I put We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh on my list on the recommendation of a colleague and I’m glad I did. It was an enjoyable read, much like her book, The Language of Flowers. We Never Asked for Wings is about a mother who had her children young and never really took care of them (her mother did) until she was forced to. When she does, she realizes that she’s not as bad as she thought, and changes her life and her priorities. It was a fast read – I was able to take care of it over a few hours – and a good one.

I read a number of negative reviews of My Name is Lucy Barton, and I almost returned it to the library without reading it. However, it was such a short book and I have liked Elizabeth Strout’s other books so much that I thought I would try it out anyway. Unfortunately, those other reviewers were correct. I really disliked this book. The character was unpleasant and I didn’t want to find out about her. The story teased and never really fleshed anything out. Give this one a pass for sure.

I have enjoyed all the books I have read by Joyce Maynard and Under the Influence was no exception. While depressing, and filled with foreboding, it was a good read. The characters were interesting and the story was surprising, if not entirely believable. Helen drinks after her son goes to bed and one evening, has to get behind the wheel after one of these evenings and loses custody of her son. A wealthy couple takes her under their wing during this difficult time and becomes the complete focus of her life. Friendships are at the heart of this novel. I’d put this one on your list if you are looking for a good, solid read.

My neighborhood book club chose Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. I enjoyed learning more about Fitzgerald, but the book dragged a bit for me. I had trouble getting through the last 150 pages. I think Fowler could have been more succinct. Perhaps, however, in showing the repetitiveness of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s behavior, we can truly feel how Zelda must have felt living with him? It made me sad to read how her life was consistently subsumed under his, but then I remembered the times. If you like historical fiction, I think you will enjoy this one.

Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy was written by Lindsay Moran, the wife of a wonderful photographer I know. It sounded interesting and I thought I would give it a go. I enjoyed the book and it certainly enlightened me about the process of training to be a spy as well as the challenges presented by opting into this kind of life. I particularly enjoyed when Moran described meeting James (the photographer friend) for the first time. Blowing My Cover was a fun read, quick, not too deep, and engaging.

After starting and rejecting both The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild and The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, I picked up Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling  on the recommendation and loan of a friend at work. I enjoyed it (much more than Bossypants), and it was a very quick read, but I didn’t think it was hilarious. Perhaps this type of book just isn’t for me…

Ghost Boy is the memoir of Martin Pistorius, who mysteriously became a quadriplegic after a brief illness. “In January of 1988, Marsin Pistorius came home from school complaining of a sore throat. He never went back. Within a year, Martin had degenerated into a mute quadriplegic.” This was a completely engrossing book that I couldn’t put down. The description of his falling in love and marrying his wife came and went too quickly, but it was a fascinating read overall.

As I have said before (in this post) Kate Morton’s work is a guilty pleasure. Her stories are almost always ones where you become quickly and easily lost. Her newest, The Lake House, was no exception. I enjoyed the premise – deserted country home, stumbled upon by a woman fleeing her errors in London – lots of mysteries to solve. While it was predictable, and way too long, it was a good read.

I haven’t read any Isabel Allende in a long time (she was a favorite of mine in college and in young adulthood). A colleague recommended The Japanese Lover, and, upon learning it was written by Allende, I hopped to it, hoping I would like it. What a great story. It was written in Allende’s signature matter-of-fact style and kept you on your toes, waiting to know more about all the characters. What a pleasure.

I adored Life of Pi, and was excited to see that Yann Martel had a new book. The High Mountains of Portugal is made up of three intertwining stories. First is the story of a museum archivist, who finds a journal and goes up into the mountains to discover something about what he reads in the journal. Second is the story of a pathologist who has to do a very unusual autopsy. Third is the story of a Canadian politician who befriends an ape. While the second story was my least favorite, most odd, and required skimming, overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and had a unique tone. It won’t be for everyone, but if you are a fan of Martel’s, I think you will like it.