What I've Been Reading: April 2017

I know you probably won't believe this, especially looking at the list below, but I actually do things other than read. I can't necessarily think of just what those things are at present, but I'm pretty sure.
Mostly...

The Wanderers, by Meg Howery. This is one of those instances where readers shouldn't judge a book by its cover--while this is classified as a science fiction title, it is no more sci-fi in its bones than Andy Weir's The Martian was. Where The Martian was really a suspenseful survival story, man against environment, Meg Howery's The Wanderers is a close scrutiny of interpersonal dynamics and personal demons. Helen, Yoshi and Sergei are astronauts, training under 24-hour observation for seventeen months in preparation for the first manned mission to Mars. The stress is unrelenting, yet each of them must be in full control at all times in order to get a green light for the mission to proceed. And in this artificial environment, each must navigate his or her demons, past and present, in this close proximity. This is a tale so insightful and wise, I was sad to see it end. Highly recommended.

Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman. I don't think I've made it a secret that I am total fangirl when it comes to Neil Gaiman's work (and the American Gods series debuted on Starz on Sunday! And has already been renewed for a second season! #fangirl), so obviously when a new book comes out, I'm there. And since he does the reading for the audiobook version of Norse Mythology, of course that was my preferred format. Gaiman's work is deeply influenced by mythology (see also American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, etc.) and here he retells some of the classic Norse myths in such a way that there is a novelistic arc to the stories. These are funny and heartbreaking and lovely tales. Recommended for both Gaiman's fans...and for anyone who enjoyed a good bedtime story as a kid.

Dropped Dead Stitch & Skein of the Crime, by Maggie Sefton. I'm still working along through Sefton's series, though I may be at a good point to take a break from sleuth Kelly Flynn and company. In Dropped Dead Stitch (book seven in the series), Kelly and her friends close ranks after one of their own is attacked. When the attacker turns up dead, Kelly must clear herself and her friend from the list of suspects. In book eight, Skein of the Crime, Kelly comes home one night to find a local girl, high as a kite and unable to speak, in her backyard. She follows up after the girl has received medical treatment, and it seems like she's cleaning herself up...only to be found dead of a supposed overdose a few weeks later. Kelly doesn't buy it for a minute and sets to sleuthing. I enjoyed book seven but found book eight a weak outing, oversimplified and repetitive. Most series have a weak link or two, and it looks like I've found one here. I'm sure I'll come back to them at some point, if only to inspire myself to pick up my knitting!

A Twist of the Knife, by Becky Masterman. I've been a fan of Masterman's Brigid Quinn series since it debuted with Rage Against the Dying back in 2013. Brigid Quinn, ex-FBI, has retired to Tucson with her husband and her dogs. She hasn't been home to Florida in some time, but a combination of her father's poor health and her former partner's plea for help in an appeals case calls her back to her roots. Stick with this one--I found the start a bit slow, but once it picked up, I couldn't bear to put it down, not for a second.

The Book of Speculation, by Erika Swyler. Simon Watson, reclusive young reference librarian, lives alone in a falling-down house full of the ghosts of his family: his circus mermaid mother who drowned in the ocean behind their house, his father who died from the pain of his grief, his sister Enola who left home six years ago and lives a vagabond's life reading tarot cards for a traveling carnival. Then Simon receives an old book from a mysterious dealer in old tomes, a book full of sketches and business transactions from a traveling show dating back to the late 1700s, with the name of one of Simon's ancestors written in it. Generations of women in Simon's family have drowned, it seems, not just his mother, and always on July 24. Enola is coming home and summer is upon them. The tale shifts between past and present (beautifully, I might add) as Simon frantically works to unravel the curse that has held his family in its grasp for centuries in a desperate attempt to save the last of his family. This was a phenomenal, exquisite read, and I highly recommend it, especially for fans of books like Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book.

Shadow Man & The Face of Death, by Cody McFadyen. First and second in McFadyen's Smoky Barrett series (which is on extended hiatus, so if you can't handle four books and then a lull, skip it...but I hope you won't, because they're excellent), these novels follow FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett and her ...unusual... team as they hunt serial killers. In Shadow Man, Barrett is slowly grappling back toward sanity and normalcy after personal tragedy, only to find herself the target of a killer who issues her a personal challenge. Barrett has no choice but to get back to what she does best before a killer, who seems to know her better than she knows herself, snuffs out her team before he comes after her in a grim end-game. In The Face of Death, Barrett and her team at the LA violent crimes unit are drawn into a case where a sixteen year old girl claims that a man she calls "The Stranger" has killed her adoptive family, that he's followed her all her life, killing everyone she loves, but that no one believes her. No one, that is, until she met Smoky. These are break-neck paced reads, both grisly and fascinating. I recommend these to fans of Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter.

Backward Glance, by Robyn Carr. This novella by Carr is available in ebook format via the Trumbull Library's access to Overdrive. Leigh hasn't been back to the house she grew up in in nearly five years--the last time she was home, she was trying to plan her next step while her divorce was being finalized, and had a fling that burned hot and then burned out. Now, her mother Jess claims to be ailing and Leigh comes to stay, only to find herself face to face with her old flame. Are they brave enough to try again? Sweet, easy reading.

A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle. Sequel to L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time (which I read last month), A Wind in the Door finds Meg Murry in a new quandary--her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, is unwell. He's getting beat up at school for being "weird", he's easily tired, and he's hallucinating dragons in the back garden. But what if he's not hallucinating? The books are just as magical to me as an adult as I found them as a kid.

What I've Been Reading: December 2016

Well, here we are at the end-of-year roundup, and as I look back at what I've read over this past year, I feel pretty accomplished. While I didn't set a formal goal this year, I have still managed to read 85 books this year, more than any other year since I started tracking back in 2011 (I didn't include all of my re-reads, either). My reading material of choice is still predominantly fiction, and I've recently read fewer thrillers and suspense novels in favor of more contemporary fiction and even cozy mysteries. A patron and I were recently talking about how our reading tastes change, depending on overall mood, personal life, weather, etc. Apparently I'm looking for easy entertainment, and I am completely okay with that--we all read for different reasons.

In any case, here's what I've been reading lately.

