All the Children are Home by Patry Francis

I can't remember who recommended this book, but "thanks" to whoever you are. This is a very sad, lovely, hopeful book about a family of foster kids. Dahlia and Louie bring children into their home, and in the course of the novel, we learn about their past and the lives of the kids they raise. It takes place in the 50's and 60's, so some of the music and cultural references are fun. But there's also a lot of heartbreak. It's well written and worth a read. - June 

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise

So the back of the book says, "A college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman are on the run from the law in the remarkable story of unexpected heart and humor". I was hoping for something similar to One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margo". Even the titles are similar, right?. In both stories, there's a relationship that develops between a young woman and an older one - they learn from one another and support each other. But I have to say I much prefer Lenni and Margo over Tanner and Louise.

Tanner was a soccer star when an injury ended her career and her scholarship at Northwestern. She's depressed and angry, taking it out on her friends and family. Her mother pushes her to help care for Louise, an older woman who lives alone but is pretty spunky and cranky. When Louise wakes up Tanner in the middle of the night and tells her to get ready to drive her to see a friend, Tanner goes along. The majority of the book is about their travels together, their conversations, and the changes in their relationship as they make their way across the country. It's the ending that gets a little weird and, frankly, disappointing. Some of the "facts" that you've been told turn out to be alternative facts which made me feel like I was being played by the author. And there were a couple of characters that are introduced but never really developed and so they disappear (the female FBI agent). And then there's August.... the totally hot guy who Tanner is in lust with, and that relationship is really an unnecessary part of the book except it gives the author the chance to describe his perfect body over and over.

There are humorous parts and the relationship between two vastly different women is fun.... but I'm not recommending it. - June

North Woods by Daniel Mason

I just finished reading this fascinating novel, and I feel like I should start over at the beginning to read it again.... not because it was so wonderful (which is was) but because I feel like I missed a lot the first time and there's so much in it! This is the story about a piece of land in Western Massachusetts and the people who live on that land over the centuries. There are themes of nature and how it changes over the years just as the people come and go. 

At first I assumed that each section in the book would just focus on a new resident of this homestead but gradually you see that there is much overlap. I can't explain it without giving away too much but I found it to be extremely well written and a worthwhile read. - June

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

I wanted to like this book. I'd read good things about it, and it gets pretty good reviews. It's an interesting story but the writing ruined it for me. The characters were very one-dimensional and most everyone was nasty. 

The story is of a black violinist who has overcome all odds to become a world-class musician. His grandmother gives him a violin that belonged to her father, and this causes the rest of his family to become petty and greedy when it's determined the worth of the instrument. And then the violin is stolen. 

The members of my book club tried to pretend we liked it but once we got down to really talking about it, we just didn't care for this one. - June

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

There's been a lapse in  my reading lately but I have a really good excuse. Actually, I have two excuses and they are a) we moved and b) we moved. Two moves really in three months. Whenever I sat down trying to read, my brain wouldn't focus. It needed instead to pack, organize, unpack, reorganize, etc.

This is the first book that has grabbed me since all that chaos. The Frozen River takes place in the 1700's in one of my favorite places... Maine. It's the story of Martha Ballard who is a wife, mother, and mid-wife. You will love her, and the book is worth the read for many reasons but most of all for the wonderful relationship she has with her husband, Ephraim. There's also a mystery and a murder and other good stuff. Definitely recommend this one. -June

Priestdaddy: A Memoir by Patricia Lockwood

 And now a word or two from BT:

Just finished Priestdaddy: A Memoir by Patricia Lockwood and I still don't know what I think. Parts are hilarious and just as I'm about to adore her for cleverness, the prose goes as haywire as she would have you believe she and her mother are. This one was named to The Guardian's 100 Best Books of the 21st century and won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. in 2017  I do recommend this because I want someone whose opinion I respect to tell me what I think about it.  I've just put her No One is Talking About This (for which she won the Women' Prize for fiction finalist for the Booker Prize) on hold.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

 According to BT this is another WWII book but has a different perspective.

Thanks, BT!

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Finally!! After several starts and stops and multiple DNFs (a term I keep seeing online and I'm stealing it), I came across this book that grabbed me from the start. The writing is beautiful, and the characters and their relationships are "real".

An indigenous family living in Nova Scotia goes to Maine every summer to pick berries. They live in a cabin and sit around a campfire. One summer while they are in Maine, the youngest child, Ruthie, disappears. Her brother, Joe, was the last one to see her. The book then alternates between the story of Joe and his life filled with guilt and remorse and Ruthie whose life is completely altered but who never feels she's in the right place. 

This novel got me through Covid so how's that for a recommendation!! - June

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

Yes, another WW2 novel. How can there be so many? And while this one is never going to win a Pulitzer for it's fabulous writing, it is a good story. It's about two young sisters who are sent from London into the country to protect them during the war. And about how they get separated during the Blitz when they escape and return back to London. The description of the bombings and the aftermath are the best parts of the book, in my opinion.

The rest of the novel focuses on the two sisters trying to find one another as they grow into adults.

I will say the second half dragged a bit for me but it was a worthwhile read. I need to find a book I'm crazy about. It seems I'm just reading "ok" books and I need a fabulous one!! - June

Honor by Thrity Umriger

I'm not sure if I didn't care for this book because it was painfully slow or if it just took me forever to read because I struggled to get into it. It had such great reviews that I kept thinking it would get better! But the points it was making (the caste system in India and the treatment of women, etc) it made over and over and over again. I finally had to put the Kindle in speed-reading mode and skimmed the second half. 

Do not recommend. - June

After Annie by Anna Quindlan

First... lots of A names - Annie, her best friend AnneMarie, and her daughter Ali. All written by Anna. Sometimes a little confusing.

In the first few pages of this novel, Annie falls to the kitchen floor and is dead. She's under 40 and has 4 children and a loving husband. The rest of the novel deals with the fallout from her death. It's sad but handled quite well and probably realistic in the way the father, daughter, best friend, and son all go through stages of grief. So I liked the book... basically. 

However, there were a couple of subplots that I felt were unnecessary and not developed well. One of these is the story of Jenny, Ali's best friend. She clearly has secrets and when the truth does come out, I didn't feel satisfied with the resolution.

But I've enjoyed Anna Quindlan's books in the past and this was a good read. - June

Sissy by Jacob Tobia

Months ago, I suggested to my book club that we just read banned books this year. This idea was rejected but one of the women in my group wanted to read a book about gender identify. She went to our local library and asked the librarian for suggestions, and this is the book she recommended.

Jacob Tobia is a gender non-conforming person. He has never felt comfortable with the maleness of his body and prefers to dress in feminine attire. He's been an activist in LGBTQ organizations and has made a name for himself nationally with his writings and his leadership. This is his memoir.

My book club meets tonight so as usual, I just finished the book today. It should be an interesting discussion.... while all of us consider ourselves to be openminded, educated women, there may be some who struggled with various sections of this book. I'll report back afterwards.....