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A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

 

 

You wouldn't call Ove a pleasant fellow. Most people would even call him bitter, but Ove didn't think he was bitter just because he "didn't go around grinning the whole time." He believes that right is right and wrong is wrong and he does his best to enforce that in his life. He grew up working hard and letting his actions speak louder than his very few words. He believes coffee should be taken black and that the only respectable car is a Saab. The more stories we read from his past, the more we understand how Ove became the man that he is.

 

Every day he follows his routine. Inspect the neighborhood, have breakfast, run errands. A new family moves in across the street and very decidedly move into Ove's life. It seems there are many people who aren't easily put off by his grumpy demeanor, from a mangy cat to an overweight app developer. He always seems to be helping those around him merely because it's just easier if he does it himself. As he continues to begrudgingly spend time with his neighbors, I wouldn't say his heart is warmed to them, but I think their hearts are warmed to Ove.

 

I struggle to find the words to properly review this book. It is not particularly long, but every little bit is meaningful. The author has a talent for foreshadowing in a very subtle way, and putting substance into things that seem insubstantial. He can list each of the cars a man has purchased throughout his life and it sounds silly, and then explain it in a way that is heartbreaking. There are many incredibly humorous moments, and there is also a great deal of tragedy.

 

The way Ove feels about his wife is beautiful. "People always said Ove saw the world in the black and white. But she was color. All the color he had." He felt, like everybody else, that she was too good for him, but Backman writes their relationship in a way that you wouldn't expect them to be with anybody else.

 

This is a story of love and friendship and heartbreak, but it is told with the frankness of a man who likes to build houses and fix bicycles. It made me cry many times, but to be fair I am overly weepy. It is a story that teaches you there is more to a man than just his need to make sure nobody drives in the residential area. But really don't drive in the residential area.

 

 

 

 



Brooklyn

  Brooklyn by Colm Tolbin

Eilis lives with her widowed mother and older sister in a small Irish Village. Even though she is smart and good with numbers, there are just no jobs to be found. Through a family friend, and much to her surprise, plans are made and soon Eilis is on her way to America where there is plenty of work available and opportunities abound.

Once Eilis arrives in Brooklyn, her new employment turns out to be a tedious job in a clothing shop, not in accounting where she had hoped to be. She never really develops any kind of friendship with her fellow boarding house roommates and just drifts from day to day. Eilis does meet a young Italian at a community dance and they slowly begin their courtship.

There is not a whole lot of excitement in this book, the main character, Eilis just seems to fall into each different situation without protest or fanfare. I kept waiting for Eilis to take a stand and feel passionately about any part of her life, but it never happened, throughout the whole book she just went passively along with whatever fate seemed to hand her.

American Wife

American Wife by Taya Kyle

A deeply emotional and personal memoir, Taya Kyle shares the story of her life with and without her husband Chris Kyle, author of American Sniper. She writes in great detail about the significant impact that Chris had in her life as she lived as a military wife, and the devastation she felt after his death. Suddenly a single parent of two and a widow, she had to work hard to try to pick up the pieces, which often felt impossible, and move forward to work toward helping others the same way her husband had when he lived.

Hearing her story, it is remarkable the amount of faith she had to get through her trials. Even before her husband's death, there were many aspects of her life that were not easy. It was eye opening to read about all the realities of being an army wife and dealing with your spouse being away in a dangerous country doing dangerous tasks. But she also explains that there were many wonderful things about her life, and portrays Chris in a light that we haven't really seen before. 

The most striking aspect of this book is the honestly with which it was written. The unbearable grief of losing her husband led her to lose herself in many ways. She is truthful through it all, even telling about how she started smoking to deal with the stress and couldn't find a way to stop. 

The audiobook is narrated by Tara Kyle herself and while listening it is apparent what a remarkable woman she is. She continued to face many challenges after his death, including a lawsuit to make sure his name remained untarnished, but she ultimately did not give up hope. And she continued Chris's legacy of helping veterans through a foundation that she started. While her story is heartbreaking and hard to hear, it is one that deserves to be told.

