Tricia Nelson

If you are looking for a book that will grab you and keep you wondering what will happen next, this is the one! This is a mystery wrapped around an issue that may keep you thinking for some time after reading. It would be an excellent choice for a book club to discuss. Highly recommend!

Thank you to William Morrow for the Advance Reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a good example of a book I read for book club that I might not otherwise have picked up, but I'm so glad I read it. I started it expecting a long (it's a big book) heavy tale that would require my closest attention and some coffee. What I found instead was what I feel is a well written book that somehow explains enough of the science to be able to understand the impact of each discovery and the way this technology has developed over decades.
Although I learned about Jennifer Doudna, the book spent considerable time touching on the community of people who also helped push the science forward to the discoveries of CRISPR and the gene editing tools and understanding that led to the mRNA vaccines that are in use today. It gave me an inside look at the process and large amounts of collaboration (and yes, personalities and competition) in the scientific community on these cutting edge research topics.
Not only will I take away new knowledge about the topic of gene editing and understand a bit better what may lie ahead for us, I will also spend time thinking about all of the moral and ethical questions that come up with using it. A favorite quote (p. 368) is “In a world in which there are people who don't get access to eyeglasses, it's hard to imagine how we will find a way to have equal access to gene enhancements. Imagine what that will do to our species”.

I truly enjoyed this story about three women in different circumstances and locations but all connected in some way to the struggles in Cuba in 1896-1898. Evangelista is a beautiful woman who is unjustly imprisoned in Cuba. Marina is a wife, mother, and revolutionary who longs for freedom for her country. Grace is a young woman in New York City who finds herself writing articles for Hearst in the midst of a competition between Pulitzer and Hearst for the readership of the city. All three women are strong and stay true to themselves through challenges large and small. This is the second book I've read by this author and it is very well written and brings you right into the story and keeps you there. I learned a lot about what happened with Cuba, Spain, and the U.S. during this time period - things I probably should have learned long ago. Highly recommend!
Favorite quote: (Grace speaking of Evangelista, p 135) “She is indeed lovely, and still, it seems insulting almost in the face of all she has endured to remark upon her beauty as though it is her defining characteristic, to consign her to hues and angles rather than the strength of her character and spirit”.

I picked this up at an airport store because I needed something that would catch and keep my attention. It was one of those days full of travel delays. This story was perfect! The action starts off right away and keeps you reading to find out what happens next. It is the first I've read from this series and I didn't feel like I missed anything jumping in at #31. Great summer read, fast storyline, decent writing.

I read this on a whim as it came up in my library browsing and I'd heard from a friend it was worth a read. It's interesting and sadly believable and tells her detailed story of her friendship with Melania Trump that became her association with the First Lady as an adviser. I think we may all have had people in our lives that were not who we thought they were, that hurt us in ways sometimes small and sometimes large, and that is a portion of the book that is relatable. As some other reviewers mentioned, I also got a little stuck on her comparing her trials with her grandparents' trials in the holocaust. For a person of such privilege to make such a comparison didn't feel right. Perhaps it was an unfortunate wording of that section, who knows? One portion toward the end of the book did strike me as so true in 2021: “I have learned that when it comes to politics, not knowing is not okay. For many years, I was apolitical. That was a mistake. I now know that is not an option—it's a luxury. And a luxury no one can afford. One's moral values and political beliefs clearly go hand in hand, and for me to have believed otherwise was naive and foolish”.

In 1838 a ship named the Steamship Pulaski blew up in the middle of the night and sank to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of North Carolina carrying many prominent members of Savannah Society with it. The author was beginning to write a story around this ship and the people who survived when the shipwreck was discovered. The author was able to use the artifacts discovered and the stories they led to in the novel, and even provides an extensive book club kit on her website to enhance the reader experience.
The novel is a well-written dual timeline and is crafted in a way that the themes of grief, survival, slavery and family are woven between the characters in both times. There is an intriguing part of the story where one character disappeared after surviving, and we find out what happened to them at the end. One of the points that is made in different ways is how different people deal with grief and when they are faced with life-altering circumstances. This is something that will stay with me, both in how “Some people didn't die and some people lived”, and how everything important and unimportant becomes clear when faced with tragedy.

This would make a wonderful book club book. I was able to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and ended up purchasing a copy for a book club discussion afterwards.

I put off reading this, as the topics were a little close to home with some of my current frustrations and anger at world events, but when I finally sat down with this book, I couldn't put it down. Meals went unprepared, shopping undone, etc. The book is a story of a woman living in Puritan Boston in the early 1620s. The story is well written and crafted in a smart way with two larger events framing it. The characters were what had me hooked, however. Mary is the primary character, and her strength, resilience and confidence made her stand out. Constance is more of an ancillary character, but her perspective and confidence and wisdom made her another memorable character. It is not a spoiler or surprising to say that the Puritan life was hard on women, whose lives and reputations could swing quickly through unfounded accusations and gossip, but unfounded accusations and gossip turned toward a man were unacceptable behavior. I would highly recommend this book for book club discussions. There is a lot to talk about and there would be a great discussion point about what is different today? What is similar if not the same?

