So Brave, Young, and Handsome

So Brave, Young, and Handsome was awesome in a quiet and understated way. Our main character, Becket, is having writer's block. His first novel was an overnight success; since then, despite writing 1,000 words per day, nothing is happening. One morning, Becket spies a man paddling down river in a boat - something that changes his life forever.

This tale meanders, in no hurry to arrive at it's final destination. However, it takes us to some neat places and introduces us to some people who are interesting "characters". I loved this book: the feel of the old west, characters who believe in honor, quests. All of it was rolled up into a great little story.

My Own Country: A Doctor's Story

I finished this book earlier today and it has been on my mind ever since; it is a very compelling story about the emergence of AIDS in the 80s and one rural doctor who was in charge of treatment in small town Tennessee.

Dr. Abraham Verghese's circumstances have taken him on a circuitous route that lead him to Johnson City, Tennessee. He is an infectious disease doctor, so he is the first doctor to be involved in the AIDS cases that are arising. In the beginning, it is a handful of people. By the time he leaves his post in Tennessee, the numbers are staggering.

Dr. Verghese relays the stories of his patients in vignettes that are powerful and stunning. He gets involved with each case personally and since AIDS has the same sad end, it begins to take a toll on Verghese and his relationships.

I couldn't put this book down, despite being over 400 pages. It was a quick read, one that had me teared up then laughing - what a group of characters, all dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

Silver Sparrow

This one is our February book club selection. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is the story of two families that live different lives.

Dana has always known she is the second family - the illegitimate one. She and her mother have lived an okay life, but they've scraped by from time to time. Dana has her father's love, but not his time..and she knows that her father's other daughter will always come first. It's kind of a hard lesson, but something that has always been the case. She is the secret.
That's a lesson that will mess with your head.

Chaurisse and her mother have no idea about her father's second family. No idea. Her mother runs a beauty shop. Chaurisse has always been given whatever she wants. She isn't spoiled, but she has it pretty good. She has a loving family, two parents, and an uncle that care about her a great deal. She has never doubted herself.

When Dana and Chaurisse's lives overlap, nothing good can come of the circumstance.
Someone is going to get hurt.

I was drawn into the story quickly. Easy to read and compelling, Jones did a good idea of setting up sympathetic characters.The relationships are authentic, but I can't imagine how you get drawn into this type of situation. Worth the read.
Now...I'm going to check Jason's phone and email. :)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

This is a post September 11th novel and I cried approximately seventy five times while reading it, partly because I have a son, partly because I have such empathy for people who have actually lived this story, partly because all of our lives changed that day...but none so much as our main character, Oskar Schell. Oskar lost his father on 9/11. He has tried to deal with the loss, but it has been so difficult - they had an amazing relationship. When he finds a key in his father's closet, he knows it is a quest set up by his father - a final quest. He's glad to have something tangible, he's glad to have a task and a direction. Wandering across the city, he works to solve the mystery of the key - taking him into homes and lives that are all affected by the tragedy of 9/11. This book is more complex than I'm giving it credit for, but it is so, so good.