Ohio by Stephen Markley

Ohio by Stephen Markley

I grew up in Ohio, you know, round on the ends, hi in the middle.  Although I moved away a long time ago, lots of family and friends still live there.  On a recent visit back for my high school reunion, I realized that Ohio will never leave me.  It's who I am and where I will always be from.  It is my heart.

When I heard about this novel, Ohio, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it.  It's about the opiod crisis that is gripping our nation and especially small rural towns.  I didn't want to believe that was true.  I wanted my memories of a safe, serene place with fresh air and a Dairy Queen to remain intact.  During my trip back I learned those precious things were no longer reality.  Doors are locked now to keep out those looking for money to fuel a drug habit.

Ohio tells the story of several teenagers growing up in a small, rural Ohio town and the trajectories of their lives as they moved to adulthood.  Some went off to college at Bowling Green, where I got my degree and Wittenberg, where my brother and sister both got degrees.  The author also threw in Cedar Point amid some civil war Ohio history.  Alcohol and drug use started early in this tiny enclave and impacted how each one of their story lines evolved.

This book is long and dark and highlights the Iraq war and diverse political views on top of the already heavy weight of alcohol and drug use.  Often I thought the story dragged on but I was kept interested in how each of these kids turned out.  For all of them their lives weren't pretty, loaded with past baggage they couldn't seem to shake.  I connected with the characters maybe because they were Ohioans and I'd driven the same roads and been to a lot of the same places in my life.  But they broke my heart because they are navigating a world I know nothing about.

If you have the time, Ohio is worth the investment.

Laugh Out Loud: 40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now

Laugh Out Loud: 40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now Before We Forget

I regularly enter the Erma Bombeck writing contest put on by the University of Dayton. I have yet to win or even place but still hold out hope that one year I'll create the perfect funny essay that will wow the judges. 

When I received an email asking me to read this book, I jumped at it. Why wouldn't I? I'm well over 40 and I still remember rotary phones, rolling my hair on orange juice cans and wearing garter belts to hold up my nylon hosiery. Throw in night sweats and hot flashes and I was all in. None of these things were especially funny when they were happening but time between then and now has turned them into fair game.

The first few stories reminded me of some things from my youth that I had forgotten like Jean Nate and having my ears pierced. I got a chuckled out of that. But the longer I read, even though they were written by different authors, the stories repeated themselves. I was no longer laughing by the fifth story about that lemon perfume. 

I blame the editor for my disappointment not the individual writers. There is some funny stuff in here that any woman can relate to. Maybe don't try to read the whole book at once. Reading one or two stories at a time might keep it fresh and funny.

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

Dr. Marina Singh is a pharmaceutical scientist for a large company in Minnesota.  Marina's boss, Mr. Fox, who is also her much older lover, receives a letter from Dr. Swenson who is working in the Amazon, stating that a colleague the company sent to check on Dr. Swenson is dead. Marina is tasked with breaking the news to the man's family before getting on a plane to Brazil.

Marina dreads being the one to finish the job that Anders, the dead man, was unable to.  What she hates even more is taking the pills necessary to ward off malaria in the insect rich jungle.  Once in Manaus, Dr. Swenson proves to be an elusive character guarded by a unique mix of paid protectors.  Marina is ready to go home but when her ride into the Amazon finally arrives, she can't resist the challenge.

As you would expect, things in the jungle are not what they should be.  And because of those developments, I'm not sure what I should feel about this book. Anne Patchett is a fabulous writer, her description of the thin, blue airmail letter that folds itself into its own envelope on which the news of Andres death was reported, is amazing.  But the only characters who are likeable are Anders and sometimes Marina.  The rest of the cast have big flaws that even in the depths of despair are never resolved.

State of Wonder drops the reader straight into the jungle of the Amazon without any protection from the snakes, mosquitoes and rare creatures living there.  The setting alone is a science lesson in itself.  Ms. Patchett takes us on a journey that is sometimes believable and sometimes not but at the end your heart will be both happy and sad all at the same time.  The level of emotion felt is what makes State of Wonder a good book.  

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve

During a recent family vacation in Maine, the women decided to read The Weight of Water and take an excursion to the Isles of Shoals in kind of a combination summer book club and field trip. It's always fun to add to our reading enjoyment with a visit to the setting even if the topic is murder.

In March of 1873, the gruesome murder of two women took place on the island of Smuttynose, one of the 9 islands or sometimes 8 depending on the tide, of the Isles of Shoals.  The islands are an archipelago off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire.  In fact some of the islands are in the State of Maine and the rest in New Hampshire.  The landscape is desolate, rough and rocky 7 miles offshore of the mainland.

