|
The Ballad of Barnabas Pierkiel : a novel by Magdalena ZyzakThis debut novel is a picaresque adventure set in the small village of Odolechka, near the border of the fictional Eastern European country of Scalvusia on the eve of the Second World War. Poorer-than-poor and innocent swineherd Barnabas Pierkiel longs for glory but receives only ridicule as he attempts to woo his lady love, the gypsy Roosha, who already belongs to the village’s wealthy shoe factory owner. He is surrounded by a host of farcical villagers, including an insane priest, a squabbling police chief and mayor, the mayor’s meddling wife, and Barnabas’ feebleminded cousin who is married to a goat. The ensuing pandemonium, while comic and absurd, sets the backdrop for the decimation of Scalvusia by both the Germans and the Russians.
|
|
|
The Rosie project : a novel by Graeme C. SimsionDon Tilman, a brilliant 39-year-old genetics professor, has Asperger’s Syndrome but is totally unaware of it (though he misses social cues, barely feels emotion, can’t stand to be touched, and has never had a second date with anyone). So he undertakes the Wife Project, devising a 16-page questionnaire to screen candidates who meet his exacting criteria—nonsmoker, BMI<25, mathematically literate, carnivore, non-dancer, etc. Then he meets Rosie, a vivacious graduate student and bartender who enlists his help in tracing her biological father. Rosie doesn’t meet any of Don’s requirements, but as they pursue the Father Project their relationship deepens and Don gradually explores his capacity for romance. This is a well-written, engaging and hilarious romantic comedy.
|
|
|
The teleportation accident : a novel by Ned BeaumanThis bizarre historical novel set in the 1930s focuses on the misadventures of German avant-garde set designer Egon Loeser. His principal undertaking is an Expressionist play about 17th century Italian set designer Adriano Lavinci, whose so-called teleportation device exploded in a crowded theater, ending his career. Socially inadequate and sexually frustrated, Loeser becomes fixated on his former pupil, a promiscuous but unattainable young woman named Adele Hitler (no relation), and follows her to Paris and then Los Angeles. Along the way, he encounters a wacky cast of characters including a Caltech scientist (also a serial killer) attempting to create a true teleportation device, a mad car polish tycoon, and NKVD spies, among others. The novel is overflowing with imagination and hilarity.
|
|
|
The house at the end of Hope Street : a novel by Menna van Praag11 Hope Street in Cambridge, England is an enchanted, haunted house which has helped young women in their times of need for 200 years. So when Alba, her academic career in ruins, is drawn to the house, she receives a warm welcome and the 99 days to stay and get herself together. The house provides what she needs to recover—mysterious notes dropped from above, advice from former occupants (like Florence Nightingale, Dorothy Parker and Virginia Woolf) who speak to Alba from their photographs on the walls, gifts (anything from birthday cake to wardrobe changes), and the companionship and solidarity of the fellow residents. Skillful writing, interesting characters, and the mixture of real and magic make this a charming and comforting novel.
|
|
|
The humans by Matt HaigWhen Cambridge professor Andrew Martin solves the Riemann hypothesis (that prime numbers have a pattern), alarm bells go off across the universe. The alien Vonnadorians perceive humans as violent and irrational, and seek to prevent them from acquiring the dangerous knowledge before they are psychologically equipped for the technological advances which would result. They send an alien doppelganger to replace Martin, destroy the proof, and murder anyone who has learned of the solution. At first repulsed and bewildered by his condition and surroundings, the double gradually discovers the good things about being human—crunchy peanut butter, the Beach Boys, Emily Dickinson, pet dogs and Australian wine—and becomes a better husband and father than the egocentric man he has replaced. This amalgam of sci-fi and humor is fast-paced, funny and moving.
|
|
|
Vampires in the lemon grove : stories by Karen RussellA centuries old vampire couple roams the world searching for cures for their bloodlust. They end up in an Italian coastal town sucking lemons for relief and coming to grips with love, loss, and mortality. Japanese mill workers brutally transformed into human silkworms confront their fate with courage and cunning. An apparently random group of former U.S. presidents, indignant at their loss of power, find themselves reincarnated as horses and seek an escape. A middle aged masseuse working with an elaborately tattooed young Iraq vet finds the horror of his story literally coming to life under her healing hands. These eight daringly inventive short stories by the author or the widely successful Swamplandia! explore the human condition and emotional landscape.
