bookswelike

Books reviewed by Sharron Calkins

59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot by Richard Wiseman

Wiseman offers quick, scientifically proven advice to help you achieve more positive outcomes in your life. The tips are amusing, surprising, and efficient. Good advice was never so entertaining.
(bwl 89 Summer 2018)

A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland

The author is a mature and devout woman who feels herself drawn to a personal exploration of silence. To this end she heads off to live in a series of isolated locations. In this book, she shares her own experiences, plus those of other lone adventurers who willingly - or unwillingly - spent long periods with silence. It makes for intense reading.
(bwl 93 Summer 2019)

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes by Adam Rutherford

This book, full of surprising information, will hold you spellbound. For instance, although Homo Sapiens is the only human type to have survived to the present day, in far earlier times he successfully mated with the three other human types to produce offspring. Although the Neanderthal human died out, his DNA did not. Many of us - like the author of this book - still carry small percentages of the DNA from an extinct form of human. As do I.
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women by Junichiro Tanizaki

When Shinako's husband Shozo ends their marriage to be with his younger lover, Shinako feels that she has lost everything. Yet the only thing she longs for is the elegant tortoiseshell cat she shared with her husband. Filled with humour, the book tells of a love triangle in which the only real rival is Lily, the cat. A small masterpiece.
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

If you are homophobic, beware. If not, this beautifully written book will devastate you, while at the same time expanding your heart. It is a disturbing, unconventional love story, and one of the most remarkable and moving books I have ever read.
(bwl 94 Autumn 2019)

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

A beautiful young woman has announced to her family that she is going to go to bed early. Two months later she remains in a deep and peaceful sleep. Meanwhile, the unplugged television in her bedroom shows unexplainable images of her, both sleeping and awake. All of this 'unusualness' is woven through the rather ordinary daily life of her concerned younger sister. Very Haruki Murakami.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018)

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

The year is 1948 and post-war Japan is in the process of rebuilding itself. The renowned Japanese painter, Masiyi Ono has just retired and is looking forward to a peaceful retirement filled with gardening, family time, and meeting up with old associates. However, with time to contemplate his earlier life and career, Masiyi's own doubts begin to cast dark shadows over his past. Exquisitely written.
(bwl 89 Summer 2018)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Translated into English, this Japanese novel asks the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? Who would you want to meet, maybe one last time? Get yourself passed the book's obligatory abracadabra of time-travel, and you will be rewarded with stories of long-wished-for brief reunions.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020)

Behind the Wall: A Journey Through China by Colin Thubron

Published in 1987, this book is worth a whole library of books on the subject of China after the devastation of the Cultural Revolution. Thubron is a fearless traveller, whether on foot, bicycle, or train. In addition, he learned to speak Mandarin before leaving home. "Behind the Wall" is a travel book of intelligence and wit, beautifully written. You will find yourself hoping to read other travel books by this author . . .
(bwl 91 Winter 2019)

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami

This translated collection of 26 short stories is an adventure in reading. Think of this book as a box of Japanese candy just waiting to be sampled. You suspect that they will be unlike a box of English candy, and you are pretty sure that many of the 'flavours' will be unfamiliar to you. Should you try them? Yes, definitely!!!!
(bwl 89 Summer 2018)

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami.

Translated from Japanese into English, this novel is an intelligent look at the options and conundrums of modern-day womanhood. What if you want to be a mother, but not a wife? An anonymous sperm donor will suit your needs perfectly, but what of the need of a grown child to know the missing half of her own identity? This well-written novel opens the door to ever deepening questions about procreation.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021)

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart

It took my breath away. The book, inspired by the author's own intense love affair with poet George Barker, will leave you wondering what just hit you. Surely no woman has ever torn away so many veils to reveal what 'grand passion' and the ensuing grand heartbreak feel like. It is a masterpiece.
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

Cherry Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan's Blossoms by Naoke Abe

Collingwood Ingram (1881-1981) was passionate about cherry trees. During a second study trip to Japan, he was shocked to realise that Japan was rapidly losing diversity in its types of cherry trees, and that many were already extinct. He devoted the rest of his very long life to restoring this diversity in Japan and to increasing it in England.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020)

Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami

Here is your chance to sample the prose of Murakami without becoming totally lost in a surreal world. There IS a single recurring thread of a parallel world woven through it - just enough of the unexplainable to grab your interest, and to keep you turning the pages. In this off-the-beaten-path search for love and friendship, all roads lead back to the Dolphin Hotel. It is an unusual tale with unexpectedly touching interactions between the book's characters.
(bwl 103 Winter 2022)

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

If you want a 'productive life' instead of just a 'busy life', this is the book for you. Instead of randomly pursuing a myriad of activities, you must consciously decide on the 'essentials' in your life, and focus your time and energy there. As the author plainly points out, "If YOU don't prioritise your life, SOMEONE ELSE will. This is a very helpful book if you want to live your life doing the things that really matter to you.
(bwl 89 Summer 2018)

Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy

Born and raised in England, Faith knows that her Jamaican parents travelled as newly-weds to England on a banana boat. Now grown and at an impasse in her life, Faith is unexpectedly invited to return to Jamaica to meet her relatives. This intelligently humorous book will entertain you with sharp observations about modern British life, and the culture of Jamaica.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020)

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

I thought that it would be fun to read predictions about where mankind was headed. It wasn't. It was very, very interesting, but I never smiled once. Certainly, reading this book was an 'adult' thing to do, and provoked much thought. I am now informed of the likely scenarios to come . . . and I am still not smiling.
(bwl 91 Winter 2019)

I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsuma

Written in Japan between 1905 and 1906, the author used the feline 'voice' of a nameless kitten who was adopted into a household of humans to make his own critical observations of behaviour during the social upheaval of the Meiji era. The book originally began as a serial in a literary magazine. The more popular this cat became, the thicker the finished book became. An amusing read.
(bwl 91 Winter 2019)

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Reading Charles Yu is a treat of dark humour. In this story of Asian actors (m/f) in the entertainment industry, we see the world through the eyes of frustrated actor Willis Wu, who has spent most of his career being 'generic Asian man'. He is called upon for roles like 'delivery man', 'disgraced son', or 'silent henchman'. What he really wants is beyond his reach. A biting look at the film industry from a minority Asian point of view - and it is brilliant.
(bwl 102 Autumn 2021)

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

The 'drowning pool' of this murder mystery is the setting of long ago witch drownings; modern day suicides; and unresolved murders. It is the place where 'troublesome women' are disposed of . . . The twists and turns of the story make it a real page turner right up to the very disquieting revelation on the last page. Excellent storytelling.
(bwl 94 Autumn 2019)

Japanese Death Poems by Yoel Hoffman

This book is an introduction to the Japanese tradition of 'jisei', or 'farewell poems to life. Beginning with an explanation of the development of Japanese poetry, the author then moves on to the poetry itself. These recorded words of farewell - written by Zen monks, samurai and haiku poets - may be best understood as spiritual legacies for those left behind. I enjoyed the haiku, 'masterful' to the end.
(bwl 91 Winter 2019)

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

If Alice in Wonderland delighted you as a child, it's time for your grown-up self to explore the surreal and addictive novels of Haruki Murakami. In Kafka on the Shore, Kafka Tamura runs away from home at the age of fifteen. He begins his journey in a plausible reality that quickly turns into a spellbinding tale of parellel worlds. The sense of disorientation created in the reader adds much to the magical and dreamlike quality of the story . . .
(bwl 100 Spring 2021)

L'art de la simplicité: How to Live More with Less by Dominique Loreau

Eight years ago my desire for 'less' eventually led me to this small paperback book. It was love at first reading. Loreau's book has become my dog-eared, curly-edged, lifestyle 'bible'. Yes, it is by my bedside. The result is that my small home is free of the unnecessary and feels positively spacious.
(bwl 98 Autumn 2020)

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D H Lawrence

Set in Nottinghamshire, just after the Great War, the story explores the social, psychological, and sexual mores of the early Industrial Age, when the fictitious Lady Chatterley and her estate gamekeeper, Mellors, began their adulterous affair. Once banned for its sexual content, the story is about loneliness, and the longing for simple, uncomplicated sexual contact between a man and a woman. It is a beautifully written novel by one of England’s most eminent fiction writers.
(bwl 111 Winter 2024)

