Japan: A Traveler's Literary Companion ed. by Jeffrey Angles (2006)

This anthology of prose pieces put together by our Japanese language professor was a delight. I have known that Japan is a large country, but never thought about how different all the regions might be. (Just looked it up, Japan is over 1800 miles long, the same distance as from Bangor, ME to Key West, FL.) I liked the idea of reading stories from the different parts of Japan, with a map (I love maps) to guide me. All were 20th century writers, many still alive today. Some of the stories were fictional, some not, but each was a gem. The mountains were an important part of many of the stories, for some, so was the ocean. Though each reflected the personal of experiences of the people mentioned, each gave a flavor of the history and place, whether it was excavating a mass grave from the war, or the reality of earthquakes.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (2009)

Read a while back, so I'll just quote Amazon for now:
"Following her breakout bestseller, The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger returns with Her Fearful Symmetry, a haunting tale about the complications of love, identity, and sibling rivalry. The novel opens with the death of Elspeth Noblin, who bequeaths her London flat and its contents to the twin daughters of her estranged twin sister back in Chicago. These 20-year-old dilettantes, Julie and Valentina, move to London, eager to try on a new experience like one of their obsessively matched outfits. Historic Highgate Cemetery, which borders Elspeth's home, serves as an inspired setting as the twins become entwined in the lives of their neighbors: Elspeth's former lover, Robert; Martin, an agoraphobic crossword-puzzle creator; and the ethereal Elspeth herself, struggling to adjust to the afterlife. Niffenegger brings these quirky, troubled characters to marvelous life, but readers may need their own supernatural suspension of disbelief as the story winds to its twisty conclusion. --Brad Thomas Parsons"

My only quick comment is that is was strange that I read two cemetery focused books (the house is next to the cemetery and Robert is a guide to famous graves) so close together. The other being Gaimon's Graveyard Book. And yes it was strange, but so was the Time Traveler's Wife. Did I really like it? I don't know.

MacKade Brothers: Devin & Shane by Nora Roberts (2009)

Here's one I missed recording. Two short reprint novel from 1996 - The Heart of Devin MacKade and The Fall of Shane MacKade. The usual brother (or sister) set-up. The setting is small town Maryland. Devin is the sheriff and his heart is set on Cassie, who married the wrong guy out of high school and has two kids. Devin saves the day. Shane, a womanizer, falls for a PhD who is researching the mystical phenomenon of the area. Again, a combination of magic and romance. There are more brothers, so I am sure there stories are out there to find.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (2006)

Best book I've read in 2009. One friend said she didn't think it was well written, but I found it fascinating, because the work that Greg Mortenson is doing is really changing the world in a profound way. He was a mountain climber, who while coming down off of a failed climb in Pakistan, spent some time in a small mountain village and befriended the people and saw a great need for a school there. This has become his life's work, building schools in Paksitan and Afghanistan with the people of the communities, for the education of their girls and boys.

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts (2009)

Second in the Bride Quartet, where three friends who have played "wedding" since childhood, now run Vows, a wedding service out of Parker's mansion-like home. Mac, the photographer found Carter in the first book. Now Emma, the flower girl finds Jake, the architect. I do like the tight knit friendships of these girls and those around them. I am amazed that they can pull of numerous weddings in a weekend. I got a bit of a glimpse into flower arranging, but not as much as I would have liked. I know Roberts is an expert on flowers from the garden store trilogy, so she was naming all the flowers, but I still wanted more. I thought Emma had a greenhouse going, and very little was mentioned about that. I liked the cold feet about commitment form Jake's side, and the reasons behind it. Of course it is always too pat, but none of her characters have ideal pasts, which I like.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant (2009)

I can't remember if I have ever finished a book by Diamant, but I know she writes about historical women. This is an incredible story about four Jewish women, who are at a transition camp in Israel after escaping from Europe after World War II. I had never even thought about this transition stage for anyone other than the Latvian exiles. They each had seen so much, lost so many friends and family, had traumatic escapes, and now, before they could start their new lives in the newly created Israel, they were held at a camp, before being assigned a kibbutz or other assigned role. Each has their own coping mechanism. They are starting to feel alive again and flirting with men. This was deeply touching, sad in ways, but hopeful in others. One of my top books this year.

Windfall by Nora Roberts (2009)

This consisted of two reprints:
Impulse (1989)
Temptation (1987)
Just two of those quickie novels that usually I would hate, but Roberts makes them readable. The first takes place in Greece, where Rebecca has headed to find adventure and finds her rich love Stephen Nickodemus.
The second is about a woman proving that she can make it on her own by running a girl's camp and running into her neighbor, the orchard owner Chase Elliot.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci (2007)

Needing to get my mind off my tenure folder, this was another of my escapism books. We see Michelle Maxwell lose it, pick a fight with a big guy in a bar, and almost kill him. She ends in a psych hospital - and she is definitely not a talking therapy kind a gal. She ends up reluctantly talking to a psychiatris and solving a problem at the psych place. But she really just wants to get back out working with Sean King. Sean is down and out financially, so he takes a job through and old flame Joan, which lands him in a super-secret think tank, which is right next door to a CIA facility. A couple of people have lost their lives, so he investigates and gets involved with much larger issues.

Hot Ice by Nora Roberts (1987)

I just reread the first Nora Roberts book I ever read - from a freebie shelf at a library I worked one night a week. I remember being thrilled by the constant chase and the fact that the location was Madagascar, a place about which I know nothing. I haven't run into any other Roberts' books with such an exotic setting - most are in different parts of the U.S., some nice detailed settings in Ireland, and an occasional mini-novel in Greece. I don't know how accurate the author's description was of the countryside, the people, their cultures, but I felt I got a sense of them. I have missed seeing more exotic locales in her books. The thrill ride was still as exciting as I remembered it. Douglas Lord is a professional thief and is going after a mother-load of jewels, supposedly from the days of Marie Antoinette. He inadvertently involves wealthy and bored Whitney MacAllister. I did find Doug's constant reiteration that he wants to find the jewels so he can settle down in luxury to be tedious. The main characters were a bit too stereotypical, the plot twists too improbable, but hey, it was fun. I did enjoy watching the spoilt rich girl become more aware of the rest of the world.

Blue Notebook by James A. Levine (2009)

This was very hard to read, as the child sex slave in India shares her miserable life, but at times in the most beautiful language. She has a wonderful way of looking at the world and there are bright moments, as when she learns to read and write in a hospital as a child. She was raised in a normal family, but her father sells her into slavery, and she doesn't even realize it. It is incredibly hard to read as she gets deflowered by man who has payed well for the priviledge. This moment is described eloquently - not grotesquely, not sensually, but we do feel the horror of it. It is amazing that this is written by a British-born male doctor from Mayo Clinic. I understand he wants to raise awareness of this issue and the world still has a long way to go.