|
|
|
Calling invisible women by Jeanne RayFifty-something Clover feels unappealing to and unappreciated by her busy pediatrician husband and older children. Imagine her dismay when she realizes one morning that she has literally disappeared, a fact that no one in her family notices! After the initial panic, Clover understands that she isn’t crazy, especially after she sees a classified newspaper ad CallingInvisibleWomen for a meeting at the downtown Sheraton. There she meets a like-minded group of disembodied women, who inform her that their condition is caused by an interaction of three drugs produced by the same large pharmaceutical company—for depression, bone density, and hormone replacement. With the group support, Clover begins to enjoy the power of her condition by spying on her husband, thwarting teen bullies, and even fighting crime. With substantial characters, this novel is fast-paced and fun.
|
|
|
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore by Robin SloanDesperate for work, twenty-something laid off web designer Clay Jannon stumbles into a job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Bookstore in San Francisco. Strangely, the late night customers are peculiar and few. They return repeatedly and never actually buy anything, but borrow and exchange books from tall shelves at the far rear of the store--books which Clay has been specifically forbidden from opening. Intrigued, he analyzes these customers’ behavior, creates a 3-D model of the bookstore on his laptop and uncovers a perplexing pattern linked to codes in the prohibited books. With the assistance of Penumbra, his childhood friend Neel, and a new girlfriend who just happens to work for Google, Clay begins a quest to solve the puzzle. This is an enjoyable fantasy adventure in which technology trumps wizardry.
|
|
|
Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria SemplePrecocious eighth-grader Bee, daughter of a genius architect and an artificial intelligence prodigy, has her heart set on a family cruise to Antarctica as a reward for her good grades. Sadly, her erratic and agoraphobic mother Bernadette barely leaves the house anymore after a series of self-destructive mishaps. Instead, she relies on an India-based virtual assistant to arrange all of her personal affairs. When she nonetheless manages a vendetta in the neighborhood, her husband plans to have her committed to a mental health facility. Then days before the Antarctica trip, Bernadette disappears. A devoted Bee gathers email, invoices, memos, and magazine articles to search for clues to her whereabouts. This is an imaginative story with quirky characters, offbeat situations, and a satisfying end.
|
|
|
The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas JonassonTo avoid his 100th birthday party, robust centenarian Allan Karlsson sneaks out of the Old Folk’s Home and shambles to the bus station, determined to get as far away as his pocket money will take him. An impulsive decision to steal a suitcase from an uncouth young thug launches him on a zany adventure including some wacky companions, small-time gangsters, the local constabulary, a heap of money and an elephant named Sonya. The story alternates back and forth from the current pursuit to Allan’s colorful past. It happens that this Swedish Forrest Gump has encountered many of the 20th century’s world leaders (Truman, Stalin, Mao and Franco, for example) and unintentionally influenced many major world events. This quirky and engaging debut novel was an international bestseller.
|
|
|
The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia StuartIn late Victorian England, Mink, daughter of an expatriate Indian Maharaja, is left devastated, penniless and disgraced by the sudden death of her father in the arms of his disreputable mistress. Mercifully, Queen Victoria grants her a grace-and-favor residence in Hampton Court Palace. There, Mink and her faithful servant Pooki meet a diverse and wacky collection of neighbors including the insufferable Major-General Bagshot. When Bagshot dies of arsenic poisoning after ingesting a pigeon pie baked for a residents’ picnic by Pooki, Mink investigates in order to clear her maid. It appears that all of the royally favored palace residents have secrets. Plenty of humor, a gutsy protagonist, quirky characters, historical detail and an ingenious classic mystery blend to make an entertaining read.
|
|
|
The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry : a novel by Rachel JoyceDull and painfully shy Harold Fry has just settled into retirement from his sales job at an English brewery when he receives a letter from a former colleague whom he hasn’t seen in 20 years. Queenie Hennessey has terminal cancer and has written to say goodbye. Instead of posting his reply, he abruptly decides to walk over 600 miles to her bedside in the naïve belief that his pilgrimage will somehow save her and redeem himself from longtime guilt. Little does he realize that his mission will change his life and inspire hundreds of people. Full of English eccentricity, this debut novel is heartwarming and compassionate.
|
|
|
The Stockholm octavo by Karen Engelmann Young Emil Larsson, a bureaucrat in the customs house in 1791 Stockholm, enjoys an agreeable bachelor’s lifestyle. Under pressure to marry but without the financial resources, he consults Mrs. Sparrow, the proprietress of his favorite gambling club. She uses a form of cartomancy, the Octavo, to foretell his future. The Octavo consists of eight cards from a mysterious deck which represent eight people he will meet who can help him in his pursuit of love and riches. And what colorful characters they are: a gregarious calligrapher, French refugees who create exquisite fans, a wicked countess who uses the language of fans to seduce or poison, and conspirators who plot to kill or kidnap the king. The result is a suspenseful and engrossing historical adventure.
|
|
|