Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

 

Having read and enjoyed TJ Alexander’s last novel, Second Chances in New Port Stephen, https://sunrisesandsuch.blogspot.com/2023/11/second-chances-in-new-port-stephen-5.html, I was eager to see what they were up to in Triple Sec. I found the same fascinating writing, great characters and a different kind of love story. I also found a great story, of Mel, a bartender extraordinaire, Kade, and artist, and Bebe, a lawyer, who find themselves drawn to each other. The development of the relationship, from single to couple to throuple was a fun ride, with Alexander’s sensitive humor and presentation. The settings were very well done as well and left me wanting to go order cocktails at both Terror & Virtue AND Collective Spirits.

This author excelled at staying true to her character’s pronoun choice, though as an older reader, I had trouble keeping it straight. That’s my weakness, not Alexander’s and it was good to see a full book carry it off.

Other readers have commented that the book was “spicy” or “steamy” which I know is a draw for many readers. There are explicit sex scenes (some I wasn’t sure were physically plausible) and if you like that, this book will make you happy. I might be a little too conservative for it, but I recognize the talent in the imagination and the writing.

Triple Sec was released June 4, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

 

Venice holds a special place in the mind and imagination of people all over the world. I visited for the first time in 2023 and was delighted to receive a set of beautiful blue patterned Murano, (Venice’s “attendant island”) glass at Christmas. Needless to say, I was delighted to read Tracy Chevalier’s new book, The Glassmaker, which traces the history of Venice and Murano through the eyes of a glassmaking family, over five hundred years. The narrator explains to the reader in the first line of the novel: “The City of Water runs by its own clock…” While centuries pass for the rest of the world, the Rosso family of the book ages much more slowly. By using the same characters of the span of five centuries, we witness the continuities and struggle for the well-drawn Rosso family, and Orsola Rosso particularly, who we meet at nine years of age. Her passions, both for family, glass, community, and all it means to be Venetian tells the brilliant story of five hundred years of history, made personal. It is historical fiction at its finest.

Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for the review copy. The Glassmaker was published on June 18, 2024.

One of my Murano glasses.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

 

Lisa Wingate has a talent of making historical fiction urgent authentic.  As she did in Before We Were Yours, she champions heroic children who find themselves in situations not of their own making, but always at their peril. In Shelterwood, those children are orphans of the Choctaw Tribe in Oklahoma. Told from dual narratives, one from 1909, in the voice of eleven-year Olive Augusta Peele, whose family has “adopted” Choctaw sisters, and the other from 1990, from Valerie Boren-Odell, a young National Park Service officer.  Because of the way the resource rich land of Oklahoma was divided among tribe members, the children were prime targets for the exploitation of early developers.  The later narrative focuses on the sacred national park services and protection of the trees and natural condition of the parks.

As she has done before, Wingate teaches her readers the obscure facts that convince us to care about these children and characters and applaud the people who worked to solve the problems.  It is a fascinating book.  

Shelterwood releases on June 4, 2024. Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this copy for review.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson

 

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson, is the kind of historical fiction that makes learning history not just interesting, but delightful. Contrasting the strictures of social class in post WWII England, with the upper class holding on to tradition that no longer works for anyone, especially their daughters, with a generation of women who filled all jobs while men were away fighting the war makes for built in conflict generally, but Simonson brings that conflict home with the wonderful men and women she creates.

Our protagonist, Constance Haverhill, has been orphaned and cast out from her family’s farm for no reason of her own. The rules of primogeniture meant that her brother inherited everything, and she was left to figure out how to get along on her own. Sent to the seaside as nursemaid to the matriarch of the family where her mother was in service creates an opportunity for Constance to understand her own skills and talents, even as she battles proper conduct for a young lady. When she is befriended by Poppy, an heiress in her own right, but also a believer in the power and talent of women, Constance learns that there are many gray areas when considering what is right and proper for men and women alike.

This book was captivating, endearing, frustrating and a wonderful reminder of how far we’ve come. I didn’t actually think I could enjoy a “war” book so much! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the review copy of this excellent book. The book was released May 7, 2024.

 

The Rom-Commers

 

The Rom-Commers

I fell for Katherine Center when she introduced another author (I don’t remember that author!) at a reading. Her vivacious personality and down to earth manner, coupled with her academic background made me curious. That led me to her books, and frankly, she can’t write fast enough for me.

