Driving Home: An American Journey
by Jonathan Raban
Pantheon Publishing; 2011
Reviewed by Michele Olsen
I really enjoyed Raban's Driving Home, a collection of essays by an Englishman who is transplanted to Seattle. As a relative newcomer myself, I appreciated his insightfulness and wit about all things cultural and historical. Stops along the way include a bar in Missoula, a Tea Party convention in Nashville hosted by Sarah Palin, the Mississippi in full flood, a trip to Hawaii with his daughter, a steelhead river in the Cascades, and Seattle's hidden corners. Raban explores public and personal spaces, poetry and politics, geography and catastrophe, art and economy, and the shifts in various arenas that define our society. I also enjoyed The Lower River, by Paul Theroux. This is a story about a disillusioned American who returns to Africa after a 40 year absence. He soon realizes that the Africa he remembered is not the Africa of today. In the memoir category, try Prime Time by Jane Fonda. This long-famous actress, now in her 70's, reflects on her life--now in the "Third Act", as she calls it. Pretty basic stuff, but her story is quite interesting.
The Bluebird Effect, by Julie Zickefoose
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2012
Reviewed by Lori Lisowski
This book is a feast for the eyes and the heart. The Bluebird Effect is beautiful enough to be on your coffeetable, but don't let it collect dust. The stories about birds we see everyday will warm your heart and give you a realistic view of what it is like to be a wildlife rehabilitator. The sketches and watercolors are a treat. I'm curious to know how author Zickefoose was able to raise a family and keep her husband amist all the chaos, feeding and poop! I also enjoyed (for the most part) John Grisham's Calico Joe, a novel about baseball that offered lots of nostalgia. There was a time when I was an avid baseball fan and card collector--the narrator is 11 in 1973; I was 10. I remember all the players Grisham mentions. As drawn as I was to the storyline, I felt the book lacked depth and character motivation. I had little empathy for the present-day characters, since their actions seemed somewhat hollow. I read the book in one day--not much "meat" here. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen grabbed my attention, since I enjoy Quindlen's columns about writing. Sadly, I found this book relatively boring. I think you need to be a wife and mother to really appreciate this book.
The Art of Fielding
by Chad Harbach
Little,Brown and Company 2011
reviewed by patron Anne Metcalfe
A novel set in a small Wisconsin college town the book tells the story of the college baseball team and the events and lives of a group of interconnected and well defined, and engaging characters. You don't have to like baseball to enjoy this book.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett will have you thinking of jungle travel and living. A book that probes relationships and ethical questions it will keep you turning the pages with interesting characters and plot surprises.
A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton is about a man-crazy, over-weight, smoking English detective living in a small village. It is amusing and entertaining. This is a fun mystery series set in the Cotswolds of rural England.