Blueberry Muffin Murder & Lemon Meringue Pie Murder, by Joanne Fluke. Books 3 and 4 in Fluke's bestselling Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. Blueberry Muffin Murder finds Hannah caught up in the whirlwind of Lake Eden's Winter Carnival, with cooking and lifestyle maven Connie Mac rolling into town and taking over everything: the Carnival cake, local shops, even Hannah's own shop kitchen! Then Ms. Mac turns up dead and it seems everyone had a motive, so it's up to Hannah to pitch in and clear her own name as well as those of her friends. In the fourth series installment, Hannah's comfortable life is upended when her beau, town dentist Norman Rhodes, announces that he's bought a house. Friends and family assume that they're engaged...only Norman hasn't popped any questions, and the house purchase is a total surprise to Hannah. Then a body is discovered on the property, and Hannah's back in the thick of another small town murder investigation. These are light and breezy reads, nothing taxing, just what the season seems to require.

Knit One, Kill Two & Needled to Death, by Maggie Sefton. I read these both via the Trumbull Library's access to Overdrive. These are the first and second books in Sefton's Knitting Mysteries, featuring corporate accountant and amateur sleuth Kelly Flynn. In the first, Kelly returns to Colorado in the wake of her beloved aunt's murder, only to find herself caught up in not only the whodunnit of the murder, but also land disputes and a deep secret her aunt had kept hidden for decades. In the second, Kelly, who has chosen to remain in Colorado, agrees to chaperone a group of knitters on an outing to see a local working alpaca farm. Upon arriving at their destination, however, the group finds their hostess dead under mysterious circumstances. Of course Kelly can't help but get involved in solving the case. Again, cozy mysteries make for great, quick reads this time of year.

Between Breaths, by Elizabeth Vargas. This memoir of anxiety and addiction from the famous television news journalist (best known for her work on 20/20, World News Tonight, and ABC news specials) chronicles Vargas's struggle with panic and anxiety attacks from an early age, as well as her later struggles with alcoholism and the strains these secrets placed on her personal life and career. Deeply moving and insightful.

Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: the private diary of a Victorian lady, by Kate Summerscale. More non-fiction? In my reading list? I know! Headstrong, high-spirited, and already widowed, Isabella Walker became Mrs. Henry Robinson at age 31 in 1844. Her new husband moved them, by then with two sons, to Edinburgh's elegant society in 1850. But Henry traveled often and was cold and remote when home, leaving Isabella to her fantasies. Isabella chose to record her innermost thoughts and feelings, her frustrations and her infatuations (including that with a married Dr. Edward Lane) in her diary over the course of the years that followed. But when Henry found her journals, aghast at his wife's perceived infidelity, he petitioned for divorce on the grounds of infidelity. The trial became a cause celebre and the diary was read aloud in court, much of it reprinted in the daily papers. Isabella's plight, that of a frustrated wife trapped in a rigid society, reverberates even today. I found it a fascinating read.

The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson. Book three in Sanderson's bestselling and immensely popular Mistborn series (following The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension) follows new Emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, as they struggle in the wake of being tricked into releasing Ruin while trying to close the Well of Ascension. They must now battle Ruin's Inquisitors, the encroaching lethal mists called the Deepness, and the increasingly heavy falls of black ash that threaten to suffocate their very existence. Sanderson is an absolute master of his craft--I had worried that having taken more than six months off between books in the series that I would be lost, but he is so skillful a writer that I felt caught up almost immediately without feeling buried by a heavy-handed recap.

Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell. I've had Rainbow Rowell's work recommended to me repeatedly for the last several years, and now that I've capitulated, I wonder what in the heck took me so long! Simon Snow is officially the worst Chosen One ever. He can't control his magic, meaning that half the time he can't get his wand to work and the other half? Fire everywhere. His girlfriend broke up with him, his mentor is avoiding him, his alleged vampire of a roommate, Baz, never even showed up at the beginning of this, their final year at the Watford School of Magicks. Oh, and there happens to be a magic-eating monster running around, and it happens to be wearing Simon's face. Chatty, hilariously funny, and chock-full of monsters--if you think this sounds like Harry Potter, you're a little bit right and mostly mistaken in the best possible ways.

And that's it for me for 2016. I'll see you in the new year for new books and new recommendations. From all of us here at The Trumbull Library, Happy New Year and Happy Reading.

What I've Been Reading: February 2016

It's hard to believe the end of the month is upon us--I feel like I missed a week in there somewhere! It has not felt like the most accomplished month for me, reading-wise. Some easy reading, a collection of short-stories, a couple of audiobooks--not bad, but you can see why I thought maybe I'd lost a week.

Day Four, by Sarah Lotz. I couldn't keep this one to myself. You can read my review here. I actually did this as an audiobook and thought the reader, Penelope Rawlins, did  an admirable job.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, by Stephen King. I don't often take a chance on a collection of short stories, but when it comes to Stephen King, if I'm in for a penny, I'm in for a pound. I like that in recent collections, he talks a bit about how each story comes to be written--it's less like a magician explaining how the trick is done and more like an alchemist describing the effects of a catalyst, if that makes any sense? In any case, some of these are plain scary (Mile 81), others are creepy as all get out and reminded me of IT (Bad Little Kid), some are metaphysical (Ur), and still others are not immediately horrifying, but creep into your head and stick around, rearing up to be mulled over again and again, reminding me of Dolan's Cadillac from Nightmares & Dreamscapes, which had the same effect on me (Morality, Premium harmony). I'm still most partial to Nightmares & Dreamscapes, of all of King's collections, but this one ranks right up there.

Dance of Death, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Yes, I am still sticking with this duo's Agent Pendergast series, of which this is book 6. Really, every time I think they can't get better (although Still Life with Crows remains my favorite to date), I am captivated all over again. Really, it's the old Twin Peaks/X-Files/Indiana Jones fan in me that finds these so deeply involving--things you can't explain, secret societies, ancient civilizations? Yes please! Here, Pendergast's most dangerous adversary is hard at work, determined to take away everything Pendergast has ever loved, including those he has worked with closely in recent years. And who would know best how to push his buttons than his own flesh and blood? The ultimate challenge has been given: Catch me if you can. I cannot recommend this series enough, it really is one of my favorite things to read right now.

