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Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
(fiction)
To say that this is "typical Anne Tyler" is to say that it’s
a fabulous literary accomplishment and a heartwarming reading
experience. She writes with grace and humor about batty people
whom you get to know and love. The fact that that don’t
seem batty by the end of the book is a testament to how well
the author draws the reader into the world she creates.
Talking It Over by Julian Barnes (fiction)
This book flashed by and dazzled me the whole way. It is told
in the three voices of the participants in a romantic triangle
and is as hilarious sometimes as it is chilling and disturbing
other times.
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines (fiction)
How can a novel about a black "hog" on death row being turned
into a man be the most moving, powerful, beautiful and somehow
funny book I’ve read–maybe ever? I promise. It will
fire you up while giving you hope.
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (mystery)
"EVIL
HAPPENS" would be this accomplished author’s dubious
bumper sticker. He attempts to show that evildoing by normal
people for pretty understandable reasons is sometimes easy.
I found this grizzly, sometimes slapstick, novel very compelling.
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (fiction)
Don’t be put off by the dry beginning. After a few pages,
this Pulitzer-Prize-winning tale of strong passions within
a family of farmers gains momentum and keeps it up. The author
packs her beautifully written book with insights into human
desires, human frailties and human relationships.
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley
(fiction)
I loved the title, and the savage humor in this book really
appealed to my mean side. The main character is chief spokesman
for the Academy of Tobacco Studies and his job is to defend
the rights of smokers in the "neo-puritanical nineties."
This well-plotted and compelling satire appeals to people
at different ends of the political spectrum, as evidenced
by the fact that both Carol and I loved it.
Boone's Lick by Larry McMurtry (fiction)
This action-filled historical tale set in the Old West drew
me in immediately with its smart, formidable characters. A
woman gathers up all her kids and some other kinfolk and sets
out to find her roaming husband and discover if he wants her
and if she want him. McMurtry's wry telling of their trek
across the country sometimes reminds me of Twain. While not
a wildly rich saga like Lonesome Dove (and not as violent),
McMurtry delivers wonderfully.
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| Quinn Darlington, Rhoda
Faust, Barbara Kingsolver |
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (fiction)
Up until almost the very end, I loved this book so much
I felt like patting or hugging it. Incredible humor, terrific
insight into fascinating characters in a gripping plot,
suspense–what more could a reader ask of a novel?
A better ending! The last six or eight pages just weren’t
made of the same stuff as the rest of the novel. Note:
Author Chris Wiltz thought it was wonderful throughout
and discerning customer Helen Wisdom "loved it from first
word to last word."
Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson
(mystery)
I’ll resist saying that "this is a bonbon of a
book" or something like that. It’s light and unusual
and I enjoyed it, but the cuteness got cloying here
and there. Yet I recommend it for when you don’t
feel like doing any brainwork.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo (fiction)
This rich, joyful, heart-wrenching novel is set in a
small, mostly blue-collar town in Maine. Mike Roby runs
the Empire Grill, the town's main eatery where, except
for some of the rich people who live on the hill, most
of the main characters mingle, eat, drink, and drive
each other crazy. This endearing look at struggling,
suffering, stuck, and hilariously funny human beings
is storytelling at its very best. When I think of good
storytellers to compare Russo to, Cheever, O'Hara, Balzac
and Trollope come to mind.
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