The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes, 391 pages

  I listened to an unabridged audio book version read by Emily Woo Zeller and enjoyed the experience.

  The novel spun a fictional tale of current and past events and characters resulting from the actual Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (when the U.S. Federal Government prohibited Chinese workers from entering the country and around which time people of Chinese descent in the Western U.S. were treated with hatred and even massacred). Being a Midwestern caucasion person from a different era, I had never heard of the legislation, and I had not known of the post-Civil War violence experienced by Chinese immigrants in the U.S. before I encountered this story. Guess I’m not surprised, but I am disgusted that people were hurt by such racial hatred.

  The story is worth listening to. In it, you will meet Mei Lein, a young woman born in Seattle to Chinese immigrants before the Chinese Exclusion Act and Inara Erickson, a recent graduate who inherits Orcas Island property a ferry ride from Seattle in the present time. Their stories are told separately but certainly intertwine. You’ll get a dose of mystery as Inara searches to learn about Mei Lein’s life in addition to a little romance and the adventure of remodeling an old house for new purposes.

The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling, 496 pages

  After finishing this book, I’m officially mad at the author of this series, and I may or may not get beyond my frustration enough to continue to the next book.

  I’m mad because when I start a series, I trust that the author can be a reliable guide who knows where he/she is going and that I will return from the adventure I’ve stepped into. Right now, I have no faith that the author will ever provide sufficient closure.

  The Sword of the Lady is the seventh book in S.M. Stirling’s Emberverse series, all of which I’ve read in addition to a companion set of three books (that stopped with no closure) that share the same starting point but that branch out in a different time dimension than the series that The Sword of The Lady plays out in.

  I’ve clearly enjoyed the books or I wouldn’t have now read ten of them over the last five years. The beginning premise of both series stem from one incident called "The Change," one day in 1998, when unexpectedly, immediately, and simultaneously, the entire world loses power. All electrical and fossil-fuel powered engines cease functioning and gunpowder stops working. Chaos and death ensue, eventually followed by emerging new societies of survivors.

  The Sword of the Lady takes place in 2022, twenty-four years after the change, focusing on a specific group of first generation young adults who have existed only in their post-apocalyptic areas of what used to be the United States.

  It appears that at least another seven books have already been written to follow this book, and another is due to be released in the fall of 2018. I don’t know . . . I like the story . . . I like the characters . . . But at the moment, I’ve completely lost patience because I have no intention of being lost in one fictional series for the remainder of my life. I think I’ll stop reading, hope the books eventually reach a satisfactory conclusion and are turned into a TV series that I can binge watch some year on Netflix to better use the real life I’ve been granted.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, 518 pages

  I’ve read the book and seen the movie and hope to do both again one day after enough time has passed for me to forget.

  This story certainly doesn’t glorify time travel; rather, the time travel happens because Henry has a Chrono-Impairment, a disease, that he lives his life in spite of. Only his body goes through time . . . which means no clothes, jewelry or anything else that he might wish to take goes with him. He has no control over the time period within the span of his natural life that he will jump naked (and often vomiting) to and no warning about what age he will next be. Whatever age he finds himself, he is unaware of what life will be like for him as he ages, even if he has been older during some previous time jump.

  The time jumps that make up this book center around the out-of-chronological-time relationship of a husband and wife. Clare meets Henry when she is 6 and he is 36. They marry when she is 22 and he is 30. Henry meets Clare when when she is 40 and he is 28. Clare lives her life in a regular order, never knowing when she'll next run into Henry or what age he'll be when she does. Sometimes they run into each other when only one of them knows who the other is because they have not yet met. 

  No big surprise: the timeline of the story is pretty jumbled, but no more jumbled than the lives of Henry and Clare. 

  Clever. Interesting. Fun. Bittersweet. And not as difficult to follow as it sounds!

Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch, 393 pages

  This is the story of three Proctor brothers outside a small New York town, from 1932 to 1990.

   For the most part, their world consists of the tiny home they were born in, each other, and their piece of rural property. None of them is gifted with intelligence, and one of them is intellectually and emotionally challenged to a greater extent than are the other two. The story begins when they have reached old age. One of them dies in bed overnight, and the other two are investigated for murder.