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

As an American, I learnt many appealing stories about Abraham Lincoln, none prepared me for this dark and heavy rendering of an intensely sad period in his life. I kept putting it down, resting from the hard work needing to digest it, then doggedly continuing. Yes I truly value and appreciate the unique style and scenario devised by this professor of creative writing. And yes, I did finish it. But did I enjoy it? I leave you to guess!
(bwl 87 Winter 2018)

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Here is the land of 'Shangri-La' - a place of matchless beauty and serenity -forever beyond our reach. Here is the 'peaceable kingdom' we believe we long for. Or is it? In this story of kidnap and escape we see the promises of paradise, then, slowly, the darker side. What trade-offs are demanded? What is the true price paid?
(bwl 96 Spring 2020)

Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst

A tale of one woman's enduring love. When Madam Verona's husband dies she decides that she will have a cello made in his memory - from the spruce tree outside their house. She must wait 20 years for the cut wood to season and dry, and additional time for the cello to be made. Finally Madam Verona can pick up her bow. Will playing the first notes set her free?
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

Make your Bed: Small things that can change your life... and maybe the world by William H McRaven

Admiral McRaven shares with us what could be thought of as the 10 Commandments for the U.S. Navy SEALS, and asks us to consider how these could enhance our own lives. Greatly enjoyable too are the real-life stories which are used to illustrate each 'rule'. When you finish the book, you will still be thinking about the tough training of a Navy SEAL. You might even be inspired to make your bed - perfectly - the next morning.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018)

Manners from Heaven by Quentin Crisp

By 1985 Quentin Crisp had outgrown his outrageously flamboyant youth, and was ready to write a witty, humorous, and socially perceptive book on manners. The book is full of anecdotal observations that now - in 2019 - often feel like a walk down memory lane. The book was fun to read and offered sound advice for remaining kind and tactful in a mad, mad world.
(bwl 93 Summer 2019)

Medical Medium: Life-Changing Foods by Anthony Williams

The author has done us all a great service in writing a book that can inspire us to actually WANT to eat more fruits and vegetables. Reading his descriptions of each food's benefits motivated me to run out and buy more of them than I usually would have. This diet change has brought me a slow weight loss and better skin.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020)

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami

This book of short stories would be an excellent introduction to the works of Murakami. There are many moments to give you pause as you read these stories that mix humour, a philosophic view, and a touch of surrealism on the subject of modern loneliness. The book will not disappoint.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018)

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

This semi-fictional book is ground-breaking in its unique style, and in its approach to the philosophical question of whether or not a woman needs to have a child. The book will mean a lot to women struggling to make the same moral choice for themselves. It is no doubt destined to become an important work on the subject.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020)

Narrow Road to the Interior and other writings by Matsuo Basho (trans. by Sam Hamill)

What a revelation it is to strip away hundreds of years of civilization and to enter, briefly, a life of true simplicity. With Matsuo Basho's (1644-1694) travel diaries and his Zen-inspired haiku poetry you will journey through ancient Japan with a master poet as your guide. A minimalist in the extreme, Basho unfailingly expresses life's brevity and beauty in poems of just three lines. Within his words, ageless wisdom.
(bwl 104 Spring 2022)

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

In this fictional story two privileged families collide in the world of academia. The younger members of both families, new to the pitfalls of adulthood, can be forgiven their headstrong behaviour. Not so for their successful academic fathers. While much space is given in the book to two competing men with insufferable egos, it is the non-academic wives who bring the much needed dignity and gravitas to this tale.
(bwl 110 Autumn 2023)

Passing by Nella Larsen

A thought-provoking tale of racial identity in 1920’s America. The fictional Clare, ambitious and beautiful, makes the decision to ‘pass’ as a white woman. Her invented identity begins to crumble as her longings to reconnect with her African-American roots lead her to live a risky double life. This slender, exquisitely written book will have you holding your breath as it explores the often blurred and unfair boundaries of racial identity. The ending will leave you shaken.
(bwl 109 Summer 2023)

