Summer of Love
by Kerri Maher
Average Book for Me (5/11/2026)
Summer of Love fell somewhat flat to me, struggling to find its footing. The execution of the dual timeline was a miss for me. Rather than weaving together to create a cohesive narrative, the shifts between eras felt clunky and disjointed. The transitions often interrupted the flow of the story, making it difficult to settle into either period fully. The dual timeline felt like two different stories competing for attention.
The storyline itself offered very few surprises. Unfortunately, the plot followed a predictable trajectory that has been explored more dynamically in other works. There was a lack of fresh perspective or a "hook" that distinguished this particular narrative from the many others set during the counterculture movement.
Fireflies in Winter
by Eleanor Shearer
Mixed Thoughts (2/5/2026)
While Eleanor Shearer's prose is descriptive, Fireflies in Winter often gets bogged down. I found myself wading through a significant amount of "filler"—details and subplots that didn't feel essential to the core arc. When a story is rich in historical potential, you want every sentence to build toward the climax, but here, the pacing often felt stalled by information that didn't move the needle.
One of my biggest hurdles was the lack of context regarding the Maroons of Jamaica. The Maroons have a fascinating, complex history of resistance and independence, but the narrative seems to operate on the assumption that the reader is already well-versed in their story.
Interestingly, Shearer mentions in her acknowledgments that she wasn't initially familiar with this history herself. It's a bit of a missed opportunity; rather than bringing the reader along on that journey of discovery, the book leaves a gap where foundational world-building should have been.
The book finds its stride in the latter half. From about the 60 mark to the 85 mark, the story gains the momentum I was looking for. During this stretch, the stakes felt higher, the character motivations were clearer, and the "fluff" fell away to reveal the heart of the story. If the rest of the book had maintained this level of energy and focus, it would have been a much stronger read.
Next Time Will Be Our Turn
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Fantastic Book! (9/9/2025)
I really enjoyed this book! The first chapter or two were a bit slow - it started reading more as a young adult book, which may have been intentional to match the granddaughter's age.
This book quickly worked up speed for me. I really enjoyed the author's focus on gender and cultural roles.
I enjoyed the book's portrayal of the intricate, often restrictive, expectations placed on the Indonesian-Chinese female characters. Sutanto captures the pressure to conform, to be a good daughter & wife, and to uphold family honor, all while navigating personal desires and modern sensibilities.
I found this book to be heart breaking, inspiring, educational and I highly recommend it to any reader!
The Bone Thief
by Vanessa Lillie
Not able to connect (7/10/2025)
I wasn't able to connect with this book. I understand this is the second book in the series about Syd Walker that can also be read as a standalone. I didn't read the first book, which may have been part of the disconnect for me. There were several characters that seemed to be introduced in the first book, with little background/context in the second. The Bone Thief also had several characters that didn't seem important to the plot of the book, which made it confusing to keep up with everyone. Readers who have finished the first book may connect better with The Bone Thief.
The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement
by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue
Too much going on (4/9/2025)
The book is written by a journalist / professor who starts digging into the murder conviction of 4 people found guilty of beating & killing a teenager. The professor (author O'Donoghue) creates an Investigative Reporting course for his students and over several years, they research details of the case. The premise is really interesting and caught my attention.
The execution of the book fell short for me. There were so many names in the book, it was hard to keep track of who was who. Additionally, it felt like a lot of details were not important to the story, but including them caused more confusion.
L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
Slow start but picked up (3/21/2025)
This book was a slow start, it didn't pick up for me until about 40 of the way through. Gala was the more interesting character to me, Lane felt a bit whiny throughout the book. The buildup of the mystery of Gala felt like it didn't pay off in the end. I think I would have preferred if this book focused solely on Gala, with Lane as a side character. Gala's romantic relationship was something I wish had more focus in the book.
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton
Average Book for Me (2/17/2025)
This book is an average read for me. The plot of the story was interesting, particularly the story following Pilar. The other 2 views were a bit disjointed and almost felt like they were forced into the book to have the multiple timelines.
I think this book would have held more of my interest if it focused only on Pilar's story. Towards the end of the book, I found myself skimming through as it felt very wordy but not enough interest in the story.
Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein
Not for me (12/9/2024)
Sadly, I found this book quite boring. So much of the book was detail after detail about petty theft. I didn't get a good feel for Fagin or the other characters in the book. I wish there was more insight into the characters relationships with each other, their own thoughts/beliefs, etc. I don't know that I feel like I took away a backstory to Fagin of Oliver Twist, which was a disappointment. This one just wasn't for me.
The Adversary: A Novel
by Michael Crummey
A miss for me (1/15/2024)
This book was a miss for me. The first ~20 I was interested in the developing story between the sibling main characters but the remainder of the book fell flat. The storyline kept changing and I never felt invested in the characters by that point. There's a lot going on, I wish the author had followed one thread vs many.
