James
by Percival Everett

If you haven’t yet heard of this excellent re-creation of Huck Finn, told from Jim’s perspective, you must read it. It’s so engaging, critical, and chilling. I learned after I finished it that the author’s book Erasure was the basis of the movie American Fiction. Brilliant.

People We Meet On Vacation
by Emily Henry

I enjoyed this even though romance isn’t really my thing because it was so unique. Delightfully quirky. And the steamy parts so very steamy. The Netflix adaptation coming out early next year looks pretty cute.

The Magic
by Rhonda Byrne

This is not your usual self-help book. I read this follow up to The Secret at a very rough time in my life, and it proved to be a pivot point, and truly saved me. Not only did I read it and follow the instructions faithfully, but my husband did too and our whole perspective on everything changed. It is the secret to being happy and truly magical.

Lifeform
by Jenny Slate

One of two personal essay/memoir books recommended to me by Scott at the Frenchtown Bookshop to assist me on my journey of writing my own. Slate is a well known TV Comedy writer and this book is weird and creative and pretty unhinged and I loved it for all those reasons. The racoon parts alone were worth full retail price.

Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt

I’m beginning to really love the genre of contemporary Pacific Northwest fiction and this one in particular drew me in! It was so intriguing, heartfelt, and funny. You’ll love the Octopus and co-star Marcellus.

Euphoria
by Lily King

This I really loved. It’s based on Anthropologist Margaret Mead’s study of the tribes of New Guinea in the 1930s. It feels a little like Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder, and pays obvious tribute to Heart of Darkness, African Queen, etc. There’s a juicy love triangle that keeps the tension and intrigue. I appreciated the careful balance of past and present perspectives of other cultures, colonialism and modern day, and the awareness of its destructiveness.

The Lost Daughter
by Elena Ferrante

Recommended by a friend, I wanted to like this story. It’s hard to say why I didn’t. Perhaps it was too real. And showed the uglier side of human nature. Throughout the telling of one woman’s holiday at the beach, conflict develops with other vacationers and the choices she makes, although explained, left me feeling disappointment and unease. I suppose it was somewhat of a relief to read about a character that was so flawed and where things within, as well as outside of, her control go wrong. 

Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo

I almost didn’t read this book. The story starts off with a violent event, set in an unimaginable setting, a slum in Mumbai. But I did read it and I’m glad I did. Only when I got to the end did I learn it was a true story. This narrative non-fiction tale follows the residents of a neighborhood of makeshift huts, scraping together the most desperate existence. Life is made worse by ethnic differences, fighting over resources, police and political corruption that is so bad it’s hard to believe let alone imagine. The author spend four years living in India, interviewing and following the people in the slums, so she could get the entire story and do justice to the realities of living where everything is against you.

The Chrysanthemums
by John Steinbeck

This little gem crossed my path and it was excellent. I mean, of course it was. It’s Steinbeck. Story stories rarely get their due. They are usually read in high school English classes. But I think they should be read more regularly. The Chrysanthemums is about a woman, feeling prideful, and vulnerable, falls for the tricks of a traveling salesman. Carefully chosen words, almost poem-like, contribute to the mood and tension that leaves the reader feeling uneasy and sad, empathetic and critical. So good.

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
by Ann Patchett

I’ve been a big Ann Patchett fan forever, but this was the first I’ve read of her non-fiction. I enjoyed learning about her background, how she got her start writing (by writing non-fiction articles for magazines), and how she approaches the craft. I learned a lot about her personally, like how she tried to get hired by the LAPD. At times it felt like having the curtain pulled away, but ultimately I loved this collection of story stories and recommend it, especially to anyone who dreams of becoming a writer.

A Visit from the Goon Squad

by Jennifer Egan

I should have liked this book, very Gen Z, music industry based, but had such a hard time keeping track of the characters and who was speaking in each chapter. And I guess I had a hard time really empathizing with the people in the story. It had me wondering how this book won a Pulitzer. I read one other Egan book, Manhattan Beach. That felt more cohesive somehow.

A Carnival of Snackery

by David Sedaris

I’m been the biggest fan of Sedaris for a while. This is the first of his diaries I’ve read. At some point, half way through?, I began to slow down. He is very funny, but at some point the book seemed like a carnival of complaining. But by the time I finished, I was loving it so much. How great is it that the author lets you into his personal world with such wit, irreverence, and quirky joy?

The Women

by Kristen Hannah

My most recent book club read. I liked it! I really liked The Nightingale by her but not Firefly Lane so much which felt too YA for me. But The Women, historical fiction about the women who served as nurses in Vietnam, really impressed me. And surprised me since I don’t really gravitate toward war books. What was so good about it, and this was true about the Nightingale, (which is also about war) is that you feel like you are there. I could imagine myself being the main character, and that made the subject matter so interesting. Hannah is very good at writing in a very accessible, unfussy way and making you really care about the events. Great book!

