Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer
Winner (3/7/2022)
I devoured this book. It is so rare to find a novel with a completely fresh plot. The author was so skillful at leading us through events. The suspense was real, but never overtook the human connections being made. She made the story believable and made you care deeply for the characters, even the four legged ones. This is a book I can recommend to all my reading friends. I am excited to read this book with my book club, There are so many themes to talk about. My favorite book of the year!
How to Find Your Way Home
by Katy Regan
Real (10/17/2021)
Intertwining birdwatching with the story of siblings Stephen and Emily made How to Find Your Way Home so authentic. The love these siblings had for birds and the escape that birdwatching provided from their unhappy childhood home was so strong it allowed them to find a way back to each other after decades apart. The author creates characters so real that reading the novel is like stepping into their lives. I know that anyone who enjoys a novel with characters who evolve will devour this book. I will be recommending it to my book club. It also made me want to go birdwatching!
Flesh & Blood: Reflections on Infertility, Family, and Creating a Bountiful Life: A Memoir
by N. West Moss
Outstanding (8/13/2021)
I enjoyed every page of Flesh & Blood. I could not stop reading this honest, loving, courageous book. The author turns her energy from nurturing children to nurturing a life that blesses herself and those she loves. She uses the written word to pass down her history and vivid memories of loved ones and I felt enriched by hearing her tales. Ms. West Moss's love of nature was beautifully described. After reading this memoir, I felt like I had been on a healing journey with her. I will be recommending this book to my book club and anyone I come in contact with that enjoys reading.
Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke
Escape (8/30/2020)
When reading is your favorite hobby and you read over a hundred books a year it is difficult to find such a unique novel as Piranesi. As you lose yourself in this elaborate, beautifully described world that Piranesi inhabits you question everything. The author reveals characters and information in a gentle way that eases you toward a satisfying ending. This is a novel I will be recommending to my book club, it gave me several hours of true enjoyment and provided escape from my worries as I wondered if Piranesi would ever escape from his world.
The Book of Longings
by Sue Monk Kidd
Amazing (5/13/2020)
As a fan of Sue Monk Kidd, I eagerly awaited her new novel. What a captivating story she has woven, it is a completely different outlook on the life of Jesus, told from the perspective of his wife. Wow! It is beautifully and respectfully written and her images will remain with me. In this age of distancing I have started my far flung book club reading and passing along copies of this amazing novel. We will have so much to discuss!
Patsy: A Novel
by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Great Characters (5/21/2019)
It is truly a gifted writer who can immerse you in the lives of characters. The experiences of Patsy as she leaves her native Jamaica and travels to America are believable. The impact of her departure on those she leaves behind is well developed. The voice of the author carries throughout the novel in a strong and true fashion. While reading the novel I thought of the possible discussions my book club would have. The novel has many themes to discuss, central to the book is the idea of expectations. I enjoyed this novel and will be recommending it to my fellow readers for an engaging and thought provoking read.
House of Stone
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Difficult read (12/5/2018)
I found House of Stone to be a stilted, confusing novel. It didn’t give me a sense of the culture and chaos of the birth of Zimbabwe. The novel focused on the narrator’s desire to be a beloved son and the lengths he goes to in order to achieve his goal. I never felt swept along in the story. I was hoping to connect with the author, but I never did.
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
Fate, Choices and Consequences (10/1/2018)
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls was so readable, it grabs you from the very start and takes you on a journey with some unforgettable characters. The early death of Mama Butler thrusts Althea into the role of caregiver and shifts the family dynamics. The way the sisters react to a new family crisis reflects their early roles. The novel is a reminder that good people can make bad choices. I will be recommending this book to my book club, they are many themes to discuss in this very enjoyable novel.
The Winter Soldier
by Daniel Mason
Get Lost in The Winter Soldier (10/1/2018)
The Winter Soldier transports the reader back one hundred years to war torn Eastern Europe. We see events through the eyes of a young medical student being trained in Vienna who is suddenly delivered to a field hospital in the Carpathian Mountains as their only 'doctor'. The novel is rich in characters. The descriptions of the geography and buildings make you feel part of the action.
I read dozens of books each year to chose the selections that our book club reads. This is exactly the type of novel we love. Told from a doctor's point of view, it is very different from any historical fiction I have read about war in Europe. It is not surprising that the author is a Clinical Psychiatrist as he portrays such believable characters.
I think any reader would enjoy getting lost in The Winter Soldier.
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Unique Voice (3/16/2018)
The characters in A Place For Us are so compelling and rich that they pull you along through a deep and complicated family history. The young author has a very strong voice that unfortunately became lost for me at times as she switched narrators and timelines.
What kept me reading was the unique look at a 1st generation Muslim Indian American family, what the parents hoped to gain from raising their children in America as well as what they lost by leaving their culture behind. Any reader who enjoys a book that immerses them in a different life would enjoy reading A Place For Us.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
A Story of Survival (2/6/2018)
Clemantine Wamariya's book is haunting. At the age of six when our children are enjoying Kindergarten this girl and her sister enter the world of refugees. The beauty of this book is in the simple way she tells her unbelievable journey. She reminds us that millions of Africans have been affected by genocide, she is but one survivor and each survivor has had a different experience.
Clemantine's story pulls you along and surrounds you with strong images from her journey through war torn refugee camps, her attempts to assimilate into the United States, and her visits back to Africa in recent years.
I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who wishes to expand their view of the world. I know my book club will be reading The Girl Who Smiles Beads, it is exactly the type of thought provoking book we enjoy discussing.
Anatomy of a Miracle
by Jonathan Miles
Unique Idea (1/7/2018)
Anatomy of a Miracle starts with such an instant hook that I was hoping for a thrilling read. Instead I found the narration clumsy and repetitive. There were a few memorable characters, but too many side characters that took away from the plot and point of the story. Treatment of important themes seemed insensitive and outdated. This is not a novel I will be recommending to my fellow readers.
Eternal Life
by Dara Horn
The Downside to Immortality (11/9/2017)
Immortality is certainly not a new theme in literature, yet Dara Horn puts an interesting spin on the theme in Eternal Life. The main characters of Rachel and Elazar did not choose immortality because they wanted to live forever, but rather accepted immortality as the price paid for a bargain Rachel chose for them. The author holds your interest through believable modern and ancient problems and situations that the main characters face. As the person who chooses books for our local book club, I would choose Eternal Life for the lively discussion it would generate. I would recommend this unique, positive book to readers of all ages.
Wonder Valley
by Ivy Pochoda
Wonder Valley (7/28/2017)
Life often takes turns based on small actions that have large consequences. The characters in this novel seem to have all ended up in unfortunate circumstances. The way they come together and either survive or not makes for a very entertaining read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes interesting characters. I felt the descriptions of life on the streets of LA was haunting and accurate. I wished the author had provided more closure on some characters, like Britt and her situation with Andy. I also would have liked more background on other characters. Wonder Valley is a novel that stays with you and makes you re-think what makes people make the choices they do.
