Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier

This book was written in 1938, and is considered a classic. That said, we got to about 21-25% before deciding the (audio) book is way too slow. The unnamed main character is poor, and works as a paid companion to a high society lady. She meets the very rich Maxim De Winter, and they marry in a rush. Although we're promised a gothic story, there's just a lot of the main character being timid and unnerved by her own lack of high society skills, and she continuously compares herself to DeWinter's dead wife. Moving on to the next book!

DNF (did not finish). 

Twice, by Mitch Albom

We both enjoyed this book a lot. There's a time travel /slash/ magical realism element that Albom handled really well. The main character is Alfie, and we get to hear about his youth through snapshots that are written about in a journal ("the composition book"). We hear how his parents were missionaries in Africa, and during this time, Alfie befriends a girl, Gianna, whom he later bumps into at university. 

When the book opens, we see that Alfie is older, he is in Nassau, Bahamas, and he's being held by a casino security guy, who thinks Alfie cheated on roulette. The interplay between Alfie and the security guy, called Detective Laporta, gives us more and more detail on what brought Alfie to this casino. 

In the big picture, this book is about second chances. And if you were granted a do-over, what would the consequences be of not seeing your original choice through to fruition?  Oh, and it's also a love story, kinda sorta, but not in a sappy way. FIVE OUTTA FIVE STARS ON THIS ONE! Albom is a gifted writer. We also really liked Albom's book, The Little Liar. And we're going to give another of his books a try in the near future. 

More Than Enough, by Anna Quindlen

We liked this book a lot. Quindlen is a beautiful writer. Her character-building, her settings, her description of everyday life is skilled & believable. The main character is Polly, married to Mark -- and they're dealing with infertility, going thru round after round of IVF. Polly is part of a book club with 4 other women, they meet monthly mainly to talk. As a joke, her book clubs bffs buy Polly a DNA kit which reveals any possible family out there. This sets off a flurry of bewilderment and worry for Polly (no spoilers). 

The theme of "being enough" weaves its way thru the book. Polly, who feels less of a woman because of the infertility. The students at the girls school where Polly teaches. A specific character (no spoiler) who searches for missing family links, even though they are loved by the small family they have. 

There's ample "perfection" in this book that, at times, feels a bit too good to be true. Eg, Polly's brother Garrison is the best ever big bro. Polly's husband is the sweetest. Her mother-in-law is perfect. Polly's friends are fairly perfect too, one rich, who likes to share her wealth with expensive gifts for her book club bffs. Polly is great as a teacher, and her students idolize her. --- That's quite a lot of perfection, yes? 

We give this book 4.25 out of 5 stars. Deducting 3/4 of a star due to the overload of perfection. Also, we both got lost a few times. Eg, introducing us to Polly's nieces, then many pages later, we hear their names again ...but it was hard to recall who they were because the intro was brief and seemed inconsequential at the time. And a couple other instances. As the reader, I don't want to get lost once, let alone 3 times. Again, both thumbs up on this book. 

The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah

Parents Cora and Ernt and 13 yo Leni (Lenora) move from Seattle to Alaska to a cabin on the edge of a small town. Ernt is a Vietnam vet and a drunk who physically abuses his wife. Emotional abuse of the daughter comes about from both parents, in my view. 

Ultimately, this is a survival tale -- how to survive the Alaskan wild as well as survival by individuals -- such as a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, and a family living with alcoholism and physical abuse. This book details the abuse quite a bit; those parts were *not* easy for me to read (personally speaking). Honestly, the abuse pissed me off so much that I began to dislike the mother, Cora. 

We do recommend this book. We enjoyed the story. However, about three-quarters into the book, it began to feel repetitive. As in, he's drinking... again. They're scared... again. She's forgiving him...again. Etc. The author knows how to set scenes and create interesting characters. We just wish she would've tightened this story by about 100 pages (it's 438 pages). We both began feeling frustrated with how long it was, and began wishing for it to end. For this reason, we deducted a star -- it gets 4 stars out of 5.

Desire Lines, by Christina Baker Kline

I was drawn by the promise of a mystery -- a girl goes missing on the night of high school graduation. Instead of a mystery, this book holds *hints* of a mystery that's not really addressed until much later in the book. Parts 1 and 2 delve into the missing girl's bff, Kathryn, who escaped her hometown by going away to college, where she meets a guy, gets married, and after just 2 years, they divorce. It's been 10 years and Kathryn returns home to live with her mother while she figures out her life. There's a ton of introspection by Kathryn, but none is all that interesting. Kathryn herself is not a deep character; I found her to be petty. 

This is a slow book, and I gave up waiting for discussion of the mystery that's promised on the book jacket. I did not finish it, and cannot recommend it. This was a bummer because I loved this author's Orphan Train.

Note: "Desire Lines" is an interesting term with multiple meanings. In the book, it's used in "orienteering," where you try to find your way in unfamiliar territory, using a compass, and if you stumble across a path, you can assume it leads to safety. In another definition, desire lines can signify freedom of choice -- not following prescribed paths in life, but striking out on your own unique path. 

The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Coates is a beautiful writer. For the writing alone, this book is a nice read. However, Coates has written, to-date, just nonfiction, except for this one---this being his 1st foray into fiction. This book lost its steam in the 2nd half.  It started out solid, had engaging characters and action. Then...it became more of a book about a journey, and we learn a lot about the inner lives of "the tasked" (slaves). The magical realism is interesting. Called "conduction," it's quite the spin on the mechanics/ops of the Underground Railroad. I think Coates should've told us the time period in which this takes place. Eg, how long before the Civil War? I found this lack of context odd. 

At 75% into the book, I decided not to finish, because the narrative evaporated, and a lack of long-term goals for the protagonist (eg, what was he working toward?).  The audiobook is 14 hours. I stopped at 11 hours, and had been pushing through about 2 to 3 hours of it. Do I recommend this book? Yes and no. I think it works for fans of Coates' beautiful writing. Just don't expect a page turner.

A Piece of The World, by Christina Baker Kline

If you want a happy story with a lot of action, this is not it. It's deeply melancholy, but I finished it because I had it on audio and I was drawn by the art history and the link to the Hawthorns of New England (Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous author). This novel's topic is a famous painting, "Christina's World," by Andrew Wyeth -- Wyeth patterned this painting after a neighbor, Christina, who was born with a degenerative disease that began stealing her ability to walk at age 12. I found it difficult to really like any of the characters. Christina's parents were selfish; she's removed from school at age 12 to help her mom with house chores, then later, they lay guilt trips on her to get her to do more. While Christina has every right to feel sad or mad about certain things, I found her stubbornness annoying. She refuses help (eg, medical help), and is jealous and even petty at times. Her brother Al is also weak. He doesn't stand up for himself. 

Most of the action was in the first half of the book. I liked the love story for Christina. No spoilers. 

My takeaway from this book is that Christina's life was hard and bleak. Her disease causes her to constantly fall and trip, and things get harder as the years pass. Just so many obstacles. As for the title of the painting ....spoilers ahead 

Spoilers ahead

Spoilers ahead

As for the theme, "Christina's World," the farm sums up her world. She devotes herself to her parents' care as they grow old and die. She expects her brother to devote his life to the farm too. With her limited schooling, and her unwillingness to pursue medical treatment as a young adult, her world stays small, and all about the farm. I guess the real Christina was happy about the painting by Wyeth. My guess is that she felt that it took her off the farm, so to speak, and out into the world for the first time.