  The story pieces itself together through short chapters. Each chapter is narrated by a voice of someone who has known the Proctor boys in different ways over the years. As the book progresses, the narrators share different tidbits out of chronological order as memories tend to come to a person when trying to make sense of the present. In the days following Vernon's (the oldest brother's) death, the narrative voices share insight into understanding men who, for the most part, have not wanted to be known.  

  As someone who was raised in the country, rural folks’ extreme desire for privacy and independence is no surprise to me. The book challenged me to consider (not for the first time) if it might be best to leave families alone or if society has an obligation to help, stepping uninvited and unwanted into intentionally isolated households, imposing society’s culture. The answer may seem simple enough at first thought but can be complex and heart-wrenching when the people in question become real.

Same Kind of Different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 96 pages

  This book worked well as an audio book, and the readers (Dan Butler and Barry Scott) were fabulous.

  I jumped into this one knowing nothing about it. I didn’t even look at the title or have a clue what kind of literature it was before listening to it. I just took the piece as the words came. The main characters/narrators are Ron Hall and Denver Moore, so my mind went reeling in new directions when the recording ended too soon for me with the spoken footnote that the book was written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

  I was sucked into Denver’s story from the first words. His childhood story painted a picture of Louisiana sharecropping in the South during the 30's and 40's that brought new, much appreciated insights to me. I liked Denver from the beginning even though he doesn’t necessarily seem to think he is more than, I believe he says, "No one telling anyone who will listen about someone everyone should know."

  Ron and Debra Hall met Denver when he was homeless and friendless in Texas after they each had lives full of experiences to share with each other. I’m glad they became friends and shared their combined stories for me to hear.

  This double autobiography is heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and potentially life-changing. My only complaint is that it's too short; I’m still checking to see if I accidentally lost the last half of the book.
  I see online that a movie version of the story was released in October of 2017.

Kepler’s Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother by James A. Connor, 402 pages

  I read this book immediately after reading Galileo’s Daughter to round out my understanding of the times and world re-centering observations of two mathematicians whose work inspired each other during the early 17^th Century.

  Johannes Kepler was a devout German Lutheran whose free-thinking, stubborn and conceited ways got him ex-communicated from the Lutheran church but respected (albeit with little pay and exiled from the country by the Catholic church) as a court expert. As the title alludes to, his intelligent hard-headedness likely came from his mother who was tried as a witch in spite of opportunities to apologize and potentially remove herself from harm. His mother, in spite of the book title, is a fairly minor character in this account.

  The biography was written well and kept my interest as the pages of Kepler’s life unfolded. I would have liked a little more straight chronology rather than the time-jumping and doubling back done by the narration, but perhaps the repetition required by the non-linear narration made me notice and better remember some of the more important aspects of Kepler’s influence on our understanding of cosmic order today.

  I’m glad I took the time to read and learn.

Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love by Dava Sobel--420 pages

  I thought that, perhaps, reading a historical fiction account of Galileo’s daughter might be a not-too-dull way to trick myself into learning about a world-view-changing 17^th Century scientist.

  I’m smarter now than I when I made the commitment to open to the first page if only because I know how wrong my initial impressions and lack of enthusiasm about this book were. First of all, Galileo considered himself to be a mathematician. Secondly, this book is non-fiction. Thirdly, the title is a ruse; the book is totally a biography of Galileo in which his daughter is but a character.
  Galileo lived in Italy, and I really like Italy and peeking into the religious/political landscape of different time periods. And best of all, I read through the book quickly, with excitement, frustration, anger, and fear based on what my now favorite mathematician was going through . Before reading this book, I had no idea how much Galileo Galilei happened upon, observed, and understood in ways no one else ever had. And I had no idea how difficult it was for him to make sure that the truth he saw didn’t die with him.

  My husband will not have to read this book because I couldn’t keep it to myself. Without his even asking, I gave him thorough and energetic reports of pretty much every chapter. Lucky man!

Almost Adam by Petru Popescu, 544 pages

  Kenya, 1995--As two young paleoanthropologists find evidence that indicates ancient humans lived on a particular piece of Savannah land much more recently than believed, a non-verbal Gracile Hominid boy watches them rifle through where he has slept before they climb into some kind of flying bug that takes them away.

