Sunday Morning Book Review

Back before we had kids, Paul and I used to really enjoy lounging around on Sunday mornings. We would buy a big bag of bagels, a container of freshly whipped cream cheese, delicious fruit and two huge newspapers . . . the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. We would spend hours enjoying brunch, working on the cross word puzzle, laughing over and discussing stories from the papers and pouring over the Book Review sections. I'm afraid those days are long gone, but I still thought Sunday was a good day to share a few book reviews.  
In March, my book group chose a large book called The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wicker. It is a fantasy/fable about two mythical creatures arriving in New York City at the turn of the century. The writing is fabulous, and the author's description of NYC at that time was captivating.  The characters are also really interesting - well drawn with tremendous back stories.  The plot is complex but well laid out. For such a long book, it ended a bit abruptly, but that was my only real criticism. Like most fables, it raised some really interesting, big questions that apply to contemporary life. On the whole, I would recommend it, and I give it 4/5 stars.

Next up is Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's a courtroom murder mystery that asks really troubling questions about how far parents will go and/or should go to defend their children. It was a page-turner, well written and very well plotted. It's a notch above a typical murder mystery and one that will be interesting to discuss at our next book group.
My book group is also reading Life after Life by Kate Atkinson. I haven't started that one yet, but I'd be interested to hear what you thought about it, if you have read it.
I'm also interested to hear what else you're reading and what you thought of it.  I think blog land can be just as informative as the New York Times Book Review!