ALL THE RIVERS by Dorit Rabinyan

October 26, 2017

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Translated by Jessica Cohen

Set shortly after 9/11 in New York City, Liat is an Israeli, born into an Iranian-Jewish family. She is on a student visa in New York, working on translation skills. While there, she meets Hilmi, a Palestinian artist who is living in Brooklyn. They are both from the Middle East, but like Romeo and Juliet, they are from warring sides. And unlike that famous pair, the obstacles in their way are considerably bigger than a family feud.

Liat knows she is on a six-month visa and she goes into the relationship thinking it will just be a fling, but she quickly realizes that she has fallen in love. Hilmi also falls in love, and he is very much aware that their political differences are going to be a problem. In fact, the only thing they fight about is geography and the occupation of the Palestinian territories. And Rabinyan manages to show both sides of the Palestinian argument, the good and the bad.

Liat knows her family, especially her parents, would never accept such a relationship. She tells her sister who is very judgemental, but for the most part, keeps the relationship secret from the other Israelis she knows in NY. Hilmi is resentful of this but cares enough about Liat to overlook it, most of the time anyway, but still finds it very hurtful. When Hilmi’s brothers come to visit, Liat gets into a huge argument with them and Hilmi keeps silent. Eventually, the brothers leave and the lovers find their way back to one another.

Then Liat’s time is up and she must return to Israel. Hilmi decides to leave shortly after, planning on spending the summer at home. And then tragedy strikes.

This is a beautifully written book and covers a lot of significant events. What I found most interesting is that these characters are not your typical Israeli Jew and Palestinian Muslim. Liat is Persian and Hilmi has been brought up by an atheist father, and does not appear to be religious at all.

Rabinyan won Israel’s prestigious Bernstein Prize in 2015. The book became politicized when Israel’s Ministry of Education banned the book from the high school curriculum. Nevertheless, it has been translated into 17 languages and is being taught in high schools around the world.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not include this from The Guardian (2004) which officially blew my mind:

The exile’s return

They were young, talented and free in New York. Dorit Rabinyan was an Israeli novelist and Hassan Hourani was a Palestinian artist. Their passionate friendship, impossible at home, flourished abroad. Last year, visiting his family, Hourani drowned in Jaffa. Rabinyan writes him a farewell letter.
Not surprisingly, All the Rivers makes for a very interesting book discussion.

10/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ALL THE RIVERS by Dorit Rabinyan. Random House (April 25, 2017). ISBN 978-0375508295. 288p.

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THE TEMPLAR BROTHERHOOD by James Becker

October 22, 2017

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Robin Jessop, a shop owner, has come across a possible clue to finding the lost treasure of the ancient order of Knights Templar. The Templars had been wiped out in a purge by another sect of the church centuries ago but probably hid away the amazing amount of wealth they had accumulated during their existence. Robin and her boyfriend David Mallory set out to find the treasure pursued by a sector of the church that wants the wealth for their order.

Robin and David find clues to where the treasure is located and move across Europe in search of it, pursued relentlessly by the sect that also wants it. The circumstances described in the book should really lead to continuous action but the main part of the novel is tedious solving of one clue after another. This causes the novel to be slowed down and forces the reader to become bogged down in detail after detail while sluggishly moving forward.

I found the ending to be just an apparent means of quickly terminating the novel with little or no satisfaction in following the book. I trust that this novel is not indicative of future books by this author who has taken a great idea and done little with it.

10/17 Paul Lane

THE TEMPLAR BROTHERHOOD by James Becker. Berkley (October 3, 2017).  ISBN 978-0451473974. 464p.

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EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng

October 21, 2017

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This debut novel made quite a splash when it came out in 2014. I didn’t read it then, but I read her new book, Little Fires Everywhere. As soon as I finished it, I went looking for this book. It is deserving of all the hype that surrounded it, including:

New York Times Bestseller · A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice · Winner of the Alex Award· Winner of the APALA Award for Fiction · NEA Big Read Selection

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY:
 
NPR · San Francisco Chronicle · Entertainment Weekly · The Huffington Post  · Buzzfeed  · Amazon ·  Grantland · Booklist · St. Louis Post Dispatch · Shelf Awareness · Book Riot · School Library Journal ·  Bustle · Time Out New York · Mashable · Cleveland Plain Dealer

The reviews were uniformly excellent and I’ll just add to that sweet symphony.

From the publisher:

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

The writing is lyrical. The characters spring to life on the page and drive the story. Reading Everything I Never Told You is an emotional journey of the finest kind and an unforgettable read – and that is not something I say lightly. I may have liked it even more than Little Fires Everywhere, I’m not sure yet. Either way, don’t miss it.

10/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng. Berkley (October 17, 2017). ISBN 978-0451488756. 368p.