Katherine has a philosophy that we should read for joy, and her books let us do just that. Rom-Commers, her 2024 novel, is no exception. She creates fabulous characters, sets them in places that ignite imagination and then weaves a story with them that is one that is hard to put down.

Rom-Commers is the tale of Emma, a talented romance screen writer whose career is derailed before it gets started by family tragedy. Charlie is her screen writing hero. Even though he doesn’t write Rom Coms, she’s seen every movie he’s written for. So, when she gets the chance to “help” Charlie fix his terrible attempt at a Rom Com, she jumps at the chance.

It's a classic Rom Com…you don’t need me to tell you the ending, but the journey is fun, interesting, and educational. It’s also a lot of fun. Thanks to Katherine, St Martins and NetGalley. The book will be released June 11, 2024

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle

 

Seth and Molly were high school sweethearts, until Molly, the child of divorced parents, bolts.  By all appearances, they were the perfect couple, but because of her father’s actions surrounding her parents’ divorce, Molly has major trust issues.

Fast forward to their fifteenth high school reunion. She’s a script writer for Rom-Coms and a consummate cynic. He’s a divorce lawyer who believes in soulmates.  Seated at the same table, Seth and Molly remember their friendship, and … no spoilers here.  The book goes on to document their adorable relationship and painful break ups.  They are delightful, funny, and so messed up we don’t have any idea how it’s going to end.  All I’ll tell you is that I hated to see the book end!.

Just Some Stupid Love Story is a great read for summer, and for everyone who’s ever rekindled an old love.  It’s available now, published on June 4, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the review copy. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

 

Elements for a great summer novel? A lush, oceanfront setting, glamorous characters with secrets, romance, mystery and great storytelling. Summers at the Saint has them all The pink wedding cake architecture of the St Cecilia Resort, The Saint, sits on its own island off the coast of Georgia. It is the resort of choice for southern families who treasure fine food, golf, a beautiful sunset and activities for their children. But the Saint isn’t immune to tragedy. First the son of a guest drowns, leaving one of the local lifeguards, one of the “Ain’t’s” fired. A dozen years later, death visits the glamorous hotel again.

            The Saint, though, is a family business, and the interaction between the jealous family members creates complications for them all. Figuring out who is responsible for the murder, and the survival of The Saint makes this page turning the perfect summer read. Bravo Mary Kay Andrews!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the review copy. Summers at the Saint was released on May 7, 2024.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

 

Whenever I get in a reading slump, having trouble making progress on my TBR pile, I can count on Nora Roberts to put a page turner in my hands.  Mind Games is no exception. Thea Fox witnesses the unthinkable murder of her parents when she is twelve years old, but not because she was there.  She’s psychic, and for unexplainable reasons, her mind links with that of her parent’s killer.  They both have the gift of sight, only he uses his for evil and she for good.

Thea and her brother go to live with their also gifted Grammie in Redbud Hollow, in the Kentucky Appalachians. There she grows up, learns and continues to be haunted by the murderer. It’s a beautiful setting with enough magic, technology, and sizzling romance to remind us of what a wonderful storyteller Roberts has always been.  This was a wonderful breath of fresh air. The book was published May 21, 2024.  Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for the review copy.

Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano

 

Ann Napolitano has a way of creating characters both endearing and flawed. This story of the McLaughlin family of New Jersey, told from six points of view, examines the way the strict Irish Catholic upbringing clashes with the actual way lives are lived. The characters love fiercely but have trouble understanding their love. Assisted by ghosts of their ancestors and a tight knit community, both the older generation and the youngest one explore what it means to be part of a family, and how they fit in.

This was actually Napolitano’s debut novel, re-released after the success of Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random house for the review copy. The novel was re-released on April 30, 2024

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 

I picked this one up because I needed something different than the heavy lit fic or not so heavy rom com’s that are my usual fare. To be fair, I do not read horror and am not big on thrillers because my imagination is so active, and I have trouble sleeping with all the horrible possibilities. But Darling Girls was highly recommended, so I dove in.

First, if you are triggered by child abuse, this is not the book for you. The characters are former foster kids who are placed with a woman who is not what she appears to be, a sweet, lovely woman. The story is told from three viewpoints (through most of the bool.) Three young girls are fostered by Miss Fairchild. The girls forge a sisterhood of protection when they must revisit all they suffered as children to help solve a crime.

