There’s no reason to run out of good reading material. Sometimes we’re reluctant to try an unknown author or book, or to take on a different genre. But sometimes you just have to take the plunge. Here’s what happened when I tried something new.
“This Tender Land” by William Kent Kruger (2019) is a beautiful and haunting story that will remind you of “Huckleberry Finn.” It takes place in Minnesota in 1932, where two brothers and two other children escape one of those horrendous Indian “training” schools — really just a workhouse. Theirs is a search for family and a place to belong. The narrator, Odie, tells the story from the perspective of an elderly man who eventually made a good life for himself. He recounts their run-ins with both good and dangerous people, all trying to survive the Depression by any means. I enjoyed this book so much that I went on to read Kruger’s award-winning “Ordinary Grace,” also a winner.
Despite its having the word “bookstore” in the title, I would never have read “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan (2012) had it not been recommended to me. A stranger book you will never find, but at its heart it’s merely a love song — and maybe a farewell — to the printed word. Picture an old-fashioned San Francisco bookstore that sells almost nothing but instead “checks out” mysterious volumes full of cryptic code to a select few members. Our hero, Clay, and a few of his computer-genius friends set out to figure out the code and track down the organization — called the Unbroken Spine — that is its headquarters. I can’t say much more without giving away secrets of an ancient cult. Just think of this twisty, complicated story as both a quest into the past and a journey into the future. Is that obscure enough for you?
I really stepped out of my comfort zone to read “South Georgia Blues” by D.B.Cap (2005). According to the jacket, the author comes from south Georgia and now lives in Atlanta. I could find no internet reference, so he may or may not still be living. The book’s main character is Stanford Rome, an Atlanta CPA who loses his family in a horrible murder. After the authorities give up on solving the case, Stanford takes it upon himself to find the killer, endangering himself by mixing with ex-cons, snipers, and other general lowlifes. In the hands of a more practiced storyteller, this could have been a Dirty-Harry-like suspenseful tale, but for me it ran slow and explained way too much, instead of just letting the plot unfold naturally. D.B., if you’re still with us, don’t quit your day job.
“Ape House” by Sara Gruen (2010) covers the gamut of human-animal relationships and animal rights. I originally shied away from this title (and from her other, hugely popular “Water for Elephants”) because of the sad plight of so many animals, but “Ape House” isn’t just a serious indictment of animal testing and exploitation. It’s also funny and surprising. Isabel Duncan is a researcher who’s working in a language lab with a family of bonobos (one variety of great ape). A deliberate, catastrophic explosion in the facility gravely injures Isabel and results in the bonobos being removed and sold to exploiters of animals. The story follows Isabel and others as they try to hunt down and recover the apes. The author did a great deal of research on animal communication, learning a form of ASL that scientists use to talk to the apes. You’ll leave this story truly aware of the 98% DNA we share with this species.
“Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman (2017) may look like chick lit, but this is a mixture of the humorous and the serious, the comedy and the tragedy. Eleanor is a shy, solitary office worker who feels that she needs nobody in her life. She rebuffs everyone, until a slovenly IT worker named Raymond refuses to be ignored. Ever so gradually he and a few others begin to draw her out to the simplest things, like going out to lunch or visiting people in the hospital. We gradually learn Eleanor’s awful back story and realize that she’s suppressing memories of childhood trauma. This story reminds us that the simple secret to a happy, fulfilled and “normal” life is making human connections.
So there you have it. With a “what have I got to lose” attitude, four out of five choices turned out well and opened me up to finding other titles by these authors. The same can work for you. Plunge right in, and happy reading!
Kaye West retired from the Henry County Library System. She enjoys reading, taking daily walks, and spending time with friends. She lives in McDonough with her husband.
