The Take
by Kelly Yang
Who was taken? (4/8/2026)
The Take was an interesting read. At the beginning I thought I knew who Maggie and Ingrid were and how the story would end but I was wrong. There were twists and turns. At the beginning of the novel, I thought Maggie was weak and being taken advantage of by Ingrid but by the end she was able to hold her own, she was able to get what she wanted but at what cost. What was the cost for Ingrid to become younger? It's interesting to think about aging and how far you would go to be older or younger. Also, how far you would go to be rich. There is a lot to dissect in a book club discussion!
Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known
by Scott Simon
a fun read (3/5/2026)
I really enjoyed reading Ulysses S. Cat book by Scott Simon. It was a lot of fun. He and his family really appreciate their pets, and they have a variety of them. There are also stories of other animals. The author has a great sense of humor. The short stories were varied in length. I particularly liked the stories about Gato, their cat, and Daisy, their French poodle. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates animals.
The House of Hidden Letters
by Izzy Broom
absorbing story (2/13/2026)
I really enjoyed reading The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom. The author drew me in right away with a unique premise and kept me interested in the story. I could picture myself there. So many things could happen and did, some I figured out and others were a surprise. The author did a great job with the dual timeline; it worked well in this story. I'm so happy Skye met wonderful people at her new home, and she seems like she has a great future to look forward to. Katarina, who we learned about through her letters and artifacts, was a fascinating strong woman. I would recommend this book.
The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
by Elizabeth Arnott
absorbing story (12/27/2025)
The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives was a very interesting take on solving a seriel killer crime spree. The wives of several murderers became friends and realized several new deaths were done by one person. So they decided to try and solve the mystery. Their thought process was fascinating and at the end I came to the same conclusion as they did.The mystery woman in this story was a mystery to me until the murderers' wives solved the case. There were twists and turns to keep me absorbed in the story.
Dandelion Is Dead
by Rosie Storey
working through grief and finding love (10/2/2025)
Dandelion is Dead is a very interesting title which caused confusion for me at first but as I kept reading, I was pulled into the story. And once I was pulled in, I wanted to know how it would end. I was rooting for Poppy and Jake to get together. Poppy's reaction to her sister's death seemed realistic to me, wanting to wear her clothes, use her phone, and live in her home. Despite her parents and others keeping secrets Poppy was able to find a way out of her grief to become herself and live her life without her sister.
I would definitely recommend this book to my family and friends.
Next Time Will Be Our Turn
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
a great easy, breezing story (9/6/2025)
I really enjoyed this story, Next Time Will Be Our Turn. It was fast paced and easy to read. The story seemed real. I think teenagers would love it. I think all the women are 'bad-asses' - Magnolia for never giving up on what she wanted in life nad Iris for living her best life despite her circumstances. It seems like a YA book to me, which I enjoyed reading at 70 years old. It would make a good book club read - you can talk about family & friend relationships, multi-generational gatherings, and college/first job/first love.
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Interesting story (11/10/2024)
I thoroughly enjoyed Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. The story kept me interested in finding out how the different situations would be resolved in both stories and when both stories would intertwine. I don't usually like novels that have 2 interconnected stories from 2 different time periods, but I very much enjoyed this novel, and it was easy for me to follow. Learning about what some slaves did after The Emancipation and how this group banned together to protect themselves and take care of each other was amazing. The present day story was intriguing, but I kept wondering why they let their disagreements go on for so long. The legal aspects of real estate in this story was interesting as I didn't realize how intricate it could be. I will be recommending this book to my book club and will read other books by this author.
The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.
An Absorbing, Enjoyable Read (2/15/2023)
The All-American is an interesting and enjoyable Young Adult book. The story is about Bucky, a high school student, who was deported to Korea, a country he doesn't know as he moved to the United States as a baby. His experience in the United States seemed realistic, not sure about his experience in the Korean military though. This is current events in the United States. My niece's friend was deported without his family to the country of his birth and had a similar experience.
Bucky was a resourceful guy who in a roundabout way got his wish to play football. The story was well written, absorbing, and from a teenage boy's point of view. It is interesting how he applied what he learned in football to help himself with his current difficulties in life. I'm not a football fan and I still enjoyed the story. I think you will too!
Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks
Interesting Point of View (1/2/2023)
This novel has an interesting view on segregation. It tells the story of Alice Young living in New Jessup Alabama in the late 1950's. The town is segregated and the black people living there don't want to change. Alice, black herself, came upon the town by chance and stayed. The people in the town were kind to her and helped her get started. She got a job, fell in love, got married and began raising a family there. I loved the author's use of language describing things like sunsets. It would be interesting to find out what happens next.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
Lighthearted Romp! (10/27/2022)
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise was an enjoyable book. Pairing up an older woman with a younger woman for a car trip makes for an interesting intergenerational story. Then you add in a hunky young man. What's not to like? There are some unexpected twists to the story. The characters were believable and Louise's back story was interesting. A lighthearted romp!