Brotherhood in Death, by J.D. Robb. The extremely prolific Robb (aka Nora Roberts) is at it again. Here, a politician winds up kidnapped, later discovered dead in his grandparents' old home. He also happened to be related to Dr. Charlotte Mira's husband, who was injured during his cousin's kidnapping. So Eve Dallas, homicide detective, is determined to get to the bottom of the case for reasons beyond just the politician's death. When an old friend of Senator Mira is found dead in a similar manner just days later, Dallas has to race against time to uncover the culprits, prevent them from murdering more prominent men, and in the process unearths a decades-old brotherhood that has brought this all to a head. I have to say that I found this one to be particularly unsettling in its subject matter--this one may not be for everyone.

The Vacationers, by Emma Straub. This is a re-read--my book club is reading this for our March meeting. You can read my original review here.

Find Her, by Lisa Gardner. Eighth in Gardner's D.D. Warren series, Find Her is the story of Flora Dane, who was abducted and held captive for 472 days. She survived, but has spent the last decade trying to learn how to live in the world again. But Detective D.D. Warren has to wonder if Flora has gone from victim to vigilante when she finds that Flora has confronted three suspected abductors recently. When Flora herself disappears again, Warren must find her, because there is a predator who wants to make sure that Flora never returns.

What I've been reading: September 2015

Wow, September seemed really fast to me. On one hand, I look back and what I've read, and the book at the beginning of the list seems ages in the past. And on the other hand, I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the month. Weird. In any case, I've been reading some incredible books this month, and I cannot wait to share.

The Third Wife, by Lisa Jewell. In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus, but whether this was a tragic accident or suicide is unclear. At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge. Part mystery, part blended family saga, this was absolutely riveting.

The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George. I loved this so much that I couldn't keep it to myself. You can read my review here.

Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain. McLain, author of bestseller The Paris Wife, returns to readers here with the story of another remarkable woman lost in the haze of history, this time Beryl Markham (her memoir, West With the Night, was a major source for McLain's novel), a contemporary of Hemingway and his wives. Markham, famed aviator and renowned racehorse trainer, is the focus of McLain's novel, tracing her early years running wild in the Kenyan countryside, learning the racing trade from her trainer father. Until she is pressured into marrying a neighbor when she is sixteen, owing to her father's financial instability and his decision to sell his training operation and move to Cape Town. This relationship, doomed from the start, is unfortunately only the first in a string of complex and constraining ties in Markham's life, driving her to fast horses, cars, and airplanes as a means of freedom and escape. Bonus, the audiobook is thrillingly read by the extremely talented Katharine McEwan.

Luckiest Girl Alive, by Jessica Knoll. It seems like you can't walk two steps without stumbling over a Gone Girl reference these days, and Knoll's novel has not escaped--in this case, I've seen it referred to as Gone Girl meets Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep. However, I have to say that I think that is a very oversimplified description of a novel which is dark, disturbing, and a thoroughly cynical commentary on our modern culture. TifAni FaNelli, at first glance, has everything: a handsome, wealthy financier fiance from an old, blueblood family; an enviable job at a competitive women's fashion magazine; a wardrobe that would make fashionistas weep. But underneath it all is a past that keeps threatening to overwhelm her and drown her chance at happiness. When an opportunity arises for Ani to finally put some of her past demons to rest, her stress levels increase as she's forced to relive some of the worst days of her life. While the novel is compulsively readable, for me it was morbid fascination as the story unfolded. Ani is, like the characters in Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train, not a sympathetic character for the most part. There is only a glimmer of hope that she might be redeemed. But the enthralling maze of secrets still makes for a fascinating read.

The Girl in the Spider's Web, by David Lagercrantz. Lagercrantz is the Swedish journalist and bestselling author who was asked by Steig Larsson's estate to write a follow-up novel to Larsson's Millenium trilogy featuring Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. No small order, but he does brilliantly, bringing back our favorite characters in full color in this novel of artificial intelligence and corporate espionage, which are enough to bring an at-loose-ends Blomkvist in. Add wrongs that need righting and Salander is on the case. The plot-lines are beautifully interwoven in this smart thriller, and fans, myself included, can only hope that this won't be the last.

This is How, by Augusten Burroughs. This is not your mother's self-help book, which makes sense coming from unconventional thinker Burroughs (Running With Scissors, etc.). Rather, this collection of essays/chapters challenges how we address our lives and our emotions, including unhappiness, stress, and relationships. Each section tackles a different obstacle: grief, depression, shame, and then unravels some of the conventional wisdom and relentless positivity found in most self-help tomes. Instead, this is a manual for how to pick up, right where you are stuck, and move forward. I found it both reassuring and, in some cases, a little eye-opening.

What I've Been Reading: August 2015

I'm blaming the fact that there are 5 more days in the month for the fact that I've only (I know, only) read 5 books this month. But they have, in several cases, been huge! What do I mean? Read on.

Dune, by Frank Herbert. I'm not normally a science fiction reader. Except that in the last year or so, I've read quite a bit of science fiction (The Martian, Ready Player One, Armada)--and really enjoyed it! So maybe I'm a sci-fi reader after all? In any case, somehow I never got around to reading Herbert's classic Dune until this past month. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what it undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. The audiobook also won an Audie for its full cast recording. I would absolutely recommend this to readers who are intimidated by the idea of science fiction--I really found this quite accessible. (Even if it is over 500 pages!)

The Best of Enemies, by Jen Lancaster. What can I say? I read a wide variety of genres. Jack and Kitty have been at war since a college misunderstanding-gone-nuclear left them with a single thing in common--a mutual best friend, Sarahbeth Chandler. Jack is a journalist, spending months at a time in war-torn countries, writing about falling nations and rising despots, with no place to call home. Kitty is a SAHM and lifestyle blogger whose biggest battles seem to be fought at PTA meetings. The two haven't spoken in years, until crisis befalls Sarahbeth and within hours, Jack and Kitty are on a roadtrip to solve a mystery and save their friend, with typical Lancaster-ian hilarity. Light, breezy and fun, but with a good heart--if you need one last easy read this summer, make it this one.

Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay. If you haven't read Linwood Barclay (a Connecticut native), you should start. But if you start, I might not start with this one, only because you'll miss out on some great backstory. Promise Falls, NY is a small town in a slump. The local paper has closed, as has the local amusement park. Times are hard. And dark things are happening. David Harwood (seen previously in Never Look Away), recently returned to his hometown of Promise Falls after nearly a decade away, is almost immediately caught up in a family crisis that is tied to several powerful figures in the community. The ending leaves several threads hanging, meaning a direct sequel should be on the horizon for readers.

Armada, by Ernest Cline. As you know, I read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline last month. Just in time to turn around and read his new book, Armada, this month! (FYI, both will be turned into films in the next two years or so, and Steven Spielberg has signed on to direct Ready Player One, so these could be amazing. Cline also has screenwriting chops, have written 2009's Fanboys, starring Seth Rogan, Kristin Bell and Jay Baruchel, among others.) In any case, Armada is the story of one high school senior, Zack Lightman, whose father died in a freak accident when he was a baby. Raised by his mother, Zack is still fascinated by the boxes of video games, movies, mixtapes and notebooks left behind by his father, forming his loves of old science fiction movies and classic rock. He's also an elite player of a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada, which turns out to have been a training course for when the aliens attack. And that day happens to be today. While not as strong as Ready Player One, in my opinion, Armada is still full of ordinary-guy-turned-hero moments and lots of 80s culture references. It just felt like parts of it were missing. It's not a bad way to pass some time, but it doesn't have either the compulsive readability nor the re-read potential of Cline's debut.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: four women undercover in the Civil War, by Karen Abbott. Okay, I admit, my reading list looks a little...scattered this month. But I've been meaning to get around to this title for months.
Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were spies.
After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives. Abbott's work has an entertaining narrative, making it an easy, enjoyable read--I'd recommend it not just to history buffs but also fans of historical fiction.

What I've Been Reading: May 2015

I have to say that even with all of the around-the-house chores that come with springtime, I still managed to read quite a bit this month! In fact, I've been carving out as much time to read as I can, because there have been some good ones lately. So I've been getting up a little earlier and reading while I have my morning cup of coffee. I stay up a little later, "Just to finish this chapter! Okay, maybe one more chapter..." I read on my lunch hour, while I'm waiting for dinner to cook, while I'm in waiting rooms. And I really have to say, I'm not watching much television these days, although I can recommend Netflix's Daredevil series and AMC's Halt and Catch Fire (season 2 starts this Sunday!). All of this to say, really, that there is no secret to finding time to read. It absolutely can be done.

The Liar, by Nora Roberts. Devastated to learn that her unfaithful husband had actually married her using an alias, Shelby returns with her young daughter to her Tennessee hometown and pursues a new relationship before her husband's past poses dangerous threats. I really enjoyed this one, moreso than quite a bit of Roberts's recent work. She excels at creating characters who are delightfully quirky and vibrant, which makes their stories a pleasure to read. If you're looking for an easy beach read with just a little thrill included, I'd recommend picking up this one.

One Night in Winter, by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I had this recommended to me several times recently, and initially I was a little put off--1940s Russia is not my usual historical period of choice, and until I got familiar with the cast of characters and their names, the first couple of chapters were a little confusing. And then? I was captivated. The novel, inspired by historical events, follows the stories of two forbidden, deadly love affairs set in the corridors of one of Moscow's most elite schools, during the end of Stalin's regime. Recommended for fans of historical fiction, particularly works by Hilary Mantel or Sebastian Faulks.

Revival, by Stephen King. I am a long-time fan of King's work, and this is no different for me. Half a century ago, preacher Charles Jacobs arrives in a small New England town with his young family, changing both church and town. When tragedy strikes, Jacobs loses his faith in a most public fashion, ending with his banishment by the shocked congregation. All of this we see through the eyes of the youngest Morton child, Jamie. As the years pass, Jamie grows up and moves away, encountering addiction and desperation. In his darkest hour, he encounters Jacobs again. Jacobs helps Jamie, but his aid comes with a price, part of which is that when Jacobs calls for Jamie, Jamie is helpless to resist. Their bond plagues Jamie for decades to come, culminating in what could be the ultimate sacrifice. This is vintage King, compulsively readable, thoughtful, nostalgic, and heavy on the dark foreboding. I deeply enjoyed it, and anticipate re-reading it in the years to come. Also, while I didn't listen to the audiobook version of this, I did see that the audiobook is read by the amazingly talented David Morse, and I think he's a brilliant narrator.

Church of Marvels, by Leslie Parry. Set during the turn-of-the-last-century New York City, this debut novel follows the lives of four outsiders as they converge in the wake of the Coney Island fire of 1895. Sylvan, once an orphan himself, finds an abandoned newborn while working as a night soiler. He puts his livelihood in jeopardy in order to find her family. Belle and Odile Church are twins, raised amid the applause at The Church of Marvels, a sideshow on Coney Island run by their mother. In the wake of the tragic fire, however, the Church is gone, their mother is gone, and Belle has disappeared, leaving Odile alone and desperate. And Alphie, a young woman who has overcome a traumatic childhood and found true love, awakens to find herself trapped across the river in Blackwell's Lunatic Asylum. Their secrets and the connections among them become clearer as the story races forward, and I found it absolutely spellbinding. Recommended for fans of Alice Hoffman, in particular.

I Regret Nothing, by Jen Lancaster. Lancaster has made a career out of looking on the snarky side of life in her memoirs, but in recent years, there has been a little less rapier wit and a little more quiet wisdom in her work. I have to say, I am enjoying her evolution as a writer--you may remember my review of 2013's The Tao of Martha, which I also loved. Both of these latest offerings have particularly veered into heartwarming territory. In I Regret Nothing, Lancaster takes stock of her life and decides to make a bucket list, including everything from learning Italian, traveling abroad by herself, and removing the tattoo she got during her sorority days...at one hundred times the cost of putting it on. In an effort to turn a mid-life crisis into a mid-life opportunity, Lancaster recounts her adventures with her trademark hilarity, and more than a few lessons for the rest of us. Witty, wise, and delightful. This would make a great summer read to take with you to the pool, beach or on vacation.

Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, by Amanda Berry & Gina DeJesus. I've had several co-workers recommend this to me, and I was a little wary--this is not my usual reading material. But while what these girls endured as victims of the Cleveland Kidnapper during their years of captivity is harrowing and heartbreaking, the message they send is clear: We survived. We are free. We love life. The book is ultimately very inspiring, and I'd absolutely recommend this to fans of true-crime nonfiction.

A Short History of Women, by Kate Walbert. Another recommendation from friends, and one which has been a reader favorite since its publication in 2009. From the First World War to the early days of the new millennium, this novel follows the intricate relationships among mothers and daughters across five generations. The first in this line is a suffragist and Cambridge graduate, Dorothy Townsend, who starved for her cause, a fact that informs and echoes in the lives of her descendants, the narratives of which overlap. Poignant and resonant. I'd recommend this in particular to readers who enjoyed Kate Atkinson's Life After Life.

Love is Red, by Sophie Jaff. I mentioned this novel, first in a trilogy, in my Meg's Picks for May fiction, and I have to tell you, it's even better than I'd imagined. Over the course of a summer, New York City is held captive by a killer of young women, a murderer known in the media as the "Sickle Man." The reader knows just what drives him, though, and he is a monster far removed from ordinary men, working steadily, methodically, toward his ultimate prey. Katherine Emerson, oblivious to the fact that her fate is inextricably tangled with that of the killer, is living a simple life as a temp only to find herself torn between two different men. Both appeal to her in different ways, but how well does she really know either of them? For readers who enjoy fiction by authors like Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness, I really recommend you pick this up. Now.


I'm back next week to start filling you in on the many (many!!) great new books scheduled for publication in July. In the meantime, happy reading!

What I've Been Reading: April 2015

I've been reading a little bit of everything this month, from memoirs to dystopian fiction, and lots of good stuff! April started off with a bang, as I read David Vann's latest novel, Aquarium. I loved it so much, in fact, that I couldn't keep it to myself. You can read my full review here.

And then?

They Cage the Animals At Night, by Jennings Michael Burch. This was my book club's selection for our April meeting, and I have to admit, I dawdled with it until the eleventh hour this month, because the subject matter was hard for me. I know kids often read this in middle or high school, though I hadn't, and I'm still just sort of sad about it. Burch's mother attempted to raise him and his five brothers on her own after his father walked out on them, but suffered from several nervous collapses and while recuperating, the boys were split off--some farmed out to other families, others (Jennings included) often wound up in orphanages. The memoir follows Burch's experiences through several of the homes during his childhood, the good and bad, which I found deeply moving. I'm glad I read it, but it was not an easy read for me.

The Country of Ice Cream Star, by Sandra Newman. Longlisted for the Folio Prize as well as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (alongside Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, which I coincidentally also read this month, reviewed below), The Country of Ice Cream Star is one of the most unique and challenging books I've read in some time. And perhaps the challenge was its uniqueness. It required me to read for general information and feel instead of for detail, because the language (a lexicon established by short generations of children altering the language over eighty years since the collapse of civilization) is so different. But brilliant. Ice Cream Star and her tribe live in an exotically feral Massachusetts, in a world where no one lives past age 21, and the hints of a cure to the ailment of "posies" are only rumor until Ice Cream's older brother, only 18, becomes ill. Ice Cream, with the help of a stranger, leads her tribe of Sengles on a desperate journey in hope of saving her brother's life. This is unlike anything I've ever read, and I highly recommend it to those who aren't afraid of a challenge.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, by Jan-Philipp Sendker. This was another book club selection, this time for May's meeting. I figured this time I would make sure to read it early! When Julia's father, a successful New York lawyer, disappears without a trace, neither Julia nor her mother have a clue as to what happened, until they find an old love letter he wrote to a woman in his native Burma. Determined to find out why her father has abandoned them, Julia heads to Burma seeking answers, only to find a whole history of her father that she never knew existed. A beautiful love story, and one I look forward to discussing with my group.

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. This is one of the best novels I've read so far this year (right up there with Aquarium, though very different). Admittedly, I listened to the audiobook, which was also incredible. This is my introduction to St. John Mandel, and I can't wait to go back and read her other work now. It's a National Book Award Finalist and was also nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction , AND the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Oh, and it's being adapted for film. Now, about the story itself. It begins on the cusp of the end of civilization as we know it, and the story follows several characters back and forth through time, between the years before the collapse and then twenty years after the collapse. It is suspenseful and told with a keen eye for detail, full of a terrible beauty while exploring themes of art, fame, and memory. I strongly recommend it, and I know I'll be rereading this in years to come. It's too good not to come back to.

The Thunder of Giants, by Joel Fishbane.  The year is 1937 and Andorra Kelsey - 7'11 and just over 320 pounds - is on her way to Hollywood to become a star. Hoping to escape both poverty and the ghost of her dead husband, she accepts an offer from the wily Rutherford Simone to star in a movie about the life of Anna Swan, the Nova Scotia giantess who toured the world in the 19th . Told in parallel, Anna Swan's story unfurls. While Andorra is seen as a disgrace by an embarrassed family, Anna Swan is quickly celebrated for her unique size. Drawn to New York, Anna becomes a famed attraction at P.T. Barnum's American Museum even as she falls in love with Gavin Clarke, a veteran of the Civil War. Quickly disenchanted with a life of fame, Anna struggles to prove to Gavin - and the world - that she is more than the sum of her measurements. This was inspiring and perfectly balanced. Often, books which are told in parallel stories tend to be stronger in one story-line and weaker in another, but this was not the case. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. This could also be a great pick for book clubs.

What I've Been Reading: March 2015

Here we are at the end of March, and folks, it's fairly slim pickings. Two of my four titles for the month (yes, only four. Even super-readers have slumps.) were fairly high page-count, and two of them begged to be savored instead of devoured, but in the end, here are my four reads for the month of March.

Crash & Burn, by Lisa Gardner. In this rather creepy suspense novel from Gardner, Nicole Frank crawls free of the wreckage of her crashed SUV, only to find that she has gaping holes in her memory. When her husband tries to help her remember upon arriving at the hospital, Nicole begins to doubt everything he says in addition to the odds and ends she thinks she remembers. It falls to Boston PD Sergeant Wyatt Foster to help Nicole piece the story together, even as he helps her search for a missing girl who may not even exist. While this book was a bit of a slow start, once I got about a third of the way in, the plot took off like a shot and all I could do was hang on to the very twisted ending. I'm a fan.

