The Marriage Plot | by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
(Picador, 2011, 416 pages)

Eugenides developed three characters in The Marriage Plot that are all complicated and each has a desire that seems unattainable. Mitchell, who has a passion for religious studies, wants Madeline to be his wife. He’s wanted her since freshman year and now with graduation looming and him being no closer to his dream girl, he flies off to Europe with the goals to forget Madeline and work under Mother Theresa. Madeline is a beautiful girl with a deep interest in Victorian writers and their development of the marriage plot. Although she knows Mitchell’s desires for her, she is obsessively attracted to the dark and twisty Leonard.  All Leonard wants is a normal life, which seems impossible with his diagnosed disorder. He knows Madeline is his only shot at his dream but his disorder continually gets in the way of their happiness. These unattainable desires will continue to consume their lives unless someone decides to let go of their dream.

I really enjoyed this read by Eugenides, or at least I think I did. There are a lot of references to literary studies, biology, and religious studies because that is what the characters are each interested in. But I’m afraid a lot of it went straight over my head. Towards the end of the book, I started to skip over the character’s rants about their interests because its wasn’t really adding anything to the story. Especially Mitchell’s parts when he’s in Europe because of how much it made the story drag. I did enjoy how developed the characters were and the story line that linked them together.

The Red House | by Mark Haddon

The Red House by Mark Haddon
(Doubleday, 2012, 272 pages)

Angela and her brother Richard have never been very close. But after their mother passes away, Richard invites Angela and her family to take a vacation with his family as a chance to get to know each other. So begins the week of sharing a vacation home between Angela, her husband Dominic, their kids Alex, Daisy, and Benjy, Richard, his new wife Louisa, and her daughter Melissa. Each family member is lost in a little way and through the week they become closer to coming to terms with who they are. Whether its Dominic’s guilt for his adultery, Daisy’s reasoning behind becoming religious, or Melissa’s bullying that comes to a dangerous head with one of her school mates, everyone has a secret. And these secrets will either bring this extended family together, or drive them further apart.

One of my favorite things about this book was that the reader got to see the point of view from each character. Haddon lets the reader know what each character is secretly thinking or longing for during almost every scene. But how he achieves this is what made the book difficult for me to read. Haddon switches the narrating character every few paragraphs. He never stays on one character for too long and sometimes doesn’t let the reader know who is speaking until the end of their passage. This made it especially confusing because there were eight different characters and storylines to keep up with.

Far Flung and Well Fed: The Food Writing of R.W. Apple, Jr. | by R.W. Apple, Jr.

Far Flung and Well Fed: The Food Writing of R.W. Apple, Jr. by R.W. Apple, Jr.
(St. Martin’s Press, 2009, 432 pages)

Julia was absolutely right about this book! Read her review here. I had such good time reading it and didn’t want it to end. I, too, marveled at his knowledge of regional and local history and everything that’s food related. Apple writes and describes things so well that I can picture them easily.  I literally drooled over his essays on food from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. These are the foods I grew up with.  If you are a foodie, you won’t be disappointed with this book.

The Newlyweds | by Nell Freudenberger

The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
(Knopf, 2012, 352 pages)

I first read the work of Nell Freudenberger in 20 Under 40: Stories from The New Yorker – she was one of 20 writers chosen by The New Yorker for their ability to “capture the inventiveness and the vitality of contemporary American fiction.” The short story of Freudenberger’s included in 20 Under 40 (“The Arranged Marriage”) appears to be the foundation for The Newlyweds. The novel revolves around a young woman from Bangladesh, Amina, who has always been enamored with the idea of living and going to school in America. Through an international online dating site she gets in touch with George who lives in Rochester, New York. After emailing regularly they come to the agreement that they will marry and Amina finally gets to see her American dreams realized when she moves to Rochester.

