The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy

 

Kim and Grant are educated, midwestern professionals who are quintessential empty nesters. When given the opportunity to winter in Palm Springs, they have a chance to make different choices, and The Snowbirds is the story of how they make the decisions that will carry them into their third act.

Sounds simple? Not when you learn that Kim and Grant never actually married, that they have lived in separate cities for thirty years, and that they both have exes with whom there are complicating relationships. And then Grant gets lost on the mountain…no spoiler here because the book is framed by this mishap. The book is primarily told in first person from Kim’s point of view until later in the book when we are given Grant’s journal in pieces. The characters are well drawn and fun, and the story moves in a back-and-forth manner, juxtaposing the current crisis to past ones. Some of those flashbacks get tedious (you will get tired of hearing (or not hearing) about the ex-wife,) and there are so many characters, past and present, that at times it is hard to keep track of them. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that addresses the issues of long-term relationships in an honest and humorous way.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advance copy. The Snowbirds will be released on February 4, 2025.

Cleavage: Men, Women and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan

            Jennifer Boylan is an expert on the effects of gender on all parts of life. She spent her first forty years as male, and the past 25 as her authentic self, female. Having written four other books dealing with her transgender journey, Cleavage addresses the frightening situations people who’d begun to relax into their authentic selves, that 2025 and the politics of the USA present.

 

            I first encountered Jennifer Boylan’s writing with the book she co-authored with Jodi Picoult, Mad Honey, so wasn’t surprised at the warmth, compassion and humor exhibited in Cleavage. Her intelligence and positive experiences lend authenticity when she speaks with a kindness that isn’t often represented in connection with what is presented about trans people. We don’t suffer through militance, violence or even voyeurism that so often dominates the discussion of transgender rights in the news is present here. Instead, a fact based, friendly accounting of the difficulties and benefits Jennifer has faced is presented.

Jennifer was granted that basic human right of having people who love her support her along her journey, and this book presents that love and acceptance to anyone reading it. It is the kind of book that makes you want to sit down with the author and tell stories. Cleavage does one thing very well… normalizing this segment of our population in a way that is not threatening and allowing the positive contributions of people who are different than we are, to be recognized, valued, and appreciated.

As a bonus, the book had some great writing advice! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Celadon Books, for the opportunity to read Cleavage in advance. The release date is February 4, 2025.

Three Days In June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is a beloved author, consistent in the quality and readability of her work. Somehow her characters always touch a spot in the reader that we can relate to, even if we are vastly different. I think of this as Tyler’s great talent at finding universal emotion.

 

The story isn’t complicated. Gail Baines’ daughter is getting married in three days. Gail struggles with her career, her relationship with her daughter and her ex-husband. While the relationships are amiable, but Gail’s feelings are on edge. Her boss finds Gail’s people skills lacking, despite having depended on her for many years. Her daughter, trying hard to impress her soon to be in-laws, fails to include Gail in her pre-wedding activities. And then her ex-husband, Max shows up to attend the wedding, needing a place to stay. Gail reluctantly agrees, and then Max produces a cat!

The book is simultaneously heartwarming and awkward, endearing and full of suspense. It is, delightfully, another Anne Tyler achievement of excellence.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the review copy. Three Days in June will be released February 11, 2025

How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? By Anna Montague

As Magda approaches her seventieth birthday, she finds she has a lot left to figure out about who she is. Her lifelong best friend, Sara, the charming, creative art curator, who has brought many of Magda’s happiest moments to her life, including planning her birthday parties, has died. Sara’s husband, eager to move on with a new relationship, seeks Magda’s help sorting her possessions, and ultimately, taking possession of the urn containing Sara’s ashes. When Magda decides to take the road trip Sara had planned for Magda’s 70^th, she takes the urn along, which anthropomorphs into Sara in Magda’s mind.

Magda has grieving to do, not only for the person Sara was to her, but what she represented. Discovering that Magda can continue to live, in more open and fulfilling ways, is the journey she takes us on.

Montagues writing is clean and many times lovely, but the telling of this story, primarily through Magda’s mental musings, drags. I struggled to finish, but was glad I did, as I really wanted to know that, as Magda insists at the opening of the book, she is fine.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Ecco/HarperCollins for the review copy. How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund was published October 22, 2024.