First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

The subtitle is A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love and Jane Austen.  I'm not a Jane Austen fan so it was a bit of a slow start but once the mystery, revealed in parallel and alternating chapters, kicked in, I was hooked.  One story begins in 1796 with a young Jane Austen as the central character.  The other is a contemporary story in the English countryside where the young book lover, Sophie Collingwood, is grieving the loss of her favorite uncle and the further loss of the family's extensive library. The object at the center of attention in both is the one and only copy of a little book written by the Rev. Mansfield, close friend of Jane.  The book was once in the Collingwood library.  In the book was  a story that would grow up to be Pride and Prejudice.  Did Jane Austen steal her most famous novel from her elderly friend and is this mystery somehow connected to her uncle's mysterious death? The fact that Lovett moves so easily between the style of the Victorian novel and contemporary writing was one of my favorite parts of this book - one every bibliophile would enjoy.

The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

As a young girl, Alma Belasco is forced to leave Poland at the start of WWII and becomes a part of her wealthy uncle's family in San Francisco.  Ichimei Fukada is the young son of her uncle's gardner.  They become fast friends but are separated when Ichimei and his family are sent to the Topaz camp.
As the title suggests, they meet again but neither has the courage to make their relationship public.  Not much new in that story but Alma's story is not so straight forward which is perhaps why Allende chose to tell it backwards.  We first meet Alma near the end of her life.  She has chosen to live in a quirky retirement home rather than in her opulent family home. She has befriended one of the staff, Irina, who has her own interesting back story.  Irina and Alma's grandson, Seth, are determined to find the reason behind Alma's occasional disappearances and the gifts that arrive unsigned.  And it is through their efforts that all the secrets are revealed.  The characters are likeable and the story surprising in some ways but the writing seemed too spare - too simple a translation maybe - just nothing beautiful.  She has written better.

Belgravia by Julian Fellowes

This was on a list of books to read if you missed Downton Abbey so of course why not go to the master himself.  There was much that was similar - a grand English house or two, family secrets, the rule of class, historical drama - but I realized how much the acting in DA brought the characters to life.  I found the people in this book flat, not fully realized, role players in a common human drama.  The time period is early 19th century, following the war with Napoleon.  The women are manipulative but not yet challenging their role as property.  There is the hint of a rising industrial class but they still all long to be earls or whatever.   Belgravia might make a good period soap opera but only if they found a role for the likes of Maggie Smith.

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quinlen

In an earlier life, Rebecca Winter was an award winning photographer.  Lately she hasn't felt much like that successful New Yorker much in demand at cocktail parties in all the right places.  With her work out of fashion and the bills piling up, she decides to rent out her pricey New York City apartment and regroup in a small cabin in upstate New York.  The people in the small town nearby force her to examine a new perspective on life.  Even her photography changes.  Her seclusion ends when a leak in the roof requires the attention of the local handy man, Jim Bates.  She is surprised to find him such good company but the fact the she, at 60, is so much older than he is keeps her from admitting how she really feels.  Fate intervenes and she is forced to return to New York City and new found acclaim.  But is it enough this time?  Chick Lit? probably - but very satisfying as chick lit goes.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

A beautiful and tender story of two lovers whose "hearts beat as one" until separated by tradition and obligation.  Julia Win leaves her successful life in New York City for Burma in search of her father who disappeared four years earlier.  Her journey leads her to a teahouse in the village of his youth where she meets the wise and mysterious U Ba. He tells her the story of her father's secret childhood and the beautiful Mi Mi.  It is a wonderful story with a bit of a surprise which you will no doubt have already figured out.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I'm sure this book was written for teens but I was totally hooked. It was like Edith Wharton without the big words or critical commentary. Elizabeth Holland is all polished and beautiful and ready to enter the most elegant of NYC society in 1899. She is not ready for the intrigue, the politics, the jealousy, the envy, the sex - all good stuff that readers of romance love. I really loved the history but then I love NYC. You may or may not guess the ending but it is no surprise that there is not only a sequel but an entire series. You might want to skip straight to Wharton or hide these books inside your copy of the New Yorker while you read them.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

In my nastiest voice I would say this is romantic drivel but, when I ran out of my own books and had to borrow this from Kirk on our last flight, everyone seemed to have read it and loved it. I think it would be a great soppy read for high school kids. I don't know what that says about the reading choices of folks in airports or my husband's choice for that matter. He just likes happy endings even if someone has to die to get to the happy ending ?!.