Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author, poet, essayist and activist. Her most recent novel “The Year of the Flood” seems especially fitting for Cedar Rapidians (heck, for Iowans). Instead of buying another book to add to my ever growing pile of must reads, I decided I’d honor Atwood’s recent release by reading some of her novels already in my collection. Atwood did not disappoint.
“The Blind Assassin” is the story of sisters, Laura and Iris Chase, and their lives in the mid-1900s. Iris is an elderly woman looking back on her life, particularly her relationship with her sister, her failed marriage and her sister’s suicide. The plot is supplemented by a story within a story which is purportedly a novel written by Laura that Iris found and published posthumously.

The beauty of “The Blind Assassin” is not the plot as much as how Atwood tells the story. She artfully weaves together the past and the present. Still, the story is a bit confusing and it takes a while to figure out what is going on. It took about 150 pages before I got to the point where I really wanted to keep reading. But if you stick it out, you will be rewarded in the end.

“Oryx and Crake” is a “speculative fiction” (as opposed to science fiction) novel. Jimmy (aka Snowman) is the apparent last surviving human after the collapse of civilization. How that came to be, is revealed through his flashbacks. We learn that Jimmy grew up in the not too distant future in a world run by huge corporations that produced bioengineered animals and miracle drugs that did everything from make the perfect child to the perfect prophylactic. As a child, Jimmy met and befriended Glenn (soon to be called “Crake”). Jimmy and Crake went their separate ways but met up later in life when Crake is working for a giant corporation and ultimately creates the disease that kills off all humans except for Jimmy (who Crake had vaccinated for some unknown reason).

The story sounds simple and kind of far fetched, but once you start reading, you will quickly discover it is neither. Atwood conveys the tale of the destruction of the human race in a way that makes even the skeptics among us a little fearful of the direction the world is heading.

Other novels by Atwood to try include: “The Robber Bride”, “Life Before Man,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Alias Grace” and “The Penelopiad.” I promise you will not be disappointed.
— NATALIE

HERE IS A SMALL FACT — You are going to die —

It’s just a small story really, about, among other things:

• A girl

• Some words

• An accordionist

• Some fanatical Germans

• A Jewish fist fighter

• And quite a lot of thievery

This is the beginning of the “Book Thief” by Markus Zusak. It’s also a great description of what the book is about. It is technically a young-adult novel, but “The Book Thief” has so much to offer; it is sure to engage readers of any age.

Set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, the story starts with Leisel’s mother taking her and her little brother to live with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. On the way there, Leisel’s mother and her little brother die, leaving Leisel with a deep sense of abandonment (this feeling is later exacerbated by the fact that her foster mother does not seem to like her in the least). After her brother dies, Leisel “steals” a book called “The Gravedigger’s Handbook” which the apprentice gravedigger had dropped and Leisel takes this book with her to her foster parents. Hans teaches Leisel to read by using “The Gravedigger’s Handbook.” During this time together, Hans and Leisel form a special bond which is sealed by Leisel’s growing love of words. Leisel, along with her friend Rudy, who has a particular love of thievery, continue stealing books from wherever they can find them.

Eventually, Hans and Rosa take in and hide a young Jewish man named Max, who is the son of a man Hans once knew. Max and Leisel become friends and Max uses painted over pages of Mein Kampf to tell Leisel his story. After an unfortunate incident, Max is forced to leave the safety of Hubermann’s and Han’s is forced to join the Nazi army.

As World War II progresses, Leisel sees more and more of the war. Jews are paraded through town and bombs get closer and closer. Leisel misses Max deeply, and each time a Jews are marched through town, she looks for him, hoping he is still alive.

As a way to escape the events around her, Leisel begins writing her own book which she calls “The Book Thief.” In an ironic turn of events, Leisel drops the book and Death (our esteemed narrator) finds it.

Zusak is a superb story teller. He takes a plot line that has been told over and over again and told it from a completely different perspective. We read of the Holocaust and World War II from the perspective of a little German girl and Death. The death camps and the mass extermination of Jews are discussed in a new way. They are not a major part of the story but their importance is not diminished.

“The Book Thief” also empowers young women. Leisel is amazing and really impacts the lives of all those she comes in contact with. Her story is a great way to show young women that they really are powerful and can do anything.

“The Book Thief” is an absolutely amazing book. I recommend it for the young, the old, and everyone in between.

— NATALIE

What’s not to love about a book titled “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.”

This novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows follows a young author Juliet Ashton after World War II. She begins to correspond with a gentleman from Guernsey, an island in the English Channel, named Dawsey Adams. He tells Juliet about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club which formed to avoid persecution during the German occupation of Guernsey. To learn more about the society and life on Guernsey during the occupation, Juliet begins corresponding with society members. .

In the second half of the novel, Juliet travels to Guernsey. While on the island, she learns more than she ever thought she would, both uplifting and tragic, about her new friends. And yes, a trickle of a love story seeps in as Juliet finds herself drawn romantically to Dawsey but fears Dawsey is in love with another. The ending, while hardly believable, leaves the reader with a warm fuzzy feeling.

The whole story is conveyed through the letters written to and from the various characters including Juliet’s good friends, her publisher and various Guernsey islanders.

The distinct writing style of two different authors helped, rather than hindered, the book.   The story was interesting, the characters were real, colorful and in-depth without going over board. It definitely lives
up to its title.
— NATALIE

For a simple character novel, pick up “The Heights,” by Peter Hedges.

Hedges grew up in West Des Moines and now lives in Brooklyn, the setting for his latest novel. Hedges also wrote “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “An Ocean in Iowa” and the screenplays for “Gilbert Grape,” “Dan in Real Life,” “Pieces of April,” “A Map of the World,” and “About a Boy,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

In “The Heights” Kate Oliver and Tim Welch have a lovely life in New York City. Kate is a stay-at-home-mom and Tim is a beloved teacher at private high school. Then, bit by bit, their life unravels. At first, it seems like life is changing for the better. Kate gets a lucrative new job. Tim quits to stay home with the boys and finish his PhD. They both make a new super-wealthy friend in Anna Brody, and Kate’s ex-boyfriend, who is now a television star, comes back into her life.
The turning point comes at the neighborhood Christmas gala.
Kate borrows a gown from Anna and later discovers that it was Anna’s wedding gown. The events of that night lead to a weekend involving Kate, Tim, Kate’s celebrity ex-boyfriend, Anna, and an ex-student of Tim. Whether the outcome is predictable or not, the telling, from each character’s point of view, is interesting.

This book is a story about a happy marriage that seemingly turns unhappy for no particular reason. Don’t read it if you’re a newlywed, but if you’ve been married for a while, you’ll probably find the ending strangely uplifting.
— CAITLIN

Lisa Scottoline was in Cedar Rapids a few months back as part of the OutLoud! Author Series, presented by the Metro Library Network. So I figured I should give one of her many novels a try. I chose “Think Twice.”

The novel is about Alice and Bennie, identical twins who couldn’t be more different. Bennie, a successful attorney, is straight laced, and plays it by the book. Alice, on the other hand is very familiar with all things illegal (drugs, theft, murder, just to name a few). Alice finds herself in all sorts of trouble and needs a way out. She devises a plan to take Bennie’s place just long enough to steal all of Bennie’s money and get out of the country. But, as can be expected, things start to go terribly wrong and more and more people’s lives become inextricably entwined in Alice’s scheme.

The characters, especially some of the main sub-characters like Bennie’s ex-boyfriend and her co-workers, were not as developed as I would have liked. Neither were Bennie and Alice for that matter, but who has time for character development when
the characters are busy busting out of coffins after being buried alive or kicking innocent animals down a flight of stairs? Really, there are only so many pages in a book.

Also, the ending was WAY too neat for my taste. It left nothing to the imagination. And I have a serious problem with the final sentence: “ ’Arf’ Bear barked and everybody laughed.” Need I say more?

I’ll admit, I started this book and immediately thought to myself “You’ve got to be kidding me. This is the most cliché plot ever.”

But then, I couldn’t put it down. It was like a train wreck, but I just couldn’t look away. I just had to know what happened. While I wouldn’t put this book anywhere near my top 10, it was kind of fun.

My recommendation, I’d think twice before reading “Think Twice.”
— NATALIE

I was lucky enough to see Jane Smiley speak over the weekend at the Iowa City Book Festival.

I wish I could say that I tore through her latest novel “Private Life,” after hearing her read aloud from it on Saturday afternoon. But, alas, the weekend just wasn’t long enough. Instead, I share with you two of my favorites Smiley novels.

