The Restaurant Critic's Wife (Elizabeth LaBan)

As a Philadelphian, I've read (and depended on) quite a few of Craig LaBan's restaurant reviews.  So I was very interested in "devouring" his spouse's novel The Restaurant Critic's Wife.  In her acknowledgments, LaBan writes that "For the record, Craig is not quite as obsessive or controlling as Sam -- and he didn't even tell me to say that."  Which is good, because the restaurant critic (Sam) in the book is quite the unlikable character.

There's really not much of a plotline here.  The wife in this instance, Lila, has just moved to a close-knit Philly neighborhood with Sam and her two children, Hazel and Henry.  As a very well-known critic, Sam is obsessed with keeping his identity secret.  This sometimes just takes the form of wearing disguises when he goes out, but more often than not takes on ridiculous methods: wanting Lila to ask any potential friends if they own a restaurant, refraining from showing her face in public, and not wanting her to go back to the work she loves.  The entire novel basically just recounts Lila's banal days as she tries to follow Sam's "directions," but she obviously wants more for herself.  It's not difficult to figure out the ending here.

With such an unlikable character at its forefront and not much of a plotline, it's hard to discern what the point of The Restaurant Critic's Wife really was.  However, the writing is good, so this is a great book to throw in your beach bag when you just want to zone out in the sun.

MY RATING - 3

Approval Junkie: Adventures in Caring Too Much (Faith Salie)

I was excited to read Faith Salie’s Approval Junkie: Adventures in Caring Too Much because that describes me to a tee.  A collection of oftentimes hilarious essays, the book is a quick read that will have you laughing at loud.  However, I didn’t quite understand how some of the essays were related to the topic as a whole.  But oh well – most of them were fun to read anyway.

Salie’s irreverent style works well in each chapter, as she comes right out and says what most of us are thinking. From her time winning “Miss Aphrodite” in her high school’s beauty pageant to her joys as a new mother, she doesn’t mince words, and extra fun for the average Joe who is not a celebrity, she names names of famous people she has encountered.  Not all of her essays are meant to be funny, however; the selection describing her agony of trying to get pregnant is especially poignant.

Some chapters are better written and relate more to the topic at hand than others, but those who so identify with the approval-seeking phenomenon will appreciate the book as a whole.

MY RATING - 3

The Year We Turned Forty (Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke)

A lot can happen in ten years -- some very good and some very bad.  But what if you could have a do-over to change your choices?  Would you want that chance?  The Year We Turned Forty, the last reviewed book of 2015, asks us that tough question.

Jessie, Gabriela, and Claire are three best friends who have made some decisions in the past that have changed the course of their lives.  Jessie had a one-night stand which resulted in the birth of her son, Lucas.  While she regrets that her husband left her once he found it, she obviously would never give up her son.  Gabriela is a bestselling author who put off having children, and once she decided she wanted one, her husband said it was too late.  And Claire wishes she had become closer to her own mother before her mom's death from cancer.  

When all three have the chance to return to age forty, they take it.  But did they bite off more than they can chew?  By changing the course of their lives, is their happiness guaranteed?  Or will the new decisions they make just create new problems?  Readers will root for these friends every step of the way, especially when they decide if staying in their new lives is what they really want or if they want to return to reality.

MY RATING - 4

The Quality of Silence (Rosamund Lupton)

Rosamund Lupton's truly stunning The Quality of Silence is a book probably unlike anything you've read before.  The gripping plotline will make your heart pound as it races to its powerful climax.

We begin with Yasmin and Ruby, an English mother and daughter trying to find Matt, their husband/father, in the Alaskan wilderness.  Authorities have never searched for him, convinced that he perished in a fire with villagers he was staying with.  Yasmin refuses to believe this, and so sets off to find him with Ruby in tow; Ruby just happens to be deaf which plays an integral part in the story.  Getting to the village is almost impossible, so Yasmin steals a big rig truck.  Of course, there are plenty of obstacles, such as an enormous storm and someone ominously following them in their own truck; this person will apparently do anything in his power to prevent them from finding Matt.

Besides the engrossing plot, what makes The Quality of Silence also great is that the setting is almost a character in and of itself.  Lupton's descriptions of the Alaskan terrain are mesmerizing, and we as readers can't help but root Yasmin and Ruby on in their determined quest.

MY RATING - 4

Eleanor (Jason Gurley)

Every so often a book comes along that gets wonderful reviews from others but that I just didn’t like that much.  Such is the case with Jason Gurley’s Eleanor.  This novel is so fantastical (and not in the effective Neil Gaiman way), that it was difficult to follow along with, and by ¾ of the way in, I wanted it to be done.

The beginning of Eleanor leaves no indication of where it’s eventually going.  Eleanor is mother to Agnes and wife to Hob, who one day swims into the water never to be seen again.  Fast forward decades later and Agnes is now mother to red-headed twins, Esmerelda and Eleanor, who is obviously named for her grandmother.  On the way to pick up their husband and father, Paul, from the airport, Esmerelda is tragically killed in a car accident.  Everyone is shattered, and a few years later, Eleanor enters another world —literally.  This is where the story takes a downturn, and while I admire Gurley’s ambition, I felt this just didn’t pair well with the beginning of the book.

If I’ve learned nothing else as an avid reader and reviewer, it’s that all books aren’t for everyone.  But don’t let my opinion stop you from picking up Eleanor — you might just love it.

MY RATING - 2

Dead Ringers (Christopher Golden)

I gave Christopher Golden's Snowblind an average rating a few years ago, saying that it was very reminiscent of Stephen King, so if you're a King fan, you'll probably really like it. While I didn't love his newest, Dead Ringers, Golden really threw me for a loop on the last page, which raised his rating by a full point.

It all begins with Tess Devlin running into her ex, Nick, on a city street. But Nick completely ignores her, and when she contacts him to yell about it, Nick swears that wasn't him since he's in another state. Seeing their "doubles" begins to happen to a lot of people she knows (including herself), and they begin to realize the connection they all have. Why are these imitators out there, what do they want with them, and most importantly, how can they stop the malice they bring from ruining (or ending) their lives?

Just as in Snowblind, parts of Dead Ringers do border on the ridiculous. I realize that this is not the most realistic story, but King's gift is that he can make it SEEM like what he writes can actually happen. However, Golden's plot is well developed and parts of Dead Ringers are really suspenseful. So if you can suspend your disbelief just a little, he'll take you on a scary ride.

MY RATING - 3

Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon (Ed Caesar)

Many of us have never run a marathon and never will.  Wrapping my head around the concept of finishing a marathon, let alone doing it in two hours, is almost unfathomable.  Ed Caesar tackles this concept in Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon.  The two-hour marathon is something now obtainable according to scientists and is a goal for the elite marathoners of the world, who Caesar chronicles as they go through training for several races around the world each year.

Caesar talks about the world of marathon running and how preparation has changed over time as record times have slowly come down and the two hour barrier, once thought to be unobtainable, has approached like a runner approaching the finish line after a long race.  The book talks about those advances from both the scientific perspective as well as ground truth, capturing the stories of runners and the advances in everything from clothing the runners wear to the training they participate in as part of the ritual.

The book reads well and provides those who are into running a nice background into the advances of the sport.  It likely will not get you inspired to go out and run in New York, Philadelphia, or any other marathon any time soon.  However, Caesar smartly advocates how running is one of the few sports where rich and poor can come together and run the same race and how those from dire economic circumstances can rise to the top of their sport.  Even if you have no desire to lace up your sneakers and run, if you're interested in how the human body can adapt and how we can continue to break records in a sport, it's worth your time and effort to read Two Hours.

MY RATING - 3