Jack Hawkins read the sections written in Theo’s viewpoint.  They were both excellent. Great voice acting!  A+ for both.