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I can't pick just ten books that I felt were memorable but here is a baker's dozen of titles that I enjoyed. Deep characters, fun facts, wise words and great entertaining stories were among the themes. This year gave us historical fiction of unsung heroes, a slice of other cultures to make us more globally aware and heartbreaking stories of family, love and drama. These are in no particular order- BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME by Julia Claiborne WE BEGIN AT THE END by Chris Whitaker ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn ALL THE CHILDREN ARE HOME by Party Francis PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir MARY JANE by Jessica anua Blair ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI & MARGOT by Marianne Cronin RAZORBLADE TEARS by S. A. Cosby THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles THESE PRECIOUS DAYS by Ann Patchett SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi FUZZ by Mary Roach
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Diana is a Collection Acquisition Specialist at Sothebys. Her boyfriend Finn is finishing his residency at a New York City hospital. Their lives could not be more perfect and they are ready to go on the vacation of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands. COVID put an end to that when Finn is called back to the hospital to deal with a savage new virus but he tells Diana to go on ahead. She gets to the islands as they are shutting down leaving her stranded with no hotel, no phone reception and little money. Taken in by a kind stranger Diana begins to wait out the lockdown in this island paradise. Finn is living a nightmare back home. Is there a happy ending for these two? A twist (no spoilers) changes the story drastically making it not the pandemic story I thought I would be reading. While some will find any pandemic plot too much, too soon it does offer an interesting occurrence that has happened to some patients and leaves you with much to ponder. Despite the sad reminder of the horrors of last year the author does give us hope and a nod of thanks to those incredible first responders. It is a story of hope, resilience and the tremendous will to survive. 4 stars  A gritty novel of drugs, a failed marriage and murder as seen through the eyes of a night shift police transcriber. Hazel types at an impressive speed making her a star at the police station where she works transcribing the detective's crime reports. She does this to hide from her own failing marriage and the depression that haunts her. Soon she becomes obsessed with a drug overdose/murder of a kid plus others and the lead detective on the case. Hazel gets in too deep trying to stop The Candy Man putting herself in danger and too close to Detective Kole. Intense, scary and one heck of a good debut - Morrissey will be one to watch. This will appeal to readers of true crime and urban police procedurals. 4 stars  A tale of twin sisters born into a showbiz family who, as kids, endured one punishing vaudeville act after another. The rebel, Josie runs to Hollywood to become a star leaving Harriet behind to keep her fragmented family together, to be the "good girl" so her uncle will support them and play a role in a life she doesn't want. A coming of age debut that includes family secrets, the underside of show business and the morale superiority of those in control. This will resonate with fans of CITY OF GIRLS, GREAT CIRCLE and THE DOLLHOUSE. 4 stars  Another stunning story of WWII heroism by an American woman operating quietly behind the scenes. Based on true events with some additional flare added, this is the story of a young socialite from the midwest who came to France and didn't go home when the approaching Nazi invasion threatened Paris and the rest of Europe. It is a dual story of her undercover work as the "Postmistress of Paris" delivering messages to people hiding, obtaining travel papers and the story of reuniting a widowed artistic photographer and his young daughter and then getting them to safety. Once again we have a sweeping story of bravery and sacrifice plus a quiet doomed romance and the love of a little girl who sees Nanee as an angel like her mother. For all those fans who can't get enough of these stories of selfless acts. 4 stars  It could be that the last year and a half has left me nostalgic. It could be that Ann Patchett has a tremendous writing gift for making you feel like you are sitting at her kitchen table having coffee or at the bookstore like two old friends. Whatever the reason these essays spoke to me. I laughed nodding like a bobble head doll when she wrote of Snoopy, discovering the joy and sorrow of Kate DiCamillo's books, my crush Tom Hanks and traveling with a friend to Europe on the cheap. I cried and was jealous of the selflessness and kind heart that she and her husband had for Sooki who started as an email friend and became family. THESE PRECIOUS DAYS probably won't change your life, cure a deadly disease or stop a pandemic but her soothing, matter of fact writing style puts you at ease and makes you feel better about your own shortcomings as a human. If you are already part of her fan club, enjoy! If you are new to her writing or like me and not usually a reader of essays, prepare to change your tune. 5 stars  Climate change has rendered the Earth spent in this near future apocalyptic saga. Major low lying cities are under water, deserts have become larger and more prevalent as well as animals adapting to the change, superstorms that last longer and are far more destructive as well as longer pockets of extreme temperature change. It is a nightmare out there. A wealthy Texan calls for action and invites a group of international powerhouses to his ranch for his solution. Each has an interesting role to play and all the characters represent a global and ethnic mix. I won't pretend that I understood all the technology or science behind the solutions (or the problems) but the general theme is that somebody has to do something and whatever that is it will save some countries and demolish others. Politics, violence and sneaky behavior all play a part. I did enjoy reading how they were using golden eagles to take out armed drones and other really interesting ideas (not sure how much the eagles enjoyed this activity). It is a long story that has all the shock and awe of a Robin Cook medical or Michael Crichton science thriller. The scariest part is that this near future could be here faster than we expect. 4 stars  African slaves arrived on America's shores well before the Founding Fathers - 1619 in Virginia. This is an expanded book based on a groundbreaking piece that appeared in the New York Times Magazine. Including 18 essays, 36 poems and a variety of fiction, it had my attention from the first page. Starting from that first slave ship through modern day all aspects of slavery and oppression are explored as well as daily life, society, the arts and politics. I was absorbed by the essay that discussed how our forefathers denied basic rights to African slaves while stealing land from all the indigenous tribes to further the white expansion and keep the top spot in the caste system. Unlike African Americans however, the Native People were given some rights but only after they converted to Christianity and further rewarded for taking slaves. We can only hope that this tome will open dialogue and foster understanding. This works for readers of books on social change as well as historians.  A young vet faces the worst moment of his life when a car crash takes the love of his life and spares his and their new baby's lives. Cooper grabs the baby after the grandparents fight for custody and runs to a remote cabin in the woods. Years have passed as Cooper and Finch have a good life but Cooper is always fearful that letting his guard down for anyone will mean they will be found out. When someone comes instead of the one person who knows their situation and something else happens in the woods their happy existence is threatened. A heartfelt story of family, redemption and the simple joy of growing up in nature device free. This will appeal to readers who want deep characters who have given up on the world or seek redemption such as THE GREAT ALONE. 4 stars  Three sisters living in Nazi occupied France are trying to do their best to survive. They are different in spirit and the ways they want to help the people of their village and who they consider the enemy and all of them want to see the war over and their country restored. Each will be put in an impossible situation which requires their loyalties, trust and bravery put to the test. This saga includes a comprehensive list of calamities, wartime situations, story twists as well as a variety of wartime romantic hurtles. In the end, family is the most important thing, making this book a solid addition in the WWII historical stories with a dash of romance. 4 stars  |
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