Last week I finished:
I'd been dancing around the edges of Fiona Davis's The Dollhouse since it came out a couple of years ago, but I was never really taken in by the plot. But I was interested in Davis's follow-up books, The Address and her forthcoming The Masterpiece (out in August), so I decided to read (well, listen to) the first one first. And I was right in the first place--this one just wasn't for me. I think I can see why others would like it, but I found it absolutely lacking in subtlety, and I consider a mastery of subtlety to be one of the signs of great writing. So, this might be good "chick lit," but that's just not my thing. The plot is made of two stories. In one, set in the early 1950s, Darby McLaughlin is transplanted from Ohio to New York City, enrolled in secretarial school, and living in an all-women's hotel, the Barbizon. In the other, modern-day floundering journalist Rose is finding herself caught up in the story of the Barbizon and its hanger-on residents from the 1950s. The book goes back and forth in time until the stories eventually catch up with each other. (By the way, is anyone else sick to death of this way of pattering a book?) There's romance, there's exciting immigrant and drug subplots, there's a cranky old woman and her cranky old dog, there's a young woman who thinks she's independent but has no idea how to take care of herself. It's so similar to so many other books, I didn't end up not caring very much about what happened. It's an entertaining book, I guess, something light to read in the summertime, but I wouldn't call it particularly well-done. But again, it's probably just me. My rating: 2.5 stars.
When Joe Biden's Promise Me, Dad came out last fall, I put it on my TBR, and I finally got around to it when the Kindle version went on sale on Father's Day. I didn't have particularly high expectations for the book, but I love a good personal story, and bonus points for one that centers around Washington, D. C. It pretty much delivered what I expected. This is Vice President Biden's account of his son Beau's last year or two. He died of brain cancer in 2016. It's also the story of what Biden and the Obama presidency was doing during this period. The writing isn't great ("Uncle Joe" has never been known for his communication skills), the political history is a big revisionist in my opinion, and Biden came off a little wooden and conceited which, frankly, surprised me. I felt that the book lacked a true focus, like Biden wanted it to be a book about his son but that he felt he had to restrain himself for whatever reason. Throughout that year, he's also trying to decide if he wants to run for the presidency in 2016. He's certain he can wrest the nomination away from Secretary Clinton, and he even has much of his campaign nearly in place when he decides it's not right for him or his family who are still grieving the loss of Beau. In all, it was an emotional, yet uneven, memoir. If you like Biden and want to know more about his son and his decision not to run in 2016, it's worth a read. My rating: 3 stars. 
Earlier this year I read Melanie Shankle's newest book Church of the Small Things, and afterward I bought most of her earlier work. The Antelope in the Living Room is her second book, I believe, and it's a chronological collection of essays about her marriage. I find Shankle's writing charming and witty, a cross between Jen Hatmaker and Jen Lancaster. She can be irreverent or serious, depending, and she writes naturally about the hard stuff of life, including her Christian faith. In this book she brings us through her nearly 20-year marriage to Perry, a deer-hunting outdoorsy Texan who works (or worked?) in the ministry field. She shares things both funny and mundane about the difficulties and joys of sharing your life with someone who equally delights you and makes you scratch your head in wonderment. If you're married, you know that I mean. There's nothing particularly fascinating here, which is probably its charm. I left the book thinking I wish I had a friend like Melanie to share my marriage stories with, which I think is high praise. My rating: 3 stars.
You all know my adoration of Billy Collins and his wonderful poetry. I'm not sure there's a poet I like more. He makes writing good poetry look effortless, which I know from experience, it is not. Picnic, Lightning (the title is taken from a passage in Lolita) is one of his older books (published in 1998), and one of his best. I knew so many of the poems in this book; in fact, most of my favorites come from this book. Like Fishing in the Susquehanna in July and I Go back to the House for a Book. I highly recommend this collection if you're looking for a starting place for reading contemporary poetry. It's accessible, witty, and has emotional depth, all while entertaining the reader. My rating: 4.5 stars.
This week I continue with:
It is as wonderful as everyone's been saying. A very quiet, contemplative book.
Last week I began:
I floundered around last week trying to find a Kindle book that grabbed me. All those options and nothing to read! I finally decided (I think) to re-read Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home.
I also began Maria Shriver's I've Been Thinking....
My audiobook:
I'm enjoying Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups on audio. I believe it's my first Anne Tyler read.
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