Tricia Nelson
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.
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.
https://dev.edelweiss.plus/?sku=0778311015&g=4400
A graphic novel/memoir about an East Indian American who shares what it is like to be a dark-skinned American of Indian descent in today's America, in a family with close ties to family living in India, as a mother of a mixed-race son, and wife of a Jewish white man with conservative parents in Florida. Whew - sounds like a lot of heavy stuff, but it was so well done - the author shared her story with humor and truth. I read this in two large gulps over two days, but don't let that fool you - this will stay with me. There were multiple passages I marked to copy down into my book journal. I had chills while reading her story of 9/11, when she witnessed the planes hitting the towers from lower Manhattan. I laughed with her crazy family stories and dating stories, and felt her sadness and frustration with her experiences with racism. It's a memoir of a woman trying to may her way, and finding the best way for her family and her child. I loved it.
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 just finished this book as part of a summer read-together with friends via zoom. We broke the story up into five Zoom chats based on the parts of the book, and it was a great way to work our way through the story. This book has a lot of things to discuss, and fostered great conversations and insights. From my perspective, I'm so glad I read it. It is a story rich in detail and depth, with characters that I enjoyed reading about, even if I didn't always like them very much. This is a book that I will hold on to to read again sometime in the future. There is so much that I likely missed the first time through. For anyone who feels that this book isn't accessible to them, please give it a shot. I read the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky and the writing is so good. The fact that the writing is a translation makes it even more impressive. Be prepared to like this more than you thought you might, and to need to take reading it a little slower than normal. It's a great book.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
Great book. What did I know about 1670's Massachusetts? Not much. But I feel like I got a good glimpse into the Puritan society in power there and the conflicts with the Native Americans during that time. I got pulled into the story, was appalled by the history included in the pages, and was rooting for the main character. I read this because I am part of a book club and this was the latest choice, and while I wouldn't have picked it up, I'm so glad it was chosen. The story is well-written and tells so much history without making it boring or hard to read. I inhaled this book over 36 hours - that's how good it is. Reading it during the same week as the racial tensions in our country explode felt strangely connected. We have a history in our country of treating non-white people horribly, and it's something that I know I didn't leave school being acutely aware of. This author treated this story with care and insight and it's a well-done book. I would recommend!
Last year I learned about Auden's Five Verdicts when you are evaluating a book. When I finished this for book club, I immediately thought that one of those verdicts would apply here: I can see that this is good, but I don't like it. This book challenged me. It is more than just a story, a story that is so improbable that I was forced to look for the message in it. (worth noting that I love book club for exactly this reason - I read and try to finish books I would otherwise not pick up or possibly finish). This author is clearly a gifted writer. This book is very very well written. I just had a hard time reading it. I wonder if it is because we are in such an uncertain and dark time with Coronavirus quarantines and concerns and over 60,000 dead Americans in a short time that this was hard to read. I've found myself searching for fluffy, easy, hopeful books over the past month. Having said that, I feel like this book is so good at describing a person who just wants to pull the covers over their head and come out when things are better. If the author is trying to paint a picture of a time before social media and smartphones had taken over our society, of a person so privileged they forget the meaning and value in things and other people, then I think she succeeded. A harsh light is shone on the characters and displays the real people they are, “worts and all” as the saying goes. There are certainly no filters and no public faces elaborated on here. I will likely read more from this author, but probably not until the reality around me looks a bit brighter.
In a style similar to Bridget Jones' Diary, this book is about Roxy, a young artist who is trying to make ends meet, find the right guy, and cope with her low-paying job at a Whole Foods deli counter. The book is written as a series of letters to her ex-boyfriend, but ends up reading much like a diary. Roxy has a LOT of misfortunes that are in turn laughable, cringeworthy, embarrassing, and more. She has a good heart but has trouble finding her place in her world. I had trouble getting into the book (I think because the letter format threw me for a bit), but having finished it, I can see the value in it's messages about the value of friendships, relationships, believing in yourself, and taking things in stride.
