City of Lost Souls

Finished May 13
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

This is the fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series and picks up where book four left off. Jace has disappeared along with Sebastian, and the Clave is not able to locate them. Clary is worried and feels that things would have been different if only she had stayed with Jace. Jocelyn is in protective mother mode, keeping an eye on Clary, now that she has been questioned by the Silent Brothers and all her secrets have come out.
Simon is feeling lost, and hesitant about trying to contact his family to try and explain himself. The Lightwoods are worried about Jace and the younger generation is determined to find him. But not as determined as Clary, who would give anything to save Jace.
As usual Clary rushes into things, and here she finds strengths she did not realize she had. Finally she finds the fighting instinct in battle, but will it be enough to change the course of events.
Simon knows what he owes Jace, and is determined to do what he needs to do to find and help Clary. And he will pay a high price for that.
Lots going on, teenage angst, love affair issues, and big changes, leaving us once again waiting for the next installment. 

A New Leaf

Finished May 10
A New Leaf: growing with my garden by Merilyn Simonds

Simonds follows the seasons in her garden, talking about the large variety of plants, her relationships with them, the history of her garden, and her family and friends.
The writing is a mix personal experience and gardening advice. I found it very interesting, with good advice regarding gardening, but I was a bit put off by her invented titles for all the people in her life. From her spouse, Beloved, to good neighbors Garden Guru, Rosarian, Humanist, and Farmer, nobody is identified by their real name, and I found that came across as affected to me. Perhaps she was trying to protect them by not naming them, but that did not work for me.
But her descriptions of her gardens, her love of plants, flowers, vegetables, and trees comes through clear and strong and captures the reader, making one want to go out and dig in, if not go out to garden centres and shop.
Inspiring.

The Spies of Warsaw

Finished May 7
The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst, ready by Daniel Gerroll

This novel takes place in the months just before World War II and Germany's invasion of Poland. The action is centered around a French miliary attache and spy, Colonel Jean-François Mercier. Mercier had fought beside Polish forces in World War I and was decorated for his actions then. He regularly meets with Polish military intelligence, and has been running a spy, an engineer in a tank facility, out of Germany. His social obligations in Warsaw bring him into contact with German, Russian, and Polish diplomats and spies and involve him in some interesting situations. It is through these social functions that he meets Anna, a native to Paris whose heritage is Polish and who works as a lawyer for the the League of Nations. The novel has romance, intrigue, danger and a strong sense of history. Thoroughly enjoyable with moments of suspense and foreboding.

Personal Pleasures

Finished May 5 
Personal Pleasures by Rose Macaulay

This collection of essays about things that bring pleasure has a bit of a quirk to it. Not only does Macaulay write about the reasons that those things bring her pleasure, but she also includes the drawbacks, the potential non-pleasurable side effects, of those same things. It is kind of the opposite to finding silver linings in storm clouds. Although since she was a novelist famous for her satire, this is rather in keeping with her outlook. Many of the things she finds pleasure in, I do too. Some essays have a dated feel to them, but seeing that she died in 1958, that is not totally unexpected. It was interesting to see those things that still persist in bringing pleasure more than fifty years on.

The Bungalow

Finished May 3
The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

This novel's speaker is Anne Calloway, an older woman whom circumstances cause to look back on her youth when she was a nurse stationed on Bora-Bora during World War II. The major part of the story occurs in 1942 and 1943 on Bora-Bora. Anne is engaged, but unsure of her feelings toward her fiance and finds herself drawn to a soldier named Westry. The two develop a secret friendship and meet in a small hidden building, the bungalow of the title. But things are happening to Anne's best friend Kitty that cause Anne to feel more distance between the two, and unsure of Westry. When Anne and Westry witness a crime, things between them change again, and their world is changed as Westry is redeployed and Anne's stint is over.
It is Anne's granddaughter that urges her to take advantage of a recent letter and dig into the past to find the answers to those questions she has wondered about for decades.
A story of mystery, romance, and circumstances that will appeal to many readers.

Jerusalem: the biography

Finished May 1
Jerusalem: the biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore, read by John Lee

This long (21 CDs) book is a dense history of the city from its beginnings to the present day. Encompassing the history of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, it also tells of the passion and violence that this city has seen. I learned so much about the history of not only this part of the world, but of the three religions, of the relationship Europeans had with the city, especially during the Crusades, and of the relationships between the different cultures, the Arabs (of a variety of faiths), the Ottomans, the Europeans, the Jews, and the Africans. Like the city itself, history adds new layers on top of the old making it difficult to trace back to what came before. There are wars, rivalries, marriages and liaisons that all had an effect on this unique city. A fascinating book that uses up-to-date research to illustrate the changes over time.
I did sometimes find it hard to keep track of the action with the large numbers of players and the names that reappeared again and again as generations of peoples struggled to make this city their home.

