Welcome!  I have large stacks of books TBR (To Be Read) on my nightstand, plus electronic stacks of books lined up in my Kindle, as well as books on hold at the library.  As I read these books, I love to share my thoughts and opinions of what I’ve read here in this space, because I enjoy sharing my passion for books with others.  I do have an eclectic taste in books, and will choose books based on my mood, or what’s going on in my life that week.  Finally, the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.  Thank you!)  I hope you enjoy this series.

Book #1: 

Circe by Madeline Miller (Length: 353 pages).  I LOVED this book!  After hearing about this book for months, I finally was able to read it.  I could.not.put.it.down.  It really does tell the ultimate story where you cannot wait to find out what happens next.  I possess a basic knowledge of Greek mythology, and I was somewhat familiar with many of the secondary characters in this book, but this novel really sparked an interest in mythology (and this author).  Incredibly detailed characters, an engaging and gripping plot and fantastic details which set the scene so well.  The female perspective of the narrator really makes this book a must read!  

From the publisher:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER–NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, The Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor and Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider

Book #2: 

Girl Sleuth:  Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak (Length: 387 pages).  I’m a HUGE Nancy Drew fan (as are most women of my generation), so I was excited to finally read this book.  It’s VERY slow in the beginning (in fact, I’d recommend you skim the first 5 chapters).  My love of this seminal mystery series was absolutely re-ignited after reading this excellent peek into the authors who created this series, as well as the world of ghost-writing and publishing.  I recommend this as a library book, and only for true fans of this sweet series.  

From the publisher:

An Edgar Award Winner for Best Biography and a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year

The plucky “titian-haired” sleuth solved her first mystery in 1930—and eighty million books later, Nancy Drew has survived the Depression, World War II, and the sixties (when she was taken up with a vengeance by women’s libbers) to enter the pantheon of American culture. As beloved by girls today as she was by their grandmothers, Nancy Drew has both inspired and reflected the changes in her readers’ lives. Here, in a narrative with all the page-turning pace of Nancy’s adventures, Melanie Rehak solves an enduring literary mystery: Who created Nancy Drew? And how did she go from pulp heroine to icon?

The brainchild of children’s book mogul Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy was brought to life by two women: Mildred Wirt Benson, a pioneering journalist from Iowa, and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, a well-bred wife and mother who took over her father’s business empire as CEO. In this century-spanning, “absorbing and delightful” story, the author traces their roles—and Nancy’s—in forging the modern American woman (The Wall Street Journal).

Book #3: 

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum (Length: 332 pages).  This is the second YA novel by this author I’ve read.  (I read and reviewed What to Say Next in February of this year.)  I think I loved this novel even more than the first one I read.  I really enjoy this author’s writing style, which is good because I have yet another one of her novels ready to go on my Kindle.  She excels in snappy dialogue, cute plots, and a well-developed narrator who is actually both relatable AND likable.  I think this novel is appropriate for ages 13 and up, if you’re considering this for a teen.  

From the publisher:

Funny and romantic, this tug-at-your-heartstrings contemporary YA debut is perfect for readers of Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Niven, and E. Lockhart.

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week as a junior at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Welcome!  I have large stacks of books TBR (To Be Read) on my nightstand, plus electronic stacks of books lined up in my Kindle, as well as books on hold at the library.  As I read these books, I love to share my thoughts and opinions of what I’ve read here in this space, because I enjoy sharing my passion for books with others.  I do have an eclectic taste in books, and will choose books based on my mood, or what’s going on in my life that week.  (Disclosure:  I use Amazon affiliate links to help pay for the costs of this website.  Any and all posts on this site may contain affiliate links (which will not affect your cost).  Finally, the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.  Thank you!)  I hope you enjoy this series.

Book #1: 

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes McCoy (Length: 368 pages).  I really, really wanted to love this book more than I did.  Libraries, Ireland, a bookmobile, fixing up a dilapidated cottage on the coast),  . . . this has all of the makings of my ideal novel.  The first half of this book is glacially slow, with too many extraneous details about characters that we don’t even read much about.  (Although because this is the first book in the series, perhaps the author is using this book to introduce characters to come?)   Also, I was not a fan of the protagonist.  I found her to be sullen, whiny and a bit spoiled.  The novel did pick up a bit in the second half, and the plot piqued my interest enough to continue reading, but I have to admit that would only continue reading this series if I was desperate for more books to read.

