The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar

Thrity Umrigar in her book, The Story Hour, tells the story of two women whose paths cross in the most unusual way.  Lakshmi, an Indian immigrant trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel man, comes to meet Maggie, a hospital psychologist,  when she tries to commit suicide.  Doctor and patient soon develop a relationship.  It is not a friendship per se, but it is pivotal to both their lives. Both women suffer from extreme loneliness. Lakshmi was forced to leave her family in India; Maggie lost her mother to cancer and her father because he could not live up to her needs.  In the beginning of this relationship it is Maggie who leads Lakshmi toward independence and self esteem, but as the story progresses the roles seem to switch.  Maggie's insecurities and flaws cause her to tear apart her own family.  It is Lakshmi who then comes in to help repair the damage.  Umrigar uses the one hour therapy sessions, the story hour, to unveil these interesting and touching women.  We come to know them in this intimate setting and we quickly see they are just like all of us "more than our ... sin."  The lesson we learn is that we all are worthy of the hope we have in each other and of a better, happier future.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright is a story of second chances.  Set in the most deplorable location, the story unfolds in the largest municipal dump in Cambodia where hundreds of people live and work scratching through the garbage looking for anything they can recycle and sell.  It is a day to day existence with peril at every turn from giant bull dozers to fire.  The story revolves around two women who begin their journey together in a most unexpected way.  Sang Ly has to confess to the ill tempered, alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap, that she does not have money for this month's rent because she had to take her chronically ill baby for expensive medicine.  It is only by sheer coincidence that this vile woman happen so see a book that Sang Ly's husband has brought home from the dump.  Sopeap reveals that she is more than an illiterate drunk; she can read and Sang Ly bargains with her for the book -- teach me to read.  And, of course, learning to read leads to discussions of literature and this changes everything.  The women work together to reach renewal and redemption.   The works of literature they study together range from Cinderella to Moby Dick but all lead to an important life lesson.  "Stories that change your nature, stories that cause you to become a better person from their telling--these stories always contain truth."  This was a life affirming, uplifting allegory of all our lives.  You will come away feeling amazed at the magic revealed through the works of a story.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Sometimes the best books are found when we look to the past.  Classics are so named because they stand the test of time.  In Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca we find such a treasure.  The fact that this book has never gone out of print since it was first published in 1938 reinforces its proper placement on any list of classics. Rebecca, according to Du Maurier, is a gothic novel even though reviewers have insisted on describing it as a romance.  As a gothic novel, the setting becomes just as important as the characters or plot and this is certainly clear in that this story is driven by the central importance of the English estate on which it is set, Manderley.  The great Cornwall estate presents a brooding, secretive, dark backdrop to the action; it seems that the castle-like house and the extensive grounds that surround it control all the main characters. For example, the grounds of the estate play into the suspense as seen in the narrator's descriptions of the azaleas as being "blood red" and monstrous and the trees that line the drive as forbidding and encroaching as if they are trying to trap anyone who dares to enter.  The narrator, the second wife of Maxim de Winter, is fearful and unsure in this place that she feels she is so unfit to live.  So, the setting is a wonderful enhancement to the mystery that unfolds.  The plot centers around the death of the first Mrs. de Winters, Rebecca, who we find did not die accidentally but was indeed murdered.  We find that Maxim was not the heartbroken husband who had lost the love of his life, but was instead a man who hated his first wife with a deep and dark anger.  We find also that the remaining characters, especially Mrs. Danvers the house manager and Rebecca's personal maid, have never really let Rebecca go but have instead kept Manderley just as if she might walk back in from the beach cottage, her sanctuary.  This is twisted, tormented, dark novel.  It could very well be described as the original Gone Girl.  It is a classic and wonderfully intense and brooding.  Read and enjoy!

The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki

Most women can look back at the time in their lives when they played "princess".  We all can see the phenomenon of Disney's princess dynasty.  The reality is that most of us still want to "play" happily ever after.  In truth, living as a princess is much less glamorous than we would imagine.  Unfortunately, the societal demands placed on royals compounded with a strictly controlled lifestyle would undoubtedly cancel out much of the glamour an outsider might imagine.  Other factors that would negate most of the 'dream" lives we imagine is that the monarchies of Europe in previous centuries were also responsible for controlling the day to day governing of their countries as well as heading any military operations in order to ensure security for their people.  Allison Pataki used these factors in her historical fiction novel, The Accidental Empress, which is based on the life of a real princess, Empress Elizabeth of Hungary/Austria in the 16th century.  Elizabeth or Sisi as she was nicknamed, had grown up pampered and relatively  free in a small dukedom.  She dreamed of marrying a "prince" and living "happily ever after."  Her dream seemed to be coming true when she met and fell in love with the emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph.  At the tender age of 16, she was groomed and prepared to be the empress of the most powerful country of the time.  What she was not prepared for was the total lack of freedom she was faced with and her complete isolation in this new life  She found her husband to be preoccupied with his duties and unable or unwilling to stand up to his mother (who had in essence run the country all the years of his childhood and youth) in matters concerning himself and his wife and their private life.  Sisi found she was only seen as a means of providing heirs to Franz, and most disturbingly, she was not even allowed to raise her own children who were taken from her at birth and placed in the care of their grandmother and nannies.  All of this eventually led to Sisi's break down in body and spirit.  Certainly, the life of a princess as shown through Sisi is not the one of which little girls dream. Fortunately, Pataki has written a novel that eventually reveals the strength and determination of the main character to find some freedom and happiness within the life she lived.  For historical fiction readers, this is a really interesting time period that is shown through the harsh light of reality. This book leads the reader to investigate the actual people of this dynasty and allows us a peek into the real life of royals.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Most of us can look back over our lives and recall an event or an experience that changed us and moved us from the innocence of youth to a new awareness of the realities of life that can be cruel and painful.  William Kent Krueger in his novel, Ordinary Grace, tells his story through Frank who looks back 40 years to the summer when he was 13, the summer of his passage to maturity.  The novel could be described as a mystery, but it is so much more even though Frank and his brother, Jake, find their lives changed by the five mysterious deaths in their small Minnesota town in the summer of 1961.  They find they are tied in one way or another to each of the people lost through accidental deaths, naturally caused deaths, suicidal deaths and murder. It becomes clear that they must understand the reason for each death in order to accept it.  Solving the mystery is not nearly as important as the realizations Frank and Jake make about the people in their lives.  The realization that no one is perfect and that the people who might have been heroes to a child (parents, soldiers, policemen and ministers) are not beyond sinning.  During the summer of discoveries, Frank comes to see that everyone is in need of redemption and "ordinary grace."  Despite the dark subject matter, the story is uplifting.  Krueger does a masterful job of showing the "gray areas" of life.  We are reminded that none of us live in a vacuum; we all face disappointment and despair, but we do have the benevolence of God's "awful grace" to bear us up even under the most dire circumstances.  This is a novel that stays with you long after you finish reading.  It comes to you in quiet moments inviting you to read passages again just for the joy of the experience and the enlightenment the book offers page after page. As with all great literature, this book opens us to new understandings and more compassion for all.