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

This impressive debut book has the feel of a glamorous black and white film evoking the late 1930's of New York City. Picture Lauren Bacall as the main character, relying on her own brand of cool nerve. Toss in snappy dialogue and authentic details of the era. Next, pour yourself a dry martini and settle in to read a book I swear you won't want to put down.
(bwl 95 Winter 2019)

Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje

The words luscious and voluptuous are not misplaced when describing this book. In the hands of Ondaatje, memories of his Sri Lankan family turn into a mesmerising variant of the Mad Hatter's tea party. You will be transported to a time and place where exquisitely dressed couples dance to the tango in the jungle. You will read of drunken suicide attempts, and of a relative running naked through a train while waving a pistol. I loved it.
(bwl 95 Winter 2019)

Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino

When a man is found dead in his home, suspicion falls on his beautiful wife Ayane - who was hundreds of miles away when the murder took place. In this clever and beguiling Japanese murder mystery you will be teased with riddles within riddles, psychological twists, and red herrings. I've read it twice, and it still rates as one of my favourite murder mysteries.
(bwl 103 Winter 2022)

Saturday by Ian McEwan

Open this book and enter the thrilling, chilling tale of a Saturday gone very wrong for successful neurosurgeon Henry Perowne. As he drives to meet a colleague for a game of handball, a minor accident sets the scene for a collision between two different worlds: the rational and the irrational. McEwan has created a book of perfect suspense and perfect prose.
(bwl 98 Autumn 2020)

The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life by Sarah L Kaufman

Sarah Kaufman puts her finger on the irritating coarseness of our present-day culture, then goes on to inspire us to embrace the art of grace in all its many facets. In this celebrity-packed book, examples of grace are drawn from the arts, sports, science, the humanities, and everyday life. Reading the book was an uplifting experience, and worthy of a later, joyful rereading. (Between readings, put the book on your head and practice graceful movement...)
(bwl 101 Summer 2021)

The Artist's Wife by Max Phillips

The life of bold, ambitious, beautiful Alma Schindler reimagined by the author, and narrated in the voice of Alma herself. Called ‘the most beautiful girl in Vienna’, she was muse and wife to the much older composer Gustav Mahler. Fickle as well as passionate, Alma unapologetically moved on to mesmerise and bed many of the artistic geniuses of the day: the writer Franz Werfel; the painters Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka and the architect Walter Gropius. Fascinating from beginning to end.
(bwl 110 Autumn 2023)

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

This new incarnation is pure fun. The colorful, ‘painterly’ illustrations ‘in the style of Matisse‘, but not actually painted by Matisse, add a second layer of playfulness to an autobiography not actually written by Alice B. Toklas, either. Visit the mesmerizing world of Gertrude Stein in Paris, Spain, the French countryside, during two World Wars as she befriends the likes of Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Apollinaire, Gris, Van Dongen, and Hemingway. Read this illustrated autobiography, too, to avoid theannoying typos and tiny print of earlier publications. Quite simply, this book was adelight.
(bwl 112 Spring 2024)

The Gate by Natsume Soseki

On the surface, this is a simple story about a humble Japanese clerk and his loving wife, both resigned to a life of limited prospects. However, this is a Japanese novel. Just as with a classic sumi-e brush and ink drawing, with its suggestive blank spaces, "The Gate" asks you to imagine what has been left out. Read the edition with an introduction by Pico Iyer.
(bwl 98 Autumn 2020)

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margarita Magnusson

Filled with practical and positive suggestions for paring down the 'stuff' and clutter that we have accumulated during our lives. Just as writing your 'last will and testament' brings you peace of mind, reducing our possessions to only what is genuinely necessary, useful, and loved can bring a sense of tranquility and space to our later years.
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Edmund De Waal's history of his close relatives, the wealthy Ephrussi family (and other similar Jewish families of the belle epoque high society), was the first book to give me a graspable understanding of the anti- semetism that became a horrific blot on modern history. Read this book not only because it enthralls from start to finish, but because it will dazzle and inform you. (and see bwl 59 and 61).
(bwl 101 Summer 2021)

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

You will be both amazed and enchanted by this carefully researched book about trees. You will discover how much you didn't know, how clueless you were. For instance, did you know that trees communicate with each other via their roots? That they can share their own nutrition with nearby, weaker trees? Read this book and enter a wonderland.
(bwl 94 Autumn 2019)

