Recently Read

The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri.  I liked this book.  It's the story of two brothers from India.  I hate reviews that tell you too much about the plot, so I won't.  I'll just say that it's about difficult choices, decisions that impact others and last a lifetime.  It's also about family.  It's well-written, and I'd recommend it.

Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream, by Neil Young.  Yes, I know...another memoir by a music icon.  What can I say?  Musicians fascinate me.  Neil Young is pretty cool, and reading this book is like hanging out with him and talking over several drinks.  Even though he doesn't drink any more.  The book is all over the place - it's not in any kind of order, time or otherwise - and yet it works.  He writes as I imagine he talks.  He's led a pretty interesting life, and he is so passionate about his interests that it's fun to read.

The Girl You Left Behind, by Jojo Moyes.  I loved this book.  Written by the same author as Me Before You, which I also loved, this one has a much more uplifting ending.  It starts out in France during World War 1, with a young woman and her sister, attempting to maintain their hotel/bar and take care of their children after their husbands leave to fight and their town is occupied by the Germans.  It moves to present day London, where a woman is four years removed from losing her husband.  Her favorite possession is a painting her late husband bought her on their honeymoon - the same painting that hung in that hotel in France.  A legal battle over ownership of the painting ensues, and the entire history of the painting and its subject make up the story.  It's beautiful, and unlike so many of the books I've loved recently, the ending is wholly satisfying.  Highly recommend.