Caribou Island, by David Vann. I recently came across a review of David Vann's new book (Aquarium, which was released earlier this month) which lauded the author as one of the greatest American novelists of our time. I was admittedly intrigued, because that's a lot to live up to. I picked up Vann's 2012 debut novel, Caribou Island, on audiobook and immediately fell down the rabbit hole. Set in the wilds of Alaska, this is the story of a family pulled apart by rage and regret. Gary feels consistently frustrated and thwarted, mourning thirty years of a life he thought would be different. His wife, Irene, does her best to go along with Gary's latest great project, a cabin built on Caribou Island; dissent only provokes arguments. She can feel Gary pulling away, and even as she tries to keep their family together, her own body begins to betray her with a headache that has no medical cause and that will not respond to medication. Their devoted adult daughter, Rhoda, attempts to maintain the peace, anxious at the increasing strain between her parents and equally worried about the state of her relationship with her fiance, Jim. The book builds to an almost unbearable tension, beautifully written and paced. I am looking forward to more great things from Vann.

The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. Since discovering my love of Conroy's slow, deliberate prose when reading Beach Music a number of years ago, I have made an effort to pace myself with the reading of his work. Since he typically only publishes perhaps two or three times each decade, it has been a challenge for me to be moderate. So I have been reading The Prince of Tides, and savoring it, making it last. I admit I've never seen the movie, so I have come to the novel unspoiled by expectations. This is the story of Tom Wingo and his gifted, troubled twin sister Savannah, spanning decades as they each try in their own way to come to terms with their darkly secretive and extraordinary family legacy. I could talk about my love of Conroy for hours. Note: The audiobook version was read by the late, great Frank Muller. Conroy later said that he was grateful to Muller, because the reading of the novel gave him, Conroy, a version of the book he didn't know had existed.

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. I have to thank my friend Wendy for encouraging me to read this, as she knew I was in a bit of a reading dry spell. I think the spell might be broken. At least, I hope so. And it would be in part because of this deeply emotional novel, set in France during the Nazi occupation during World War II. Two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, have never been close. Vianne, 10 years Isabelle's senior, enjoys her small, simple life in the Loire Valley. She has a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, and a job teaching at the village school. Isabelle cannot accept what is expected of her--she has been expelled from a number of boarding schools, and now at nearly nineteen, she returns to their emotionally distant father in Paris, only to be shunted off to live with Vianne. As France falls to the German occupation and soldiers are billeted with the sisters, Isabelle finds herself drawn into the French resistance movement, driving another wedge between the sisters. This is a deeply moving story of family ties during a time of crisis, and I thought it was excellent.

Throwback Thursday: What I Was Reading in January, 2015

Nothing like a few snow storms to really shake up a librarian's work schedule! The good news, if there is any, is that snowy days off make for great days to curl up with a good book, and that's just what I've been doing! Apologies for the delay, but here's what I've been reading lately.

A Sudden Light, by Garth Stein. Stein's name should be familiar, as he made a huge impact on readers with his 2008 debut, The Art of Racing in the Rain. He's returned here with some more fiction outside the normal fare, a story of a family full of murderous secrets in a decaying house brimming with ghosts and the truths that must be told. Trevor is 14 in 1990 when he moves with his father back to the family estate, Riddell House, overlooking the Puget Sound--a place his father left decades earlier, intending never to return. It is here that Trevor meets his bewitching aunt Serena and his addled grandfather Samuel, only to watch Serena and his father try to maneuver a resistant Samuel into signing over the rights to the estate grounds to land developers and Samuel himself into an assisted living facility. Everything starts to fall apart, however, as the wishes of long-dead family members are asserted in the unlikeliest of ways. I found this absolutely captivating, equal parts family saga and ghost story. Very highly recommended.

The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty. Moriarty has become a very popular favorite of readers in recent years, and as I really have enjoyed some of her other work (The Hypnotist's Love Story, Big Little Lies), I had to try this one, too. When one woman stumbles across a letter written by her husband, intended to be opened in the event of his death, the secrets it contains shatter not only her own family, but those of two other women in the same small community. Definitely very compelling and readable, but not my favorite--that would be Big Little Lies. But fans should most certainly check it out.

The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion. In this sequel to Simsion's very funny and popular 2013 debut, The Rosie Project, readers rejoin Don and Rosie, now married and living in New York City. However, a new challenge faces them: Rosie is pregnant. Well, this is one of a number of challenges, including an abrupt need to move out of their apartment, trouble with new neighbors, trouble with the law, and a not-very-welcome houseguest. The result for me, unfortunately, was that Rosie as a character gets pretty much lost in the midst of the very fast-paced action. There is very little of the sweetly awkward relationship between Rosie and Don present here, which was much of what I loved about the first book, and I have to say I actually didn't finish the second book.

The Likeness, by Tana French. In keeping with my new-found appreciation of French's work, I picked up the second in the Dublin Murder Squad series, set approximately six months after the end of In the Woods. We find Detective Cassie Maddox still trying to recover, having transferred out of the Murder Squad and in a relationship with fellow Detective Sam O'Neill. It seems she might have been able to move on, except for a call to a crime scene featuring a dead girl who not only looks just like Cassie, but also has a school ID bearing the name Lexie Madison...the name that Cassie used when working undercover years ago. Tensely, brilliantly plotted, I loved every page.


The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. This is my book club's pick for our February discussion, and I am really looking forward to seeing what the rest of the group has to say about this one. While it is technically classified as a young adult novel, this has lots of appeal for readers of any age. The story is narrated by Death as he struggles to make sense of the horrors he encountered during World War II. He lights on the story of a young orphan girl in Germany, Liesl, whose abilities to steal books and tell stories help her foster family, the Jewish man they are hiding in their basement, and their neighbors through the war. Sweetly sad, beautiful, deeply moving, startlingly perceptive. This is a book that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. If you're wondering what everyone else in town is reading right now, this is it. Billed as this year's Gone Girl, this novel follows Rachel, a most unreliable narrator, as she tries to reconstruct a night she blacked out due to drink. She's certain, however, that the night in question, something terrible happened. Reporting what she thinks she can remember to the police, however, only seems to cause more harm than good, both for her and everyone else involved. I found myself holding my breath at points, waiting to see what would happen next. Readers who liked Gone Girl should definitely add this to their reading list.