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

In this Japanese novel, Ogawa brings together an ageing, brilliant maths professor with only eighty minutes of short-term memory, a sensitive young housekeeper who is entrusted to care for him and her 10 year old son. From beginning to end I was enchanted with the beauty and whimsy of the story. This is the work of an exceptionally talented writer, and not to be missed.
(bwl 95 Winter 2019)

The Humans by Matt Haig

Professor Andrew Martin is walking naked through Cambridge, and thinking that there can be nothing more unpleasant than being human. As the weeks pass, however, Andrew warms to wearing clothing, warms to humans, and warms to planet Earth. In fact, when the time comes for him to leave, he refuses. This novel is very, very funny, and wonderfully believable. Human readers will love Andrew. He has fallen in love with humans, and in turn makes us fall in love with ourselves. A genuine joy to read.
(bwl 102 Autumn 2021)

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? This becomes the challenge for the four Gold siblings who have learned the exact dates of their deaths from a gypsy fortune teller. Dates that they keep secret even from each other. What happens as they grow into adulthood holds you in a spell of suspense. This book is an absolute literary thriller.
(bwl 95 Winter 2020)

The Life of Emily Dickinson by Richard B. Sewell

In this award-winning biography the author introduces us to the late Puritan-era lives of the accomplished Dickinson family of Amherst, Massachusetts. The men are shown to be well-educated individuals of high social standing and purpose, always in the public eye. Emily, in contrast, carves out a private and rarified life in which she devotes her life to writing poetry. She never marries. In truth, I found the biography heavy on facts, but light on insights. After reading these TWO volumes of information, Emily is still an enigma to me.
(bwl 112 Spring 2024)

The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

Tanizaki's greatest novel is an absorbing inside look at the intricate upperclass life of Osaka just before World War Two. The family's fortunes are shrinking, but there are still two younger daughters who must be well presented if they are to find suitable husbands. A complex, vanished era brought agreeably to life.
(bwl 88 Spring 2018)

The Meaning of Rice: And Other tales from the Belly of Japan by Michael Booth

I wasn't expecting 'scary food stories' when I purchased Booth's book recounting his sampling of traditional delicacies as he travelled through Japan. I found myself genuinely caught off guard when he led me through his food adventures of eating rotten fish; chopped seafood still twitching on the plate; and all foods slimy and fermented. I read the entire book with fascination, chuckles, and a few shudders.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018)

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

It's tempting to fantasize about a path not taken in one's life, and to feel regrets for a missed opportunity. But, what if this hindsight is flawed? Haig's beautiful and imaginative story is an 'It's a Wonderful Life' style antidote to our own - probably misplaced - regrets about life choices. By the close of this absorbing tale you may well decide that the best life for you is the one that you already have.
(bwl 102 Autumn 2021)

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The year is 1686, and the young Nella Oortman has just arrived in Amsterdam to begin married life with her older, wealthy, merchant husband. As a wedding gift, he has given her a cabinet-sized replica of their home on a prominent canal. Nella begins to furnish the replica home with the help of a mysterious 'miniaturist', but as she does, the lives within the real home begin to spiral downward. Life turns surreal, leaving some questions forever unanswered. Magical, and rich in period detail.
(bwl 103 Winter 2022)

The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami

This Japanese novel reminds us that joy can be found in even the most ordinary of lives. With gentle humour the story draws us into the lives of four very different main characters who devote themselves to the daily running of the Nakano Thrift Shop. You will enjoy the characters in this wise and subtle tale of loneliness and the search for self-identity. It is a little gem.
(bwl 93 Summer 2019)

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

In 1886 the British War Office reluctantly agrees to send a piano tuner to the jungles of Burma to tune the piano of a highly influential British army doctor. Although the War Office is secretive about many details of the assignment, the middle-aged Edgar Drake dutifully accepts the commission, packs up his tools and heads for Burma. What follows is an adventure story that will stay with you long after the last page.
(bwl 110 Autumn 2023)

