My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff, 2014

My Salinger Year captures the feeling of having just graduated from college, still innocent about the world, believing that you are a grown-up when you are just starting to become an adult.

Rakoff's memoir begins with her half-haphazardly finding a job and being fortunate enough to work for a storied New York City literary agency. 

She is swept up in a new world that is her job, and struggles to live a life independent of her parents or ex-boyfriend from college.

The charm of the story includes her position as the assistant to the literary agent who represented J.D. Salinger, or Jerry, where she had the opportunities to talk with and even meet the famous recluse.

Part of Rakoff's responsibilities included reading the piles of passionate and touching honest fan letters to Salinger.  The agency, or Rakoff, was tasked with responding to the letters with generic form letters stating that it would not be able to forward the letter onto Salinger since Salinger did not wish to receive them.

Filled with anachronistic quirks such as using a typewriter when offices just started to convert to computers, My Salinger Year describes a New York City literary and publishing world that thrived before the internet, Kindles and e-books revolutionized and overturned the industry.

The story reminds me of my early jobs out of college.  And they were just jobs, not quite a career yet.  I was fortunate to work for Discovery Communications during the hay day of media when ad revenue streamed in, and then at The Washington Post when newspapers were still what everyone woke up to, especially on a Sunday morning.

After reading Rakoff's memoir, I think about how I should write about my years at The Post. 

The admiration when I told people that I worked for The Post, the record breaking advertising revenue years that I was a part of as a Marketing Manager, the Secret Service in the building lobby because the President or a visiting head of state was being interviewed in The Post's uber-executive conference room that had its own kitchen and serving maid.

How Warren Buffet held the door for me while he was at the building attending The Washington Post Company's Board of Directors meeting, how Denzel Washington's brother David worked in accounting and I was able to sit in during an Editorial meeting chaired by Len Downie.

There were so many amazing things that I did at The Washington Post, and I often forget how fortunate I was to be a part of such an institution.

1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC   20071

perfect timing by Jill Mansell, 2009

Jill Mansell books are always good reads. They're perfect for the beach or when I'm feeling particularly stressed and need an escape.

Witty and fast-paced, the books are filled with unique and clever characters. Despite predictable endings, there are many mini-twists along the way so the story never gets too tiresome.

Another reason I enjoy her books is because they are filled with English-isms - not just vernacular, but also pop culture references.

Since my fiance is English, it's fun to share the references with him.  For example: "Claudia slid out of the car and crept, Milk Tray-style, across the road."

I'm familiar with the reference because my fiance's mom had bought me a Cadbury Milk Tray for Christmas one year and the chocolates blew my mind.

My fiance then told me about the Milk Tray commercials, or adverts, that have been running for years where spies covertly and dramatically deliver Milk Tray.

perfect timing's cast of characters include Poppy Dunbar from Bristol, who moves to London and becomes flatmates with the artist Caspar French and socialite Claudia Slade-Welch.  Characters include the colorful jazz musician Alex and his wife Rita, her almost sister-in-law Dina McBride, and co-worker Jake, who Poppy gets to make over.

The story is fun, touching and a good place to spend a few days.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2013

One of The New York Time's top books of 2013, Americanah by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is observant, witty and provides a fresh voice not well represented in literature.

Americanah centers around Ifemelu, a girl who grows up in Nigeria and emigrates to the United States to study due to the continuous strikes at her local university in Nsukka.

Upon arriving in the United States, she struggles to find her footing, especially as she realizes that she has now become black, a concept that did not exist in Nigeria.

Ifemelu decides to start a blog where she captures her experiences and observations as an outsider, being a NAB (Non American Black), who is then thrust into the inside when she arrives in the States where she is grouped with ABs (American Blacks).

Obinze, Ifemula's first love, ends up emigrating to London where he starts over as Vincent Obi, a GB citizen willing to sell his National Insurance number so that Obinze can work.  Not only does Obinze become Vincent so that he can work and open a bank account, but also pays 35% of his salary from cleaning toilets and delivering furniture to Vincent as a fee.

One of the observations by Adichie is that Americans are often friendly to immigrants, but will make no effort to learn how to pronounce a foreign name.  Brits are surly and curt, but will make sure to pronounce a foreign name correctly.  I've experienced this many times, especially as I have worked with off-shore software development teams based in India.

