The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

Part character study, part mystery; this book, written by Maggie O’Farrell, will have you wondering how an intelligent, albeit highly strung young woman could be entrapped in a mental institution for over sixty years. The title character, Esme Lennox, spends her childhood in India and then returns to Scotland with her family. The family views the adolescent as hard to handle and a misfit in proper society. Circumstances lead to her being committed to Cauldstone Hospital. Years later, her great-niece Iris Lockhart is notified that the hospital is closing and Esme is being released. Iris never knew of the woman’s existence; her grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. Here is a conundrum that evolves into something more.

The narrative, told in turn by Iris, Esme, and Kitty, gives depth to the characters. The plot briskly advances towards the conclusion. The reader will be indignant at the ease with which misbehaving women can be locked away for life. Will justice be done?

The Plain Truth

Here is another gripping novel from Jodi Picoult, featuring an ethical dilemma and the steps to its resolution. A dead newborn is found in a barn on the property of an Amish farmer. Evidence leads to the baby being the child of the farmer’s daughter, Katie Fisher. Katie is accused of murdering the child. High profile lawyer Ellie Hathaway, in the throes of an emotional crisis herself, decides to defend Katie.

The story combines an in-depth observation of Amish culture with the elements of a legal thriller. As the author enables us to view the various characters’ perspectives as to what is right and wrong, we also find ourselves becoming emotionally involved with the story. After several twists and turns in the plot, the reader is presented with a complex ending.

Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy

Author Carlos Eire presents a memoir of his upper middle class childhood in Cuba, spanning the years between Batista’s rule and the ascension of Fidel Castro. Eire describes his early youth as one of privilege and enjoyment; the reckless pleasures of rough play activities with his friends and father is contrasted with the strict religious education he receives from the monks at his school. His family members and friends are depicted lovingly and humorously; the portrayal of his father the judge who believes that he is the reincarnation of King Louis the Sixteenth is hilarious. The characterizations of people that Eire does not like explode with rage.

As Castro comes into power, Eire’s family finds that their range of freedoms narrows. In 1962, their parents send Carlos and his brother Tony to the United States during Operation Peter Pan, where they endure life-altering changes. Eventually their mother joins them but their father remains behind in Cuba.

Eire’s lyrical prose accentuates the emotional timbre of his account, allowing the reader to empathize with his plight.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Meteorology was a new science at the turn of the twentieth century in the United States; yet at times it seemed to be more art than science. The National Weather Bureau was an industrious government department, but corruption and petty jealousies were endemic. Into this mix came Isaac Cline, an intelligent man yet one who was overconfident in his forecasting abilities, believing himself to know exactly how the weather would behave.

One of the deadliest hurricanes ever to occur in the United States, and one that caught residents by surprise when it struck Galveston, Texas in 1900 is a main character in this suspenseful non-fiction story, written by Erik Larson. The book is based upon Cline’s letters, telegrams and reports and the written accounts of several of the survivors. The storm caused at least six thousand deaths and a massive loss of property. The reader will be on the edge of his seat as this real-life drama plays out.

October is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Jan’s Story: Love Lost to the Long Goodbye of Alzheimer’s, written by CBS News correspondent Barry R. Petersen, is the story of his wife Jan Petersen, their marriage, and what happened after they discovered Jan was suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 55.

Take Your Oxygen First: Protecting Your Health and Happiness While Caring for a Loved One with Memory Loss, written by television’s Leeza Gibbons and based on her experiences coping with her mother Jean’s illness. Progressing through more than ten years of decline first at home and then at a nursing home dementia unit, the reader learns both about diseases involving memory loss as well as how caregivers can care for themselves physically and emotionally.

The Thousand Mile Stare: One Family’s Journey through the Struggle and Science of Alzheimer’s, written by Gary Reiswig, chronicles a family’s slow realization that their family members carried the gene for early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and their participation in research studies.

Last of His Mind: a Year in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s, written by John Thorndike, is a memoir of the novelist John Thorndike and his father Joe, a former writer and editor. At the age of 92, Joe is sliding into the mental and physical problems of Alzheimer’s disease. He doesn’t want to move into a nursing home, so his son moves in with him. Over the following year, John experiences many insights and emotional highs and lows while caring for his father.

100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss is written by former CNN medical correspondent and syndicated “Eat Smart” columnist Jean Carper. She presents 100 medical, nutritional and lifestyle practices that could help prevent memory loss diseases.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

Prolific writer/humorist Bill Bryson treats baby boomers and others to his experiences growing up during the 1950s and 1960s. As the youngest child of journalist parents, Bill grew up in Iowa during simpler times, when the United States was king of the consumer world and the fear of nuclear bomb attack was managed with practice air raid drills. Cigarette smoking, sex, movie theaters, country fairs, and baseball are just some of the topics Bryson examines with humor and a touch of nostalgia.

The Space between Us: A Novel

Written by Thrity N. Umrigar, this is the story of two women in modern day India; Sera, an upper-middle class Parsi housewife and Bhima, her long-time servant. Although they are separated by class and circumstance, the two have both endured hardship and sorrow in their lives. Though Bhima has worked in Sera’s home for many years, and they enjoy a companionship based on Sera’s family and household needs, there still is that division of class that precludes such things as Bhima’s sitting on the furniture and using household dishes and utensils.

Sera is the widow of an abusive man who finds joy in sharing her home with her daughter, her only child and son-in-law who soon are expecting a child. Bhima, whose marriage fell apart after her husband’s work injuries led to a downward spiral to alcoholism, raised her granddaughter Maya after her daughter and son-in-law died of AIDS. She lives one step above poverty but manages to carry on in hopes of seeing her pretty and intelligent granddaughter graduate college (paid for by Sera) and pull herself out of the lower class. Then tragedy strikes with the revelation that Maya is pregnant and refuses to name the father of the child. Sera arranges for an abortion for the reluctant Maya. From there the story unfolds until the unknown father’s identity is revealed.