Union County Library discussion
What I'm Reading Now
I read 1666
. Gut wrenching , imperative history to be told. 5 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ms Demeanor – Elinor Lipman – 3***
It begins when attorney Jane Morgan is spotted by a nosy neighbor with binoculars engaging in consensual sex on her rooftop patio. Soon she’s sentenced to six months of house confinement. And then she discovers there is another resident of her building also wearing an ankle monitor. Cute, modern, rom-com. I love Lipman’s sense of humor.
LINK to my full review
Ruddy Gore - Kerry Greenwood – 3***
Book number seven in the delightful Phryne Fisher series of cozy mysteries set in 1920s Melbourne, Australia. I like Phryne as a character. She is her own woman and quite modern in her thinking. She’s independent, curious, observant and can take care of herself. She’s also beautiful and wealthy. And she quite enjoys time in the bedroom with a gentleman. Brava, Phryne!
LINK to my full review
First Gen – Alejandra Campoverdi– 3***
Campoverdi’s memoir details her experiences and that of her family, particularly the women. From growing up poor in a single-parent household with her grandmother, three aunts, and mother, the author writes about her path to success as a “First and only.” Her story is an interesting one, but I didn’t really identify with her experiences, and felt she was not fully identifying the causes of her feelings of inadequacy.
LINK to my full review
Flying Solo – Linda Holmes – 3***
This was a fun rom-com / mystery / heist caper! Laurie comes back to her Maine hometown to clear out her great-aunt Dot’s home. When she finds a wooden duck decoy in a cedar chest, she can’t help but wonder why Dot would keep such an item. Her efforts to solve the mystery of Dot’s past lead to a con job, a heist, and a counter-con job. And she begins to rethink her “I’m a loner” philosophy as she reconnects with her friends from high school.
LINK to my full review
The Christie Affair – Nina de Gramont – 3.5***
On December 3, 1926, Agatha Christie drove away from her home after an argument with her husband. She would be missing for eleven days. This is a novel about marriage, about motherhood, about love, about grief, about how society punishes those who fail to follow the rules, about forgiveness and justice. De Gramont took the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and at first, I was unhappy, but eventually the two parallel stories merge in a fashion that fascinated me.
LINK to my full review
Royal Blood – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book number four in the delightful Lady Georgiana Ranoch series of cozy mysteries takes us out of London and to a remote castle in the mountains of Romania for a royal wedding. I like this series. Georgie manages to get herself caught up in all sorts of intrigues. This episode in her life was a little over-the-top, though Georgie, of course, keeps her head and manages to help solve the case. She’s certainly resourceful! An entertaining quick read.
LINK to my full review
Into Love And Out Again – Elinor Lipman – 3.5***
This is a collection of short stories set in New York City. As the title implies, the focus is on love … falling in love, attraction, heartbreak, excitement, intimacy, falling out of love. This was Lipman’s debut work. I’ve become a fan of hers in the last few years and decided to go back and read some of her earlier works. She writes with wit and tenderness and eyes wide open to her characters’ flaws and gifts.
LINK to my full review
The Fortunes of Jaded Women – Carolyn Hyunh – 3***
Mai’s ancestor was cursed by a Vietnamese witch: the women would birth only daughters, never a son. Oh, what a tangled web of melodrama! In general, this is about family – especially an extended family whose members are always in each other’s business. They meddle, fight, make-up, mourn, and celebrate. Ultimately, they come together as a family, rising in unison, ready to conquer the world.
LINK to my full review
This Time Will Be Different – Misa Sigiura – 3.5***
This is a charming YA novel about family, social justice, friendship and loyalty. There’s also a little romance thrown in. CJ is a pretty mature teen. Although she frequently doubts herself, she usually follows her inner compass and makes solid decisions. Of course, this is a young adult novel, so there is bound to be some of the drama typical in teen life – prom-posals, mean girls, cliques, attractions based strictly on looks, best friends who maybe aren’t anymore.
