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If you’re an avid reader of Entertainment Weekly like me, you may have poured over their recent issue with the top 100 “characters” in the past twenty years. Spanning television, movies and books, the list was exhaustive and a great read. One of the characters was the narrator of Middlesex, Calliope “Cal” Stephanides, who documents his childhood as a hermaphrodite growing up in Detroit. My friend Melissa recommended the book to me recently and I picked up the audio version, only to go check out the paper copy because I couldn’t stand waiting to only listen while I was in the car. To call it an epic is a bit of an understatement – Cal begins by telling the story of his grandparents and their journey to the United States, then his parents as they fully assimilate into American life in Detroit, and then finally arriving to his own confusing and compelling life. The parallels stories of Cal’s journey and the tribulations in Motor City are unforgettable. Eugenides is a masterful storyteller and this is one book you do not want to miss. I hate to give anything away about the story because I want you to enjoy it as much as I did, but I will say that I am not at all surprised that Cal Stephanides made EW’s top 100 list.
I don't know how Like Water for Chocolate ever was able to get past me for almost twenty years, since it was published in the early 90's, but it's made its place on my favorites list. It's charming, funny, sad and heartfelt, with characters you immediately fall in love with and start rooting for or you turn on them in the beginning and hate them the rest of the book. It's a kind of Mexican fairy tale - a combination of traditional Mexican dishes and the magical things they create when the characters eat them. It's a bit of tall tale too - when the main character is born, Tita, who cried the entire time she was in her mother's womb, she "literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the edge of the table and flooded across the floor." Laura Esquivel writes with beautiful imagery all throughout the story, while the reader learns that Tita's fate, being the youngest daughter, is to take care of her tyrant mother until she dies, unable to marry. Tita falls in love and the events that ensue are like a soap opera - meaning, you will not be able to put this book down. Do not miss the opportunity to revel in this wonderful tale!
I haven't read all of Nicholas Sparks' books, but I've read a lot of his early ones (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle) and some newer ones (Nights in Rodanthe). Even though he writes just about the saddest stories one can imagine sometimes, he writes them about these characters that you cannot help but love. Sometimes one of the characters is lost in life and finds his way after finding love . . . but the character was essentially a good person anyway, if they are able to make a turn around like that. And yes, you usually cry your eyes out at the end because something so tragic happens, you can't fathom it.
Emily Giffin loves to tackle awkward situations. Her debut novel, Something Borrowed explores what happens when your best friend falls in love with the love of your life, they get engaged, then her new fiancee falls in love with you. It's the same story with her latest novel, Love the One You're With. I knew I had to read it, regardless of the fact that the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name was a "theme" for a spring break once spent in the Bahamas.
Looking for something light and fun to read? But maybe a little suspense, too? Check out Mary Kay Andrew's Savannah Blues. The laughs begin when we learn that the protagonist, Weezie Foley, is living in the carriage house of her former home, while her ex-husband lives in the big house with his new fiancee. Weezie is trying to make it on her own as an antiques dealer, and finds herself right in the middle of a murder mystery when she decides to get a sneak peek at the biggest estate sale to hit Savannah.
