Author: Jessica

By: Jojo Moyes

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: This is historical fiction novel is based on a true story about a group of women who form a packhorse library in rural Kentucky as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s mission to improve education during The Great Depression era. Friendships, romantic relationships, town gossip, and the power of education are central themes in this novel, and I absolutely loved it.

The Longer Review: Alice Van Cleve, originally from England, marries the heir to a Kentucky mining business – Bennett – and finds herself in a completely unfamiliar environment. As she grows bored with being a housewife with no responsibility whatsoever, she welcomes the opportunity to become more familiar with her community in the form of joining a packhorse library.

Not everyone in this small town is excited about the prospect of a library, and even less about some of the ladies who’ve been enlisted to run it. Some distrust the content that this library will distribute, and others carry generations-long feuds with the head librarian – Margery. The friendships formed between all of the librarians, and the transformation of the library’s critics to supporters are fun. The demonstration of how access to education can truly transform lives is fun, but also incredibly relevant to what in our present-day society.

When this group of unconventional ladies come up against a threat to one of their own, they demonstrate endless loyalty and courage working tirelessly to keep their band of so-called misfits together. This story will both warm and break your heart. It was a little bit of a slow starter for me, but it’s one that I’ll strongly consider adding to my permanent collection.

By: Tori Henwood Hoen

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: This is a really fun rom-com full of bourgeois careers, clubs, etc. The main characters are fun and relatable. I’m not going to tell you that the end will shock you, but I am going to tell you that you will really enjoy this story, and if you’re like me – you’ll wish that some of these fictional places were real so you could visit.

The Longer Review: Ursula is a 30-something single lady in NYC. She’s successful, she’s fun, she’s tired of dating, and she’s about to give up on finding love. Cue: the Arc. It’s supposed to be a cutting edge, highly selective (aka $$$) “matching” service. The sky-high price tag boasts a proprietary method of deeply diving into who someone is and what makes them tick to suitably match them to “the one” ending the rigamarole of dating.

When Ursula is matched with Rafael the chemistry is instant and it leaves them – and all of their friends/family – questioning if this matching service might actually work. That question lingers as this couple navigates the ins and outs of a relationship. There are bumps – which are to be expected. The weight of the ARC and it’s guarantee of a perfect match creates cracks. Can these two hold on to each other and what matters through their own relationship arc?

There are lots of fun things surrounding this story – first and foremost The Stake – a women’s club founded in feminism and beaming with empowering treatments and social events. This is probably the thing that I wish most truly existed, even if I don’t live in NYC. There are rain rooms, and quirky massages, and yell yoga. Sign me up. Ursula’s best friend Issa also sounds like someone I want to know. Mallory (Ursula’s cat) may be the first cat I’ve ever been sad not to have personally met. I simply can’t understate the fun in this novel. Get it now! Thanks to Becca Freeman, of Bad on Paper Podcast, for the rec.

by Ruth Emmie Lang

Recommend

TLDR: A story of two gifted sisters who go on a trek to find their mother – Nora – who disappeared five years ago. This is a baby-suspense novel, so if you want to dabble in a new genre this would be an easy way to try something new. There’s also lots of geographical references to Texas, so that was fun for a native Texan. Overall – I’d say it’s interesting, but wouldn’t qualify for the best suspense novel I’ve ever read (check out The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave instead).

The Longer Review:
Zadie (oldest) and Finn (youngest) are two sisters with a sixth sense; Zadie is a psychic, and Finn has echoes/can re-live other people’s memories. The two pair up on a journey using their respective gifts to figure out what happened to their mother Nora, who disappeared five years earlier.

There are some fun travel bits in this along with the Texas references which are a fun way to break up all of the “magic” which is not usually something that I’m into. It’s got an intermediate dose of suspense (what happened to Nora/where is she?), which may keep you reading. There are some chuckles woven in with characters that show up throughout the story, so overall this is a pretty light, easy read. Maybe not my absolute favorite, but if any of the above intrigued you then give it a go.

by: Kristin Hannah

Do Not Recommend

TLDR: This simply isn’t Kristin Hannah’s best work. I’m a huge fan of her writing, but there are other books I’d recommend ahead of this one. It’s not bad – it’s just not great either. A mother of two goes into a coma after a horse riding accident, and wakes up with only old memories – a la ‘The Vow’. It’s got some variations from the ‘lost-my-memories’ tropes that we’ve seen before, but again nothing noteworthy IMHO.

