I am having a hard time reviewing this book because in my mind it is really 3 books in one. The first part is a rather humorous light hearted "beach read" kind of book. The last half deals with some very serious problems of aging, racism and unmarried mothers. Through out the book a third kind of story weaves in and out, that of Violet and Violence, who are imaginary " graphic characters". I really like the last half of the book, which would make a beautiful short story. The author has talent there is no doubt about that.

WWII books are currently very popular but mostly they are about the European portion. This book happens to be about the War in Greece. Unfortunately, after the War civil fighting persisted and many more people were killed, injured or imprisoned. This is a sad story told by an old woman named Aliki. She is one of the last lamenters or those who bemoan a death at funerals. Asked by an American college student to make a record of her art she instead decides to tell her life story on the cassettes that the student gave her. The whole country of Greece is in disorder and Alikl and her two companions' lives mirror this turmoil. One of the brighter parts of the book is when the three characters give plays throughout the area using puppets and stories from the old Greek tragedies, technically this is the craft of "shadow theatre"

Most people are familiar with Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World, even if they are not into art. Ms. Kline has written this book to tell us more about the subject of the painting, not the painting itself nor not Andrew Wyeth, the artist. Hoping to read and learn more about Mr. Wyeth, I found myself disappointed. In the book he is called Andy, and I frequently had to remind myself who he was because he plays such a small part in this story. Ms. Kline shares the same first name, Christina, of the main character and she grew up in Maine so that is why she became interested in writing this book.
I think the best word to describe the book is melancholy, as I found it to be quite sad and depressing. Yes, it is well-written, but at times I wanted to just shake Christina's friends and tell them to do more to help her escape he sad life. Perhaps people interested in modern art would be interested in reading and discussing this book.

I loved this book and consider it to be one of the best I have read in 2016, and I read a lot. It's 1984, New Year's Eve in New York City and Lillian decides to take a walk, a long winding walk to see some of her favorite haunts. She is 85 years old and fearless. We learn about the high and low points of her life and career thru the use of flashbacks.(The author's writing style reminded me of the novel Mrs. Dalloway.)The author uses humor and a beautiful use of the English language to tell this charming story that many book clubs will enjoy. I think this will be one of those books that will sell by word of mouth from librarians and book sellers. Don't miss it!

North of Crazy is the story of a very wealthy woman, Neltje Doubleday, from the famous book publishing family. We read about her alcoholic father, her very selfish mother, her spoiled brother and many, many famous family friends over and over again. How she ever grew up to become an accomplished artist and mother is a miracle. The last third of the book is the best. This is about her life in Wyoming and how she has planned to share her inherited wealth.

This book would not appeal to book clubs except those in the state of Wyoming perhaps. I have the distinct feeling that this was written by Neltje as a form of therapy in order to set the record straight and to ease her mind.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a quick but thoughtful read that will appeal to women 40 and older. Younger people would not appreciate how people can remember for years their first love. It is surprising how well the author, a male, is able to express a woman's emotions and feelings. I loved the ending!

I looked forward to reviewing the author's second book after enjoying her first, Island of a Thousand Mirrors. However, this is a different type of story and will appeal to a much different audience. While it is true that both take place in Sri Lanka, the author's home country, this is a tale of mental illness that goes terribly wrong as time goes on. Amidst descriptions of the beautiful flora and fauna of her birthplace, Munaweera continues to warn the reader that bad things are happening. At times the narrator who begins telling her story from a cell goes over the top with her descriptions of what happened to her.I would be cautious when recommending the book to book groups or individuals as infanticide is a powerful topic that is not everyone's cup of tea.

I really did not enjoy this book. Poor Maud is living in pathetic circumstances that don't seem to get any better and unfortunately,the author keeps reminding us of this fact, using colloquial language that is at times hard to understand.
Since there are a lot of references to sexual activities, too many I think, I can't recommend it to any of my 3 book clubs nor to my friends. Some of the descriptions of the area are lovely; perhaps the author's next book will be better.

The Art of Baking Blind is a very pleasant read that makes you want to put the book down every so often and go to the kitchen, pull out the recipe book and start baking. The author uses the most seductive words when describing the meals or treats such as a" savoury tart, and " a home-made biscuit is a thing of beauty. light and ephemeral, sweet and buttery." ( a word of caution- some of her terms are very British and hard for Americans to figure out such as a Battenburg or muscovado sugar etc.) Never fear though as all the important points are very understandable.
This is a story of a contest to search for the new Mrs. Eden who wrote a very popular cook book several years ago. Six people are the finalists, 5 women and 1 male. Each one is a talented baker and as we read on we find out about their troubles and how they attempt to cope with life. I liked the way the author began each chapter with a little saying about what would be the item that would be required to be made that day and how each contestant prepared at home.There can be only one winner in the contest but you as the reader find out that there are other ways to be considered a winner in life.
It's an easy read, once you get the characters straight in your mind. ( I had to make a list.) It would be appropriate for book groups to discuss and perhaps bake a few things to bring to the discussion-yum!

As noted by previous reviewers, this is a slow starter but eventually the story develops. I had never heard of Lucy Lobdell so after reading the obituary in the NY Times I was intrigued. (Note, I am one of the shameful people that check the end of the book first!) Lucy/Joe did lead an interesting life and that is an understatement. I however have to say that somewhere, sometime I hope another author reads about her and writes a better book. Mr. Loaner attempted to tell too much and the story wanders at times. I do have to say that I have never read anything about lesbians during the 1800's so I found that part fascinating.

This is a must read book for readers who love to read about a far away land that they have heard about but have never really understood what ever happened in Sri Lanka. It's a story of love, hate, treachery and redemption. Conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalas lead to a bloody Civil War that affects all the characters we learn to love in this story. The author is so good at description that you can actually taste some of the foods she writes about and smell the lush gardens she describes so beautifully. A good example would be "we press Mala to take us into her garden where green things shoot out of the ground, thick flowers explode into fruit, ferns unfurl themselves like plumage."
This would be a great book for book groups to read as there is so much to discuss, especially the characters.

This is a top notch medical thriller. Think of Robin Cook and John Grisham put together. It's exciting reading- one of those books you don't want to put down! The author is a surgeon so he knows what he is writing about. Yes, there is "blood and guts" but if you like to read about hospitals and mysterious murders, this is the book for you.

If I had one comment or caution to make, it would be that the first-time author included too much for one book. Perhaps he is hoping to write a series and use the different "threads of the story" in the next books. I will look for him to see if there is a next one. Book Clubs will love this book and also anyone who likes to watch the medical shows on TV.

First of all I must be honest- I have read nearly all of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books and eagerly look forward to the next one. Her books are character driven and each one in the series seems to highlight 2 or 3 of the people living in Three Pines. How The Light Gets In features Ruth and Myrna and of course the imaginary Quebec town itself plays a major role. There are really 3 stories wonderfully interwoven in this book and I could not stop reading to find out how each one affects the other. While the reader does not have to have read all the other books in this series it would help to start with one of the earlier ones to get familiar with the characters- believe me you will get hooked!