A Trick of Light by Louise Penny

It is so fun to see a writer develop her craft and follow her though the development of characters one misses when the book ends. I have read all of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache novels, except for the first one...the library didn't have it so I started with the second novel. The last rhree have been nearly perfect with ongoing stories of each character continuing drawing the reader into their lives more and more. The focal point is Chief Inspector Gamache with his second in command and citizens of Three Pines are also portrayed.

Three Pines is a village on the Vermont and Quebec boarder in Canada. Inspector Gamache lives in Montreal as does his team. Yet, there is a lot of crime in this little village of Three Pines. With each book, the reader is drawn more into the lives of the citizens of Three Pines.

This was a great read and when it finished I couldn't believe I'd have to wait to read what happens next in this series!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Just finished listening to this teen novel on audio.  Libba Bray is the reader and I am convinced she acted sometime in her past. She seamlessly does all the voices as well as the timely commercial interruptions and footnotes throughout the reading. This novel begins as a satire and farce of media, advertising, reality shows, the series Lost and of course beauty pageants.  This book really is about the beauty myth and the ideal that our society is feeding all women. These girls learn to survive on an island and are empowered to see beyond the beauty myth to their own strengths and ambitions.

AND it is ridiculously funny!!  It is a book I will revisit more than once!

A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

A book that seemingly is about the music industry from the late 70's Punk Era into the future where society is driven by "handhelds".  The book moves back and forth in time focusing on a different character with each chapter. Some reviewers describe it as novel of intersecting short stories. There is no main character but a group of characters whose lives touch each other through the passage of time. Music is the binding ingredient; music is the touchstone of this era. How many of us flash back to an event when a song makes a surprise entry into our day?

The characters both of main importance and not include: Homicidal dictator; publicist jailed for dumping oil on 500 the who’s who of NYC by making a mistake with lighting scheme; a kleptomanic office assistance how ran away from a violent childhood to among other places Naples; a record producer who moves his family to a Westchester like suburb where his dark skin is not fully accepted; and a bipolar journalist who makes a career ending mistake.  We move between New York City, San Francisco, Naples and Africa on safari.  

These are only some of the characters and only some of the wonderful places Jennifer Egan takes us with language that is poetry. Language that shows the inner lives of characters such as a man's description of his emotionally fearful reduction of desire for his wife and its destructive effect on their marriage. 

I highly recommend this novel; it is a celebration of our cultural lifetime.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

"The circus arrives without warning." A novel of magic set from 1873 and 1903. It is a story with dream like imagery centered around a mysterious circus that travels the world. Only a few know that the circus is actually the setting for an endless competition between the students of two master illusionists, a gentleman's wager. The wager proves to effect countless lives as the "gentlemen" watch like distant puppeteers as the drama they put in motion continues without end. The writer weaves the story full of description of fantastic environments contained within the circus back and forth through time. Reading this on my Kindle, I resorted to writing the names of each chapter containing the date in a notebook so I could keep track of the events' timeline. I enjoyed this novel and would love to continue with the next generation of Le Cirque de Reves or the Night Circus.