MARCH 3.0

A History of Loneliness by John Boyne
Irish author John Boyne (The Heart's Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky) is truly one of my favorite writers and it has little to do with the content of his stories. He writes with a golden pen, but not too verbose, he develops his characters deeply and forces me to care about them, warts and all, and he weaves his themes subtly, not smacking me in the face with life's lessons. In this older book of his, Boyne takes on the Catholic Church, as he tells of the last forty years in Ireland of the church's power, its abuses, its hierarchy, all through the eyes of one priest, Odran Yates. It is a gorgeous, heartbreaking, complex story that I read in two days. It pummeled my heart. I won't forget it easily.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
This NYC-based YA writer has become a go-to author for me, having read four of his books in the last few months. This one shows us the life of Matt, a teenage boy who lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with his father, a mother dead of breast cancer, friends at school who no longer know what to say to him, and a sassy girl who drags him to a homeless shelter for Thanksgiving. And on top of all this, Matt chooses to work in a funeral home, thus he wears his black suit each day to school, before his work shift. This is a powerful story that addresses themes of loss, of love, a coming of age story that will resonate with any age.


The Unseen World by Liz Moore
If you read Long Bright River, then you know what a talented writer Liz Moore is. This is her previous book, focusing this time on a small, very unique family. We meet Ada Sibelius at the age of twelve, raised solo by her father David, who is a computer scientist in the early days of computing. Ada doesn't attend school; instead, her school is the lab with David and all his team, thus it is all she knows. However, as David starts to show signs of dementia, Ada's life changes dramatically. As the story unfolds, we see her life through snippets of time, as she works to unlock the code that David leaves her, to discover the secrets of both is life, and of her's. Brilliant writing, compelling story, unique plot line - highly recommend.

Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo by Louise Callaghan
This is the story of Abu Laith, an Iraqi man obsessed with animals for his entire life, now trying to save the few animals left in the city of Mosul, not a place a human wants to be in the last decade much less a group of animals. I listened to this book, with a wonderful narrator, and learned so much not just about this family, but also about the American and Isis battles in Iraq, how it impacted lives, and how it changed people forever. Abu Laith was a 'complicated' man; I question whether I would like him in reality. He is arrogant, pompous, dictatorial, and sexist. Yet he is also caring, compassionate, and willing to risk his life to save a couple lions and a bear. His wife is a crack up, who takes no crap from this man. If you're looking for a unique audio, this is it:)

The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Gamache #3) by Louise Penny
I am slowly working my way through the entire Louise Penny mystery series, reading just one a month (otherwise, the number of them are overhwhelming!). They are a bit like coming home and putting on a comfy pair of slippers; you know the characters, you recognize the town, and you are always entertained. This time around, a woman has been 'scared to death' at a seance at the creepy old home in the middle of the community of Three Pines. Inspector Gamache also has some political problems of his own to deal with, as well as personnel issues on his own team. I did not find this one as compelling as the last two, but I will still march on and pick up #4 because they're still better than some of the crap, thin thrillers that populate the publishing world.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Trying to escape the world we are currently living in? Jump into this YA fantasy book - it's a good one:) As a baby, Elisabeth was dropped off at one of the 'Great Libraries' and raised to become a warden of the books, except these are not ordinary books. Instead, they are rather 'alive', as they contain all the creepy magic spells of the sorcerers who read them, and if you don't watch out, these spells escape and become monsters to be killed. And the sorcerers? Yeah, they have to sell a few years of their lives to a demon in order to obtain and keep their magic, so it's a bit of a conundrum. I told you it was an escape book - good stuff!