Vinegar Girl

Sweet. I imagine that Anne Tyler laughed a lot as she adapted Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her new novel titled, Vinegar Girl. I certainly laughed a lot while reading it. It should come as no surprise that Tyler sets the novel in Baltimore and that her characters are complex and interesting. Protagonist Katherine Battista holds strong views, does not suffer fools gladly, and runs the household in which she, and her younger sister, Bianca, live with their father, a research scientist at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Battista is a single parent who has established ways of living that seem better suited to a laboratory setting than a nurturing home. His work depends heavily on a student, Pyotr, who may be deported. Dr. Battista decides that Pyotr and Kate should marry so Pyotr can remain in the lab in Baltimore. Tyler takes that set up and lets the plot unravel out of control, providing grist for great humor, and then pulling everything together. Does that sound like Shakespeare’s play to you? Whether your answer is yes or no, chances are you will laugh as you read this sweet novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Vinegar Girl from amazon.com.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Bounce. If you can’t remember the last time you read a book about physics, treat yourself to 100 crisp pages in Carlo Rovelli’s book titled, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. The lessons are brief, easy to follow, interesting and informative. I learned that a better way to think of the big bang is more like a big bounce. Scientists are curious, and Rovelli shows how the questions of curious scientists have led to answers to big and deep questions. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Seven Brief Lessons on Physics from amazon.com.

Opening Belle

Ringing. Maureen Sherry’s novel, Opening Belle, would make a perfect selection for a book club because it should lead to animated conversation. It is also entertaining Summer reading, both funny and poignant. Sherry is a former Bear Stearns managing director, and her protagonist, Isabelle, is a successful Wall Street trader. Belle loves her work, and earns plenty. The workplace is dominated by men, and Sherry sets that context as much of the setting for her entertaining plot. Belle’s handsome husband doesn’t earn much, nor does he do much to care for their children or their home. Sherry will ring the chimes of those readers who delight in reading about workplace unfairness, relationship ups and downs and generally the roads taken or not taken as we decide what to do and what not to do. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Opening Belle from amazon.com.

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

We. A wise friend once told me that the most important question each of us answers is: “when we say ‘we’ who do we mean?” The togetherness that can be formed when the answer to the question involves a close knit community or small group is part of the topic covered in Sebastian Junger’s book titled, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. He uses this subject to explore the challenge of returning veterans as they leave close knit communities, especially in war zones, and try to assimilate into the complexity of our modern society. Junger’s thinking is clear, the topic is interesting, and the book will appeal to any reader who thinks about community and building strong bonds within society. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Tribe from amazon.com.

Voyager: Travel Writings

Escape. Travel takes us away from where we are and toward becoming aware of who we are. Travel writing can be banal or can lead us to deep insight. Russell Banks is a terrific writer, and the essays in Voyager: Travel Writings were a delight to read. While I would never want to climb a mountain, his writing about climbing gave me some insights into human nature. While I would never want to drive a Hummer, his driving experience for a magazine article made me laugh. Having been married for decades, I don’t identify with his experience of four marriages, but his writing about eloping with his fourth wife was enlightening. Readers who like fine writing, and have an appreciation for wanderlust of all sorts are those most likely to enjoy reading this book. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Voyager from amazon.com.

Underground Airlines

Slavery. Fiction that relies on alternative history can attract or repel readers when a premise may be seen as too unlikely or as very plausible. The key premise in Ben Winters’ novel, Underground Airlines, is that the Civil War didn’t happen, and that slavery continued in four southern states. With that premise fixed, Winters creates a world that seemed totally plausible to me, and one in which the motivation and behavior of all characters makes a great deal of sense. Protagonist Victor is a bounty hunter for the U.S. Marshalls Service, hunting for a runaway slave. The plot remains thrilling throughout the novel, the characters are consistently complex and believable, and the longing for freedom remains as strong in this alternative reality as ever it has been in our known reality. Given the complexity of contemporary race relations, this novel is timely and uncomfortable, which seems just right. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase Underground Airlines from amazon.com.

The Murder of Mary Russell

Hudson. Readers like me have been thrilled that Laurie R. King has continued to write novels featuring Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell. In each novel, there is more development of familiar characters. The latest novel, The Murder of Mary Russell, develops Mrs. Hudson, the longtime housekeeper. It’s no spoiler to say that readers will learn things about Mrs. Hudson that we never expected. The novel offers so much of what we’ve come to expect from Laurie King: an intelligent plot, interesting twists, and hours of reading entertainment in the comfort of familiar characters, some of whom have deeply kept secrets to be revealed. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Murder of Mary Russell from amazon.com.