All in Fiction
Eve Chase sets The Daughters of Foxcote Manor in England in two time periods. She tells the story of the Harrington family who leave their London home in the early 1970s after it sustains a fire. They relocate to their deteriorating country manor for the summer.
Over the past several months, I repeatedly heard All the Colors of the Dark praised highly. I don’t know why it took me so long to read it. Let me spare you from making the same mistake: Read it as soon as you can. This book is a masterpiece. An unforgettable love story that spans 25 years, it is also a mystery that crosses over into a psychological thriller. Chris Whitaker drew me in immediately and kept me turning the pages late into the night.
I want to warn you first thing that this book is incredibly disturbing but also extremely good. Ng sets it in a not-so-distant, dystopian future that seems to be transpiring in many ways even since Ng published in 2022. She observes history and social change with a keen eye. Her predictions feel terrifying but are just a hair's breadth away from the current administration's agenda at this moment.
In Sweetness in the Skin, Ishi Robinson tells one of the most original and compelling coming-of-age stories that I’ve read in a long time. Robinson, who was born and raised in Jamaica, sets the story of Pumkin Patterson in the city of Kingston. At eleven-years-old, Pumkin lives in a small apartment with her grandmother, mother and Aunt Sophie.
When my friend Gevvie recommended Good Dirt, I was excited to learn that Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake (read review here) had a new novel out. Then when I saw it on display at my local library branch, I knew it was time to scoop it up and dive in. As much as I loved Black Cake, I think Good Dirt is even better.
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.
