A family-centric tale of a Dominican Republic/ American sisters and cousins some born with a gift. When Flor, who can forecast when a death will occur, tells the family she wants to hold a living wake the sisters fear the worst. Chapters are divided to share the female family members stories and explore family, traditions, motherhood and resilience. Flor's daughter is collecting stories as research for her project and these stories mirror the experiences of many immigrants who straddle two countries and two cultures. While some non-spanish speakers may have difficulty with the language the themes come through clearly - family, love and searching for happiness. 4 stars
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Amber is a quiet teen involved in a one way love affair with the boy she is tutoring. Their hidden relationship goes out the window when on prom night Amber gives birth to his baby. Dubbed "The Prom Mom" she gets sent to juvie while Joe flees to Texas. Now Amber is back home trying to reconnect with the Baltimore she left all those years ago and also the boy who broke her heart. Joe is happily? married yet involved with someone else and also open to reconnecting with his old tutor. Like a cat playing with its food the mouse, Laura Lippman throws these two star-crossed people back into their lives and waits to see what will happen. And dear reader, it is plenty. Mind games, colorful pasts, justice and a wild ending are just some of the things readers can look forward to. 4 stars Happy book birthday to INSIDE THE WOLF by Amy Rowland
Rachel has returned home after a devastating year - her brother has died followed by both of her parents leaving her the last of the family and the farm. She leaves her disappointing past in New York for the tobacco farms of North Carolina and all her childhood mistakes come back to haunt her. As she tries to reconcile and find redemption for her part in the death of a friend another tragedy strikes. Guns play a part in all of it but she finds great resistance from the locals who don't want their right to bear arms taken away. Part of it is a necessity to protect themselves, part of it is their hunting heritage and an invasion of their privacy but those in control see little reason to change. Family, coming of age and redemption are all strong themes making this a story that will resonate with readers of DAVID COPPERHEAD and other stories of rural America. 3 1/2 stars Sara is a rape victim. While the trauma still haunts her eight years later there is one bright spot - her daughter Alana. Sara has protected Alana from knowing anything about her father (convicted of the rape and in prison) and his family. She must risk the secrets coming out when she heads home to spend the last few precious months with her dying father. She knows she can't keep her return a secret for long but is totally unprepared when she meets Jacob, her rapist's brother. Jacob has no love for his incarcerated brother but doesn't have any trouble putting two and two together when he meets Alana. She is a math savant and looks exactly like their dead sister. In Alana's best interest Jacob and Sara form an uneasy alliance. While you don't always get to choose who you fall in love with and the baggage they carry with them, you do get to choose if you can get past the past and forgive. Sara's dad communicates through poetry and it adds a beautiful element to the story. Family relationships, forgiveness and redemption are all strong themes here along with a plethora of classic poetry in this moving debut. I was so happy to see the list of poetry included. This will resonate with readers of complicated family relationships. 4 1/2 stars
Happy book birthday to America and DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP by Satoshi Yagisawa
Takako has just been dumped by her boyfriend after announcing that he is getting married to someone else. Working with him like nothing happened is out of the question so she must quit her job. When her uncle calls out of the blue asking for help running his used bookshop it seems like the perfect time for a life reset. She develops a love of books, her uncle and the neighborhood in this little town of 150 bookshops. Powerless to deal with her own issues Takako tries to help others and in turn fixes herself along the way. Translated from the original Japanese, this is a quaint slim novel that shows the power of trust, new beginnings and family where you find it. 3 stars Now retired librarian Bob Comet takes walks without any destination in mind. When on a walk he guides a lost mute woman back home he forges a new path that leads to a new family. Bob begins volunteering at the senior center and every day brings him closer to a diverse group and his own place in it. Memories and the past both bittersweet and lonely come bubbling up giving the reader insight into his life spent helping people through books and a kind word. Full of witty dialogue, colorful characters and quiet applause, this is the story of a life well lived. Fans of Ann Patchett's reflective writing with a dollop of THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY and unique characters of Fredrik Backman will immediately become immersed. 4 stars
Grandmother, daughter and granddaughter traverse the undertow that threatens to pull them apart as they try to find their footing in their coastal Florida home. This is a beautifully expressed story of love, connection and pushback of three generations of Vietnamese American women. Grandma Minh is the connective tissue between her daughter Huong and granddaughter Ann and Huong resents the ease of her mom's and daughter's relationship yet doesn't know how to change it. When Minh dies and leaves the Banyan House to her daughter and granddaughter it begins the healing process. Three generations of strong women each passing on that strength to their children. They have all known love and great heartache and while only two have known the horrors of war and leaving their homeland, they all share in the wake of the trauma. This gorgeous debut is the perfect book for mothers and daughters to share. 4 stars
A romcom involving two physicists proving that love and hate can exist between two bodies of matter simultaneously and that honesty does matter even though it is hard to practice. Elsie needs her fake dating gigs to pay for all the expenses her day job as an adjunct professor doesn't cover. When she runs into her client's older brother on the biggest MIT interview of her life she feels like her future career just got put on the bunsen burner. Jack is tough and all wrong for Elsie in theory but in practice their particles keep colliding in a not unpleasant way with lots of friction. Delightfully witty and smart this is another example of breaking the stereotype that intelligent people in science can't be fun and a nod to" you should be who you are and love who you want to love". Her fans will love this and she will bring many more into the Hazelwood universe. 4 stars
A dying town on the Texas coast is the scene of a possible murder. Kate was elderly, it was a horrible storm and the Parson House was in need of repair but did she fall off the balcony or have help? This story balances Southern gothic intrigue and small town politics with the effects of childhood trauma that goes down as easy as sweet tea on a Texas summer day. Lou is confused about her relationship with her girlfriend Heather, her relationship with Kate's kids who used to be childhood friends, and very confused about what really happened in that car crash years ago that changed all of them forever. Small town behavior where everyone knows your business combined with all those underlying secrets and layers of racism make this debut sure to please readers of S.A. Cosby and Stacey Swann's OLYMPUS TEXAS. 4 stars
S.A. Cosby does not mince words, tolerate racism or sugarcoat a history of violence in his native Virginia. His superpower against this hatred is the mighty pen and once again his words and story seep into your head and stay with you even as you shake your head in disbelief that the world can be so cruel. Former FBI Titus Crown is the first black sheriff in his small town and dealing with a horrific school shooting resulting in the death of a beloved white teacher by a black teen. When the shooter is gunned down this sets off a powder keg. Titus finds proof that the slain teacher was part of a ritual killing spree targeting black children he won't rest until all the these killers are found. Powerful, violent and a sad reminder that not all children are treasured. Titus is a spiritual man but whoever is carving bible quotes into the victims does not serve the same god. He is deeply attached to the town he grew up in and his family but this evil might just break him. Fans of his other books will read this in one sitting as will readers of Southern crime or horror like THE ANGEL MAKER. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration whose voice is as smooth as sweet tea which got me through the violent parts.
4 1/2 stars |
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