The Alice Network

by Kate Quinn

A book club book. Historical fiction about women who worked as spies during WWI and WWII. It was pretty good, engaging. I hurried through it so that I could discuss it when we got together and then we didn’t end up getting together. I actually listed to the audio book for part of it and I’m not used to readers doing different voices for different characters and the french accent was a bit rough. But you know, France, spies. what’s not to like?

Tom Lake

Ann Patchett

I love Ann Patchett but had a hard time getting into this. In fact, by the time I met with my book club to discuss it, I was only half way through! I finished it two days after that and wondered if it was actually better to read the book after some spoiler-filled discussion. I’m not sure why this book felt a little flat. The premise was great. A mother of three grown daughters, telling the story of how she once dated a famous actor and how she ended up living on a cherry farm. The present day takes place during the pandemic and has a heaviness you would expect when it feels like the world is ending. Nothing so terrible happens in the past. I describe it as A Star is Born, only in reverse.

The Secret History

Donna Tartt

Half way through this book I realized I may have read it before! It was written in 1992, way before one of my favorite books of all time, Tartt’s The Goldfinch. The Secret History felt like it was more of a freshman effort. It did have some meaty content. Self-indulgent college kids living privileged lives yet being neglected by their parents. A worship of academia and resulting disconnect from reality. But then much of the book was devoted to explaining how even the best of people are capable of heinous acts and its unraveling of the mind. 

The Overstory

Richard Powers

Oh boy. So much good stuff in this. And I have a thing for trees, so, yes. But much of it left me feeling that the world was ending which was so devastating that I couldn’t finish it. It would seem people either love this book or hate it.

Art Is Life: Icons and Iconoclasts, Visionaries and Vigilantes, and Flashes of Hope in the Night

Jerry Saltz

My fellow art student/best friend/sister gave this to me as a gift. I loved the introductory essay in this book of art critiques. It was some of the best writing I’ve ever read. Art is Life. It is everything. And it’s ridiculous. And I couldn’t live without it. And so, so, so much more. I still haven’t finished the book but thought I’d include it here.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

Anthony Doerr

The author of All the Light We Cannot See did not disappoint in this epic story inside a story inside a story. It was everything I wanted: rich, wordy transcendent descriptions, layered characters, time-hopping, mythology, history lessons, fantasy, and science fiction. Oh my gosh. It was so gripping. There are a multitude of protagonists defined by their time and life stories, all threaded together in a common fantastical tale: Cloud Cuckoo Land, a place you only get to by transfiguring yourself into a bird. The absolute best book of the year.

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

Identical twins who run away from home at 16 and then are separated from each other when one decides to pass as white, inventing an entirely new life. I was drawn into the historical fiction aspects of living in the south in the 1950s, where races, and their various shades, are segregated and subjected to to harsh criticism and judgement. The characters are all beautifully drawn and delineated, revealing their pain, motives and secrets that keep them isolated and are then ultimately revealed. The construct of race as well as gender identity are so artfully explored. I found myself fully sympathetic to each flawed woman and her relationships with the others.

The Saints of Swallow Hill

Donna Everhart

I wanted to like this book, but it had some really unpleasant events. It takes place on a turpentine camp in Georgia during the depression. The story focuses on two white protagonists who endure terrible abuse, while the black workers are treated far worse. There is good historical research and some redemption, but not an enjoyable read.

The Lincoln Highway

Amor Towles

After reading A Gentleman in Moscow and The Age of Civility, I thought I’d love this too. And I did. It just got off to a slow start. A beautiful homage to the Road Trip genre, it’s part Huck Finn and part Odyssey. Set in the early 50s with a cast of interesting characters, it is beautifully written and such a fun ride.

Living Untethered

Michael A. Singer

I read this non-fiction book on a recommendation of a friend. I chose to listen to it on audio and I think, no, I know I would have enjoyed it more if I read it. But, it was so, so good. Deep existentialist pondering! What could be better? Just the explanation of the creation of the universe will put your whole life into perspective.

The Sympathizer

Viet Thanh Nguyen

I am very proud of myself for reading this Pulitzer Prize-winning book. It’s obvious why it got such high praise. The writing is amazing. At times it felt too intellectual but I’m not mad about it. I would not normally chose a book about the Vietnam war, but this isn’t necessarily about that. It starts at the end of the war and follows the path of a double agent living as an immigrant in America. Not only is it an unflinching look at the relationship between Vietnamese and Americans, it’s unapologetically angry. I learned so much and am changed by it.