Autumn Book Reviews

Autumn Book Reviews

Autumn reading isn't nearly as luxurious and plentiful as summer reading or even cozy winter reading. Even though Fall is a busy season around here I did manage to read a few books. :)


1.) The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

This book was perfect fall reading. Mysterious and intriguing, this novel is a definite page turner. I loved getting pulled into the story and couldn't put it down. Several years ago I watched a fascinating documentary called "The Boy Who Lived Before". It was about little boy who had memories of a past life on a remote island off of the coast of Scotland. This book is somewhat similar. I heard about this book on the podcast What Should I Read Next? which I absolutely love!! The book came highly recommended and rightly so; I loved it. This is a book that Tyler and I read together. It was my suggestion to read it but he happened to read it first. He spent the next few days constantly asking me, "Where are you in the book?" and "What's happening?"  and "Read faster!"  Ha ha!! This was a fun book to discuss together and would be a great book club selection.

From Goodreads:

Noah wants to go home. A seemingly easy request from most four year olds. But as Noah's single-mother, Janie, knows, nothing with Noah is ever easy. One day the pre-school office calls and says Janie needs to come in to talk about Noah, and no, not later, now - and life as she knows it stops. For Jerome Anderson, life as he knows it has stopped. A deadly diagnosis has made him realize he is approaching the end of his life. His first thought - I'm not finished yet. Once a shining young star in academia, a graduate of Yale and Harvard, a professor of psychology, he threw it all away because of an obsession. Anderson became the laughing stock of his peers, but he didn't care - something had to be going on beyond what anyone could see or comprehend. He spent his life searching for that something else. And with Noah, he thinks he's found it. Soon Noah, Janie and Anderson will find themselves knocking on the door of a mother whose son has been missing for seven years - and when that door opens, all of their questions will be answered.

This was a fun read! Noah wants to go home...the only trouble is...he is home. This is a thought-provoking psychological mystery that explores the idea of reincarnation. The book includes data from actual case studies of other children who have exhibited these types of symptoms and, despite what your feelings and beliefs may be about the idea of reincarnation, it is fascinating. The novel is a well-written, layered mystery with great suspense that builds. The characters are likeable and sympathetic. I could feel the worry, stress, and helplessness of Janie as she tries anything and everything to help her little boy. It was heart-wrenching. I loved the character of Anderson. I just read a nonfiction book about another person who suffered from the same type of dementia so that made the novel even more interesting. The story was griping and emotional. I couldn't put it down. The Forgetting Time is a fantastic debut novel from the author. I look forward to reading more of her work. My disclaimer is that it may pull you down into an internet rabbit hole and you will want to read other case studies and interviews. I did!!

My Rating: I LOVED IT!

2.) Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

This book was published in 2013. For years I have heard amazing things about it but for whatever reason it was never at the top of my to-read list. Coincidentally, this book came in at the library right at the same time as the book The Forgetting Time and they both deal with the idea of reincarnation. It is so crazy when that happens. This book has a much different take on reincarnation than The Forgetting Time but I loved this book just as much... maybe more.

From Goodreads:

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her...Wildly inventive, darkly comic, startlingly poignant — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best, playing with time and history, telling a story that is breathtaking for both its audacity and its endless satisfactions.

This novel is beautifully written. The style is stunning and very British. The prose is lyrical. I was immediately drawn in. I was so intrigued by the plot and the story-telling...not linear...not circular...more like a folding and a refolding. I have never read a novel like this before. I was worried that I would tire of the same story of the same girl being born over and over again into the same family and into the same circumstances but making slightly different choices and different adjustments each time. But I absolutely wasn't! I loved it so much. Each incarnation of her life was so captivating although at times both rich and rewarding and bleak and despairing. It was fascinating to think about our choices and their consequences both large and small. I grew to love the character of Ursula Todd and the Todd family. I loved the setting of the novel and the time period... England before and after WWII. Even the tragedy of war and the horrific scenes of London and Berlin during the blitz were compelling and heart-breaking. I couldn't stop reading.

I highly recommend this book. I know that about half of the book's readers don't love the structure of the book and find it distracting. I am not one of them. The structure and story-telling gave an extremely interesting twist to what would have been, on it's own, a beautifully written British family saga. I truly enjoyed it.

