“Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I am not sure why I liked this unusual book, translated from Japanese, since it has a time-travel premise that requires suspension of disbelief, but good writing is good writing, and this quiet, quirky little book, with its interconnected people searching for redemption, forgiveness, relief, or clarification to resolve inner conflicts, resonated with me, and made me reflect on the choices we make, and their long-term ramifications. Within the peculiar walls of Funiculi, Funicula, a small back alley coffee cafe in Tokyo, open since 1874, we meet the owner, Nagare, his wife Kei, and a no-nonsense waitress, Kazu who tersely explains the very strict parameters involved in visiting the past to each of the visitors as they come searching for a way to deal with regrets, and through their stories, we are challenged to examine our own choices and regrets in a fresh way. 4 Stars (Wonderful. Glad I read it.)

“Yours Cheerfully: A Novel (The Emmy Lake Chronicles Book 2)” by A.J. Pearce

“Yours Cheerfully”, is a follow up to “Dear Mr. Bird” and if you liked the charm, nostalgia, and warm-heartedness of the first book, you will enjoy this one, set in 1941, after the departure of the cantankerous editor Henrietta Bird, in which the plucky Emmy Lake, her friend, Bunty, devoted  fiancé, Charles, and other familiar characters, are faced with new challenges as they do their part for the war effort. When Britain’s Ministry of Information asks Women’s Friend magazine to help recruit female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to be step up and help, but when she and Bunty meet a young woman who outlines the very real difficulties faced by female war workers, Emmy encounters unexpected choices that create a pleasant, heartwarming book full of decent, amiable characters, farce, and sentiment. 3 1/2 Stars (Good read)

“The Winemaker’s Wife” by Kristin Harmel

This WWII book was entertaining enough, with interesting background information about winemaking in the Champagne district of France, and with enough twists and turns, betrayals and redemptions, to make it exciting, but it lacked deeper character development, making it hard to identify with the characters, and at times made their choices a bit too one-dimensional. Inez marries Michel Chauveau while she is quite young and naive, and while she wants to support her husband in his family’s winemaking business, she is sidetracked by her own youth, her husband’s partner, and his attractive Jewish wife, Celine, and of course by the invasion by Germany with the resulting terror, intrigue, and menace that require courage beyond her experience. 3 Stars

“Redhead by the Side of the Road” by Anne Tyler

This light read was basically a “relationship” book that tells the story of Micah, a self-employed computer repairman and handyman at his apartment complex, who never reached his full potential, and whose routines of everyday life keep him from opening up to a meaningful or lasting relationship. When a young man comes into his life hoping that Micah is his biological father, events proceed which force Micah to take a long look at his life, recognize how much he needs people, and open himself up to the love and commitment that could lead to a deeper quality of life. 3 Stars

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It seems like emails that purported to be from this blog were sent out. They are not from me so please don’t follow the link they give. Just delete. Sorry for any inconvenience. Karen

“The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel” by Pamela Binnings Ewen

I was left wanting more from this book, perhaps because it moved slowly, or perhaps because it focused mostly on Chanel’s life in German occupied France during WWII, but probably because Coco Chanel was portrayed as an unlikeable, selfish, egocentric, person whose character and choices were hard to approve of, even when she recalled the past tragedies that should have made me feel more sympathetic.  The book begins as Coco is betrayed by her business partner who is among the many people fleeing France in advance of the advancing German forces, and it flashes back and forth from recollections of her past, to the choices she made during the war, and her fight to regain control over her most prized possession –the perfume that bears her name, Chanel #5.   3 Stars

“Please Look After Mom” by Kyung-sook Shin

With some of the narrative in second-person (you), some in third person (he) and some in first person(I), mingled with powerfully drawn memories that impel readers to construe deeper meanings, the unique writing style in this story of a contemporary Korean family, makes it at once demanding and yet stunning in its clarity.  When the mother in the family goes missing, each member examines their own recollections of Mom, and beautifully reveals the stark contrast between old and new ways, and the foods, customs, and nature of the Korean family, while at the same time reminding us of the unique power of a mother’s love which universally transcends cultural boundaries and remains true for every person who has experienced it.  5 Stars