Fict - Still Alice by Lisa Genova

I usually don't do "disease" books, but this came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It's a heart-wrenching story of a Harvard psychology professor who contracts Alzheimer's disease.

The progression of events from when she starts to forget things, how she handles the diagnosis while still cognitive, and her eventual descent into a world of innocence and wonderment, plays out against the backdrop of how her husband, children, and colleagues view her. 

It's not truly depressing, just eye-opening. And the story stays with you long after you have finished the book, and have forgotten where you put your car keys. 

Bio - The Quiet Don by Matt Birkbeck

Having grown up in Central Pennsylvania in the 60s and 70s, I was familiar with the name Russell Bufalino.  Spoken in hushed voices, it conjured up images of gangsters and guns.  So I was keen on learning more about this unassuming man who was the alleged model for Marlon Brando's character in "The Godfather".  Quietly living a very modest lifestyle in Northeastern PA, Bufalino was one of the most ruthless and feared mob bosses in the US.

But inaccuracies, material "borrowed" from another book, & haphazard organization combined to ruin what should have been an entertaining, enlightening story. There are some eye-opening moments regarding Cuba, Las Vegas, Jimmy Hoffa, & the making of the Godfather movie. But they are buried in mountains of minutiae of Pennsylvania politics, newspaper quotes, and backgrounds of countless small-time hoodlums. 

A much better read is "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Delaware author Charles Brandt.

Fict - The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau

"What is it like to lose everything?" they ask him.  He replies "What is it like not to?"  So starts a deeply moving and disturbing book about the consequences of actions in the Middle East War.

Younis, an arab boy who witnesses something he cannot or chooses not to remember, finds himself on a plane hurling towards a new life in Pittsburg. The story chronicles his experiences growing up trying to adjust to the American way of life,  while repressing memories and exhibiting Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  Woven into this narrative are the soldier he remembers, who is MIA, and the soldier's mother who has started a support group for families of missing and dead veterans.

Flashing back and switching between characters, the story comes together in an unexpected finale.  A great book for a book club discussion.

Fict - The 100-Year-Old man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

What a surprisingly quirky, laugh-out-loud, fun book!  Think Carl Hiaasen meets Forrest Gump in Sweden.  Spry centenarian escapes a nursing home hours before his 100th birthday and with nothing to lose, goes on an absurdly hilarious adventure, meeting a variety of characters & getting accused of burglary & murder.

No spoilers here, but through flashbacks, we find out about his exciting and unusual life - traveling and meeting world leaders in unusual situations - all the way to the point where he enters the nursing home.   A simple man with common sense but no formal schooling, Allan Karlsson hates politics and religion, and only wants to practice his trade and drink as many kinds of vodka as possible.

With undercurrents of absurdity, irony and satire, this book makes history come alive in a fun way. If I were a teacher, I would use this as a textbook - kids from middle school upwards would love it, and I guarantee they would learn and remember.  Each event could be analyzed and discussed for a complete history of the 20th century.

Fict - The Ploughmen by Kim Zupan

A literary masterpiece debut novel - shades of Cormack McCarthy & Jim Harrison. 

This is a psychological study of the bond which develops between a hardened serial killer and a young sheriff.  Set in present day Montana, the story unfolds in profoundly disturbing detail. Several plotlines weave together.  The writing is lyrically beautiful, bleak as the landscape.

Allegorical & dark, not a fuzzy warm chick read, The Ploughmen won't be for everyone.

YA - we all looked up by tommy wallach

we all looked up by tommy wallach is the modern day Breakfast Club in a pressure cooker.  An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, and based on the science, The Jock, The Princess, The Slut, The Stoner, The Outcast and The Criminal have less than two months to live. As all of their lives begin to intersect, they realize that theirs is a "karass", bound to be together until the final moments.  How this plays out is the story.
I was speaking to a co-worker the other day about how much fun it is to write reviews filled with snark when you really dislike a book.  It just seems more fun.  This is not one of those reviews.  we all looked up is a stellar debut by tommy wallach and I wouldn't be surprised if his name becomes very familiar to us all.  This book was so much fun to read.  The chapters flip back and forth between the different character's POVs.  They're all flawed in ways that ring true - self conscious, dependent, lost, confused - especially so in high school. I highly recommend you give this book a try BEFORE it becomes the next hot title.