Graham was the larger than life husband to Freida and now Annie and the father of Lucas and Sarah. He wasn't perfect but he was well loved and now suddenly, he is gone. Annie goes back to pick up her life before Graham which isn't easy. She begins to dissect their marriage and that love/hate relationship that can only be analyzed after the fact. Where you were two and now one is left. This is a touching and quiet book filled with such raw emotion that sinks into your core. Don't be surprised if you begin to look back at your own marriage and possibly wonder at what your life will be like alone and how well you knew each other. A perfect read for those readers of family dramas like those of Elizabeth Stroud, Kristin Hannah and Ann Patchett. 4 stars
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Eudora is done. She has lived a full life and is sick of being old so she has decided to end things on her own terms. But when a vivacious 10 year old and her family moves in next door, Eudora's well ordered boring life gets shaken up. Rose is pure energy and love and easily able to wiggle her way into the hardest of hearts. Soon Rose, Eudora and another elderly neighbor are eating ice cream, attending social functions and good times. Eudora almost forgets how everyone in her life has let her down. She must now decide to go ahead with her plan or change her mind. Sweet, funny and a light-hearted look at a serious subject, it reminds us that sometimes it takes the wisdom and energy of the young to shake up the well played lives of the elderly. I promise you will be left with a full heart and a silly grin on your face. Full of wonderfully quirky characters that remind me of the best of Fredrik Backman and Fannie Flagg. 4 stars
Sanctuary is a small town with good schools, well manicured lawns, beautiful homes and one witch. Sarah has her group of friends who she keeps healthy and happy with her brews, spells and white magic. When her daughter's boyfriend dies at a party in front of everyone the town is shocked but when Sarah's daughter, Harper is accused of using magic to kill him the world begins to spin out of control.
Tragedy makes people look for blame and so begins the witch hunt. This is a clever spin of small town secrets, politics and bad behavior mixed with a classic case of witchcraft. The result is a tense whodunnit that mixes BIG LITTLE LIES with The Salem Witch Trials. 4 stars 3 1/2 stars
At this point in our present summer at home everyone can use a cozy mystery. Amory and her dashing husband Milo are expecting their first child and are staying at their country estate rather than London. It is not all tea parties and horse races when an unexpected half brother shows up , a jilted lover and more than one murder takes place in the village. Suspicion falls on many as Amory begins to sort things out. For the classic mystery lover this series provides interesting characters with just enough gossip, foul play and an escape to a more civilized time. Readers missing Downton Abbey will fall into this instantly. rsI would rename this book "Fifty Words For Brilliance", it is that moving. A Japanese girl with less than a desirable bloodline is left by her mother on the doorstep of her grandparent's Kyoto mansion.
Nori is taken in and confined to an attic jail, beaten for things she had no control of until her half brother comes to live there and rescues her. Nori is captivated by Akira, hungering for a morsel of attention and love. It is their relationship that saves her. Disaster strikes Nori time and time again but somehow she finds the will to go on while keeping distance from her toxic family. This is a heartbreaking and raw story of family dynasties , childhood emotional scarring and love. It is a timeless story of Japanese culture that translates to every culture. Everything about it is beautiful and tragic at the same time. One of this year's best! 5 stars Gifty looks for answers from science because her faith and her mother have none. She is working on her thesis on reward behavior in mice, helping her mother get over crippling depression and trying to understand why her gifted brother succumbed to addiction and overdose. This beautiful story is about looking for answers and understanding, the balance of good/promise and failure/defeat. Gifty takes us through her childhood raised by a tough immigrant woman from Ghana who never seemed tired or defeated yet now never leaves Gifty's bed and the beautiful golden boy who Gifty feels she can never be "good enough" to fill the hole his passing left. Yea Gyasi approaches religion and science in the same way - searching for answers, praying for results and finding the grace to know when you have searched enough. This will appeal to anyone looking for stories of families in crisis as well as immigrant experiences. This is a follow-up to her first book HOMEGOING but can be read as a standalone. 4 stars
First, this is a book about gentrification in Brooklyn and what happens as a neighborhood is pushed out to make way for high-rises and expensive real estate. It is also a scary story about what could be happening to the people who are being pushed out. Sydney doesn't know what it going on in her neighborhood but she doesn't like it. A walking history tour that doesn't tell her people's history or what she knows the historical points of the neighborhood really are. This is happening all over the country but then there is something darker and more sinister that is going on. Alyssa Cole does a good job of showing us the side we don't normally see of gentrification and then kicks it up a notch. 4 stars
Inspector Gamache is with his family in Paris to visit his godfather. Sadly, after a great gathering, Stephen is run down and is now at death's door. What seems like an accident most assuredly was not so the Gamache troop will have to work with and around the Parisian authorities to discover why anyone would want to harm Stephen. The more information they learn the more they may have to believe less than good things about the beloved godfather and friend. I was disappointed to see this episode was not set in Quebec but it didn't matter as this book has all the same clever plot twists and delightful banter we have come to expect from Louise Penny. 4 stars
3 1/2 stars
Based on the real life of social rights activist Donaldina Cameron who rescued girls and young women from the Chinese slave trade. She worked diligently to save countless people and ran the Occidental Mission House for 39 years, starting as a sewing teacher and finishing her long career as the Director. San Francisco's Chinatown was a dangerous place at the end of the 19th century yet Donaldina "Dolly" armed with an interpreter and a handful of police would stand up to the Tong marching into brothels and opium dens to save those who were able to reach out to them and then keeping them safe. Many of these girls came from China escaping poverty with their parents duped into thinking they were sending them to arranged marriages. The girls were then transported to San Francisco , sold like cattle, drugged and left without any means of escape. Perfect read for someone looking for a little known female hero that isn't WWII. This would also be an excellent choice for young adults. 3 1/2 stars
Ingrid is a competitive diver who is destined for a full ride scholarship and maybe even a shot at the Olympics but she has just suffered a serious concussion that has turned her life plan upside down. She can't sleep trying to figure out what happened and it turns out neither can the hunky boy next door. There are lots of interesting things going on after dark in their nice Austin cul-de-sac and the two form an unlikely partnership to help each other confront their demons, calm the high school pressure, get some much needed sleep and solve the mystery of the abandoned house next door. While Ingrid's attraction to Van and the mystery of the house next door feels a bit like hanging out with the Scooby-Do gang the book does tackle a few major issues like drug use, infidelity, single parenting and abuse of power. This book will resonate with teens and their parents and hopefully pave the way for serious discussions. |
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