I’m gonna start to leave it at the TLDR version of the reviews for the books I don’t recommend. If you’re interested in hearing more, I’m always happy to chat.

By: Catherine Newman

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: Seriously – this a “RUN, don’t walk, situation”. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will laugh while crying. A book about loss, friendship, family, and other things in between. This is a quick and breezy read at about 200 pages, and it is by far one of my favorite fictional reads of 2022.

The Longer Review: Ash is a separated mother of two teenage girls, with a best friend who is dying of cancer. When Edi – the aforementioned friend – is referred to hospice care at the beginning of the novel, you’re prepared to shed a few tears. Ash becomes the primary relative involved in palliative care for Edi, and their beautiful, decades-long friendship is unveiled.

What I love about this book so much is that it is incredibly relatable; for those who’ve been affected by cancer, for those who’ve lost someone dear, and for those who have incredible friendships and wonderfully messy families. When Ash is faced with the existential questions that we all ponder at a time of loss, Newman gives us the plain, matter-of-fact reality through characters that feel like people we’ve all met before.

I was truly delighted at the author’s sense of humor, and her ability to weave it into what is undoubtedly a traumatic experience. This is not to make light of how all-consuming grief can be, but to truly humanize it and express all of the nuances of the emotions experienced in these situations. I found myself crying full tears and then chuckling through them while still on the same page. Newman absolutely nailed it with this book. It’s her first fictional novel (that isn’t a children’s book), and I think she’s just been added to my list of favorite authors. If you read this please share your thoughts!

By: Dr. Tara Westover

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: This is one of the best books that I’ve read this year, and I am NOT a non-fiction girlie. The story is riveting, and I couldn’t put it down. Educated is fraught with evangelism, government conspiracies, and the principle of family devotion. Dr. Tara Westover writes one of the most relatable stories about what happens when you don’t see eye-to-eye with the people you love and who are supposed to love you the most.

The longer review: Tara Westover is the 5th of 7 children raised in a Mormon family in Idaho. She spends most of her childhood helping out with the family businesses because her father believes that public schools are a government ploy to brainwash children – and hospitals are supposedly just as bad. Everything is left to God (and homeopathic medicine) in the Westover family. It’s clear from the beginning that there are some mental health concerns facing at least a couple of Tara’s family members, and there are gripping tales of the inner workings of this bunch. Some of the trials that this family – and more specifically Tara – experience are truly mind-blowing.

Despite her upbringing, Tara is eventually called to higher education defeating all of the odds stacked against her. When she ultimately completes her undergraduate degree at BYU, and THEN a Master’s from Cambridge, and THEN decides to pursue a PhD, she finds herself faced with a choice. She can either succumb to her family’s religious beliefs and conspiracy theories to maintain relationships with [most of] them, or choose herself and the education that’s enabled her to discern fact from conspiracy.

I struggled a little with some of the ‘piling on’ of struggles and abuse (see review for Betty), but was ultimately enthralled waiting to see how Tara came out of each instance. At so many points during her explanation of her early undergrad days, I felt like I was learning alongside the author. Her story is truly magnificent, and I even found myself crying when reading about one of her small familial victories. It’s a must read, hands down.

By: Tiffany McDaniel

DID NOT FINISH READING: There has been so much praise for this novel, and while the story is certainly emotional, it just felt like an endless barrage of heartbreaking events. I verified with a friend – Thanks Liv! – that unfortunately this one does not have a happy ending or even a light at the end of the tunnel, and I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

I believe the novel is meant to explore the challenges of being born a woman, with some added struggle associated with race. It should absolutely come with a trigger warning (or maybe a couple) for sexual and physical assault, and though I did find myself rooting for the main character and most of her family, I just couldn’t come back from some of the traumatizing occurrences (and don’t know how Betty did). If you read this and loved it, I’d love to hear more.

By Jillian Medoff

DO NOT RECOMMEND

TLDR: Ultimately this book didn’t do enough for me to recommend. I found myself really irritated by the author’s writing style about 2/3 of the way through. This book follows a family through a trial where 1 of the brothers has been accused of rape. There are some interesting twists, but again, not quite enough to snag a “Recommend”.