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

For historical fiction lovers, Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale is a must read.  World War II is the setting of this novel, but the action takes place in France not Germany or England which are much more widely seen as the epicenter of the war.  Additionally, the main characters are not soldiers fighting in the trenches or on bloody battlefields, but instead two sisters who we find take very different approaches to the occupation of the German army in France.  Our main characters, Vianne and Isabelle, are sisters but they are completely different in nature, and it is this difference on which that the novel focuses.  The consequences of the women's actions that seem to be dictated by their very personalities are revealed to the reader in an ever devolving, war ravaged France.  The narration of the story tells the story from one sister's point of view and then switches to the other's.  Both sister's stories are dramatic and heroic in their own way. The moral dilemma of each woman becomes more and more apparent as the novel continues.  The choices that each has to make become more and more heart-breaking.  The tragedies that they must face become more and more devastating. It must be said however, the novel does not leave readers sad and depressed despite Vianne statement that, "grief, like regret, settles into our DNA and remains forever a part of us."  In the end, we see each of the characters came to believe that life must be lived with hope and love and that "love has to stronger that hate, or there is no future for us."

Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin the author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, is a lifelong reader no doubt.  She understands that books are connected to the soul of those who cannot do without them.  She realizes that for some people, reading is an extension of life.  If you are a reader then you too will appreciate this connection that can only be found in literature that is read and shared and loved by people.  In Zevin's novel we find a remarkable celebration of literature, of books, and of the impact that they have on all of us. The main character, Fikry, is a cantankerous, small bookstore owner whose life is forever changed when he finds an abandoned baby in his store.  Shocking everyone who knows him, he decides to adopt this little girl who he names Maya.  Their story unfolds wrapped carefully by their bookstore and the books that they read together.  Other characters come into Fikry's life and all of these people are changed by the bookstore owner and his daughter.  The story sounds so simple but it is so much more.  The main character realizes that people need a way to express themselves that is real and yet not too scary.  He says, "We read to know we're not alone.  We read because we are alone, We read and we are not alone.  We are not alone." Reading connects us with others; books make a wonderful bridge on which people can reach one another.  If you love books this is a book you should not miss.  It is a celebration of a bond that is as old as time.  Read and enjoy being a part of this circle. Read and share your life with others who are like you.  Read, for as Fikry says, "We are all collected works."

Girl On the Train by Paula Hawkins

Girl On the Train by Paula Hawkins


Paula Hawkins, the author of the novel Girl On the Train, chose a tried and true story line showing once again there is nothing new under the sun.  As long as man has been on this earth, he has found a way to sin and cause irreparable damage to those around him.  This book has been compared to Gone Girl but was really quite different especially where the characters were concerned.  The main character in Girl on the Train is a shattered, vulnerable woman struggling to recover from a divorce she did not want.  Many problems existed in her marriage but the most destructive it seems was her infertility.  The need to have a baby drove Rachel to desperation and her desperation led to her alcoholism which led to losing her husband, her job but most importantly, her self image.  Rachel tells us at one point, "I am not the girl I used to be.  I am no longer desirable, I'm off-putting in some way...it's as if people can see the damage written all over me." The story line intertwines Rachel's life with many people who add to her depression.  Her ex-husband and his new wife seem to have the life that Rachel always dreamed of.  They have a darling baby and live in the house that had been Rachel's.  All of the drama of the book is cleverly drawn around Rachel's daily ride on the train that passes behind her former home.  She watches her husband and his family but she also watches the couple who live a few doors down the street.  She imagines what their lives are like and when she sees that something is amiss, she is determined to solve the mystery.  The outcome of her sleuthing is amazing indeed.  The twists and turns the Hawkins builds into her story are truly amazing.  For those readers who enjoy trying to figure out "who done it", this is a fun novel.  The ending will not leave you wanting!