Die Again, by Tess Gerritsen. Eleventh in the Rizzoli & Isles crime thriller series, this novel is just as fresh and entertaining as those that came before. Told in alternating narrative between Millie, London bookseller on African safari holiday slowly going terribly wrong, and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli six years later as she and Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles investigate several grisly homicides which take them into the world of big cats and game hunting. Gripping and fascinating, I could hardly stand to put this down for a minute.


This year, I'm not setting a reading goal. I'm just going to keep a running tally and see what I come up with. Seven so far!

What I've been reading: December 2014

Well, it's that time again. We're nearly at the end of the year, but I don't know that I'll get any additional titles finished by the time the clock strikes 12 tomorrow night. So here's my wrap up for my 2014 Reading Challenge!

A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It came to my attention recently that I hadn't read any Sherlock Holmes, ever. And I needed to remedy that. I started at the beginning, of course, when Watson meets Holmes and the two begin to work together on a mystery of murder most foul. Highly entertaining, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more Holmes stories in the future.

The Sweetshop of Dreams, by Jenny Colgan. If ever there was a season for some light reading, for me, the holidays are it. Light, fluffy, sweet and funny--this novel from Colgan fits the bill, a mix of chick lit and foodie fiction. Rosie's life has hit a wall. She has a steady job in nursing, has a steady boyfriend she's shared a flat with for years. Everything is fine, if a bit boring. Until, that is, her mum calls and guilts her into helping out a distant relative out in the English countryside, her elderly great aunt Lillian, whom Rosie hasn't seen in years. The sweetshop Lillian used to run has been closed due to Lillian's poor help, and Rosie takes on not only the care of Lillian, but also the restoration of the business to its former glory. The small village she finds herself in is full of odd characters and long-buried secrets, pulling Rosie into a web of intrigue, and romance, much to her London boyfriend's consternation. Lovely and entertaining.

The Christmas Cookie Club, by Ann Pearlman. In the vein of looking for some light reading around the holidays, I picked up this title with high hopes. The premise, a group of friends who get together to share food, wine, stories and cookies at the beginning of every December in preparation for the holiday season, seemed promising. Unfortunately, I found the cast of characters (thirteen main characters, each with a lengthy back-story of her own) seemed to blur together, and I forgot who was who fairly often. I listened to this on audiobook, so there was no opportunity for me to flip back a few pages and remind myself of the details. Perhaps it would have been easier in print? Sadly, I finally gave up on it with about three discs remaining--I just wanted to move on to something else. Not recommended.

The World's Most Haunted House, by William J. Hall. In this unprecedented work, the story of the 1974 Bridgeport, Connecticut poltergeist is at last revealed. A crowd of more than 2,000 onlookers gathered. National media reported jumping furniture, floating refrigerators, and attacking entities. Decades after the publicity quieted, more than 40 hours of never-before released interviews with police officers, firefighters, and others tell the story as it actually unfolded. Hall does a brilliant job providing a journalistic accounting of the haunting, which I think actually helped keep the book from becoming too scary to read before bed. Fascinating stuff, especially for readers with an interest in local history or the paranormal.

The Secret Place, by Tana French. Something I love: A book in a series that stands alone brilliantly. This absolutely fits the bill. Nearly a year after a boy was murdered on the grounds of a girls' boarding school in the suburbs of Dublin, a photo of the boy is pinned to a school board with the caption "I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM". The case, which had gone cold, heats back up as Detective Stephen Moran brings this photo to the lead detective on the old case, Dublin Murder Squad Detective Antoinette Conway. Moran has been working away in the Cold Cases division for years, waiting for his chance to work in the Murder Squad. And Holly Mackey, the girl who found the photo and brought it to him, has given him just the opportunity, whether the unpopular Detective Conway likes it or not. The novel is told in two parts--one part follows Conway and Moran as they work the case, re-interviewing students and running down new leads, and the other part following Holly Mackey and her friends over the previous school year, leading up to the murder of Chris Harper. The pace of this novel was relentless, the characters distinct and vibrant. I loved it desperately, so much so that I picked up the next title in my list...

In the Woods, by Tana French. Which is the first Dublin Murder Squad novel, following a different pair of detectives, this time Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, each with only a few years experience in the Murder division. When a missing twelve-year-old girl, Katie Devlin, turns up murdered, her body posed on an ancient stone altar in an archaeological dig in the Dublin suburb of Knocknaree, Ryan and Maddox begin their investigation. However, it's only Maddox who knows that in 1984, in that same small community, Rob Ryan was known as Adam Ryan, and that he and his two best friends, all twelve years old, also went missing. Only Adam was ever found, his friends still missing twenty years later, and Rob still has no memory of what transpired that afternoon in the woods. It is paramount to him now, though, to work this case, even as memories surface from long ago. Absolutely chilling and a deeply moving novel to boot.

Rooms, by Lauren Oliver. Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his old farmhouse full of rooms packed with the collections of a lifetime. His estranged family—alcoholic ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and bitter daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long-dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. It is only after the will has been read that the secrets held by the house and its inhabitants begin to surface, with cataclysmic results. This book is one to read carefully, as it is woven with snippets of clues from the very beginning. Intense and amazing.

A Quilt for Christmas, by Sandra Dallas. One last holiday book for me before the season passes altogether. It's 1864 and Eliza Spooner's husband, Will, has signed up to fight with the Kansas volunteers for the Union, leaving Eliza home to care for their two children and farm in his absence. She spends the lonely months sewing him a special quilt to keep him warm, a quilt for Christmas, sending it to him at the front. When the unthinkable happens, she must figure out how to move forward, even as she and her neighbors help each other through life's turmoil. It's when she is asked to house a runaway slave that Eliza finds a new purpose for her life. I love Dallas's eye for detail in telling a story, though occasionally I thought the story felt a little clunky. An easy read for a winter's night, though.


