June Reading

The Last Flight by Julie Clark
If you are looking for a page-turning, rollicking, roller coaster ride of a thriller, look no further - I could not put this book down. Two women, Claire and Eva, both have secrets, both need to escape their current lives, both are desperate. So when one offers a 'switch' to the other, the plot begins to roll. This book is tensely and tautly written, flushing out some intriguing minor characters, developing some creepy bad guys, and making one care about these two women. Thrillers are often a miss for me, with implausible story lines or endings you can see coming for miles but not this one. This book is creating a ton of buzz as the 'thriller of the summer' and it is well deserved.

The Second Home by Christina Clancy

This story is about more than a vacation home on Cape Cod. On the surface, it is the story of two sisters and their adopted brother, and a special place in their history. But underneath, ah, that is where the magic happens. This book is about blended families, of words unspoken, of secrets left to fester, of momentous events that shape one's life, of greed that can warp, of freedom that sets one free, of love deep and abiding, of sisters and brothers and parents and children. I found this debut author to be a beautiful writer; she drew me in immediately with her ability to develop characters and her words set me right on the sands of South Wellfleet, or in the neighborhood of Milwaukee. An extremely compelling and powerful novel, I will be first in line for her second outing. Well done!!

All Adults Here by Emma Straub
From the beginning, we see Astrid, the central character, who witnesses a friend being hit by a bus. Needless to say, this could cause anyone to contemplate their life and the choices they made. As the shifting perspective gives us glimpses into each character's lives, we see the chaos of who they love, the push and pull of family ties, the guilt as wella s regret of parenting, the pain of isolation, the difficulty of friendship, and yes, all the many color of just plain living. Straub makes both mom and children authentically human imperfect, aggravating as hell, idiotic, and occasionally endearing. I adored this book because it is a slice of real life. It made me cheer for this family, made me want better for them, made me laugh and cringe and feel joy. She dealt with LGBTQ issues in a perfect manner, normalizing what should always be seen as normal. What a wonderful book!

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Dear lord, this book. I was shrieking with laughter during the first few pages, as we are introduced to some hilariously awful, stereotyped southern ladies who turn out to actually be pretty badass. This eclectic group of women have a lovely little book club that obsessively reads gruesome true crimes novels. Yet, once a creepy stranger moves into their neighborhood and invades their lives, children start disappearing out in the countryside and weird freaky stuff happens in their own lives (can I say RATS?! Good grief!)  I am not normally a 'horror' reader, but this book combines campy humor, southern legend, 1990's life, poor parenting choices, awful spouses, and serious blood and gore; I could not put it down. It is a unique, fascinating, creative story, and just what I needed for some sheer entertainment!

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight
After a wretchedly sad book that I could not finish, I needed a page-turning thriller to get my reading juices flowing. This accomplished it, as far as the page turning, but aargh, it left my brain in turmoil with the thinness of the plot and an ending that made me want to poke my eyes out. Ultimately, I think perhaps it was more a marketing mistake? This is the story of a swanky Brooklyn neighborhood and the moms who inhabit it, not perhaps a murder mystery; Amanda, wife of a rich entrepreneur, murder victim and child of abuse; Sarah, over involved PTA mother married to the guy who 'helps' everyone in the 'hood; Maude, wife to the hot French doctor, whose daughter has deep troubles; and Zach, the accused who reaches out to an old law school friend, Lizzie, who has some problems of her own. If you're not as picky as I am, I suspect you'll love this thriller. If, however, you like deeply constructed, hole-free plots, with some plausibility factored in, this book may leave you wanting.

May 2.0

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd is a beautiful historical fiction writer, and it shows in her story of Ana, the wife of Jesus. (I know, he wasn't married. But was he? Do we truly know?) Yet this is not Jesus's story to tell, it is Ana's. We see the beginning of the millennium through her eyes, a young girl who is compelled to write, who searches desperately to have her voice heard, who longs for a life that cannot be her's, and who shares a love with an all-together human man. This book kept me tightly in its grasp, haunting my dreams, entering my thoughts at odd moments. Ana inspired me. She showed me what the church could have been, should have been throughout history, where women are not marginalized, where they are leaders, where they have value more than only as a wife or mother, where women are equals. This could have been a controversial book, but instead Kidd composed a siren song of haunting beauty that calls each woman to follow her own destiny and yes, her longings.

