What I’m Reading, May 2012

East of the West: a Country in Stories by Miroslav Penkov
Born in Bulgaria, Penkov writes with great empathy of centuries of tumult while his characters mourn the way things were and long for things that will never be. He has a deft touch for exposing the vulnerable in every character, even tough ones.
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith (a No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel)
In this latest episode in the beloved, best-selling series, the kindest and best detective in Botswana faces a tricky situation when her personal and professional lives become entangled. Assistant Grace Makutsi and orphan matron Mma Potokwane face major challenges as well and receive help from Precious.
The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Three college seniors move into adulthood in the 80s, their lives intertwined, in an on and off triangle. “A disarming novel about life, love, and discovery, set during a time when so much of life seems filled with deep portent.” Eugenides won the Pulitzer for a previous novel.
Murder by Mishap, by Suzanne Young (an Edna Davies mystery)
Edna’s accidental recovery of an heirloom brooch helps solve an old mystery but precipitates a murder. Matching wits with extortionists, arsonists and frauds, she must determine who is friend and who is foe before another person dies.

What I’m Reading, April 2012

The Cat’s Table, by Michael Ondaatje. In the early 1950s, an 11-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. He becomes part of a group of youngsters and voyages into maturity as well as across space. A spellbinding story about the magical, often forbidden discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
Crow, by Barbara Wright. In 1898, one generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community—enfranchised and emancipated—is home for 11-year-old Moses in North Carolina. The summer is filled with ups and downs for him, but he along with his neighbors suddenly and violently lose their freedom in a violent riot. Based on actual events, the fictional characters seem as real as the historic ones.
How It All Began, by Penelope Lively. A wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect through chance and chaos. When a retired schoolteacher is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers. I was especially taken with the style that consists of multiple voices and differing tenses.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Yes, the one the movie’s based on. This dystopian tale is terrific, fast-moving, thought-provoking, as the protagonist and her partner battle for survival, which may or may not be for the good. Parents, kids and grandparents will find lots to discuss.

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
Combination travel and study on what places are happiest and some ideas why. Not a self-help. Good writer.
Anton Chekhov’s Short Stories, selected and edited by Ralph E Matlaw
A master of short story writing, whose work breaks many of the “rules.”

Everything Is Obvious: Once You Know the Answer, by Duncan J. Watts
The role of “common sense,” if there is such a thing, in making
choices and plans for the future. Sociologist/physicist Watts shows how we understand less about human behavior than we think, and attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems often go awry.
The Man of Property (The Forsyte Saga, Volume I), by John Galsworthy
Overlooked this classic for years, but since it was first published in England in 1906, I have an excuse. This pictures a capitalist, upper-middle-class family with its customs, emotional turmoil, lifestyle, and the times of the late 1800s.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
A thought-provoking, fascinating, and well researched commentary about the current state of racial discrimination in the US. It hasn’t disappeared; it’s disguised as anti-crime. An eye-opener.
White Noise, by Don DeLillo
I missed this winner of the 1985 National Book Award when it was first published. Dark, satirical, crammed full of American life with all its highs and lows, protagonist and professor Gladney and his family address major questions and issues of life.