2011-15 - Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

15 - Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, 339 Pages, Harper Collins, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: Shalini picked it for Book Club
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Meh

This is the story of an interracial couple in San Fransisco, who adopt a child from the husband's hometown of Mumbai... and the parallel story of the couple that gave up that child.  The story is well told, but somehow the characters are missing something - a warmth that would make them more than just characters of a story, and would propel this story into required reading status.

That being said, the story covers a lot of things worth thinking about: the stresses of infertility, choices between career and family, cultural tolerance and acceptance.  And on the Indian side, of the challenges of village life, of being a woman in a male-oriented society, and of the pull away from village life and the adjustment to Mumbai living.  Ultimately, it's a story about family.

EDIT - 2011-03-20 - Having thought about this book quite a lot further, I have downgraded this book from Very Good to Meh.  The writer's style is a simplistic (most of the characters lack depth), and several of the key characters are quite lacking (in a way that you don't want the protagonists in a novel to be).

2011-14 - Born With A Tooth, by Joseph Boyden

14 - Born With A Tooth, by Joseph Boyden, 243 Pages, Cormorant Books, 2001
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Joseph Boyden
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good

This book of short stories was quite depressing.  13 stories of the native experience - of alcoholism, of the res schools, of how the Catholic Priests view them as lesser people, of the inevitable suffering that comes from the situation that they exist within.

A work of fiction takes you beyond what rational knowledge can possibly do.  Whereas I agree that much of what has happened to the First Nations since the Europeans have been in North America has been wrong, I have always argued that it was in the past - and we must move forward.  What was lacking was compassion for the people, because of the path that brought them to where they are.  13 short stories gives me 13 different perspectives, 13 different people who I would not otherwise have known.

These stories were generally quite hard to read, authentic and without the silver lining that most works of fiction offer the reader as a crutch to deal with sad realities.  Given that, I am glad that it was short stories rather than full novels.

I would recommend this book, only if you believe you need to be reminded of the compassion in your heart.

2011-13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby

13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby, 140 Pages, Believer Books, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good

Well this was quite enjoyable!  In 2003, Nick Hornby started a monthly column for Believer (Magazine)... this book is a compilation of his first 14 columns.  Each column starts with a listing of the books that he has purchased and read each month, which is fun in and of itself.  His reviews of books are generally quite insightful, and always quite funny.

Here are a few things that I noted and enjoyed:
- He doesn't like reading books similar to his own style of writing - likens it to going to a restaurant and ordering something he can make himself.
- Judges his friends if their recommendations aren't good (I relate to this - be warned!)... he typically considers too strong a recommendation as something negative, which I found interesting... I'm always looking for stuff to read, so look for recommendations from all quarters.
- He described putting a book in the Arts and Lit non-fiction section of his library, and went on to add: "(I personally find that for domestic purposes, the Trivial Pursuit system works better than the Dewey)".
- He mentioned that he hardly remembers most of the stories that he's read, even ones that he describes as being fantastic.  He specifically mentions Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens... I mention this because I stopped at that point to see what I could remember of Great Expectations and realized that the horrible 1998 movie with Ethan Hawke playing the part of Pip has replaced the plot in my brain :(.

Finally, I must mention a worry that I have: What if I find that I've enjoyed his reviews more than I enjoy the books I've ordered based on that recommendation?  Do I keep reading his reviews because they're enjoyable, but resist the temptation to buy books based on Hornby's recommendation?  Something to ponder.

2011-12 - Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving

12 - Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving, 554 Pages, Random House Vintage Canada, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: I've read everything by John Irving
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Good

John Irving is an interesting novelist... Here is an author who is so repetitive in introducing some autobiographical details, that Wikipedia has a table of his books and those details... and this book has all but one of them: New England (Check), Prostitutes (Check), Wrestling (Check), Vienna (No), Bears (Check), Deadly Accident (Check), Absent Parent (Check), Film Making (Check), Writers (Check), and Sexual Variation (Check).

