How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Can we just start with what a beautiful cover that is on Katherine Center's How to Walk Away? I'm not saying you should judge the book based on it, but it's a pretty darn good cover. And do you know what else is pretty darn good? The book inside it! This is a darling little book about Margaret, a young woman on the brink of beginning her perfect life- amazing new job, great condo, the perfect boyfriend who may have an important question to ask. Then, in the blink of an eye it is all up in the air. How in the world will Margaret make it work and will she let the people around her help?

I loved this book. It was sweet and heartfelt. Margaret is at turns cheerful or angry. She is in denial or facing the future with utter dismay. This book doesn't sugar coat Margaret's accident, though Center does infuse plenty of humor to the situation, and she gives the reader a very real taste of the complexities of recovery. The cast of characters is wonderful as well. Margaret's sister is fun and the nurses and physical therapists in the hospital are lovely. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Katherine Center's work.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I can't say I really "liked" The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- it was a little too horrifying for that description- but it was a very good book. I have enjoyed even more (is enjoyed the right word? I can't decide.) the Hulu series by the same name. It is even more horrifying than the book, but in the best way possible. I was thrilled when the long-awaited sequel The Testaments arrived on the library hold shelf for me. How would Atwood address the world of Gilead fifteen years after the events of the first book? Would it be like the book or like the series? Would it be as good?

Those questions have some interesting answers. The first is easy: June's first daughter has grown up in Gilead society and is fully immersed in the culture and religion. She has reached marriageable age and her choices are extremely limited. June's second daughter has been hiding in Canada and is just learning her true identity. And finally, we get to hear Aunt Lydia's side of the story. As much as I have grown to hate Aunt Lydia from the Hulu series, there is also something I really like about her. Maybe it is just that she is such a well-written character, but you can't argue that she isn't interesting.

The second question is a little more challenging: my memories of the original book are clouded over with those of the series, but I think this book has more information that we learned in the series (understandable since Atwood assisted with the screenwriting). Like the original book, this one is written as three different records submitted as testimony and discovered by archeologists not long after the symposium detailed at the end of the first book.

And finally, was this book as good as the first? Sadly, I don't think it was. The first book was harsh and painful to read and full of the dystopia of Gilead. This book felt much softer and almost a little YA-ish. Two of the perspectives are of young women, but there was also something about the writing that didn't seem as polished or as strong as I would expect from such an experienced writer. My attention was hooked; I couldn't wait to find out what would happen; there were moments of excitement, but it wasn't quite enough. There just wasn't as much meat, as much substance, in this book. Certainly, it is worth reading, but it isn't quite what I thought it would be.

What I've Heard- Every Note Played

I'll tell you what I heard- I heard sobbing and sniffling and ridiculous crying! Every Note Played by Lisa Genova is a wonderful book and the audio version is every bit as wonderful. Narrated by both a female and male actor, each taking the parts of Karina and Richard, the listener is drawn even more into their story and the terrible effect ALS has on a patient and his caregiver. I knew this book would make me cry so I was careful to only listen in the privacy of my own home- perfect for housework. I cried so hard at some places,but it didn't even matter how crazy I looked and sounded. I highly recommend this book, but beware about where you read or listen to it.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Evelyn Hardcastle dies over and over and over again in Stuart Turton's The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. There is a party gathered on the anniversary of Evelyn's young brother's death and it will also be the date of her own death unless someone can uncover her murderer.

This book was very slow at the beginning and I almost gave up on it. It starts off with so much confusion that it was a little frustrating. I try to avoid as many spoilers as possible when I read a book, so I hadn't even read the back cover. If I had, I would have had a clue where we were going, but I feel like that shouldn't be neccessary. I don't mind letting go a little, going along for the ride for a few chapters, but we were 9% into the book before we ever even heard the name Evelyn Hardcastle. It just took too long for the story to get going. Once it did, however, it was a heck of a ride! It is a mystery of the best kind and it requires paying attention for clues that will surely be useful in later chapters. I wish I could tell you more but I don't want to ruin it for you, either. I am so happy I didn't give up on this book. Put on your waders to get through the first several chapters, submit to the chaos of not knowing what is going on, and get ready for a very exciting tale. 

What I Heard- Let Me Lie

Listening to the audio version of a suspense novel is an interesting activity. You know what is going to happen, but you're given the opportunity to see how the author made it all happen. It's a little like peeking behind the curtain. That was the case when I listened to Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh. Things that were a huge reveal when I was reading it were much clearer the second time through and I really liked it. There were plenty of details that I had forgotten and those were still a fun revelation. This book is exciting and thrilling and you should add it to your list!

What I Heard- A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman wasn't love at first sight for me, but with every page that I read back in January I loved it more. This week I listened to the audiobook knowing how much I was going to love it and I was not disappointed. Ove is such a grumpy old fart, and yet we can't help but love him. I am sure if anyone caught sight of me with my earbuds in listening to this wonderful book they likely thought I was completely crazy- I was, in turns, laughing hysterically and sobbing out right, and sometimes both at once. This audio is fabulous and if you haven't read or listened to the book yet, it is time.

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is by far one of the best books I have read all year. It may come in at the top, but I'll reserve that judgement for another two months. Rosie and Penn are the parents to five rowdy, bright, wonderful boys. Their home is a little unconventional: Rosie works full time as an ER doctor and Penn stays home with the children and works on his novel. They live in Madison, Wisconsin, in an old farm how that is open and relaxed enough to allow rollerblading indoors and all kinds of baking, even by four-year-olds, in the kitchen. The family does homework together and plays together and everything about this family makes you, as the reader, love them. Rosie and Penn are thrown a bit when one day, their youngest son Claude asks if he can really be anything when he grows up. What does he want to be? A girl.

This is the story of a family struggling to know how to raise their children, how to love them and prepare them for the world in the best way possible. This is also the story of parents muddling through, sometimes getting it right and sometimes not. Regardless of how you feel about what some consider a controversial topic, you cannot help but love this family and feel sympathy for the difficult situation in which they find themselves. The writing is smart and touching and funny and fantastic. In addition to the main story, we also get to hear the long running fairy tale that Penn tells his children every night. This book is nothing short of magical. I love it so much and I know it will become one of my most recommended books. 

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz WIlliams

I'm a bit behind on my blog posts because life has been a little crazy lately, but I'm ready to catch up.

In October I read The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. Whew! That's a lot of authors for one book, but they totally pull it off. This book follows a set of fictional characters aboard the Lusitania during its final sailing and subsequent sinking. Caroline and Tess are very different women traveling in vastly different circumstances. Caroline is surrounded by luxury in First Class, traveling with her wealthy husband and a personal maid to wait on her every need. Tess is bunking with three other young women in Second Class and attempting to steal a very important manuscript from Caroline's husband. Meanwhile, in 2013, Sarah is an author whose book success has passed and is desperate to find her next bestseller. Researching the sinking of the Lusitania, Sarah means to discover the secrets behind the attack on the ship.

This historical novel was wonderfully well written and filled with interesting characters, flaws and all. I really didn't know much about the Lusitania and I really enjoyed learning about it. I find historical fiction an extremely effective method for, if not teaching about history, at least leading to research I might not otherwise have done. The number of lives lost in the disaster is astounding- 1,198 of the 1,962 passengers and crew on board perished in the icy waters off the coast of Ireland. Only six lifeboats were successfully launched.

The authors do an excellent job of connecting the reader to the events of the novel and with the characters, those central to the story as well as many of the background characters. Every time the book mentioned children playing on the decks with their nannies I felt chills knowing their fate.

I really enjoyed this book and I think you will, too.