“A Thousand Acres”
Described by Smiley herself as the story of King Lear, set in central Iowa, this novel takes on the disintegration of an Iowa farm family. Larry (Lear) owns a thousand acres of rich farmland. Like Lear, he has three daughters and divides his farm between two of them, Ginny and Rose, after their sister Caroline voices her objection to the plan. Ginny, her husband Ty, and Rose and her husband Pete initially enjoy what the ownership of the farm means. However, as time passes, the betrayals and secrets begin to drive everyone apart. Troubled marriages, uncovering the hurts of
the past and the return of a prodigal son all contribute to this
sweeping novel.

“Moo”
I read this one shortly after reading Richard Russo’s “Straight Man” and thought it was funny how academic novelists all seem to have to write a book that pokes fun at academia. After reading both these novels, I’ve decided this must be because the environment is so ripe for a writer.

Moo U. is an agricultural school set in an unknown location (Ames, *cough*) that has its fair share of characters. Students, faculty, administrators and even a gigantic pig all provide the eyes through which we see the egos, pandering, infidelity and unexpected friendships that occur at the U. We laugh, but we also kind of hope it’s not all true.

The only way you’ll recognize that this is written by the same author as “A Thousand Acres” is by her description of the rural climate and landscape. Otherwise, this is a much lighter novel written to poke fun at the land-grant university and its cast of characters.

Thanks to the Iowa City Book Festival, for bringing in a top-notch group of writers who inspired me to look into some of my old favorite novelists and to check out a few new ones.

— CAITLIN

I should disclose at the outset that I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Life of Pi,” Yann Martel’s first novel, so I was doubtful that I would like “Beatrice and Virgil” any better. But I had read some positive reviews, so I thought I should give it a try.

“Beatrice and Virgil” follows Henry, an author who had a wildly successful first novel but just can’t seem to get the follow-up out the door. After his editor shoots down another one of his ideas, Henry gives up and moves, with his wife, in an attempt to start over. Yet, Henry continues to receive “fan mail” from readers, and, unlike most successful authors, he attempts to answer each and every one. One particular letter catches his attention. The letter, from a fan also named Henry, included an excerpt from a play. Given he doesn’t have a whole lot else to do with his time, Henry, the author, goes in search of Henry, the fan.
Henry discovers that the other Henry is an eccentric old man who is also a taxidermist. At first, it is unclear what exactly Henry, the taxidermist, wants from Henry, the author. Then Henry, the author, figures out that Henry, the taxidermist, is trying to write a play and wants help developing his two main characters; Virgil and Beatrice.

The two Henry’s develop a weird working relationship. As can be expected, the Henry’s lives become intertwined, but not in the way you would expect. They don’t become friends or enemies for that matter. Their relationship is best described as strained throughout the novel. This is mostly due to the fact that Henry, the taxidermist, is, to put it kindly, disturbed. Case in point, his play’s two main characters are a howler monkey (Virgil) and a donkey (Beatrice) and they live on a giant striped shirt. Later, we learn that Henry’s play, also titled “Beatrice and Virgil,” is meant as a parallel of sorts to the Holocaust (which explains the striped shirt) but nevertheless, the man is not right in the head. This becomes shockingly clear toward the end of the book.

As much as I thought the story was original, it was a little too much to take. There were too many parallels and too much forced introspection. I thought “Beatrice and Virgil” was like one giant allegory or a fable on steroids. Life of Pi, Martel’s first novel, won the esteemed Booker Prize, and I doubt “Beatrice and Virgil” will bring similar acclaim.

However, it is interesting and a short, easy book to read (if you don’t break for the forced introspection and contemplation on every page) so you may want to give it a try if you are in the mood for something odd.
— NATALIE

Natalie and I are both big fans of Harlan Coben and his basketball star, turned sports agent, turned detective, Myron Bolitar. I actually feel like Myron and me are buds after all these years together. So I’m lucky that Mr. Coben turns out a book or two each year and that they are always good. The latest, “Darkest Fear,” is no exception.
This is the seventh in the nine-book Bolitar series. It’s quickly becoming an oldie, but it’s a goody. All the usual players are around to help. Win, the upper crust assassin, Esperanza, the sexy assistant and Big Mama, Esperanza’s former women’s wrestling tag-team partner.
Yeah, you read that correctly.

Bolitar is funny, and this book is no exception on that front either. His ex-girlfriend tells Bolitar that he is really her son’s father (13 years after the fact), and that the boy is dying. The only thing that will save him is a bone-marrow transplant but the only match in the bone marrow database has gone missing.

