My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

We meet Lucy Barton as she lies in a hospital bed in New York City.  She will remain there for nine long weeks, though the cause of her illness remains a mystery.   While she's in the hospital, her mother comes to visit for five days.  She never leaves Lucy's side and never sleeps.  They discuss people they knew over the years and this is how we learn who Lucy Barton really is.

Lucy grew up dirt poor, her family living on the fringes of their rural Illinois community.  Her husband had sent her mother the airplane ticket.  She had never been on an airplane before and Lucy hadn't seen her in many years. They talk about the past and look out at the Chrysler Building. Every now and then the doctor checks on her and periodically some nurses who she's given nicknames to, come to take her temperature.

The story is peppered with some talk of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980's, the decade in which we first meet Lucy Barton.  First we go back to her childhood when her father locks her in his truck with a brown snake of which she's terrified.  Her brother grows into a man yet is still reading Little House on the Prairie books. The reader is never given any explanation for why theses event are important.  We see snippets of Lucy's marriage and her children.  Then we skip to her quest to become a writer after her illness. And when her mother goes home, her life moves on.

I loved Olive Kitterridge but I just couldn't wrap my head around Lucy Barton.  I got more out of the advice she received from another writer, than I got from reading her story.  I just couldn't find much about Lucy to like, I found her kind of blah.  With that being said, Olive Kitteridge wasn't a likable character either but she was tough, funny and feisty.  And it's not to say, My Name is Lucy Barton is not a well written novel, but Lucy couldn't grab my attention.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

In my quest to become well read, I've become hooked on a PBS show called "Well Read".  The hosts are bookworms who know just the right questions to ask the authors appearing on the show.  Each week features one author who has released a new book and then we are treated to a list of similar books that a reader would find comparable.

Sarah Vowell discussed her new book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. While Lafayette is an interesting character, when she mentioned Lincoln and Garfield in Assassination Vacation, my fascination peaked. Since I was unfamiliar with Ms. Vowell's work, a book on a topic I was interested in seemed like a good place to start.

Sarah is a history buff and her research is flawless.  She vacations at all kinds of remote spots and hideaways where long forgotten bits of history have happened.  And she drags her friends, twin sister and 3 year old nephew, Owen, along with her.  They all seem to understand this quirky side of her and happily investigate with her.  We are lead down dark trails and city sidewalks in search of the plaque that marks the historical spot.  I never knew we were a nation of so many plaques.  I'll pay more attention to them next time.

The tales of assassinations of our presidents are told in a funny, sarcastic and entertaining way.  I learned so much by reading Sarah's version.  Fifty percent of this book was dedicated to the story of Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, Dr. Mudd and the people surrounding them. I enjoyed that but I was really looking forward to learning about Garfield. Sarah didn't devote as many pages to Garfield much to my disappointment. I'm kind of a freak about Cleveland and Lakeview Cemetery where he's entombed.  I visited it on my vacation.

Assassination Vacation is a great way to learn about the rich and diverse history of the United States.   Sarah puts her own personal spin on what can be dry and dull.  Laughter is not only the best medicine but can also be the best teacher.  

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

I don't think I've read an Agatha Christie novel since high school and that was a very long time ago.  So I have to say thank you to Lori, the librarian for selecting this for book club.  It's fun to get nostalgic while trying to solve a murder on a train.

The Orient Express is suddenly stopped by snow on the tracks shortly after midnight.  The following morning a man is found dead in his compartment, stabbed multiple times.  M. Hercule Poirot is on board and is asked to put his skills to work to solve the case.  The train is unusually full for the time of year so he has a lot of ground to cover.  The possible suspects are many and none are exempt from scrutiny.

Murder on the Orient Express is charming. The story flows smoothly and effortlessly page after page. The cast of characters represent the class structure of the times, and are rich with personality and suspicion.  And what's not to love about M. Poirot with his calculating mind and his direct, yet subtle line of questioning.

I loved this book. What a refreshing change of pace!  A good old fashioned murder mystery was the perfect distraction to a modern life.  Agatha Christie is a master.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

In my quest to become well read, I decided I should read one of the most talked about and controversial books in modern literature, Lolita.  I was well aware of the premise of the novel, but had no idea what to expect or why the book is held in such high esteem.

Humbert Humbert is a pedophile.  Plain and simple.  But this story takes the reader so far inside his head that we can almost justify his actions the same way any criminal and mental disturbed person would.  An unfulfilled love affair as a young teenage boy has left Humbert obsessed with what he refers to as a nymphet, a young, prepubescent girl.  He searches high and low for one that suits him until he lays eyes on Dolores Haze, his Lolita.