And that's eight titles for December, bringing my total for 2014 to 82, seven beyond my original goal of 75! I'm trying to decide whether I'll do another challenge for 2015. What about you, my fellow readers? Anyone inspired to start a reading challenge in the new year?

What I've Been Reading: November 2014

I know we're not quite at the end of the month yet, and this post would normally be up this Thursday. But since I thought many of us (myself included) might be a little preoccupied with family, turkey and gratitude (not necessarily in that order), I'd share what I've been reading a little early this month.

Sometimes, like this month, my reading list makes me laugh. If it looks a little schizophrenic to you, please believe that I've noticed it, too. I really do read a lot of different genres, and some of the titles that run back to back (or in the case of a book and audiobook, concurrently) are very often very different. Sometimes, that's on purpose. It can be really easy to get lost if plots, settings, or characters are similar. So it tends to be easier to, say, read a thriller and listen to a funny memoir on audio in the same day than it would be to read and listen to two different thrillers in the same day. That just happens to be what works for me--your mileage may vary. This is all just the long way of saying, yes, I realize the books I've read this past month are really all over the map, and may look a little odd if you look too hard at the sequence.

The Girl Next Door, by Ruth Rendell. Is it still a mystery if you know who's dead and whodunnit within the first twenty pages of a novel? Rendell manages to make it happen, but I spent a good hundred pages or so trying to puzzle out where the story was going after those first twenty pages. In the summer of 1944, a group of neighborhood children find an earthen tunnel and turn it into their hideout, where they play games and tell stories, until one of the parents forbids them to return. Six decades later, the land is being developed and a tin box is found containing two human hands. The incident draws the surviving members of that group of children back together again, with results that none among them could have expected. Absolutely worth the read, but be patient with it--Rendell really doesn't give away more than she means to, precisely when she means to do it.

The Dinner, by Herman Koch. I'm late to the party on this Dutch novel, which was published here in the US in 2012. It's a slim novel and a fast read, as two couples get together over dinner and must ultimately discuss an incident that will change their lives, and those of their children, forever. It's much too easy to give away spoilers, so I'll say that I found it compelling and thought provoking. This is a great read for folks who like plot twists like those in Defending Jacob or Gone Girl.

Food: A Love Story, by Jim Gaffigan. From one dinner to a feast for your funny bone. Gaffigan is best known for his comedy bits devoted to food (Hot Pockets, bacon, etc.). I listened to this one in the car, and never has a traffic jam been so amusing as I sat and was entertained by Gaffigan extolling the possibility of choking on bacon (like being murdered by your lover) and decrying the current American obsession with superfoods like kale (the early morning of food). Very highly recommended.

The Eleventh Victim, by Nancy Grace. Sometimes I encounter a novel which is told by multiple characters, and the result is magic. Sometimes, like The Eleventh Victim, the result is an uneven narrative in which two story lines are extremely compelling and two other seem to have little or no connection to the rest of the novel. After Hailey Dean's fiance is murdered just weeks before their wedding, Hailey fights back the best way she knows how--in court, prosecuting violent criminals and putting away one bad guy after another. This eventually wears her out, and she finally leaves the courtroom for good after being attacked by a man as he's sentenced for eleven heinous murders. She heads to NYC and goes back to her roots, becoming a therapist and trying to move forward in her life. Until that last criminal is released, and begins to stalk her in earnest. The core of the novel is excellent, but with too many distracting sub-plots, it was not without flaws.

Winter Street, by Elin Hilderbrand. I actually haven't read Hilderbrand before, but this little novel somehow found its way onto my request list and it was sweet and light and lovely. There are no surprises in this tale of a disastrous Christmas in one family as each family member comes together to love and support one another in the midst of individual crises. Kelley has just found out that his second wife has been cheating on him, and even after she walks out, he must deal with the reality that the Nantucket inn that he owns and operates is killing him financially. One son must take the ultimate plunge after years of deliberately casual relationships. Another is in Afghanistan. A third is in danger of losing everything after some bad investment decisions. And daughter Ava is so involved in her aloof boyfriend that she can't see love right in front of her. It is the least likely person who manages to save the day. Perfect for cozy holiday reading.

The Silent Wife, by A.S.A. Harrison. I love a good twisted thriller, and Harrison's The Silent Wife absolutely fits the bill. Jodi and Todd are in a terribly unstable place in their relationship. After decades together, unmarried but living as man-and-wife, everything is at stake, including their affluent lifestyle. Todd is a serial cheater, and Jodi has perfected denial as an art form. He has supported her, she has meticulously maintained his home and organized his life. When he decides to leave her, she has nothing left to lose and is determined to get the ultimate revenge. The narrative is tight and clean, alternating between Him and Her, as they careen toward the story's climax. I'll refer back to what I said about Koch's The Dinner, above: this would be excellent for readers who also liked Defending Jacob or Gone Girl.

Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed. In light of the movie (starring Reese Witherspoon) coming out on December 5, I really wanted to get this off of my bucket list and read. May I just say, wow. In the wake of personal tragedies, at 26 Strayed solo-hiked 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State. Over the course of this awe-inspiring journey, Strayed manages to find the one thing she'd lost since losing her mother and her marriage: herself. Told with suspense as well as humor, this story of the terrors and triumphs that occurred along the trail is absolutely riveting. Very highly recommended.

Us, by David Nicholls. I put this on my Picks list for November, and I'm glad to have gotten to this one sooner rather than later. Douglas Petersen is a mild-mannered scientist, a little odd but extremely witty, funny enough to win over beautiful Connie on their second date, and eventually the two marry. Now, twenty-five years and one child (17-year-old Albie) later, Connie announces that she's done with their marriage, that she'll leave after their family tour of Europe over the summer. When Albie leaves for college, Connie's out, too. What follows is Douglas's earnest, witty, and often optimistic narrative of what may be their last summer together as a family, as he tries not only to save his marriage, but also to develop a relationship with the son whose life has always seemed to mystify Douglas. Deeply insightful, wryly amusing, and beautifully rendered. I adored it.

That's 8 titles for November, bringing my 2014 total to 74! I'm just one book away from my 2014 goal of 75 titles for the year. Obviously, I've got this goal in the bag, so now I'm just going to see how far past my original milestone.

Happy Thanksgiving, readers, and Happy Reading!