The Longer Review:

The description of this novel is what grabbed my attention and convinced me to make it my Book of the Month Club selection (which by the way, I highly recommend if you’re interested in a book club/subscription). The first couple of chapters of this book will absolutely get your attention. As mentioned above, one brother (of a sibling group of 3) is accused of rape. I do think this book should come with a trigger warning, because sexual assault and misconduct are central to the plot.

The thing that drove me nuts about the writing style is that the author repeatedly drops a nugget and then takes 3-5 chapters to return to that part of the story. I understand that can be an effective method to keep readers hooked, but something about it just didn’t sit well with me in this case.

Ultimately there were a couple of twists in this story that I found unexpected/interesting, but I after sitting with it for a couple of days I just find that cumulatively I didn’t enjoy this book.

Next up: Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

By: Markus Zusak

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

TLDR: This is a story that follows a young German girl in Molsching throughout the Holocaust, but the story is told from the perspective of death. It is one of the most unique fictional WWII books that I’ve ever read, and it should be on everyone’s reading list.

The longer review:

This book has [unofficially] been on my reading list since one of my favorite teachers mentioned it – thanks Mrs. Weatherly! This teacher was one of the first to assign class reading that wasn’t instantly groan-worthy. Her class made me entirely reconsider my dislike for the subject. I was reminded of this novel during a recent trip to Powell’s City of Books (Portland, OR); if you’re ever in the area you absolutely have to stop by this multi-story book store.

I’ll warn you: this novel is not a short one. It’s ~550 pages (no breezy read here) depending on the print you get, and if you can do so I highly recommend getting the Anniversary print edition with special notes from the Author at the end. These notes are a deep-dive into Zusak’s process and decision making that provide so much additional context to the story.

I think this author’s approach to story-telling is fascinating, and you’ll definitely want to see Leisel Meminger’s story all the way through. She’s got grit, and you’ll root for her from the very moment she’s decided to steal her first book. A young girl, who’s traveling with her mother and brother to be dropped off at her foster home, loses her brother on the journey and decides to steal a book from the men who are helping to bury him. It’s the first of many times that Leisel decides to steal a bit of happiness when faced with despair.

Zusak also does an amazing job of building characters, and the relationships that this story highlights showcase the kind of heart-warming humanity that I often skip over when I think of Germans during this time. Don’t worry – there’s plenty of disdain for Hitler. But at least for me, it was a solid reminder that one authoritative dictator isn’t or wasn’t necessarily representative of an entire nation of people, or their beliefs. One critic wrote that “this novel belongs on shelves next to The Diary of Anne Frank“, and I couldn’t agree more.

By: Gabrielle Zevin

Recommend

TLDR: Gamers and bookworms unite! If you happen to love video games and reading – this book is for you. It’ll hit you with all the 90’s and early 00’s gaming nostalgia with a lot of really fun symbolism woven in. It lagged at certain points for me, but never enough to make me put it away without finishing.

I selected this book because of the focus on a friendship between the main characters as opposed to a romantic relationship – which felt new for me (at least based on what I’ve read recently). Oddly, the relationship between the two main characters left me thinking a lot about Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng, in that this friendship isn’t always an easy one and it’s often most complicated by things left unsaid between Sadie and Sam.

Nevertheless, following their journey from childhood friends to business partners (in their mid-to-late-30’s by the time the book wraps up) was an enjoyable experience overall. Zevin weaves in flashbacks where possible to add greater context to how Sadie and Sam each operate, which wasn’t always a seamless experience for me, but I can understand/respect the intention. You’ll also get tidbits about important friends and family members. The little bits of late 90’s and early 00’s nostalgia were reminders of the fun parts of my own childhood. Though I’ve never considered myself a true gamer, I can recall playing a number of the games referenced as experiences or inspiration for Sam & Sadie.

I also love that the title and cover art are symbolic to the story; I was confused by them when selecting the book, but I love when things pan out this way. Otherwise, this gets a “Recommend” because I wouldn’t consider it a page-turner through-and-through. There were lulls, but again – it never lagged enough that I wanted to quit before finishing.

Gabrielle Zevin has also authored several other novels and YA novels. TBD on whether I add any of them to the reading list. Up next: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, which has unofficially been on the reading list for years thanks to one of my favorite High School English teachers.