“A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki

 I enjoyed this book very much and found some parts riveting. The Japanese girl who wrote the diary was very wise and matter-of -fact, and her 104 year old Zen Buddhist nun great grandmother was an amazing influence on her. The book showed life in Japan and on a remote island in BC, with a smattering of Sunnyvale California as well. It also had a nice small touch of quantum/physics and entanglement science fiction. It was recommended to me by the Carleton retired professor who did a course on time in the LifeLong Learning program.

“Personal Librarian” by Maria Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 I enjoyed this book about JP Morgan’s personal librarian who acquired amazing and rare items for his library. The historical context of early 20th century America was particularly interesting to me.

“Secret Daughter” by Shilpi Somaya Gouda

This book is about a girl adopted from India to the US by an Indian father and American mother. It was very readable, and the nuance increased as the book progressed. I loved what it had to say about family, about different cultures, and about the strength of impoverished Indian mothers. The ending brought tears to my eyes… the Indian mother, on her deathbed, learned that the daughter she had secretly given up to save her from being killed had prospered, and had looked for her biological parents. The secret daughter had even left a letter at the orphanage for her parents. All the main characters in the novel grew as human beings.

“The Eye of the World” by Robert Jordan

This was an ok book and better than the tv series. However, the first part of it was very derivative of “The Lord of the Rings.” And I found the writing style irritating, because it tended to be wordy and unclear. It made me realize just now great a writer Tolkien was. Tolkien made it look simple, his writing style so amazingly precise and alive. Jordan’s book pales next to it, though I do like the way he handles the idea of there being a weaver, a pattern to the world.

“Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

 This was an interesting look at primarily the Gilded Age Vanderbilts and at Gloria Vanderbilt. It has the special touch of having been written by an insider.

“Fight Night” by Miriam Toews

This book is from the point of view of a 9 year old girl, who takes amazingly good care of her ill but very much alive grandmother. At first I found it to be disjointed and slightly confusing, but I swiftly adapted to the girl’s voice. The book ended beautifully. After visiting family in California and returning to Canada, the grandmother had a heart attack, and then her daughter went into labour in the same hospital. Grandmother died right after seeing her new grandchild.

“The Man Who Died Twice” by Richard Osman

 I enjoyed vol. 2 of the Thursday Murder Club Series very much. The author develops his characters well, there are lots of twists and turns and amusing parts, and it’s fun reading about intelligent seniors living a full life solving murders.