Defending Jacob by William Landay

What a great read! Intriguing, good character development, interesting premise and plot.  The story takes place in Newton, MA, which is a comfortable, well-to-do suburb of Boston. A murder takes place and it's a young teenage boy, Ben Rifkin, stabbed in the park on his way to school. Jacob Barber ends up getting charged in the murder - he happens to be the son of Andy Barber who is the Assistant District Attorney, and he is well respected in the community.

But as we learn more, the fact that Jacob is accused is not so far-fetched. Turns out that Andy comes from a lineage of murderers. Does Jacob have this gene? Why hasn't Andy told his wife Laurie about his relatives - his father!

The story is suspenseful and gripping and the end is a shocker! But I won't give it away.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

The first book I read by this author was Amy and Isabel and I recall telling all of my friends to read it. And now her newest book, The Burgess Boys, takes place (partially) in the same small town in Maine, Shirley Falls. I did enjoy this book but felt that it fell just a little short - perhaps I have read too many books and seen too many movies lately about people doing "bad things" (or being accused of them) and the societal and familial implications that ensue.

The siblings in the story, all Burgesses, are very different people, even though two of them are twins. The story deals with secrets, guilt, lies and deceit (that's a bit redundant) and how people's lives are altered by them. And at the center of the story is the situation involving Susan's son, Zach, who commits a "hate crime" when he throws a pig's head into a mosque. The two Burgess Boys are called in to assist their sister and her son and the family dynamics take over.  The BIG story, really, in the book is the death of the Burgess' father, which occured when they were all quite young. I won't give anything away, but this event accounts for a lot of the feelings of the siblings have toward each other.

The book deals mostly with family affairs and relationships but Strout introduces other elements into the story that tend to turn the focus away from this theme and toward racism, bias, prejudice and forgiveness. In the end, it felt like there were too many elements to tie together. 

I can't say that I didn't like the book, but I don't think it held up to Strout's other work.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

I waited a long time to get this book from the Library and the wait was well worth it! The book starts at a summer camp where a group of artsy teens meet and forge life-long friendships.  The "main" character, Jules (she was Julie before her new friends dubbed her with this name), is the outcast, a frizzy haired girl from the suburbs, not like the other privileged Manhattanites who take her under their wing. She is not sure why.
The story jumps around and covers about 40 years in the life of these characters. There are marriages, babies, tragic events and lots of conversations.
One of the characters, Ethan Figman, was a genius at animation at camp and  he ends up creating a famous television show. Another is Cathy Kiplinger, a dancer who doesn't quite have the body for dance and ends up a successful business woman. Jonah Bay, son of a famous folk singer gets involved with the Moonies for a while and his friends save him. The other two characters are siblings, Ash and Goodman Wolf. Ash (the sister) loves theater and her brother loves trouble.
I won't give anything away about the plot, but will conclude by saying that this is a very enjoyable and thoughtful book that I highly recommend.

All That Is by James Salter

I really didn't know of James Salter, but when this book came out it got a lot of press, being his first book in nearly 35 years. He's 87 years old and has, apparently, quite a reputation. I just had not heard of him!
This is simply the story of one man's life.... and the lives that encircle and envelop him.  The characters dive in and out of the story; some important and some on the fringe, but each one contributes meaning to this man's life.
It was an interesting book. I don't know how memorable it will be for me, however, in that it lacked a strong storyline.  I like a good story!

Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Sister of My Heart is one of my favorite books ever. I read it so long ago, however, that I am not sure that I would still feel the same about it. I think I should re-read it. In any event, when I read about this new book by Divakaruni, I put it on reserve at the Library and got it quickly.
It was a good read; I was definitely into it. She writes with passion and keeps a good story going along, drawing the reader in all the way. I was not happy with all of the characters, however. Sonia, for example, was stereotypical, and even Rajat, her fiance, was a bit wooden.  But the main character, Korobi, was an endearing young woman, her tragic life making her strong and bold, rather than withdrawn and depressed.
Given what she has gone through in life, it's amazing that she still has such spirit and resolve. Her parents are both dead (supposedly) and she was raised by her grandparents, who she adores, but who have not always been truthful with her.
She searches for her father in America and what she finds is quite surprising.
The end bothered me a bit; I think I wanted something different for her, but overall, I really enjoyed the book.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

This dark book takes place over the course of a family dinner - one in which serious family business it to be discussed....but only after the two families have finished a fancy five course meal, with some interesting side courses!
This was a captivating read; it was on the best seller list in the Netherlands for quite some time. The author is Dutch. Two brothers, Serge and Paul, are not the closest of brothers; in fact, you could say they pretty much despise each other. But their two sons are in some trouble together and the brothers meet (with their wives) to figure out what to do. And they disagree vehemently as to the solution.
The book is a quick read, but a compelling one, with twists and turns all the way, and a sinister voice that is disturbing, but entertaining. I don't want to spoil anything, so instead will just say, take the time to read it, especially if you like psychological thrillers like Gone Girl. As a matter of fact, this book has been referred to as the Dutch answer to Gone Girl.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

I forgot how much I love Kingsolver's writing! I have not read a novel by her since The Poisonwood Bible because that was such an amazing book. I can't imagine that she could ever do better. But this book blew me away, too! The novel is all about climate change, but that theme is threaded into a captivating story about a woman, Dellarobia Turnbow, who turns her life around based on an epiphany she has on the road to what could have been ruin.
Dellarobia is 28, smart, attractive, and bored with her life as a mother and wife of Cub, a local Appalachian who spends his time at home channel surfing and never staying on one program for more than a few minutes. Dellarobia had aspirations of attending college but her pregnancy with Cub's baby, which they lost, kept her from attaining that dream.
Her life changes when the butterflies appear and there's no going back. She meets up with scientists who come to their small town to try to figure out why the monarch butterflies have decided to migrate to this spot instead of their usual place in Mexico.
There are so many interesting and compelling passages in this novel.  It's such an interesting take on the issue of climate change. Everyone should read this book!