I was prompted to add Someone to the top of the “Must Read” stack on my bedside table by a lovely invitation from a friend and colleague to join her to hear Alice McDermott speak. I figured I had better have her newest one read. I loved Charming Billy and At Weddings and Wakes. It’s been a while (7 years) since Alice McDermott published a book, so this one comes highly anticipated. Someone was a lyrically written quiet book. It centers around Marie and her family and childhood. It spans her lifetime in brief moments. This is about an ordinary person leading an ordinary life. And, while it is quiet, it is so well-written, that it’s a joy to read. I liked this book very much and I can’t wait to hear McDermott speak next week!

The first chapter of Reconstructing Amelia is just the kind I like – it grabs you and makes you keep reading. The format, changing chapter by chapter from Facebook post to journal to texting makes the book move along very quickly. This was a fascinating story that I read in only a few days. The premise (in the first chapter, so I am not spoiling anything) is that Kate, Amelia’s busy single mother, rushes to Amelia’s private school because Amelia has been accused of cheating. By the time Kate arrives at the school, Amelia has jumped off the school. Or has she? And, the rest of the book traces back to how this all happened. It’s a great read with good suspense and surprises. Girls can be so horrifying to each other. And so can grown-ups. Pick it up – it’s worth reading.

Here’s another “Everyday I Write the Book” plug. Gayle Weiswasser’s blog in addition to being great, also often includes an online book club. She gets publishers to send out review copies and the group reads the book and then responds to Gayle’s blog post about the book. This time, the book was The Realm of Last Chances by Steve Yarbrough.  It was a quick read, but felt flat to me. Frankly, also, I am tired of reading books about people having affairs. There are so many other good topics to read about and this one is getting stale to me. I might have given up on this one, had I not been reading it for the book club. In addition, it didn’t take much time or effort to get through. Even the revelation at the end, though, didn’t make much of an impact on me. It’s too bad, but blah is the best descriptor I can give to this one.

I will confess that I am one of Wally Lamb’s biggest fans. I adored his first books and eagerly awaited his next…for years…and years. Admittedly, I read She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much is True in my 20s when life was decidedly different than it is now, but still. So, I was excited to see what We Are Water was going to bring. But, I heard from a friend who is an avid reader and Wally Lamb fan, that it wasn’t as good and that she was disappointed in it. So, it has sat on my Kindle for a while, getting buried by newer books.

It took until more than halfway through We Are Water for me to stop thinking I would abandon ship. I didn’t like the characters or the story and it was SO SLOW. But, through the back half, I started cruising and began to really enjoy the book much more. The pedophilia was hard to take – very hard to take – but, it was integral to everything that happened in the story. And, as everything played out, it all began to make sense. Still, though, I found the book to be not as enjoyable as I remember his earliest books to be. Perhaps if my expectations had not been so high, I would have been happier with it. It was a gripping story and I would recommend it. But if you really want to read a great Wally Lamb book, choose She’s Come Undone.

I had been steadily steaming through my “Want to Read” list until two days ago when the library notified me that a book I had put on hold was available. So, I took a pause to read a book I have had on my list for a few years, The Virgin Cure, by Ami McKay. What a treat. While the topic is depressing, it was a fascinating historical novel set in the late nineteenth century. What I loved most about this novel, I didn’t find out until the end – it was based on the author’s great-great-grandmother’s life. Moth (a crazy name for the unusual main character) rises from the dimmest of beginnings in this story – you are sure she will find a way to prevail. However, I could not have predicted how things would go for her. It was a quick read, easily consumed over the past two snow days and absolutely worth a read.

This book had a unique premise – to have the character continually die and then be reborn on the following page with a changed fate and plan. It was inventive and interesting, for sure, but for most of it, not my cup of tea. I had to keep going back to look at the date at the beginning of the chapter to see where and when we were which made it very disjointed, particularly on the Kindle. It might have been more pleasurable in print since you could flip around more easily and keep track of the dates. That being said, I did want to find out what happened to Ursula and her family and I can see why this is a hot read and on lots of “Best of 2013” lists. For me, however, it wasn’t a top choice.

This is another book that sucks you in right away. The story begins with the two main characters being held at gunpoint in a Circle-K. You feel compelled to find out what happens to them. In addition, with Shandi’s miracle genius child and the surrounding mystery, as well as the general disfunction afoot, this is a grand story which is a very fast read. I became disillusioned close to the end of the book and felt like the characters weren’t well-developed enough, but then the plot took off in ways I could have never predicted and I scampered toward the end. I loved the surprises along the way and I liked the premise. It was a great, fast-paced, and enjoyable read.

This novel sucks you right in. It’s the stuff of headlines: High School Teacher Has Affair with Student. You must know more. And the author deftly brings in the perspectives of all constituents. But, who is to be believed? I began to doubt Megan’s veracity about 60% in. But rather than spoil the ending (which is not entirely unpredictable, but still…), I will just encourage you to read the book. It’s a page-turner and definitely worth a look.