From the publisher:

In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg and Jenny Colgan comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland’s stunning West Coast.

As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland’s West Coast, Hanna Casey tries not to think about a lot of things. Like the sophisticated lifestyle she abandoned after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or that she’s back in Lissbeg, the rural Irish town she walked away from in her teens, living in the back bedroom of her overbearing mother’s retirement bungalow. Or, worse yet, her nagging fear that, as the local librarian and a prominent figure in the community, her failed marriage and ignominious return have made her a focus of gossip.

With her teenage daughter, Jazz, off traveling the world and her relationship with her own mother growing increasingly tense, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula’s fragmented community. And she’s about to discover that the neighbors she’d always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined.

Told with heart and abundant charm, The Library at the Edge of the World is a joyous story about the meaning of home and the importance of finding a place where you truly belong.

Book #2: 

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin (Length: 338 pages).  I have come to think of Charles Martin novels as junk food books that actually make you feel good after reading them.  Whenever I want a quick read that I can’t put down, I’ll be turning to a Charles Martin book.  This pick is no exception.  The first 100 pages are a bit slow-going, which is unusual for Martin’s books, but then my reading pace picked up rapidly thereafter.  There is a bit of a twist at the end, but with this novel, it really is more about the journey.  The characters are well-developed, and I could actually picture it as a movie while reading (it actually is!), which is always a good sign of vivid imagery and excellent word choice.  Would make a great beach read this summer.  Check this one out! 

From the publisher:

When a blizzard strands them in Salt Lake City, two strangers agree to charter a plane together, hoping to return home; Ben Payne is a gifted surgeon returning from a conference, and Ashley Knox, a magazine writer, is en route to her wedding. But when unthinkable tragedy strikes, the pair find themselves stranded in Utah’s most remote wilderness in the dead of winter, badly injured and miles from civilization. Without food or shelter, and only Ben’s mountain climbing gear to protect themselves, Ashley and Ben’s chances for survival look bleak, but their reliance on each other sparks an immediate connection, which soon evolves into something more.

Days in the mountains become weeks, as their hope for rescue dwindles. How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever? Heart-wrenching and unputdownable, The Mountain Between Us will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.

Book #3: 

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal(Length: 312 pages).   This is a collection of short stories, essentially, which I didn’t realize when I purchased it for my Kindle.  It came highly recommended (although I can’t remember by who), so I was disappointed to not enjoy this book.  One common character is a part of each short story, and each story has a bit of a culinary theme.  The characters are not very likeable, and I honestly only liked one of the stories.  I made it halfway through this book, but I ultimately gave up . . . and I really, really dislike not finishing any book I read. 😦   Life is just too short to waste on books that aren’t your jam.  I may go back and finish this someday, but I doubt it. 

(I have since started Circe by Madeline Miller, and I’m already looking forward to picking it up and reading it each day.  I’ll post my final review in my May post).  

From the publisher: When Lars Thorvald’s wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine—and a dashing sommelier—he’s left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He’s determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter—starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. From Scandinavian lutefisk to hydroponic chocolate habaneros, each ingredient represents one part of Eva’s journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club, culminating in an opulent and emotional feast that’s a testament to her spirit and resilience.

Each chapter in J. Ryan Stradal’s startlingly original debut tells the story of a single dish and character, at once capturing the zeitgeist of the Midwest, the rise of foodie culture, and delving into the ways food creates community and a sense of identity. By turns quirky, hilarious, and vividly sensory, Kitchens of the Great Midwest is an unexpected mother-daughter story about the bittersweet nature of life—its missed opportunities and its joyful surprises. It marks the entry of a brilliant new talent.

Welcome!  I have large stacks of books TBR (To Be Read) on my nightstand, plus electronic stacks of books lined up in my Kindle, as well as books on hold at the library.  As I read these books, I love to share my thoughts and opinions of what I’ve read here in this space, because I enjoy sharing my passion for books with others.  I do have an eclectic taste in books, and will choose books based on my mood, or what’s going on in my life that week.  (Disclosure:  I use Amazon affiliate links to help pay for the costs of this website.  Any and all posts on this site may contain affiliate links (which will not affect your cost).  Finally, the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.  Thank you!)  I hope you enjoy this series.

