Under the Frog by Tibor Fischer

The frog in Fischer's cleverly written novel is communism in Hungary. Hero Gyuri Fischer is only in his late teens and early twenties in the period from 1947 to 1956 when the country was struggling under the rule of the highly ideological but grossly incompetent Russian communists. Gyuri plays basketball, works, and studies as he tries to figure out a future for himself. Ultimately, he participates with his girlfriend in the uprising of 1956 which is described with detail and historical accuracy. Under the Frog was a Booker Prize finalist.

Utz by Bruce Chatwin

Kasper Utz is a fictional collector of porcelain in Prague. During World War II and the subsequent political upheavals in Czechoslovakia, he nurtured his collection saving it from confiscation from the Nazis and the communists. Mostly a character study, the novel does not have much in the way of a plot. However, the writing is brilliant and colorful. Chatwin is a well-traveled author who had worked for Sotheby's and was familiar with the art world, so Utz is loaded with details of European travel and art set against lightly portrayed political situations.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo

Tired of reading heavy-duty non-fiction, I wanted a break with some fun fiction, and Richard Russo never disappoints. In That Old Cape Magic the hero is struggling with the deaths of his parents and his marriage. The two intertwine on Cape Cod where he spent a meaningful childhood vacation and also his honeymoon. Now he has returned to dispose of the ashes of his cremated parents and clean his emotional slate before deciding whether his life will continue in Los Angeles or Connecticut. Good read.

Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea

Suzanne Strempek Shea is one of my book club's favorite authors. Based in Western Massachusetts, she teaches at Baypath College and happily makes appearances at local book clubs, including ours. For this latest work of non-fiction Suzanne traveled the country and spent each Sunday attending a different Protestant worship service. Her Catholic upbringing had prevented her from even entering non-Catholic churches; but as her own religion waned, her curiosity took hold and she bravely stepped out to experience other churches. The summaries of her visits are pulled together in Sundays in America combining their descriptions with a little autobiographical material. One gets a view of the wide variety of American religious experience, but in the end I wished that Suzanne had gone one more step to describe how the experience affected her own spirituality. Perhaps that is a work yet to come.

Growing Up bin Laden by Najwa and Omar bin Laden

The wife and son of Osama bin Laden collaborate with American author Jean Sasson to reveal the workings of his household, first in Saudi Arabia, then in Sudan, and finally in Afghanistan where things started to fall apart for the family. Osama was a loving but harsh father. His children were denied toys, and the eight boys by his first wife were forced into long desert marches to toughen them up. His wives (he had four) had to spend a night sleeping in holes in the ground to prepare them for possible wartime conditions. Osama's religious views also made him shun modern conveniences like air conditioning. Even stoves and refrigerators were considered signs of an unhealthy dependence on modernity. While this fascinating book focuses on family rather than the man himself, the reader does get a glimpse of Osama's growing anger and fanaticism.

The Five Principles by Ellen Debenport

Ellen Debenport, a Unity minister in Texas elucidates the basic principles upon which Unity Church is founded. The adult version of them is a little wordy, but at the end of the book she presents a version for children and teens which clarifies them:

1. God is all good and active in everything, everywhere.
2. I am naturally good because God's divinity is in me and in everyone.
3. I create my experiences by what I choose to think and and what I feel and believe.
4. Through affirmative prayer and meditation, I connect with God and bring out the good in my life.
5. I do and give my best by living the Truth I know. I make a difference!

The Women by T.C. Boyle

Another work of biographical fiction from T.C. Boyle. This one centers on Frank Lloyd Wright and his unconventional relationships with women. He had a wife, a mistress, another wife, and another mistress and endured scandal and the hounding of a prurient press. Unfortunately, the book deals with the women in reverse order so the picture of his life is scrambled and lacking in suspense.