Last Night at the Lobster

Last Night at the Lobster is a brilliant and timely novella that examines the last night before a New York based Red Lobster closes its doors, as told through the eyes of store manager, Manny. 

Author, Stewart O’Nan (The Odds; Emily Alone), has an uncanny ability to create a microcosm of a world that completely absorbs its readers.  In Last Night…, he exposes us to the hidden workings of the restaurant business, from kitchen prep, to the inner circles of the wait staff.   And he highlights the various recognizable characters who dine there, from the coupon clipper to the annoying child who won’t stay seated.  It’s because of this raw glimpse that readers will likely find themselves empathetic to the wait staff, despite their many flaws.  Of course, the book isn’t only about business.  Manny is a very real narrator, and his closing of the Lobster parallels his closing of many other metaphorical doors, as well.  To add to the whole ambience is the backdrop of a blizzard, complicating Manny’s expectations for his last night at the Lobster, and creating a growing sense of isolation.  Loved every minute of it.

American Dervish

In American Dervish, first-time novelist, Ayad Akhtar, tells the story of a young American boy of Pakistani heritage growing up in the Midwest during the 1970s.

Our narrator, young Hayat Shah, is in love with his "Auntie" Mina:  a friend of his mother's who has escaped an abusive marriage in Pakistan to live with her young son in the Shah home.  During that time, she and Hayat develop a complex and endearing relationship that resembles many others:  mother-son, teacher-student, religious guide-follower.  Beautiful Mina is also an unknowing catalyst for young Hayat's budding, though innocent, sexuality.  Eventually, however, Mina meets and falls in love with Nathan, a friend of the Shah family.  According to religious law and the rules of her parents, Mina may not marry Nathan unless he converts from his long heritage of Judaism to the Muslim faith.  Is is this very circumstance, in addition to the subtle triangle between Mina, Nathan and Hayat, that sets up the heartbreaking events which follow.

American Dervish is a beautiful and beautifully rendered story that will leave your heart stuck in your throat in at least a few of the novel's scenes. Highly recommended.

The Odds

I love falling in love with an author I've never before read.  Stewart O'Nan, author of The Odds, is my newest crush. 

O'Nan's latest work takes the form of a love story, stripped bare, void of the usual cliches.  It focuses on a long-married couple, nearly bankrupt, Marion and Art Fowler, who take their life savings to Niagara Falls to see if they can beat the odds at their hotel-casino, win enough cash to save their home, and salvage their relationship.  O'Nan paints both Niagara Falls and the Casino beautifully, and the Fowler's relationship with a realism that readers (especially those married) will undoubtedly find themselves relating to on some level.  He gets the subtle ways couples can simultaneously pick at, resent, support and adore. And he does so with a conciseness that leaves readers wholly satisfied.  Highly recommended.  I can't wait to read his other work.

The Year We Left Home

The Year We Left Home is a beautifully rendered portrait of an Iowan family from 1973 to 2003.

With the conflict in Vietnam, the Farm Crisis and the Persian Gulf War as the novel's backdrop, the narrative focuses on character development over three decades, in the form of what some readers may see as disconnected chapter-vignettes.  As the title suggests, however, these characters are tied together not merely because they leave home in some form or another, but rather, because they are forever connected to both their family and, thus, their native Iowa. 

While impatient readers may not appreciate Jean Thompson's narrative approach, or fully comprehend the scope of her theme, they must certainly admire her intelligent and lucid prose.  Recommended for readers interested in realistically, yet sensitively, rendered family dynamics.

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What Our Library Groups Are Reading

One of my avid reading group participants asked me if I had kept a list of our Adult Book Club selections for 2011.  I hadn't.  But I thought it was a great idea to show the variety of titles our readers were reading and discussing so enthusiastically each month at the library.  This is why I decided to include in the list not only what we read for our Adult Book Club, but also our Short & Sweets (short story discussion group), Great Reads, and One Community, One Book.

