Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Living in Chicagoland I'm particularly aware of Frank Lloyd Wright and his brilliant architecture. Many a time I've driven through Oak Park where his work abounds. Never before have I been interested in the man's personal life, until our most recent book club pick was a work of fiction based on him and his seven-plus year affair with a married woman. While a fictional piece, the book is based on facts, and the author dug into these facts as well, drawing from newspaper accounts, diaries, letters, and the like. The love affair of these two people and their quests to find their true selves brings them Westward, overseas, to the heart of Chicago as well as the countryside of Wisconsin. Woven throughout the tale is heartbreak as the families of Mamah (Wright's lover) and Frank are brought under public scrutiny, children are left in the lurch, and Wright's career is nearly derailed due to the scandal. Most tragic is the abrupt end to their affair (is that too much of a spoiler?). In the midst of it all is the story of Wright's genius in architecture and his artistic process.
BOTTOM LINE: I found myself by turns cheering for and condemning Frank and Mamah. I also found myself spending long hours Googling images of the amazing buildings Wright designed.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

When I picked up this very. large. book it was mainly because I had, ambitiously, joined our library's summer reading club. One requirement for said club was to read a book along the lines of this year's theme, which was something medievalish - I don't remember the clever title they gave it. Anyhoo, this book was there amidst the suggested titles, and I picked it up. It's kind of your age-old tale of good versus evil, with good looking like it's doing pretty well until evil comes along with one of its evil-type schemes and proceeds to smash and burn good, after which good rises from the ashes and begins to rebuild, prompting evil to rape and pillage and steal, to which good counteracts with a clever plan, at which point evil gets desperate and swoops in with an under-handed plot, causing good only to rally harder and triumph in the end. Basically.
The story takes place in the middle of the 12th century and centers on the fictional town of Kingsbridge in England. Tom the stonemason, homeless, penniless, and with his family in tow, desperately searches for work, always hoping to realize his dream of building a beautiful cathedral. He comes upon Kingsbridge and its monastary, where he and the prior, Philip, join forces to build a cathedral that will glorify God and turn the world's eye to their humble village in the process. Countless forces work against them, time and again nearly dashing their vision and seeking to take their very lives, but their perseverance along with Philip's vigilance in following the Lord's will with their actions (and counteractions) lead to ultimate victory.
BOTTOM LINE: I know - a book about building a church? With lots of architectural terms to wade through? And raping and pillaging thrown in there? I don't necessarily understand why to this day, but I found myself drawn into the story and its characters and had to continue to the end. I'm glad I did. Because (spoiler) good triumphs.

Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott

When we got our fancy-dancy new phones last year, I promptly downloaded the Kindle app, thrilled that I could now have books with me wherever I went. It's certainly convenient to always have reading material on hand. I also love the plethora of books to choose from and the fact that they're cheaper than purchasing them from the store. However, the level of thrill does not compare, for me, to how I feel coming home from the library with a big pile of books (that I know will never get plowed through before the due date) or to the satisfaction of turning page after page. BUT - I digress. The best part of the Kindle are the free classics you can download as well as the cheapity-cheap fiction that can be found. Case in point - Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott. This was a 99-center and sounded interesting enough for me to drop a buck, so I promptly downloaded. If you are a fan of thrillers (serial killers, games of cat-and-mouse, and the like) this one's up your alley. The twist in this book is that you are given the story from two points of view: that of the hunter (whose identity you know all along) and the hunted. I found it difficult to put this story to the side as you are always wondering who will stay one step ahead. The victim in this story is one whose story is often not believed, which adds to the suspense as time and again the criminal closes in on victory.
BOTTOM LINE: Looking for a quick, end-of-summer read? I'd definitely pick this one up.