Dark Matter by Blake Crouch could not have been more different than Nine Women, One Dress, my last book. I could barely put it down and kept updating my family at every turn about the next surprise the book held. It is very challenging to write about Dark Matter without spoiling it. Suffice it to say, Jason is living a normal life with his wife and son until one night when he is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to a life where his wife is not his wife and he has no son. In addition, his life is no longer ordinary: he is a celebrated genius who has invented something impossible. Is this a dream? How does he get back to the life he knew? The story twists and bends reality and keeps you on your toes at every step. And, while I am not sure I fully figured out how it all could possibly work, it was a good ride, nonetheless.

I admit it – I am fascinated with polygamy. I can’t figure out how it could possibly work for any family. Ever. This is why I devoured “Big Love” and “Sister Wives.” The Sound of Gravel is a memoir of a girl growing up in a polygamist sect in Mexico. Ruthie was the thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children. Her family lived in poverty and she was abused by her step-father. It’s a depressing story, but one of hope as well. I read the whole book in a few hours because it was so readable and interesting. The author didn’t get into the weeds about the sect itself, but focused on her own day-to-day experience. I really wanted to find out how she escaped this life and what her adult life is like. I didn’t get much of this at the end, but the story carried itself anyway.

I was excited to read Nine Women, One Dress by Jane Rosen because the premise sounded unique and the story sounded light and appropriate for a busy time of year. And, this book succeeded in being just what I was looking for. Each chapter connects with the others through a little black dress designed by Max Hammer. The dress brings happiness and good luck to this group of unrelated woman. Following their stories is fun and easy. Just what I needed right now.

A former colleague of mine recommended The Rent Collector by Camron Wright to me and I am so glad she did. It was a wonderful read, much like behind the beautiful forevers. The Rent Collector follows the life of Sang Ly and her husband who live in a Cambodian dump with their very ill son, Nisay. Sang Ly befriends the rent collector, who teaches her to read. And, in the surprise friendship, all kinds of unexpected things happen. While terribly depressing, the redemption and potential for change that are realized by the end, make it a superb read.

I had been eagerly anticipating reading Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. I have enjoyed learning Glennon’s story and wanted to know more. And, true to all her writing (which I think pulls you right in), this biography pulled you right in. And, since I didn’t know so much about the details of her story, it absolutely kept me engaged until the very last word. It is a terrific biography – you should definitely pick it up.

The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue (Room), is disturbing, like Room, but entirely different. Lib, a widowed nurse, is sent to Ireland to sit and watch Anna, who hasn’t eaten in four months. She is dispatched to do the watching to determine whether Anna being alive is a miracle, or if something nefarious is going on. I struggled to get through this book. It was so very slow (probably intentionally so you felt as Lib felt sitting and watching), until about 30 pages from the end, when things fast-forwarded and went careening toward the ending. I can’t say, therefore, that I recommend this one. While I am glad I stuck with it to find out what happened, I kind of wish I hadn’t picked it up in the first place. It was especially disappointing since Room was so much better.

The Light of Paris, by Eleanor Brown (of The Weird Sisters, which was one of the first books I reviewed on this blog – and didn’t like at all, by the way) was a light, fun read about two women, unhappy wife and grandmother, in alternating chapters, facing similar issues between fulfilling society’s norms and their own hopes and dreams. It was a light and enjoyable read and, if you like Paris, will make you want to get back there.

the book that matters most by Ann Hood, was an absolute delight and one that I almost read in a day – it was that good. Ava’s husband has left her and she is at loose ends until she is invited to join a friend’s book club. This year, the book club’s theme is “the book that matters most to you.” Running alongside this primary story is the story of Ava’s daughter Maggie, who unbeknownst to her family, has dropped out of her junior-year-abroad program and fallen into a messy situation in Paris. Also, every now and again, we read about Hank Bingham, the police detective who is still trying to solve the case of Ava’s sister who died when they were children (those chapters could have been skipped, if you ask me, as they really only played into the story toward the end). This was absolutely worth a read, particularly for a book club.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Bertrand Court by Michelle Brafman by my favorite book blogger, Gayle Weisswasser, of Everyday I Write the Book. It was part of a giveaway by Prospect Park Books for the EDIWTB online book club. The premise is 14 intertwined stories about neighbors/family members in the DC area. I must start by saying that I don’t really like short stories. I feel like just when I get into the characters and plot, the story is over. However, the idea that these stories were linked made it more appealing. I liked Bertrand Court, but I didn’t love it. There were too many characters and I kept forgetting how each was linked. Also, the times kept jumping around and with flashbacks within many of the stories, I couldn’t keep track of what was what and who was who. I wasn’t with each character/storyline long enough to be able to figure out how the next one intertwined. And, in the end, at the last story, I felt let-down because of the major plot twist that left you hanging. So, overall, while the idea of Bertrand Court was appealing, I think the author would have been better served by lingering with each character and storyline longer and by not using the short story format. I’ll be curious what other book club members thought of this one.

It’s been a while since I posted. With the start of school, things have been busy, leaving me little time to read. And, I had trouble getting into The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Once, I did, though, I was sucked into the story for a little while. Ultimately, however, I struggled to finish. Cora’s story was certainly a compelling one – abandoned by her mother, and left a slave on a horrible plantation, she escapes and is recaptured several times before finding her ultimate freedom. However, the jumping around of stories and the mixing of metaphors (the underground railroad here is a real locomotive underground) didn’t work for me and, in the end, this was not a favorite of mine.