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SCORED by Sloane Howell

October 20, 2017

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This is another sports romance, this time baseball, with an erotica bent. It’s pretty hot and a lot of fun.

Kelsey works in a record store – vinyl records, and she’s really into music. Her best friends introduce her to Matt, a professional athlete, and while physically she is drawn to him, she can’t imagine them having anything in common.

Matt thinks she’s really cute and unbeknownst to Kelsey, he really loves music. So when he finally asks her out, it’s to a concert at one of his favorite venues. Turns out it’s one of her favorites, too.

Try as she does to fight it, Kelsey and Matt have a lot in common and things really heat up between them. It wouldn’t be a romance without some aggravation along the way, but of course they get their happy ending. This is a fast, fun read, available as an ebook only.

SCORED by Sloane Howell. Loveswept (October 17, 2017). ASIN B01M3TJQA6. 221p.

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WILL’S TRUE WISH by Grace Burrowes

October 19, 2017

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True Gentlemen, Book 3

Lady Susannah Haddonfield is quite happy with her life and has no desire to marry. Her younger sister does, however, and the only man who seems to be interested carries around a small dog. He is convinced that Susannah doesn’t like dogs and she is afraid he won’t offer for her sister because of her.

Will Dorning is the second in line for the Earl, the spare, if you will. He has several younger siblings and has taken it upon himself to try and keep them in line. He is a dog trainer of some renowned, and an old family friend of the Haddonfields, so Lady Susannah asks him to help her become, if not a dog lover, at least someone who looks like a dog lover.

Meanwhile, there has been a rash of dognappings in the area of mostly very large dogs, the kinds that are used for bear baiting. Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, and I’m happy to say not much more in the way of details is given. Will’s brothers want him to find the dogs and collect the rewards, but he doesn’t think it is the right thing to do. While Lady Susannah h

While Lady Susannah and Will are spending time together, they fall in love, but he doesn’t feel he has the prospects to marry her. If he collects the reward monies, he might so she encourages him in that direction. But politics play into it, as well as other machinations, making their happily ever after seem like a long shot.

This is another fun entry into this series, and will especially appeal to dog lovers.

10/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WILL’S TRUE WISH by Grace Burrowes.  Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 2, 2016). ISBN: 978-1492621089. 384p.

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VENGEANCE by Newt Gingrich & Pete Earley

October 18, 2017

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This latest novel features Major Brook Grant and her fiancée, the full blooded Indian “Walks Many Miles,” both of whom met while serving in the armed forces. The book opens at the pair’s wedding in Washington D.C. with a list of high level guests including the president of the United States in attendance. Suddenly there is a terrific explosion set by a terrorist with a truck bomb.

Brook escapes the carnage by a fluke along with her adopted daughter Jennifer. To state that she wants revenge is an understatement and she is helped with her quest by the incoming president forming a secret squad loosely tied to the CIA whose mission is to find and kill terrorists. No trial, no rights, no imprisonment, but as quickly as possible death by any means at hand.

The authors tie in other active agents selected by the president along with Brook. These include two others at the outset. One is a member of a Saudi Arabian secret group dedicated to the same ends and the other a female member of the Mossad. The three live up to their established creed of find the terrorists forget about trials and leave the bodies where they lay. In the midst of all the action in both the U.S. and overseas, this new group go on the attack, finding out which group planned the bombing and why, and who is allied with them and what are the future plans of these terrorists.

The authors obviously plan more novels with the group as the center. They have apparently changed the thrust of their books from descriptions of military operations to one of behind the scenes doing away with terrorist groups by fair means or foul. As in the previous novels, writing is fast, action swift, and a feeling of just desserts to terrorists definitely carried out.

10/17 Paul Lane

VENGEANCE by Newt Gingrich & Pete Earley. Center Street (October 10, 2017).  ISBN 978-1478923046. 432p.

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SEVEN DAYS OF US by Francesca Hornak

October 17, 2017

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When I first heard about this book, a family with two adult children who are forced into quarantine together for a week, I immediately thought of the Jonathan Tropper book, This is Where I Leave You, which has a similar plot line. So I was surprised to find that the two books really couldn’t be more different. Sure, the dysfunctional family is still there but the voice is completely different, as are the dynamics of the characters. Plus this is set in Great Britain, so that dry humor is really different, too.

Olivia Birch, a doctor, has been working in Liberia during a humanitarian crisis. They are dealing with a deadly “Haag virus,” which I looked up and realized is just a made up plot device, however much it sounded real. She has fallen in love with a co-worker, Sean, a doctor from Ireland, but are keeping it secret as that is against the rules. They are both returning home for Christmas, and separate at the airport, he to return to Ireland and she to return to the family estate in the country. They are both under strict quarantine as it takes a few days for the symptoms of the disease to appear.