Book #1: 

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker (Length: 304 pages).  This novel has such an interesting premise . . . a sleeping disease infects a small college town (called Santa Lora, interestingly enough) in California.  Several people die because it’s an airborne virus that spreads quickly.  The writing in this novel is excellent, almost lyrical in parts, and the author paints vivid portraits of the characters throughout the novel.  However, the plot is a little disjointed, so that may be annoying to some readers.  Overall I found this book to be very readable, and I was satisfied by the ending; however, I do agree with other reviewers that this book feels a bit unfinished.  (Perhaps the author is setting us up for a sequel?)  This quick, fun read is a perfect beach book pick, if you don’t mind a bit of death with your fun in the sun.  😉

From the publisher:

One night in an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a first-year student stumbles into her dorm room, falls asleep—and doesn’t wake up. She sleeps through the morning, into the evening. Her roommate, Mei, cannot rouse her. Neither can the paramedics, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital. When a second girl falls asleep, and then a third, Mei finds herself thrust together with an eccentric classmate as panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. A young couple tries to protect their newborn baby as the once-quiet streets descend into chaos. Two sisters turn to each other for comfort as their survivalist father prepares for disaster.

Those affected by the illness, doctors discover, are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, higher than has ever been recorded before. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what?

Written in luminous prose, The Dreamers is a breathtaking and beautiful novel, startling and provocative, about the possibilities contained within a human life—if only we are awakened to them.

From the publisher:

From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing, More Than You Know, and Gossip comes the first entry in a stylish and witty mystery series featuring a pair of unlikely investigators—a shrewd novel of manners with a dark heart of murder at its center, set in small-town New England.

Indulging their pleasure in travel and new experiences, recently retired private school head Maggie Detweiler and her old friend, socialite Hope Babbin, are heading to Maine. The trip—to attend a weeklong master cooking class at the picturesque Victorian-era Oquossoc Mountain Inn—is an experiment to test their compatibility for future expeditions.

Hope and Maggie have barely finished their first aperitifs when the inn’s tranquility is shattered by the arrival of Alexander and Lisa Antippas and Lisa’s actress sister, Glory. Imperious and rude, these Hollywood one-percenters quickly turn the inn upside-down with their demanding behavior, igniting a flurry of speculation and gossip among staff and guests alike.

But the disruption soon turns deadly. After a suspicious late-night fire is brought under control, Alex’s charred body is found in the ashes. Enter the town’s deputy sheriff, Buster Babbin, Hope’s long-estranged son and Maggie’s former student. A man who’s finally found his footing in life, Buster needs a win. But he’s quickly pushed aside by the “big boys,” senior law enforcement and high-powered state’s attorneys who swoop in to make a quick arrest.

Maggie knows that Buster has his deficits and his strengths. She also knows that justice does not always prevail—and that the difference between conviction and exoneration too often depends on lazy police work and the ambitions of prosecutors. She knows too, after a lifetime of observing human nature, that you have a great advantage in doing the right thing if you don’t care who gets the credit or whom you annoy.

Feeling that justice could use a helping hand–as could the deputy sheriff—Maggie and Hope decide that two women of experience equipped with healthy curiosity, plenty of common sense, and a cheerfully cynical sense of humor have a useful role to play in uncovering the truth.

 

Book #3: 

The Library Book by Susan Orlean (Length: 310 pages).  I really enjoyed this non-fiction book!  The author delivers a well-written account of the 1986 fire in the LA Public Library as well as the history of this library, and public libraries in general.  I will say this book is a bit odd in places (for example, she sets a book on fire as an experiment) but it’s incredibly well-researched and very readable.  This book has absolutely increased my appreciation for libraries, which I didn’t think was even possible.  I should have been a librarian! 

From the publisher: 

A WASHINGTON POST TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018

A dazzling love letter to a beloved institution—and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries—from the bestselling author hailed as a “national treasure” by The Washington Post.

