Difficult Family Situations 8/9

Feb 8, 2021

Review of The Unwilling by John Hart

Hart reliably offers character-driven mysteries with heartbreaking interpersonal complications. The twists and turns here are excellent,...

Feb 3, 2021

Review of Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

The interconnectedness of the characters and the details of household life and power structures of the time period were wonderful and the...

Jan 27, 2021

Review of Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth

A book that fascinated me, in case you missed it! This was often brutal to read, but it was beautifully written, in a style that felt...

Nov 24, 2020

Review of Writers & Lovers by Lily King

King immerses the reader in a sometimes-claustrophobic situation while providing enough character connection and appealingly messy...

Nov 6, 2020

Six More Great Fiction Titles I Loved This Year

01 Where the Forest Meets the Stars Joanna is feeling adrift after her mother's death, and she disappears into the constant attention her...

Nov 4, 2020

Review of How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang

Zhang's detail was wonderful, and her characters make noble sacrifices and face impossible choices. The book's frequent heartbreak was a...

Oct 15, 2020

Review of Blood: A Memoir by Allison Moorer

Blood reads like an unflinchingly honest journal; Moorer sifts through memories, photos, joyful moments; she feels rage, sadness, and loss.

Oct 7, 2020

Three Memoirs I'm Reading Now, 10/7/20 Edition

01 Wild Life: Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs, Roberts 02 Blood: A Memoir, Moorer 03 The Fixed Stars, Wizenberg

Sep 14, 2020

Review of Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

Some aspects of Surrender Your Sons felt deeply real and intimate, but I couldn't get past the details that didn't fit.

Aug 13, 2020

Review of Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

I was frustrated by what felt like disjointed cause and effect and lack of clear motivation on the characters' parts.

Aug 3, 2020

Review of Shiner by Amy Jo Burns

The women's lifelong friendship felt like the heart of the story and was a fantastic element.

Jul 31, 2020

Review of My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

The title of the book feels like an important assertion from Lucy; she is finally owning who she is--her story, choices, and essence.

Apr 2, 2020

Review of Long Bright River by Liz Moore

Liz Moore’s writing is thoughtful and the story in Long Bright River is character-driven. Situations aren’t resolved too easily or cleanly.

Mar 30, 2020

Review of The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Danny and Maeve are ejected from their fabled childhood home, and they spend the rest of the book hashing out their bitterness and feelings.

Mar 13, 2020

Review of Godshot by Chelsea Bieker

The strongest part of the story was toward the end, with a search and some resolution, strong female characters, and a family of sorts.

Feb 28, 2020

Review of Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Wrobel supplies Münchausen syndrome by proxy, lies, betrayals, and double-crossing, within a claustrophobic mother-daughter relationship.

Feb 22, 2020

Review of 142 Ostriches by April Davila

Tallulah shifts from resenting her future and her obligations to taking charge of her life and how she intends to live it.

Feb 10, 2020

Review of The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

This was creepy and smart and kept me hooked, wondering if the characters were who they said they were. Libby Jones was adopted as an...

Jan 23, 2020

Review of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

Vance shares his unlikely, circuitous route to an emotionally and financially stable adult life. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance mainly shares...

Jan 17, 2020

Review of In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

This is the epitome of glorious young adult fantasy, but the book is truly character driven. I loved it. Oh, this book! In Other Lands is...

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