Women Talking by Miriam Toews

It has been a long time since I read a book in one day! Women Talking is that book. I cannot really explain fully why it was so fascinating and engrossing to me, but I will try to tell you a little about it.

The book is based on true events that happened and is the fictionalized retelling of the minutes that were taken during a secret meeting of women in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia. The eight women in the meeting, as well as most of their "sisters" in the colony were drugged and raped and assaulted by men in the colony. The men drugged them, assaulted them, and the women woke up with the bruises and damage and cannot remember what happened. The elders of the colony first blame the attacks on demons and sin, leaving the women (and young, young girls) to believe that it is somehow their fault that this has happened, so they stay quiet. But they finally find it out about the group of men and the drug, and the men are taken to jail "for their own protection." But the leader has declared that the men will be released and the women must decide what happens next. They are given three choices to "solve" the problem. The women can choose to: 1. Do nothing. 2. Stay and fight. 3. Leave. None of these choices will be easy and each opens up so many possibilities for more hurt, separation, and indignities. But it is the humor and strength of these women, the doggedness with which they debate the choices, and the intensity of the conflict that kept me reading and reading. The lives and doctrines of the Mennonites has to be discussed at length, but the danger that the women have endured and could experience again fills the discussion with desperation. Yet the women are so intelligent and caring that they truly just want to protect each other and their children without going against God or their way of life.

If you like books about strong women and those who, in their own ways, must overcome, then I think you should give Women Talking a try. For me, it was engrossing and empowering. I hope it will be for you as well.

All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

I don't usually read books where the main character has cancer. Like so many of us, that disease has touched so many important people in my life and the thought of it makes me afraid and sad. However, I am so glad that I picked up All the Water in the World. While it did have its very sad and difficult to read moments, it also gave me so many great characters to meet and so many things to think about that it was well worth the read.

The book's main character is Maddy, a sixteen-year-old who is battling cancer and trying to have a normal teenage life in between her devastating chemo treatments. In her corner at all times are her strong and supportive mother, Eve, and her grandparents. Oh, yes, and her cat Cloud. While Maddy struggles through her illness and feeling very apart from her friends, they are there supporting her all the way. But when Maddy decides it might be time to know who her father is, her search and correspondence with him become a secret that is difficult to keep and threatens to break the bonds that hold them. 

The books is also poignant because it shows that even in crisis and struggle, love and adventure can exist. Maddy falls in love with a wonderful boy named Jack, and together they embark on a labor of love and independence that helps Maddy to leave her mark in the world and helps her see her place in it. 

All the Water in the World is about young love, coming of age in crisis, the devotion of parents and grandparents, and how each of us can make a difference in the world. Give it a read, and let me know what you think!

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica is becoming one of my favorite authors in the suspense genre. Her new one, The Other Mrs., is a twisty tale will a fascinating conclusion.

Sadie and Will Faust have just inherited a house in Maine after Will's sister commits suicide. With the house comes guardianship of Will's niece, Imogene. They decide they need a change from Chicago, so the Fausts, including their two young sons, move into the old house. Sadie has many misgivings about the move and taking care of Imogene, but she wants to start again while trying to forgive Will his indiscretions in Chicago. So, she dives into her new job at a medical clinic, but soon their lives begin to unravel when a neighbor on their street is murdered. Will claims to not know the victim well, but is he lying? Sadie claims to have never met her at all, and yet an elderly neighbor swears he saw the two women fighting. Could creepy Imogene have something to do with it? But why? Why is their teenage son drawing such gruesome pictures? So many questions!

If you like a good page-turning, psychological suspense novel, The Other Mrs. will not disappoint. I liked it a lot, but I did manage to guess some of what was going on. However, (spoiler alert if you remember this movie) when I was young, I was obsessed with a little film called Sybil with Sally Field. Enjoy!

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert is a favorite of mine, and her newest novel did not disappoint. It is the racy yet charming story of a college drop-out in 1940 who moves to New York City to live with her aunt and find herself. It's full of decadence, history, and impossibly great characters.

Vivian Morris tells her life story as the narrator to her granddaughter, and what a story it is! Vivian cannot seem to go to classes at Vassar on any kind of regular basis, and she can't really get into finding a husband, so the poor little semi-rich girl moves in with her aunt in NYC. There she finds that she is to live in the apartment above an aging playhouse where her aunt and a colorful cast write, produce, and perform in plays that don't make much money. She loves this new, wild lifestyle full of booze and sex and sewing costumes for showgirls. Until a long-lost friend of her aunt's, Edna Parker Watson, and her playboy husband show up. Edna is an actress extraordinaire, and she agrees to do a play for them which ends up being titled City of Girls.  It becomes a smash hit. While this is wonderful news in terms of money, it changes everything in the dynamic of the people who live above the Lily Playhouse. Vivian becomes attached to Edna, and soon life is so grand that she believes nothing bad can happen. Until it does.

The book not only gives a look into the lives of those in the playhouse, but it also tells of Vivian's fight for independence, employment, and love. It spans the years from her teens through her eighties, giving a memorable depiction of New York City during the 40's. If you need a little bad girl in your life, give a try!

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewel

This was a recent Valley Book Club pick by Lisa Jewell, who is fast becoming a favorite of a lot of people. The House We Grew Up In is a family tale with interesting characters, some family secrets, some weird Easter mania, and a super-hoarder. What could be better?

This is the story of the Bird family. Lorelei and Colin had four children: Meg, Beth, and twins Rory and Rhys. As the book opens, they seem like a happy family full of personality and a few little quirks. They are active, Lorelei is especially free-spirited, and they love their traditional Easter celebration of a hunt of foiled eggs outside and the dinner where there are always too many carrots. But as the children grow up, it is apparent that they are all affected by what happened one terrible Easter weekend when Rhys commits suicide. This event changes all their lives in ways that they don't even understand and starts Lorelei on a life-long problem of hoarding. She hoards everything from baby diapers to craft supplies, filling up their little brick house until it is unlivable. Who will take care of the mess and discover all the secrets? Will it be sensible Meg, impractical Beth, or Rhys who loves to stir up trouble and take off to places unknown? And what of Colin? Will he survive the hoarding, the rambunctious children, and the yearly egg hunt?

I cannot reveal all these wonderful answers to you now, but I guarantee a story that moves along quickly, is both funny and poignant, and that you will not soon forget. Give it a try!