As all good thrillers, this is a page turner. The characters are complex and damaged, and it will take until the last page to figure this one out.

Lucky by Jane Smiley

 

So great to have a new novel by Jane Smiley!  Her main character in Lucky, Jodie Rattler is so authentic I needed to check early in the book to see if this was an actual memoir, or in fact, fiction. Detail oriented and epic in the timeline, we learn about Jodie’s music, musical career (and many of her lover’s and walks at the various places she lived!) At times heartbreaking, at times filled with love and optimism, and always filled with the kind of existential angst those of us who grew up in the sixties experienced firsthand, Lucky is a snapshot of the age through one woman’s life.

The ending surprised me, and I struggled with it. I admit it simply may be a bit beyond me. Other than that, I enjoyed reading Lucky. Thanks to NetGalley and Alfred Knopf for the advance readers copy. The book was published April 23, 2024

 

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald

 

  Lisa Grunwald has the unique skill of bringing historical periods to life as though they are the current events. The Evolution of Annabel Craig is no exception. Annabel is a happy, observant Methodist who prays on her knees every night. Born in 1910 and raised amid Prohibition and the infancy of the Women’s Movement, Annabel lives on a strawberry farm. While her family works the farm, her father runs it. As soon as the season is over, her mother travels the countryside teaching women how to preserver tomatoes. Annabel, her only child, goes along, and learns important lessons at her mother’s side. But Annabel’s parents succumb to the Spanish flu in 1918 and Annabel must leave her bucolic countryside. She moves to Dayton Tennessee, with the camera she inherited from her father. Along with a budding career in photography, she also meets and marries John Craig, a local lawyer who will go on to be part of the defense team, led by Clarence Darrow, of John Scopes. 

The “Scopes Monkey Trial” didn’t put on trial the details of evolution, but the battle of science and faith. As I read, the parallels to the struggles of America in 2024 echo the struggle of 100 years earlier. We have had our pandemic and now we have polarized belief again centralized around science and reality against constructionists who believe that veering away from the literal interpretation of the Bible will be our ruin.

As a lawyer, I felt the lows and highs of the defense team, but I don’t think I needed that background to appreciate the complexity and fear Grunwald was able to instill in her wonderfully drawn characters. I cheered for Annabel along the way, as she more closely resembles the “liberal” that is so often eschewed today. She wants to understand, and she wants to make room for her beliefs. I hope you read it to see how she does.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Random House, for this review copy. The Evolution of Annabel Craig publishes on April 16 ,2024.

 

Off the Air by Christina Estes

 

Off the Air by Christina Estes

Award winning journalist Christina Estes gives a detailed and frank view inside news organizations, both local and network. She knows her subject matter and shares the good, and the ugly, of this profession. Her protagonist, Jolene Garcia, is hot on a story concerning the death of a right-wing, radical, radio personality. The competition is palpable, and none of the characters are particularly likable. Estes paints a cutthroat business in a polarized world.

Yet the book has bright spots-- I was particularly amused by the protagonists relationship with her goldfish, Oscar.--and the mystery is complicated. There are plenty of misleading clues to keep the reader from figuring it out too soon. If who-dunnits are your jam, you’ll like this one. Estes is a skilled writer. Her style is journalistic, meaning you won’t get much depth with the characters and though the landscape is rich, the setting is minimal.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the review copy. The book was published on March 26, 2024.

 

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh

Layla is a light skinned Londoner whose mother is Jamaican and whose father is black. Her best friend and grandfather are also black, but Layla’s boyfriends have almost exclusively been white. When she gets serious about Andy McKinnon, her best friend’s tolerance of the situation, especially in the year of the George Floyd’s death, disappears. Since Andy and Layla have the same last name, and since Andy’s ancestors are proud Scots, Sera, the best friend, posits that Andy’s ancestors actually owned Layla’s. That is enough for Sera to render Andy and Layla forbidden to marry. But Andy and Layla love each other.

 

Layla is not immune to the Sera’s concern. The book lets the reader follow both the research and logic that these characters must go through to determine what is right. Sera is consumed by anger, fueled by continued persecution and discrimination still prevalent against black people. Layla has the guilt of one who “passes” and yet, she doesn’t want to be angry. “’

“Action is more important than anger,” Layla discovers, but what action is right for her?

