Read This: Four for you

Looking for something good to read? Here are a few entertaining novels I’ve recently read:

Science Fiction: The Wind Up Girl

2009, biopunk Science Fiction

Paolo Bacigalupi

It’s the 24th Century in Thailand and gene-hacked food is owned by corporations and bio-terrorism is the norm. Enter genetically programmed slave-girl, Emiko, an obsolete Japanese sex-toy who runs for her life. Filled with mystery and plot-action, it’s a great read. When all hell breaks loose between the military, officials, con-artists, and unlikely heroes, it becomes a page turner. This would be an excellent film. It’s only a matter of time.

The Sense of an Ending

2011, relationships, time

Julian Barnes

Julian Barnes wrote this 2011 Man Booker Prize winner and it’s a concept driven, not a plot-driven story. A modern British man reflects upon his life and the past friendships which profoundly affected him. It’s brief and full of rich wisdom. I liked it because the character sketches Barnes created were vivid and unsentimental. He captures the concept of time, memory, redemption, and forgiveness. It’s a novel where the characters seep into your skin like a British mist and leave a lasting impression about the meaning of life.

On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Jamie Ford’s 2009 Best Seller

WWII, Japanese Americans interred

Henry Lee, a Chinese American boy, and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese girl become friends at an all-white private school in Seattle. After the December 7 Pearl Harbor attack, executive order 9066 issued the detainment of Japanese citizens. Families were escorted to military camps as prisoners until the end of the war. Henry risks the wrath of his racist parents and travels to Idaho to visit and court Keiko, for whom he has fallen in love. Ford created the historial climate and devoted his time creating characters and developing their friendships. He could have but did not jump on a soap box and lecture to the reader about policy or unfairness. He shared a teenager’s story about friendship and love and it was a beautiful story. My favorite of the summer reads.

The House Girl

2013, The House Girl

Tara Conklin

Another historical fiction novel I enjoyed was the 2013 best seller by Tara Conklin. One narrator is Josephine, a house slave on a Virginia plantation during the 1850s who runs away. The other narrator is a modern NYC attorney, whose case involves reparations for the descendents of slaves. Carolina Sparrow’s research leads her to the story behind Josephine, the house girl. The split narration is a nice technique, but I do admit I liked Josephine’s history twice as much as the angst of ambitious Carolina Sparrow. I did enjoy Conklin’s descriptions and I liked the book despite the distractions of two unrelated characters.

What did you think of these novels?