By weaving the stories of two childhood love's emigration and eventual return to Nigeria, Americanah looks at race in America and illegals in the UK while providing a glimpse of Nigerians who are proud of their country (even if it may corrupt and full of 419 Nigerian Prince internet scams) and still struggling to come out of the shadows of the western world.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, 2011

Having read Eugenides' Pulitzer Prize winning novel Middlesex, I knew The Marriage Plot would be good.  Eugenides is a gifted writer who draws readers in with unforgettable characters. 

That said, I had picked up The Marriage Plot a few times, but never got around to reading it since the plot about a love triangle amongst college students did not appeal to me. 

No matter how compelling the description and quotes about the novel (including the assertion that Eugenides has created "a new kind of contemporary love story"), I kept passing on the novel to read other things.

I finally started the book and was hooked after a few pages.  The characters are earnest, make mistakes and can't escape their own weaknesses and the reality they create for themselves.  In other words, they're human. 

There were moments throughout the novel where I wanted to yell at two of the protagonists to have them "wake up" to see the poor decisions they were making, but as twenty-something adults who just graduated college, they had no ability to do so.  The ability to reflect and weigh decisions only come with maturity.

The novel has the typical pretty and wealthy heroine in Madeleine, whose affections are coveted by an alpha male and artsy misfit.

The story is told from these three characters' points of view, and the voices and experiences are captured so well.  One of the characters is manic depressive, and it really paints a picture of how devastating a mental illness is - not just for the person suffering from one, but also for loved ones.

The way Eugenides is able capture such different voices, especially that of female characters, has always impressed me. 

Art Theft and Chick Lit

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro, 2012

I picked up this book mainly because it is set in Boston.  Shapiro is a Boston-based writer who teaches at nearby Tufts University, where my sister and brother-in-law attended university.

The novel mentions real Boston streets and neighborhoods such as the South End, where the protagonist Clare Roth, an artist, lives.  The story unfolds through flashbacks of Roth's infamous reputation with the art community, as well as the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner through a series of imagined letters.

The lives are intertwined when Roth is presented with an imagined stolen Edgar Degas painting from the actual 1990 heist from the Gardner museum resulting in thirteen lost masterpieces that yet to be recovered.

Roth has been hired to forge the stolen Degar painting and while doing so, uncovers a decades old mystery and clever twist at the end.  Being a fan of both Stewart and Degas, I enjoyed learning more about Stewart's passion for art and brass personality and Degar's techniques in creating his works.

Although the plot was clever, I found the book tough to get through.  The story was weighed down by the details on counterfeit techniques used to forge the Degas masterpiece.  The techniques are incredibly well-researched and fascinating, but I found myself skiming over the pages of details.

Similar to Tom Clancy novels where he produced six pages to describe a gun, I found myself losing interest during the detailed overview of the art forging process.

If it were not for the Boston connection, I'm not sure if I would have completed the book.  The fun acronym that I learned while reading the novel is OTC, which stands for Over The Couch and is a derogatory term artists use to describe people who are looking to purchase artwork that matches their decor.

Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie, 2012

This novel is like a romantic comedy movie.  It has all the elements of a fast-paced RoCo with quips, improbable situations and unique free spirits as the supporting cast.

I found myself tearing up a bit when the Girl, Emma Tupper, finally gets together with the Boy, Dominic, only to be forced apart by some misunderstanding, but of course, end up together in the end.

It's a pleasant story and perfect beach read of a woman who travels to Africa, where an earthquake strikes and she is unable to contact loved ones at home.

She finally returns home months later and realizes that life, and her loved ones, have moved on without her.  She now finds herself lost and needing to rebuild her life.  And of course, her new life will end up including the dream job and Boy that she has already wanted.

(At least the dream job is also getting some attention and part of the Hollywood ending for women.  Sheryl Sandberg would be proud.)

Coincidentally, one of the central plots in the novel involves an art heist as well.  Considering that i had just ready The Art Forger before this novel, must be something in the pages.

A Canadian attorney, McKenzie is a enjoyable writer and I would bring her other novels with me on my next beach vacation, which I consider high praise.

English Chick Lit: Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Jill Mansell, 2013

Don't Want To Miss A Thing is a great chick-lit beach reach.  Interesting characters, funny one-liners, romantic tensions (will they, won't they, even though you know they will), and happy endings for everyone.

Jill Mansell is English so her novels have an additional level of enjoyment since I get a kick out of English vernacular. 

