Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

  I am sure a lot of people will like this book. It's quick and breezy, it's got mild humor, and plenty of cats are on the scene. But also...this book is like cotton candy. Nothing memorable, barely a taste at the time you're reading it.

 A Harlequin-esque read. Feisty, attractive protagonist; tall, smart, handsome love (not at first sight). Something happens - years elapse, a fractured family is put back together. Pretty trite and predicable. An OK read. Nothing special.

 Major Ernest Pettigrew, retired, is 68 and still grieving the loss of this wife 6 years earlier when his younger brother dies of a sudden heart attack. Overwhelmed and at a loss, the local shopkeeper Jasmina Ali, also a recent widow, comes to his aid. Soon the two discover that they have many things in common including a love of books, literature, and tradition. But can their relationship survive the whispers and judgments of family, friends, and fellow villagers? Complicating matters even more is the inheritance and rightful ownership of a pair of antique shotguns, an American millionaire with plans to renovate the village, and the major's own son who is having woman trouble, business trouble, and real estate trouble not necessarily in that order. With wit, humor, and understanding Simonson weaves all of these threads into a cohesive story about love and the choices we make. Highly recommended.

 Elizabeth Zott is the strong voice, presence, and activist needed in 1960s California. Her no-nonsense attitude and behavior in a male dominated world provides an inspiring role model much needed by many! I loved her, her daughter, her neighbor, and her dog so much -- the story made me laugh, gasp, cheer, and cry! No wonder it's such a hit and I can't wait for it to be made into a TV series.

 Augusten Burroughs has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor. I love his books, but this one especially hits home as I have family members who have been through rehab. A great read.

  This book brings modern feminism to the middle of the twentieth century. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, a mom, and a role model. Zott is someone who is faced with challenges at every corner, but meets them head-on with class and confidence. This was a great book to read as a woman, and a must-read for men who think they’ve got women figured out.

  What a page turner. I know it may seem somewhat unrealistic, but I found it so great. Emotional connection of friendship and figuring out the right love of your life made it so great.

  The most whimsical and lighthearted murder book I've ever read! Humorous with sprinkles of heartfelt, this mystery was a quick escape.

  What a surreal and lyrical read! I don't fully know how to describe the main character's journey through a whirlwind of trauma beyond, "Wow." I read this book in one sitting because I was fully immersed. Strange and thought-provoking and wonderful.

  Elizabeth Zott is an unconventional, gifted chemist trying to make her mark in the 1960's male-dominated world of science. The resistance she encounters from the men in her field (and some women) leads her to a short lived, but intense relationship with Calvin Evans, a fellow chemist. Calvin is a world famous chemist who bonds with Elizabeth over their shared passion for scientific research, his passion for rowing, their sad family histories, and a dog named Six Thirty. Elizabeth eventually finds herself alone as a single mother and the star of a cooking show "Supper at Six" . She uses her platform in a way to empower and educate women with encouragement to follow their dreams and with lessons in chemistry. The book is funny, filled with quirky characters, and gives the reader a feminist heroine who encounters the worst possible misogyny yet succeeds on her own terms.

  Another visit with Stewart Hoag was the perfect summer read. Light enough to put down & easy to pick up again & again. The continuous elements from one story to another are balanced with new characters & situations

  I have read several of David Sedaris's books, which are collections of his essays. (I also always read any articles by him published in The New Yorker.) He is witty, intelligent and engaging. His essays describe his own quotidian experiences, involving his family, his personal relationship with his long-term partner, David, and his professional life. Mr. Sedaris travels extensively to promote his books, and he and David also own a house in a small village in France. He is self-deprecating, and some of his activities can be described as unusual. For example, he walks at least 15 miles per day, and picks up trash as he walks. He describes his three surviving sisters in an engagine, loving manner. He is less when discussing his father, whose behavior to him as a young boy was often unkind. In one of his earlier books, he describes his mother as an interesting, witty woman, but in this book, he doesnot mention her except in passing. He has close relationships with his three surviving...

  The follow-up to the author's debut novel, 'The Idiot,' following protagonist Selin, now a sophomore at Harvard, as she attempts to figure out the type of life she wants to live- 'either' an aesthetic existence 'or' one that is inherently moral/ethical, or perhaps a combination of the two.

  Easily the funniest book that I’ve ever read. An incredibly large group of offspring debate on how to properly deal with the body of their recently deceased mother. Wonderfully irreverent!!