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The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - There is something compelling about this group of short stories, spanning the life of an English language international newspaper based in Rome. Each story centers on the life of someone who is connected with the paper in some way. The paper is never named, so I imagined it to be the International Herald Tribune, which is the paper I've always read when traveling in Europe. The characters are developed fully or less so depending on their own unique personalities and traits. It's a rather sophisticated read, yet it's casual and unassuming. I think The Imperfectionists is almost perfect.
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin - Steve Martin is another sophisticated writer. He stays at his own level, and in his own humor, and I love to read his stories. This one is a little bit of a lesson in the workings of the world of art auctions and art auction galleries. Told in the first person, this is the story of Lacey Yeager, who went to New York after college and got into the art business. One of the surprises about the book are the pictures of certain paintings that are being discussed in the story. They make you think about the story in a richer more thoughtful way, which is also a way to think about the art.
A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rosnay - This is by the author of that marvelous book, Sarah's Key. A Secret Kept starts out slowly, a bit repetitively even, but then, if you stick it out and get to the middle of it, you might not be able to put it down. It's written in a very french style; the way I imagine french people like their books. It's not quite the way this American likes her books, but the story was so engrossing at some point, that I didn't mind the french thing so much. It's a subtle thing about how characters observe each other, or ask questions, or even smoke. Or - maybe it's just an author thing and I'm too critical. The most interesting thing about this book besides the mysteries that the characters discover and try to solve, is Noirmoutier Island in France. Before 1971, when a bridge was built, the only way to reach the island was at low tide, when a ridge of land was exposed that allowed passage to the island. This is called the Gois (Goa) Passage, and is still used today. It's 4.5 kilometers long, and it's lined with tall poles that one climbs in case one doesn't get across before the tide rises. I've just watched some youtube videos of the Goa Passage, and they'll give you a small idea of how it works, but I have a feeling this is one of those things you'd have to experience for yourself in order to be completely satisfied that you've got it.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - Zeitoun is a New Orleans contractor named Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian American family man who decided to stay in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. He'd never abandoned his city before, and wanted to be there to protect his properties. After a few days of paddling around in his canoe and rescuing neighbors, and feeding other neighbors' dogs, he was roughly arrested with three other men, taken into custody, and treated with such huge disregard for personal freedoms that you won't believe this story happened here in America.
Except you'll remember that it happened under Bush, during a time when prisoners were similarly treated at Guantanamo; and you'll think about our military, and how, in order to join our military, one has to be yelled at, disrespected and broken down; and you'll think about how disrespectful and wrong it is, how inhumane it is to treat anyone that way at any time. ESPECIALLY WITH NO EVIDENCE OF THEIR WRONGDOING! I think the way this starts is with that very military training where they take away the self respect and self-hood of the boot camp recruits. It tells them that it's OK to treat others this way, and it fosters an acceptance that this behavior is acceptable on the part of those with authority.
It looks like my review of a very very good book turned into a rant. I wish the things that happened to Zeitoun would never happen to another person again. But it will. It happens every single day at our airports. What kind of person (police officer, FEMA official, court worker, airport security worker, doesn't listen to reason? doesn't give someone a chance to explain? doesn't give permission for a telephone call? doesn't hear another human being? Does our government have the power to demand absolute evacuation of people from their property? I've often thought that in a natural disaster situation I might want to stay and protect my property. I want to know that I have the RIGHT to stay and protect my property. And that I have the right to carry my property around with me, without fear of government workers stealing it from me.
Zeitoun is a very frightening and powerful story.
Nemesis by Phillip Roth - Nemesis is about a wonderful young man living in New Jersey in 1944. He's a college graduate, a physical education teacher, and working for the summer as a playground supervisor. He was rejected from the military because of his poor vision which is corrected with a strong eyeglass prescription. Although he grew up in modest circumstances, he has a lovely girlfriend whose father is a doctor. There is a polio epidemic in the US, and it's begun to infiltrate his playground. The story goes from there. It's about the human condition, choices made and choices lived with.
I didn't know much about the polio epidemic before this, but I remember making a special trip to the elementary school when I was a little girl. We were going to get the polio vaccine, and I still remember the sweetness of the sugar cube with the vaccine. I wish all medicine could be delivered in a sugar cube.
Swimfan - I remember reading brief reviews about a good movie called Swimfan. It's a high school thriller about the swim team star. He's a nice boy with a sweet brunette girlfriend. Then a new blonde girl moves into town and moves in on him. Let's just say she's bad news, and that it's not very scary, just suspenseful and well done. If you like high school movies, this is good.
Speaking with Strangers by Mary Cantwell - As I write this, I'm just listening to an interview with Mary Cantwell, who died in 2000. I've just read whatever there was to read and learn about Mary. Yesterday I found two of her EAT columns that I'd cut out from Mademoiselle magazine in 1972. My recipes are for Hot and Cold Tarts, and I'll make them one of these days. Speaking With Strangers is about Mary's life after she divorced her husband, referred to as B in her books. She raised her two daughters, (called Snow White and Rose Red in her books) continued traveling and writing for Mademoiselle, and eventually wrote editorials for the New York Times as a member of their editorial board. It's wild to have discovered that my Mary Cantwell from Mademoiselle ended up at the New York Times, and is mostly now known for her association with that newspaper. Her years with Mademoiselle hardly count with today's "mainstream media". There is an underground group of readers who remember her as I do, though, writing EAT. It's interesting to listen to her voice, and the rather slow thoughtful way she answers the questions. Her voice in the books was a little different to me, yet similar to the voice that I read so many years ago in Mademoiselle. Mademoiselle was always more of a difficult read than was Glamour. Mademoiselle expected one to have a certain knowledge and sophistication going in, they never minded covering the obscure, and always assumed their reader would be up to the writing. Those were my days. Here's a 1970s cover. Unknown model, serious headlines, nothing slick, nothing fake. 
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - I'd heard this was a good book, and sure enough, once started, couldn't put it down. It's written as fiction, but based on the real lives of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, his Paris wife, Hadley Richardson. Hadley tells a complete story, from her upbringing in St. Louis, to meeting Ernest in Chicago, to their life together in Paris and around Europe. It's beautifully told, and I only recommend that future readers look at pictures of Ernest and Hadley before reading the book in order to more clearly visualize the characters. The perfect read for summer, for winter, for vacation or for home. I think I'm going to read some Hemingway this summer too. It's time to revisit A Moveable Feast and In Our Time, and maybe The Torrents of Spring.
I LOVE to read. It sustains me like no other pastime. I'm thankful for words on pages and the authors who put them there. I'm thankful to have something so pleasureful in my life, and I'm thankful to be able to make the time that I make in order to pursue this passion of reading. I enjoy writing too, but haven't had the discipline that it takes to make the time to put together the books I dream of creating. So far, the ideas are simple and straightforward, and there are two of them. The first is a book of recipes that I love and that I love to make, and the second is the story of my grandfather, written both in his own words from his diaries, and then possibly edited so that others can read them with greater understanding. There is so much to do. So much to do.