The lying ex-girlfriend now wants Bolitar to help find the match for his son. This should be easy for Bolitar and his crew, except that it leads them down a dangerous path to rich and powerful family with a secret and an investigative journalist who was disgraced after he was accused of plagiarizing a novel for a news story.

Like other Coben books, the twists abound. But also as in his other books, “Darkest Fear” contains the classic human element. This time it’s the question of fatherhood. Is it the person who raised you? Is it the person whose DNA you carry? Is it something else?

What really sets Coben’s novels apart is the witty humor that is used to cut the detective novel violence and the serious emotional stuff. Bolitar’s self-deprecation and smart-ass sarcasm keep this novel just as fun as all the others that came before or come after it.
— CAITLIN

“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins takes place in the presumably not to distant future in Panem, a country which replaces the United States of America after it collapses due to drought, famine and war. Panem is divided into 12 districts, each with a different economic focus and varying degrees of wealth. Each year, in an effort to maintain and showcase its hold on the country, the rulers of Panem put on The Hunger Games. Through a lottery system, two young representatives are chosen from each district to participate in the games. The Hunger Games consist of putting all 24 participants in an enclosed area where they are forced to kill their competitors until only one participant remains. The Games are televised throughout Panem and all citizens are required to watch as the participants die through starvation, disease or at the hands of another competitor.

Katniss Everdeen, the main protagonist, is a citizen of District 12, an extremely poor district generally looked down upon by the rest of the country. Katniss’s younger sister, Prim, is chosen along with a young boy named Peeta to represent District 12 in The Hunger Games. The thought of Prim’s inevitable demise is too much for Katniss to bear so she volunteers to take Prim’s place. Here is where the fun really begins. Collins takes us along as Katniss enters The Hunger Games and literally fights to survive.

I generally am not a fan of science fiction books and when I first heard about “The Hunger Games” I was convinced I wouldn’t like it. But I was very wrong.

Collins’ writing was unexpectedly refreshing, and the plot is captivating. I couldn’t put it down. It was like an addiction. The story takes reality TV to a whole new level. As a participant in the Games, Katniss had to not only fight for survival but she also had to fight for public support. It was great. Kind of like an American Idol fight to the death.

Another great thing about “The Hunger Games” is that while it confronts some deep, important issues (war, power of government, socioeconomic differences) it does so in way that isn’t overwhelming. There were a lot of points in the book where I should probably have stopped reading and thought about the issues presented, but frankly, the story was so engrossing I couldn’t stop reading.

Collins kept me guessing. A lot of questions are left unanswered. Thank goodness “The Hunger Games” is just the first in a series consisting of three books. The second, “Catching Fire,” is already out and the third, “Mockingjay,” is set to be released in August. I can’t wait.
— NATALIE

Ever on a quest for the adult equivalent of the “Sweet Valley High,” series, I recently picked up Elizabeth Adler’s “There’s Something About St. Tropez.” I will admit that the only reason I was interested was because of the cover- a tan woman in a breezy vacation top is featured. “My, she looks just like one of the Sweet Valley twins,” I thought.

Although the book wasn’t quite what I was looking for (think, more Janet Evanovich), it did make for a fun read and temporarily fixed my craving for a quick girly book. It was a Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey movie that you can read on your way to Okoboji this summer.

Sunny Alvarez and her fiancée, Mac Reilly, a private investigator and star of his own TV show, decide to take a much needed break from L.A. to spend a month in St. Tropez. When the villa that they booked doesn’t turn out as they had hoped, they end up in the middle of several adventuresome mysteries, much to Sunny’s disappointment. One is regarding the mobster husband of a fellow vacationer; another mystery involves stolen artwork and a murder. The final mystery involves a vacation rental fraud.

Full of colorful descriptions of Sunny’s wardrobe and the south of France, St. Tropez will keep you interested. Sure, the “mystery” is predictable and the characters are a bit shallow, but the book is like Chinese food: you’ll enjoy consuming it but it won’t stick with you. After already reading half the book, I discovered that it was actually a sequel to Adler’s bestseller, “One Of Those Malibu Nights.” And if you really enjoy the books, you can pre-order the next in the series, “It All Began in Monte Carlo,” which is due out this summer.

In the meantime, if you discover the perfect grown-up Sweet Valley High let me know so I can sneak-read them under my covers at night.
— CAITLIN