A friend asked me to draw up a list of some of my all-time favorite books.  None of these lists are complete and they are not in any order.

Some Favorite Works of Fiction

A Prayer for Owen Meany by Jon Irving

Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Consequences by Penelope Lively

The Magus by John Fowles

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

Some Nonfiction Favorites

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

The Color of Water by James McBride

The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer

There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz

 

Some Favorite Classics

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dosteovsky

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann

 

 

Nora and Theresa Flynn leave Ireland for Boston in the early 1950’s.  Nora, the older of the sisters, is on her way, with much trepidation,  to meet her -soon-to-be husband, Charles.  Theresa is seventeen years old and eager to start a new life in America.  What happens to the Flynn sisters as well as the rest of  their family over the next five decades is the plot of Saints for All Occasions.

Although this novel concerns an Irish Catholic family, believe me, you don’t have to be Irish or Catholic to enjoy it.  Sullivan’s engaging, vividly portrayed characters kept me reading and being concerned for all of them, especially Nora and Theresa.

Sometimes truth is weirder than fiction.  A Stranger in the Woods is Christopher Knight’s story. Knight lived in complete solitude in the dense, unfriendly Maine forest for over a quarter of a century.  Breaking into nearby homes and camps and stealing only what he felt he needed to stay alive, Knight became a legend that had some neighbors hating him, some fearing him and others admiring him.  After he is caught in the acting of stealing and imprisoned,  the author travels from Montana to Maine eight times to interview Knight and try to discern what kind of individual would desire no human contact for twenty-seven years.

I read A Stranger in the Woods to understand the psychology of Christopher Knight.  Perhaps because Knight’s communication skills were sometimes lacking, I never truly felt I knew him.

The latest work by Richard Russo is described as stories-not short stories,  yet not long enough to be novellas.  These “medium to long stories” define Russo at his most poignant with little of his usual laugh-out-loud humor.  Each has main characters who must face life’s disappointments and take a good look at themselves and their relationships.  However,  each vignette ends with a positive, uplifting epiphany.

I have always enjoyed Russo, and,  for me, Trajectory is just one more example of what an accomplished,  versatile writer he is.

The author who wrote a A Man Called  Ove writes a completely different work of fiction this time.  Beartown is a small,dying village in Sweden.  Factories,  schools and shops are closing, and many in the community are leaving for larger and more prosperous cities.  The junior hockey team is practically the only reason for excitement in Beartown.  Made up of a group of remarkable heterogeneous young men,  the team may be on its way to a national championship.  However, when the star of the team gets into trouble,  the townspeople are deeply divided about what should be done.

Backman writes an engaging story that keeps the reader yearning to know more.  Beartown has a lot of characters, and it takes a while to differentiate some of them, but stick with it.  You will be rewarded.

If you enjoyed My Name Is Lucy Barton, but were left wanting to know more about Lucy, her family and the community she grew up in, please read Anything is Possible.  Strout’s sixth novel is really short stories that are connected by locale,characters and themes.  Most of the vignettes take place in rural Illinois-Lucy Barton territory.  And although each story could stand alone, part of the joy of reading them is to discover how they were interrelated.

Anything Is Possible is a quick read, but to truly do it justice, readers should stop and savor  about each chapter.

Finally, a new book by Anita Shreve!  It is 1947 in Maine.  After a rainy spring and a very dry summer, coastal Maine experiences a raging fire.  Grace Holland manages to save her own life as well as her two young children,  but her home and all of her belongings are destroyed and her husband has disappeared.  As a result of the fire and with the help of several women, including her mother, Grace goes from being a “typical”  1940’s housewife to becoming an independent,resourceful young woman.

Like most of Shreve’s novels, The Stars Are Fire is easy to get into with good character development and a plot that keeps moving along.  Despite a rather hard to believe conclusion, I found this a very enjoyable read.

Edgar, for most of the novel, is a wise and sensitive eight year old albino.  Lucy is his mother who is a red-headed widow who enjoys beer and the company of men.  They live in Florence’s home, the mother of Edgar’s deceased father.  Lucy has no inclination to be a warm, caring mother until her son is abducted and his whereabouts are unknown.

I really liked this book.  Lodato created a tension that made me want to keep reading.  He also had some beautiful, lyrical passages,especially when describing things seen through Edgar’s eyes.  Edgar & Lucy is not a comfy,feel good book, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Like Hamid’s, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Exit West is a work of few words but many interpretations.  Saeed and Nadia live a in Middle Eastern country that is becoming more dangerous every day.  When life becomes unsafe and unbearable, they decide to leave “through the black door” to a safer country.  Each time the pair migrates, hordes leave with them and settle in a foreign, overpopulated land.  With each migration, Saeed and Nadia’s relationship becomes weaker and less satisfying.

Hamid has written a timely work that describes the plight of immigrants and the countries they are allowed to enter.  A good read with lots to think about.

Li-Yan is a young Chinese girl who lives in a remote village that farms tea.  Her people are far removed from modern society, quite primitive with superstitious laws.  The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane follows Li-Yan’s life from her humble beginnings to her success as a tea shop owner and purveyor.  The novel also follows the life of her daughter who is adopted by an American couple.

Sometimes See told me more about the different types of teas and their gathering and fermenting processes than I cared to know about.  However, I found descriptions of Li-Yan’s culture and beliefs fascinating.

 

Som