Humbert marries Lolita's mother to remain close to her.  While Lolita is away at summer camp, Charlotte is hit by a car and dies.  From there on out, Humbert passes himself off as Lolita's father and takes her on a road trip across the United States. He plots out a complicated scheme to seduce Lolita, only to find she is already sexually experienced.

I found this book funny, absurd, and distasteful all at the same time.   The prose is delightful and engaging.  For the most part it was a page turner, but I felt it dragged on in some parts.  But when it was funny, it was laugh out loud funny.  And when it was disgusting, it turned my stomach.  Lolita has all the makings of a classic novel, with wonderful writing full of emotion. And I'm feeling a little more well read.  

A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

Amy Joy Lawler is getting married and Mattagash, Maine is abuzz.  Her fiance, Jean Claude Cloutier, speaks French, lives in Frogtown and is Catholic.  Horrors!  Gossip races through the backwoods town, while Amy Joy's mother, Sicily, is dreaming up yet another imaginary illness so she can take to her bed. Once the invitations are mailed, the big city relatives arrive bringing more than what's packed in their suitcases, while the no good local Gifford brothers plot to crash the reception and steal the wedding gifts. The wedding day is set for May 1st. Can a spring snowfall bring the festivities to a screeching halt and are Sicily's wishes finally granted?

I'm a big fan of Cathie Pelletier and the antics in Mattagash.  The Funeral Makers, the first book in this series, is one of my favorites. It introduced me to the residents of Mattagash earlier in their lives. Their antics made me laugh out loud.  Even though they've grown up, their penchant for the absurd hasn't changed.

A Wedding on the Banks has lots of funny and laughable moments but the story just didn't come together for me.  The backstory overwhelmed the present.  Many times I felt like I was reading The Funeral Makers all over again. I understand that as a writer of a series, each book still needs to stand on its own.  In this case, the new story sprinkled itself over the backstory.  A good writer knows it should be the other way around.

Ms. Pelletier's works are funny, lighthearted and border on the ridiculous.  A Wedding on the Banks is sure to take your mind off whatever is ailing you.  The laughs are many.  But some of her other works are more entertaining and worth taking the time to read.  Just remember, this is Maine without the lobster, the way life should be.  Or not.

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

Vanessa Michael Munroe is a hired gun of sorts, who's handsomely paid to gather information for corporations doing business in developing countries.  She's an expert in analyzing the political and cultural practices in far corners of the world where few dare to tread.  How she came to this line of work is buried in a past that's filled with both physical and emotional scars. Sometimes she uses all of Vanessa's charms to lure her subjects, other times the makeup and heels come off and Michael takes over.

This novel is set in Africa and the author did a fabulous job of research to set the scene for the reader. The jungle, the non stop rain mixed with heat, the government corruption all got under my skin. Other things got to me also.  The writing was only okay. I found a lot of repetition and cliches.  For me, it ruined some of the enjoyment of the story.  Plus I found it difficult to read the words "Equatorial Guinea" over and over again in my head.

The Informationist is a book club selection.  What I love about book club is that I have to read books I've never heard of and wouldn't normally be attracted to.  It's rare that I would pick up any kind of suspense or thriller.  But I like being pushed outside my comfort zone. The Informationist is full of twists, turns and heart stopping surprises.  I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but then again, I don't read many mysteries or thrillers.  I'm also not a serial reader so it's unlikely I will read more of Vanessa / Michael's adventures.  But if suspense is what you like, I think you will find The Informationist a compelling and fulfilling story.

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

I'm a big fan of classic contemporary literature.  I love Steinbeck, Hemingway, and a family favorite, Thomas Wolfe.  And since I'm not typically a fan of British authors, I surprised myself by picking up this title. I remember loving the movie when I saw it many years ago, but couldn't remember much about the story other than its set in a Welsh coal mining village.  That's what happens with age.

How Green Was My Valley is the story of the Morgan family as told through the eyes of their youngest son, Huw.  Due to an accident with his mother in a blizzard, he is confined to his bed for several years.  He observes the rigors of mining life and also its pleasures while he recuperates.  The family has high hopes that Huw will not go into the pits like his father and his brothers.  Huw is given an education but coal mining is in his blood.

What a beautifully written story!  The coal miner's life is hard, yet the family that waits at home is happy, food is shared and Sunday chapel is a requirement.  But what the mine can give, it can also take away.  The slag waste from the mine creeps across the valley, sending Huw's brother's and sisters away to find greener pastures.  The black coal dust stamps out the light of the life Huw was born into.

How Green Was My Valley was a wonderful book to start the new year.  It's full of characters to love and to hate, scenery that comes alive in the mind's eye, and prose that will carry you away to a nostalgic place in time.