LINK to my full review
Mod
The Covenant of Water
– Abraham Verghese – 5*****
An epic tale of one family in Kerala, India, over nearly eight decades, spanning the time frame fro..."
We just posted our review of this fabulous book!
Rebel – Beverly Jenkins – 3***
This bodice ripper is set in New Orleans during the reconstruction period after the Civil War. It's a typical romance with heaving bosoms, knees made weak by kisses, demure women and strong men who are talented and generous lovers. The action is fast, even if the plot is fairly predictable.
LINK to my full review
Mrs Jeffries On the Ball – Emily Brightwell – 3***
Book number five in the Victorian Mystery series starring Inspector Gerald Witherspoon and his very capable housekeeper, Mrs Jeffries. Victorian London is certainly a hotbed of crime but Mrs Jeffries and her staff are more than up to the task of ferreting out the information to make the Inspector look good when he solves the murder.
LINK to my full review
I read Under the Java Moon
, telling yet another facet of WWII that was new to me. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han – 3***
This is a lovely coming-of-age novel featuring a trio of sisters, of which Lara Jean is the middle sister. Among the issues dealt with are sibling rivalry, teen crushes, sex, social media (and bullying), and conflicting feelings – whether for your sister or your boyfriend. I really liked Lara Jean. She mostly has her act together, but she is only sixteen. Still, she’s a good kid; she’s smart, talented, loyal, principled, and determined. And she has an open heart that is ready to learn about love and what it really means.
LINK to my full review
I read Count the Ways
in anticipation of the follow up,
. 4.5 stars rounded up . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead – 4****
Whitehead’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel is an extraordinary work of fiction. Unlike many novels set in the antebellum south, Whitehead’s imagination gives us a real railroad, traveling underground, through various states. As abolitionists and slave holders battle for supremacy, stations are closed or opened, sections of track are expanded or abandoned. Cora is a marvelous character - strong, resilient, smart, observant. Her desire for freedom never wanes; she will get there or die trying.
LINK to my full review
I read How the Light Gets In
. 3.5 stars rounded up. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Leave the World Behind – Rumaan Alam – 4****
This grabbed me from page one and held on through the wonderfully ambiguous ending. It’s hard to say this is post-apocalyptic, though it’s certainly headed in that direction. Alam writes these characters so well. And gives the reader the same “unbalanced” sense that the characters feel – not knowing what is happening nor whom to trust. I’m left feeling unsettled and confused and curious and excited and desperate to know what is next.
LINK to my full review
I really don't like leaving negative reviews, and I know this author is very popular. But clearly she's not for me.
Unfortunately Yours – Tessa Bailey – 1*
A rom-com set in the Napa Valley, with a kernel of a cute idea. But I did not find either Natalie or August remotely interesting. Of course, they have hot sex and achieve multiple orgasms. But these scenarios are so ridiculously unbelievable that I found them tedious to read. There was one very interesting metaphor for orgasm that earned it 1 star.
LINK to my full review
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo – 5*****
In her debut novel, Acevedo tells the story of a teen from Harlem, who finds her voice in writing poetry, but who struggles against her mother’s expectations. I love poetry. I am in awe with how much a poet can convey in so few words. And Acevedo does a truly marvelous job in this novel-in-verse.
LINK to my full review
I read Alice Hoffman’s latest short story The Bookstore Wedding, second in the series following The Bookstore Sisters. 4 stars . My brief thoughts: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Hundred Flowers – Gail Tsukiyama – 4****
In this novel, Tsukiyama turns her attention to the mid-to-late 1950s and Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China. The story focuses on the Lee family, who do their best in difficult times to continue moving forward. The uncertainty is palpable. Yet, they face their circumstances with grace, dignity and courage.