For example, when something is Disney, it means that something is cheesy.  A muppet is a fool, a silly person.

To rumble something is to find someone out, as in someone is rumbled.  In the States, rumbling has a more bad ass connotation.

The English'ism is particularly enjoyable for me as I love asking my boyfriend to help me figure out what his people are saying.

There are also references to English popular culture, such as pulling a Darren Brown, the UK version of David Blaine. 

Of particular enjoyment is the Darren Brown reference since my boyfriend went to high school with Darren Brown.  He was amused by the Darren Brown reference and I was amused by being able to tell him about this as proof of how English I have become (or, like to pretend that I've become).

Catch up and back to basics

For the past few months, something was off.  I was not reading any books, just magazines here and there.  You see, I had moved to a new neighborhood, which means a lot of time spent unpacking and cutting up cardboard boxes so that they could fit in the recycling bins. A LOT of time.  A LOT of cardboard.

Then, it was the holidays and traveling for Christmas, and then the New Year and getting settled into my new neighborhood.  There's a lot to learn - for example, the local library here is smaller and they close at 6pm on certain weekdays.

Now that I'm settled and have my new library figured out, I'm reading again, and it feels great!

I'll kick things off with how I started this blog - with a list of books that I did manage to read during my move, and I'll continue adding to the list.

 1. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner, 2011 - Having just moved, my nights were filled with unpacking and making Target trips.  Not having my things where I could get at them easily caused me to become jitterish.  To be able to sit and read, I needed something light that would hold my attention, and this book did it for me.

Jennifer Weiner writes unique characters.  She does not capture the complexity of relationships like Emily Giffin, but Weiner's characters are always unique and engaging.        

- November 2013

2. Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, 2013 - I was excited to read this book.  I have never read anything by Ian McEwan and was looking forward to a good spy story that centers around a female protagonist, who happened to have attended Cambridge University, where my boyfriend attended school.

I was disappointed.  The characters never felt "right" - for example, I could not see a university student having an affair with a 50+ married paunchy tutor/professor.  Maybe a George Clooney type, but not a regular old man.

And, I thought the twist at the end a bit dull and not much of a twist at all.

(Random note - I always refer to Ian McEwan as Ewan McGregor, the actor. Can you see how confusing the names are?  Perhaps it is meant to be that I may never really click with an Ian McEwan novel, although I really enjoyed the movie Atonement.)

- December 2013

3. A Gun for Sale by Graham Green, 1936 - Anything by Graham Green is amazing.  He does not waste a word.  So much unfolds in a sentence.  The slender appearance of his novels are deceptive as so much happens in each of his stories.

Graham Green and Julian Barnes are both writers who I just sit back and think, "wow" after reading each of their works.  So far, Raven is my favorite Graham Green character.

(Interesting note - the US edition of this novel is called This Gun for Hire.)

- January 2014

4. You Are One Of Them by Elliott Holt, 2013 - This is a surprisingly gripping read that had me turning the pages to see how things would end.  I was impressed wit this book.

The story begins with the protagonist Sarah Zuckerman as a child in the late 1980s.  Holt captures the essence of the era so well that it reminded me of my own youth, proving an unexpected trip down memory lane.

The novel begins with Zuckerman as a lonely child growing up in Washington, D.C., raised by a single mom.  Her world is turned around, as it can be at the age of ten, bu a new friend who moves in down the street.  Sadly, the new friend passes away in a plan crash, but not before she becomes the poster child (literally) for peace between the Soviets and USA as tensions rise with the cold war.

(Having lived in D.C. for almost a decade, the landmarks and descriptions of D.C. in the story reminded me of my time in the city.  Again, another unexpected trip down memory lane.)

Unsure of what to do after graduating college, Zuckerman ends up in Russia in search of information about her childhood friend, who stills lives strong in her memory.  During her time in Russia, she meets new friends and is embroiled in a conspiracy.  The ending hits the right tone emotionally with the mystery resolved gracefully, without feeling forced or contrived.

With writing that makes you feel like you are experiencing what the characters are experiencing, I've become utterly fascinated with Moscow based on Zuckerman's experience as an ex-pat.  I have always wanted to visit the country, and reading You Are One Of Them has only reinforced my desire to go visit.
- February 2014

5. The Best Of Us by Sarah Pekkanen, 2013 - The Best Of Us is the perfect beach read.  It's about a group of college friends who are swept away to Jamaica on a private jet to celebrate a 35th birthday.  The relationships and struggles captured in the story are reflective of any relationship and told in in a touching and witty way.