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

Book #4: 

Freefall by Jessica Barry (Length: 356 pages).   This is a very fast, fun read, and sometimes I’m in the mood for a compulsively readable book where I can let my brain run on autopilot.  Definitely a great beach, vacation read!  However, I will say that there are very obvious clues to the mystery which eliminated the element of surprise entirely.  Moreover, there were a few editing/context errors which were very distracting (and rudely interrupted my autopilot reading mode).  For example, a character opens a drawer for an address book and then pulls it down from a shelf.  What?  (Publishers:  I love to edit–call me!)  

From the publisher:

They say your daughter is dead.

You know they’re wrong.

When her fiancé’s private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, everyone assumes Allison Carpenter is dead.

But Maggie, Allison’s mother back home in Owl Creek, Maine, refuses to believe them. Maggie knows her daughter – or she used to, anyway. For the past two years, the two women have been estranged, and while Maggie doesn’t know anything about Ally’s life now – not even why she was on a private plane to begin with – she still believes in her girl’s strength, and in their love for each other.

As Allison struggles across the treacherous mountain wilderness, Maggie embarks on a desperate search for answers about the world Allison has been involved in. What was she running from? And can Maggie uncover the truth in time to save her?

Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall is a heart-stopping, propulsive thriller about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and the ones they love.

 

Book #5: 

Heavy by Kiese Laymon (Length: 257  pages).  Whoa.  This memoir is heavy in more ways than one.  This account of the author growing up as a black boy in Mississippi is gripping, and eye-opening in all of the ways we need right now.  This book is written as a letter to the author’s mother, a brilliant woman in academia who is in the throes of an addiction (that isn’t what you think it is).  Laymon’s weight issues are a running theme throughout, but it’s the author’s brilliant writing that will (and should) make you squirm.  In today’s political, and social climate, this book is a must-read.  

From the publisher:

Named a Best Book of 2018 by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, NPR, Broadly, Buzzfeed (Nonfiction), The Undefeated, Library Journal (Biography/Memoirs), The Washington Post (Nonfiction), Southern Living (Southern), Entertainment Weekly, and The New York Times Critics*

In this powerful, provocative, and universally lauded memoir—winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal and finalist for the Kirkus Prize—genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon “provocatively meditates on his trauma growing up as a black man, and in turn crafts an essential polemic against American moral rot” (Entertainment Weekly).

In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to time in New York as a college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. Heavy is a “gorgeous, gutting…generous” (The New York Times) memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, he asks us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.

Welcome!  I have large stacks of books TBR (To Be Read) on my nightstand, plus electronic stacks of books lined up in my Kindle, as well as books on hold at the library.  As I read these books, I love to share my thoughts and opinions of what I’ve read here in this space, because I enjoy sharing my passion for books with others.  I do have an eclectic taste in books, and will choose books based on my mood, or what’s going on in my life that week.  (Disclosure:  I use Amazon affiliate links to help pay for the costs of this website.  Any and all posts on this site may contain affiliate links (which will not affect your cost).  Finally, the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.  Thank you!)  I hope you enjoy this series.

Book #1: 

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Length: 321 pages).  This book has been on my TBR list FOREVER, and my name made it to the top of the reserve list of my local library.  I have to say, it was worth the wait!  This novel is compulsively readable, which is a huge plus for me.  The chapters in this novel alternate between the points of view of two main characters at first, and then a third character is added.  Some of the chapters are letters between the initial two main characters; this format actually works really well, in my opinion, and doesn’t detract from the plot at all.  There are a lot of African American cultural references that are new to me, which I appreciated as I love to learn, and I found these particular references to be very illuminating, not only to the plot points and character development in the novel itself, but also to today’s society.  The false prosecution that forms the center of the plot also touched a nerve to me personally, given my career history (as a criminal prosecutor).  Please read this book!  

From the publisher:

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

Welcome!  I have large stacks of books TBR (To Be Read) on my nightstand, plus electronic stacks of books lined up in my Kindle, as well as books on hold at the library.  As I read these books, I love to share my thoughts and opinions of what I’ve read here in this space, because I enjoy sharing my passion for books with others.  I do have an eclectic taste in books, and will choose books based on my mood, or what’s going on in my life that week.  (Disclosure:  I use Amazon affiliate links to help pay for the costs of this website.  Any and all posts on this site may contain affiliate links (which will not affect your cost).  Finally, the page numbers I list here reflect the number of Kindle pages, not paper pages.  Thank you!)  I hope you enjoy this series.

