My Sister's Keeper

by Jodi Picoult

This author sucks me in every time. Her novels are so simple on the outside, yet so complex. There always tends to be a plot twist you don't see coming, perhaps because the characters are so complex you can't anticipate what they will do. 

Yet the twists don't come out of left field and make you feel blindsided -- once they happen you have an 'ah-ha' moment where it all makes sense. 

In this novel the main character, a 13-year-old girl, has made a choice that turns her family upside down. She was conceived as a marrow donor for her older sisters, who has leukemia. All her life the younger sister was there for the sick sister and she's finally had enough. 

At least that's what the story seems to be about on the surface. There are so many layers to it, so many small betrayals and kindnesses along the way. 

It's a page turner, that's for sure.  

The Fig Eater

by Jody Shields 

the back cover of this book sucked me in: turn of the century Europe, mystery and intrigue, a murder and an investigation, all wrapped up in historical context of Freud's Vienna. The main character, Dora, is fictionally based on a patient Freud wrote about. 

Dora is killed and there may or may not have been some nasty abuse by her father involved, or resentment by her mother, or a scandalous love affair with a man half her age, or hate directed to her by his mistress, AND there may or may not be some mystical magical stuff going on as well. 

I kept up with the book, wanting to understand the characters and the plot but found both confusing. And the ending was totally lame -- I resented the time spent on the book by then. 

The Known World

Edward P. Jones

This book was a puzzler. It is historical in nature, taking place in the South before the Civil War. And it follows, to some degree, many of the characters and happenings in the region for decades. But it is not a linear storyline and the way he segues into the future or past, from a very here and now story spot can be confusing.

The characters are haunting, however, and reveal themselves slowly.

The book's primary characters are black, some slaves, some free, and some in a kind of limbo in between. And shockingly, the main characters are free but own slaves themselves -- setting up a moral quagmire that is compelling.

What the dead know

Laura Lippman

I can't wait to read more by this author. She tells a stunning story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Her characters are amazing, complex and often not all that likeable. She is a former reporter, with a crime beat I think, and it shows in how she builds her characters, by 'showing, not telling' to draw a picture for the reader. Her use of simile and metaphor is wonderful as well, very accomplished and unobtrusive.
The plot involves two missing girls, their family, and a woman who turns up years later claiming to be one of the disappeared girls but unwilling to tell anyone anything substantial. The author gives nothing away too early, but doesn't muddle the story by holding too much back either.
Great book.

Animal, Vegetable,Mineral

by Barbara Kingsolver

I had heard this book was preachy and strident, so I was afraid I would not like it. But since Kingsolver is my favorite author alive today, I knew it was worth the time. I enjoyed it very much as it turned out. It was more conversational than her novels, which can be so lyrical. This was more like her essays or magazine articles. Still, she can convey a thought or emotion so well, even in a topic like localizing your diet. The anecdotes and recipes were very informative and the background of the science and politics incredibly helpful.  

The Year of Magical Thinking

by Joan Didion

I had heard of Joan Didion, having read several of her essays in college. This book got a lot of press when it was released so I was looking forward to reading it. 

The book documents the year Didion's husband suddenly dies and her daughter falls severely ill (eventually dying as well). It's a horrific plot the reader can't help but wonder how they would survive. 

Didion handles it the way she tackles everything in her life -- with obsessive research and a quest for control. 

I can relate. 

It was heart-wrenching to read about her grief and madness, and the particular way she dealt with both, and very revealing to get inside someone's head during a time of life that will happen to us all. 

I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed the book, but I did learn from it. 

Angels and Demons

by Dan Brown (audio)

Really. Stupid. Book. 

Don't read it.