Olivia’s mom Emma waits at the airport and strikes up a conversation with a young man she meets there. While they don’t even exchange names, they do exchange secrets.

Emma whisks Olivia home where her father and her newly engaged sister are waiting, and the week of quarantine begins. Relationships are examined, secrets abound, and lots of drama occurs amidst the laughter. I don’t want to give anything away, it’s too much fun discovering what all is going on as you read.

This was a totally engrossing novel that made me laugh out loud on occasion, as well as cry, the whole emotional gamut. Hornak has a really unique voice that brings the Birch family to life. A wonderful read that would make for a great book discussion. Don’t miss it.

10/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SEVEN DAYS OF US by Francesca Hornak. Berkley (October 17, 2017). ISBN 978-0451488756. 368p.

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INFINITE GROUND by Martin Macinnes

October 16, 2017

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This is a story told via a series of surrealistic scenes. A man named Carlos disappears while eating dinner with a large group in a South American locale. He is not missed until an inspector begins to look for him over a period of time in a variety of locations.

Unfortunately, there are enough places and scenarios within surrealistic contexts to keep the reader thoroughly confused as to what is going on and what is the objective of the book. I noticed the plethora of positive comments and finished the book because I had started it and didn’t believe I would be unable to get the point of the exercise. I didn’t.

From the publisher:

On a sweltering summer night at a restaurant in an unnamed Latin American city, a man at a family dinner gets up from the table to go to the restroom . . . and never comes back. He was acting normal, say family members. None of the waiters or other customers saw him leave.

A semi-retired detective takes the case, but what should be a routine investigation becomes something strange, intangible, even sinister. The corporation for which the missing man worked seems to be a front for something else; the staff describes their colleague as having suffered alarming, shifting physical symptoms; a forensic scientist examining his office uncovers evidence of curious microorganisms.

As the detective relives and retraces the man’s footsteps, the trail leads him away from the city sprawl and deep into the country’s rainforest interior . . . where, amidst the overwhelming horrors and wonders of the natural world, a chilling police procedural explodes into a dislocating investigation into the nature of reality.

10/17 Paul Lane

IINFINITE GROUND by Martin Macinnes. Melville House (October 17, 2017).  ISBN 978-1612196855. 272p.

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WEYCOMBE by G. M. Malliet

October 15, 2017

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G. M. Malliet brings us a well-written whodunit set in an upscale gated community in England called Weycombe. The novel is set up with the main protagonist, Jillian White, as the narrator and analyzer of the events portrayed.

Jillian is an American living in Weycombe with her English husband whom she met while attending Oxford. He is a member of the British peerage, has a title, and an excellent career which allows him to provide the wherewithal to live in Weycombe, even when Jillian loses her job with the BBC.

The novel begins as Jillian, finishing her morning exercise run, spots the dead body of a woman near the road. The police are called and determine that the lady was murdered, starting an investigation in which Jillian and her neighbors are questioned. Jillian decides that since she has the time she will also attempt to solve the crime.

With a very pleasing tongue-in-cheek style, Malliet describes Jillian’s findings when she questions her neighbors as to their views of the murder. In what is certainly the manner that these types of investigations proceed everywhere, Jillian finds that most of what she finds is a mixed bag. Most of the people questioned have opinions and most of what they say conflicts with every other opinion.

Adding spice to an already excellent read, Jillian is faced with the probability that her husband has been cheating on her. She realizes that her marriage is in trouble and has to deal with that situation while looking into the murder. I found myself immediately drawn into the novel and couldn’t put it down until finished.  I am now a Malliet fan and look forward to her next book.

10/17 Paul Lane

WEYCOMBE by G. M. Malliet. Midnight Ink (October 8, 2017).  ISBN  978-0738754260. 360p.

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BAD REPUTATION by Nicole Edwards

October 14, 2017

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A Bad Boys of Sports Novel

This is a standalone contemporary romance with some definite heat. I like how it was written with alternating viewpoints, we hear from Cassie and from Chase, and it’s always fun seeing where they are headed before they do.

Cassie and Chase have been best friends (without benefits!) for many years. She told him up front that she was not going to sleep with him, and the relationship worked for them both. Chase became a hockey star and Cassie became a high tech VP and they’ve been hanging out through good and bad relationships and Chase’s philandering ways.

But Chase is quicker to realize that he has developed feelings for Cassie, which he thinks she does not reciprocate. When she asks him along on a business trip to Vegas, things come to a head one very drunken night. What happens in Vegas follows them home and they have to work through a lot to find their happy ending. And they do, with lots of steamy sex along the way.

This was a one night read for me and a lot of fun – pure escapism. If you’re in the mood, go for it!

10/17  Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

BAD REPUTATION by Nicole Edwards. Loveswept (October 3, 2017). ASIN: B01N6OVQRJ. 273p.

 

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