This is an entertaining novel, but don't start it on a day when you're feeling down. Through four generations, the female descendants of Imogene East Fischer hardly ever catch a break when choosing a mate or raising a child. You'll ask yourself, "How can these women be so clueless?" And be glad this is not your family.

"Minding Ben" is the best novel I have read in a long time. I was rooting for sometimes befuddled but always plucky immigrant Grace Caton the whole way. At times, the plot sounded a bit like the soap operas Trinidadian women like to watch on TV, but the story was so interesting that I could overlook that failing.
"Minding Ben" is highly recommended to any reader who likes a good story. I can't wait to read Ms. Brown's next novel. Or memoir. Or whatever she writes.

In this novel, the Hobarts face a situation all too familiar in this time of economic slowdown. Lost job, no money, soon no home. The author does a good job of showing the feelings of each member of the family as they try to adjust to a complete change in life as they know it. It's a little repetitious in spots, but, on the whole, a good read.

For most of this novel, the reader will think it's a cautionary tale about what can happen when middle-class folks ignore the drug laws to buy and use marijuana. Suburbanite Gwen Raine certainly gets into a lot of trouble after buying pot from an old flame. So does the old flame. But the author abandons the theme and lets Gwen off too easy in a weak ending. So, only three stars from me.

Pearl Buck was one of my favorite authors when I was growing up. This novel, narrated by her fictional best friend, Willow Lee, tells the story of her life and happenings in China in the 1900s. it is filled with dramatic events, but is told with such stoicism that ultimately the reader is unmoved. It's worth reading if you're interested in Pearl Buck or modern-day China, but not for the story of Willow Lee.

The book is arranged alphabetically by state, so I began with Alabama (civil rights movement). Deciding to stay in the South, I went next to Georgia (Chinese immigrant buys first home). Then to Florida (boy enjoys endless sun and surf).

Deciding to leave the Hot Zone, I headed for Alaska (fishing for king salmon) and Oregon (365 days of showers, interrupted occasionally by sunshine). Then to the Midwest and Illinois, which claims to be first in everything (but what about North Carolina, which is First in Flight?) On to stalwart Vermont, some of whose citizens want to be the first to secede from the Union. I hope they don't prevail; 50 is such a nice round number.

The articles are both fact-filled and entertaining. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading them.

The first half of this book is pretty much standard mystery - the protagonist, a private detective, discovers the body of a murdered child and decides she is the one to bring the murderer to justice. The author keeps the plot moving as the detective interviews people who might give her the information she needs to solve the crime.
The second half is a polemic against the cruelty of an ancient practice somehow imported from Africa to southern Arizona. There is little mystery or entertainment value in this half of the book and I can't think of anyone who might enjoy it.
Skip this one. There are many better books on the market.

This book is excellent. The author doesn't explain everything that happens at once, but gives clues that accumulate until the reader understands what is going on. She uses a lot of description to bring to life the experiences of an American family living in the Middle East in the 1970s. Anyone who read and liked "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini or "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi should enjoy this novel.

A minor criticism: If there were any dervishes (members of Muslim religious orders who take a vow of poverty) in the book, I missed them.

Highly recommended.

I have been interested in the life of genius composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever since seeing the movie "Amadeus" several years ago. This novel about the life of his sister, Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, sheds new light on the Mozart family.

Fraulein Mozart (Nannerl to the family) had musical talent very nearly equal to that of her illustrious brother. Modern readers will be incensed at Herr Mozart's unilateral decision that Nannerl must give up her dreams of developing her talent and become a music teacher to support the family while the favored son, Wolfgang, develops and displays his talents in the capitals of Europe.

This book is an easy read and presents insight into the lives of a middle class family in Eighteenth Century Europe. The only quibble I have is with some awkward phrasing which may stem from the translation of the work into English from the Italian.