Fiction: A few stories about family

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal:  A co-worker recommended this one to me, and I'm so glad - it turned out to be one of my favorite books in awhile.  Eva Thorvald has always been a little different - as a kid bullied and on the outs with her peers, she becomes obsessed with hot peppers, and seems to have a knack for cooking.  There's a little mystery that goes along with her talent, but eventually, her pop-up restaurant becomes one of the hottest tickets in the country.  Along the way, this is a story about family and loss, and a lot about food.  A little fanciful at times, but very enjoyable.

The Heirs by Susa Rieger:  This book is a reminder to me that I always mean to keep better track of where I get my recommendations, so I can go back to the good sources.  This was another solid novel about family and the secrets that threaten to destroy them.  When a wealthy husband and father to five boys passes away, he leaves behind his fortune - and perhaps a mistress and a couple extra children.  This book follows the family as they each cope in their own way with their memories of their father, and the acknowledgement that he possibly was not who they actually thought he was.  I feel like this basic plot has been done over and over, but I appreciated the writing style of The Heirs, and I'm always one for a little dysfunctional family drama.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford:  It's hard to imagine that the follow-up to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet could be anything but a disappointment.  After all, can lightening really strike twice?  So, I approached this novel with a mixture of excitement and a little trepidation - I really wanted to love it, but would have been so sad if I didn't.  Turns out, all my worry was for nothing.  Songs of Willow Frost tells the story of Willam Eng, orphaned as a young child, who becomes convinced that a famous actress is actually his long-lost mother.  William and a friend escape the orphanage, full of hope, on a quest to discover the truth behind the famous Willow Frost.  As the storytelling balances between the Great Depression and the 1920s, I was full of anxiety - hoping for William to find the mother he'd always wanted, and worried that he would find nothing.  A beautiful story of loss and home, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

An Old Favorite

Like so many people, I have fond memories of Ramona from my elementary school days.  I remember feeling a kinship with Ramona who always tries so hard, but never manages to do anything quite right - and of course, Beezus, her perfect sister who was always there to remind Ramona of how far she still had to go.  A few months ago, I started reading the series out loud to my five-year-old twin girls.  They immediately identified with Ramona, while I found in my old age that I had a little more sympathy for Beezus's exasperation over all of Ramona's antics!  But, as the series progressed, I grew to love Ramona again.  Cleary is just a master at capturing what it feels like to be a kid - to feel at times like the world is against you, and all the small things that can cause a world of anxiety - and in the next moment to feel so contented with a good friend, a sympathetic parent, or an understanding teacher.  We worked our way through the whole series with the girls asking for "just one more chapter!" each night.  It's safe to say that these classics withstand the test of time!

• Beezus & Ramona
• Ramona the Pest
• Ramona the Brave
• Ramona and Her Father
• Ramona and Her Mother
• Ramona Quimby, Age 8
• Ramona Forever
• Ramona's World

Children's Book Pick of the Week!

The Lemon Sisters by Andrea Cheng - lately my girls have been starting to pick out their own simple chapter books and graphic novels to read on their own, and  I keep choosing the chapter books to read to them before bedtime.  For a few months, I've really overlooked just picking out books at random from the children's picture book collection at the library.  So, last week I sat down in front of the A-C section and picked out 10 books that just looked good.  Then we sat down and read them - and it was a wonderful reminder that even as the kids get older, they still appreciate a good little story with wonderful illustrations.  I absolutely LOVED this book.  It's the story of an elderly woman who lives alone in her house - one winter morning she looks out her window and sees three sisters playing in the snow.  They remind her of her childhood days with her own two sisters.  As the little girls play, the older woman reminisces.  I teared up a bit at the end!  This is a beautiful story about siblings, the joy of childhood, and the challenges of growing older - but also the happiness in sharing memories.  I also appreciate any story where young children and older people learn lessons from each other.  We happened to read this on a summer day, but I think I'll be borrowing it again once the weather starts turning a bit colder.

Very Good Lives: J.K. Rowling

This is Rowling's 2008 Harvard Commencement address published in book form - with colorful illustrations of inspiring quotes.  The main themes of her speech are the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination - both topics one would assume she knows a great deal about.  I might have edited this down a bit, but she does have some beautiful language - and humorous points.  I appreciated learning about her time working for Amnesty International, and the impact that had on her view of the world.  I also appreciated her articulation of the obvious message to a group of Harvard graduates - that with great privilege comes great responsibility - not to go out there and become famous or wealthy, but to lead a good life - one that lifts others and recognizes each of our role's in diminishing human suffering.  I read this on the bus during my commute in to work - not sure it warranted it's own separate book, but a worthwhile quick read.

Crazy Rich Asian Series - Kevin Kwan

                         

I've read countless books by and about Asians/Asian-Americans.  My favorites are the ones that talk about multi-generations of families - families that travel between and within countries.  Usually, the books are about pretty traditional families - Amy Tan, Gail Tsukiyama, and Lisa See are among my favorites.  So, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this series - about multi-generations of  Asian families - and they travel between and within countries.  But these are not the stories of poor immigrants fleeing their native lands in poverty, and enduring endless tragedy.  These are the wealthy elite who travel by private jet for weekends in Paris to by $100,000 handbags.   This series is so fun and fantastic - I can't wait for the movie version to come out.  It's almost impossible to describe - but this is the perfect indulgent by-the-pool imagining what you would do if you had all the money in the world and no limits.  