  The main adventure happens as Ken (the young American scientist) and the ancient boy he calls Long Toes find themselves depending on each other for minute-by-minute survival in the Kenyan wilderness. Each of them is a mystery who fascinates and terrifies the other.

  Meanwhile, Ngili, the young Kenyan scientist, finds himself pulled into family,  political responsibilities and conflict that influence the lives and futures of all who live in the nation.

  The storyline includes lions, poachers, drug rings, professional back-stabbing, political meltdown, science, business, ethics, international conflict, bigotry, hatred, death, murder, war, sex, friendship, and wonder . . . action-packed. I loved the idea that a piece of earth and early humanity might be preserved through time and was appalled but unsurprised at the ugly sides of our humanity, regardless of evolutionary stage.  Perhaps someone will turn this book into a movie. I think it could be done well.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth E. Bailey, 443 pages

  I zipped through this book of essays with much interest.

  Fascinating . . . with solid footnotes, bibliography, and indexing. Definitely worth the read for those who lead others through the Bible, who are interested in history and grammar of language, who wish to learn more about Judean culture during Jesus’ time, and who might be looking for a Lenten read or post-Easter study.

  The book consists of 12 essays, focusing on particular New Testament passages. Bailey clearly understands how the Western church, stemming from Greek and Latin languages has understood the passages. He shares perspectives from Middle Eastern Christian writings and translations closely related to Jesus’ own language and culture; the information will likely be new for most people raised in Western branches of Christianity. Bailey says the goal of this book is to “add new perspectives to our understanding of the text, rather than to rearrange old ones.”

  The author received his Ph.D. from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, but was raised in Egypt. He has taught the New Testament in institutes and seminaries in several countries for 40 years. He is a Middle Eastern Christian, knows the cultures, speaks the languages, and is able to read early Syriac and Aramaic Christian literature about the Gospels.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman, 368 pages

  What a pleasant surprise of a book! Yes, it is about a museum, but it’s also full of more than I could have guessed!

  I was happily surprised to discover that this is the story of New York City at the beginning of the 20^th Century. It was a time before U.S. laws that protected laborers, children, and people with disabilities, back when parents could easily prevent their children from going to school, when women and children could fairly easily be sold by their families, when electricity and indoor plumbing were not yet standard amenities, when fire hoses were a recent invention, and when the city was quickly absorbing wilderness lands where early settlers lived.

  Coralie’s father owns the Museum of Extraordinary Things; on her tenth birthday, she realizes that she is a living wonder to be displayed. Towering, lanky Eddie (a 25-year-old photo journalist) comes to the city as little Ezekiel, fleeing the Jewish pogroms in Ukraine that left his village and mother as burned ashes. The story brings other memorable characters to life as well, including a hermit and his wolf friend, a Jewish finder of lost love, a wolf man, a beautiful Irish woman who has been burned beyond recognition, and immigrant garment makers who are locked into their workplaces for up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week while being paid wages that keep them on the verge of starvation. The book is an interesting mix of historical truth, a fictional murder mystery, a love story, fascinating descriptions of living and non-living museum wonders, and young people and a city transitioning into new times.

  I would have been happiest to read through the pages at a faster pace than my drive times allowed me to listen to the audio version. The version I heard was well read by Judith Light, Grace Gummer, and Zach Appleman. I would not only recommend this book, but I already have urged my husband to listen to the audiobook that I had checked out. I treated myself to a second listen while he enjoyed the unfolding tale for the first time.

Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi, 293 pages

  The stuff of great fiction here: princesses, kings, harems, palace intrigue, treason, murder, wrongful imprisonment, struggle beyond understandable human endurance, strong relationships, escape, capture, resolution, and hope. Elements of a great story (and a compelling book), however, aren’t necessarily experiences I would wish on actual people, and certainly not in relation to this particular story. This is an autobiography.

  Through these pages, with the assistance of journalist Michele Fitoussi, almost 50-year-old Malika Oufkir (former Moroccan princess) tells about her life.

  I’m glad that Malika got to tell her family’s story to the world and that I read it. My heart hurts for humanity that the experiences in the book actually happened.

The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy: Sacred Poems from Many Cultures-Edited with Introduction by Robert Bly, 268 pages

  I picked this book up because I like Robert Bly’s writing, not realizing that he’d edited rather than written the collection of poems inside.

