AHML Staff Choices

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Emily Giffin’s  latest novel explores infidelity and the impact that a single mistake can have on a marriage.  The interesting spin in this novel is that Giffin alternates the point of view of each chapter between the wife and the “other” woman.  Giffin does an excellent job of creating sympathetic characters on both sides.  You care about Tessa the stay-at-home mom who is feeling the strain of her marriage and wondering why her husband is pulling away and spending longer hours at work and not feeling as connected to her husband.  In the next chapter, you get the perspective of Valerie a single mother raising her son, Charlie who has been injured in a camping fire and is being treated by Dr. Russo, Tessa’s husband.  Valerie and Dr. Russo become increasingly close and tension builds as their lives all become interconnected.    I thought this book was an interesting, thoughtful book.

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This book reminds me of a modern day When Harry Met Sally.  We meet the main characters Emma and Dexter when they “hook up” on graduation night from the university.   Subsequent chapters follow Emma and Dex over the course of the next 20 years always peeking in on their lives on July 15.  Emma and Dex begin as newly graduated students and stumble into adulthood never quite letting go of each other and never quite pulling it together.  

This book allows us to think about what happens to the ideals we each have at age 20? What happens to those who didn’t have any plans at all? Where will we be in 10 years, or 20? Will your best friend always be your best friend? This book follows Emma and Dexter tackling these questions both individually and through their friendship.  

Sometimes I loved the characters of Em and Dex and sometimes I disliked these characters.  Some of the situations throughout the book seemed plausible and sometimes the situations seemed too far fetched.  The ending was a dissapointment but no spoilers here.  This book was still well worth the read and a lot of fun.

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My third grade son LOVES baseball and he tore through this book in a few nights.  So, I decided to read it based on his recommendation with the idea that it would be another “baseball” book.  Yes, Heat is about a 12 year old boy and his local baseball team, but this book encompasses more than baseball.  The main character, Michael Arroyo is an immigrant from Havana and he and his older brother Carlos are living by themselves in the Bronx after the unexpected death of their father.  Carlos is not yet 18 years old, so they must keep their father’s death a secret as they do not want to be seperated by child services.  Michael lives to play baseball and is a star pitcher on his neighborhood ball team.  As the little league World Series approaches, Michael is questioned about his age and must supply his birth certificate to prove that he can play as a 12 year old.  Together with Carlos, friends, and teammates, Michael faces these challenges head on! 

Although there was a lot of detailed baseball play by play scenes this book kept my interest and I would definitely recommend it for 9-13 year old readers!  (and their mothers or fathers ).  Heat touches on friendship, sportsmanship, what it means to be a family, and the immigrant experience.

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My neighborhood book group picked this book, and I am so glad we read this.  It wasn’t at all what I expected and some have even suggested this is a book version of a “sixth sense” ending.  Meaning that nothing is what you thought it was and after you finish the book, you are compelled to go back and re-read chapters in order to understand it again.   

Towner Whitney, a young woman, returns to her childhood home in Salem, Mass after the death of her great aunt.  Barry does an amazing job describing the town of salem and the eccentric cast of characters that live there.  Towner Whitney herself is from a family of Lace Readers who have the ability to tell the future through “reading” lace.  Told from Towner’s point of view, the story is a mix of dream and reality and it is frequently difficult to tell these apart. Only when the end of the book is reached, when Towner allows herself to see and know the ultimate, horrible, final secret, does the whole story become clear.

Interestingly, I think people either “love” or “hate” this book.  It was either “too slow” or “fast-paced”.  This is the kind of book that brings about great discussion and different tastes in readers.

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What would you do if you could relive any 3 weeks from your past knowing what you know now?  This is the chance that Jude Deveraux gives the 3 main characters in this book.  Nearly 20 years ago on their birthday, Ellie, Leslie and Madison meet as 19 year olds at the department of motor vehicles in New York City.  They become quick friends and then lose touch with each other as they all go on with their lives.  Now, in present day, reconnecting as 40 year old women, they all  quickly realize that life didn’t turn out as planned.  But then they come across the store of Madame Zoya of Futures, Inc., who makes them an irresistible offer –they can relive any three weeks from the past, armed with the knowledge since gained.  At the end of the three weeks they must choose to go back to their old life or choose the new one.  The reader gets to see the “do-overs” and see what destiny each woman chooses. 

