4 Stars

Determined to be a better mother than her own and give her husband the picture-perfect life he longs for, Blythe tries to dote upon her daughter Violet. Violet doesn’t make it easy, though: she is a difficult baby and a mystifying toddler with a mean streak, who seems set on making Blythe miserable. Motherhood finally clicks for Blythe with the arrival of their second child, a son named Sam, with whom Blythe bonds and feels the unwavering love she never felt for Violet. After a shocking tragedy changes their family forever, Blythe wonders: is she overreacting, or is there something genuinely wrong with her daughter?

Short, hard-hitting chapters make this compelling exploration of motherhood hard to put down. Reminiscent of Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin while being its own unique story, this disturbing family drama will stay with you long after you read the last page.

This look at how an alien world and disease can rework what it means to be human reminds me of Nicola Griffith’s Ammonite. Readers would also enjoy Elizabeth Moon’s Remnant Population for its thoughtful feminist look at aliens and an alien world.

-John Bradford

Posted 6/29/2021

4 Stars

With a large cast of characters spanning over 300 years of history, Homegoing is well-researched and richly detailed novel of two family lines that begin in Ghana. Effia and Esi are half-sisters born into different villages; one is sold into slavery and taken to America, the other is married off to an Englishman. This is the story of their descendants, told through the eyes of each family member: one line in America faces slavery, civil war, migration and the dope houses of Harlem. The other line remains in Ghana to face centuries of war and British colonization. Filled with strong female characters, it’s a bittersweet story of survival and family.

-Michelle
Posted 6/15/2021

5 Stars

The common understanding of time is an illusion. In the mind-blowing book The Order of Time, Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli explains why this is and how current science looks at time. Rovelli has written a popular science book that is an accessible synthesis of physics and philosophy. His writing is often poetic and, for the most part, free of scientific jargon. English actor Benedict Cumberbatch narrates the audiobook. His appealing voice and unhurried delivery make the complex concepts easy to understand. The Order of Time is an astonishing and concise look at perhaps life’s greatest mystery: time. 

-Brian
Posted 5/29/2021

4 Stars

Prior to reading this historical novel, I did not know about much about the life of Agatha Christie, and this twist on her life was enlightening read.  While this was a leisurely paced novel, it did build in the end to a satisfying ending.  Melancholy and moody, the story has characters that are unlikeable and flawed, along with sympathetic characters that bring the reader to an unconventional ending.

-Michelle
Posted 5/10/2021

4 Stars

Intensifying and character driven, There There is an important and encompassing novel.  A sweeping generational story that follows twelve characters’ lives as they navigate what it is to be an urban Native American.  Filled with authentic and complex characters, this intricately plotted story is real, moving and emotionally intense.

-Michelle
Posted 4/22/2021

5 Stars

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to attend a creative writing seminar led by a New York Times best-selling author? If so, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is the book for you. For twenty years, writer George Saunders has taught a class on the Russian short story at Syracuse University. This insightful book is a version of that class. It includes seven stories (in full): three by Chekhov, two by Tolstoy, and one each by Turgenev and Gogol. Saunders provides witty and personal instruction on each story in the form of essays. Although he uses the stories to illustrate useful writing advice, I disagreed with some of his story interpretations. Nonetheless, Saunders shows the value of close reading and proves that literature has the power to transform the reader.

-Brian
Posted 4/13/2021

4 Stars

Character driven, medium paced and set in Viet Nam, The Mountains Sing was a beautifully written, sweeping, multi-generational story. Atmospheric, bittersweet, and filled with strong female characters, the reader follows Huong as she navigates life in Viet Nam after the war, learning about herself and her complex family history. A Compelling and hopeful novel, with a strong sense of place, that was an enjoyable read.

-Michelle
Posted 3/12/2021

4 Stars

Set in Paris shortly before the German occupation during WWII, courageous Odile is a Parisian who works as a librarian for the American Library in Paris. A compelling historical fiction novel, The Paris Library tells the story of the difference a library and their staff can make in so many lives. Emotionally intense and dramatic, this heartwarming story will stay with you after the final page.

-Michelle
Posted 3/12/2021

4 Stars

Former pageant-queen Gertie Wilde moved her family to Long Island for a fresh start. She thought she had found that on idyllic Maple Street. Her family may not fit in perfectly, but things are looking up when she befriends Rhea, the Queen Bee of the block. However, after a misunderstanding, Rhea drops Gertie from her life. And when Rhea’s daughter falls victim to an unfortunate sinkhole accident, Rhea will stop at nothing to lay blame on the entire Wilde family.

This novel about the everyday horrors of suburbia and how rumors can quickly spiral out of control is tense and compulsively readable. The flawed, complex characters who make up the main cast are not always sympathetic, and their actions are often uncomfortable to read. Still, the framing narrative of interviews and news articles that refer to the “Maple Street Murders” will surely keep readers hooked until the dramatic conclusion.

-Amity
Posted 2/11/2021

5 Stars

The Visiting Privilege: New and Collected Stories is an essential read for fans of short stories. It is a career-spanning collection of forty-six stories by American writer Joy Williams. These are stories of dark humor and impeccable prose. Characters are often troubled and find themselves in situations that border on the absurd. This strangeness of plot can lead to a perplexing reading experience. Thus, these stories of death and loss are not for all tastes. Readers that appreciate imaginative fiction, though, will discover writing of the highest caliber.

-Brian
Posted 2/11/2021

4.5 Stars

Angst filled and bittersweet, The Midnight library is the story of Nora and complex choices. Nora has a chance to begin a new life through her missed opportunities, but is that what Nora truly wants? A story filled with heartache and happiness, Nora takes a look at her own life’s regrets and realizes that missed opportunities often best left alone.