All that Matters

Finished April 30
All that Matters by Jan Goldstein

This novel focuses on 23-year-old Jennifer Stempler, a young woman who is severely depressed to the point of attempting suicide. After her father's departure at a young age, she and her mother struggled. When her mother died in a traffic accident her senior year, she struggled with the loss. Now that her serious boyfriend has dumped her, she can't see anything worth living for.
But her grandmother won't give up on her, and fights to take her home to New York and help her find her health again. Along the way, Jennifer fights her grandmother's optimism. It isn't until she hears her grandmother's story for the first time that she finally finds something to hold onto.
A story about depression and hope, about the resilience of life in the face of tragedy and disappointment.
I loved the story in the book, but did have some reservations for the seemingly easy dismissal of the physiological component of depression through the rejection of medication.

Misdemeanor Man

Finished April 29
Misdemeanor Man by Dylan Schaffer

Gordon Seegerman is a lawyer with the Public Defenders Office in Santa Rita, California. He does as few cases as possible, mostly misdemeanor cases. He is also in a band that does its own version of Barry Manilow songs, Barry X and the Mandys. Coming up is a gig that Barry himself might attend, and Gordon is putting his energies toward being prepared for that. He doesn't want another case, but one is assigned to him. It appears to be a simple misdemeanor, a man who has flashed a couple of people, including an eight-year-old girl in a department store. But there seems to be more to the case, and Gordon is up against his ex for the court case. As Gordon digs deeper, he finds interesting connections to prominent community members. Gordon's a smart guy who hasn't really taken his law career seriously until now.
But there's a lot more going on here too. Gordon's dad is a police officer who was forced to retire in disgrace, and who is suffering from a fast-progressing genetic form of Alzheimer's. Gordon is afraid he carries the gene too, but has put off getting tested. He lives with his dad and grandfather and is one of his dad's main caregivers. Gordon came to his love of Barry Manilow from his mother, who died when he was eleven. She loved Manilow, played him constantly, and Gordon grew up loving the songs. He was never close to his father, and yet feels he needs to be there for him now.
Gordan's band is doing well, and the love of playing keeps him sane.
An interesting character, an interesting case, and the promise of more.

Alice Hartley's Happiness

Finished April 29
Alice Hartley's Happiness by Philippa Gregory

My mom bought this book last summer when we were in a discount book store. The reason she bought it is that Alice Hartley was also my (paternal) grandmother's name. Scanning the back cover where it said "Alice Hartley is a woman in her prime. Yet she is not happy. Her husband refuses to respond to her mature delights, leaving her powerless as his interest strays elsewhere. ..." grabbed our attention. When my grandma asked me for books, she was always careful to tell me "no sex", so this description seemed too funny.
My mom read it last summer, often laughing out loud and reading me passages. It's been sitting in my pile since then, and since I've been sick for a few days it seemed a nice light read, and it was perfect.
I think of Philippa Gregory for her historical novels, well-researched and with great characterization. This book shows the research and characterization, but is a total hoot. It's a send-up of romance novels, but with a nice humorous base in the men versus women power struggle. Alice takes advantage where she sees it, and finds that she sees what appeals to not only women her age, but many other women and some men too.
One of my favourite lines: "Why do they never learn - these fictional characters who so blithely trigger their own denouement?" I also loved the session with the young mothers doing affirmations.
A wonderful, side-splitting, grin-inducing novel. Enjoy it.

Sing You Home

Finished April 28
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

This novel features Zoe, a musician and music therapist who has been trying for years to have a baby, with no success and much heartbreak. When her marriage ends, Zoe finds comfort and support from her mother and her new best friend Vanessa, but finds herself wanting more and hoping for a new chance to make a family.
Max was upset to leave Zoe, but finds a new beginning with his brother and sister-in-law and their church, but finds lingering feelings for Zoe.
Vanessa wants a friend and Zoe and her hit it off amazingly well, but will their friendship last through the new difficulties they face together?
Music is a theme here, for connection, for healing, for communication, and the author provides a soundtrack available on the book's website.
There is, as with all Picoult's books, an issue, more than one here, and she has the reader guessing as the plot twists and turns to keep you guessing how things will turn out right until the end.