LINK to my full review
Take My Hand – Dolen Perkins-Valdez – 4****
In 2016, Dr Civil Townsend, reflects on her time three decades previously when she worked with Montgomery (Alabama) Family Planning. Perkins-Valdez took inspiration from a shameful episode in America’s history, when poor, Black people were used as subjects for medical studies without their informed consent. Additionally, Perkins-Valdez looks at the class distinctions between poor, rural Blacks and the wealthier professional Blacks. Kudos to Perkins-Valdez for shining a light on these policies in our history.
LINK to my full review
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder – Valerie Burns – 3***
Book one in a new cozy mystery series. Maddy Montgomery’s great aunt Octavia has left her a lakefront house, a bakery, and an English mastiff named Baby. Maddy’s barely in town for a day when there’s a murder IN the bakery. Who would want to frame her? The residents rally round, especially Sheriff April Johnson and veterinarian Michael Portman. Fast, entertaining read.
LINK to my full review
Sex and Vanity – Kevin Kwan – 2**
There were a few over-the-top scenes that tickled my funny bone, and I gave it two stars for those. I realize that Kwan means these works to be satires of “crazy rich Asians” but I just find them tedious. The characters were uniformly vain and shallow, and I grew tired of their obsession with appearances.
LINK to my full review
A Hope Divided – Alyssa Cole – 3***
Book number two in the Loyal League series of Civil-War-era romances. Healer and free woman Marlie Lynch meets Union soldier and prisoner-of-war Ewan McCall when she goes to tend to the men at the nearby prison. Before long they are fleeing together from the Home Guard. It’s a pretty typical romance.
LINK to my full review
One Of Us Is Lying – Karen M McManus – 3.5***
Five students are together in detention when one of them died. Who did it? This was a twisty mystery and the students surprised me with their insight and tenacity in trying to clear their names. Of course, there is the usual teenage drama as well as issues of dysfunctional families, and racism. Surprisingly I didn’t think all this teen drama distracted from the central plot. I certainly was kept guessing and didn’t figure out the culprit until the author chose to reveal the truth.
LINK to my full review
The Silence Between Us – Alison Gervais – 4****
This is a lovely young-adult romance with the added inclusion of one partner with a significant disability. Maya is smart and tenacious, but she just can’t believe that a hearing person and a deaf person can form a true relationship. In many ways the relationship between Beau and Maya is a typical teen romance, with missteps followed by genuine gestures that show caring, alongside all the usual teen drama of a senior year in high school.
LINK to my full review
The Color Purple – Alice Walker - 5***** and a ❤
Walker’s choice to write the book as a series of letters (or diary entries) really gives the reader the chance to hear Celie. There are moments of despair, of sorrow, and a very few of joy. Celie is an extraordinary woman and watching her grow from a scared girl to a confident, in-charge woman is fascinating and uplifting.
LINK to my full review
The Oracle of Stamboul – Michael David Lukas – 4****
This work of historical fiction takes us to 19th-century Stamboul, seat of the Ottoman Empire (now, Istanbul, Turkey). Eleanora Cohen, a child prodigy, becomes a trusted advisor to the Sultan. She’s intelligent and an astute observer, but she is only a child. Still, she will have to rely on her own gifts to make her way. On the whole, I found this novel atmospheric and enchanting.
LINK to my full review
One Hundred Saturdays – Michael Frank – 4****
Subtitle: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World. This is a memoir as related by Stella to Michael Frank, of her childhood and youth in Rhodes, her interment at various concentration camps (including Auschwitz), her survival and triumph after moving to the United States. I’m so glad she told her story and that I read it.
LINK to my full review
A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle – 3***
This novella introduced the reading public to Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr Watson. The case hinges on a dead body found in a locked room; although the corpse shows no signs of having been attacked, Holmes is convinced it was murder. I found it a slower read than today’s mystery novels. But I was interested in getting to know Holmes and Watson. We learn how Holmes came to his method of deduction and begin to see the fast friendship that will develop between these two men.
