Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

Wow, Big Brother by Lionel Shriver is a great book. Ms. Shriver took a chapter from her own life--the loss of her older "big" brother from complications of being obese and told a fictional account that, true to her form, was surprising and rang so true. 

In real life, Shriver's older brother lived life large, in all ways, not just his clothing size. In the book this big brother does the same. I read an interview Shriver gave that said she wanted to honor him and help a character in a book lose the weight she was unable to help her brother do.

She tackles this big subject with wit and honesty. I laughed out loud when reading the scene where the sister takes responsibility for cleaning up the overflowing toilet and collects her brother's turds like Easter eggs. It's hilarious and gross all at once.

For more on this book, check out my Bubblews post.

Read it. You'll love it.


Author:  Lionel Shriver
Book Read:  Big Brother

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

Okay, every once in awhile I read a book that I really love. I hadn't done that in quite awhile, but Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen did the trick. I love this book!

I wrote about this novel on Squidoo so will let you go there to get a synopsis if you like. 

If you've read other books by Quindlen and liked them, you won't be disappointed. She's a terrific writer and storyteller.

Book Read:  Still Life with Bread Crumbs
Author:  Anna Quindlen

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman

I finished reading this book on the flight home from my vacation so had almost a week of not reading it, which made the ending more anticlimactic than it should have been. 

I liked this book a lot, much more than Laura Lippman's other more recent books I've read. I think the last one I read that I liked this much was What the Dead Know.

If you like suspenseful well-written novels, check out After I'm Gone.

Book Read:  After I'm Gone
Author:  Laura Lippman

The Neighbors Are Watching by Debra Ginsberg

Okay, I rarely do this but I read two books in a row by the same author. After I finished reading Waiting:  The True Confessions of a Waitress, I picked up The Neighbors Are Watching, both by Debra Ginsberg. 

I've read her older novels, and I really liked them. This one was her best, I think. Sort of mystery, sort of crime, all gossip!

I really like the characters, or maybe I should say, I liked disliking some of the characters in this novel. Most had plenty of crud gumming up their works, which always makes for a good read!

Book Read:  The Neighbors Are Watching
Author:  Debra Ginsberg

Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg

I really enjoyed Waiting:  The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg. As a writer and editor, she made her living / supplemented her income waiting tables for 20 years. That's a long time in that industry!

Ginsberg touches on all the big waitressing questions:  

• Do wait staff spit in food?
• Does anyone wait tables as a career?
• Are you really getting decaf coffee when you ask for it? 

Read the book to find out!

Book Read:  Waiting:  The True Confessions of a Waitress
Author:  Debra Ginsberg

How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

I stayed up late last night and finished reading How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman. At first, I started this book then went on to another. I gave it another try though, and I'm glad I did. This book is suspenseful and intriguing in how it's written.

I loved the last part (after the big reveal) best. 

Book Read:  How to Be a Good Wife
Author:  Emma Chapman

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Oh boy! I did not want this book to end. I loved Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. 

You've probably heard of this book and if you've read it, you know what I mean. If you haven't heard of it or read it, do! The hype is well deserved.

This book was inspired by the real struggles of orphans who did ride on trains from the East coast to the Midwest. The novel is set in both present day with Molly, a troubled teen in Maine and in 1929 onward with the story of Vivian. Vivian's story is my favorite part.


Here are some books and a DVD of the real orphan trains that took orphaned and abandoned children from east to west in the U.S. from 1854 to 1929.

Book Read:  Orphan Train
Author:  Christina Baker Kline