I am officially a Katherine Center fan. :) I've read two of her most recent books and then found out that they were making a movie from this backlist title of hers! I went online to the library and was able to borrow the ebook to read before watching the movie, which is being released to video streaming during this time of Covid-19. I liked this story a lot. There were some predictable parts, but there was enough left unknown that it kept my attention. The story deals with grief in different forms - relationships, family, death, loss, lifestyle, parenting - and does it in a way that makes the reader think about things without taking you out of the story. The author nails it about losing someone in that it is unbelievably hard and horrible, but that over time you realize that the loss just becomes part of your story, and doesn't compete with what happens to you after the loss. It makes you stronger in a way. Great book, looking forward to streaming the movie!
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 read this book as part of a book club, and really enjoyed it! It's been a while since I read a good mystery and this one kept me guessing. The author's writing and storytelling made this a quick read and I liked the diversity of the characters, in background and personality and socioeconomic situation. This novel does a nice job of presenting a Denver that is on the cusp of gentrification of part of the city in the early 90s maybe? I would love to spend some more time there. The mystery, however, is what makes this book so good. There are plot twists and things I didn't see coming. The other thing worth mentioning is the ending. Sometimes a story will have a long and intricate build up to an ending that is lacking - almost as if an editor said, “wrap it up this week” or “chop out 100 pages” to the author. This book is very well done in that respect. There is a mystery. It is brought to a resolution but in a complete manner that leaves the reader satisfied but without whiplash or questions remaining.
One of the reasons I enjoy book clubs is that I read books I might not otherwise have picked up. This is one of those books. The author does a wonderful job of explaining what happened to the Basque people in Spain and France right before and at the start of WWII, but he uses characters and settings to do so. The reader is quickly invested in the characters and their story. If I am every lucky enough to visit Spain and the town of Guernica, it will hold more meaning for me.
A few months ago I was fortunate to attend an event at an area library with this author for the release of her latest in her Tradd Street series. I realized that I'd probably enjoy them more if I read them in order, so I started with this book. It was a very fast read, even at almost 400 pages, with great characters and twists and turns in the plot. I saw some of them coming, but some I did not. I was a little frustrated at the beginning of the book when all these people (primarily men) were telling the main character what to do and kind of railroading her instead of her having control over her own life. By the end of the book, she has taken much more control of things, and is a stronger character. This book was written 12 years ago, which may have played into that part of the plot. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it though - I really enjoyed it, and having been to Charleston a few times, it was fun to read about places and restaurants that I'm familiar with. Charleston is indeed an old city with a rich history and a lot of spirits!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a well-written memoir of a man from NY who decides to walk the Appalachian Trail in it's entirety. The twist is that he is not a hiker, not a camper, and not entirely sure what the experience will hold, but this book lets the reader walk alongside him through his journey. It's a great story that made me laugh out loud and reflect and it was just plain enjoyable. Check out the video trailer at his website www.dericklugo.com.
A mystery with a touch of suspense and intrigue:
If you enjoy mysteries with a touch or suspense and intrigue, you will like The Paris Diversion! The characters from The Expats are at it again! This book has more depth to it if you've read the previous novel, but you don't have to have read it to enjoy this one.
The premise of this story is something new and intriguing, and will bring you on a ride trying to figure out who is doing what to whom.
I finally was able to pick up this book, and I'm sorry I didn't sooner. If you are looking for a twisty mystery that keeps you guessing until near the end, this is for you. I flew through this book in just a few days, as it was easy to pick up and get back into the story. This is written well enough that you are rooting for the main character, while all the while wondering who is good, who is bad, is all this in her head? The author does a satisfying job of keeping you guessing (I only guessed a few things) and then wrapping it all up with answers. Trigger warnings for emotional abuse, divorce, and npd.
I picked up this book because I was looking for something set in North Carolina, and a friend suggested this author, and I'm so glad I did. The book is very well written. So often of late books bop between time periods and characters and if it's not done well, the reader can get a little whiplash. This author does this very very well. The story pulls you in and keeps you there rooting for Ella and the other workers. If you like historical fiction, this is a great book about a little known event that impacted the textile mills in the South. Recently someone mentioned to me how history is written by the winners and the powerful. I was reminded of this when I finished this book and read the interview with the author at the end.