A couple books with a little magic

Exit West by Moshin Hamid:  I've been a fan of Moshin Hamid since I read The Reluctant Fundamentalist a few years back.  And then when Exit West showed up on President Obama's Best of 2017 list, I had to run out and read it.  This book takes place in an unidentified county on the brink of civil war.  An independent Nadia - who is estranged from her family because of her unorthodox decision to live on her own - enters into a relationship with Saeed, a more traditional man who lives with his parents.  As the violence in their town increases, the two agree to escape - though strange doors that have appeared through the city.  The doors take people to new countries - where they are faced with possibilities, but also the fear inherent in leaving behind the familiar.  Nadia and Saeed find themselves navigating new situations and lives - while also working through their relatively young relationship.  As usual, Hamid's writing is beautiful - this is a book I'd recommend trying to read in long sittings to become immersed in the escapist fantasy/fears. 

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani:  I don't tend to read many graphic novels - but my son is very into them, so I have slowly been checking a few out.  I read the Persepolis series awhile back, and this one appealed to me in a similar way.  Pashmina is the story of Priyanika - a fairly typical American child growing up with a single parent.  Her mother is from India, and as Priyanka finds herself more and more interested in visiting India, her mother seems determined to prevent Priyanka from obtaining answers to any of her questions.  One day, Priyanka discovers a pashmina in her mother's closet that seems to transport her to India.  She finds herself increasingly obsessed with wearing the pashmina and finding out the answers to all of her burning questions about her past.  This is a wonderful story about relationships between mothers and daughters, the secrets we keep, and all of our needs to learn about the past in order to figure out who we are. 

Just a couple memoirs...

Memoirs are all over the place - from people who have lived full lives to others who just want to write about a specific incident in their possibly still young lives.  I never think that I would have much to write about if I sat down and tried to tell someone about my life - but then I read some of these books and I think, well, perhaps everyone does have a story to tell.  Some more insightful or inspiring or instructive or interesting than others.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthini:  This book been sitting in my bedside table for quite awhile and I haven't been able to bring myself to read it. It just seemed too sad - since it's been all over the news that it was written by and about a young successful doctor at Stanford who dies of cancer. But, it's been recommended by so many people that I decided to make this my first read of 2018. Kalanithi is a beautiful writer - this book is short and can be read quickly, but I found myself reading slowly (and with my breath held), both because I wanted to savor the prose, but probably also because I knew what was coming. The book recounts his love of literature, and how he came to be a doctor - the grueling hours he put in, and the constant thinking he did about the meaning of life, even amidst so much pain and trauma. Even knowing what was going to happen, I couldn't stop myself from crying at the end. The thought of losing a spouse or a child or a father is so tragic - but there was also an incredibly peace that came from Kalanithi's words. My understanding is that Kalanithi's spouse, Lucy, is now in a relationship with a man who lost his own wife to cancer (her memoir was also published posthumously: The Bright Hour). I find the idea of making and finding that connection quite comforting. Facing the same fate, I don't think I would have made the same decisions as Kalanithi in terms of work and family, but that's obviously impossible to know - and reading this book (as probably with any book about someone dying far too early), I think it's made me rethink some choices, and certainly reevaluate my general outlook on life - and I suppose that's a good thing, especially as a way to start out a new year.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson: Given my line of work as a capital habeas attorney, I am interested in most books having to do with the mess of our criminal justice system, and anyone who is attempting to tackle this huge problem.  Bryan Stevenson is well known in the world in which I work - as a crusader and tireless advocate.  So, I pre-ordered his memoir when it came out, and read it in just over a day.  It's well-written and easy to read - Stevenson tells the story of his upbringing and career, interspersed with the stories of a couple of his clients - clients whose cases best illustrate the problems he is trying to address in his representations - problems with racism at every stage of our system - and the effects that this racism has had, not just on individuals, but on entire communities.  At the end of this - I cried - mostly as a result of Stevenson's beautiful writing, and the way he was able to articulate so many of the feelings that I have had doing this work.  But, I still wished there had been more about his own life in the book - it didn't seem like much of a memoir to me.  There were certainly some tid-bits of his life, and his opinions about the system - maybe something that wouldn't have been as well-received had the book been billed as non-fiction simply about the work.  But, I found myself wanting to know more about how he lives, how he balances, how he gets up in the morning - and then I thought, well maybe someone who has made this huge of an impact doesn't really get to have much of a life.  He has dedicated everything - to the point that the work really is his life.  It is admirable, but is it healthy?  Does that matter?  Are we, as a society, dependent on having people - in all kinds of professions that benefit the greater good - who don't need/want/realize they need or want that kind of balance?  This is an important book that I wish everyone would read - particularly people who don't otherwise think much about our criminal justice system.  I think Stevenson has a kind and brilliant perspective to share - and maybe if each one of us does something, it wouldn't fall on just a few to do everything.