The book left me questioning...but not unsatisfied... and I look forward to reading Atkinson's book God In Ruins which tells the story of Ursula's beloved brother Teddy. I just finished the book yesterday and I already miss the Todd family. That is always the sign of a great book to me...do I miss and mourn for the characters or wonder what they are doing after completing the book? I am also compelled to learn more about the author Kate Atkinson. I am baffled by the kind of mind that can take one story in so many different directions with so many details and not only keep everything straight but make it such a lush and beautiful story.

My Rating: Fantastic!!




3.) Old-Fashioned Girl By Louisa May Alcott

From Goodreads:

Polly Milton never questions the way she is - until she goes to visit her cousins in the city. Her cousin Fanny looks too glamorous to be Polly's age, and wouldn't be caught dead playing in the snow. Will Polly ever learn to be like the other girls? And does she even want to? Sometimes being old-fashioned is right in style.

In elementary school I devoured Little Women and it's successors: Little Men and Jo's Boys, but somehow this book eluded me. I don't remember even hearing about it.  I decided to give it a go as my classics night-time insomnia read. It was perfect.

Originally published in 1869 it is definitely an old-fashioned tale about an old-fashioned girl. The story itself is simple and sweet as is the main character Polly. Not only is Polly sweet but she is also sensible, practical, cheerful, and thrifty. Through her example she teaches a wealthy family to love, help, and care for one another. She also an example of strong morals and values.

I liked the characters and the story; particularly the last half of the book. The first half tells the story of Polly as a young girl and then the second half of the book skips ahead 6 years to Polly as a young adult. The first part of the book was particularly preachy and at times heavy handed with the author even popping in now and then to moralize. I didn't love that part of the book...especially coming from the mouth of a 14 year-old girl who comes across as a bit of a sanctimonious know-it-all. But later on when Polly is older and uses her encouragingly cheerful example of hard work, sensibility, practicality, and generosity to help her friends, it wasn't nearly as preachy and sanctimonious to me. It felt more authentic.

The story itself is charming and has great heart. There is even a sweet romance. I appreciated many aspects of this novel. I enjoyed the insight into the time period and culture. I particularly loved Alcott's use of a strong female heroine whose love of home, family, and homemaking didn't make her weak but rather strong and a good example to those around her. Polly's love for others and her desire to serve them is inspiring. I loved that Polly showed young readers that when facing hard and difficult times the best medicine is to go and serve someone else. I am looking forward to sharing this book with my daughters. One thing that I particularly loved is that throughout the book Polly refuses to lower her standards and morals for popularity and for what society deems correct. She shows young girls that it is okay to stand up for what you believe and value and that it is okay to be different from the crowd. Young girls of today can definitely benefit from that wisdom. 147 years after it's publishing date this book is still relatable; with it's values of hard work, service to others, cheerfulness, patience, thrift, love of family, gratitude, and the blessings of simplicity.

My Rating: Good


4.) The Lost Hours by Karen White

I read and enjoyed the House on Tradd series written by this author. They are fun fluff and kind of corny but with a side of spookiness thrown in. I was looking forward to reading more by Karen White. However, this book felt like it was written by a completely different author. I literally had to go onto Goodreads and double check that I was actually reading the same author as the House on Tradd series. I was but it sure didn't feel like it, unfortunately.

From Goodreads:

When Piper Mills was twelve, she helped her grandfather bury a box that belonged to her grandmother in the backyard. For twelve years, it remained untouched. Now a near fatal riding accident has shattered Piper’s dreams of Olympic glory. After her grandfather’s death, she inherits the house and all its secrets, including a key to a room that doesn’t exist—or does it? And after her grandmother is sent away to a nursing home, she remembers the box buried in the backyard. In it are torn pages from a scrapbook, a charm necklace—and a newspaper article from 1939 about the body of an infant found floating in the Savannah River. The necklace’s charms tell the story of three friends during the 1930s— each charm added during the three months each friend had the necklace and recorded her life in the scrapbook. Piper always dismissed her grandmother as not having had a story to tell. And now, too late, Piper finds she might have been wrong.

