Beartown by Fredrik Backman

In hockey you're an experienced player at twenty-five, a veteran at thirty, and pensioned off at thirty-five. Sune is twice that. And with age he has become shorter and broader, he's got more face to wash and less hair to comb, and finds himself annoyed by narrow chairs and poor-quality zippers. - Beartown

I don't know why, but I love this quote.

Here's something you might not know about me. If you were to look at my high school yearbook and if you were to look at my senior picture, there would be a few comments there. One of these would be "avid hockey fan". Yes, I rarely missed a game and I yelled myself hoarse numerous times. But I'm not sure if I loved the game or loved the players. But either way, when I started reading Beartown, I thought I'd found a fun little book about hockey. And since it's written by the author of A Man Called Ove, a novel I love for it's wisdom and wit, I assumed this book would be the same.

It isn't. Yes, there is a lot in this book about hockey. But it is so much more and so much darker than I imagined. It's about friendship, loyalty, and the importance of belonging. But also about bullying, the "good old boy" mentality, and the obsession with sports.....and much more that I don't want to mention for fear of giving things away.

There are what seems like hundreds of characters in this book, so it can sometimes be tough to keep them all straight. But it's worth it. It's a fabulous book, well written and with characters that will stay with me for a long time. -June

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I didn't see the HBO show based on this book, but when I saw how many awards it received at the Golden Globes, I thought it might be worth reading. And it was.

I will say that the book triggered some memories for me of my time as a mother of a grade school child - and not pleasant ones. For example, there was the time our son was not invited to a birthday party of a boy he considered to be a good friend. And the school politics that seemed to be all about the moms who volunteered at the school and those who didn't. And there was even the time when our "perfect" kindergarten student decided to beat up a boy who had stolen his place in the reading circle. That almost caused him to be kicked out of school! I guess I'd suppressed a lot of these memories now that our son is grown and is a charming, kind man who doesn't seem to remember any of these things.

This novel covers so many timely subjects: bullying, domestic abuse, women's self-image issues. From the start, the reader is told there has been a murder, and then the rest of the book is told as a flashback leading up to that event. The characters are fascinating even if they are a bit over-the-top and chicklit like. But I read the entire book in two days, and that says something. I recommend it. Well done. -June

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Recently, I listened to an interview with an author who talked about how she developed stories. She said that she tries to always create a story where you can see different sides to issues and agree with both sides. She doesn't try to write about good characters and bad characters - they are all characters with whom we can relate.

In Little Fires Everywhere, there are several issues where it might be easy to take a stand. But the author presents both sides so beautifully that it's almost impossible. This is a story of family dynamics, especially the relationships between mothers and daughters.

The Richardsons are an affluent family living in Shaker Heights. They have 4 children who are all teenagers. They own a duplex that has been rented by a mother, Mia, and her teenage daughter, Pearl. The two families blend when Pearl befriends one of the Richardson children and begins to spend most of her time at the Richardson's home. And Mia starts to work for the Richardsons helping around the house. Things become complicated and there are secrets that develop. And while some of the coincidences are a bit over the top and some of the plot turns are predictable, it still is an excellent read and one that kept my interest throughout. -June

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

I'm late to sing the praises of The Underground Railroad. It's already won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Award for Fiction, AND been an Oprah book selection. And it deserves every award it has received. It's beautifully written, the author has created wonderful characters, and the story is gut-wrenching.

The plot primarily follows Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia, who escapes with another slave, Caesar. As she works her way to South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Indiana, she is determined to continue to work towards freedom despite a series of violent acts and constant fear. The underground railroad was her way of moving to different locations, and the people who helped her often sacrificed their homes and even their lives for the cause.

Highly recommend this one, BT, if you haven't already read and loved it. -June

Shotgun Lovesongs by Nicholas Butler

I've never lived in a small town. And I don't think I'd ever want to. But reading about life in a small town can be fun, and Shotgun Lovesongs was a good read. Actually, it was a good listen since I had the audio book. The readers of the audio book do a fabulous job; each one is a different character. But let's talk about the book first.

This is the story of 5 friends who grew up together in the small town of Little Wing, Wisconsin. The majority of the plot takes place while this group is in their 30's but there are several flashbacks that give background. If you're looking for an action-packed who-dunnit kind of book, this is not for you. But if you want some excellent writing and interesting characters with lots of interaction between those characters, this might do it. It's a story of friendship, love, and loyalty, with a sprinkling of conflict and a few secrets. I enjoyed it, but I can't help but wonder if I would have given up on the book while enjoying the audio book. As each reader became a character, I felt as if I were hearing their story right from them. At any rate, I enjoyed it, and it helped pass the time on a car ride and more. -June