There’s certainly a learning curve when she arrives. Amina is more or less readily accepted by George’s family, though they make numerous assumptions about where she’s from and don’t really seem to grasp that she’s Muslim. Amina is befriended by George’s adopted cousin, Kim, who has always been the black sheep in the family. As Amina attends school and works part-time (sending portions of each paycheck home to her parents) she tries to figure out the best way to explain to her new husband that her plan after obtaining citizenship is to bring her parents over to live with them…

Amina and George have a number of ups and downs thanks to miscommunication, poorly kept secrets, and the way the past keeps finding ways to reinsert itself in the present. I enjoyed The Newlyweds and thought the audiobook was very well narrated.

American Food by the Decades | edited by Sherri Liberman

American Food by the Decades edited by Sherri Liberman
(Greenwood, 2011, 250 pages)

This is a fun history book on American food trends in the 20^th century. There are ten chapters with extensive bibliographies including books, articles and web sites and an index. The editor is Sherri Liberman, a librarian of course ;-). Each chapter gives an overview of the key cultural, economic and political events of that decade. American Food by the Decades provides entries of the important food trends, institutions and individuals during that time period. I learned fascinating stories about food inventions, regional cuisines, restaurants chains, and famous chefs. It was fun to read about entries related to St. Louis – the food inventions that were introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair, gooey butter cake, and Ted Drews frozen custard. An informative and entertaining book. I highly recommend it.

Artemis Fowl | by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
(Scholastic, 2001, 277 pages)

I’d heard plenty about Artemis Fowl but never really had any idea what it was going to be about. I started reading yesterday morning and was finished by the end of the night – definitely a quick read! Artemis is a 12 year old whose father has disappeared and whose mother locked herself in the attic immediately after. Determined to ensure his family maintains their wealth and status, Artemis sets out to acquire all the gold of the fairies. This is no easy mission, but given that Artemis is a genius, he discovers all the loopholes and ends up causing a lot of trouble.

The “fairies” Artemis is working against are more than just fairies – they are all the magical people that have moved underground since the “Mud People” (read: humans) took over. This includes everyone from leprechauns and trolls to dwarfs and goblins. Holly Short is a member of the underground police force and she ends up getting caught up in Artemis’s scheme to acquire the gold of the fairies. Once it becomes clear that a human not only knows about the fairies but has a member of the underground hostage, the underground world jumps into action determined to rescue Holly and restore order.

Like I mentioned, this was a quick read and I was easily drawn into it. I’ll certainly be reading the other titles in this series.

Apron Anxiety | by Alyssa Shelasky

Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out of the Kitchen by Alyssa Shelasky
(Three Rivers Press, 2012, 272 pages)

This food memoir was definitely an engaging read. Alyssa Shelasky’s personality shines through in her writing – it seemed a little overwhelming at first, but then I just embraced it and went along for the ride. Alyssa didn’t start life out as someone with an interest in food. She never spent time thinking about what she was going to have dinner – food was a means to an end. That is, until she met “Chef.” A former Top Chef contestant who is never named (though rumor has it, “Chef” is Spike from Top Chef: Chicago – Season 4) enters her life and they have a whirlwind romance. They hit it off instantly and within months “Chef” convinces her to leave New York and move with him to D.C.

Alyssa goes along with it, despite leaving behind the life she knew, complete with friends, family, and a steady job. Once they are in D.C. Alyssa realizes she’s going to come in second to the restaurant – “Chef” will always put that before her. She feels that she is losing her sense of self and it is during this time that she turns to food and the idea of cooking. In this act she rediscovers her self while also embracing a new passion.

Shelasky takes us through the ups and downs of her new-found love of the kitchen complete with the ups and downs of her relationships. The one constant she learns she can turn to is the sense of satisfaction she gets when cooking.