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this thought provoking and interesting read. Dominoes was released on March 12, 2024.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan 5*

 

 

I admit that I have read so many books set in World War II that I am a skeptic whenever a new one comes out. That said, I loved this book. The characters are well drawn and having finished the book, I find myself wishing I were still reading it, because I miss them.

The story gives color to the facts of war. Women join the workforce because the men are off fighting. Romances are condensed, rushed, and focused. The main character, Juliet, is an ambitious young woman from a well-off family who only wish for her to marry well, Juliet loves books though, and is thrilled to find a position at the Bethnal Green Library in London, at the beginning of the Blitz. She is full of ideas, which are not received well by the men in charge. Operating with some subterfuge, Juliet enlists the assistance of woman in the community…all wonderful characters themselves, to implement her ideas.

Then the library is bombed, and thus begins the underground library.

This is a wonderful story for anyone who loves books, libraries, and women with their own mind. While it is reminiscent of The Paris Library, by Janet Charles, (another good book!) this book is different in spirit and the setting of London is unique and endearing. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for the review copy. This book releases March 12, 2024.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: 4 stars

 

 Daphne is a thirty-three-year-old Hollywood professional who has secrets. The one that frames this delightful novel is the one about the papers she receives periodically, containing only a name and a period of time. These are the relationships she experiences, with men she has recently met. The source of the papers is not revealed, and there are enough of them to convince Daphne that they are factual. Whether they are because that is fate, or because she goes into them focused on the expiration date, is for the reader to decide.

The other secret gives gravitas to why Daphne lives this way, and as a reader, I wish we’d been told about it earlier in the book…sorry, no spoilers here. Frankly, I was tired of reading about her romantic exploits by the time we find out why, despite Serle’s lovely writing.

It is well written and an easy read, with a premise I’ve not read before. A nice book that is more than fluff, but not so much more that it exhausts me, as some books have this year! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy!

Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningha

 

Great Expectations is the story of the author’s recruitment to the first Obama campaign, detailing the issues he faced as a fundraiser. It’s an authentic and readable work, and the author’s voice speaks with first-hand authority. He is young when the story begins, his early twenties. He tends to fill the gaps of what must have been a challenging time with diversions—religion, basketball, friends, and lovers. The story shines by giving us an inside look at what really goes on in a campaign, even one fueled by what was supposed to be a grass roots movement. It also shines as the authors considers his own place in the world. He stands for not only the young people who were such a force in the Obama campaign, but also for his black friends, neighbors, and family. There are some wonderful segments discussing historical issues, as well as this remarkable time in the USA. Cunningham is an excellent writer, and I look forward to reading more of his work. Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth, and imprint of Random House, for the review copy. The book was released on March 12, 2024.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

 

Billie and Cassie have been best friends since childhood. They share a hometown, and the kind of trauma that either binds friends together or tears them apart. They are adults now and have grown in different directions. Still when crisis occurs, they are the first in each other’s mind, and that feeling expands to obsession. Will the mystery be solved?

This tightly written novel is told from each woman’s viewpoint and sheds light on the lives of the rich, the influencers, and the people that get left behind. A page turning read, even though some of the characters seem to be stereotypical.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read Bye, Baby. It was just the break I needed. Publication date is March 5, 2024.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

 

There There, Orange’s 2018 debut novel, set a pretty high bar. We were introduced to unforgettable characters, unforgettable circumstances and brought face to face with the plight of the Native American tribes as removal and assimilation were forced upon them by the non-native powers. Wandering Stars gives us more context, by reminding, or teaching, us about the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado. We jump decades, and perspective characters, to revisit the heirs of the survivors, and the continuing issues that Indigenous people continue to struggle with, including the isolating compartmentalization non-indigenous people seem most comfortable with. They are complex issues, complex people, served well by this complex novel. It is not an “easy read,” but meets the challenge of  There There. The book releases on February 27, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for a chance to read and review.

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

 

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

This is a tale of the deep south, in times of slavery, in the years prior to and during the Civil War of the United States. It is the story of Ady, a young black girl born to slavery. her mother, Sanite, both with spirit and a dream of freedom. In many ways, it retells the story of exploitation and abuse of the era and geography, the facts of which are well known. But this version is told by a young girl who has courage, and comrades among the black women, both free and enslaved. The journey she takes is riveting and I found myself cheering each of the brave and feisty women she encounters.