The premise sounded fun and intriguing. I couldn't wait to get reading. You guys, I tried to read this book all summer long. I just could not get into it. It was so slow. I kept putting it back on my night stand and picking up other books. Finally after I had exhausted my stash I decided to give it another go. I told myself to just read to page 100 and that if I still didn't like it I would quit. Well, I got to page 100 and still didn't like it but I kept on reading because I hate abandoning a book.

The mystery wasn't terrible but it was so slow and has a cast of unlikable characters. The main character, Piper, was the dullest of the bunch. The "romance" was nonexistent. The love interest was also completely unlikable as was the other main character, Lillian. It is hard to read a book about people you don't like or even care about. It just didn't work for me. Plus there were a few weird things with the plot that I just didn't buy and couldn't suspend my disbelief to get into the story. It was not enjoyable or engaging reading. It was a slog and I couldn't wait for it to be over. It makes me hesitant to read more by the author. Who is the real Karen White? The author of the House on Tradd series or the author of The Lost Hours? Confusing...

My Rating: Skip It.

5.) The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

From Goodreads:

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives. Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

I can't remember who recommended this book to me but it has been on my Goodreads To-Read list for quite awhile. I finally put it on hold at the library thinking that it would be a fun Fall read. The premise sounded right up my alley. I love books that are set in old houses in England and that are about family secrets. I couldn't wait to start reading. The novel tells the story of the Bird family...all of whom are flawed and damaged from a tragic event that occurs one Easter. Each member of the family reacts differently to the tragedy and dysfunction and estrangement result. The story centers around their quirky mother, Lorelei, and her evolution into hoarding and mental illness.

The book was well-written. I could see the house in the Cotswolds and Lorelei so clearly. The story held my interest but it wasn't one that I loved. The novel was sad and dreary and, at times, extremely frustrating. The inside look at hoarding and the long-term effects that it can have on a family...physical, mental, and emotional...was extremely interesting although also heartbreaking. The novel covers a span of 30 years and the timeline jumps backward and forward in time.  I enjoyed the different time lines and how the story unfolded. It kept me reading. I wanted to know how all the characters and their complex family relationships turned out...even the ones that I didn't particularly like. So while this wasn't one of my favorite novels... the story is one that will stay with me for quite some time.

My Rating: Interesting but dreary.

6.) The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay

This was a book that I just picked up off the shelf at the library one day because it looked interesting. It is crazy how rarely I do that anymore. Now I get a recommendation from a friend or Goodreads or a podcast and put the book on hold at the library or download it to my Kindle. But on this particular day I was at the library with my daughters and I had time to peruse the shelves. This book jumped out at me.

From Goodreads:

Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious measures to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy's secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt, and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change. In a sudden turn of events, James's wealthy grandmother Helen hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy's predicament better than anyone else. As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen's wisdom, as Helen confronts the ghosts of her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters' beloved heroines, who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of change. Now Lucy must go back into her past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she will prevail—if only she can step into the life that's been waiting for her all along.

This is a book appeals to book lovers. It is packed with references, quotes, and allusions to other literary works. I loved that about this book but that was about it. My main issue was character development. There wasn't any. It was really hard to care about or form an attachment to any of the characters much less root for their vague relationships. I need to care about the characters.

My second issue was that there was barely any background information. We meet Lucy...turn the page...Lucy meets James for the first time...turn the page...They are in a relationship...turn the page... they are broken up. Somehow, we the readers, are supposed to know, care about, and be invested in a relationship that we know absolutely nothing about. It didn't work for me.

As for the plot line, I didn't think it was realistic. Lucy and James' grandmother head to Europe to right an old wrong. Not buying it. I didn't even buy the grandmother's story. Half the time I was wondering where the author was going with the plot. Sometimes she would be off on a philosophical tangent for a few pages and at other times Lucy and Helen are wandering around England taking in the sights which read like a travel blog. I kept thinking...yeah that sounds cool and all but what is the point? How is this moving the plot forward? (It wasn't.)

To me the book was nothing more than a cute cover. I wish I liked the story...and the characters... but I just didn't. The novel lacked depth.

My Rating: Disappointing.

7.) Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

(I am now on the hunt to find this darling vintage edition.)

This is yet another Louisa May Alcott book that I missed as a little girl. I liked Eight Cousins more than Old-Fashioned Girl and I think...dare I say it? I like it even more than Little Women; simply because it is a fun and joyful read. There is less tragedy than Little Women and less sermonizing than Old-Fashioned Girl. 