LINK to my full review
Four Seasons In Rome – Anthony Doerr – 4****
Subtitle: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World. This is Doerr’s memoir of a year he spent as a fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award came with a studio in which to write, an apartment, and a stipend. And, of course, the experience of a year in Rome. I was completely delighted by his recollections.
LINK to my full review
Everything, Everything – Nicola Yoon – 3.5***
This YA romance had some significant serious issues to discuss. I really liked Maddy, who’s intelligent and mostly serene. Olly is more complex and guarded, which is understandable given his family situation. Can love (even teenage love) conquer all? Yoon certainly makes a good case.
LINK to my full review
China Dolls – Lisa See – 4****
This work of historical fiction begins in 1938, following three young women – Helen Fong, Grace Lee and Ruby Tom – through World War II and the period shortly thereafter. I really enjoyed this book. I was in vested in these young women and their aspirations, and really enjoyed the detail See included from costumes to scenery to social issues – these elements really took me back to this era and culture
LINK to my full review
Nerve – Dick Francis – 3***
This mystery/thriller opens with a bang, as a jockey shoots “himself, loudly and messily, in the center of the parade ring…” Is someone sabotaging jockeys? Who? And Why? Francis crafts a compelling psychological mystery. Jockey Rob Finn is tenacious, determined and smart in the way he goes about ferreting out information to build the case against an unlikely perpetrator. I came late to the Dick Francis fan club, but I’m glad I finally arrived.
LINK to my full review
Out Of the Dust – Karen Hesse – 5***** and a ❤
Hesse can say so much in so few words. This is an extraordinary work of fiction, written entirely in verse. It's an emotionally evocative story of growing up in the harshness of poverty and tragedy, set during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the Great Depression.
LINK to my full review
Good Night, Irene – Luis Alberto Urrea – 5*****
This book of historical fiction is based on the life experiences of Urrea’s mother, who served as a Red Cross “Donut Dolly” during World War II. I have read many books by Urrea, so I knew he could write, but I was almost speechless at the end of this book. Whatever you do, do NOT skip the author’s note at the end where he relates how it took him some twenty years to come to grips with and write this novel as a testament to his mother’s experiences. This is truly a love letter to his mother.
LINK to my full review
The Jasmine Project – Meredith Ireland – 3***
This was a cute rom-com with the family engineering a sort of “Bachelorette” competition for Jasmine Yap’s affections. They identify three likely candidates and watch carefully to see which one she will pick. But the road to HEA is full of obstacles. I liked that Ireland showed real growth in Jasmine’s character.
LINK to my full review
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Give Me a Sign – Anna Sortino – 4****
Lilah and the other counselors at Camp Grey Wolf are in many ways typical teenagers. But, they must also navigate a hearing world as Deaf or hearing-impaired individuals. I really enjoyed this book. Sortino is Deaf and passionate about seeing diverse characters portrayed in the media. This is her debut novel.
LINK to my full review
Instructions For Dancing – Nicola Yoon – 3***
Evie doesn’t believe in love anymore. Not after her dad left and her parents divorced. But then she finds her way to a dance studio and the next thing she knows, Evie is paired with a boy named X, learning to waltz, fox-trot and tango. This is a charming YA romance with a young couple who have multiple family issues they have to navigate.
LINK to my full review
Union County Library
Books mentioned in this topic
Howling Dark (other topics)La Belle Sauvage (other topics)
The Secret Commonwealth (other topics)
Jade War (other topics)
Year of Wonders (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
S.K. Waters (other topics)Amanda Cassidy (other topics)
Emily St. John Mandel (other topics)
The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese – 5*****
An epic tale of one family in Kerala, India, over nearly eight decades, spanning the time frame from 1900 to 1977. Gosh, but Verghese can write! There is a lot of drama in this decades-long story. Verghese touches on classicism, colonialism, racism and sexism. But this is NOT an unhappy book. The family relationships are loving and tender. And that ending! My heart swelled.
LINK to my full review