What is unique about this book is the framing of the text, and occasional inserts, that cause the reader to look back from a focal point in the distant future, when books are no longer made of paper and ink, and historical artifacts are authenticated through scientific methods not easily understood. In that, it becomes not only an accounting of the past, but also a bit of science fiction. (Though fiction is something those future scientists have no time for.). It’s a splendid book, recalling the foundations of where the United States is today, and offering hope for continual progress where race and gender discrimination are concerned. Thanks to NetGalley and Random house for the advanced readers copy. The book was released today, February 27, 2024.

 

 

The first thing we are told is that thirty seven year old Annie has died, in a tragic and unexpected manner.  The novel then brings her to life through her relationships with her husband, children, and friends.  The grief process each goes through feels unique and heartbreaking, but hopeful just the same.

The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and authentic.  The prose is beautiful and even though we know the “main” character has died, the book is un-put-downable.

Recommend to everyone, because eventually, we all experience grief.  Thanks to NetGalley and

 Random House for putting this on my radar. The novel releases today, February 27, 2024.

How to Win Friend and Influence Fungi by Dr. Christopher Balakrishnan and Matt Wasowski

 

This was a diversion from my usual novel reading, and I admit it to be a good one. If you've ever enjoyed the miraculous and strange in the physical or natural world, this book will amaze you in the same way as sideshows and circuses and Ripley's Believe it or not. 

 Taken from episodes in over 21 years of "Nerd Nite" across the country, the essays in this book cover oddities in science, history, math, the arts, pop culture, and just about any rabbit hole you can go down on the internet or otherwise, the book gives new perspective on what is "nerdy" or "weird." Concluding with conversations on careers most of us wouldn't have had with our guidance counselors.

 As such, it makes a great gift book, both to the scientists and others who are interested in just about everything, and to that high school grad who doesn't quite seem to fit in. Full of fascinating facts and puns, it is easy "hard" reading (and I don't pretend to understand it all.)  

How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi (thing "fun guy") will be released on February 20, 2024. Thanks To St. Martin's and NetGalley for expanding horizons!

 

Redwood Court By DeLana R. A. Dameron

 

This story orbits around a black family in the second half of the twentieth century. Their home is in suburban Columbia, South Carolina in a black neighborhood called Redwood Court. 

Dameron populates this novel with wonderful, complex characters who make up this proud, hardworking, and caring family. Together we travel through the postwar American dream, the turbulent sixties, the horrors of war for both the men who fight and their families at home. The families of Redwood Court are social, churchgoing people, and the don't seem to care about privacy. Weesie, the matriarch, can most often be found on the phone, checking in with her neighbors. Her spirit of community is what carries this novel, usually told through the eyes of Mika, her granddaughter.

There are many characters in this book--so many that it begins with not only a family tree, but placement and descriptions of all the neighbors, as each person plays a role in rounding out Redwood Court. Through most of the book, we get insight into this close-knit family, and what it is like to live in such a neighborhood.

The book is well written with smooth, albeit dense prose. Dialect slows the flow of the story into a melodious pace, not unlike the warm syrup of Southern summers.  There are joyful parts, and painful parts, and an unforgettable sense of time and character. 

This is a book told exclusively from the black point of view. The independent memories of this author sometimes clouded the rendition as told by Mika. We remember slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, segregation, integration, and remember that the world painted did not exist in a vacuum. I applaud Dameron’s work at presenting a time in the history of the USA that should be called out, but I wonder if the calling would be more authentic if all non-Black references didn't feel stereotypical.

The book will release on February 6, 2024. Thanks to the Dial Press, Random House, and NetGalley for this advanced reader’s copy.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, Unapologetic literary fiction!

 

 

The fact that this book is written by a man born in Iran, the title had me worried, especially with that exclamation point. To say it pushed me off kilter wouldn’t be an understatement. It covers so much: art, perspective, stories and poems, religion, philosophy, politics and yes, even sexuality. I predict it will be the topic of many conversations which would otherwise avoid subjects of substance.

