Valentine’s Day brings to mind stories of love . . . and stories we love.
It should come as no surprise that the O’Keefe Group’s communication experts love books. We love to read about subjects from food to theatre, from music to history, and more – both fiction and non-fiction.
So, in addition to the business and communication insights you usually find here, we’re sharing this Valentine’s Day treat – a few of the books we’re passionate about.
If you love Irish fiction with a touch of melancholy . . .
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Reviewed by Danielle Foley
This novel recounts the story of an Irish family that falls on hard times in the wake of the 2008 recession, told from the alternating perspectives of its four members. We come to know Dickie and Imelda, brought together by a tragic loss, and to understand their desires, their decisions, and their demons. We’re taken inside the minds of Cass and PJ, their teenage children, and are rocketed back to the tender years of adolescence.
The Bee Sting fits neatly into my current obsession with Irish fiction – there is something about the melancholy prose and unhurried plot development of Irish authors I find irresistible. Murray’s characters are brilliantly drawn; you’ll find yourself rooting for them and genuinely hopeful that things will get better.
This book is definitely a “slow burn,” and it’s hard to describe without giving too much away, but it is truly worth a read. Once it gets going it will draw you in and keep you turning the pages – all 643 of them!
If you love stories about rebellious young women . . .
Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
Reviewed by Chloe Hughes
Set in the 1960s, this is the story of Marilyn Kleinman, a rebellious young Jewish woman determined not to follow her family’s plans for her. When an indiscretion with the rabbi’s son shames her family, Marilyn is sent to stay with her great aunt Ada, a well-known Philadelphia matchmaker. After a short time in the city, the pair set off to the Jersey Shore for the summer. Various romantic entanglements and matchmaking schemes ensue.
What starts as a tumultuous relationship between the two grows into deep understanding and mutual respect. Both are high-spirited; neither is inclined to fit a pre-determined mold. Each, in her own way, wants to live independently at a time when women weren’t encouraged to choose their own paths or think for themselves.
This book has everything: Compelling, well-developed, and sympathetic characters; a plot full of twists and turns; an amusing (and bemused) perspective on the follies of matchmaking; a realistic look at the conventions of the period; and gently provocative views on love and romance. Don’t Forget to Write is a page-turner that I couldn’t put down.
If you love music and romance . . .
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Reviewed by Jessica Cogan
In this transcendent novel, violinist Michael Holme reconnects with his former lover, pianist Julia McNicholl, now married and tragically losing her hearing. As their passion rekindles, Michael struggles with his past, tensions in the quartet he performs with, and Julia’s inevitable loss.
Seth’s lyrical prose captures the emotional depth of music and its power to express longing and impermanence. A meditation on love, art, and sacrifice, the novel is bittersweet in its appreciation for the beauty of both connection and loss.
An Equal Music does what I love most about literature: It transports us to places away from our everyday worries, where we can experience and explore life’s greater themes. As a classical music lover who has herself never held a bow, I find Michael and Julia’s musical vocation inherently romantic and their story beautifully compelling. I read this novel years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since.
If you love learning about the makings of a great
actor . . .
Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino
Reviewed by Laura Singer
This expansive memoir includes some startling revelations about Al Pacino. He was raised by a single, emotionally troubled mother and her parents in a tough South Bronx neighborhood. His three closest friends died from drug overdoses as young men. His real love is the theater, and he discusses Chekhov and Shakespeare with great erudition. He’s not much into the trappings of fame and wealth. In fact, he’s sat out the Academy Awards and made and lost fortunes several times over.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I confess I had a major crush on the young Al Pacino. After reading his memoir, that crush has changed to a deep admiration. I love that Pacino defied all expectations (if you don’t count Joseph Papp, who told him in 1968, “You will be a great star one day” and then fired him from a production at the Public Theater). There are lots of surprises in this book, but at its heart it is the story of someone who found, and lived, his passion.
It’s not great literature and, like Pacino himself, it’s not a neat package. But his life – from a gritty, impoverished childhood that foreshadowed little promise of success to his status as one of the great actors of his generation – makes for riveting reading.
