My August Picks

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai—Part mystery, but more than that, a reflection of the life of Bodie Kane as she returns to her boarding school to teach a two-week class. As soon as she arrives, she is sucked up in the memory of the murder of her high school roommate, Thalia and the man convicted of killing her.  As she ruminates about her life there, different perceptions of that fateful day sneak into the novel.

Makkai’s genre for this novel is a “literary feminist boarding school mystery”, as she herself attended a boarding school much like Bodie. You must know it’s not a Whodunit. It’s about crime, it’s about race, of course feminism, the #MeToo movement, and how flawed memory can color everything.

Read it somewhere quiet when you have time to think about it. It’s not a beach read.

Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes—OK so you’ve heard about Moyes and probably read a few of her books, and possibly have put her in a specific genre…romance, mystery, women’s fiction. Well, you’re probably right but I’m here to tell you she writes a good story, a page turner even.

Set in London, Sam, a busy mother and wife, a printing executive with the worst boss ever, and a depressed husband who has just been fired, she has three important pitches to make that day, but first goes to the gym, where she picks up the wrong gym bag containing a pair of the fanciest shoes she has ever seen. They have a transformative effect on her.

Then we meet Nisha, the owner of said bag, who at first and second and even third glance is a rich entitled American who shortly finds out that losing her bag is not the worst thing that will happen to her that day. Her husband totally cuts her out of their life, and she is left stranded in a London where she is not treated with the kid gloves she is used to. With the help of Jasmine, a cleaner in the hotel where she formerly stayed, who sees something in Nisha, she slowly emerges as a real person. Eventually she finds Sam and with the help of Jasmine and other friends, they claw themselves out of the swamp that they’re both in.  I figured out the ending, but it was very satisfying…a beach book for sure.

On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane—When alien ships land in various cities around the globe, and then several weeks later take off again without a word, life takes on a new meaning for everyone. We meet Blaine and his wife Alice and their strange TV addicted children, “Malibu” Heather and her stepdad Jack P., famous for his Jeopardy appearance, and Oliver, in a catatonic state for 20 years until the spaceships’ landings. And speaking of cats…after reading this very strange novel…you will have a new appreciation for these highly evolved creatures.  What do these three groups have in common and will they finally meet? Well, you have to read this absurd (mostly from Earthlings) and very funny debut novel to find out. This comic novel reminds me of Christopher Buckley, famous for his humorous political and occasional alien novels. Best if read near your highly intelligent cat, possibly named Pumpkin…

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz—Two women arrive in NYC, Alice an 18-year-old from Wisconsin and Ruby, 36 from Australia. Alice narrates the story and foretells her own death, so I have no trouble telling you that piece of information. But it’s how they meet that is the crux of the story. Ruby is trying to get out of a bad relationship and is kind of drifting through life. Alice, also fleeing a bad relationship and a sad childhood, is determined to make something of herself and nearly does. She wanders around NYC armed with a Leica camera she stole from her boyfriend and the many tales of NYC she’s learned from Noah her new landlord and savior.

This narrative is as much about finding yourself in New York as about women and men and crime and love and lost and found and death and eventually life. It is a beautifully told tale which I think would make an interesting book discussion. (Read it on the subway)

And here’s something from my Gaithersburg Gazette (RIP) “Check It Out” column from last century (1998) proving I hope that old books and old columns are just as readable.

A Patchwork Planet by Ann Tyler—Welcome to Tyler country, where characters desperately try to get their lives in order. Barnaby Gaitlin, 30, is the self-proclaimed ne’er-do-well son of the wealthy Gaitlins, to whom he is a constant disappointment and financial strain. He is also the father of a 9-year old. Barnaby works at Rent-A-Back, helping elderly customers move heavy objects, pick up their dry cleaning and just listen to them. A dead-end job to some, Barnaby loves the seniors, and they ultimately show their support for him.

Into his life comes Sophia, the “angel” who is going to fix his problems. The question is whether she loves him because she sees the good in him or because she is attracted to his “bad-boy” side.

Tyler is remarkable at bringing alive eccentric characters. She also does an admirable job of understanding his elderly clients.

Enjoy your August and try to stay cool.