Cyrus Shams, a young man whose mother is on that fated passenger airliner shot down by the US Navy in 1988. His father, a laborer, moves them to the US and they end up in Indiana, where Cyrus attends a small liberal arts college. Cyrus might be brilliant, but lives in an ennui that keeps him from caring about performance, often doing only enough to keep from failing. He seems always to be in an altered state, from alcohol, any kind of drug and does not sleep. And he is considered pre-suicidal and obsessed with all martyrdom-- not just religious or patriotic, but “Earth Martyrs”, and he wants his death to mean something.  Beyond all that, the book is full of biting satire and delightful humor.

The book is Cyrus’s search for that meaning. One of the things I love about the book is the occasional shift in viewpoint character, whether it is his mother, father, best friend, or other characters. It gives the reader perspective beyond Cyrus, whose narration is less than reliable. Akbar weaves mythology, classic poetry, music, and art into a collage that leads Cyrus to question and find answers to the big questions: what is love, death, reality. So much is told in dreams, whether natural or drug induced, that by the time I got to the end, I, too, questioned Cyrus’s reality.

The language of the novel thrives with Akbar’s poetic voice. The book is not unlike a full-length poem, though, like the best poetry, it is accessible to any reader. We like Cyrus, even when we know he is on a path of self-destruction. We want him to succeed, but we want him to live.

This is an author to watch—he is a citizen of the universe, and he’s not afraid to show the rest of us. Martyr! will be released on January 23, 2024 by Knopf. Thanks To Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

 

 

 

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

 

 I was invited to read this book because I had enjoyed another book of what we are calling Magical Suspense (Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.)  I had, frankly, forgotten about it until I reviewed my “to be read” list and realized I had missed it.

The parts of me that are haunted by nightmares and a vivid imagination may wish I had left it on the shelf, but the part of me that loves good storytelling, historical fiction, strong women characters, and creativity appreciates that I did not.

The story is set in the early 1900s American west. Adelaide, the protagonist is a thirty-year-old black woman who’s been raised on a fertile plum farm in an all black agricultural community in California. Adelaide must leave California alone and based on an article she’s read about homestead land in Montana, which is open both to “lone women” and black people, she sets Montana as her new destination.

All she brings with her are a travel bag, and a huge, heavy, locked trunk. The perils she encounters trying to move the trunk from the train station to the ship to the wagon that will take her to Montana make the reader frustrated. What is in that trunk?

And then we find out. The contents will hover over the reader and Adelaide as she finds her new home, settles in, and even makes friends. But some secrets just won’t stay locked away.

TW: there is a significant amount of blood in this book, so if that makes you queasy, you might skip this one. It is “magical suspense” but could easily be classified as horror as well. That said, it is a quick read, and had much to say about the hardiness of frontier women.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this review copy. The book was published March 28, 2023.

 

The Women by Kristin Hannah

 

Frankie McGrath is a pampered daughter of Coronado Island, California, socialites. She lives in a walled and gated estate on the Pacific, and expectations of her in 1966 are traditional. She should marry a nice boy from her family’s circle and live a nice life.

But her beloved brother, Finley, has to live up to the family’s “hero’s wall” where each generation went to war and brought honor to the McGrath's. Finley will go to Vietnam.

As the story unfolds, Frankie chooses for herself. She goes to nursing school and before she’s ever had real hospital experience, she enlists to be with her brother.

This book shows people who didn’t live through the time just how different Vietnam was for the United States. With the war unwinnable, and turmoil at home, innocent Frankie is swept into a nightmare. But she’s strong, and the other men and women she works alongside make the time there not only bearable but give her the confidence she will need after her term is up. When her “welcome home” was not what anyone would expect, and as someone who lived through the time, I can only say, sadly, it is an accurate depiction.

We’ve had great books written about this war, but I’ve not read one that focused on the plight of the brave women who served and were instrumental in bringing some of our soldiers home, but also comfort for those who didn’t. Kristin Hannah writes with clarity, compassion and honesty, and The Women is a book long overdue. Brava to Kristin for tackling this challenge and doing it justice.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced review copy. I can’t recommend it enough, especially to anyone who wants to understand how we got to where we are today.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams

 

This well writte story has two narrative arcs. 1951, Egypt amid the turmoil of the Egyptian independence, specifically British occupation and the ownership of the Suez Canal is the setting for the first arc. Hannah Ainsworth, there with her much older British diplomat husband, is expected to live the calm and pampered life of a diplomat’s wife. Hannah’s character finds that difficult for her, and her troubles begin when she is bitten by a cobra.

