So, You’re Home from the Beach

I will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider—Last month I found a very apropos cartoon that I thought I would use on my blog but I just wasn’t sure I was allowed to do that, so I put on my librarian’s hat, found Grant Snider’s publisher and emailed them to ask his permission. He emailed me back within the hour and graciously allowed me to use the cartoon. He also told me that it was from a book he wrote…so I bought it. If you are a book lover (which I assume you are) you will appreciate the sometimes-awkward situations in which you may find yourself and the many types of books to which we’re attracted.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng—This is a cautionary tale about an America, not much different from our America but “whose volume is turned up to 11” says Ng. It centers on Bird, a 12-year-old whose mother has to disappear when he is 9 years old because of a book of poetry she wrote years ago which has been adopted by anti-government protestors. In this dystopian world the US government has legalized PACT (The Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act) which basically codifies Anti-China (converted to Anti-Asian) laws. It also enforces censorship which shows up in the empty shelves of libraries. The worst part of PACT is the removal of children from their politically active parents.

After Bird’s mother disappears, her name is not to be brought up in the family, so Bird who is now called Noah, remembers little of his storytelling mother. But when he receives a postcard in the mail filled with images of birds, his curiosity is ignited, and he goes on a quest to find out about her and finally to find her.

Written in response to the 2016 election, the Anti-Asian racism and the rise of censorship, Ng nevertheless wants to show us that there is hope, hope through art, hope through simple acts of protest and finally through simple acts of love. If you have read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, you may find some parallels. It is a beautifully written book and certainly one worth discussing.

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri—This book is a patchwork of memories and mythology, of fiction and nonfiction and of adult and juvenile fiction. Khosrou (soon to be renamed Daniel) and his sister and mother leave Iran under threat of imprisonment or death, spend a year in a refugee camp in Italy and eventually land in Oklahoma. As the only Persian family in their small town, Daniel becomes the poet and living embodiment of the Persian culture. We learn about Scheherazade and the tales she tells to stay alive, which is what Daniel does. He weaves these ancient tales with the stories of his own life. Are these true? Memory is a tricky thing. But Nayeri (the author) claims that according to his own memory, they are.

His mother is the heroine of the story, having sacrificed her life in Iran for her Christian faith. And she never falters. But what of his father who stayed behind and of the stepfather in Oklahoma? Daniel will fill in their stories for the reader. Look for this title in Juvenile Fiction but whomever these stories are designed for, they are fascinating. Oh, by the way, I heard him speak at the National Book Festival…he was very engaging!

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer—Clover has always been fascinated with death, she even majored in it at college. As an adult, she becomes a death doula. Yes, that really is a “thing”. She is on call to spend time with the dying, listening to their regrets, their advice, discussing the dying process, and helping with the family as well. She is very good at what she does, but does she know about life?

She lives in New York City, in the same apartment where she grew up with her grandfather, staying as far from the living as possible. It is only when she meets Sebastian, whose grandmother, Claudia is dying that her little world becomes bigger. And when a new neighbor moves in and literally pulls her out of her apartment, she begins to understand the meaning of friendship.

I wouldn’t call this a romance, it’s closer to a novel about letting go of your fears, getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing life before you experience death. As you read it you may think you know where it’s going…but do you?

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman—Whenever Lippman publishes a new book, I’m there and I’m always intrigued with her storylines, and this novel was loosely based on a true story. This is her COVID book. Every writer seems to have one.

Can you ever go home again? Amber Glass (labeled the Prom Mom) did, 12 years after she was accused of killing her newborn baby on prom night. She has no recollection of this event but took her punishment and made a new life for herself in New Orleans until she did go home again…looking for Joe, her prom date, the man she couldn’t get over. Her relationship with Joe is complicated, both of them trying to figure out what really happened on that fateful night and how it changed their lives.

Joe is now a real estate developer and married to Meredith, a plastic surgeon, but also in a very uncomfortable relationship with Jordan, a woman who will not let him go. He is also in big financial trouble.

So, we have Amber, Jordan, Meredith and Joe, quite a complicated little group, navigating their lives in the midst of the pandemic. My question is what do any of these women see in Joe? He’s very slimy, constantly playing the victim, telling himself that he’s doing this or that bad thing for a good reason. I will not reveal the ending but if you’ve read Lippman’s books you know it’s not a happily ever after. Actually 5 pages before the end, I couldn’t have predicted it…although I predicted something! Possibly a little too rushed. Okay, not her best book. But she wrote it during the pandemic and her marriage was ending. So, let’s give her a little slack.  

I will not review The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese because I’m only halfway through it…it is 700 pages after all, but next month I hope to do just that. I will say it’s the best book I’ve read this year. More next month. Enjoy the wonderful fall weather.