The River Is Waiting: A Novel
by Wally Lamb
Heartbreakingly beautiful (5/1/2025)
The River is Waiting is a heartbreakingly beautiful book. It didn’t take long before my heart was in my throat. And for way too many scenes, it stayed in my throat. It’s not an easy book to read; it’s raw, bleak and dark and doesn’t provide any easy answers.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling with the loss of his job and being a stay at home parent to twin two year olds. I have to give Lamb credit. I found Corby initially difficult to like yet I was drawn into his plight. And as the story went on, I was totally engrossed in his trials.
The book focuses on a lot of big emotional issues - grief, addiction, forgiveness and moving on with life. It also makes you think about the prison system, casual cruelty, and justice. The character development is strong. I felt like Corby was a real person. Even the secondary characters, like Emily and Manny, were fully fleshed out. Lamb spent twenty years leading a creative writing workshop at a women's correctional institution so he has a real sense for prison life.
This would make a fabulous book club selection as it really makes you both feel and think. My thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.
The Original Daughter: A Novel
by Jemimah Wei
Would work well for a book club (5/1/2025)
The Original Daughter is a debut novel concerning the creation and dissolution of a family in Singapore. Up until she was eight, Genevieve was an only child. But then, seven year old Arin arrives, a half-cousin to Gen, given up by her family in Malaysia. Slowly, Genevieve and Arin become tightly bound. But then, as young women, that bond breaks and they become estranged.
The story is beautifully written. While told solely from Genevieve’s PoV, both characters felt fully formed. Gen wasn’t an easy character to like. If she’d been real, I would have wanted to shake some sense into her. Yet, I felt her pain - the losses she suffered, the jealousy and finally the hurt from the betrayal. Even when I disliked what she did, I could understand why she did it.
The story speaks of familial duty, resentment, abandonment, lost dreams, independence and ambition. It was a book that really made me think. At the end, I felt bereft from the pain of someone holding on to bad choices for too long. It would make an excellent book club selection.
Wei also did a strong job of taking the reader to both Singapore and Christchurch.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this book.
One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman
Snarky more than sappy (5/1/2025)
Lately, it seems it’s the rare book that grabs me from the get go. But One Death at a Time managed to do just that. It was a great combo of unique characters, spot on phrasing and a wild plot. Mason was my kind of main character - lacking impulse control and tact even now that she’s three years sober. She signs up as a temporary sponsor to Julia, a newly sober older woman, a former actress, and quickly ends up working as her assistant and helping the woman try to prove her innocence in a murder investigation. And Julia was an equally compelling character, totally comfortable with her decisions. Even the secondary characters were fleshed out.
Waxman’s writing and humor had me laughing out loud on a regular basis. But it’s her ability to perfectly turn a phrase that continues to strike me in all her books. Waxman gets the details right - the things that make staying sober difficult (blood sugar), how the film industry works. The only thing that felt a little off was Julia’s lack of any withdrawal symptoms.
Despite the light hearted nature of the story, Waxman kept the suspense level high, especially as someone seems bent on keeping them from finding out the truth.
Pick this up when you need some light entertainment but want snarky more than sap.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey
Great fun (5/1/2025)
I am not a fan of romance novels and with a title like Serial Killer Games, I hadn’t paid attention to the main genre for this book. Luckily, I am a big fan of snarky humor and Serial Killer Games has it in spades. It’s dark and twisted. But it is also heartwarming. I adored it.
Jake Ripper is a temp at a corporate office when he encounters Dolores Dela Cruz. They are drawn to each other, each seeking out the truth about the other and using what they learn to attempt to up the level of the cat and mouse games they’re playing. But the attraction outweighs their normal instincts. The book alternates between their two POVs. Smartly, Posey doesn’t make them into caricatures. She has imbibed them with real issues, feelings and concerns. But as much as I loved them, it was Cat that stole the show.
Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going, I was surprised. Not surprised. Shocked. This one really threw me for a loop. Time after time. I lost count of the number of twists. There are some hysterical scenes. Laugh out loud funny. I almost lost it during the scene with HR. This is perfect when you need something light but can’t handle saccharine.
This doesn’t read like a debut. I can’t wait to see what Posey does next. My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein
Excellent backstory of the characters from Oliver Twist (3/1/2025)
It’s become the hot thing to do, re-imagining classic novels. Allison Epstein has created a backstory for Jacob Fagin, the man who runs the pack of boys in Oliver Twist. Epstein has done a great job of world building. I felt I was in the seedy side of early 19th Century London with its lack of sanitation, medicine or options for the poor. It was a brutal existence and Epstein doesn’t sugarcoat it.
Starting when he was just a boy, the book tells of how Jacob was taken under the wing of a skilled pickpocket and how he in turn takes on Bill Sikes. And how, over time, he becomes the caregiver for a small group of young boys. It’s the little things that made the difference with this book. I liked that Epstein always refers to him as Jacob, not Fagin.