The Pillow Book by Sei Shönagon

Sei Shōnagon was court lady to Empress Consort Teishi in Heian-period Japan. Her journal is the earliest example of women’s writing in that country. In a witty literary style she offers vignettes of social repartee at court, gossip, essays, poems, musings, and her famous ‘lists’. Lists are of her favorite novels, or of layered kimono color combinations that are ‘delightful’ or ‘lovely’. Lists concerning the seasons, and Lists of awkward situations. With her journal, she crosses the centuries to share a knowing smile with us. I found it impossible to not smile back at her.
(bwl 112 Spring 2024)

The Right of Thirst by Frank Huyler

In this riveting tale we follow grieving cardiologist, Charles Anderson, in his effort to help earthquake victims in an Islamic country. Goodwill turns into a rapid downward spiral of events that leaves the volunteers themselves fleeing for their lives - and haunted by thoughts that they have done more harm than good. We are left to ponder the ethics of good intentions - and the limits of benevolence - in a world divided by deep cultural differences. It is an exceptional read.
(bwl 109 Summer 2023)

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

As a young man, Tony Webster blames his failed romance with Veronica on his close friend Adrian. For decades Tony continues to believe this explanation . . . until Veronica's mother leaves Adrian's diary to him in her Will. What follows is a skilful unfolding of the truth of the matter. It is a small masterpiece with a surprise ending that lingers in your thoughts.
(bwl 95 Winter 2019)

The Story of China: A portrait of a civilisation and its people by Michael Wood

For anyone hoping for an overview of 4,000 years of Chinese history in just 500 pages, read this book. Far from being a dry catalogue of floods, famines, and battles, the author has made the effort to bring the numerous dynasties, as well as their arts, to life. Political events such as the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, Mao's Great Reform, and China's move toward the international stage are also examined.
(bwl 104 Spring 2022)

The White Book by Han Kong

The Korean author begins the book with a list of white things: snow, white paper, moon, newborn's gown, etc. This could very well turn into an artistic or emotional exploration of the colour WHITE. Instead, the author takes us on a journey to a world of grief made beautiful by its simple honesty. It is a deep and shimmering story, and a work of exquisite genius.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018)

The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns

This beautifully written debut novel transported me to Japan, 1957, to follow the life of the fictional 17-year old Naoko Nakamuras, who has fallen in love with a young U.S. Navy sailor. Pregnant with a mixed-race child, she is banished from her family. The nightmare events that follow are based on the true stories surrounding the more than 10,000 mixed-race babies born to U.S. servicemen and Japanese women in that era.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020)

Toby Jug by Denis O'Connnor

The sequel to "Paw Tracks in the Moonlight", sharing the further adventures of one man and his cat. Anyone who has ever owned and loved a cat will identify with the warm bond between these two friends sharing daily life.
(bwl 89 Summer 2018)

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau was a young Harvard educated man who famously experimented with living a self-sufficient life in his no-frills cabin in the woods of Massachusetts. Throughout the book he extolls this back-to-nature lifestyle as being superior to the life lived in 'civilization', surrounded by an excess of possessions. Yet, after two years he walked away from his cabin and back to civilization. Throughout his lifetime, he gave no explanation. An "American classic" and a fascinating read.
(bwl 91 Winter 2019)

Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson

This murder mystery was my first introduction to the book series featuring the character of DCI Banks. The first victim to fall is Detective Investigator Bill Quinn, killed with a crossbow. What follows is a well plotted story of good guys, bad guys, an old unsolved murder, more fresh murders, and international sleuthing. It was a good read that held my attention throughout.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020)

Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li

A 16-year-old boy takes his life. His mother - the author of this book - turns to writing pages of imagined conversations with her son as she struggles to understand his terrible choice. Brave and consoling, the novel captures the complexity of parent/child relationships in a form that is unsentimental and insightful. The delicate balance between intellect and emotion elevates this work to the realm of a masterpiece.
(bwl 104 Spring 2022)

Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

Following the death of her Japanese grandfather in 2011, Mockett returned to Japan for the traditional burial of her grandfather's bones. Japan, too, was in mourning. The recent earthquake and tsunami had taken many lives, and the nuclear disaster at Fukushima was casting a shadow over the land. Mockett's account of her spiritual pilgrimage in Japan as she grieved the loss of her grand-father is beautiful and compelling. One of the best stories touching on Fukushima that I have read.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021)