This was an enjoyable read and it was based on Shelasky’s blog, Apron Anxiety, which I’ll be sure to check out. At the end of each chapter recipes were included – many of which I’ll be adding to my own repertoire 🙂

The Cinderella Deal | by Jennifer Crusie

The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
(Bantam, 2011, 224 pages)

The Cinderella Deal is about Daisy Flattery and Linc Blaise who are polar opposites and end up married. Daisy is a fun, free-spirited artist and collector of lost animals. While Linc is a history professor and is rather uptight. They both live in the same building and mainly try to stay out of each other’s way. It isn’t until Linc interviews for a position at a small liberal arts college in Ohio and tells a lie that he is engaged in order to secure the position that they actually have a civil conversation. Of course, he needs to find someone to be his pseudo-fiancé, which is when he seeks Daisy’s help in playing the ruse of a happy couple. She agrees because he is willing to pay her rent, which helps the cash-strapped Daisy. They figure after Linc’s interview rounds it will all be over, and they can go their separate ways.

Linc’s plan is to tell his new department head that things didn’t work out between them by the time the fall semester starts. Unfortunately, the department head doesn’t see it that way, and orders Linc to go get Daisy from Pennsylvania and they are married. They decide after a year of marriage they can get a divorce and all-is-well that ends well. The only part Daisy and Linc didn’t count on was actually falling love. A funny, quick, chick-lit read—recommended for all romance readers anywhere.

Close Your Eyes | by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Close Your Eyes by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen
(St. Martin’s Press, 2012, 353 pages)

Overview:

In Close Your Eyes, The New York Times bestselling duo Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen are back with a suspenseful novel about a once-blind woman with a talent for tracking serial killers.

The FBI doesn’t usually consult with music therapists to solve their cases. But Kendra Michael’s astonishing powers of observation and analysis have made her a favorite of law enforcement agencies all across the country. Blind for the first twenty years of her life, she cares little for investigative work but can’t deny her unique skill, or the results she’s been able to facilitate. Kendra learned at an early age to become hyper-aware of her surroundings, perfecting the art of picking up the most subtle audio, olfactory, and tactile cues in the world around her. Like a secret weapon, she is in high demand.

Former FBI agent Adam Lynch, known as The Puppetmaster, has weapons of his own. He’s a notorious master manipulator, skillfully handling criminals and colleagues alike to get the results he wants. Now he needs Kendra’s special brand of help, but she’s not interested until Lynch reveals that Agent Robert Stedler—Kendra’s ex—is missing and may have run directly into the path of a serial killer. What began as a heinous murder investigation escalates into something even larger and more frightening: a multi-million dollar conspiracy to hide a secret that’s worth killing for, again and again and again.

I really enjoyed this book!  This was a great read.  Iris and her son write well together.  It was very well written. I thought the book was great and the story just flowed along with the right kinds of twists and turns. It was filled with plenty of suspense and excitement that kept me wanting more.  Very easy to read.  Close Your Eyes was one of those books you don’t want to put down.  I found myself staying up way past my bedtime, it was just that good.  You just wanted to know what was going to happen next to Kendra and Adam.  If you’re a fan of thriller suspense novels, you will really enjoy this read.  I highly recommend it.

Theodore Boone: The Accused | by John Grisham

Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham
(Dutton Juvenile, 2012, 272 pages)

Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham is the third book in the Theodore Boone series for young adults. Theodore is a 13 year old 8^th grader who hopes to be a lawyer or a judge when he grows up. Both of Theodore’s parents are lawyers. One of Theodore’s favorite pastimes is sitting in the court room and following various trials. Theodore is also a Boy Scout and a member of the middle school debate team.

With a background like that, it is hard to imagine that Theodore would have enemies or be accused of a major crime. However, someone is out to cause trouble for Theodore. His bike tires are slashed. Some of his property is stolen from his locker. And worst of all, someone stole valuable electronics from a local computer store and made it look like the culprit was Theodore Boone. Theodore, with help from his uncle and friends, must try to find the real criminal.

John Grisham has another hit with his Theodore Boone books. The characters are well-rounded and interesting. The books hold your attention and leave the reader wanting to hear more about Theodore. While Theodore Boone: The Accused was written for young adults, I would recommend the book for any Grisham fan.