Here is the collected list for 2011:

Adult Book Club

January 2011:  The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell (NF)

February 2011:  The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones (F)

March 2011:  Down the Nile:  Alone In a Fisherman’s Skiff, by Rosemary Mahoney (NF)

April 2011:  Bloodroot, by Amy Greene (F)

May 2011:  Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa, by R.A. Scotti (NF)
June 2011:  The Piano Turner, by Daniel Phillippe Mason (F)

July 2011:  The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter, by Holly Robinson (NF)

August 2011:  The Heights, by Peter Hedges (F)

September 2011:  The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (NF)

October 2011:  The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield (F)

November 2011:  Growing Up Amish: A Memoir, by Ira Wagler (NF)

December 2011:  Faith, by Jennifer Haigh (F)

Short & Sweets

January 2011:  “White Horse,” by Margaret Atwood

February 2011:  “Chip Off the Old Block,” by Wallace Stegner

March 2011:  “The Real Thing,” by Henry James

April 2011:  “Araby,” & “Eveline,” by James Joyce

May 2011:  “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson

June 2011:  “That Evening Sun Go Down,” by William Faulkner

July 2011:  “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemmingway

August 2011:  “Looking for Mr. Green,” by Saul Bellow

September 2011:  “The Elephant Vanishes,” by Haruki Murakami

October 2011:  “The Masque of the Red Death” & “The Cask of Amontillado,” by E. A. Poe

November 2011:  “When We Rise,” Shann Ray

December 2011:  “Christmas Is A Sad Season for the Poor,” by John Cheever

Great Reads

January 2011:  Creative Non-Fiction

February 2011:  Food Writing

March 2011:  The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

April 2011:  The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

May 2011:  American Nature Writers

July 2011:  The Ballad of the Sad Café & The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

September 2011:  My Antonia, by Willa Cather

October 2011:  The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

One Community, One Book

June 2011:  The Lotus Eaters, by Tatjana Soli

Lost In Shangri-La

History, as told through a series of page-turning events, make Lost In Shangri-La:  A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of WWII a perfect mid-winter read.

Award winning journalist and professor of journalism at Boston University, Mitchell Zuckoff, tells the story of a military plane crash on the island of New Guinea in the exotic (and little known) region of Shangri-La.  Of the 24 Americans on board, only 3 survived, including a WAC named Margaret Hastings, whose journal provides a detailed account of the events that follow the crash, including their encounter with a primitive tribe, struggles with injury and infection, and dangerous rescue.  Hastings' journal, in combination with a plethora of newspaper articles, military reports, interviews and photographs create a fascinating story that reads like fiction and makes for great discussion.

The Night Circus

If you're looking for the perfect winter escape, look no further.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, has all the magic of Harry Potter, poised in sophisticated prose and storytelling that will appeal to anyone with an imagination.

The plot of The Night Circus is framed around a game between the novel's two main characters, Marco and Celia, who've been trained to compete since they were children, without knowing their opponent, or what the game's outcome will be.  The backdrop to this competition is the magical "Cirque Des Reves" (or, "Circus of Dreams"), which travels the world enchanting people of all ages.  Of course, this is no average circus:  the fantastic abounds, growing increasingly more fantastical as the story (and competition) progress.

Marco and Celia eventually discover each other, and the magic intensifies when they fall in love.  Ultimately, they find they must cooperate to win this competition in order to avoid a tragic end.  Highly recommended for teens and adults.

Rules of Civility

A story of friendship and social class set in 1938 New York City, Armor Towles makes an impressive debut with Rules of Civility:  the story of working class friends Katey and Eve who move to New York to lead the glamorous life.  Along the way, the two meet a gentleman:  one seemingly rich and sophisticated Tinker Grey, whose chance encounter changes the course of both their lives.

Towles depicts Katey as an admirable, smart, independent female lead character, and writes snappy dialogue and a complex narrative much better than Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) ever could. 

Moneyball

I have to admit:  I don't really like baseball.  I always enjoyed attending games, but that's mostly a reflection of my desires to eat food I never otherwise touch, and people watch.  So I surprised myself in reading (and enjoying!) Michael Lewis' Moneyball:  The Art of Winning An Unfair Game.  

Moneyball is a bit of baseball history, biography, and economics combined. In it, Lewis tells the (true) story of Oakland Athletics' General Manager Billy Beane, and his ability to buy and sell players based upon what's often viewed by the rest of baseball as obscure and/or meaningless player statistics.  Lewis posts a sharp contrast between Beane's strategy and the rest of the league, particularly teams like the New York Yankees, who can afford millions to buy whatever great players they like.  The successful Beane, alternately, spends little money in selecting players which have little appeal to most GMs, but who've repeatedly proved themselves capable of taking the Athletics to the playoffs.

Note:  Scheduled release date for the film version of this book (starring Brad Pitt) is January 10, 2012.