Many thanks to Park Row for the opportunity to read this advance copy in return for an honest review!
A woman on a London vacation at an inflection point in her life happens upon an antique bottle with a bear inscribed on it. Her love of research and historical connections leads her to not only solve a mystery that no one was aware of, but also gain clarity about her own desires for the future. A dual time line is set in 1791 London and features a woman apothecary who not only dispenses healing herbs and medicines for other women, but also helps them deal with men in their lives who have done them wrong.
The story grabbed my attention at once, and the dual time line was very well done, without giving the reader whiplash about which time period you were reading about. The idea of women supporting and taking care of other women is brought up over and over again in the novel, with the acknowledgement that many women have little about their lives that leave a mark on the world that they can claim, particularly in the 1791 story. The reader comes to love these characters, in particular the apothecary and the present day woman. There are some twists and turns in the story that I didn't see coming, along with some outcomes that were easy to spot ahead of time. Overall this is a well-written, enjoyable read that was just right for my reading life right now.

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This book is a steady read full of interesting characters, new beginnings, friendships and perspectives. Two women (Eve and Sally) find themselves at an inflection point in their lives, and come across a third woman (Anastasia) who needs their help. They sign on to spend a few months living on Anastasia's narrowboat and driving it through the locks and canals to a shop some km away to be refurbished. Along the way Eve and Sally have time to reflect on their own lives to this point and be honest with themselves about what they want and what might need to change. They meet many people in the narrowboat community who expand their perspectives and enrich their experience. I enjoyed reading this - many thanks to Bookbrowse and #Netgalley for the complimentary ebook.

Great story about a part of history I didn't know anything about. Books like this remind me of the power of story to help us understand what happened in our history with context and in a way that we will remember. This author approaches historical fiction with the intent to honor history and will re-tool the plot when her research uncovers information that require it. It's impressive. This book centers around three women who are all in different types of trouble and whose lives intersect during the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 that hit the Florida keys. There were many influences on people living in the keys during this time that are demonstrated through the story: The depression, the veterans from WWI that have come home and the government has given them jobs working on Flagler's railroad through the keys, a large criminal element tied to NY mob activity in the keys at this time; the end of prohibition a few years prior during which the keys played a large part in smuggling, the 1933 Cuban revolution and changes in society happening during this time. The author somehow was able to weave all these things together into a story that felt like anything but a history lesson. The characters may not all be likeable, but they are believable and there is a lot to discuss here. This would be a good book club pick, particularly during hurricane season!

This is the first of Jennifer Weiner's books that I've read, and I liked it. It's a story of a young woman who struggles with her weight and how it impacts her self image and her relationships contrasted to another young woman who appears to have it all. It's a story that needs telling about the power and falsehoods of social media and the world in which young people live in 2020. Themes include body image, family, friendships, forgiveness, acceptance, and appearances. This would be a good book club pick. It's a quick read and there are a lot of topics that could make for a good discussion.

Very well written book about the pandemic of 1918 set in a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The main character is a maternity nurse/midwife, and the story is told over three days in which she must try to save women and infants who are battling poverty, influenza, mistreatment, and difficult deliveries. There is much to discuss with this story, and somehow the author manages to address many topics without the reader getting whiplash with topic changes, including the horrible conditions due to WWI or the pandemic or poverty, the perspective of Nurse Powers versus that of Bridie, a volunteer who has grown up with literally nothing, finding love in unlikely places, societal ‘norms' for mothers and infants, the role of women during the war, even the political upheaval of the time in Ireland. Highly recommend for a book club book to discuss.

This is one of the better romances I've read in a while. I went in expecting a typical light read romance, where the two characters (who inevitably fall in love) start out hating each other, etc etc - follow formula here. What I found instead in this story was more. There is still the romance, and the two characters finding their way toward each other, but there was also a lot of good stuff in here about family, forgiveness, secrets, and all the baggage we all carry into our relationships with everyone around us. More than once the line “people aren't math problems” is used - there is so much complexity to all of our lives that nothing is quite as simple as it often seems. This reads like a light ‘beach read' but includes enough ‘real' stuff to make it appeal even to those who don't normally like romance novels. This will definitely be on my list to suggest for book club in the future - something to appeal to everyone and LOTS to discuss!

I can see what all the buzz is about this book. It will stay with me a while for sure. Themes of race and identity, sexuality and identity, family and identity, secrets and identity - see a pattern here? Desiree and Stella are black twins born in a town in the south that values light-colored skin above all. They leave and each lead separate lives. The reader is left to wonder, which was a better life? Which was worse? How do you measure such things? This is a really well-written, deep story with many layers. Would be great book club choice to discuss.

