We Are Water by Wally Lamb

My latest is the 4th novel I've read of Wally Lamb's.  (He's had non-fiction I've read as well). As usual - he doesn't fail to amaze in his writing.

We Are Water is a novel that centers around Annie Oh and the life-changing decisions she's made at a time when most people are settling in to middle age.  A time when most people are starting to take a breath after the hard work it sometimes takes to get to middle age.  Instead, Annie has decided, after 27 years of marriage, to leave her husband and marry Viveca, her wealthy, Manhattan art dealer.  A woman.  The lead up to their wedding follows Annie's uncertainty as her past seems to be catching up to her...as secrets start to chase her. There are many side stories in We Are Water and all of them keep you turning the pages.  It's a beautiful account of one woman's attempt to bury a painful past and the futility and harm that can result.

Once again, Wally Lamb doesn't fail to impress and his writing is beautiful.  There are a handful of writers out there (in my humble opinion) who make words sing and dance across a page and make me so enamored of their talent.  Wally Lamb is high on that list. (Pat Conroy, John Steinbeck are some others). Read this and if you 've not read him before - pick up all his books...you'll want to read them again and again.

Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb

Loves me some Wally Lamb!!!  Thanks Aunt Kathleen!

Wishin' and Hopin' is definitely 10 steps away from Wally Lamb's usual path.  Here he turns to the hilarious and lighthearted.  This holiday tale focuses on a fifth grader named Felix Funicello - third cousin to that famous Mouseketeer.  It's October-December 1964 and Felix, along with his fellow 5th graders at a fictional Catholic grade school are preparing for a Christmas pageant that they'll never forget.  The book is filled with 10-year-old hilarities like the confusing "birds and bees", scary movies that you pretend don't scare you, weird catholic nun teachers who you can't pretend don't scare you and so much more.

I loved this book.  It is such a fun, easy read.  I flew right through it and would love to read it to my kids at school (except for all the "birds and bees" humor - which they probably wouldn't get anyway).  Read this!  You will love it! 

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

I'm on to my next read by an author who's second novel is in my top three favorites of all time: Wally Lamb. I'm curious to see how this one treats me. This one is about Columbine; a scary, horrible subject in itself (especially for a teacher). Here is the synopsis as per Amazon.com:

When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.

I really look forward to reading this novel - though I don't know why. I'll let you know.
 
Update:  I've finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. First I'll say, I really, really liked the book. He's a great writer with a way with word and certainly knows how to tell a hell of a story. I read the book quickly and really couldn't put it down. Understand, however, if you go to read this book, it is NOT a feel good book. This is not an exaggeration. In fact, there isn't much good that happens to any of the characters in the book. Seriously!!! I mean, just when you think, "Okay, nothing else bad can happen." lo and behold, you are proven wrong. Now, I hope those readers out there who read this will not let that deter you from picking this book up. I just feel that you should be fairly warned. Of course, you couldn't think that a book revolving around the Columbine massacre could be an easy read, huh. Anyway, a very good book and definite recommendation.