'Don't Let Me Go', by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Don’t Let Me Go, Catherine Ryan Hyde (3)

Meeting an author and getting to chat with them about their process is quite special. Our book club was lucky enough to meet Ms. Hyde and discuss this book and her general writing process. While she is most well known for having written ‘Pay It Forward’, that was her third book and she has written over 30 now. I have not read any others, but I was surprised how similar this book was in tone and overall subject to ‘Pay It Forward’.  One of the main characters is a precocious girl who brings out the best in all the adults who meet her. All the characters (except the girl) have a relatively large flaw, but something good down deep – which the girl sees quickly with the lack of guile only the young seem to have. All the characters live in an apartment building in LA. Grace, the child, is often alone as her mother is an addict who is often ‘sleeping’. The other adults in the apartment begin to take turns watching over Grace so that she doesn’t get taken by Child Services. The most interesting character is Billy, the gay, agoraphobic ex-dancer who Grace drags into her life. Much of the story is about his evolution – due to Grace’s needs and under her urging- back to a functioning member of society. I liked that the chapters alternated between Grace and Billy’s points of view. The story was not particularly complex, but this added needed texture. Overall the book is uplifting in many ways, though somewhat unrealistic. I’d like to think that an apartment in a bad part of LA could have 6-8 flawed people who were as good as Grace finds them to be, but my cynical side is doubtful.

'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion (4.0)

If you are a fan of the character, Sheldon, on ‘The Big Bang Theory’, you are likely to enjoy this book, as the narrator is a Sheldon-esque character. While very aware of his social ‘issues’, he appears to have Asperger’s, but is unaware of the label. The story is a light, romantic comedy of a nerdy assistant genetics professor in Australia trying to find love. While the plot is quite predictable, I really enjoyed Don’s perspective on life and love and following his journey was fun. Most of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit better, but it’s hard to quibble when you are laughing. Like Sheldon, Don has warmth that sneaks out enough times to make you root for him and hope he succeeds in life. I particularly liked how Don’s journey highlights the unique qualities of people on the spectrum in a positive way.

'Armada' by Ernest Cline

Armada, Ernest Cline (3.0)

While not as thoroughly engaging, complex or as pertinent to those of my generation as Mr. Cline’s previous novel, ‘Ready Player One’, I did find some things to like in ‘Armada’. His predilection for video games and science fiction are strong in the story, though the ‘80’s movie and music tie-ins are subtler. The main character, Zack, spends much of his teenage years playing Armada, a multi-player video game involving a war against an invading alien army where our armed force uses unmanned replaceable drones for the majority of the fighting. When he starts realizing that his video world and real world may be combining (uh, steal much from ‘Ender’s Game’?), he believes he is having a mental breakdown a la his father, who died very early in his life. I won’t say more as this book is really quite predictable enough, but I did find it more compelling as he moved out of the video game sphere and into real life. I am a sucker for most types of Sci-Fi, particularly when the invading alien motivation is somewhat cryptic. I think most readers over 40 will read this book and pine for ‘Ready Player One’, but those younger may be happy, as is.

"All the Light We Cannot See' and 'The Book of Life'

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr (3.5)

Reading this book while travelling through Austria was a unique experience. Hearing lots of German being spoken certainly put me in the right frame of mind.  That being said, I have mixed feelings about this book. My main complaint is how one of the main characters, the German boy, Werner, was written to be one of the most sympathetic Nazi characters I have read.  From his introduction, I felt manipulated into liking him and knew I would be called on to ignore or at least understand his war actions.  The story is told mainly from his point of view and that of a 16-year-old blind French girl. The author jumps back and forth from a time shortly after the invasion of Normandy to a time 5-10 years leading up to it. The point of view at various times comes from a couple of other characters (a Nazi gemologist, the girl’s father, her uncle, etc.), which seems a bit disjointed but does work.  I liked the unique qualities of the story, including the plot, but I found the ending a little unsatisfying. The climax happened quite early (~85%) and the story dangled on with many more small events. Overall the plot was compelling, I liked how some of the characters were written, but something was ‘off’.

The Book of Life (All Souls), Deborah Harkness (3.5)

For light, romantic, ‘Twilight’ for adults’ type reading, this series fits the bill. Sprinkled with interesting historical information and characters you want to follow, these books have a bit less ‘mooning’ and more action as the two main characters (a witch and a vampire) fall in love and try to figure out how witches, vampires and daemons came to be and are supposed to flourish. As typical with unconventional lovers, most everyone is against them and many roadblocks thrown in their way.  I found this third book better than the second – it wrapped most elements up well, leaving a bit open for more, but was generally satisfying in its closer.

'The Boys in the Boat', by Daniel James Brown

The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown (3.0)

I was a bit disappointed in this award-winning book. While the story is fascinating, I was let down with the story telling. All the elements were there: a group of scrappy athletes (many who had come through adversity), an unlikely winning college team, and the dramatic setting of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. I’m glad I now know the story in more detail, but on completion I had a sense of missing a better version. The author picked wisely in his main character. He follows the story of Joe Rantz, one of the rowers of the 8-oar crew team from the University of Washington in the mid 1930’s. Joe’s childhood reads today as a harrowing abandonment, although it was likely a more frequent scenario during the Depression. His journey to get on the team and to the great success achieved should be inspiring to all and impresses on us the type of strong personal character he had. I think many people will enjoy this book. While similar and as inspiring, it’s not quite ‘Seabiscuit’ or ‘Unbroken’.

'Down to a Soundless Sea, Stories' by Thomas Steinbeck

Down to a Soundless Sea, Stories, Thomas Steinbeck (3.5)

Since we’ve moved to the Central Coast of California recently and just started to deeply investigate the area, I found these short stories particularly interesting. Mr. Steinbeck admits in the Author’s Note that his family would indulge their storytelling abilities at gatherings – led by his famous father, John Steinbeck. Most of these stories have JS’s feel of the area, the characters and often a sense of sadness you find in his famous books. The stories weave names familiar to us now (Cruickshank, Post, Pfeiffer, etc.) as they were real people who worked and lived in the area in the late 1800’s. There are also several characters from the diverse cultures that settled in this area, from the Chinese to the Filipinos and the industries that drew them such as shipping and mining. One of the longer stories (‘Blind Luck’) reminded me of ‘Two Years Before the Mast’, the excellent telling of Richard Henry Dana’s experiences in the shipping industry along the California coast. Overall I really enjoyed the history lessons palatably served as touching stories and I believe, through these stories, we are privy to the fireside stories told by and to Thomas Steinbeck.