It's been ages since I read a GOOD science fiction story. This story starts with a young woman whose father is on the run for releasing leaked government information about first contact with extraterrestrials. There are many boilerplate directions a story like this could go, but this one surprises! It is a page turner, with unique themes - Is truth a human right? Is it ethical to lie by omission? How far should one go to protect family? What is family? The author also poses thought-provoking issues about first contact and how that might go, and if perhaps we humans might get it all wrong? If you would like a new and different science fiction read that is well written and compelling, this should be on your list!

I received this book from Netgalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced.
#AxiomsEnd

Thank you #netgalley #stmartinspress for my free advanced copy! This will be published in July. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this because last year I loved Things You Save in a Fire. I loved this story. The themes of resilience and dealing with trauma in different forms were so timely right now. The characters have (many) flaws, but the author does a good job of showing the reader the depth of the main characters and the reasons for their attitudes and decisions. Throw in a little romance and it was a great read perfect for the weekend and reading on my porch. There was laughter, a story that held my interest and lots of feels.

I had never read this classic before, and while I can see that it is well-written, it's not for me. I finished it because it was a book club book, but found it hard to get through. It's not a book that I will keep, re-read, and think about a great deal.

It has been a long time since I read a book that scared me. That had me unwilling to read it at night. This book is really well done. It will scare you and bring you for a ride and keep you guessing about what is real and what isnt. Highly recommend!

While I was reading this I kept feeling like I was reading the book equivalent of a Jordan Peele movie - What is going on? Are these good people or bad people? What is going on? Now that I've finished it, I'm not sure I got my answers, but I certainly have a LOT to think about. It is amazing to know this was written BEFORE 2020 threw all it has at us. Themes about family, parenting, climate change, politics, youth, technology, and more out of a quick read that I can't wait to see brought to the big screen by Netflix with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. If the author's purpose was to show the reader a slice of life in the midst of mysterious events, he succeeded. This one is worth reading and thinking about.

This book will stay with me for a while. It presents itself as an interesting twist on life - someone who has a definitive life plan set out for them gets a glimpse into the future. The story takes twists and turns with characters that you come to know and cheer for. Themes of friendship, true love, family, and more make this a great read that I highly recommend.

So, I read this during the COVID-19 pandemic. Right in the middle of it, as the infections in NC are still increasing. Let's start with the book - it's very well done. A pandemic hits the global community and spreads like wildfire. At the heart of the book is a CDC scientist who had worked on bioweapons in his previous career until an event made him realize his research was being used for offense and not defense, so he switched gears to work for the good guys. This book would have grabbed and held my attention even if we were not living through a version of it. This book would be great for book club discussions, as there is a lot to talk about. I would recommend it!
I do want to add my thoughts on reading this book in the current state of the world. We have an author who did research, and found out what might happen with a novel virus that is unleashed in the world, whether intentionally or not. It was shocking that so many things in the storyline have been eerily similar if not exactly what has played out in 2020. If an author was able to figure out what would happen, I am so frustrated and angry that the US government didn't do more in advance of this thing and responding to it. Because if an author had access to all this information, the government does too. Someone somewhere told the people in charge what was coming and what was possible and they didn't react immediately. They still aren't. It's shameful.

We chose this book for book club this year and after reading it I'm thrilled to talk to the author at our meeting this week! This is a story of three sisters who find out some shocking secrets after their father dies. It's also a story of family, sisterhood, forgiveness and growing into the person you are meant to be. All of the sisters in the novel face their own challenges, and they each deal with them in their own personal way. While the characters are not always likeable, they are very real and the story is very satisfying to read. By the midpoint of the story I was rooting for all of them. I was also looking forward to reading this book due to the setting in New England, and I'm a New England girl at heart. On Lian Dolan's website there are pictures of the town that serves as inspiration for the novel's setting. I can totally relate to
If you are looking for a book to finish out your summer or prepare for all the holiday family gatherings this year, I would recommend this one. I feel like this is a good book club choice, also, as there is a lot to discuss about the story and the choices the characters make.

I can see why this book got so much buzz when it came out. What a great story. It begins with an unbelievable situation about children that catch on fire, and ends in a heartwarming way where these children find a home with someone who loves them. The audio version is wonderful and something about the accent of the narrator seemed to fit the character perfectly.

Another solid Stephanie Plum novel with her family and side-kicks and love interests. Realized I missed #26 but this story stood on its own. A new character is introduced in this book that the author is writing about this year. I think my favorite character is still after all these books Grandma Mazur. She makes me laugh out loud every time.

I was excited to get this book from the library to read and dug right in. This college admissions scandal story is told from the perspective of the student whose parents cheat to get them into the college of their choice. While this sounded to me like a juicy ‘ripped from the headlines' story, it is more accurate to say it's a coming of age story of sorts. The author does a good job of bringing the reader along with the young woman who experiences shock, denial, anger, and eventually grows as a person to understand all the many layers of wrong that happened. She loses so much and finds her real self at the end.