The Poet's House
by Jean Thompson
A Fun Read! (6/27/2022)
I enjoyed reading The Poet's House very much. It was fun following the adventures of Carla, a young landscaper, and how she decided her career and life path. Carla was very willing to try new things and Viridian, a long-time poet and client, was very willing to befriend her and take her under her wing. Viridian exposed Carla to many new experiences and people which Carla enjoyed. I could not wait to find out what Carla would do next and was very happy with her choices. I look forward to reading Jean Thompson's other books now.
Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood
Enjoy the ride! (4/19/2022)
Ann Hood brought me right into her world in her book Fly Girl. I enjoyed learning about her life as a flight attendant and some history on airline travel. I am glad she persevered through the downsides of her job to enjoy traveling to new places. In some regards the changes in the flight attendant job is for the better – male flight attendants and being able to make it a career. It would have been nice to hear about how her personal life (marriage and children) affected her job. The end of the book was too long. I am very glad she was able to transition to a second career, being a writer. I look forward to reading other books she has written.
The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher
What a Treat! (12/8/2021)
The Paris Bookseller was an interesting read. I wasn't sure I was going to like it but eventually I got into the story about the bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, and Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, and Hemingway to name a few. I knew about famous American authors living in Paris in the 1920's but did not know about the bookstore or Beach. I would have loved to have visited it during that time. It was also interesting to learn about Joyce's behaviors and his book, Ulysses, which was published by Beach. I was happy Joyce eventually did the right thing for Beach. I think it would make a fun discussion for book clubs, finding out what people knew about this time in Paris and discussing the various authors.
At the Edge of the Haight
by Katherine Seligman
A Glimpse (10/16/2020)
This story gives you a glimpse into what homelessness is like for young adults. The characters need to be developed more and the story needs to be fleshed out more. It was interesting to see that some businesses are friendly to homeless people because most do not want anything to do with them.
By the end of the story I was wondering what it would take for these young people to turn themselves around – have a home, get a job, marry, and raise a family. There is a movement in the United States to find a permanent place to live first then get them the services they need.
You can learn a lot about a topic reading fiction, and this is no different. It is a worthwhile read for someone who would like to learn about homelessness.
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager
Fascinating and Balances (7/16/2020)
I enjoyed reading The Smallest Lights in the Universe by Sara Seager. Intertwining her personal life with her professional life in this memoir, she is a wonderful writer who builds suspense with space exploration and what is happening in her personal life. Her fascinating job has given her lots of great opportunities to travel. She takes such good care of her husband and sons and talks about managing her work/life balance. Everybody should have a support group like the Widows of Concord.
The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
by SandraTsing Loh
memorable (4/17/2020)
The Mad Woman and the Roomba has a few memorable stories. I particularly like the story about Sally, her daughter, and her daughter's friend JJ. I also enjoyed the story about the Hindu monks' visit. But it took me a while to get into the book and I had a hard time relating to other stories. There were a few quotes I enjoyed including "The kitchenware of weddings is very beautiful!" It got me thinking and she's right. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book. Is it because I'm much older than the author, have never been divorced, or I live on the East Coast?
You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley
Suprised (8/14/2019)
I thoroughly enjoyed You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley. I didn't want to put it down which surprised me. The twists and turns kept me going, wanting to know if Mia would discover the meaning of her dreams. And then when she met the man in her dream what would she do about it. Mia and Oliver, the man in her dreams, went to great and interesting lengths to find out what their dreams meant. At the same time there was also a lot going on with Mia and her husband Harrison, a doctor - her miscarriage and the death of one of Harrison's patients. I was not expecting the ending but was not disappointed. I will be recommending this to my book club.
Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila
Connections (5/28/2019)
I enjoyed reading Travelers by Helon Habila. The book is well written and you get a thorough picture of what recent refugees have gone through and continue to go through with the hope of finding a safe place to live. It was fun finding the connection to each of the stories and the characters. This is the first book I've read on the recent refugee crisis and their stories were eye opening. I learned a lot through the description of each person's journey and I found myself rooting for them especially Juma. I am going to recommend it to my book club, there is lots to discuss.
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
Coming Together (10/21/2018)
I was drawn right into the story because I wanted to know why Althea and her husband were in jail. Even though The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls story was told from Althea and her two sisters' points of view, it was easy to follow. Although the sisters haven't always gotten along they came together to take care of Althea's daughters, Kim and Baby Vi. Along the way you find out their family history and that despite the hardships growing up they still love and support each other. It was interesting because after a while I realized that the title was more than just one sister having an eating disorder, there were other types of hunger they experienced. I was rooting for the sisters and the daughters to resolve some of their issues and they did. I was particularly glad that the aunts were able to help Kim. It's a very interesting story and there is much to discuss for a book club.
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Family Dynamics (4/3/2018)
This is a wonderful novel about family, a family who happens to be Muslim and living in the United States. The children are first generation Americans. The 5 family members deal with universal themes of identity, acceptance, belonging, and finding their place in the world. We get each family member's perspective on everyday life and what Muslim customs and tradition are kept.
At the beginning of the story the eldest daughter is getting married and her estranged brother shows up. From there we go back in time to find out what caused the estrangement.
At the end of the novel, in part 4, the tone changes. This was confusing at first until I realized where the author was going in the story. It gave me hope for this dysfunctional family.
I would highly recommend this book. I learned a lot about being Muslim in America through an interesting story.
