The art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

When Tin Win, a successful NYC lawyer, suddenly disappears, his daughter, Julia, believes there must be a good reason. She knows that her parents weren't a warm, fuzzy couple but Julia and her father have always been close. Then they discover a letter from a woman in his native Burma. Julia believes she will find an answer to her questions there. Off she goes to the small village of Kalaw which is now in a country known as Myanmar in search of her father's real story. Here she meets the enigmatic U Ba and the tale begins. It reads like a fable of love, obligation, tragedy, and determination.  Perhaps it is the unexpected setting or the archetypal characters (right down to the evil uncle) that makes this seem like something out of the Brothers Grimm rather than a Hallmark moment. It is nonetheless a lovely read with an ending that will maybe surprise you but at the very least will make you say ahhhh.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

The subtitle of this book is An Arcane History and mysterious it is. Part fantasy. Part dystopian history. Part political discourse. All ideas you just wish you could discuss in a book group that was willing to read all 545 pages. This hefty tome can't be sold as a quick read because on almost every page is something you really want to spend time dissecting. One of the most thought provoking books EVER!
Robin Swift, orphan from China is taken to England by the Englishman he will learn is his father.  There he joins the new cohort of students at the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford University in the 1830's.  He is joined by Letty, a typical blond haired English rose, Rany, a privileged but bitter young man from India, and Victoire, a young woman from Haiti tired of feeling like an outsider. All brilliant. All hand picked. All so excited to be at Oxford - and yet.... 
 The Institute is housed in a secured round tower on the Oxford campus referred to as Babel. In this dystopian society, there is power in the fact that very few ideas can be exactly translated from one language to another. This "lost in translation" power is stored in silver bars which run the industrial, colonial power that is England.  All four students eventually come under the influence of the Hermes society. Led by a former disillusioned R.I.T. student, the society is looking to change the existing balance of power - a power that begins with the students in Babel. Can this be done without violence is the question? In fact in some countries (this book has been translated into many languages - haha) the title translates back to English as Babel(or the Necessity of Violence):An arcane history of the Oxford Translators Revolution - which says perhaps more than necessary in a title.  But then, it's all in the translation.

Still Life by Saran Winman

 Art, life, war, luck and a sentient parrot - what more could you ask for?  I would pay to have the kind of conversations Ulysses and Evelyn have. The story begins at the close of WWII.  Ulysses is a young British soldier more likely to see good than bad even in a war. Evelyn is a much older art conservator trying to get into Florence to assess and rescue art lost and damaged by war.  Their meeting is an unlikely random chance but it is a meeting of two minds destined to connect. Ulysses returns to a messy life in a small town outside of London filled with unforgettable characters including Claude the parrot and a daughter for whom biology is an unnecessary requirement.  A most incredible set of circumstances finds him back in Florence with another group of people you just hope really exist somewhere.  It's a book that will take you to your happy place or at least Florence, Italy. And so many wonderful conversations!

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

 Afong Moy was a real woman. Her daughters are fictional possibilities used to explore the idea of epigenesis.  In 1826 Afong Moy was illegally brought to the United States from China and exploited as an oddity on stage to the benefit of her "handlers".  In 2045 Dorothy Moy struggles in her life in Seattle. She was once the Washington poet laureate but dreams and feelings of trauma have affected her ability to function. When her young daughter begins to "remember" things she could not possibly have seen, Dorothy decides to contact a councilor who is exploring the idea of epigenesis.  Through her story we meet 5 other generations of women all who carry trauma historical and new. One of the best parts was the climate change affected weather in Seattle - trauma enough itself!
Depending on whether or not you buy into the idea of epigenesis, the book is either interesting fiction or magical realism. You choose.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker

 Historical fiction? Magical Realism? I admit I read "genie" the whole time. Ahmad was "born" in the Syrian desert hundreds of years ago, is locked in a copper flask and turns up in NYC in the 1890's. Chava was created in Poland by a man who possesses the powers to create a Golem from mud. She was intended to be the wife of a man who dies at sea on the way to NYC. Two powerful magical creatures designed to follow their masters but no masters are present. Enter a cast of humans, some equally mystical, some willing to accept the truth of Ahmad and Chava and others set on evil. Naturally they meet - and connect in the tenements and parks of the city. Can they overcome their powerful natures? Is it possible to learn to be human? Is it possible to keep their names straight when they seem to change with the centuries. The ending is a surprise but then I already knew there was a sequel so not totally unsuspected.

The Prospectors by Ariel Djanikian

Based on real family history, the real Lowell family of California  become enormously wealthy at the Klondike gold rush in Alaska.  Generations later two young members of the family are asked to return to Alaska and make right an injustice that occurred back then. I wasn't really into this story until the native people involved reject their offer which raises the question of what might be real retribution to any people who suffered at the hands of privilege.  Unlikeable characters, unexceptional writing, thought provoking history - a 6 out of 10.

Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict

 Post WWII, Rosalind Franklin found herself in an ideal working situation as a chemist in a French lab. Highly educated, she had already established herself as an expert in X-ray crystallography in London but was excited to explore using that technology outside of her speciality in coal analysis.  When her personal life in France became complicated she took advantage of an opportunity to return to London and direct her attention to figuring out the structure of human DNA. The glory went to Watson and Crick but the research belonged to Franklin.  Her dedication often caused her to ignore the readings on her radiation dosometer and led to her early death from ovarian cancer.  Finally a story told about a true genius.

Somewhere Sisters by Erika Hayasaki

Subtitle: "A story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family".   In 1998, twin girls were born in Vietnam. Their mother knew she could not raise them herself. One, named Ha, was sent to live with an aunt in a village with little electricity but a close family. The other, Isabella, was adopted by a familly and very comfortably raised in the Chicago area. Years later, the adoptive mother learns that Isabella has a twin sister and goes to great lengths to reunite these two. She even offers Ha a chance at the same comfortable life her sister has always known. Is that a good offer? What makes a good life? How much of our identity is tied up in where we were born and how much in how we were raised? Who is family? All questions explored in this true story.

 

The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson

 Winston Churchill as you may never have seen him before.  In typical Larson fashion, he has managed to unearth details of of the man and how he was able, during the horrendous bombardment of the blitz, say what was needed to keep the faith to stand alone against Hitler.  As often as I read about that one fact, I still struggle to understand the courage of that small island. This story of Churchhill ends when the Americans finally enter the war and we will never know what might have happened had we not finally come to the fight. No matter, Larson has managed to reveal how this funny, pudgy, cigar smoking character was a true hero. Fascinating read.

susan,linda,nina, & cokie by Lisa Napoli

 As an NPR fanatic, I was excited to get a glimpse of these women working together, blazing trails. Unfortunately you had to tease those moments out of a "too much information" text.  The amount of research was impressive but there was no genuine feeling of the importance of their group effort - no story - just a journalistic report.  What was behind their nickname, the "Fallopian Jungle"? Would that have been acceptable now? They certainly supported each other but did they really like what seemed to be an assigned lane? I am sure journalism is a competitive business but I wanted to see that somehow this was different. Lots of interesting NPR history which seemed to interrupt their story. Glad I read it but wanted a different perspective. Wonder what the 3 women who are still alive thought of the book?

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

 Salahudin and Noor are a part of a small Pakistani community in Juniper, CA. Both  extremely bright, neither has the kind of life that means college after graduation but still they dream. Salahudin is busy being the adult to his often drunk father. He is trying to keep the Cloud Rest Inn Motel afloat - an immigrant dream of his late mother.  Noor is living with an abusive uncle forever in his debt for saving her from the rubble of an earthquake in Pakistan. They have been friends forever and seem destined to be a couple but life history and secrets get in the way.  When Salahudin makes a decision he believes necessary to save his mother's dream, their lives are forever altered.  Although classified as a Young Adult novel because of the age of the main characters, it is a reminder both of the struggles of many immigrant families and our tendency to accept the "I'm fine" response to avoid the responsibility of addressing a real pain in those we meet. 

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

 This story of a not so perfect marriage would make great film noire. Marissa and Matthew seem to have it all - successful careers, a lovely home in the suburbs of D.C. a charming little boy. Then Marissa has an affair. Matthew seems distraught. Marissa still loves him. They seek family counseling from Avery who has lost her license because of her unorthodox methods. It's all so desperate - and all soooo not what it appears. Not quite sure how this got on the book group list.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

 It has been a while since a book seemed so destined to fall in my hands at just the right time. Tom Lake is a small community in Michigan with a very active community theater. Years ago, Lara Nelson played Emily in a production of Our Town there opposite Peter Duke who went on to be a famous actor. Now it is 2020 and Lara and her husband own a cherry orchard not far fromTom Lake. Her three daughters have returned home to wait out the pandemic and help harvest the fruit. In the hours spent picking cherries, the four women revisit, question, examine the time Lara spent at Tom Lake.  As I regret not having asked my parents or grandparents questions about their life before me and ponder if there will be a time when my own children have those same regrets, there is the question of what would I share and what I would not. What record do we leave behind? What are the defining moments in our life? I loved every moment spent with this family - the story, the writing, the connection - all of it.

Kill Switch by Adam Jentleson

 Subtitle: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.

 Simply put, the Kill Switch references Rule 22 which was devised to bring a filibuster to an end. Back in the day when being a Senator carried with it a responsibility to reasonably debate and debate and debate..., it kept the southern group from blocking Civil Rights legislation through the filibuster. It comes with a need for a super majority (currently 60) to end the filibuster. In a ferociously divided Senate, whose job it seems to be just to keep the other side from getting what it wants, it means that just a small few can keep something from even being voted on - even if the country has made it clear that they want something done. It is what  kept universal background checks from being passed after the Newtown shootings. 55 Senators wanted to vote yes but not 60 - not enough to stop the filibuster.  It never came to a vote.  There is a lot of fascinating history about the Senate and disturbing revelations about the current cast of bad actors. It is frightening but Jentleson does offer some hope for a fundamental change.