Modern Romance

Aziz Ansari narrated the book and I would not have finished listening to it if it wasn't narrated by him.  He ridicules the listener and calls us lazy by making him read to us.  It's pretty funny.  Modern Romance is about how dating has changed with "online dating", it gives a history of dating (so to say) and researches current dating customs in other countries.  It's interesting and well--frank.  Parental advisory:  do not listen with young ones or those you might feel uncomfortable with, by hearing words like masturbation and talking about a new sex toy that Aziz says he tried.  That was something I never heard of.

The Wives of Los Alamos

A well written book about the wives of Manhattan Project husbands.  These wives were in the Los Alamos location of the Manhattan Project. Written in the collective voice, the reader does not get to know the characters.  The details are written in more of generality.  Everything was a secret and the wives were able to talk to one another, but not their families--their mothers, brothers, sisters.  No one else could know what was going on, especially what their husbands were doing.  They called it the gadget, as did their husbands.  They knew Oppenheimer, the director.  Most lived in housing without bathtubs.  That was a big deal.

To Kill A Mockingbird

We all know that the new Harper Lee book is coming out next month.  So our book group read To Kill a Mockingbird as a precursor to the new book.  I read the book as a teenager.  Reading it again as an adult, I knew what the outcome would be, even though of course it is written so well that you believe Tom will be acquitted.  What I didn't remember was how good a book it is.  It's not just a good book it is one of the best books ever written.  And reading it again made me think of so many things---how we judge people, race and class how it's still relevant, very relevant.  That you can raise your children to love all people, regardless of where you live.  And that Atticus was the best father ever.  Read it again even if Go Set a Watchman is out.  You will be glad you did.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

I received an advanced reading copy of this book and was looking for something to read.  It sounded interesting.  Of course, the publishing letters included in the first pages made it sound absolutely wonderful.  Eva is an orphaned Midwestern girl with an amazing palate who grows up to become the mysterious chef behind an incredibly popular and extravagant pop-up restuarant.  Each chapter focuses on an ingredient and the perosn who introduced it to her, with all ingredients, and some of the people, combining in the final chapter at a moving and cathartic feast in the wilds of South Dakota. 

I liked Eva, I did not however get attached to her.  In the beginning of the book she was a baby and she was in her thirties by the end of the book. It was amazing the way J. Ryan Stradal wove food into the book from the very beginning and all the way til the end.  I would recommend this as a light, fast paced read.

Leaving Time

This is Jodi Picoult's newest book and she is one of my favorite authors.  This book is about Jenna a young girl and her search for her mom who went missing when Jenna was very young around 5 years old.  Jenna's mom worked with her dad on an elephant sanctuary, which her dad started.  There are so many interesting elephant facts in the book and a mystery to solve.  Definitely a fresh book for Picoult.

Goodnight June

Another wonderful book by Sarah Jio.  I have read several of her books and enjoyed them all.  This book ties in the children's book, Goodnight Moon with a bookstore in Seattle that June's aunt, Ruby left for her after she passed.  There's romance, books, food and a happy ending.  What more could you ask for?  Maybe to be the protagonist in the book?

The Witness

This book is a Nora Roberts which combines a romance between Abagail/Elizabeth and Brooks.  Nora Roberts does a fantastic job of combining a fast paced plot with a good romance.  That's The Witness.  The romance part can be tough to stomach if you really desire a relationship with some romance and you don't have one.  Personally, it's frustrating.