Hide By Matthew Griffin
Dealing with the failing health of a partner/spouse is an incredibly difficult and personal experience for anyone, one that can be only compounded by having to keep the true nature of your relationship secret to the world. This is the reality for Wendell and Frank who met right after WWII, fell in love, and made a private life for themselves over the next 60 odd years. This life is threatened when Wendell finds Frank collapsed in the yard. What follows is a novel that goes back and forth from the start of their relationship to the difficulties of the modern day as Frank recovers and Wendell fights to keep it all together. Taxidermy imagery is used throughout which may disturb some readers but it is used as a literary device for identity, superficiality, and the creation of the appearance of artificial life. Greg
Two Steps Forward by Graeme C. Simsion
This is the story of Zoe Witt who travels to France after the apparent suicide of her husband to visit an old friend. Once there she decides to hike the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile spiritual walk route that winds through France and Spain. Martin Eden, a recently divorced British engineer, is hiking the Camino de Santiago testing out his one-wheeled cart design. The two cross paths multiple times along the way and become more than friends. This is a heartwarming tale of grief, forgiveness, healing, and determination. Emma
How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now by James Kugel
I’ve been reading a great book about the Bible. Kugel is an academic, but the book is written for the layperson, and so far it’s been a tour de force. His approach is to look at stories and passages from the Bible from the perspective of both its ancient interpreters and from modern Biblical scholarship. This means as a reader sometimes experiencing an intense cognitive dissonance, because the two perspectives seem so deeply divergent (i.e. the thesis that the Bible is divinely inspired, versus the thesis that it was written by four people, the documentary hypothesis). Kugel himself is an Orthodox Jew, so I’m curious to learn more about how he balances his knowledge of modern scholarship with his faith. Kugel is an excellent teacher and communicator, and the book is an amazing synthesis of theology, archaeology, history, sociology, psychology, and religious studies. Andrew
Queenpin – Megan Abbott
The unnamed narrator, a young woman with limited prospects, takes a job keeping books at a small nightclub. Soon after she begins practicing some shady accounting, she comes under the scrutiny and then wing of the infamous and ruthless Gloria Denton. Casinos, racetracks, heists – all the big money in the city runs through Gloria before it makes it’s way to the big bosses out of town. Gloria will be her access to all the action and the lavish lifestyle to go with it if only she can keep from falling for the wrong guy. Megan Abbott takes the bones of the same old, time-tested gangster story and gives it new life. By the end symbols of traditional masculinity are kicked apart and lay shattered and bloody on the floor. Trent
The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie Wright
In the evangelical church, there is a myth about missionaries: those who do “God’s work” can do no harm. After living in Costa Rica as a missionary for five years, Jamie Wright pulls back the curtain on missionary life, writing about her experiences and observations. She points the finger at the careless and nonsensical ways of “helping” that sending organizations permitted to happen, veiled by the vague language of “loving on people,” “just showing up,” and “hearing from God.” Her stories about mutually exploitative practices, wasted resources, and underequipped ministers were helpful in understanding the gravity of the harm Christian missionaries can do, if not prepared to serve in careful, sensible, and sustainable ways. Even though the content of the book is serious, Jamie’s voice is fun and entertaining, but also scathing – maybe a little like watching a Trevor Noah routine. While I appreciated the foundation that the beginning chapters laid about Jamie’s early years, the final two sections were ultimately the worthwhile ones. Lyndsey
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
I loved Ruth Ware’s In a Dark Dark Wood, a gripping psychological thriller that left me hanging every step of the way. Then I read The Woman in Cabin 10 and was mostly just confused by too many characters. The Lying Game is the best book from Ruth Ware so far. Four girls spent a year together at Salten, a second-rate boarding school in the English countryside until they are forced to leave to avoid a scandal. Truth be told, no one is sorry to see them go, as their favorite activity was The Lying Game, a game with complicated rules and scoring systems that involved lying to faculty and boarders alike. The number one rule however was, “Never lie to each other”. Fifteen years after the girls go their separate ways, three of them receive a text from the fourth saying only, “I need you.” As if time hasn’t passed, the girls run back to Salten and into a situation that is dark, dangerous and brings to light the fact that someone broke Rule #1. Fabulous descriptions of the eerie and dark marshlands in the waterlogged area near the English Channel perfectly set the tone for the story which is an addicting page turner. Sara
There There by Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange’s debut novel There There is a window into the lives of urban Native Americans of Oakland, California. We hear from twelve different characters, young and old, embedded in their heritage and barely aware, as they wind their way through stories steeped in tragedy and despair, hope and family, culminating on the night of an Oakland powwow. Read the prologue if you do nothing else – it’s devastating. Dori
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
A debut psychological thriller and the perfect beach read. Erin, a documentary film maker and her investment banker husband Mark are honeymooning in Bora Bora. This tropical paradise turns into a nightmare when a scuba diving excursion uncovers something sinister in the water. Do Erin and Mark report their finding? Each decision they make after their discovery has dangerous consequences for the young couple. This taut and unsettling novel is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Paula Hawkins. Megan
The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara
This past month has consisted of doing extra research in order to teach film history to kids/teens in a filmmaking summer camp. As I continue to make an effort to include more diverse voices in my reading choices, I’m now reading The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara through Overdrive. It is a relatively short read, which is what I wanted. In quick chapters Che describes the adventures and misadventures that he and a friend from medical school have while travelling through South America. Next I’ll have to watch the movie adaptation with Gael Garcia Bernal. Byron
Us Against You (Beartown #2) by Fredrik Backman
This is my first read by the popular author Fredrick Backman, and oddly enough, I did NOT read Beartown. However, the review of the book caught my interest, and I much enjoyed it. The reader does not have to read Beartown to understand this book. The beginning does a very good job of concisely wrapping up Beartown, and swiftly picking up where it has left off. Beartown is populated with a diverse group inhabitants. Some old , some young, some cranky, some hardworking, some who hardly work, and some dreamers. Something bad has happened in Beartown, and now its residents are divided. Much talk about the beloved local hockey team and its future is where this book begins. Changes ensue for the hockey team and the town. However, this book isn’t just about hockey. This book is about life. It has sadness, tension, fierce competition, politics, kindness (sometimes in the most unlikely of places), love & compassion. You don’t have to love hockey to love this book, you just need to love life. Mary