The book is told from an omniscient POV, although mostly Jacob’s. Despite how onerous Dickens painted Fagin, here you can sympathize with him. He’s a man just doing what he needs to survive and in the process, helping others. In fact, the book turns on its head almost every character from Oliver Twist. Even Bullseye is made into a sympathetic character, while Oliver is not an innocent.
Only Bill Sikes remains truly evil, but we are given the ability to feel small bits of empathy even for him. In the Author’s Note, Epstein refers to the Fagin problem, as Dickens’ Fagin is a caricature of the evil Jew. I applaud her for making him human, for extending the same sympathy to him that Dickens did to the young urchins of the street.
This is the first book I’ve read by Epstein, but I hope to rectify that.
I listened to this and Will Watt was a fabulous narrator, taking my enjoyment of this story up a notch.
Babylonia: A Novel
by Costanza Casati
Excellent world building (1/23/2025)
With Babylonia, Costanza Casati has once again conjured to life an ancient queen and the empire she ruled, Assyria. She’s taken the bare bones of history and myth and fleshed them out. Semiramis was an orphan living in an outpost of the kingdom, raised by a shepherd. She attracts the attention of Onnes, a general and half-brother to the king and marries him. Through sheer force of will, intelligence and bravery, she rises to the ultimate seat of power.
Casati excels at world making. I felt I got a real sense of historical Assyria in 9th Century BC. It’s a graphic story, and not just the battle scenes. The story focuses on Semiramis, Onnes and the king, Ninus. All three main characters are fascinating. Complex, by turns ruthless and caring. Their relationships to each other kept shape shifting, which kept me engrossed. Even the secondary characters were well defined and I liked how Casati mixes historical figures with fictional ones.
I listened to this and Ayesha Antoine’s voice had the perfect tone, almost majestic in her telling. My thanks to Netgalley and RBMedia for an advance copy of this audiobook.
The Lion Women of Tehran
by Marjan Kamali
Give it time (12/19/2024)
The Lion Women of Tehran was an engaging historical fiction, set in Iran. The story starts in the 1950s, when Ellie’s father dies and she and her mother are forced to relocate from the wealthy suburbs to a much lower class neighborhood. There, she meets Homa and they become best friends. But Ellie’s situation soon improves and she moves away, losing touch with Homa. They reconnect as seniors in high school. The story continues as they move forward into their young adulthood.
The story does a good job of providing a sense of Iran under the Shah. It highlights the difference in the classes and the roles of women during the changing times. There was a big emphasis on the food which did help give a feel for their everyday life. Kamali does an equally good job of showing how things changed under the religious regime and the war with Iraq.
I didn’t initially take to Ellie. She berates her mother for being too status conscious, but yet she was just as much. And her lack of thought at a crucial time weighed on me. (I struggled with the blurb calling this an act of betrayal.) But she grew on me and was the perfect foil for Homa.
The book starts slow and it did take a while before I was truly invested in the story. But I loved what it had to say about being willing to fight for human rights, and how it’s the rare person who is willing to be a true activist. The character of Homa is very loosely based on a friend from Kamali’s youth, who still lives in Iran and works for a human rights organization. The book also has a lot to say about friendship and how our early friendships truly shape us.
I listened to this and was less than impressed by Mozhan Novabi. Her voice often seemed flat. I was happier with Nikki Massoud.
Beautiful Ugly: A Novel
by Alice Feeney
Kept me off balance (12/9/2024)
I have a hit or miss relationship with Alice Feeney. I’ve loved some, I’ve hated some. This one was getting so much buzz, I decided to give it a try.
Feeney is a master of creating tension and suspense.
Grady Green’s wife went missing a year ago. Ever since, he’s been unable to write, so his agent sends him to a cabin she’s just inherited on a small Scottish island. The island has just twenty five permanent residents. Yet, he keeps thinking he’s seeing his wife on the island. The reader is left to guess if Grady is losing his mind. Because let’s face it, grief, alcohol and lack of sleep will do that to you.
Feeney has created a great locale for this story. The title is truly apt. The place is gorgeous, but it’s also really eerie. The island lacks all communication with the mainland. And the residents all seem to be hiding something.
The story vaults between Grady’s POV and flashbacks to his wife, Abby’s. I was left not knowing whom to believe.
The strength of this book is Feeney’s ability to keep the reader off balance for the entire story. Grady is a great unreliable narrator. But then, as much as I was enjoying the story, it went off the rails at the end. It was OTT to the point of silliness. By the end, the only character I cared about was Columbo.
I listened to this and both Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton did great jobs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
Slow burn (12/9/2024)
I was really excited to read King of the Armadillos. I loved the premise of Victor, a Chinese teen sent to a leprosarium in Louisiana in the 1950s. The book was well researched and I felt I got a real feel for Carville National Leprosarium. But, it was a very low, slow burn of a story. It took me a while to become invested in the characters. The drama focuses on the consequences of multiple bad decisions by all the characters.
