James by Percival Everett

I know I am the exception here.... but this book did not overwhelm me like it has everyone else. I was so excited to finally load this up and read it, but then I found it to be a struggle to pick it up. What was I expecting? I knew that James was a slave... did I think this was going to be a fun read? I certainly appreciate the author's creativity in following the Huck Finn story line but giving us a whole new perspective on it all. And the ending is positive. I'm just disappointed that I didn't love it like I wanted. - June 

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler is one of a small number of authors who I will read immediately without checking reviews or waiting to hear the buzz about the book. I saw this short novel was recently released and didn't hesitate. I simply love the way she writes.... her characters, the way she describes her environment, everything! Her characters are "real" - just everyday folks living their lives. And Anne gives us a slice of that life.

Gail is a middle aged educator who is losing her job after years in the same school. She lives alone, and the entire novel takes place in the day before, the day of, and the day after her only daughter's wedding. Her ex-husband arrives for the wedding, and their relationship is a large part of the story. 

I loved it. Highly recommend it. But what is the difference between a short story, a novella, and a novel? I read this on my Kindle but I'd guess it's only about 100 pages. Quick but so delightful.

Books I Didn't Finish for No Good Reason

Generally, if a book is half-way decent, I feel obligated to finish it. But recently (due to age perhaps) if I'm 100 pages or so into it, and I find that I don't look for time to read it or I prefer to watch some mindless movie/tv show instead, then I just put it aside. And although I feel of twinge of guilt, I'm hoping I get over that and start doing more of this. I can't always blame the books. Sometimes I'm just busy with other things and reading isn't a priority. But for whatever reason, I didn't finish the books below. I'm putting them here so in case I pick them up again and they have a familiar ring, I'll remember this.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd

 

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

This novel is probably the perfect book to take on a long trip when you want to be totally lost in a suspenseful book. The premise is wacky - two women who are desperate to escape their lives meet at an airport and decide to change places. Totally unrealistic and yet so intriguing. This might have been just what I needed after reading some more serious books. The author does tend to repeat certain facts just in case you missed them the first three times she mentioned them (always drives me nuts) but otherwise it was pretty well written. There were lots of twists and turns that made it interesting and I admit to being totally hooked on it. - June

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