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Welcome back to TheBookJeanie!  

Another look at notable books from 2012. . .

2012 brought us many unique and finely crafted first novels and Netzer's Shine, Shine, Shine ranks as one of the most unusual but compelling reads. The story unfolds as Sunny is trying to cope with her autistic preschooler and the final month of her pregnancy while her astronaut husband, Maxon, is being hurled through space on a mission to the moon. Sunny seems to be the perfect wife and mother but beneath that controlled facade is a woman who is hiding an unusual physical condition, while struggling to present a normal face to the world and protect her genius husband from closer public scrutiny.  Inseparable friends from early childhood, Sunny and Maxon have always depended solely on each other, but an accident suddenly causes Sunny to question the lies and deceptions of their life together. Netzer writes with such a tenderness for her characters that the reader too feels compelled to embrace this singular couple as they endeavor to find themselves and each other again.      

John LeCarré successfully changed direction from his acclaimed Cold War thrillers to subtle tales of corporate manipulation and espionage after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Pavone follows his lead in a dazzling rollercoaster ride with a former CIA operative and her financial wizard husband as they plunge into a surreal world of high stakes stock trading and questionable alliances.  Trained as a lethal covert agent, Kate has given up her trade to become a full-time mom and supportive spouse when Dexter is offered a lucrative banking position in Luxembourg.  But after becoming part of the affluent expat community, Dexter becomes more and more uncommunicative and absorbed in his work and Kate wonders if she made the right decision to leave Washington despite her disillusionment with the life that she had to keep hidden.  Her instincts lead her to pry into Dexter's rather unusual business arrangements and from that point their relationship quickly becomes riddled with suspicion and distrust.  When another expat couple become too interested in Kate and Dexter's lives, both realize that the secrets of past may be catching up with them. 

Although I loved Anne Tyler's new novel, The Beginner's Goodbye, I decided that I would like to feature an equally fine but lesser known author, Hilma Wolitzer.  In her latest novel  Wolitzer explores the same territory as Tyler, the grief and longing of a recent widower, but with a subtle humor that endears us to quiet, unassuming, Edward Schuyler, a scholarly science teacher who is suddenly thrust into the role of "an available man."  While Edward tries to avoid the attentions of the numerous interested women in his neighborhood, his concerned step-daughters decide to place a personal ad in The New York Review of Books inviting suitors near and far to contact their dear step-father.  The truth is that Edward prefers to spend evenings at home alone, reflecting on the friendship and deep love that he shared with his wife, Bee.  But when he begins to receive some intriguing responses to the ad, he reluctantly arranges dates that become awkward comedies or sad encounters that leave him disillusioned about ever experiencing the kind of joy that he felt in his life with Bee. Edward turns to other pursuits, reconnects with old friends, and begins to create a new and independent life for himself without any expectations of romance. One day, however, a chance meeting startles Edward into realizing that life may have more in store for him than he thought.   

To grandmother's house we go. . .

If you are ever driving around Southern New Hampshire on a warm summer afternoon, stop for a delicious gourmet luncheon in the charming cottage that served as the model for the 1948 illustrations in the Golden Book Edition of Little Red Riding Hood. You must wander off on a narrow country lane to discover Pickety Place, a small unique restaurant serving a delectable 5 course luncheon that changes each month.  After enjoying your meal, explore the rooms that recreate the scenes in the famous Grimms fairy tale but prepare your little ones before entering Grandma's bedroom - my daughter Courtney  screamed and ran when she saw the wolf lying in the bed!  Take time to stroll through the delightful flower and vegetable gardens surrounding the old wooden cottage in what is truly a magical place.  www.picketyplace.com

Taking a look at my bedside table

This week I have three very different books stacked beside my bed so I am prepared for whatever mood I am in when I finally settle down for the evening. If in need of a bit of humor, I pick up Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto, a tongue-in-cheek analysis of readers and authors, with chapters that focus on such topics as "everything you need to know to casually discuss most well-known classic and contemporary authors"- you know, when someone is playing the intellectual at a cocktail party and you can't resist taking them down a notch.  I am laughing already. 

To escape into an historical novel, I have begun Simon Mawer's Trapeze,  set in World War II France.  Marian, a young English woman with a French mother, agrees to work for a secret government agency in its mission to aid the resistance movement in France.  Although she knows that it's a dangerous assignment, Marian begins to realize that she was selected for more than her knowledge of the language. Mawer is best known for his novel, The Glass Room, which was short-listed for the Man Booker prize.  

Lastly, I still enjoy going back and rereading books that I discovered many, many years ago.  A friend in Mankato, Minnesota reminded me of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series that traces an endearing childhood friendship between two little girls at the beginning of the twentieth century.  The first four books have been republished as The Betsy-Tacy Treasury and are as delightful as they were when I read them as an eight-year-old .  Take some time to read aloud to a child. . .