The End of October by Lawrence Wright
Wright is a Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Looming Towers and an incredibly adept researcher. In this foray into fiction, he follows a pandemic - yep, welcome to our world. This may not be something you want to see right now, but...if you're looking for a roller coaster of a medical thriller ride, with some super intriguing and factual virus info thrown in, hop on board! Is it deep character development? Nope. Is it lyrically written? Nope. Will it make you sleep easier at night? Definitely not. But if you want to be thoroughly entertained with a book that is impossible to put down, then this book will do just that.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Picture this: a man and a woman marry post WWII and start a family. A big one. A really big one. As in, they have ten boys right in a row, followed by two girls. That would be story enough, right?! Yet to add another layer, six of the ten boys are diagnosed with schizophrenia as teenagers and young men. And I thought my family had some struggles??!! This book follows not only the family, but looked at the history of schizophrenia, the medical research then and now, the variety of research done on genetic and familial markers, the pharmaceutical companies and their lack of involvement, the whole enchilada of this mental illness, all encapsulated in the Galvin family. I suspect some parts may be a bit dry when it delves deeply into research, so I listened to it - fabulous  narrator:)

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
This is a book that can heal your heart, if you have been reading books of sorrow or tragedy. As I walked through Tehran in 1953, with the two young lovers, I could see the colors of a cosmopolitan city, I could hear the whispers of rebellion, I could taste the crunchy rice with saffron and cinnamon, I could feel the political unrest, I could smell the books and ink in the stationery shop every Tuesday. I was reminded that once-in-a-lifetime love does exist, that grief can heal, that redemption can be found, that history is all around us.

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
I know, another pandemic book, like really??? But it's a great non-fiction that is not too dry and boring (I also listened to it which was great), and it gives a perspective on not only the 1918 flu pandemic, but other historical plagues, and what the world should be doing to be prepared. I learned a ton, plus it was written in 2019 so it is very up to date.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
I rarely reread books; this one deserves it. It is a story of two twins on the California coast, Jude, the wild child, whose curls define her, whose life takes a detour she did not expect, and of Noah, the artist, the boy who sees pictures in his mind, who wants a life of art, who loves his mother deeply, whose life also changes in one singular moment. This book will shatter your heart into pieces, and then glue those pieces back together in the most beautiful mosaic. Don't. Miss. This. Book.

May Reading

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
To all the teachers in my life, you need to read this book - trust me. This book is like a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips, a pint of Chubby Hubby, and a bowl of popcorn...in other words, it is impossible to put down. Take a helicopter mom on steroids, an overly dedicated English teacher, a newbie who just wants to keep her job, a rebellious kid, an incompetent principal, and a worn-out husband, mix in a high school drama production, stir it into this book, and have a delicious time of reading:)

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
This is a difficult one for me to review, as I think I would have liked it better during a different time period. Set in the 1600's, Hargrave explores witch hunting, religious extremism, women's independence, love, as well as abuse, all taking place in one small village in Norway. Fascinating historical fiction based on real events, beautifully written and well executed, it was just a bit too 'gray' for me, a bit too sad, and with little lightness.

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
This is a lovely story of sisters, of life as an 'other' in our country, of surviving grief, of reaching outside oneself to others, of how mental illness impacts an entire family, and a beautiful piece of writing. Not a plot driven story, but directed by the Dominican characters found within. Antonia is the center of this piece, rocked by the death of her husband, with a pregnant illegal immigrant to deal with, as well as her oldest sister with bi-polar disorder and the other sisters who try to alleviate her pain. I listened to this one and found the narration to be lovely, the story to be engrossing but not a page-turner thriller - definitely a good book if you are looking for Own Voices.

Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagan
Recommended to me by a book-loving friend, I am so glad this one showed up on my radar. I'm not even sure how to categorize it? Love story? Friendship story? Life drama? It is the story of Jim, a struggling writer, Rob, the best friend from childhood, and Lou, Rob's wife. As Jim has strong feelings for Lou, as Rob's marriage starts to unwind, as Lou struggles to find herself, the story takes some unexpected turns. It is not my typical fare, and I could not stop reading - engrossing story of what makes a family, the stones life throws into our life road, and how one dodges and weaves through time. Loved it:)

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
This book ostensibly checked all the boxes for me: unique setting (Nigeria), strong female lead (Adunni), inspiring themes about education, and well-developed characters. However, I definitely needed to read it during a happier time period. As Adunni is married off to an old man in her village, she searches for a future life with more hope. She is an amazing character, but this book was so drenched in sadness for me, that it was hard to read during our quarantine life. The broken English writing style is difficult to adjust to, but does add to the authenticity of the voice. Definitely a unique story to add to your TBR list.

The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey
Set in an assisted living home, a young girl climbs through the window of roommates and best friends, Duffy and Carl. Josie brings with her a plethora of troubles, all things that will not only get Duffy into grave trouble, but could get him kicked out of the best home he has had. This book was well-written, had some good humor in it, as well as some pointed messages about how we age, yet I had some major issues with some of the plot points. Getting clean and sober is a lot harder than sometimes imagined here in this story, and the Christian orthodoxy was too prevalent for me. I do think this book will resonate with many readers, just not for me.