Falling together by Maria Dos Santos

This was another book I picked up at the library without any recommendations.  It was an easy read although also complex. 

The story follows three college friends: Pen, Cat, and Will.  After college they become estranged from each other, then many years later Cat "summons" Pen and Will to their college reunion.  I'll reveal that they both decide to go, but to tell you any more would ruin the sprawling, multi-layered, story that spans continents and decades.  The book tells the story of their friendship in college, the events leading up to their estrangement, and their developing relationships in the current time, after the college reunion.

Overall I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it each night before bed. 

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

Many years ago I read Practical Magic by Hoffman and really enjoyed it - it became a movie in the '90's too - with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.  When I saw this book by the same author at the library, I picked it up.

This book is about a family of women, each of whom has a special talent - for example, knowing if someone is lying.  When Stella comes of age and finds out that her talent is clairvoyence, she is put in a difficult situation when she sees her father commit a crime in the future.  Once a series of events comes from this, she goes to live with estranged grandmother, complicating things for her mother.

I liked the mix of supernatural and "normal" worlds - not too science-fiction, but certainly a required element of the plot.  I also liked thought the characters were well-developed and strong.  It wasn't the most memorable book I've read recently, but I did enjoy it.

Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp

Disclaimer: I’ve become an extreme dog person in the past two years, since Lucy came home with us.  This book is only for extreme dog people. 

This book is by Caroline Knapp, author of many of my favorites, including Appetites.  She gets a dog (coincidentally named Lucille) who changes Caroline’s life.  This book was a lovely story about their friendship and how having a dog changed Knapp’s outlook on life.

I definitely related to some of her sentiments around how it feels to be around a dog.  She was a more solitary person than I am, so in some sections she described a relationship with Lucille that was more intense than mine with Lucy.  But overall I appreciated her elevation of dog to complete companion and enjoyed her anecdotes and reflection.

The Litigators by John Grisham

I hadn’t read a John Grisham book in a while and Web had this one around the house.  On a whim I asked him to bring it to Paris for me.

The story is about a small “ambulance-chasing” law firm.  Shortly after hiring a new associate (a young burnt-out attorney from a big firm) the firm takes on a giant pharmaceutical company in a case that quickly becomes that which will make or break the partnership. 

It was pretty standard Grisham.  Fast-paced, quickly-drawn good characters, and didn’t take itself too seriously.  Good airport read.

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Webster bought this book for me a few years back when we last went to Paris.  Since I didn't read it then, I thought last week's trip to Paris (part work part play) would be a good time.

The memoir is by Adam Gopnik, an occasional writer for The New Yorker, and chronicles his family's move to Paris when his son was a toddler.  He and his wife and son live there for a few years and this book is a collection of essays he wrote during that time.

I enjoyed reading this book but it wasn't what I expected.  I thought it would be a lightweight memoir about his time there.  While there was some of that (anecdotes about finding an apartment, taking his son to the park), the book was much more a set of reflections on society and what it means to be Parisian - including politics, labor relations, medicine, and the pure quintessence of living in Paris.

I’d recommend the book; just don’t expect a lighthearted memoir.

The Love Wife by Gish Jen

This book is a rarity for me – I took a few minutes to browse in the library and picked out with no recommendations and no knowledge of it.  But it was a good choice!

The story follows a Chinese-American man who marries an American woman (“Blondie”) and they adopt two children.  His disapproving Chinese mother has strong feelings about his decisions, and after her death he finds that in order to inherit some particular items of great sentimental value, the family has to take in a distant relative from China.

I’ll leave the plot there, but it was a good story.  Also unique was the alternating narrators – not just each chapter but every few paragraphs.  Very interesting style that I thought would be annoying but actually worked.