April 2019

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams
Admittedly, I am slightly morbid in my devotion and love of death memoirs. Having sat by the bedside of both dying parents, I am always searching for the 'good' death, wondering if it truly exists? This new book by Julie Yip-Williams is a worthy member of the canon of beautiful memoirs. Julie is a mother of little two girls, shockingly diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at the age of 37. Having survived an escape from war-torn Vietnam, lived with legal blindness, earned a degree from Harvard Law School, this was not the expected trajectory of her life. You will read of her past, her near-infanticide as a handicapped baby, her years of treatments as the disease ravages her body, and her strong desire to build a future for her husband and daughters. Most importantly to me, was her raw honesty and authenticity: her anger, bitterness, and frustration; the agony of treatment decisions; the battle to hold on just one more year, month, day; and yes, the final acceptance of the 'unwinding' of the miracle of life. I wept at the unfairness, and also reveled in the final chapter, knowing I will keep this book close when my time comes.

The Editor by Steven Rowley
Combine the art of how a book comes to life with an age-old fascination with Jackie Kennedy, and it is no surprise that I loved this book. It begins with a phone call to a hopeful young author, James, to come and meet at the Doubleday office in NYC about publishing his book. Unbeknownst to him, until she enters the conference room, it is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has fallen in love with his book. As the story takes us through the heavy editing process, the complicated relationship with his boyfriend, and the search for the book's ending, James and Mrs. Onassis form an intriguing bond. Not an intimate friendship, but not just editor and client, she pushes him to dig deep into his own emotions and find what is stopping him from the perfect conclusion to his semi-autobiographical novel. At a memorable family meal, James learns the secret that has directed much of his relationship with his mother and even his father, a revelation that will have significant consequences. This is a beautiful little story, wrapped with gorgeous prose and intriguing bits of historical trivia that is throughly enjoyable.


My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Bonnie and Clyde meet Ted Bundy and his wife...kinda how this book reads. What happens when a young married couple, madly in love, striving to find financial stability, working to build careers, team up and decide that becoming co-serial killers is a great idea?! Yep, you get this book. It is a roller coaster of a ride, with some humor in spots, some daaaark places in their past, some eye-opening decisions, and some fabulous twists that leads down a long and twisted rabbit hole. Looking for that next great thriller? This could be it.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
Found in the YA section of bookstores, I cannot recommend this one unless your teen really likes to be scared. Wow, this is a spine tingler, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck, don't-read-it-at-night kind of book. Makepeace, a young girl raised in a Puritan family outside London, in the midst of the civil unrest of the 1600's, actually belongs to an old aristocratic family who has an 'interesting' skill - the ability to hold ghosts within their skin, hence the title. As the civil war heats up and the family starts losing bodies, they need more willing victims to hide their spirits from years ago, causing some issues for both Makepeace and her beloved half-brother. Beautifully written, this creative story is highly entertaining.

The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) by Dervla McTiernan
Ah, the next great Irish mystery writer has arrived and this time instead of Tana French from Dublin, it is Dervla McTiernan who sets her stories in Galway. This first in the series begins with a death, that of a young doctor's boyfriend who throws himself off a bridge in a surprising suicide. As Jack's sister Maude becomes involved, the two women begin to suspect that the police are hiding evidence and burying what should be a murder. Entwined in this story is Detective Reilly's cold case involving the death of a negligent mother and two young children. Being a big fan of mysteries, I often see where the trail is leading sooner than I would like; however, not with this one. McTiernan is masterful plotter, weaving small clues throughout, building peripheral characters slowly so that when all is revealed, the pieces fit together perfectly. This is a huge hit in the UK and should be soon here in the states. when people discover this incredibly talented new author. (And if you like to listen to books, the narrator has a beautiful Irish lilt)

The Liar (Eddie Flynn #3) by Steve Cavanaugh

Having loved this Irish writer's last book, The Defense, I had to go all the way to the UK to find this next book before #4 comes out in August. Yes, I like this author, this character, that much. I have always loved a good legal mystery but throw together a conman turned defense attorney, a badass female FBI agent, a corrupt lawyer, and a few mysterious deaths, and I am hooked. I stayed up waaaay too late at night finishing this page turner. If you're looking for a legit 'pleasure' book, a cracking good tale, then this one is it:)

Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly
I was a bit torn by this one, eventually landing on 3.5 stars. On one hand, it is a well-written drama about how a family falls apart. Yet, the marketing of it as a thriller/mystery is a bit disconcerting. The story begins with a busy medical student rushing her two little girls off one morning; when mom becomes ill and passes out in a sketchy gas station bathroom, she awakens to an empty car. Taking the point of view in different chapters are a variety of characters: the overworked mom, as her life falls apart for the years following her daughters' disappearance; the young Native man who is spiritually connected to the girls; the Traveler who kidnaps the girls who has deep issues of her own; and the oldest daughter herself, as she works to discover who she really is. No mystery is really involved here, but the disintegration of people's lives is engrossing and entertaining as one reads to a rather predictable ending. Solid debut novel - I will definitely check out her next book as I thought her character development was rich.