Every Note Played/ Lisa Genova/ 307 pgs

This was a book discussion read and boy, was it heavy. Very well written and readable but not a book to take lightly. Richard is a classical pianist. He's divorced from his fellow pianist wife, Katrina, who now teaches piano to local kids, and has one daughter, Grace, who is away at college. Richard is diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This is a death sentence. All parts of his body will eventually become paralyzed but his hands and arms go first. You can image how terrible this is, but it's even worse to read about. Eventually, Richard, who is a loner, gets into a situation where he has no one to care for him. Reluctantly, his ex-wife Katrina moves him back into their former home. Both characters spend a lot of time in their heads, ruminating over the choices and paths they have made and taken in life. While I will repeat that this book is quite depressing, it's a worthwhile read. I didn't like Richard and I wish he and Katrina would have used their words more often, but this is a still a poignant story.

Baby Teeth/ Zoje Stage/ 304 pgs

I've finished this book and I'm still not sure what to make of it. This is the story of the Jensen family: father Alex, mother Suzette, and 7-year-old daughter Hanna. Hanna is super intelligent, but she does not speak. The story is told from her point of view and that of her mother. Suzette was raised by an indifferent mother and she's never sure if she's doing the right things for Hanna, especially since the girl doesn't talk, though she communicates well. Hanna adores her father (as Suzette adores her husband) but Suzette and Hanna have their issues. For the first half of the novel, I thought this was a creepy horror story of a diabolical little girl out to kill her mother and the suspense was really well done. Until the midway point, when the story seems to become more of a family drama and much of the tension fizzles out. It ended with a whimper. But the more I think about it, it's interesting to think about the actions of the adults in this book, especially the parents, and wonder if they had been less selfish, and more committed to their family relationships, as opposed to their individual relationships, if things would have turned out differently.

Tony's Wife by Adrianna Trigiani

I am a big fan of AdrianaTrigiani and have read most of her books. This is a stand alone so far so if you haven't read the Big Stone Gap or Shoemaker's Wife series you won't feel like you've missed out on getting to know the main characters, Tony (Saverio) Arma and Chi Chi Donatelli.
I ended up looking the main characters up on Google because they were so true to life, however, they are fiction. I love the characters and all their depth, flaws, and humor.
Chi Chi is a songwriter who lives on the Jersey shore. Tony (Saverio) is a Michigan-raised Italian with a gift for singing. His father kicks him out of the house at 16 because he feels Saverio is wasting his life on a silly career.
Chi Chi and Saverio finally meet and find magic in her songwriting and his voice. The story follows their ebb and flow through their careers and relationship ups and downs. It was a very satisfying story. I looked forward to reading this novel every day!

Standing in the Rainbow (Ballantine Reader's Circle Series #2) / Fannie Flagg / 493 pgs

My Brown Bag Book Discussion's August book is Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg. I read it a bit early, because I was in some sort of slump and couldn't figure out what else to read. I really enjoyed the story of a small fictional town in Missouri and some of its funniest, bravest, loveliest citizens. The book begins in 1946, just after the end of WWII and ends in the 1990s. You'll meet Dorothy, the hostess of one of the most listened to morning radio shows in the Midwest; her children, Bobby and Annalee; hairdresser Tot Whooten; the Oatman Family Singers; politician-in-the-making Hamm Sparks; blind songstress Beatrice Woods; and many fabulous other Missourians. Standing in the Rainbow is the second book in a trilogy, but do not let that keep you from reading the book out of order. I had never read a Fannie Flagg book before and had no trouble figuring out who the characters were. It seems the books are written a little out of order anyways. From what I read, the first book takes place solely in the 1970s.

Although I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone, I would remiss without pointing out the big inaccuracies that are in the book concerning Missouri geography, history, and politics. Twice, the Gateway Arch is mentioned as already existing despite it's only the 1940s and 1950s in the book. Missouri State University is mentioned even though that name was never used for a university until 2005. Also, it's stated in the book a couple of time that the governor appointed a lieutenant governor and an attorney general, when in reality, both of those positions have been elected positions since the 19th century.

Fannie Flagg is from Alabama and although her look at small town Missouri life was so good, she apparently didn't quite do enough internet research in 2002 to prevent making those mistakes in her book. If you're like me, you'll be almost tempted to let that keep you from enjoying the book. Don't make that mistake.

Whiskey and Charlie / Annabel Smith / 336 pgs

I read this book because it is next month's book club book and I doubt I would have picked it up if not for that fact. However, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the set up of the chapters. There are 26 in all, for each letter of the alphabet, but not just the alphabet - the international phonetic alphabet. I learned that alphabet when I was a kid because I got my ham radio license at the age of 10. The phonetic alphabet starts with Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India.....

Each of those words show up somewhere in that chapter, and it's that alphabet that ties the story of twin brothers, Whiskey (William) and Charlie. In the story, Whiskey is in a coma in present day, but the book goes back to the beginning to tell the story of Whiskey and Charlie, their relationship as brothers, from childhood to adulthood. Along the way, their relationship fractures and breaks. The reader is given reasons why. My only complaint is that although we are told that they were nearly inseparable as kids, the reader is not given a whole lot of a glimpse into their happy childhood. It seems that Charlie was jealous of his brother from nearly the very beginning.

Nevertheless, this book will speak volumes to anyone who has ever had a less than perfect relationship with a sibling, so I do recommend it highly.

The Same Sky/Amanda Eyre Ward/274 pgs.

This is a story of two very different lives that ultimately converge. Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Life is good except for a void in their life--they both want a child. Alice is infertile, and she and Jake have been unsuccessful in their efforts to adopt, which is putting a strain on their marriage.  In the Honduras, young Carla is growing up fast. Her mother left years ago to make a better life for herself and her family in Austin, Texas. She sends money to Carla, her grandmother, and Carla's young brother, Junior. When Carla's grandmother dies, Carla sees the only way out is to make her way to her mother in Austin, Texas. She tells of her and Junior's journey as illegal immigrants trying to make it back to her mother. This novel is told in alternating chapters in Carla and Alice's voices.  It's a timely piece of fiction during this election year. Recommended.

Winter's Bone / Daniel Woodrell / 193 pgs.

At only 193 pages, this book was read in less than two days. I read it as part of the #ReadHarder challenge to read a book and watch the movie. I have the DVD placed on reserve, so I can't compare the two yet, but I loved this book. Unbeknownst to me, there is a new genre called country noir, coined by none other than the author of Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell.  Country noir books are placed in rural settings, often in the Ozarks or Appalachia and tend to have characters with little education, but often with a whole lot of common sense and survival know-how. Politics are of the family variety and there's often a lot of meth involved.


In Winter's Bone, sixteen-year old Ree Daisy must look for her dad when it seems he's skipped out on a court date or else risk losing what little her mom, her two younger brothers, and Ree owns. Her extended family provides little help, if not a whole lot of interference. If I have any complaints, it may be only that the language used is so foreign to a suburbanite, it hardly feels like this story could take place in the same state.