All You Have to Do Is Call
by Kerri Maher
Good Historical Fiction (6/24/2023)
I really enjoyed "All You Have to Do Is Call" - the book focuses on the lives of several very different women during the 1970s, particularly on their struggles on the tradition roles of women at that time, low pay, limited child care support, but mostly on abortion - women trying to obtain one, caregivers providing them and the challenges faced. Very good and interesting read on the topic - I highly recommend!
The September House
by Carissa Orlando
Great fall read! (5/18/2023)
I really enjoyed September House. The story is unique and tackles mental illness, family drama, love & loss - several topics. Margaret, the main character, is likeable. The other characters, including the dead ones, were interesting. This will be the perfect read during spooky season, but this book isn't too terrifying in my opinion (a benefit!). I'm not a big fan of super scary books and found this one to be just right.
Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood
by Tanya Frank
Beautiful and Heartbreaking (2/19/2023)
Well written memoir focusing on how mental illness impacts the family system. Tanaya Frank also describes the challenges of the mental health system in both US and UK - many times, these systems are set up for failure. A difficult, yet important read to better understand mental health challenges and the need to address how we support them.
Iron Curtain: A Love Story
by Vesna Goldsworthy
Loved this book! (1/27/2023)
I loved this book - right from the start I was drawn into Milena and her story. The beginning is a bit dark, but that is relevant context for the rest of the story. I felt so many emotions reading Iron Curtain - it is sad, funny, disturbing, exciting, confusing, the list goes on. The pace moves quickly and this book is beautifully written. Highly recommend!
Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks
Strong start but lost interest (12/26/2022)
I loved the first 25 of this book. Learning about Alice's travels to New Jessup, her backstory, etc. About the time Raymond came on the scene I started to lose interest. It felt like there were a lot of different story lines going on, but they were all disconnected from each other. The new romance with Raymond, the search for Rosie, Patience's removal, NNAS, etc. The stories were all over the place and didn't intertwine as much as I wish they would have.
River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer
Wonderful book, highly recommend (9/20/2022)
I loved the story and characters of this book. This book is based on the practice of separating slave children from their parents and one mother's desire to find out what happen to her own. This was a quick read and although difficult, provides important information to more fully understand the brutal history of slavery.
Spoiler
If you can set aside the unlikelihood of a woman with very limited resources being able to easily island hop across the Caribbean and in relatively short time find all her missing children after many years, this is a great book. I found this piece of the story unrealistic, so deducted 1 star.
The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi
Not sure what to think (7/3/2022)
I'm not sure how to describe this book, as I'm not entirely sure what it is about. The book is a "girl coming of age" story, but there doesn't seem to be much of a story here. The description talks about a family curse which is hinted at, but there's very little of this included in the book. There's partially developed story lines with Valentina's friend Ilaria, romantic interest Marco, father, mother and grandmother, but none of these relationships seem to go anywhere in the book. I would have liked to see at least one of these explore in further detail as I had some interest. This book is short and quick to read, although my interest level in it was lacking.
Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer
Good, quick read! (3/15/2022)
Reading the description, I didn't think this book would grab my interest but I was pleasantly surprised! By page 2 I was hooked! Well written, interesting characters and a good story line that kept me engaged. I read this in 2 days.
I was worried a story about a psychic would be ridiculous and not believable, but that wasn't how this book played out. I was interested in both main characters, learning more about Sylvia's backstory and felt the pace of the book moved along quickly.
I recommend this read, even if you don't think the description would be for you.
Crossing the River: Seven Stories That Saved My Life, A Memoir
by Carol Smith
Beautiful Memoir (2/22/2021)
I absolutely loved this memoir! As Carol Smith navigates the grief of her young son's death, she reflects on the stories of people throughout her life. These stories help her to see a way to balance holding onto her grief while navigating towards happiness again. I appreciate how much consideration she puts into the individuals in each story and the lessons she learns from each of them. This book is certainly heavy and can be difficult to read, but a journey into these lives is a beautiful one.
The Prophets
by Robert Jones Jr.
Sigh, wanted to love (10/17/2020)
I love the story of this book, but didn't love the way the story was told. I found myself struggling to stay focused. Sometimes I couldn't follow the story, sometimes I was bored and sometimes I was confused. I really wanted to enjoy this book, I was interested in the story of a gay black couple during slavery. But it was a struggle to get through.
American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins
Wow (11/12/2019)
One of the best books I have ever read. From the very first page to the last, I was hooked.
The story of Lydia & Luca is so beautifully written. I felt I was actually with them on every step of their journey.
This book isn't for the faint of heart - there are very difficult, emotional and violent moments. But this is also the reality of the world today, which makes it an important read.
I appreciate the research and heart Jeanine Cummins put into this book. This is a story that will stay with me.