Issues and problems that the women face in the marriage are serious, but Pekkanen has a way of touchingly handling the most miserable situations, while somehow adding laughter.  It's like life - the best way to handle the most miserable situations is often through laughter.

I'm not a mother, but it seems like the struggles and voices of the mothers in the novel are honest, especially one women who is on the brink of losing it as a stay-at-home-mom to four kids.  I definitely have to say, reading about the lives of Tina and Gia, Allie and Ryan, Savannah and Gary, and Dwight and Paulene would have been a lot more fun and appropriate for my trip to the Cayman's than the Carravagio biography I lugged all the way over there...    - February 2014


6. Zinsky the Obscure by Ilan Mochari, 2012
A dude-lit book, Zinksy the Obscure is the story of a Ariel Zinsky, a boy who is traumatized by his childhood, grows into an awkward teen, and even more awkward 20-something.

It is a dark story, but honestly written where I was rooting for Zinsky, even while I was horrified by his actions.  The book is compelling and witty, the characters great and the humanity that is captured impressive.

I discovered this novel after reading an interview with the author in a local Cambridge, MA newspaper.  Mochari waited tables and wrote Zinksy the Obscure at various Cambridge institutions.

At the time, it inspired the (sporadically) aspiring writer, as well as the (more consistent) voracious reader, in me.  - February 2014

7. Paris by Edward Rutherfurd, 2013 - Having read Rutherfurd's epic historical fiction sagas Sarum and London, I knew exactly what I was getting: Page turning stories about five to six families interwoven throughout the centuries.

His novels are incredibly laid out.  Characters are present in historical events that define the city with different generations of families crossing paths in the most unexpected ways.  His novels are able to spans over 700 hard-cover pages without losing the readers' interest.

From 1261 to 1968, Paris tells of the thieving Le Sourd, wealthy (but non-nobles) Renard and Blachard, noble de Cyne, and Jacob families.  The German occupation and fate of the Jacob family is absolutely heart-breaking.

The Gascon family make a brief 100 year appearance from 1875 to 1968, with Thomas Gascon being a memorable character who works on both the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower building projects. 

I had this on my to-read list after returning from my European vacation last year.  Although I have visited Paris twice before, I came back from that trip obsessed with the beauty and richness of the city, and wanting to ready everything there was about the city and its history.

I ended up with about six books from the library related to Paris, but my interest waned as I was back in the very non-Parisian Boston environment.  I reserved the book again, and this time, my interest stuck.  The next Rutherfurd book on my list is Russka, feeding on my new obsession with Russia, fueled by You Are One of Them.        - March 2014

8. The Suitors by Cecile David-Weill, 2012 - Translated from French, The Suitors continues my French obsession.  The tone of the book was a bit off-putting at first because it is so...French.  Having read Dumas before and enjoying his novels, I have discovered the French style of writing to be naturally reflective of its French - straightforward and never self-conscious.

The English are always wry and self-deprecating, while Americans frequently explain away reality with their optimism and can-do spirit.  In both these attitudes though, there's a self-awareness or over-the-topness, but the French just don't have any of that.

It is often said that the French are just so, well, French, and I think I'm realizing what this means.  Even if they are not number 1 (as Americans like to proclaim about themselves) or even rank in the top ten percent, they never doubt that what they are doing is simply the right thing.

That said, I struggled to finish this novel about upper class French sisters who scheme to marry a rich husband to purchase L'Agapanthe, the summer home that their parents are planning to sell.  There are some clever one-liners, but the French voice is a difficult one for me to relate.

The Ettinguers are a wealthy family though, with the proper manners resulting from wealthy and noble ancestry.  They are not just part of the nouveau riche like the Russians and Saudi who are rapidly overtaking the genteel life of the upper crust French society.

Embracing the plan, the Ettinguers sister arrange for wealthy bachelors to visit the weekend home throughout the summer.  Reflective of the French, food is prominently, in a subtle way of course, featured in the story.  The English and Americans characters are uncouth, loud and unapologetic about their tackiness.

Attitudes about family include children being convenient, but not things to disrupt proper adult activities, even those of their parents.  Mistresses are a reality, not necessarily morally improper.  Conversations are always delightful and never uncomfortable.  And no one must look like they are trying too hard, even if they are.    - March 2014