All in Fiction
Real Americans starts out as a better-than-average love story between Lily Chen, a young, unpaid intern at a media company in New York City, and Matthew Allen, a successful, slightly older man. Despite their vastly different backgrounds—she was born in America but her parents are from China and she struggles to get a financial foothold, and his family is wealthy and waspy—they end up marrying and having a child.
When I bought Julie Chan Is Dead at Hudson News in the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto, I was looking for a light read for my trip home to Boston. Reading the book’s flap copy, I thought it would fit the bill. And, although I am not recommending the book as a great piece of literature, I do recommend it as both an outstanding commentary on today’s phenomenon of social media influencers and a real page-turner.
Like so many Reece Witherspoon book club picks, The Last Thing He Told Me is a gripping and entertaining read. While I wouldn’t call it great literature, I absolutely could not put this book down and highly recommend it as a perfect book to take to the beach this summer.
Wow! Huge thanks to my friend Pam who gave me The Frozen River as a gift. It is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. I had never heard of Ariel Lawhon until now, but am already on the hunt for all of her previous books.
I picked up Galore from my shelf with some trepidation because the only other book by Michael Crummey I had read, Sweetland, was excellent but bleak and depressing. But Crummey is my father-in-law’s favorite author, so I wanted to give him another try. I’m so glad I did because this book is a wonder.
Jacqueline Woodson is the master of the tiny book that packs a big emotional punch. She writes brilliantly for young adults as well as adults, and this book felt like a perfect bridge between two genres.
I had seen The Berry Pickers recommended a few times, but it hadn’t yet made it to my stack of books when my mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. Books are always a good bet as a gift for me, but this one was such a wonderful choice that I gave it back to her as soon as I finished it so she could read it too!
In the Unlikely Event takes place in Elizabeth, New Jersey in the 1950s. Blume creates three generations of endearing characters, all of whom connect to 15-year-old Miri Ammerman and her mother Rusty.
are you there god? it’s me, margaret. is the iconic story of a young girl on the brink of adolescence who moves from New York City to the suburbs.
I know I’ve mentioned before how once I fall for an author based on an amazing book or two that she has written, I can’t wait to read other titles by her. Honestly, I often find these books to be fine, but not as powerful as the “breakthrough book,” or the one that propelled the author to fame. This is not the case with Maggie O’Farrell.
Novels set in another time and place that are so realistically drawn as to cause me to have a visceral response are rare and wonderful. For me, they make the storyline feel like an extension of the setting. Or is it the other way around? Does the story feel compelling because the author portrays the setting with such authenticity? Whatever the explanation, Pip Williams has mastered the balance of both factors in The Dictionary of Lost Words.
I firmly believe that Louise Erdrich should be on every reader’s “go to” reading list. Just when I think she can’t possibly write a better book than her last, she does. Not only does she always tell a compelling story filled with memorable characters, but she unfailingly writes masterful prose.
This month’s selection for The Book Bus Book Club is The House at the Edge of Night. Banner has written a gorgeous novel with an incredible sense of place. Set on a small island off the east coast of Sicily, Banner tells the family saga of the Esposito family over four generations. Amadeo first comes to the island of Castellamare to practice as a doctor before the First World War.
Liane Moriarty is one of my “must read” authors. As soon as she publishes a new book, I’m on it. I enjoy her writing not only because she comes up with relevant and compelling storylines, but also because she consistently develops multi-faceted, interesting characters. In Here One Moment, Moriarty’s skill at observing and describing believable human behaviors shines through masterfully.
In early October, I heard a bit of buzz about a new animated movie called The Wild Robot. Specifically, I heard that it was not scary or overstimulating, but a wonderful story for kids and adults. We were heading north for Canadian Thanksgiving and I decided that in addition to seeing the movie over the holiday weekend, we could listen to the audiobook on our four-hour drive.
During her interview with Jenna, Blume discussed how her novel Summer Sisters had been reissued in a special 25th anniversary edition to coincide with Jenna’s selection of the book for her August 2023 “Read With Jenna Book Club.” Hager chose a 25-year-old book because she viewed it as the quintessential novel about female friendship. How was it possible I’d never heard of this book? Next trip to the bookstore, you can bet it was in my stack of books to buy. And I couldn’t wait to dive right in.
When a friend asked me recently for a recommendation for her book club, “something somewhat new that probably most people won’t have read yet,” I couldn’t text her this title fast enough. I was riveted from the first page and raced through it at top speed, anxious and eager to see where Zhang would take her story next.
In thinking about the two novels I’ve chosen to review this issue, it occurs to me that they have significant similarities. Both are written by women and have strong female protagonists. Both deal with issues of ownership and/or usurping the rights of others. And both are absolutely “must-reads.”
I recently added this book to my reading list based on several recommendations and then I spotted it in a Little Free Library in my neighborhood. So, after slogging my way through Donna Tart’s The Secret History, I wanted a book I could fly through and The Silent Patient definitely delivered.
First off, I want to point out that Jodi Picoult’s latest book is very different from any of her previous books. And, even though Picoult figures as one of my automatic “must read” authors every time she writes another book, By Any Other Name rocked me in a way only a very few of her other books have.
