The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings

by Sue Monk Kidd

Go read this book. Drop any of the other books you are reading and GO!

Genre: Historical fiction

Review: The Invention of Wings is a window into the early women's movement and the abolition movement. Hetty "Handful" is a house slave in the home of the Grimke family in Charleston, South Carolina. She and her mother are expert seamstresses and truly artists. At a young age, Handful is "given" as a birthday gift to 11-year-old Sarah. The trouble begins when Sarah Grimke teaches Handful to read. Their difficult and powerful friendship will change Sarah's life. The book is complex and provides no easy answers. It fictionalizes the lives of two sisters who existed but are not well-known in history, who later become feminists and abolitionists, Sarah and her sister Angelina Grimke. 

The characterizations are lovely and heartbreaking. This book will be a classic.

I read all of the articles on Oprah.com about Sue Monk Kidd and her writing process. Check this one out

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Lean In 

by Sheryl Sandberg

Genre: Nonfiction 

Recently, my book club read this book, and it was one of our best discussions of the past two years!

Before I started reading this book, I wondered: would it be relevant to me if I don' t care about moving up the corporate ladder? Were the criticisms I'd read in news articles valid?

Review: The book was relevant to me, and most criticism that I'd read before was unfounded. Sandberg qualifies many of her statements, states her advice is not intended for everyone, and notes her faults. The book is well-researched yet accessible with contributions by a sociologist and expert on gender and work.

 The text includes easy-to-digest advice, like "sit at the table" and "Don't leave before you leave," and interesting anecdotes from Sandberg's life. 

A major idea that resonated: men and women both deserve true choices. Men should be able to stay home with children, and women should have a true choice between working in the home vs. in the workplace, instead of having two jobs. 

Read it, discuss it, live it!

http://leanin.org/  

Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

by Rachel Joyce

Genre: Fiction

Review: A man is settling into his retirement by sitting in a chair. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, Queenie--she is dying of cancer in Berwick-upon-Tweed. He sets out for the postbox to post a letter to her and keeps walking. And walking. 

In The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, an ordinary man finds it in himself to do something extraordinary. He walks from the South of England to the North, hoping that Queenie will wait for him. The walk is more than a walk--it is a transformation. Along the way, he must deal with his fears, regrets, memories. He remembers happiness and wrenching sadness. There was a strange part in the middle where a weird group of followers join the walk--I could have done without that part. 

By walking away, he moves closer to himself and his wife Maureen. A beautiful little novel. 

A photo of Berwick-upon-Tweed:

This review is over 100 words--sorry!

The Winter People

The Winter People

by Jennifer McMahon

If you are in the mood for a creepy ghost story, look no further!

Genre: Suspense

Review:  19-year-old Ruthie lives an isolated life in rural Vermont with her mother and younger sister Fawn. They make their home beside Devil's Hand, a rock formation with a dangerous history, and dark and spooky woods. Many people have disappeared in the woods, and one day Ruthie wakes up and her mom is missing too. 

The novel switches between present day and the past, between Ruthie in the present and Sara Harrison Shea in 1908 and her daughter Gertie (who died too young) who reportedly knew the way to create a "sleeper" and bring the dead back to life. 

The stories are expertly woven together and the mood is sufficiently chilling! Don't read this one right before bedtime. 

You can read my review of another one of McMahon's novels, The One I Left Behind, here. 

Out of all of her novels, I recommend The Island of Lost Girls. 

Death Comes to Pemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley

by P.D. James

P.D. James gives new life to your favorite Austen characters, without being the least bit cutesy or gimmicky (like many other Austen copycats).

Genre: Mystery

Review: What a perfect adaptation of Jane Austen's writing style with the ultimate twist for mystery-lovers--a murder mystery at Darcy's Pemberley! It was lovely to read about Elizabeth Bennet's life after Pride and Prejudice, as she settles into domestic life and Pemberley. She and Darcy are still in love after several years.

 And of course, the night before the ball, a dead body turns up and the dashing, devilish Wickham is stirring up more trouble. 

New characters populate the story as well, while the descriptions of the woods and the estate are as enlivening as another character.

Fact: Can you believe it? At age 91, author P.D. James she has written 20 books and she is still working!

On the screen: The book has been adapted to a mini-series on the BBC: I hear it comes to the U.S. in Nov. 2014.

Matthew Rhys from The Americans plays Darcy. 

A Circle of Wives

A Circle of Wives

by Alice LaPlante

Genre: Mystery?

 If you are going to read one book by LaPlante, read Turn of Mind (see my review below). It is much more original and shocking and suspenseful than A Circle of Wives. However, if you have already read Turn of Mind, go ahead and check out her latest novel, just don't compare the two.

Review: A Circle of Wives is a murder mystery, but not very suspenseful. A do-gooder plastic surgeon dies in a hotel room in Palo Alto, and his three wives, Deborah (the original suburban wife with empty nest syndrome gone awry), M.J. (paradoxical hippie/accountant), and Helen (pediatric oncologist, wife #3) meet at the funeral. Rookie detective Samantha is on the case but not great at solving real crimes. 

Each wife is a distinct character and I wanted to read until the end, but I was not desperately turning pages. The novel addresses the question: "How could she not have known?" and posits realistic answers.

My review of Turn of Mind.

After I'm Gone

After I'm Gone 

by Laura Lippman

How does one man's disappearance ripple through the lives of his three daughters, wife, and mistress?

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Review: Laura Lippman delivers the suspense and truths about marriage and family in her eighth stand-alone novel. Cold case detective Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez sees a compelling picture of Julie Saxony and decides she will be his next case. 

However, the story is really about three sisters, Michelle, Rachel, and Linda and their mother Bambi who were abandoned by father Felix when he was threatened with prison time for his illegal activities. 

We get a glimpse into their lives for decades, as Felix left and Julie Saxony disappeared ten years later, then her body turned up even later--cut to the present and Sandy's investigation, we follow the life stories of extraordinary and unpredictable women.  

Bonus! Our favorite PI Tess Monaghan (of Lippman's book series)and her husband Crow and daughter Scout make a guest appearance, which I enjoyed.

Laura Lippman's Website: here you can read all series titles of the Tess Monaghan Series