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This
page is a place where I talk about books
that I'm currently enjoying. They won't be
comprehensive reviews, just my impressions and comments. The books
won't necessarily be current, and the selection will be eclectic
-- there's no telling what will wind up on my 'to be read' pile.
I'm also including special links to my
all-time favorite romances and my all-time
favorite books. Drop
me a line and tell me what you think and what you're reading
that you love.
Recent
Reads
Last
Chance Saloon, Marian Keyes
Mr. Maybe, Jane Green
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Mr. Commitment, Mike Gayle
Salt and Saffron, Kamila Shamsie
Fast Women, Jennifer
Crusie
How to be Good, Nick
Hornby
The Piano Shop on the Left
Bank, Thad Carhart
Face the Fire, Nora
Roberts
Seven Up, Janet Evanovich
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
Feeling Sorry for Celia,
Jaclyn Moriarty
Jemima J, Jane Green
Last
Chance Saloon, Marian
Keyes
I think that Marian Keyes is one of the best writers in women's
fiction today. She creates believable, flawed heroines without making
them so clueless that they turn you off as a reader. Tara, Katherine,
and Fintan grew up together in Ireland. In their wild twenties,
they moved to London for wild parties, ill-advised affairs, and
hard core clubbing. Now in their thirties, life looks a little less
shiny?Tara has a weight problem and a horrid boyfriend, Katherine
is a control freak covering up emotional damage, and Fintan has
troubles of his own.
The book
will make you laugh, cry, and think about the nature of happiness,
friendship, and love. The characters grow and change throughout
the book in ways you can root for. It's definitely a keeper. (top)
Mr.
Maybe, Jane Green
A light, funny tale about learning to recognize what you want. Libby
thinks she wants a rich, successful, fashionable man. When she falls
in love with Nick, a struggling writer broke more often than not,
she figures it's just something to keep her busy until Mr. Right
comes along. Then she gets her chance with wealthy, successful Ed,
and she jumps on it. No, he doesn't offer the immediate chemistry
she had with Nick, but he treats her like gold. What's a girl to
do?
Green
makes me laugh and writes strong, appealing characters. Libby is
a bit further over on the clueless scale than I might have liked,
but she gets it together by the end. An excellent beach read. (top)
Bel
Canto, Ann Patchett
Bel Canto is a jewel of a book. In a mansion in an unidentified
country in South America, a group of very disparate people are gathered
to celebrate the birthday of a Japanese industrialist and opera
fanatic that the hosts hope will build a factory in their country.
So focused are they on cultivating the industrialist that they lure
Roxanne Cos, the world's most celebrated soprano, to sing. Then
in one moment, the lights go out and the house is captured by terrorists.
Bel
Canto isn't about mystery and suspense, but about the human desire
for beauty, love, and knowledge. When the terrorists' plans go awry,
they and their hostages are held in the mansion together, and a
spell comes over them all. A translator, a trio of young terrorists,
the industrialist, the soprano, everyone changes and learns. The
book is luminous, graceful, full of romance, sly humor, and insight
into human nature. Wonderful. (top)
Mr.
Commitment, Mike Gayle
Witty and insightful, Mr. Commitment shows us the other side of
the relationship coin. Benjamin Duffy adores his girlfriend, but
when she pressures him to commit and marry her, he just can't do
it. The book follows Duffy through his emotional evolution, learning
from the regret of friends, taking false steps into commitment,
and, finally, realizing what he really wants. (top)
Salt
and Saffron, Kamila Shamsie
Aliya's aristocratic Pakistani family has always lived with firm
notions of class structure. When Aliya's beloved cousin stepped
outside of the structure, scandal erupted in the family and Aliya
ran off to college in the U.S. Now, on her return home, she begins
to truly understand the roots of her family, the passions, drives,
and angers that laid the foundation for the scandal even as Pakistan
was separated out from India. In the end, all comes down to love
and regret, even as Aliya finds her own true love with a man of
unsuitable background.
The rhythm
of the language, the flow of tales and catchphrases permeates Salt
and Saffron, making you feel like you're sitting at the feet of
a master storyteller the whole time. Some of the images are delicious
-- when Aliya's family speak of men who marry women from unsuitable
backgrounds, they say the women have "tantalizing elbows"
that made the men lose their heads. Much of the story concerns a
legendary cook named Masood and his curries and pilafs. When you
finish the book, you'll have a smile on your face and a craving
for Indian -- or Pakistani -- food. (top)
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