As a story, this one was good.  A boy accidentally kills the girlfriend of a local constable (thinking that she's a bear) and goes on the run with his father... The story lasts the next 50 years.

I only recommend this if you are a John Irving fan... otherwise, there is a lot of better stuff out there to read :)

2011-11 - I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

11 - I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak, 357 Pages, Alfred A. Knopf, 2002
WHY I PICKED IT: I really enjoyed Zusak's Book Thief...
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good!

Just as I started lamenting about the shortage of truly enjoyable books, I found this... fantastic story of a mediocre, average kid (Ed Kennedy)... clearly not living up to his potential... so much so that his own mother hates him, for being too much like his father - all potential and dreams, but too little action.

But this isn't the story of someone staying in that place.  It's the story of how Ed is thrust into being a messenger (of hope), guided by someone unseen.  To help the people he's being directed to... to show them what they have been missing.

There are a few great lines in the book, this one I wrote down to remember: "If I'm ever going to be okay, I'll have to earn it."  Simple, and yet offers untold depth.

If you enjoyed The Book Thief, or appreciate excellent youth fiction, I highly recommend this story.

2011-10 - The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett

10 - The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett, 336 Pages, Harper Perennial, 1992
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Ann Patchett
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Meh

Hmm.  This book is possibly my least favourite of Ann Patchett's books... not because I'm overdosing on her style (although I am), but because the warmth in these characters is lacking.  This is a story told from three people's perspective:
- Rose, a woman who leaves her husband when she's pregnant to have her baby at a home for unwed mothers (the first 1/3 of the book).
- Son, an older man who is the home's handyman, who marries her (although she's still married), and raises her daughter like his own (the second 1/3 of the book).
- Cecilia - the daughter (the final 1/3 of the book).

These characters are all troubled souls, but Rose is damaged in a way that defies explanation - and as such, the book ends, and I feel vaguely dis-satisfied.

I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you're a serious Ann Patchett fan...

2011-09 - Let it Snow, by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

09 - Let it Snow, by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle, 352 pages, Penguin Group, 2008
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by John Green
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

3 mid-length stories aimed at the teenager market, with tangentially related characters and plots, dealing with the same snowstorm at Christmas.  The first story was okay, the second was very good, and the third was good... so all in all, a Good rating for this book.  I think I'll continue to read John Green books, but wasn't enamored enough with the other two authors to want to read more by them (perhaps because they're writing for teens).

In the contemporary-books-for-teens market, this is not anywhere close to being as good as the Book Thief...

2011-08 - Not A Star, by Nick Hornby

08 - Not A Star, by Nick Hornby, 69 pages, Gemma Media, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: I read everything by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Good

This is a peculiar short story... about a Mom who finds out her son is an actor in porn movies... Not a star, mind you, just an actor.  The thoughts that she goes through are quite interesting; but then, I think that's the point.  How do you know how you'd react to something until it happens?  Lynn is remarkably honest with herself, and despite the shock, quite zen about the knowledge.  It's a good short story.

2011-07 - all families are psychotic, by Douglas Coupland

07 - all families are psychotic, by Douglas Coupland, 279 pages, Vintage Canada, 2001
WHY I PICKED IT: Re-read of a book by an author I really appreciate 
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

This is my first re-read in a while... and although I really enjoy Coupland, I seem to think that he isn't as deep as he thinks he is... The story is about a family.  Mom and Dad are divorced.  Two adult sons are screwups and have significant others who are expecting babies, and their daughter is the overachieving astronaut...

The story is entertaining, but written with a sense of overarching ideology that I just cannot figure out.  Whereas John Irving has many themes that recur in many of his novels, Coupland's books frequently involve some discussion about a belief in God, about our interaction with The Internet (as if it's this great big thing), and about one's place in the world... and this book has all three of these.

If you take the story as an escape, as a bit of entertainment, it's fine... if you want more depth, this book just doesn't have it.