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[Book Concierge]

The Berry Pickers – Amanda Peters – 5***** and a ❤
In 1962, an indigenous family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer; a month into the season their youngest child disappears. This was a wonderful book. The characters come alive on the page. Their hurts, joys, struggles, connections, love, tenderness, anger, frustration and pain are shown through their actions and reactions.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

Graceland – Nancy Crochiere – 3***
This was a fun read with over-the-top characters dealing with drama mostly of their own making. I liked the road trip aspect the best, though their various antics once they all arrive in Memphis also kept the plot moving along nicely. (Loved the scenes with the Elvis impersonators!)
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

The Night We Lost Him – Laura Dave – 3***
This mystery opens with Liam Noone, a hotel magnate with three ex-wives, three adult children and a long-term lover, being pushed off a cliff to his death. Two of his children, Nora and Sam, join forces to discover what happened to their dad, and why. I am Soooo over the dual time-line device and this one isn’t done all that well. By the time the kids determined that he was pushed, I’d lost interest in who did the pushing. It’s okay, at best.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

The Story Collector – Evie Woods – 3***
This is a charming fable of love lost and love found, of superstition and faith, of family and community, of grief and recovery. Sarah was at times infuriating, but I came to understand her need to grieve and to face her demons. And I really liked the way her relationship with Oran developed. I liked the historical timeline as well, but I had a hard time believing Anna, a village girl, would have written her diary in this way.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

Driving Miss Norma – Tim Bauerschmidt & Ramie Liddle – 4****
When his mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer at age 90, she decided to forego medical treatment in favor of “hitting the road,” with her son and daughter-in-law. This memoir of their time travelling throughout the USA is a result of that decision. They let go of their fears and “what ifs,” and embraced the adventure of saying “yes” to living.
LINK to my full review

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I'm readingDead to the World

[Book Concierge]

The Door-to-Door Bookstore – Carsten Henn – 3***
A small-town German bookseller has delivered books to his customers each evening after the store is closed. This is a lovely story of friendship, purpose, kindness and found family. It’s also about dealing with loss and grief, and about having the courage to make changes in one’s life.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

The Dog Who Followed the Moon – James Norbury – 3.5***
In the deepest part of winter, a small pup, Amaya, gets separated from her parents. Wandering alone in the woods she comes upon a pack of wolves. And this begins the latest fable by James Norbury. Once again, he reminds us that life is about the journey, not the destination, and that all experiences are ones we can learn from. And I really love his illustrations.
LINK to my full review

[Book Concierge]

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V E Schwab – 4****
In 1714, a young woman flees from the planned / arranged marriage and begs the gods for her freedom. Luc grants her wish but … What a wonderful, engaging story. I was completely captivated. And while I’ve grown to hate the ubiquitous dual timeline, in this case it was necessary, for how else to tell the story of “invisible” Addie LaRue, and her Faustian bargain? What a cunning, clever woman!
LINK to my full review