I have never read Jude Deveraux before but I know that she is very popular among patrons.  This is definitely an entertaining, “easy” read.   Not a page turner, but fun and enjoyable.

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The irony and appeal of this book is that the author, Jill Bolte Taylor  is a Harvard-trained brain scientist who suffered a massive stroke at the age of 37  and survived.  As a neuroanatomist by profession, Taylor realizes she is having a stroke when it occurs and is able to experience her brain injury and recovery from a patient’s and Dr.’s perspective.   She provides the reader with first person narrative of her experience in the ICU, her experience with rehab doctor and nurses, and her long  journey of relearning to walk, to speak, to read, and to communicate, and to live.

Taylor explains the anatomical elements of a brain injury in practical layman’s terms but also shares the mystical and powerful lessons she  discovered along the way.

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The Handmaid’s Tale is set  in the near future in the Repuplic of Giliead, a country that was formed when the United States was overthrown by  racist, chauvinistic, theocratic military coup.  The story is told from point of view of a slave named Offred (of Fred, referring to the man she serves) who is a “handmaid” – a woman kept for reproductive purposes by the ruling class.   Margaret Atwood explores many social issues including:   gender roles, reproduction and sexuality, caste and social classes, and religious fundamentalism.  The author gives the reader a  thought provoking view into a future society.

This book would make an excellent choice for a book discussion group as it could lead to spirited discussion on many issues and provokes “What If” thinking.

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This is Mitch Albom’s first nonfiction book since Tuesday’s with Morrie.  Have a Little Faith opens with Albom facing  an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from his old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.  Albom begins meeting with this rabbi to understand his life better and begins to renew his relationship with the rabbi.  Over time, these meetings become a re-connecting  with his Jewish faith.  At the same time, Albom begins a relationship with a Christian pastor of a broken-down impoverished congregation in Detroit.  Through these two very different relationships, Albom explores how faith connects us all, despite our differences.  As one editorial review said, ”

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.

As an added bonus, it is important to note that ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless.

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In Shanghai Girls  the reader follows two sisters, Pearl and May as they travel from Shanghai  to the US as young women. Lisa See vividly describes life in pre-World War II Shanghai and takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the Japanese invasion of China and its aftermath.  Even after leaving China, the sisters face many hardships  in the United States.  Pearl and May are detained on Angel’s Island for months undergoing untold suffering.  They finally meet their “arranged spouses’, but life for the sisters has many more trials in store, and a secret shared between them threatens their future.  The novel spans several decades and does end on a bit of a cliff hanger. . . On a personal note, I wasn’t sure that I liked the characters although I most certainly empathized deeply with them.  I greatly appreciated the author’s writing and found myself learning about a time and place in history that I did not know much about.  Also, I have not read Lisa See’s prior novels so I don’t have anything to compare, but I think this is a departure from her previous works.

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I have long known that Jennifer Weiner is a very popular author of “chick lit”, but I have  never read any of her books.  Certain Girls is actually a sequel to the bestselling novel Good in Bed.   The reader does not have to read the prequel to understand and appreciate this fun and enjoyable read.   In Certain Girls, Cannie Shapiro, the main character, is happily married  and is a very proud mother of her daughter, Joy.  Cannie has settled into a routine of being a mom and wife, and writing science fiction novels for teenagers.  But, life gets interesting and a  little crazy as Joy hits adolescense and begins to explore her mother’s past.  At the same time, Cannie and her husband our trying to decide if they should have a child through surrogacy.   The narrative switches from Cannie’s point of view to Joy’s and this is an interesting way for the readers to hear and experience both sides of the story.   This is not a deep reflective book, but one that you will enjoy as a humorous and fun look at mother-daughter dynamics.