The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong

The Emperor of Gladness is a compelling and intriguing novel that is kind of a magical realism mix of an emotional young man, a woman with dementia, a crew at a fast food restaurant, immigrants, a failing Connecticut town, and poor people.  Hai, the main character, is a naturally sweet, but a very unsettled guy. Drugs, family, college, and depression, keep him permanently on edge. The rest of the cast are also charming, although off-kilter. Vuong's writing is poetic and at times dreamy...to me, the language occasionally seemed to ask for more attention then the story when it reached for image over plot. On the whole, the story made me feel a little sad for how many people can easily get lost in our world.

You Can Never Die -- Harry Bliss

I love daily cartoons, and I really love Harry Bliss's daily cartoon, Bliss, and I am very fond of his dog Penny who is depicted in many of them. So, when I saw he had written a graphic memoir about the death of  his dog, I had to pick up a copy. Or course, being a memoir, You Can Never Die is about more then Penny. Bliss had a rough childhood, and dabbled with drugs, and his parents are more than a handful, but he draws beautifully. His memoir may be a little self-indulgent and slightly smug, but it's also sweet, honest and revealing. If you'd like to get inside the mind of a famous cartoonist and illustrator (New Yorker cartoonist, Steve Marin collaborator, picture book author, teacher and more), give it a whirl. 

Flashlight - Susan Choi

Flashlight is an absolutely engrossing novel that delves deeply into identity, family, nationality, illness, and suffering. It is hard to describe the totality of the characters, since their essence is so shaped by what is done to them, as well as their perception of what they have seen. When a displaced family is left adrift by a disappearance, their precarious and distrustful lives unravel in troubling and unexpected directions. This is a difficult book to summarize since it jumps in time, location and characters. There are mysteries solved, and threads that meander away. Susan Choi writing is as intricate as the story, but also wry and unsettling.

The Next Day - Melinda French Gates

Melinda Gates tells us that even if you have a very supportive family, a lot of money, a slew of good friends, and you're smart, transition can be hard but worthwhile. Of course, if you don't come from such a place of privilege, you may find it hard to empathize with her. I know she has done a lot of good, but her book did not speak to me. Oh well. I did keep reading. 

Three Days in June -- Anne Tyler

A sweet fun read, which is just what I needed. Gail Barnes is kind of a misfit who is at a crossroads in her life. Her daughter is getting married, her ex-husband Max has just shown up with a cat needing a home, and she may have just lost her job. The story is told in three days where Gail struggles to reconcile her past and open up to her future. If you like bittersweet family stories, Gail and Max's will be right up your alley. 

Perfection -- Vincenzo Latronico

Perfection is an odd and fascinating book. I have not read Things: A Story of the Sixties by Georges Perec, which it is based on, but in reading of a description of that novel, it is obvious that Latronico followed the structure of the earlier work. Perfection describes the lives of  Anna and Tom, new arrivals in Berlin. There is no  dialog in Perfection, but we are given an in-depth look at the couple's world through the lens of their things, their space, and their work. While I can't say I really cared about Anna and Tom, I was intrigued by them and their surroundings. Taking place in the twenty-tens, Berlin comes clearly into view, as does the hollowness of their dilettante existence. Is it lucky to have the means to work on your own and live a self-contained life, or is it really an empty way to be? This book is on the shortlist for the International Booker and I can understand why..Latronico makes you think. 

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

It's the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby and I finally needed to read Fitzgerald's masterpiece. What a whirlwind. For such a short book, I had to keep circling back to make sure I had all the pieces straight. Fitzgerald's writing is beautiful, and the tawdry story of Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan is engrossing and depressing, but in the way good work can make you think. I read an article that said: The Great Gatsby is a classic of illusions and delusions. I agree. 

The Mouse and the Motorcycle - Beverly Cleary

When David told me this was one of his favorite books when he was a kid, I just had to read it. What could be better than a talking mouse named Ralph riding around a hotel on a toy motorcycle?. Like all great kid's books there are lessons to be learned. Ralph ponders growing up, bravery, resourcefulness, trust and families. I spent a fun few hours with Ralph the mouse and his friend, the little boy Keith. 

Everything is Tuberculosis -- John Green

I'm not usually a non-fiction reader beyond the occasional memoir, but when I saw that John Green's latest book is about tuberculosis, it called out to me. My college sweetheart, a kind, smart, lovely guy, died of drug-resistant TB 12 years ago. He had been living in Thailand for years and he died there. This book helped me understand how an educated, well-off  and well-meaning person can die in a poor country. Would the outcome had been the same in the US, who knows? But, as Green so clearly states, poverty, greed by drug companies, and the state of our health care systems throughout the world are now the primary causes of death by TB, not an inability to recognize and cure the disease. Green is a wonderful writer and his book is full of individual stories as well as facts. It is an upsetting read, but I think an  important one. We are far from a world where health care is available to all.

Happy Hour -- Marlowe Granados

The book descriptor for Happy Hour, a debut novel from Marlowe Granados, is "coming-of age," and this is certainly a story of youth. You have to be 21, resourceful, smart, and brave to live the lives of Isa and Gala during their New York summer. Not able to legally work due to their status, they manage to eke by through entrepreneurship, cunning, personality, and beauty. Isa, the narrator, especially enjoys the good things in life, and has learned the essence of good taste. Gala is more wily. I was especially taken by Isa and really loved her voice. She is a great observer who had me chucking out loud at the behavior and pretention of those around her. If you were a little wild in your youth, Isa will speak to you. Even if you were a good girl, there are things to be learned from having your wits about you.