August

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub, 2016
Very New York City story about 2 families who are raising children in Brooklyn.
Liberal arts educated group of friends who are now middle-aged parents.
Like the fact that one of the main characters, Ruby, is African-American and not a big deal.
The other main characters & college friends include mid-western raised Elizabeth with good manners who discovers city life & can never go back to her old pace of life and her husband Andrew, trust fund baby raised in NYC.
As marriages carry on for 20+ years, their children Zoe and Harry embark on a romance.
Fun, unique story with humorous & creative ending.
Had started Straub's The Vacationers, but could not get into so tentatively picked this up.





Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn, 2016
Although recommended by a few sites, I initially was not going to pick up Here Comes The Sun.

Set in Jamaica, the novel tells the story of island native Margot who works at The Palm Star Resort, worlds away (figuratively) from the shack that Margot lives in with her mom Delores and sister Thandi.


A powerful story of growing up poor, mean and ignorant, Margot's neighbors live a tough life and she is driven to pull herself from such a life.

Working long hours and willing to sleep with the Palm Star Resort owner to keep her job, Margot's focus is to provide an education for her sister Thandi so that she can become a success and support both Margot and Delores.

Stories of Delores's harshness, Thandi's struggle to fit in with her wealthier and lighter classmates & Margot's raw ambition makes Here Comes The Sun a page-turner where in the end, everything blows up.

Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker, 2012
Flying back after a business trip to Cincinnati, I wanted something for the plane.  After spending a few days in an area surrounded by strip malls & high way, I was ready for something meaty to read.

I had also been reading a lot of memoirs.  None of the fiction, non-fiction or biographies in the bookstore of the Cincinnati-Kentucky International Airport (probably the smallest international airport in the US) caught my attention.

Wanted to learn more about Afghanistan, I picked up Taliban Shuffle.  Filled with details about a country that I know nothing about, the book was a fascinating read.

Barker talks about the lack of cohesion or even a plan to enable Afghanistan to govern itself after drawing the country into war and destroying so much.  Each country was responsible for a geographic area or social area of rebuilding Afghanistan, with the Italians responsible for the judicial systems.

Having read The Italians, I understood the point that Barker was trying to make, that Afghanistan really had no hope.

Witty and self-aware, Barker's novel is a seamless combination of personal memoir and portrayal of present day Afghanistan & Pakistan.


The Ramblers by Aidan Donelley Rowley, 2016

Overly dramatic & predictable, but very readable.  Dramatic topics are a bit deeper, covering items such as mental illness, divorce and loneliness.

Clio Marsh, Smith Anderson & Tate Pennington are Yale graduates in their early 30s struggling to overcome their first world problem emotional issues in Manhattan.  Also, an ode to New York City.

Next time I am in NYC, I would love to explore the Rambles in Central Park.