  After my initial few seconds of disappointment, I was excited to read such a variety of voices. When I write, I’m certainly inspired by others, and Bly is one poet who inspires me. What a treat, to read his arrangement of poems, to interact with words that inspire him!

  The book features poems by authors familiar to me such as Ranier Maria Rilke, Emily Dickinson, and William Butler Yeats, and it also contains old works from Eastern minds (such as Rumi, Lalla, and Hafez) who were new to me. The collection includes selections from more than 30 different poets from different times and lands. Each poem incorporates a concept of soul, a favorite topic of mine. I appreciated the section divisions, Bly’s brief introductions to each one, and the fact that Bly translated many of the poems himself.

 I’ve finished the book that now sits with several dog-eared pages to which I intend to return. Don't worry; this one is my own. I didn't deface a library book. I promise.

Grant by Max Byrd, 359 pages

  I liked taking some time to ponder our country’s history during the era when Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, General William Tecumseh Sherman, and a family member of the two Adams’ presidents interacted, back when Thomas Edison’s inventions were new, experimental, and rapidly catching on.

  I can’t say, however, that I liked the story telling. I think this content could have been told much better, so I'm not interested in reading other historical fiction by Max Byrd. If I am to read anything else about Grant, I'll look for non-fiction.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Frederik Backman, 384 pages

  Seven-year-old Elsa and her 77-year-old grandma are quite the pair for others to contend with.

  The former is a precocious child obsessed with Harry Potter, straightforward to the point of adult discomfort with her never-ending questions. She is well-versed with Wikipedia content and experienced in running from children who would physically punish her for being so different.

  The latter is a retired surgeon turned grandmother who does and says exactly what she likes when she likes, very little of it socially acceptable.

  Grandmother and Elsa survive real-world "idiots" through fairy tale worlds Grandmother has created . . . until Grandmother dies . . . until Elsa is left with last missions from Grandmother that bring adventure and new perspectives of the real world, of cherished fairy tale lands, and even of Grandmother herself.

  This book was written by a Swedish author and takes place in Sweden. It's packed with dialogue, told through Elsa’s viewpoint, and caused me to laugh out loud all the way through . . . until I cried . . . and ultimately reached the end quite satisfied as should happen in all good fairy tales. The experience was delightful.

  I listened to the book as read by Joan Walker.

To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey, 417 pages

  This work of historical fiction is loosely based on real 1885 Alaska exploration under the command of senior U.S. Army Officer Henry Trueman Allen.

  The novel toggles between Colonel Allen Forrester and his young bride, Sophie. After being stationed near Vancouver, Colonel Forrester accepts the challenge of leading a small group of men into Alaska to explore territory unknown to the U.S. government, leaving Sophie behind in a wilderness outpost with military personnel and a few women. 

  Also woven into the story is the development of a letter-writing relationship between a present-day descendant of Colonel Forrester and an Alaskan museum employee who lives near the area where Forrester explored.

  The words of this novel are a pleasure, vividly describing majestic scenes, abutting cultures, the light and dark and ins-and-outs of 19th Century photography, privation, emotions, and personalities. It includes adventure, monotony, survival, supernatural mystery, and important thoughts relevant for today.

  This is my first book (technically audio book) with an Alaskan setting. I enjoyed and recommend it. 

The Wicked Day by Mary Stewart, 417 pages

  The life of Mordred (King Arthur’s son by his half-sister) is the main focus of this last book in MaryStewart’s Arthurian series.

  King Arthur’s legendary reign weakens as does Merlin’s power. Unlike in other versions of the Arthurian legend, Mordred is quite a likable character here, and we get to know him from early childhood. I wanted all to work out well for Mordred just as much as I wanted Arthur and the kingdom to enter a new age with hope.

  This book considers, through story, if we can change our fate or if we simply must do what is ordained by powers beyond the mortal realm. The characters are challenged to have hope and patience beyond their lifespans, to believe that, ultimately, the goal of difficult and even evil days can be to produce a greater, future good.

  While I was content to end the series with book three at the height of the Arthurian kingdom, this last book was more than just an encore after the series should have ended. The story-telling was just as compelling as in the rest of the books.
  Sigh. I've reached the end of the entire tale . . . again. It was time, but, still. Sigh.

