A Tale for the Time Being is another book that had been on my list for a long time. I am not sure where the recommendation came from, but I began the book feeling like it was a great one. As the book wore on, however, I grew increasingly disappointed with the story. I loved the idea of the diary from Japan washing up on the shore of a remote island and found by an author who becomes intertwined with the writer, but it dragged midway through until the end. And, the ending was really disappointing. Surely, Ruth, who had invested so much time and energy into the story would have wanted to find the author and/or her father and make sure they were all right. And the epilogue, after all that writing, was a cop-out, I thought. I was sorry this book didn’t meet my expectations and glad to be finished reading it.

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.