Fun fact for The Godfather fans: Pacino’s grandfather emigrated to New York from the Sicilian town of Corleone.
If you love reading history brought to life . . .
An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Reviewed by Cathy Donnelly
Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was married to Richard Goodwin – a speechwriter and close advisor to John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Robert Kennedy – for 42 years. Their stories, recounted in this book, offer an intimate look at the political, social, legal, and personal battles of 1960s.
Richard and Doris traveled separate, somewhat parallel paths during those pivotal years. Doris was a Fellow in the Johnson White House; later, she assisted LBJ with his memoirs and wrote a bestselling biography of him – the first of her many presidential biographies. She and Richard met at Harvard in 1972 and married in 1975.
In 2012, the two began excavating Richard’s 300+ boxes of letters, diaries, and memorabilia. Their discoveries, and the conversations they inspired, gave them fresh insights about the politicians and events of the era, including issues on which they had long disagreed. After Richard died in 2018, Doris continued the project, conducting further research and interviews with many of Richard’s contemporaries. This book is the result.
Doris Kearns Goodwin brings her trademark intelligence, wit, and narrative power to this story. As a history lover formed by the turmoil and promise of the 1960s, I found the book captivating and enormously moving. It’s a multilayered chronicle that illuminates a tumultuous and instructive period in American history, brings a massive historical archive to life, and celebrates a remarkable marriage. At its core, this book is about two people and what they love – their country, their work, and each other.
If you love to be inspired by strong, accomplished women . . .
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
Reviewed by Cathy Morris
This is an often surprising, behind-the-scenes account of one woman’s journey from an unhappy childhood to a job in the Ford Administration to her real calling as a specialty food shop owner, bestselling cookbook author, and iconic television host.
Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa) has written about a life of challenges. Some she was born into – notably a family that was affluent and accomplished but difficult and even cruel. From a young age, though, Ina was up to any trial that life threw her way. And as an adult, she’s overcome many challenges – most of her own making – with a mix of intelligence, determination, and common sense. Even when discussing her early life, she reveals the same upbeat, can-do attitude that her fans know and love.
Ina’s memoir is filled with twists and turns and sprinkled with life lessons learned on the road to finding one’s purpose. The story behind meeting and marrying the love of her life, Jeffrey Garten, is an important thread that makes for the perfect Valentine’s month read.
I couldn’t put this book down, and I’m confident that foodies and non-foodies alike will be inspired by Ina’s story.
If you love stunning imagery and deeply human
characters . . .
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Reviewed by Teryl Taglieri
This is a beautifully written novel that intertwines the lives of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German soldier, during World War II. The story toggles between their perspectives, painting a hauntingly vivid picture of war’s crushing impact on individual lives. Marie-Laure, forced to flee Paris with her father, finds refuge in the coastal town of Saint-Malo, where she becomes involved in the French Resistance. The orphaned Werner is recruited into Hitler’s army because of his technical skills, but struggles with the moral dilemmas of the job he is there to do.
The novel explores themes of fate, kindness, and resilience amid the horrors of war. All the while, Doerr highlights moments of light and hope, making the story both heartbreaking and uplifting.
What I loved most about the novel was its stunning imagery and deeply human characters. Doerr brings the settings to life, from the elaborate details of the miniature city Marie-Laure’s father builds for her to the war-torn streets of their home. The way Doerr captures light, sound, and texture through language adds a depth that makes the story palpable: I could almost hear the crackling of Werner’s radio and feel the rough surface of Marie-Laure’s Braille books. The characters are beautifully developed, each with their own struggles and complexities, making their personal journeys incredibly gripping. It’s a book that lingered in my mind long after I turned the last page.
Also recommended:
Fiction
– Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
– The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel by Robert Dugoni
– James by Percival Everett
– The Hunter by Tana French
– The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
– All Fours by Miranda July
– Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
– Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Non-Fiction
– Does This Taste Funny? by Stephen Colbert & Evie McGee Colbert
– Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
– Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higgenbotham
– The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
– Shy by Mary Rogers
– The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
