The Night Circus grabbed me right from the opening:

“The Circus arrives without warning.
            No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

So begins one of the most enchanting journeys into a novel that I have taken in a very long time. Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel is a sensory delight and a fascinating blend of extraordinary characters. Her background in theater has enriched her performance scenes with rich detailed depth.

Open only at night, the black and white striped tents of the circus are filled with amazing experiences and magical illusions. Only they are not illusions, they are the result of a magical duel between two contestants, competing in a contest they don’t fully understand, under the control of their mentors.

In 1873, years before the circus is imagined into being, two children are bound into a lifetime competition of talent and training in a wager made by two men. Celia by her unfeeling and distant father, and Marco as the protege of the man in the gray suit. (A man so mysterious, few can remember his name after he is introduced.) Le Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams) provides the venue for this competition. Celia and Marco know very little about each other and at first are not even sure who their competition is to be. As their talents and magic grow, so does the circus. They are aided by a group of 6 people who believe themselves responsible for dreaming up the circus. But when illusion is reality – and reality is illusion – the manipulation of these people’s lives and memory starts to stretch them thin.

The tension of maintaining balance runs throughout the novel. Celia and Marco are told they cannot interfere with each other, but when they fall in love they must find a loophole, some way around the expected outcome of the wager. Celia begins to tire under the strain of keeping the circus running through her magic, other characters are hurt when things begin to spin out of control into chaos. Marco’s manipulation of the Circus’ creator Chandresh unintentionally results in a death. One of the other creators, Tara Burgess, begins to question what is really happening and pays a high price. The twins Poppet and Widget, born on opening night – one just before and one after the lighting of a central bonfire – can see the past and future; but will they be able to intercede in time when the balance tilts.

One of the themes I particularly appreciated in the book is the idea of whether it is better to not know everything, in order to enjoy and be entertained by the illusion.

“Chandresh prefers not to know all the ingredients, not to understand each technique. He claims such ignorance gives each dish life, makes it more than the sum of its parts.”

Morgenstern’s characters will enchant you and enfold you into their story as surely as she weaves in the performers and originators of the circus, and finds a unique solution for Celia and Marco.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
By: Beth Hoffman
Fiction
Novel set in the late 60′s

One word comes to mind when describing this book — Delightful!

The story begins with CeeCee’s early years in Ohio, raising herself while trying to care for a psychotic mother who traipses around town in one prom dress after another from Goodwill. In her mother’s mind, these are the glory days of a pageant queen’s life in Savannah. To 12 year old CeeCee, it’s an embarrassment and living the fear of how to hold their lives together (while her father absents himself from the problem by taking a job that requires long stretches of time away).

When an event happens that turns Cee Cee’s world upside down, she goes to live with her Great Aunt in Savannah.  How several wonderful, eccentric, practical and gracious women turn CeeCee’s life around; and help her to heal her past wounds; is like getting a wonderfully warm hug from a good friend.  I’ve read a few reviews that noted there was not enough narrative tension, or that her life in Savannah was a little too easy, but is it really such a bad thing to have a book filled with love and good future possibilities? If the last book you read was a bit depressing and you need a lift, this book is the way to go.  The only sadness I’m left with is that the book is over!

The Dovekeepers: A Novel
By: Alice Hoffman
Fiction
Historical Novel set during the time of the Fall of Masada.

I’m a big fan of Alice Hoffman, and so was very excited to get her latest book, The Dovekeepers.  The book was indeed interesting, telling the story of the Fall of Masada (in 74 CE) through the lives of four unique women living in Masada in the last few years before the fall.

Hoffman fans should be aware that this is a departure from her other books.  Since I did not know about Masada before starting the book, I found that reading a little background helped me appreciate the book more.  I would recommend you first read the opening section in this history page to more fully appreciate the fictional account of Hoffman’s Masada story.

Since Hoffman’s other books contain magical elements, I was sometimes not sure whether she intended all of the magical details here to be taken as magic, or as the superstitions of the time the book is set in.  But then perhaps what is magic is much like what is a miracle – it may come down to the individual’s belief system.

The four main characters have different strengths, wisdom, faults and loves, and their story is a very interesting look into their time and culture.  While I cannot say it was my favorite read this year, it was very worth reading and I recommend it.

With the commute to work, many of the books I “read” are audio books in the car.  For the fans of Garrison Keillor, I highly recommend Pontoon.  This laugh out loud, sensitive, sad, happy, great read is even better if you purchase the audiobook which is read by Garrison Keillor.  If you enjoy his stories of Lake Woebegone, you will be highly entertained by this novel and the outrageous finale. 