The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart, 513 pages

  In this third book of Mary Stewart’s four-book Arthurian series, Arthur is the strong and admirable King Arthur of Legend. Battles rage. Alliances are made. Camelot and the round hall are built. Gwynevere joins Arthur as his queen, and knights join with him as brave and respected friends.

  Merlin is needed differently by King Arthur than he was by Arthur the boy, so he is able to turn his attention to the borne-in-magic threat posed by Arthur’s half-sister, Margause. Merlin longs for an apprentice of his own, finds love, and caused this reader’s heart to beat quickly with concern throughout his adventures.

  Even if you’ve read, watched, or heard other versions of King Arthur, I encourage you to read Stewart’s unique rendition. 

  The book comes to a satisfactory close, and I would have been content if the series ended with book three. Good news for those of us not quite ready to let the characters and legend go yet, satisfactory close or not: one more book awaits before the full tale reaches its end!

Alcoholics Anonymous by Alcoholics Anonymous, 575 pages

  I read the fourth and latest edition of the Big Book.

  If you struggle with any substance abuse or addiction or care about someone who does, this is a valuable read. It could be considered "Self Help" inasmuch as reading it could help you take a step away from life-destroying addiction and toward a 12-step group.

  This blue book is a primary piece of literature for Alcoholics Anonymous, aimed to be a tool to help those in recovery and those seeking sobriety guide each other through meetings and personal contact. The first section of the book describes how the program came about and how it is designed to work, along with notes to family members and employers of alcoholics. The majority of the book consists of personal stories written by individuals in recovery, each one sharing his/her own struggle and path to sobriety. The appendices are also much-used tools.

  The book retains the Foreword from each of the previous editions that, when viewed back to back, are awe inspiring. In 1939, the Foreword identifies Alcoholics Anonymous as “nearly one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.” In 1955, the group had “mushroomed into nearly 6,000 groups whose membership is far above 150,000 recovered alcoholics” in the all 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, all the Canadian provinces, plus communities in six other countries. The 1976 edition conservatively estimated more than one million recovered alcoholics among their ranks belonging to 28,000 groups in more than 90 countries. The 2001 edition celebrates more than two million recovered alcoholics finding sober lives through Alcoholics Anonymous via more than 100,800 groups in approximately 150 countries. Impressive life changes across the globe stem from this book!

The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart, 475 pages

  This is the second book in Stewart’s Arthurian series. It picks up right where The Crystal Cave leaves off and continues on with Merlin’s life, now with the addition of Arthur, the boy who will be king, as part of the story line.

  Merlin is in the prime of his life and has become a man who understands himself, his purpose, his powers and how to use them as much he ever will. He accepts that his cousin, Arthur, who has not yet been born when the book begins, will become the king the land’s people need and that his own role will be to protect, train, and guide.

   I love that I got to adventure to other lands with Merlin during the lightest years of his life. I also love that Arthur’s life is without burdens that will come once the weight of a kingdom is transferred to his authority. Arthur goes through childhood as a child, protected, while growing into who he is to be without the knowledge of who he is thanks to Merlin. This portion of the series is magical and exciting and builds to the last page in such a way that you’d better have the next book, TheLast Enchantment, ready to read immediately.

  When I’m extra enthusiastic about a book, my husband sometimes feels compelled to pick it up when I’m not looking and then stay up reading it while I sleep to reach the end before I do. That happened with this series. Luckily, I’d read it all before, so technically I still reached the end before he did. Right?

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, 494 pages

  I first read and liked this book as a high school student, and the time finally presented itself for me to reread Mary Stewart’s Arthurian saga. Hooray! The Crystal Cave is book one of four (followed by The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, and The Wicked Day).

  Thirty extra years of my own life between readings of the series brought me a deeper appreciation for the story, so it was worth the reread.

  As an old man, Merlin reflects on his life, narrating his own story beginning when he was six-years-old. The Crystal Cave is about Merlin himself, how he comes to understand who and what he is and what his role in the kingdom will be. The story is full of mystery and great story telling  with not as much magic as one might expect. 

  Book one ends with Arthur’s conception, which, of course, means the story has barely begun. Even as a re-read, I can’t stop here. Onto the next book I go!