Join us tomorrow for our May Teen Scene Event

Loot

Loot:  How to Steal a Fortune   by Jude Watson

Being the only son of a famous thief has made March's life anything but normal. The only school he has ever attended has been the school of Alfie McQuin, notorious international jewel thief. But on a foggy night in Amsterdam, as he watches his father fall from a rooftop, March's life is about to take a major turn, one that he could never have predicted.

Thirteen years old and all alone, he does what any good thief's son would do, March heads back to their tiny apartment and prepares to move on before he is caught. With his dying father's last words of, "Find Jewels", along with a book, a list of "odd" names, and a random business card with his dad's handwriting on it, March decides to solve the mystery his dad has left him. He soon discovers that his dad had a few secrets he had never shared with his only son. The more March unravels, the more dangerous his life becomes.

This book is in the Intermediate Section of our library. It is a fun, clean adventure that I think most pre-teen and early teenagers would enjoy.

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Journey to Munich

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs has recently returned from Spain where she has been trying to recuperate from a tragic personal loss. Back in London, she is immediately approached by the British Secret Service to enter pre-war Nazi Germany and bring back an English businessman that has been imprisoned by the Hitler regime for two years. They will only release him to a family member, so Maisie must impersonate the businessman's ill daughter and negotiate his release.

Just before Maisie is about to leave for Germany, she receives an additional request from an old acquaintance to find his daughter that has been hiding in Germany and bring her back to England. Under a false name with a wig and demur clothes for a disguise, Maisie must tread carefully as she tries to accomplish both missions without upsetting the temperamental Nazis.

I enjoyed reading this historical mystery. Even though there is a whole Maisie Dobbs series preceding this novel, I read it as a stand alone and had no trouble following the characters.

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The Time Machine

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

A classic of the science fiction genre, The Time Machine tells the story of a scientist and inventor who creates just what the title says: a time machine. The novel begins at a dinner party, in which the inventor is telling his friends of the creation he has made. The narrator is one of the attendees of the party, however soon the scientist starts in on his experience, and most of the story takes place in his first-hand description of thousands of years in the future. He tells of his interactions with the child-like Eloi, and their frightening counterparts the Morlocks.

It can be intimidating to tackle the classics, but the Time Machine was a surprisingly easy read. At only around one hundred pages, the story is very straightforward and understandable. This book was originally published in 1895, and it's interesting to see what he pictured the future to be, as opposed to what some might assume now. He doesn't give much mention to any kind of advanced technology, in fact the world he creates seems to lack technology of any kind. The Eloi are simple people who don't seem particularly intelligent or strong survivors. It is a wonder that they are surviving at all.

The book had interesting twists and turns, and definitely had some frightening surprises. The depiction of the Morlocks is particularly creepy. These underground-dwelling creatures will leave you cringing when you learn how they live.

I would recommend The Time Machine for anyone who considers themselves a great science fiction fan. As one of the first great sci-fi novels, it's good to see where it all started, and how far the genre has come. Find it at the library in the young adult section.

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Sisi

Sisi by Allison Pataki

Sisi: An Empress on Her Own tells the life story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, this book follows her later years as an established queen and empress. At age 16, Sisi is married to Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary. She is very much in love with him, but soon finds herself isolated by her husband's obsessive commitment to duty and a strong-willed mother-in-law who makes all the domestic decisions. Sisi isn't even allowed to raise her own children. 

The only way she knows how to deal with the oppressive environment of the Habsburg family and her controlling mother-in-law is to flee Vienna as often as possible. Even though she has no control of the raising of her two older children, she takes her third child with her wherever she goes and positively dotes on the little girl. Sisi spends her adult life searching for an elusive happiness.

The story is well-researched and based strongly in historical fact and tells the story of tragedy that makes you realize that fact is often stranger than fiction.