Although I’ve read several good books lately, it’s been a few since there was one I really didn’t want to put down. I’ve found that in the book I’m reading now – The Legacy.  The story jumps back and forth between a young woman in 1902 who gives up her New York refined life for an Oklahoma cattle ranch; and two sisters in current day who inherit an English manor house.  Seemingly no connection at first, but we soon learn the young woman from 1902 is the great grandmother of the two sisters.  How she goes from Oklahoma, to being a lady of the manor, holds secrets that are somehow entwined with the secret of a young boy (cousin of the sisters) who goes missing when as children they were all visiting the manor. At the very end, I found one of the secrets horrifying, and the other left me slightly disappointed as I though it weakened the book.  Overall though, a great read.

Lazy hazy days of reading  in your favorite spot.

I’ll admit it, I’m a wimp when it comes to high heat and humidity days – I would rather be reading in a cool room or on a camp porch.  Consequently I’ve been going through a lot of books this summer and would like to share some favorites from both past and present.  Whether you prefer to read out on the beach, on that breezy camp porch, or curled in your favorite recliner here are some great picks:

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

I just finished Pat Conroy’s new book South of Broad.  His books fascinate me with their juxtaposition of horrifying events placed against the polite genteel society of the south.  His wonderful poetic prose is a pleasure as he tells the tale of an unlikely group of  friends thrown together in their senior year of high school in the south of the late 60′s, and through the next couple decades of their lives.
South of Broad: A Novel

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

I’ve become a great fan of Alice Hoffman.  Her touch of magic mixed with humanity make her books unique and fascinating.  It was difficult to feature just one, but I think my favorite is still the first one I read.  If you saw the movie, read it anyway as it’s much better as a book and does not have the absurd ending the movie has. 
Practical Magic

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

This is my guilty pleasure reading. The only redeeming factor is the laughing out loud you’ll do throughout the exploits of New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her odd assortment of relatives and friends.  The first book, One for the Money was given to me as a gift, and it took awhile before I picked it up thinking it wasn’t my style.  I’ve been through 15 of them and number 16 is coming up next.  Since I’m sure you’ll get addicted as well, I’ve put them in order in my Amazon store to make your next fix easy to find after you finish each one.
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1)

Best Beach Read – Jennifer Weiner Books

I suggest you start with In Her Shoes, but it doesn’t matter what order you read them in.  I’ve enjoyed them all.
In Her Shoes: A Novel

Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

The ultimate guilty pleasure – there’s already enough hype about this.  Let me just add that I reluctantly read the first one because all my female co-workers were reading them.  Yes, I was hooked.  These are NOT just for teenagers.  I could link the books individually, but let’s face it you’ll want to pick up the second as soon as you finish the first.  (And in case you are wondering, I’m on Team Jacob).
The Twilight Saga Collection

The books below are available here.

Elizabeth Aston Books

I’ve always loved Pride and Prejudice and felt the loss when I had finished all the Jane Austen books many years ago.  I recently became aware that there have been many who have tried to pick up the Pride and Prejudice story and take it further – most I found fell sadly  short.  One author though got it right.  Elizabeth Aston books work I think because she skips to the next generation, while keeping the same tone and feeling.  I suggest you start with Mr. Darcy’s Daughters but it isn’t necessary to read them in order. 

 

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

Think love is only for the young?  It’s easy to overlook cultural differences when you are young, perhaps not as easy when you have a lifetime of being taught to think in a certain way.  This novel is a terrific exploration of examining the way we think and how it affects relationships.

 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This book is a bit different than my previous suggestions.  Not quite as light, but an intriguing story well worth reading.

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Left the best for last – This is just the most superb book.  Even if you were made to read it in school, reread it just for pleasure. It’s not on the current best seller list (it was first published in 1960), but I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel!  (And here’s a little surprise information – The young neighbor boy Dill was fashioned after Harper Lee’s childhood friend Truman Capote).

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

At the beginning of World War II, while London was being bombed, and the United States had yet to join the war, this story connects the divergent realities of a small town on Cape Cod with the terrors  of the London Blitz and the voices of fleeing refugees across Europe.  For the most part this is not a page turner thriller – it’s a quiet thoughtful book told through the eyes of three different women whose paths come together in the ripples of a war.

 

The Faculty Club by Danny Tobey

A very different choice than the book above – The Faculty Club was a book I could not put down.  Do be warned though that the need to suspend disbelief takes a quantum leap about 2/3 of the way through.  If that sort of leap does not bother you, then I think you’ll find this a real page turner.  Sort of a Dan Brown Lite type of book.  Although I agree with some of the criticism of the book that it seems to borrow from everthing from Da Vinci Code to Harry Potter, for a light fun read I thoroughly enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure.