Library Lovers discussion

A brand new year of reading!

The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne
4 stars


The author's father is the well-known author, Dominick Dunne. He has an equally well-known aunt, author Joan Didion. There is never a dull moment in this book. He has many celebrity people in his life and knows all the gossip about them. Ordinarily, I might say there is a lot of name-dropping in this book (which there is) but this guy has really spent his life surrounded by famous people. There is a section of the book that is dedicated to the murder of his beloved sister by her boyfriend. It is not overly detailed so if you want to know more about the murder or read an unbiased version, there are probably other books or articles about it. While it is a lengthy book, it seems to end abruptly around 1990 with the birth of his daughter and just briefly mentions his parents and aunt and uncle's deaths in the acknowledgements. He does not mention his divorce from Carey Lowell or subsequent marriage that lasted only a year or his many professional accounts after that year. Perhaps a subsequent memoir is in the planning stage?

The Book of Dragons – E Nesbit – 3***
This collection of short fairy tales was first published in 1899. Nesbit populates her stories with all manner of dragons … big, small, hungry, kind, fierce, curious, sleeping. Some feature children as the heroes. All of them are delightful and all feature marvelous illustrations by H. R. Millar.
LINK to my full review

Raymie Nightingale – Kate DiCamillo – 4****
On the first day of baton-twirling lessons, Raymie Clarke meets Louisiana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski, her fellow competitors in the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition. This is a lovely coming-of-age tale suitable for the middle-school crowd, where three girls with different circumstances form a bond of friendship. As far as I’m concerned, these three girls are ALL winners.
LINK to my full review

This Lovely City – Louise Hare – 4****
Hare’s debut work captured me from beginning to end. There are several twists in the story as we learn a bit about these young people’s background and history, and watch their relationship mature. London shortly after the war is still experiencing rationing. And while the Jamaicans who have come to London were invited to come (and are British subjects), they are not necessarily welcomed by all the residents. Prejudice and discrimination are the rule rather than the exception, and things get ugly. But these two face the future with hope.
LINK to my full review

The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness
Susannah Cahalan
4/5 stars
This is an older book but it still holds up. It is the true-life story of a doctor that convinces 8 healthy people in the 1970's to enter into a mental hospital and eventually had to prove their sanity to get out of the hospital. Was the study legitimate or did it really happen? Very interesting! Non-Fiction

I know this is off topic but thought it was most likely to be seen here.

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Behold the Dreamers – Imbolo Mbue – 4****
Mbue explores the “American Dream” through an immigrant family’s experiences. What a powerful and insightful look at the immigrant experience. Mbue gives us complex characters, fully realized, with all their gifts and faults. At times I sympathized even with the “villains” of the story. Mbue made me think about the complexity of immigration policy. In the end, though, my money is on the Jonga family. They are more than dreamers. They are winners.
LINK to my full review

How Not to Drown In a Glass of Water – Angie Cruz – 3.5****
What an interesting way to tell this story! The reader comes to know Cara through her monologues, interspersed with copies of job notices, psychological and interest assessments, and forms she has completed. There are times when I wanted to laugh at her antics and her odd logic. Yet, I could not help but empathize with her and her situation.
LINK to my full review

I am so behind already in my reading- lots of stuff is going on!

The Measure – Nikki Erlick – 5*****
It begins with a surprise delivery. All over the world, adults receive a box. A seemingly plain wooden box with an inscription: The measure of your life lies within. Will knowing your relative fate help you live your best life? Will it hinder you? This is a remarkable debut work of literary fiction. I don’t remember the last time a work of literature made me think so long and hard about my life, my goals, my experiences, my dreams.
LINK to my full review

The Frozen River – Ariel Lawhon – 4****
This novel came to my attention because it was a selection for my F2F book club. It took me a while to really get into the story but once I did, I was completely captured by it.
The murder “mystery” is less important really than the characters in this book. Martha Ballard is one strong, opinionated, intelligent, empathetic and courageous woman! I loved the way in which she stood up for herself and for others.
LINK to my full review

A Slow Fire Burning – Paula Hawkins – 3***
If you like unreliable narrators, this is the book for you. Hawkins gives us not one, not two, but a plethora of unreliable narrators to tell this twisty tale of dysfunctional families and murder. It’s not great literature, but it certainly held my attention.
LINK to my full review

The Children Act
Ian McEwan
4/5 stars
Wonderful book about Fiona Maye, a judge who has to decide a case of whether or not a young man who is sick should decide his fate of living or dying. Books Off My Reading List

Artistic License – Julie Hyzy – 3***
I came to know Hyzy through her White House Chef cozy mystery series. A challenge to read an author’s debut work had me looking back at a number of favorite author’s first works, which is how I came across this one. I got hooked on the storyline and was entertained by the entire book. It was a quick, fast read that didn’t require much thinking. Perfect for an escape from all the stuff that’s going on in real life right now.
LINK to my full review

Taste – Stanley Tucci – 4****
This a delightful memoir of Tucci’s life, told through his relationship with food. At times irreverent, even downright profane, Tucci does not hold back in expressing his love of certain dishes, restaurants and traditions. He writing is warm, inviting, informative, funny, and charming.
LINK to my full review

Book Concierge wrote: "

Taste
– Stanley Tucci – 4****
..."

His newest is also good!

Second Chance Grill – Christine Nolfi – 2.5** rounded up
The plot is both typical and unrealistic (think Hallmark movie), but the book fit a couple of challenges. Perfect light romance to fill the time when I was laid low by COVID. Glad to get this one off the tbr.
LINK to my full review

The Tropic of Serpents – Marie Brennan – 3.5***
Book two in the “Memoirs of Lady Trent” alternate history / fantasy series. It is written as a memoir by the elderly Isabella Camherst, recalling her youth and adventures as a natural historian specializing in dragons. Isabella is a wonderful heroine – intelligent, tenacious, confident, intrepid, resilient and courageous. I also really appreciated how Brennan wove in some political issues involving colonialism, economics, the cultures of different indigenous groups, and the devastation of fragile ecological systems in the name of “progress.”
LINK to my full review

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women – Lisa See – 4****
See based this work of historical fiction on a real woman physician in 15th century China, Tan Yunxian. What a fascinating woman, and a marvelous story! I learned much about the lives of the wealthier, highly educated class in this era of Chinese history, in particular the secluded lives of the women in this class. See gave us glimpses of the world outside the compound’s walls through the experiences of a midwife who lived in the town and was free to travel.
LINK to my full review

Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine
Janet Evanovich
4/5 stars
This is the 29th book in the series and in this book, Connie, the office manager of Vinnie's Bail Bonds gets kidnapped. Of course, Stephanie is on the job along with all the other characters in the series. I enjoyed it. Mysteries

Eyes of Prey – John Sandford – 3***
Book three in the series of hard-hitting mystery / thrillers featuring Minneapolis Detective Lucas Davenport. This one begins when a woman is brutally murdered in her own kitchen. Davenport needs to find the killer or killers, and the witness. Sandford writes a fast-paced thriller and I enjoy watching Davenport figure out the clues to capture the perpetrator.
LINK to my full review

What Would Frida Do? – Arianna Davis – 2**
Subtitle: A Guide to Living Boldly. This is a selection for my Hispanic book club. It’s a combination biography and self-help guide. Frankly, I could do without the self-help advice, and would rather read a straight-on biography of Frida Kahlo.
LINK to my full review

The Solitaire Mystery
Jostein Gaarder
3/5 stars
A father and his son take off on a European trip to find his mother and wife who had left them years ago. Each chapter is one card of a deck of cards. Interesting book. 1990

The Sleepwalker – Chris Bohjalian – 3.5***
A known sleepwalker goes missing one night, leaving her husband and two daughters to search for answers. What an interesting concept for a missing-person mystery! I really liked Lianna as the main narrator. She is basically an adult, being a sophomore in college, but she is vulnerable. I could feel the continued tension of “not knowing,” and the slow realization of loss. The ending and final reveal of what happened was a stunner that I didn’t see coming.
LINK to my full review

World of Wonders – Aimee Nezhukumatathil – 5*****
Subtitle: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. I loved this collection of essays about the natural world. Nezhukumatathil’s writing transported me to various scenes – from tropical jungles to Arctic oceans to urban parks and my own backyard. I got this book from the library to read for my book club, but I’m going to buy a copy to keep (and maybe a few more to give as gifts). And I look forward to reading more of her writing.
LINK to my full review

Orbiting Jupiter – Gary D Schmidt – 4****
When Jack Hurd is in sixth grade, his parents agree to take in a foster child, Joseph Brook, on their Maine farm. Joseph is in eighth grade, has been in juvenile detention (convicted of attacking a teacher), and has a daughter, Jupiter, out there, somewhere. What a wonderful coming-of-age story this is! Though the circumstances are sad and tug at the heartstrings, there are moments of hope and even joy for Joseph and for Jack, who narrates the story.
LINK to my full review

Koren wrote: "The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne
4 stars
While it is a lengthy book, it seems to end abruptly around 1990 with the birth of his daughter and just briefly mentions his parents and aunt and uncle's deaths in the acknowledgements. He does not mention his divorce from Carey Lowell or subsequent marriage that lasted only a year or his many professional accounts after that year. Perhaps a subsequent memoir is in the planning stage?"

Or maybe he was suddenly too busy changing diapers?

The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Talking Moose
Keith Scott
3/5 stars
This was quite a detailed summary about the cartoon series of Bullwinkle Moose, Rocky the flying squirrel and other animated series that came from Jay Ward and Bill Scott and there were many more that were involved in the history of those cartoons and more. Very interesting! Books On Film and Entertainment

Black Cake – Charmaine Wilkerson – 4****
I really liked this debut work. It was engaging and interesting. The dual timeline was done well and helped give a sense of how unsettling and unmoored B & B felt as they struggled to understand the new information their mother’s final instructions forced them to confront. In addition to moving from the past to the present, the action takes us from the Caribbean to the UK to California. And always, the connection is Black Cake.
LINK to my full review

The Country Girls
Edna O'Brien
4/5 stars
I enjoyed the first book in the series. Kate and Baba are two young Irish country girls who have spent their childhood together and are now looking forward to living the rest of their lives. Books On My Reading List.

The Mother’s Day Murder – Lee Harris – 3.5***
This is book twelve in the cozy mystery series featuring former nun Christine Bennett. I really like this series. I like Chris’s careful approach to solving the mysteries that come her way. She’s deliberate and cautious, but she inspires confidence in those she questions. She’s also discreet, careful not to spread rumor and innuendo but wait for facts to back up any suspicions before sharing the information with authorities or others. The series is best read in order so the reader sees the various relationships evolve over time.
LINK to my full review

The Reptile Room – Lemony Snicket – 3***
This is book two in A Series of Unfortunate Events, detailing the (mis)adventures of the Baudelaire orphans. I can see the appeal for children, as it plays on their fears of abandonment while also playing up their resourcefulness and ability to get the best of the bad guy. I like how the three siblings work together, each with his/her own strengths.
LINK to my full review

The Reptile Room – Lemony Snicket – 3***
This is book two in A Series of Unfortunate Events, detailing the (mis)adventures of the Baudelaire orphans. I can see the appeal for children, as it plays on their fears of abandonment while also playing up their resourcefulness and ability to get the best of the bad guy. I like how the three siblings work together, each with his/her own strengths.
LINK to my full review

Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver – 5*****
Kingsolver’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel is a re-telling of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield set in Appalachia. Like the original, the book explores the effects of poverty, especially on children. Oh, but this was sad and tugged at my heartstrings. Certainly, there were moments, even years-long stretches of time when Demon was well cared for and seemed to have beaten the odds, but it seemed that his entire life was destined for one bad break after another. Yet, despite his faults, Demon stole my heart and I was cheering for him by the end.
LINK to my full review

Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective – Kate Siegel – 1*
Former child detective is asked by her brother and his girlfriend to solve a missing person case. The premise sounded cute for a cozy mystery, but I just never got into this book. What should have been a fast, entertaining read, turned into a drudge that took me more than a month to read. By the time the case was solved I had ceased to care.
LINK to my full review

The Lonely Girl
Edna O'Brien
4/5 stars
Caithleen and Baba, first encountered in The Country Girls are now living in Dublin, where they discuss men, drink gin, and try to look fast. Cait, in the pursuit of true love, becomes involved with the fanatically domineering Eugene Gaillard. Painful disillusion and occasional moments of bliss in her life make this a bittersweet tale, and it is told with all the perception and wit that is the hallmark of Edna O'Brien. I am really enjoying this series Synopsis From Good Reads/Books Off My Reading List

The Invisible Man – H G Wells – 3***
This classic of science fiction / horror begins when a man appears at a small English village and takes a room. He is intensely private, but once his secret is revealed, he goes on a rampage through multiple villages trying desperately to find a way to fix the self-imposed condition. There are a few rather humorous scenes caused by his predicament but on the whole the atmosphere is one of anger and frustration and madness.
LINK to my full review

Girls in Their Married Bliss
Edna O'Brien
4/5 stars
I enjoyed this book, the third in the series about a group of women and how they lived their lives. This book also included an epilogue which was separate in the trilogy I read. Books Off My Reading List

I’m Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy
4/5 stars
Jeanette McCurdy was a child/teen actor in iCarly and other series. She talks about her career and life with overbearing mother. Interesting read but sad because of her life with her mom. Biographies/Memoirs

Sand In My Bra and Other Misadventures – Jennifer L Leo (editor) – 3***
This is a collection of essays written by women about their travels. Some are hilarious and had me laughing out loud. On the whole, a very entertaining diversion while I, myself, was on a plane headed to my vacation in a national park.
LINK to my full review

Someone We Know – Shari Lapena – 4****
This was a taut mystery / thriller. Several characters revealed themselves to be unreliable. They were lying to their families, friends, neighbors, and the police. I was sure I had it figured out but was completely surprised by the actual reveal. And the ending gives the reader another mystery to ponder and wonder about.
LINK to my full review

Sweet Tooth
Ian McEwan
3/5 stars
Serena Frome gets involved in the intelligence community during the Cold War. She then meets with the writer Tony Haley but can she trust Haley. Fiction

Something Like Home – Andrea Beatriz Arango – 4****
This is a moving novel in verse written for middle-school-age children, dealing with foster care. As the novel opens, Laura is en route to her aunt’s apartment, accompanied by a social worker from DSS. My heart broke for Laura. But she is a resilient child, clearly intelligent but confused by her situation. When she finds a neglected and abandoned puppy, however, she begins to open up to the court-appointed guardian and to her aunt and insists that they listen to her point of view when formulating a plan for her care. Brava, Laura!
LINK to my full review

The Housemaid – Freida McFadden – 4****
Wow. Millie Calloway is homeless when she arrives at the pristine, large suburban home with a gated entrance. She desperately needs the job as a live-in maid. But, Nina is completely unstable. She’s ranting and raving one minute, sweet as pie the next. Her daughter Cecelia is a spoiled brat. Her husband, Andrew, is loving and long-suffering. There were several twists and turns in this tale of intrigue. Who really is the unstable person here? This was gripping and I read it in one day.
LINK to my full review

Murder in G Major
Alexia Gordon
4/5 stars
Gethsemane Brown, who is African American has no choice but to accept a job at an Irish all-boys' school. A ghost appears in her home and she learns that he has supposedly killed himself and his wife. The ghost begs her to help him clear his name. This is a series that I found on Goodreads and I plan to read more of her books. Mystery

Hello Beautiful – Ann Napolitano – 3.5***
A contemporary family saga spanning decades. Gosh, but Napolitano can craft some beautiful sentences! While there were times when I thought the plot seemed somewhat contrived, I felt drawn into the relationships of the Padovano family. I liked the way Napolitano reimagined Little Women , though I could have done without the constant reminders in the book about the classic novel.
LINK to my full review

The Expectant Detectives – Kat Ailes – 2.5**
A debut mystery featuring a group of VERY pregnant women who bond during prenatal class. Okay, there’s a reasonably cute premise here, but I thought Ailes was trying too hard. I never connected with any of the characters, and really didn’t care about their personal dramas, or, frankly, all that much about the murder. I didn’t even really warm up to Helen (the dog), despite her tendency to run off and return with an important clue.
LINK to my full review

Sand in My Bra and Other Misadventures: Funny Women Write from the Road
Jennifer L. Leo
This is as anthology of women's true stories. Writers include Ellen DeGeneres and Annie Lamott. I enjoyed it and I believe there is a couple other books in the same genre. Books Off My Reading List

Rocky Mountain Heat – Lori Wilde – 2**
Originally published as All of Me , this is book four in the Wedding Veil Wishes series. This is a typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers plot with a little “magic” thrown in. It's a bit of a slow burn, but they do eventually have fantastic sex, after which they break up. But the magic of the wedding veil (and of the sweat lodge) will not be denied. It’s a pretty fast read, despite being very predictable.
LINK to my full review