From Goodreads:

When Rose Campbell, a shy orphan, arrives at "The Aunt Hill" to live with her six aunts and seven boisterous male cousins, she is quite overwhelmed. How could such a delicate young lady, used to the quiet hallways of a girls' boarding school, exist in such a spirited home? It is the arrival of Uncle Alec that changes everything. Much to the horror of her aunts, Rose's forward-thinking uncle insists that the child get out of the parlor and into the sunshine. And with a little courage and lots of adventures with her mischievous but loving cousins, Rose begins to bloom.

Charming! Charming! Charming! An orphaned girl comes to live with her extended family. She inherits a delightful clan of seven boy cousins to amuse and entertain her, a gaggle of endearing and overbearing aunts, and the dashing Uncle Alec who saves the day. What's not to love?! It's a fun heart-warming story of a loving extended family. All of the Scottish references were extra fun!! I am excited that I get to share this book with my girls.

I loved the morals that are still relevant today of self-reliance, hard work, kindness, generosity, friendship, fresh air and exercise, and family loyalty. I loved the antics of the eight cousins and all of their adventures. It is a fun and cozy book to read aloud but keep in mind that this book was written in 1874 so there are some antiquated stereotypes that will require some discussion and explanation to children.

I loved the book and am now onto A Rose in Bloom the sequel.

My Rating: A delightful celebration of family.


8.) We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Every year I like to pick a spooky book to read in October. This book had been highly recommended to me for years and this year I finally read it. I found the book interesting... not a thriller or even necessarily spooky, but definitely a sinister and strange tale. Perfect for October.

From Goodreads:

Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods—until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiosity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.

This book was a wonderful window into madness. I was hooked from the start from the memorable first paragraph:

"My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old and I live with my sister )onstance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenent, and Amanita Phalloides, the death cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead."

Who doesn't want to keep reading, right? This book is a slow burn and stays purposefully vague. Ironically what usually annoys me in a novel is what actually what works for me in this story. Mary Katherine Blackwood or Merricat as she is called will probably stay with me forever. From the start you realize that she is an unreliable narrator. Unreliable and untrustworthy narrators always make things interesting... and unsettling... in a story.

The whole time I was reading I kept wondering what was really going on and what was reality. I had all kinds of crazy theories going while I was reading and I am not alone. The internet is full of theories and discussion of this little book...blog posts, articles, podcasts... All of that made reading the book even more fun and some of my theories are still intact!

My Rating: A delightfully weird psychological tale with a modern gothic feel. Super quick read.

9.) Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

This book has been mentioned so many times on the podcast that I listen to called, "What Should I Read Next?" that I absolutely had to read it myself. All the hype was correct...I loved it.

From Goodreads:

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar with her boardinghouse roommate stretching three dollars as far as it will go when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a tempered smile, happens to sit at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a yearlong journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool toward the upper echelons of New York society and the executive suites of Condé Nast--rarefied environs where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. 

This book is so absolutely beautifully written. It is dazzling. Just dazzling. I loved being immersed in 1930s Manhattan. Perfection. I was hooked by the prologue which of course sent me off on an Internet tangent searching for Walker Evans photographs. Riveting. You should do that even if you don't read the book. The prologue discusses his subway portraits. So fantastic.

This novel is engaging and witty while at the same time deeply moving as it deals with darker themes like deception, reinvention, and justice. The descriptions are lush and atmospheric. The setting stylish and elegant. The writing is sublime and the story character driven which I absolutely love. I want to care about and root for the main characters. I did. They so well written, convincing, authentic, and complicated. I miss them deeply...Tinker Grey (especially Tinker), Katey, Dicky, Wallace... I loved them all...even Eve.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book and there were many:

“In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions—we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and discard the next, or discard the first card and keep the second. And before we know it, the deck has been played out and the decisions we have just made will shape our lives for decades to come...I know that right choices by definition are the means by which life crystallizes loss.” 

 I cannot believe that this was Amor Towles debut novel. Unbelievable. I look forward to reading his new novel A Gentleman in Moscow.

My Rating: Excellent. A terrific read.