MARGI'S LIST -

New Recommendations of some not so new books-- these may be on the library's shelves if you move quickly!

Updated as of 19 July 2010

THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE

Julie Orringer

Pre WWII Budapest/Paris.  Wonderful

PORTRAIT OF AN ADDICT AS A YOUNG MAN

Bill Clegg

A heartwenching memoir and a glimpse into a world most of us will never know; not for the squemish. A sobering summer read.

THE ANGEL’S GAME

Carlos Ruiz Zafon, author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND (read them both!)

Love, life, obsession and the magic of books in early 20th century Barcelona.  Both are long but, as a lover of books, not to be missed!

THE WAY THE CROW FLIES

Anne-Marie MacDonald

700+ pages seems unwieldy but a fast read – great for summer.  One of my all time favorites.

THE LOVELY BONES

Alice Sebold

Don’t see the movie.  Read the book.  Not for everyone but something for most.

CROW LAKE

Mary Lawson

Set in Northern Ontario – a story of loyalty and loss. Hard to put down.

THREE JUNES

Julia Glass

A wonderfully readable, thoroughly enjoyable first novel.

THE SEA, THE SEA

Iris Murdoch

To my mind, one of the queens of contemporary British writing.  This remains my all time favorite but there are so many to choose from.  Also try: THE GREEN KNIGHT and THE GOOD APPRENTICE

Anything and everything by Wallace Stegner especially:

THE ANGLE OF REPOSE

BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN

CROSSING TO SAFETY

ALL THE LITTLE LIVE THINGS

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN

Colum McCann

Everything is connected.  Post Vietnam New York City. Simply a spectacular novel.

ATONEMENT (love, war & misunderstanding – a story within a story during WWI), SATURDAY (a day in a life – post 9/11 London) and CHESIL BEACH (one moment in time seals the fate of two young lovers) – all by Ian McEwan and all favorites.

THE STORY OF LUCY GAULT

William Trevor

1920’s Ireland.  A gem.

THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT

Barry Udall

You will fall in love with Edgar (half Apache and orphaned), his mishap adventures in the American West, and this marvelous, inventive first novel.

THE IMPERFECTIONISTS

Tom Rachman

The characters and goings-on in an English language newspaper in Rome – smart, saavy and very different.

Anything by the versatile Ruth Rendell:  THE MONSTER IN THE BOX, her most recent featuring the lovable Detective Inspector Reggie Wexford.

Classics?

Do not miss ETHAN FROME, AGE OF INNOCENCE and HOUSE OF MIRTH all by Edith Wharton.

Read everything written by Jane Austen(romance and manners in 19th century England) especially:

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

EMMA

MANSFIELD PARK

Fiction Recommendations from Margi Esten

(June 2010)

MYSTERY LOVERS

Christine Falls, The Silver Swan and Elegy for April – all by Benjamin Black (pen name for John Banville so beautifully written) – 1950’s Dublin/Boston, Massachusetts – professional pathologist and amatuer detective Quirke follows clues… 

Case Histories (unbelievably good), One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News – all by Kate Atkinson.  Case Histories just might be one of the best mysteries I’ve ever read.   

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest – all by contemporary Swedish writer Steig Larsson who, unfortunately, died unexpectedly after the completion of the third book.  Not for the squemish.  Lisbeth Salander is one of the most enigmatic characters ever.  Read them in order. 

Any and all of the Kurt Wallander mysteries by Swedish author Henning Mankel.

Any and all of the Detective Inspector Adam Dalgliesh mysteries by the legendary P.D.James.

The Devil’s Feather by South African author Minette Walters – a mystery reminiscent of Pulitzer Prize winning author J.M.Coetze

In The Woods by Irish author Tana French – a tight, fast paced murder mystery with interesting characters that will keep you guessing. 
 

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

Mystic River and Shutter Island both by the consummate Boston, MA area author Dennis LeHane – don’t just see the movies! Read the books – they simply cannot be put down!

The Sea by John Banville – so beautifully written it is like listening to music -  an older gentleman’s introspective look back on his life.

In The Fall by Jeffrey Lent – one of my top five favorite books – rural New England after the Civil War

Epicure’s Lament by Kate Christensen – main character Hugo Whittier is one of the cleverest, most hilarious characters (and narrator) ever.  Just read it.   And if you are interested in the bohemian NYC art scene, check out

The Great Man, also by Kate Christensen. 

The All of It by Jeannette Haien – an absolutely exquisite little book about morality and the pursuit of peace.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss – a powerful multigenerational story of love lost, found and everything in between.

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (husband of Nicole Krauss) – a post 9/11 novel involving a young boy’s life lessons in New York City.  A very special book.

The Things They Carried (a very powerful Vietnam diary)  and In The Lake Of The Woods (a post Vietnam novel involving coming to terms with one’s own “truth” – both by Tim O’Brien.

The House At Riverton and The Forgotten Garden both by Kate Morton – both generational sagas moving back and forth in time – light, summer reads but wonderfully written.  Page turners!

Lark And Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips – family secrets, dreams, ghosts, set in 1950’s West Virginia.

The Gathering by Anne Enright – Irish siblings gather for the funeral of their mother; drama unfolds, family secrets revealed.  Beautifully written. 

MISCELLANEOUS

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion – Joan Didion looks back on the year following her beloved husband’s unexpected death.  Absolutely magical!