Poisoning is also a critical element second arc, when single mother Mallory Dunne gets a call from the summer camp, where her beloved only child Sam has eaten a poisonous mushroom. He lives, but his kidneys do not.

The story unfolds when Hannah’s sister, who has a house on the Cape, invites her to visit with Sam for the summer. Hannah has history there, and secrets, but she also has wonderful memories and wants Sam to experience it.

Both arcs are love stories, with complications peculiar to the time and place in the world. Williams is a splendid writer, and she puts her characters through plenty of strife to keep the book interesting and easy to read. The sprinkling of historical facts in both eras elevate this novel and make it a fascinating read.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri

 

I had not read anything by Christy Lefteri before The Book of Fire, though The Beekeeper of Aleppo has been on my TBR list for a while. Now that I’ve finished The Book of Fire, I can see myself becoming a completist. This story has so many levels. First, the universal tragedy unfolding due to climate change, drought, and ensuing wildfires. Second, tragic history of people displaced from their homes because of governmental decisions, in this case Turks and Greeks sent to trade places with each other geographically. Finally, it is an intimate personal story of families in a small mountain village next to the sea and what they endure when their homes become popular escapes for city people who want to develop the land. Irini, the protagonist, her husband Tasso and their daughter Chara, all gentle, artistic souls, bear the consequences of carelessness of one such developer, an unforgiving forest fire. Not only the consequences of their physical lives, but their deep moral commitments also must be faced. It is a compelling read I found impossible to put down.

Lefteri’s prose is lyrical, and heartbreaking and her characters are unforgettable. This is not an easy happily ever after book, but literature that will serve as a caution, if not a record, of the hardest decisions of our time.

Day, A Novel, by Michel Cunningham. Heartbreaking Five stars.

After allowing myself a few weeks of fluff in the form of holiday romance novels, I was ready for a novel like Michael Cunningham’s Day in the same way I crave vegetables after binging cookies. They are not just delicious, they are good for you, and restore balance.

 

I feel privileged to have been allowed to read this novel. The writing was exquisite and masterful, as I expected. It is a quiet story of how a family of ordinary people, extraordinary only in their relationships with each other, lived in the ordinary landscape of Brooklyn, in April in 2019, and how those relationships and landscapes twisted, turned, and re-leveled in the next two years. There are eight characters who share point of view with the reader, though one is only an infant we communicate with by observation. The existentialism of the members of this family before COVID, and the way isolation took existentialism beyond the capacity for the characters to cope, whether that be with themselves, their children or mates, or their career choices reflects the emotions and mindset of many of us who survived 2020.

The discovery of these characters and their chosen paths is the joy of this novel, so I won’t go into detail. Themes of self-awareness, fluidity in sexuality, art and expression, spirituality, and the underlying questions of what is feminist, what is traditional, and what is simply human are dealt a gentle hand. It left me wanting to turn back to page one and read it all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. Day will be released tomorrow, November 14, 2023.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. Great Mystery!

 

Gothic romances have a few things in common that readers expect and return to the genre again and again to find. Rachel Hawkins understands this, and delivers in full with The Heiress. A happy couple, haunted by the past that they’ve run all the way to the Colorado Mountains to escape, a family mystery that sent them back, and a gorgeous southern manor filled with dysfunctional family.  A perfect kind of mystery you won’t want to put down.  Delighted to recommend this to my mystery and gothic loving friends. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.  The book releases on January 9, 2024. Happy New Year reading!

Second Chances in New Port Stephen 5* (Content warning: LGBTQIA issues remarkably well done.)

When Eli’s career as a TV writer blows up due to the bad acts of the star of the show he writes for, he decides to return home for the holidays. Many things have changed since Eli was in New Port Stephen, Florida. He’s no longer the stand-up comic he was when he left, he’s sober now, and most importantly to Eli, he’s completed his transition. Florida has changed too, threatening the very existence of people like Eli. 

 

 

 

But his family has not changed and will go to great lengths to show him the love they’ve always had for him, even though they are learning and make mistakes. And then he runs into Nick, his first love, his first lover and someone who is still as intriguing as he was in high school, before Eli transitioned.

