A Flicker in the Dark, by Stacy Willingham

I only got 30 pages in and stopped. Here's why. A typo on page 22. Way too much telling (versus showing). Eg, I don't need any author to tell me that a home is more than bricks & boards. Then again several pages later, the house she (Chloe) bought was waiting to be made into a home. On and on and blah blah blah. And "bouncing off walls" is a cliche, no matter how it's used (the heat of 40 bodies bouncing off walls). 

Published by Minotaur, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. This big Publishing house could afford a GREAT editor. That's what this book needed. First, some developmental editing (yo Ms. Willingham [author], how bout dialing back on the "telling" and minutea?). Then a skilled copyeditor to catch name use and typos. 

I actually bought this book. A used copy but still. I had high hopes based on the Prologue which is the excerpt you're allowed to read on-line. 

Drat.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie (1939)

We liked this book, however, it's exceedingly hard to keep track of all the people and their "charges" (supposed sins). For this reason, reading a paper copy is recommended (in lieu of audio) so that you can turn back to the page where the "guests" on the island are listed along with their sins/crimes for which they've been "charged." 

I saw the movie version of this book decades ago, so I had a general jist. Still, it was enjoyable to read a book by the maven of mystery herself :-)

It's a fairly short/quick read. But again, not necessarily an easy breezy read since there are so many people to keep track of. Thumbs up, just not a beach read.

The Invited, by Jennifer McMahon

Helen and Nate move from the city to a small rural town in Vermont, using money Helen inherited. To save money, they build most of the house themselves. The land they choose is purported to be haunted by a witch who died there (Hattie). The new house becomes a bit of an invitation to resident spooking. 

The author braids the story - jumping between Helen and Olive -- Olive ("Ollie") is a teenage girl, a resident of the small town who likes to hang out in the woods on Helen & Nate's land.  

I was drawn to the spookiness of the story. And yes, there was suspense, but my rating is 3 stars (out of 5) due to too much confusion. 

  - Chapter titles are dates. Nothing more, no day of week, no telling if the day has progressed to the next, or perhaps jumped a week or more. Nope. I had to keep turning back to previous chapters to figure it out .

 - Lots of names sound too similar. Hattie. Helen. Olive/Ollie, Riley, Lori. I got confused more than once. 

 - Too much filler. I skimmed paragraphs and half-pages in the second half of the book. This book is 350 pages...about a hundred pages too many. And with all that, the end didn't surprise me...and something was left dangling (the doc that disappeared...this isn't really a spoiler, it's just...a loose thread ..and why??)

Read it or don't. The book is okay. You could do worse.

Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

I read this years ago. Re-read it for this book club, but "L" said she couldn't finish it. This proves that you either love or hate this book (hate is a strong word, but if you can't finish the book then...it fits).

This anti-war book is dubbed "The Children's Crusade" in order to highlight that the people sent off to war are mere "babies" (per Mary O'Hare in the book). A massive number are 18, 19 years old. This brutal truth escapes so many who would have their country (whatever country) go to war. Vonnegut's take on it is, "So it goes." A statement that equates to resigned acceptance. It is what it is.

Vonnegut wrote this as Vietnam was exploding. The book came out in 1969 and its anti-war theme was timely.

+++++++++

"Listen. Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time."

This opening sentence tells the reader that Billy is having flashbacks. We also learn that he delves deeply into a fantasy world (of aliens, no less). 

++++++++++

This book isn't for everyone. I rather loved it. I love its ability to intersperse brutal war history with a fantasy life of aliens who are don't "do" war. We can fantasize about a world without war along with Vonnegut. 

It's possible that the difference between loving and hating this book is a matter of Realist vs...what word to use(?)...avoidance of the Hell of the firebombing of an entire city of helpless women and children (Dresden, Feb 1945). Just as one person cannot stomach reading about incest or lynchings of Blacks in the south or whatever, another person *needs* to read a certain number of these books in order to understand what these "babies" (soldiers) went through...go through still today (in war). At this moment, it's happening in Ukraine. 

Time magazine lists this book as one of the "Top 100 English language books."

Thumbs up from me. Thumbs down from L. 

The Light We Carry, by Michelle Obama

A book about humanness. How we struggle with feeling we're "enough." If you've ever struggled to keep doubt from consuming you, this book helps immensely. From self-doubt to doubting the future of a country or the goodness of a neighbor, Michelle O. seems to get it. 

I didn't buy this book, it was a gift. To be honest, I wasn't sure what else Flotus could say - I'd read her first book. What else?? Turns out, this book reveals Flotus' tool kit for getting through the unbearable. Endless pandemic and worry and self-doubt and grief and feeling "not enough." 

This book has the best essay on Friendship I've ever read. It's the essay I've been looking for, and it led to an epiphany - one I'm uber grateful for. If you know me, you'll see me in those pages. It sounds so simple to say that different people approach friendship differently. But this chapter helped me, for the first time, to understand my own style of approaching (and valuing) each friend. Imho, very often, our style has to do with family size and birth order. As an "only" (only child syndrome due to spacing...and youngest), I identify with Flotus' visceral need for friends -- that tight circle and the bigger circle of friends. Isn't that the wonder of books?!? Pathways to epiphanies!

The other chapter I loved was on motherhood. You don't have to be a mom - or even want to be a mom - to appreciate this chapter. I found my own mom in this chapter. One particular sentence, I said out loud, "That's (was) my mom!" It had to do with showing her children "enoughness." Always glad to see us walk in the room. My mom had that gift. 

Offering "enoughness" is what we're called to offer each other in this crazy mixed-up world. I love that message so much. 

The chapter on "The Power of Small" is, for me, a refresher course. A reminder of the power of completing small projects (eg, crafts, painting, gardening, etc). In a world where the problems threaten to overwhelm us -- eg, the loss of a spouse, parent, child, beloved friend -- we can (we must try to) focus on "small." Small joys. Find small moments for gratitude. A phone call or text from a loved one. An ice cream cone on a hot day. The sunshine in winter. The beauty of a flower. Beauty is all round. Life is short, we must try to find beauty each day...in sometimes really small ways.