Book #1: 

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Length: 561 pages).  Wow!  I absolutely LOVED this book!  Of course I had heard about this book when it was first published, because Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym for J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame.  But for some odd reason, I thought the (now-series) was about something very different than it actually is.  What I enjoyed so much about this book is the two main characters, private eye Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robyn.  They are quirky, with tons of depth, and learning more about them and what makes them tick is what I’m looking forward to in future books in this series.  The plot is very interesting in this first installment, but I did figure out who the killer was early on.  The “why” wasn’t as easy to parse, and this very intricately planned-out mystery is very well done!  Please read this charming book if you haven’t yet.  

From the publisher:

A brilliant mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel’s suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, thelegendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you’ve never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you’ve never seen them under an investigation like this.

Book #2: 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens(Length: 379 pages).  I was VERY excited to finally open this book, after hearing so much chatter about it.  And I think the praise is well deserved.   This book is very well-written, especially with its descriptive sense of place.  I adore the author’s descriptions of the marsh, with its flora and fauna.  The alternating chapters (in both time and place) take a bit getting used to, and the mystery at the center of the book is not as interesting as the setting, in my opinion, but the writing is where this is at!  (As a side note, this book is supposed to appeal to fans of Barbara Kingsolver, which I most admittedly am not, having met her in person at a book club over 20 years ago in Tucson, Arizona.  But that’s a story for another day. If you are a Kingsolver fan, this is definitely a similar genre. )   I love this book, and it’s one that I will always remember–it’s that good!

From the publisher:

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Book #3: 

How I Became the Fittest Woman on Earth by Tia-Clair Toomey (Length: 200 pages?).   I am obsessed with CrossFit, and have enjoyed my foray into functional fitness for the past few years, even in my “advanced” middle age.  😉  I discovered CrossFit by watching a few Netflix documentaries on the CrossFit Games, which is how I became a fan of Tia-Clair Toomey, the female winner of the 2017 and the 2018 Games.   The content of her book (published by a small Australian publisher) is very inspiring.  I really loved all of the details about her fitness journey, her training and her first-hand account of the 2017 Games.    That being said, she’s obviously not a good writer, as her writing style is that of a fifth-grader.  There are horrible grammatical errors throughout, which makes me think she either wasn’t assigned a copy editor, or someone was drunk on the job.  This is a fun, quick and easy read–but it’s not going to win any book awards.  

From the publisher:

I have loved to compete since primary school; where I lived for sport, particularly running, and would push myself to the limit to become better than yesterday. It may come as a surprise to you, but I always came second. I was always the underdog, that person who just fell short. I never gave up, I just felt that fire in my belly get stronger and stronger – I wanted do more, be more, achieve more.

The day I finally came first was something I had always dreamed of. At twenty-four years old, I was crowned the winner of the 2017 Crossfit Games and officially became the Fittest Woman on Earth. When I heard my name called in front of thousands of cheering fans, I felt like I was invincible. I was on top of the world and suddenly everything up until that point actually made sense.

With the support of my partner, Shane, my family and my coaches along the way, I was able to achieve my dream of being number one. This is the story of how I got to where I am today. I hope you enjoy it but more importantly I hope it inspires you to dream big, work hard and never give up!

Book #4: 

Becoming by Michelle Obama (Length: 428 pages).  I was gifted this amazing book for Christmas, by my very sweet husband.  This absolutely perfect memoir will always be on my bookshelf as it’s that good.  It’s intelligent, thoughtful and incredibly well-written.  She includes dozens and dozens of amusing anecdotes, as well as introspective moments, and insightful analysis of historical and current events.  She does cover policies and politics but it’s not dry.  I will say that reading this made me even sadder about the current occupant of the White House, as well as the state of American politics and race relations, but like Michelle Obama, I’m very hopeful we will see another change in the tide of humanity in this country someday in the future.  (I have been told by several people that the audio version of this book is a do-not-miss.)   

From the publisher:

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.