The Night Guest, by Fiona McFarlane was on the shelf at the library and I recognized the cover as one I had on my list (My book list of “want to read” books comes from a variety of sources, blogs, Oprah, booklists, etc., so I never know from where I have found the recommendation. I do always know that what I have read about the book intrigues me enough to want to add it to the list.). I am so glad I picked this one up. It was a short read, but a compelling and fascinating one. I am so very sad for Ruth that she ended up in the situation she was in and so angry with Frida. I wish the book had had a different ending, but this one worked. It’s an enjoyable book and I would recommend it.

I am sure I have written before that I adore Anna Quindlen. But the premise of Still Life With Bread Crumbs didn’t thrill me. I plunged in, however, ready for something good to read. I knew I could count on Quindlen to keep me out of the depths of book despair I have been in for the past few weeks. And, she didn’t disappoint. Still Life with Bread Crumbs was a quiet, but delightful little story. I liked Rebecca, I liked her cabin in the woods, I liked Jim, I liked the whole thing. It was a quick read and just what I needed to get me in the right reading place again.

I so wanted to love The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls. I fell into it fairly quickly, but was so annoyed by chapter 4 that the author wouldn’t divulge what Thea’s secret was, that I don’t know that I ever recovered from that irritation. I then quickly became further irritated by Thea and her narcissism. While I understand that the author made us, like Thea, feel distanced from her parents and her twin brother, Sam, I didn’t feel resolution at the end and didn’t feel like I really understood her parents either. This book was disappointing, but I cared enough to finish it and find out what would happen.

After claiming that I was abandoning ship, I was convinced by two readers who I respect that I should finish A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. I was won over by them and by learning that Anthony Marra had gone to St. Patrick’s and Landon as a kid. Needless to say, getting through this book was a challenge. I slogged through until about the last 40 pages when it really picked up and everything tied together. That being said, however, I cannot recommend this one. It was beautifully written and had an interesting storyline, but I didn’t get enough out of the characters, it was so incredibly depressing, and was too dark, dark, dark. Most of it moved too slowly for me and I didn’t like the time shifting (though the chapter timelines helped). Someone convince me why this one is so great. Please?

I got completely immersed in After Her. I had read Maynard’s Labor Day and listened to The Good Daughters audiobook when training for the Avon Walk (a great diversion while walking all those miles, btw). So, I knew I liked her writing, but After Her, which was based on a true events of a crime spree in Marin County in the late 1970s, was fascinating. I liked how Maynard wove together the characters and their stories and followed Rachel through her life and obsession with the murderer. While the ending was too quick and a little pat, it satisfied me as an ending to this creepy murder mystery. I recommend this as a quick and engaging read.

The immediate thought upon beginning When She Woke was Margaret Atwood meets Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hannah Payne’s name even sounds like Hester Prynne. I don’t normally love futuristic novels. Exceptions are The Handmaids Tale and The Hunger Games series (embarrassing to admit, but true). I cruised through When She Woke while on vacation, neatly reading it in two days. I love lazy days by the pool reading – I wish I could make that into a career. But I digress. When She Woke was an enjoyable read. There were flaws, like Hannah’s ridiculous commitment to Reverend Dale, and a few not-fully-fleshed-out threads in the story, but overall, it was an intriguing storyline and a compelling read. I recommend it.

This was a total beach read. There was nothing to it and it took only about 3 hours to read. I had nothing in common with the main character, Franny, a mostly out-of-work waitress and actress wannabe. Not only did I not identify with her, but I barely wanted to find out what happened to her because she made such obviously bad choices over and over. Fortunately, I checked this one out of the library, so there was no regret that I had spent any money on it.

Americanah just won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. I hadn’t heard anything about the book prior to starting it, other than it was very long. I was totally into the book until I hit about 50%. Then it started dragging. I liked the characters and I enjoyed the story, but for me, it was too slow and too long. My kids kept asking me why I was still reading it and I had no answer other than, after investing so much time, I wanted to finish it. I will admit that the last 20% I just skimmed quickly through. I merely wanted to finish. While I found the book very informative — it taught me about the African in America’s experience — it was a bit repetitive and just too long.