The best thing about this book is the way it illustrates romance, falling and re-falling, in love. There is only enough attention to the same sex relationship as the author wants to share with the reader to assure empathy, and it is done so well. The reader is rooting for these two guys to make it, proving that in the hands of the right author, even in a romance novel, love is indeed love. Bravo to TJ Alexander.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books for the ARC of this wonderful story. The book will be released on December 5, 2023.

Highland Christmas by Amy Quick Parrish 3 stars

 

 

 

I was looking for something easy to read, having just read a couple of long, serious, books. It was time for a bit of brain candy. It’s also November and time to turn thoughts toward the Holidays. So, when I found Highland Christmas on my NetGalley shelf, I was delighted. Even though the book has been out for a year (Published October 25,2022) and has a sequel coming out next year (October 12,2024), it seemed to be just what I needed.

It was fine. The story of Melissa Mackenzie, whose philandering husband Dave (no last name…which is a detail I wanted) had thrown her out of her home after Thanksgiving dinner, so he can snuggle in with her brother’s ex, Samantha, after a quick Christmas trip to Barbados. Melissa is blindsided, but there doesn’t seem to be any grief, especially when the Prince of Nairobi…oh wait, it’s a long-lost uncle in Scotland who has left her a house in Inverness.

So, our Melissa drops everything, packs a bag, and books a flight.

The story goes on with Melissa makes the flight meets all sorts of wonderful, picturesque Scottish, people, finds the house she’s inherited, and not only moves in, renovates it, adopts a dog, and attends all the lovely celebrations of the village. All before Christmas.

While it is a sweet story, almost a fairy tale, the complete lack of detail about characters and complications frustrated me. I almost put it down, but realized there wasn’t that much left to read, as the book is only 128 pages long. I wish she’d had an editor to tell her that people want to know more about the characters … I originally thought Melissa was in her fifties or better, but later it seems she may be in her twenties. And while we got lots of local color, with descriptions of everything from the highland games to the taste of Haggis, we don’t really know much about how our characters feel. Shouldn’t Melissa be angry?  Or sad? 

I got what I was looking for though, a bit of literary candy. Just remember that candy isn’t very nourishing.

This was a NetGalley advanced reader copy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Flying Cactus Publishing, for allowing me to read in exchange for this review.

Inheritance by Nora Roberts-Audio

 

I am pretty sure I’ve read most of Nora Roberts’ books, at least since the turn of the millennium (though not the J.D. Robb books!). You could call me a die-hard fan.  However, I’d never listened to one before I was invited to do so through NetGalley for Inheritance.

I’m a skeptic when it comes to media…I want my books as books and my movies as movies. Audio books fall someplace in between for me, and I’ve become addicted to listening to novels when I drive or exercise. 

All those caveats aside, I loved listening to Inheritance.  It was fun to hear voices assigned to characters who would have always been distinct in my mind, but maybe not as vivid as these readers.  Sonya, Cleo, and the residents of Poole’s Bay are easy to distinguish and adore.  And then the ghosts! I won’t add spoilers, other than to say that no one writes mysterious magical beings like Nora Roberts.  I was only sad when I realized Inheritance is the first book in a new trilogy, and I’ll have to wait a year or two to finish the story. 

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to read this early and write this review. Nora’s fans won’t be disappointed, and newcomers will be delighted. The book is released November 21, 2023

Wellness by Nathan Hill

 

Nathan Hill’s new novel, Wellness, is a smart love story. There are no simple tropes, the obstacles the central couple, Jack, and Elizabeth, must overcome are largely of their own making, and mostly because they simply think too much. The couple is obsessed with the foundations of human behavior and teaching the nuances of it to the reader. While the relationship between Elizabeth and Jack is endearing and fascinating, their analysis, especially in the murky middle of the book, tends toward tedium. They dwell so intensely on the fields of their interest and research them so extensively…both the characters and the author…that the reader has to resist the temptation to treat the novel as a scholarly work and actually skip the long explanations and examples (footnoted!) and get to the parts where they remember that they CARE about Jack and Elizabeth, their heartbreaking childhoods and how they deal with the fallout as they try to raise their own son.

I urge you, if you get so far into the book that you want to put it aside, don’t. You will not be able to forget Jack and Elizabeth and Toby, and if you finish the book, you will find yourself wanting to have discussions with them, and everyone you meet, about the world you’ve left when you close the cover. The pay-off is worth it. Bravo, Nathan Hill.

This book was published September 19, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the review copy.