'look me in the eye, my life with asperger's' by John Elder Robison

look me in the eye, my life with asperger’s, John Elder Robison (3.0)

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was interesting, but I think ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ was a much better book about the perspective of a person with Asperger’s syndrome. John Elder Robison is the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, the author of the memoir ‘Running with Scissors’. John was diagnosed with Asperger’s as an adult and in this book he discusses his experiences growing up without understanding why he was different. Accused of being rude and strange by adults, he eventually learns what society believes are proper responses and apes them with marginal success. I think this book can be helpful to people who are on the autism spectrum, particularly if they are only marginally affected. John provides an example and some explanations of feelings they might share.

'Escape from Camp 14' by Blaine Harden

Escape from Camp 14, Blaine Harden (3.5)

It was a shock for all of us to read this book. While most are aware of North Korea’s oppressive government, few realized that – according to the only person born into and escaped from a prison camp – they also have political prison camps akin to concentration camps of Nazi Germany. The journalist Blaine Harden tells the story here of Shin Dong-Hyuk, a young man who was born in the prison camp #14 and escapes to China and eventually South Korea. Oddly he did not escape because of the oppression – he didn’t think it would be different outside of the barbed wire as that’s the only existence he knew. He eventually was inspired to leave when he met a new prisoner who had been outside of North Korea and described places where people had 3 full meals a day. He dreamt of leaving to stop his daily starvation. Unfortunately having never been loved or received basic kindness, Shin also does not know how to reciprocate. Thusly, the reader is aghast and feels sympathy for his condition, but he is not a sympathetic character. We all agreed this was a horrific tale about a person, whom due to his circumstances came across as some thing that was almost incomprehensible.

'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore' by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan (4.0)

This book is a delightful mix of mystery, whimsy and modern technology. It is set in a peculiar San Francisco bookstore that has unusual books and very few patrons. The narrator is the new clerk, a millennial who has recently lost his Silicon Valley job due to the economic crash of 2008. There lies my one worry about this book – the main theme is timeless, but much of the clever technology is dated to the last few years. The clerk tries to understand the mystery around the bookstore by using modern day tactics and tools, such as the resources and computing power of Google, where his girlfriend works. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, as it is fun to unravel the clues oneself. I will say that it had some of the elements of ‘Shadow of the Wind’, though in a modern setting and a lighter tone. Also I tried not to go deep on the technical elements of the story – they may have not held out under tough scrutiny- it was sufficient to suspend the rules for a bit. It may not survive the times, with its modern references, but it is a fun book to enjoy now.

'Where'd You Go, Bernadette?' by Maria Semple

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? Maria Semple (4.0)

I must say that I’ve been getting some very good books from my library this summer. Add this one to the pile! It’s a relatively fast-paced story of a quirky family in Seattle planning a trip to the Antarctic– the father is a workaholic exec at Microsoft, the daughter is a brilliant and well adjusted teen, and the mother (Bernadette of the title) is a once famous architect who is either just strange or going insane. The majority of the book is told through a paper trail (emails, faxes, etc.), which was unsettling at the start, but eventually felt right. The book has a lot of humor and present day subjects (Microsoft, TED talks, eco-building e.g.) mixed with family issues (crazy neighbors, hyper school parents, to name two). Overall it had warmth. You really want Bernadette to be quirky, not crazy. There was only one item in the plot that I did not like – an action that felt wrong for the particular character. I won’t give it away as I’m sure you’ll find it on your own. In spite of that it may be my fascination with all things Seattle, my love of satire or my interest in exotic travel, but I really enjoyed this book.

'Legend' by Marie Lu

Legend, Marie Lu (3.5)

I have a series of young adult dystopian novels on my ‘to read’ list. This is partly research for my book and partly due to the popularity of the genre. They all seem to incorporate the standard common man against the dystopian ‘society’ that was best known in ‘1984’ and more recently made famous in ‘The Hunger Games’. As a Young Adult novel, the major characters tend to be ones of that same age.  ‘Legend’ is told from the point of view of two seemingly different 15 year olds. One is an outcast from the poorest area who failed the standard test of the society; the other scored the only perfect score on the test. She is from a high-ranking family and is a prodigy at the military academy. The story follows these two as their stories intersect. This unfolds as the consequences of an income divided society and a military run government are exposed. I liked that this story was not completely predictable and that it is very family focused. My main complaint is that the characters are a bit too perfect and that the love story is the one obvious story line. Did June need to moon over Day’s eyes right from the start? One of the great aspects of ‘The Hunger Games’ was the focus on family and survival for Katniss – she even manipulated the love triangle with those in mind. It made the story more complicated and interesting. I look forward to seeing if the rest of this trilogy becomes more complex.

'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett

The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.0)

I am probably the last person to read this popular book. I knew the basic premise from the hoopla around the book and movie, but luckily it didn’t ruin the reading experience. The story (for anyone-like me-living under a rock) is set in the early 60’s in Jackson, Mississippi and tells the story of black maids and the white women they work for. A young disillusioned white woman tries to understand how the maids really feel about their bosses and decides to write their stories.  While I’m not a big fan of dialectal writing, as many writers who employ it cause a drastic slowing in the flow of the dialogue. Ms. Stockett uses it repetitively, so after a brief slowdown, as the reader gets used to the few words used in dialect, the pace goes back to normal. The beauty of this book is that real and warm characters surround and highlight the social injustices. I particularly liked that it was told from the point of view of three very different characters.