Touching and sometimes very funny this is a story of two best friends - supporting each other through good times and the tough times. This is the toughest time of all because Edi is in hospice and dying of cancer. Ash is determined to be there for Edi whether it is finding a lemon polenta cake or attempting to take Edi's advice on Ash's ping pong love life. I won't sugarcoat it - this is a sad story but there is a little bit of both women in all of us so even if you are fortunate enough never to have lost someone that close to you, you will still be able to laugh and cry right along with them. Once you begin reading you realize that this is not just a book about loss and the end of a life but a celebration of a life well lived and all the messiness in between. The story has all the wit and humor of Elizabeth McCracken's THE HERO OF THIS BOOK with the tenderness of Iris Rainer Dart's BEACHES or your favorite Nicholas Sparks novel. Beautifully told and stock up on tissue boxes. 4 1/2 stars
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Three siblings and their families spend a sad Christmas in their mom's home after she passes away. They are there to decide what to do about the house and they all have different needs and opinions about it. They get into spirited discussions (not of the holiday kind) and old rivalries and bickering begins. When a child goes missing they band together to help and find a new level of understanding and respect. There are a lot of characters and relationships to sort out so I found myself writing out a family tree to keep it all straight. Readers of big family dramas by Elizabeth Strout and Tara Conklin's THE LAST ROMANTICS will find this a good fit. 3 stars
A dirt poor family consisting of a mom and 5 kids find their way to Florida in the company of a Shaker elder promising a fresh start. He brings them to their new community and family in the Shaker compound in rural central Florida in the early 1900's. The author transcribed reel to reel tapes that the oldest boy made at the end of his life and this is his story. Russell Banks gives us an unusual coming of age story and insights into the magic kingdom of New Bethany Shakers before it became the Magic Kingdom we know today. I was intrigued by the way the story was presented - did the author really discover these waterlogged tapes by accident and spend time transcribing and writing this memoir or is it a complete fantasyland? Harley Mann and his love for a fragile young woman is a sweet love story as well as insight into the Shaker philosophy and the land grab in Florida making this an interesting mix that will appeal to readers of Amor Towles and Jamie Ford. 4 stars
A stunning debut set in Northern Ireland in the 70's. Cushla is worried about her mother's drinking, her family's pub and the students she teaches at the Catholic school. Her world is small but Belfast and war seem very close. She makes good choices and bad and gets caught up in what she thought was right and what might not be right at all. This does not read like a debut but more of a seasoned author who delves deep into characters that we may have nothing in common with but we want to know more. 4 stars
Rabia Chaudry is known for her popular podcast and legal work but she will attract many new fans with this memoir. Born in Pakistan and raised in the U.S. Rabia began her childhood lean and with much family attention in Pakistan but fell prey to the lure of abundant, unhealthy fast food in the states. As soon as she discovered the joys of eating whatever she wanted, whenever she needed an escape, her weight and dependance on comfort through food increased rapidly. Her family became anxious and worried the worst may happen - that no man would want to marry her. And marry she does in a disastrous first marriage. Even after putting herself through law school while raising young children she still felt her weight was a high hurtle she had no idea how to jump. This is an honest and open hearted love letter to food, its power over us and all the hellish punishments we put our bodies through combined with delicious commentary on culture and cuisine complete with her favorite recipes. It turns out body image and managing family expectations are pretty universal. 4 stars
Maggie just intended to get out of her parent's house and help out her best friend during her maternity leave. Little did she know that she would find a community, a potential love interest and start a book revolution in just a couple of months. Every business in Bell River revolves around the town's patriarch, a famous writer. The town is controlled by a descendant of the famous Bell who would like to keep everything stuck in time from the 1930's . That creates a host of problems for the local businesses and townspeople alike and dashes Maggie's marketing plans. She begins an underground book event which is hugely popular but could get people she cares about (and herself) in big trouble. The novel takes a stand for early feminism and righting historical wrongs as well as a lighthearted look at finding your superpower in an unlikely place. Emily Henry fans and readers of all things bookseller and librarian will find much to smile about. 4 stars
Ann arrives in New York to accept a choice summer internship at the Cloisters, the medical museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She and a few others including the museum director are researching the role that tarot cards may have played in predicting the future back in the 15th century. Ann becomes very close to the beautiful and self assured Rachel as the two work to uncover what might be a secret deck of tarot. Life at the Cloisters is not all about old books and research work as Ann soon discovers dark practices and that everyone seems to have secrets. Soon a tragedy happens and Ann begins to feel she might be in over her head. Secrets kept in the dark for centuries, ambitious coworkers, poison gardens and mind games galore make this a mystical treasure hunt that is a delight for those who love nothing better than a romp through old museums even if it tempts fate. Fans of A SECRET HISTORY, NINTH HOUSE and THE CARTOGRAPHERS will eat this up. 4 stars
The mining town of Moonstone Colorado in 1907 is as rough and ragged as the Rocky Mountains in which it resides. The Pelletier family arrives to yet another tent city where Sylvie's father and brother work for the marble mining operation. Like so many around them this town and operation is owned by an Eastern robber baron who bleeds dry the miners and their families. Sylvie begins working at the manor home and sees a different side in addition to working as a cub reporter for the paper run by a straight shooting tough woman. Not only do Sylvie and K.T. Redmond become fast friends but K.T. does her best to educate Sylvie in the news business and organizing a labor union. Sylvie will lose her dad to yet another accident on the mountain after he is outspoken about worker's rights but her feelings become complicated by her infatuation of the owner's son Jace. It is a time of independence and reform for some but at a great cost. Racial hatred, labor strikes, distribution of wealth and power all play a great role here. This sweeping saga shows the pioneering spirit of immigrant families and the never ending push to settle the West even under the violence of Mother Nature and men. For historical fiction fans, adventurous spirits and those who love a good underdog story. 5 stars
Teaching survival classes should give Mara a leg up on the competition to win a "Survivor" style reality show but even she is not prepared for what this game is about. Four people dropped in the wilderness with a couple of tools and no food or shelter with the camera crew around during the day behind the scenes,. They are tired, weak and cranky and still not trusting each other when the crew suddenly is gone. With winter approaching they have a decision to make and must work with each other to survive for real. This may be Blair Braverman's debut novel but she is no stranger to the wilderness dangers and survival skills. Fans of Alice Henderson, Bear Grylis and dystopian end of the world and starting over novels should find this scary and thrilling. Not the book to take with you on a camping trip. 4 stars
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