June

 

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

First, let's just address the elephant in the room...everyone, but everyone loved Reid's last two books (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six) so it is fair to compare? I don't think so, so here's my thoughts on her latest... One, she's created some lovely characters in the four Riva children, who were abandoned by their famous singer of a father, raised by their alcoholic mother and oldest sister, these four are magical. Oh, how I wish I had siblings this loyal, this fierce, this passionate. Second, I did love the Malibu 1983 setting, as well as the slow march through the decades that involved the Riva's parents and their love story. Reid addresses some deep family issues, as well as what was going on in society during those crazy 1980's. Ultimately, I did enjoy this book (especially the final 30 pages), but I'm not sure it will be memorable? Yet, is that necessary? It was entertaining, thoughtful, had some strong women, but a bit fluffy for my taste. A around a good summer read. I think.  

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this is a DEBUT - seriously? This book is just so damn good, one of my favorite YA books I have read in years. A mystery set in the upper peninsula of Michigan, this story encompasses so much but never seems to over do it. The main character, Daunis, is just starting college, having chosen to attend the local state school rather than the University of Michigan. Torn between her mother's family of French background and her father's Native tribe, Daunis is just simply a stud. Smart, strong, courageous, loyal, and deeply committed to her indigenous roots, she chooses to work with the FBI to uncover the meth network wreaking havoc on her tribe, and her own family life. I learned so much from this book about traditional medicine as well as lifestyle, but also was so thoroughly entertained by the plot line and characters that I never wanted to put book down. Highly recommend the audio as the narrator is spot on. Wow, just wow - this book will give you one huge, five-martini book hangover! (PS the author is a serious badass, having been Director of the Office of Indian Education for the U.S. Dept of Ed., and this book has already been optioned by the Obama's for a Netflix series, so yeah, read this book!)

Deep River by Karl Malantes

Yikes, this book was looooong at over 700 pages. Set in the PNW where I was raised, it covers the first thirty years of the twentieth century from the lives of Finnish immigrants. Logging, fishing, farming, unionizing, family, life, death, it is an epic story of an epic time here in my neck of the woods. This story visited places of my childhood where I camped and fished, used real characters from my WA state history class in high school, and helped explain why I look at old railroad ties still in the lake on which I live, as they led to the timber baron’s camp further up Lake Whatcom. So for me, it was in many ways a story of my own ancestry in my small PNW world - I loved it. Would others from a different background and homeland? Unsure. It is epic, a bit too preachy with the union battles, but ultimately I thoroughly enjoyed this tale loosely based on Finnish folklore and my own home state.

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Laurie Frankel (This is How It Always Is) is back with a new book! Three is a magic number in fairytales, but this story is not fairytale. Triplets Mab, Monday, and Mirabel (yes, corresponding syllables for their birth order) are quite the trio in their birthplace of Bourne, a town ruined by a chemical company years ago. Since the river turned green, their mother Nora gave birth to these girls, one who is hangs with the high-achievers in their high school, one who is somewhere on the spectrum and has a deep love for libraries and the color yellow, and the final girl, Mirabel, who is wheelchair bound, using a voice amplifier that translates her typed words, and is brilliant and wise beyond belief. As the new boy in town throws all three for a loop, seeing as he is the grandson of the owner of the original chemical plant, the story plays out. Can the town be reborn (yes, the pun is apropos). Can their mother win the class action law suit? Can the girls come together or will they be torn apart by opposing goals? I laughed out loud so many times; the audio is money, with the three girls’ voices. This is a book that makes you think about the environment and its impact on personal health, of how towns live and die due to the industry that is a vital part of their being, of how public perception of ‘normal’ is so f-ed up and inaccurate, and how three girls can squeeze your heart so hard, that you will never forget them. 

Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

Another thriller about an author, an assistant, a stolen idea, a traded identity? Is it worth your time? Hell yes! The fun piece of this novel is the characters - they are all heartily detestable. As in, I couldn’t root for any of them but good grief, I was curious to see where this story was going? Florence Darrow, a young woman who aspires to writing but writes pretty much crap that no one likes, is arrogant, prickly, and all together unpleasant. She leaves her editing job and becomes an assistant To Maud Dixon. Who is she? Just the author of the biggest book of the year, but who lives incognito and writes under a pseudonym. She’s also weird as hell. And that’s all you get as I wouldn’t want to give more away. Definitely a thriller that satisfies!!

Landslide by Susan Conley

Many trusted book sources raved over this novel, and granted, I did find it to be very well-written. However, I also found it to be rather boring. It is the story of a mother with two teenage sons, whose fisherman husband has been hospitalized due to a boat explosion. An introspective character study of motherhood, focused solely on sons, is the entirety of the book. For me, it felt too narrow. I found myself being judge-y, but then also apathetic about some life decisions. Yet in the end, it felt like nothing changed from the beginning of the story to the end. Perhaps that was the point? Ultimately, this book was just not my cup of tea. Just keeping it real so you always know I'm honest:)

The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa

A multi-generational story of a Palestinian family, whose beginning story comes from the inception of Israel in 1948 and the unceasing violence between the two cultures since then. I do not pretend to know all the many details, the years-long clash, the political overview of this region. What I do know is that each side is deserving of its story to be told. Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa gives us a family for the ages, of women who see beyond life into a world beyond, of family ties that cross continents, of children who are traumatized and shaped into adults. Once I began this book, it was literally impossible to put it down. So many complex characters and situations, with a myriad of opinions, choices, possibilities. This book will make you think, to question, to be angry, to be sad, to be joyful, to feel all the feels. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

I loved No Exit, Adam's huge hit two years ago, so I was excited to get my hands on this early copy of his latest. Ultimately, however, I was pretty disappointed. It read like a rough, rough, rough draft with inconsistent POV, weird plot movement, and needing a lot of patience to get to the satisfying ending. I wish he had switched up genres a bit, instead of trying to replicate the success of No Exit.