The Nazi’s take over Paris during WW2 and two sisters join the resistance. One helping fallen soldiers cross the border and another taking in orphaned children. Interesting history but melodramatic and sappy writing.
PJH rating: ***1/2
Tag: book review
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy; Rachel Joyce
The sequel… more like the companion novel… of The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Frye… tells the story of Queenie Hennessy in her death bed as she is awaiting the arrival of Harold Frye. Sad, but fun story (listed to book on trip).
PJH Rating: ****
All the Light We Cannot See; Anthony Doerr
Set during the end of WW2 a young blind Parisian girl is enduring the occupation on the coast in her great uncle’s house. At the same time a teenaged orphaned German boy finds himself in an elite Nazi training camp. Their paths cross in climax of this unique wonderful novel. A great read if you are one of the few who haven’t read it yet.
PJH Rating: ****1/2
Redeployment; Phil Klay
A group of loosely connected short stories about American soldiers in the Iraq war told from different soldier’s viewpoints. Some in Iraq, some at home after the war, and all rather detached about the conflict or at least the reasons why they are there. Sad but interesting read.
PJH Rating: ****
All Our Names; Dinaw Mengestu
Novel goes back and forth between two points of view both describing their relationship with a young African man named Isaac. The story set in the 1970’s involves a revolution in Africa and one of the displaced African’s experience at a mid-west American University. Interesting and well written.
PJH rating: ****
All the Birds, Singing; Evie Wyld
A female sheep herder lives alone on a farm on a remote British island. The novel explores her loneliness going back and forth from her upbringing and her recent past. An interesting, dark novel.
PJH rating: ***1/2
Old School; Tobias Wolf
Set in an elite boarding school in the early 1960’s a student deals with being an outsider among the privileged boys in the school culminating in a horribly bad decision he makes at the very end of his tenure. Interesting literary short novel with fictional visits to the school from Robert Frost and Ayn Rand – who was a complete bitch – great. Powerful ending with a switch in perspective from the ex-Dean of the school
PJH rating: ****
The Rosie Effect; Graeme Simsion
The story continue from the previous The Rosie Project with Rosie and Don moving to NYC and finding themselves pregnant. I was so disappointed that this was nowhere near as fun as the first novel. It seems like it was thrown together pretty quickly to get it out to the masses. Too bad.
PJH Rating: ***
My Top Five Books of 2014
I read fewer books this year than usual. I hit a couple of ruts and also started many books and never got into them. I did read some good novels though, especially towards the end of the year. Without further ado:
My third annual top five books that I have read this past year:
The Book of Unknown Americans,Christina Henriquez, -heartbreaking tale of immigrant family from South America trying to live the American Dream. On many top lists for year deservedly.
Everything I Never Told You, Esther Ng – tale of an Asian-American family living in an Ohio town. Suburban angst mixed with racism, marital woes and all other sorts of fun stuff.
The Goldfinch, Donna Tart – I have talked to so many people this past year who tried and tried but just couldn’t get through The Goldfinch. It indeed is quite a hefty one but I enjoyed it, especially the end. I appreciated the story, you really got into who the characters were and really got absorbed into it.
How You Lose Her, Junot Diaz – A novel of how to treat a woman I guess? I love Junot Diaz novels. I don’t understand a bunch of it as they’re always throwing Spanish in but its great.
The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion – An easy breezy book about a super nerdy College professor who goes about looking for a wife in “off the spectrum” ways in which he lives his whole life. A fun novel. I’m on the wait list for the sequel that just came out.
I love end of the year best book lists. It’s my go-to for finding something good to read. Some of the ones I look at:
- New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2014
- Huffington Post – Best Books of 2014
- Gawker: The Best Book of 2014 is…
- Amazon: 2014 Best Books of the Year
- Good Reads: Best Books of 2014
- NPR: Best Books of 2014
Here’s to a prolific 2015!
The Book of Unknown Americans; Christina Henriquez
Heartbreaking story of one modern family immigrating to America from Panama and the challenges they face – interwoven with chapters about other families doing the same. Wonderfully written. An excellent book from another first time novelist. Highly recommend.
PJH rating: ****1/2
Eat On Edgecliff 