Family Pictures

Family Pictures (1990) by Sue Miller. The Eberhardt family has six children, one of whom -- Randall -- is autistic. This novel tells the story of the family through several decades in the latter half of the 20th century. There is plenty of detail as Miller shifts the point of view from the parents to various of the children -- by the time you've finished reading, you'll just want to know more about these vivid characters. Grade: B+

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) by Junot Diaz. Written in a mixture of English and Spanish, this book is pretty frustrating to read. Since I don't speak Spanish, I was left wondering, time after time, what had just been said and what it meant to the book. This factor ruined what might otherwise have been a most entertaining read. Grade: B-

Here if You Need Me

Here if You Need Me (2007) by Kate Braestrup. Braestrup lost her husband Drew 10 years ago in a highway crash. Drew was a Maine highway patrolman with dreams of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. After his death, Kate went on to fulfill his dream and became a minister herself. She now works as a chaplain for the Maine Warden Service. Her book consists of vignettes -- stories of searches by the wardens for people missing in the woods, reminiscences of life with Drew, descriptions of her current life with her four kids. It's nicely done. Grade: B+