Ok, maybe not, but my orange peony tulips are! If you need a break from all the garden work like I do, I have a couple of suggestions for you.
A very light and engaging read, not my typical choice but very enjoyable was Fredrik Bachman's(from A Man Called Ove) My Grandmother asked me to tell you I'm Sorry.
The premise of the novel is endearing. A young seven, almost eight year old who is "different" is given a task by her grandmother who is dying of cancer. It's a story of relationships, and families, that evolves into a quest for Elsa. As in any quest story, it is what she learns along the way that is most important. The plot is fun, with a suspenseful mystery, but sometimes Elza's narration doesn't quite sound right. The author slips from a third person limited at times that does cause the reader to pause, how could Elza make that observation. Even though she is very intelligent, her vocabulary is sometimes a stretch? The other parallel story, of the imaginary world that the Grandmother created for Elza, often coincides with what she is learning in real life. The characters are very well drawn, and Elza makes a great hero. Enjoy.
But here's my kind of writer, Haruki Murakami. Although his language is not as colorful as say my other favorite stars, Marquez and Rushdie, his observations will trap you before you have time to put it down. Yes, I know it came out last year(August 2014). But I couldn't start it just after finishing
1Q84. If you've read that one you will understand my delay in picking up,
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of Pilgimage. This is my kind of quest story, involving what you know is magical realism, but you buy it all anyway. A compelling mystery involving a man whose four best friends dropped him and he doesn't discover why until he is much older. Again Murakami writes carefully crafted characters into a complex journey, involving self revelation. If you haven't ever read Murakami, I suggest you start with
Kafka on the Shore. From 2005. It is a little more accessible and beautifully written. But then, I have liked all his novels. I just wish I could read them in Japanese. A much fuller review of Colorless can be had at
NYTimes.
