We love to write, but we also love to read. Here’s Part Two of the books read and loved by some of our members this year.
Favorites of Sue LeBreton
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage by Madeleine L’Engle
The Matter of Sylvie by Lee Kvern
Favorites of Marianne Lonsdale
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. The women and children of this book haunt me. I learned much about France during World War II. The story is gripping; I cried through the last chapters.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. My husband, my son and I travelled to England in June, spending part of our time in the area where the Bronte sisters lived. I never would have guessed that this book would be a page-turner of a soap opera.
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay. I’d heard this author’s name often but had not read anything by her until this year. Her original and candid observations in this collection of essays were fascinating. I’ll be reading more of her in 2017.
The Gender Creative Child by Diane Ehrenhaft. This nonfiction book packs so much information in a way that is so accessible and understandable. I have a much better understanding of how we know if children are transgender, why it may be okay to let some kids transition at young ages, and why this population seems to be much more prevalent than in the past.
Favorites of Rina Neiman
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran. Although not as funny as How to Be a Woman, which I will plug as well.
The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida
Favorite of Tarja Parssinen
Migratory Animals by Mary Helen Specht
Favorites of Christine Peters
The Victorian San Francisco Mysteries series by M. Louise Locke. I started with “Maids of Misfortune”, published in 2009, and this year the fifth volume in the series came out, “Pilfered Promises”. The stories take place around 1880 and the author is a retired history professor with amazing expertise in that era. Transported me back to a time when cable cars were brand new and running a boarding house like the main character, Annie Fuller (young widow, financial advisor at a time when women didn’t work and part-time clairvoyant) was no small chore. This series is a gem!
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Eng. One day, Lydia, the Lee’s favorite child, doesn’t show up for breakfast. She’s gone, vanished, leaving a giant hole in her interracial family. Groomed by her parents to become everything they couldn’t achieve-a doctor, a scientist, a person who fits in, Lydia can’t be lived without. Throughout their lives, she eclipsed her gifted older brother and diverted all attention from her little sister. What should they do or be now? Where is Lydia? Which secrets did she keep? A poignant story of yearning, loss and identity.
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty.
Six grown-ups and their three kids join for a fun neighborhood BBQ. In typical Moriarty style, they each more or less successfully hide a fair amount of baggage. The adults get tipsy and the kids run wild, until a tragic incidence ends the merriment. An entertaining, yet thought-provoking study on the devastating effects of guilt on marriage, friendship, self-image and parent-child relationships. Moriarty unerringly lays her finger on all-too familiar issues and keeps us hoping that maybe, somehow, things will turn out well in the end.
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin. It took foster child Ben Coffin ten years to get adopted, and the two years with his mother are the longest he has ever been with a person. Friends don’t stay. But one day an abandoned little dog leads him to the Rainbow Girl, his new soul mate, a girl with amazing ideas and a heart as big as Ben’s. A story about losing a person but finding other forms of love in unpredictable ways. How, as Ben’s adoptive mother Tess puts it “…the best part is uphill, and when a door closes, two open and you should take both.” Book Club worthy.
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick.
Mentally challenged Bartholomew finds himself all alone in his late thirties, when his single mother dies. His beautiful grief-counselor tells him to spread his wings, but how can he, when all he know was home, church and his mother. His father was a secret she never revealed. How a man on a mission finds a new family, despite all odds.
Favorites of Maria Ramos-Chertok
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I find this book very moving and profound.
The Golem & The Jinni by Helen Wecker. I read this at member Gloria Saltzman’s request and I absolutely loved it.
All We Had by Annie Weatherwax. One of favorite books of all time.
Favorites of Gloria Saltzman
Tribes by Sebastian Junger. The premise is not new but he writes from his perspective as a journalist and first hand witness of war zones. In a nutshell; we need community. We need each other. And it’s not often so simple to find a tribe that resonates for you.
The Sacrifice by Joyce Carol Oates. This book ripped my heart out. I hadn’t read this author’s work before. I had a very different impression of the sort of writing she did. It was humbling to me how gracefully she is able to create a picture of a social system that keeps the African American community in shackles of injustice.
The Heart Ends Last by Margaret Atwood. There was a time after I read The Handmaids Tale that I read everything this author wrote. Then I got away from her until this year when I read her recent science fiction novel. The thing is with the increase in technology it is not so clear how far human beings will go to use technology for ill gotten gains. Reading this book just might make you turn your iPhone off!
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. An African American nurse is accused of murdering an infant whose parents are white supremacists. This writer is under-appreciated in my opinion. I do read her when I want an escape book. However she always writes about some theme that is timely to our current communal lives. She is thorough in her research and in my opinion does a great job of understanding all perspectives of difficult conflicts. Don’t write her off as chicklit.
Favorites of Mindy Uhrlaub
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. This book blew my mind. Originally published in the 1920’s, the novel chronicles the adventures of siblings who are kidnapped by pirates. A bit like Lord of the Flies, it explores the lengths to which a child can go to survive.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. A story about a slave and her master who develop an unlikely and complex sistership in the fight against slavery. Based on the life of Sarah Grimke, the book, set in 19th century Charleston, is a great reminder that even against a dangerous political landscape, we can find compassion in the face of bigotry.
Favorites of Lisa Witz
Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. We listened to the audio version while driving from San Diego to Joshua Tree, and, the story is forever etched upon the rocks we climbed in the desert, “Wait, Mom, rewind a bit so we can remember what happened.” It was my first solo trip with my three kids, driving on the wide, open roads; witnessing the sun rise in the morning and laughing about the messes the Danny and his eclectic father would find themselves in among the pheasants. I’m grateful for Dahl.
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams. I’m a sucker for stories set along the French Rivera, and Infinite Sea doesn’t disappoint. This was my summer indulgence. Historical fiction plus war plus romance and a car thrown in. I also love the bio of this author: A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops. . . “. Writers can’t hide.
Use Your Words by Kate Hopper. I have a whole shelf dedicated to writing books, but this is the first one I’ve read cover to cover. A great guide to actually getting writing done, to uncovering gems that exist in your mind, and to creating a practice that sustains you. I discovered Kate in January and she’s had a big influence on my writing this year.
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