I’m not sure how Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family ended up on my “to-read” list. The memoir, written by his brother, David Kaczynski, is a slim volume that attempts to humanize his mentally ill brother, Ted. And, while it was an interesting tale, ultimately, I didn’t feel that I really gained insight into who Ted is and what compelled him to do what he did (which also could have been included in greater detail). Perhaps that is the point – that no one knows who Ted is or what made him do what he did. But, I left feeling no wiser than I had been before I started.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to pre-read Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst for an online book club organized by Everyday I Write the Book blogger, Gayle Weiswasser. I had read Parkhurst’s Dogs of Babel a while ago and was eager to see what she did with this newest story. Harmony is the story of Iris and her sister, Tilly, who is on the spectrum. Iris has always lived in Tilly’s shadow – Tilly is the primary focus of their parents’ attention. This focus increases as Tilly ages and becomes more and more difficult to raise both at home and at school. When the family moves from DC to NH to join Scott Bean at his new Camp Harmony, things begin to go even more wrong. But, beautifully, as things fall apart, the sisters and the family grow together. Harmony is a wonderfully written book both about caring for an autistic child and also about family relationships. I liked how it jumped from place and time and was written in three perspectives, Iris’, Tilly’s, and the mom, Alexandra’s. I would absolutely add this to your “to-read” list.

As Close To Us As Breathing by Elizabeth Poliner is a lovely, lovely book. It’s quiet, but filled with interesting characters who you fall in love with as you read. The women in Molly’s family travel to the shore and stay for the summer with their children while the husbands join each Friday for Shabbos dinner. Each sister has her own unique life issues which are explored through Molly’s eyes. Throughout the novel there is too much foreshadowing of Molly’s little brother’s death. In addition, the story hops around in time, which makes it a bit confusing, but overall, I enjoyed this book and the characters within it.

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittenmore took a little bit for me to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Cassie’s grandmother, June,  dies and Cassie leaves New York to move back to Ohio into June’s house. And then, a movie star she’s never met leaves her $37 million dollars. That man’s relatives contest the will, of course, and in the interim, Cassie finds out a lot about her family’s history. The end of the book went very quickly and was hard to put down. It was a perfect summer read.

I love Anne Tyler. Always have. She’s like comfort food – you always know you are going to get comfortable in a good read when you pick up one of her books. Vinegar Girl was a fun and light read – Taming of the Shrew in modern times. It would have been the perfect beach read.

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman came up at the NC library too. And, since I have read Bachman’s other two and enjoyed them, I thought, why not? I have the rest of my life to read the ones from my shelf. This story centers around Elsa and the imaginary life she and her grandmother create to avoid dealing with reality and Elsa’s difficulties. When Elsa’s grandmother dies, Elsa is lost and, in carrying out her grandmother’s final wishes, really grows up. Backman’s other characters (Britt-Marie for one) appear as well. Initially, and most of the way through, to be honest, I thought this was Backman’s weakest. However, as the characters all begin to be explained, it’s a more enjoyable read. I still preferred his other two, but this one is worth a read.

I continue to enjoy the wonderful East Albemarle library and not tackle the piles and piles of books I was going to take on this summer. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly has been on my reading wishlist for a while and I was excited to find it on the library shelf. It was a delightful treat. While depressing and about World War II, in many ways, it was uplifting too. Three intersecting stories, one in New York City, one in Poland, and one in Germany weave together as do the lives of three women affected by the war. It was fascinating and I was surprised to find at the end that it was based on a true story. I highly recommend.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver was another book in the box I got from Harper Collins. I don’t know that I would have picked this up if it hadn’t arrived on my doorstep. YA is not usually my thing. It’s about two sisters whose parents get divorced and who get into a car accident and become estranged after being best friends. Simultaneously there is a thread about a missing girl. “Before” and “After” chapters center around the accident and piece together what happened. The story, unfortunately, was too shallow for my liking – I was in a hurry to finish it. This wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was a quick read.

I received an advance readers copy of The Widow by Fiona Barton a few months ago in a box of books related to our book club skyping with John Searles, however, I never got around to reading it until now. The book opens with Jean Taylor’s husband being hit by a bus and dying. Turns out, this was a good thing, since he possibly murdered a little girl and did other terrible things. Did his widow cover up for him? Was she unaware of all the awful things he had done? While the story was interesting and moved quickly, ultimately, I found the Widow to be a disappointment. It could have been much for suspenseful and engaging with not much effort on the author’s part.

Like The Big House (reviewed here), The Brothers K by David James Duncan was recommended at the St. Patrick’s book fair by a staff member (the same one, in fact). So, I had to give this one a try too. And, while I would love to say I adored it as much as The Big House, I can’t. In fact, I slogged through it, taking the whole week to read it (which is unheard of from me, especially at the beach), and dragging my feet the entire way. The only reason I finished it is because of the fondness and respect I have for the recommender. Perhaps it would have been better if I had read The Brothers Karamozov? And, while the last 100 or so pages were MUCH better than the other 540, nevertheless, I can’t say I recommend this one.