Jean is a photographer researching the murders for a professional assignment.  She, her husband, Thomas, and her daughter, Billie join her brother-in-law, Rich and his girlfriend on a sailing trip to the islands for some fun in the sun while she's working.  This family's present day problems are woven with the lives of Maren, her fisherman husband, John and her sister Karen in 1873.

My understanding is that the author's historical account of the actual murders is far from factual, but still made for a good story.  The way the book is written and formatted however, is often distracting and gives a jolt to the reader every time the story switches centuries.  In any event our vacation book club had plenty to talk about as we sailed from New Hampshire to the Isles.  Could Louis Wagner, the man hanged for the crime, have rowed in a small boat to Smuttynose that night?  Was his motive that his advances to the women were rebuffed?  Or did Karen push her sister to the edge with her constant complaining?

We may never know the truth but the story was intriguing and the discussion, lively. More importantly we had a wonderful day discussing a good book and exploring a new place.  See if you can find a book that relates to your next vacation destination and add a book discussion.  You'll see how fun it can be.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

City of Thieves by David Benioff

It's World War II in Leningrad, Russia.  17 year old Lev elected to stay behind in the city when his mother and sister flee to the country.  When an already dead German paratrooper lands in the street after curfew, Lev and his friends rush out to see what can be looted from the body.  This is a crime punishable by execution and Lev is caught while helping the others escape.  

His prison cell is a dark and lonely until the arrival of his cell mate, a soldier accused of desertion.  Kolya vehemently denies any such thing.  He's a man capable of talking himself out of a paper bag.  So when the Colonel says he will spare them both in return for 10 eggs by Thursday to bake his daughter a wedding cake, Koyla agrees to the challenge. 

The unlikely pair end up on a grueling journey through the countryside in search of the rare and elusive eggs.  Koyla says what he thinks at all times in all situations.  The naive and shy Lev learns many life lessons from him while trekking through the snow.  Their banter is often funny and quite entertaining.  There are many laugh out loud moments even though the backdrop is the death and destruction of war.  

I liked this story alot. The writing is wonderful, characters engaging and lovable, the scenes authentic.  City of Thieves will hold your interest whether you're laughing, crying or feel like throwing up while you're immersed in a very real tale of war and despair. 

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Li-Yan is a girl child born into an Akha family, one of China's ethnic minorities.  They live on a remote, rural mountain and their lives are guided by strong traditions and superstitions.  In the late 20th century, they know nothing of electricity or television or gas powered automobiles. Their lives are simple, uncomplicated.

The families make a meager living by harvesting tea leaves.  When a stranger arrives one day in his car and enters through the spirit gate, the village is changed forever.  He teaches them the value of different types of tea which brings wealth and prosperity to their lives.  He also opens Li-Yan's eyes to the outside world.  On the recommendation of her teacher, who convinces the tribe elders the Li-yan has promise, even though she is a girl, to go to the city to further her education.

Li-Yan, however has fallen in love with Sanpa, a boy whose stars do not align with hers.  The marriage is forbidden but their love overrides whatever the horoscopes have predicted.  That choice sends her life down a path that even the wisest sage of the village couldn't have predicted.

I am a huge Lisa See fan, having read almost all of her novels.  I loved, loved, loved The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. In my opinion, this is her best novel yet.  Included in a great story of Chinese tradition meets the whirlwind, you will learn all you never knew about tea.  Trust me, you'll want to sit down with a nice hot cup and have a good conversation to go with it.  I couldn't put this one down.  

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Joe, a 13 year old boy and his family are members of the Chippewa Nation, living on the reservation. His father is a judge in the tribal judicial system.  When his mother, Gerlaldine becomes a victim of a violent crime, a search for justice on all levels of society begins.

Geraldine withdraws to her darkened bedroom.  Joe is left with out a mother for reasons he doesn't understand.  His father is left without a wife and companion, replaced by a crime he is desperate to solve. Joe seeks comfort in his friends and family on the reservation, teenagers and adults, young and old, all who help him to understand a small piece of his anger.  He is left however, to put the pieces of the puzzle together on his own.

Sometimes I found the story difficult to follow.  The story begins in 1988, with Joe as the narrator. Throughout the book, we are thrust into the future to see Joe as an adult, married man with children and then we are whipped quickly back into past again. He is older and wiser but to me he seemed like a different person than the Joe at 13, I adored. We are all different than in our teenage years but I wasn't quite sure if I liked the grown up Joe.

The Round House is intense. The window into tribal life is interesting and engaging.  The insight the story gives into racism and hate crimes in this country is enlightening.  Don't pick up this title thinking it will be a light, summer read, it's not. Read with an open mind and be ready to learn about other cultures, racial division, love of family and relish in the utter craziness of boys experiencing puberty. You won't be sorry you took the time to lose yourself in The Round House.