Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

From Westchester Library System:

To the women in the hair-braiding salon, Ifemelu seems to have everything a Nigerian immigrant in America could desire, but the culture shock, hardships, and racism she's endured have left her feeling like she has cement in her soul. Smart, irreverent, and outspoken, she reluctantly left Nigeria on a college scholarship. Her aunty Uju, the pampered mistress of a general in Lagos, is now struggling on her own in the U.S., trying to secure her medical license. Ifemelu's discouraging job search brings on desperation and depression until a babysitting gig leads to a cashmere-and-champagne romance with a wealthy white man. Astonished at the labyrinthine racial strictures she's confronted with, Ifemelu, defining herself as a Non-American Black, launches an audacious, provocative, and instantly popular blog in which she explores what she calls Racial Disorder Syndrome. Meanwhile, her abandoned true love, Obinze, is suffering his own cold miseries as an unwanted African in London. Americanah is a courageous, world-class novel about independence, integrity, community, and love and what it takes to become a full human being

The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt

A page-turner, for sure, and an interesting one, too. I am lazy today, so will copy and paste from the Westchester Library System's synopsis of this book. It says it better than I can with all on my plate today!

It is the summer of 1940, and Lisbon, Portugal, is the only neutral port left in Europe--a city filled with spies, crowned heads, and refugees of every nationality, tipping back absinthe to while away the time until their escape. Awaiting safe passage to New York on the SS Manhattan, two couples meet: Pete and Julia Winters, expatriate Americans fleeing their sedate life in Paris; and Edward and Iris Freleng, sophisticated, independently wealthy, bohemian, and beset by the social and sexual anxieties of their class. As Portugal's neutrality, and the world's future, hang in the balance, the hidden threads in the lives of these four characters--Julia's status as a Jew, Pete and Edward's improbable affair, Iris's increasingly desperate efforts to save her tenuous marriage--begin to come loose. This journey will change their lives irrevocably, as Europe sinks into war.Gorgeously written, sexually and politically charged, David Leavitt's long-awaited new novel is an extraordinary work.

I agree! An extraordinary book. I plan to try Leavitt's others, too.

Kinder Than Solitude by Yiyun Li

This is brilliant writing by an intellectually and emotionally brilliant author. I think this is one the most finely crafted novels that I have read in a long time. And it's complex, deep and thought-provoking, while telling a story of four childhood friends who have grown up in  Beijing during the 1990s. One of them is poisoned — possibly by someone in the circle — and the group drifts apart, numbed by the experience.

"For Shaoai, the damage is physiological, shutting down her body’s faculties one by one until she is trapped in bloated flesh, where she will languish for 21 years before her murder is finally consummated. For the others, the poisons will be more subtle. Each will erect an emotional wall, a hermetic husk, and, in the end, each will be as unrecognizable as the victim."

Take time reading this novel; it's worth savoring every passage.

Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

I loved Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead, so when I found this  new book by her, I snatched it off the shelf.  It is a well-written and compelling glimpse into the passionate, political world of professional ballet and its magnetic hold over two generations. Astonish Me tells the story of Joan, a ballerina whose life has been shaped by her relationship with a world-famous dancer Arslan Ruskov, whom she helps defect from the Soviet Union to the U.S. While Arslan's career takes off in New York, Joan's slowly declines, ending when she becomes pregnant and decides to marry her longtime admirer, a PhD student named Jacob. As the years pass, Joan settles into her new life in California, teaching dance and watching her son, Harry, become a ballet prodigy himself. But when Harry's success brings him into close contact with Arslan, secrets are revealed that shatter the delicate balance Joan has struck between her past and present.
This book is certainly for ballet lovers, but anyone can enjoy the great story, too!
 

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

What would happen if suddenly the days became 25 or 30 hours long? Would we, as a human race, adjust accordingly, or still try to maintain the 24 hour day we are accustomed to and that works for us?

This is the premise of this interesting book. It is, at its core, a "coming of age story," told from a 12 year old's perspective. But still, it is compelling and draws the reader in from the start.

I don't normally like "sci-fi" books like this but I did really enjoy reading this novel. And now I am watching "the Leftovers," on HBO, from the Tom Perotta novel by the same name. 

Dirty Love by Andres Dubus

This is one of my favorite authors, even though there are not that many novels by Dubus.  When I saw this in the Library, I grabbed it even though it's a collection of four short stories. I don't usually read short stories, for some reason.
All four stories are about love, as the title reveals ("Dirty Love" is the last of the four stories).  All of the characters grapple with their own issues regarding love, lust, and envy.
There's Marla, the main character of the story that bears her name. She's an overweight, kind of ordinary young woman who works in a bank and finally meets a guy who wants to be with her.
Then there's Mark, in the first story, whose wife has been having an affair, he discovers, as he discovers truths about himself that are hard to face.
The last story, "Dirty Love," was actually my least favorite. But I think I have to give it another chance.
I enjoyed reading Dubus because he is an amazing writer, and this read only made me want his next novel to come out soon!

The Partner Track by Helen Wan

Very engaging and suspenseful novel! I read about it in the New York Times and thought it sounded interesting. The novel takes place at a highly esteemed and venerable law practice in NYC and the main character, Ingrid Yung, is brilliant and beautiful Asian American woman on her way towards partnership.....but there are a few obstacles in her way.  And those obstacles also can be the reason she may get partner instead of her friend Murph, who is "typical." She is a woman and a minority, but she also  has an impeccable work ethic.  From Booklist:

When she’s simultaneously assigned to a huge case and asked to spearhead the firm’s new diversity initiative, however, Ingrid’s ­priorities begin to shift from playing the corporate game to exposing the injustices of the old-boy network, even though it may cost her both her partnership and her relationship with a fellow associate. Debut novelist Wan, an associate general counsel at Time Inc. shows that she has writing chops in addition to legal acumen. In spite of creating a lackluster romance and pat epilogue, Wan succeeds in exploring and fictionalizing the timely topics of sexism and racism in workplace politics in a fluent, thought-provoking, and compelling tale.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It dealt with a lot of real issues and is told in an easy and engaging manner.