Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 A year ago, our wonderful local bookseller gave a book talk, and this was one of the many books he highly recommended. I guess I assumed that it was story taken from Hamlet so it appealed to the English major in me but I didn't rush out to buy it. However, I was wrong.

This is the story of Shakespeare's wife, Anne (also known as Agnes) and his family. William is a part of the book but a minor character and his name is never mentioned. He is simply known as Agnes' husband or Judith's father. Hamnet (or Hamlet) is Anne and William's son.

This book is beautifully written. Entire chapters could be pulled from the book and read independently and they are marvelous. I highly recommend this one. Really. It's great. - June

Update several months later - I had to reread this book so that I could lead the discussion at the book club meeting. And I admit that I liked it even more reading it the second time! Excellent book.

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan

Let me say first that I love Lian Dolan. I've never met her, but I've listened to her radio shows and her podcasts for years. I feel like she's a friend. The Satellite Sisters is a funny, warm, entertaining podcast, and their FaceBook group is made up of fun-loving, intelligent women. Lian is one of the sisters who hosts it all, and she does a fabulous job.

Of course, Lian has been promoting her book on the podcast, and I wanted to give it a try. I knew the premise (after their father's death, three sisters find out their father also had another daughter) and thought it might be a creative read. I guess I'd say it was like a Hallmark movie. I got caught up in how it would possibly end but along the way, it was frustrating. Each sister has a unique personality, and she is described the same way over and over. There's a lot of focus on their clothing, their hairstyles, even their makeup. I know this is part of the character description, but it was repetitive. And I just knew that the book couldn't end until each of the sisters found a handsome man. So while I won't recommend that you read the book, I do highly recommend you listen to the podcast. I'm sorry, Lian. - June