Victor’s father came to the US before WWII, served in the army and later brought his two sons over. Their mother stayed behind to care for her mother-in-law. His father has a long standing relationship with Ruth, a Jewish woman who becomes a surrogate mother for Victor. When Victor is sent for treatment, the decision is made not to tell his mother. While there, Victor becomes friends with several other teenagers and develops his first infatuation.
The story is told from multiple POVs, including Victor, his brother and Ruth.
Chin-Tanner does a good job of giving the reader an excellent feel for the leprosarium and what was considered cutting edge treatment for the day. As a closed society, the racism and social stratas of the outside world aren’t in play.
The story goes back and forth between Victor in Carville and his family in NYC. I was very drawn into Ruth’s story and the situation she found herself in. One of the book’s strengths is its look at the Chinese experience in America. I did feel like the story ended abruptly and I would have liked an epilogue to tell us how Victor’s life ultimately turned out.
The story is loosely based on the author’s father, who spent 7 years of his early life at Carville. There’s a fascinating interview between the author and her father at the end of the audiobook.
The book was narrated by Feodor Chin and he did an adequate job.
Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray
Too much romance (12/9/2024)
I have read both books that Victoria Christopher Murray wrote with Marie Benedict, but this is the first solo effort of hers that I’ve read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t totally impressed.
I love historical fiction that introduces me to people I wasn’t aware of. Jessie Fauset definitely is someone I’m glad I “got to know”. A brilliant woman, she became the literary editor of The Crisis, the preeminently black magazine of the early 20th Century. In that position, she came into contact with many of the black writers of the day, including a young Langston Hughes. In fact, Hughes called her “the literary midwife” of the New Negro Movement. I enjoyed the chapters that focused on the magazine and her work there. This was a poignant reminder that in earlier days, poetry held a much more esteemed position than it does today.
She was also the mistress of W.E.B. Du Bois. While I recognize it was a big part of her life, I would have liked a lot less emphasis on their affair. This reads like a romance novel. It felt like half the book either involved their time together or her thinking about their romance. And then another whole section involved how upset her family was about the affair. Du Bois comes across as one more important man with “a zipper problem” as my mother would say. In her Author’s Note, Murray indicated she struggled with how much focus to place on the affair. I believe she could have gotten her point across, which was that without the affair, she would never have had her job and discovered so many of these young authors, without spending so much time on their time together.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
Libby Lost and Found: A Novel
by Stephanie Booth
Heartwarming, but somewhat lacking (11/16/2024)
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Libby Lost and Found. Twice, I debated giving up on it before finally getting invested in the characters.
Libby Weeks has written a spectacularly popular children’s fantasy book series. Think Harry Potter level of popularity. She’s trying to write the sixth and final book. But Libby has a case of rapidly progressing early onset dementia, and writing has become impossible for her. Her fans and her publishers are both becoming not just anxious, but angry. She turns to an eleven year old “superfan”. Peanut doesn’t have much going right in her life and relies heavily on The Falling Children books for comfort.
There were several plot points that just didn’t work for me. I know every case of Alzheimer’s is different, but Libby’s didn’t feel real. I also struggled that her fans would turn on her so viciously. What did work for me and what kept me listening was Peanut and her family. An orphan, disfigured and lacking friends, my heart just went out to her. The story flips back and forth between their two POVs which did help propel the story forward.
Booth provides just enough information about The Falling Children books to give you a feel for them. Obviously, with five books in the series it’s just going to be bits and pieces. So, the idea of saying there’s a book within a book feels a little forced. But I could see why they would have been such big hits. I found the writing a bit disjointed at times. The big reveal wasn’t a surprise but the fallout was. Overall, the story was heartwarming, if not a total success. But based on this, I will be curious to see what Bloom comes up with next.
I listened to this and brava to Mia Barron as a fabulous narrator.
We Solve Murders: A Novel
by Richard Osman
Great fun (11/7/2024)
Richard Osman’s new series introduces us to a whole new group of characters. And I enjoyed them just as much as the Thursday Night Murder crew. While the blurb would have you believe there are only two detectives, I beg to differ. Yes, there’s Steve, happy to maintain a low profile and Amy, who is an adrenaline junkie, both of whom are in the PI/private security business. But Rosie, the famous author, starts as a customer but ends up being just as big a part of the team. If anything, she was my favorite of all the characters.
It’s a convoluted, fast paced plot, with dead influencers being tied to Amy. The story takes the crew to multiple places around the world. There’s nary a bit of down time as everyone seems bent on knocking them off. There’s the same wonderful dry and sly sense of humor. Listen carefully, or you just might miss some of it, it’s often just that subtle.
And I will admit to not having a clue who was behind all the murders.
I listened to this and Nicola Walker was an inspired pick as narrator. I just love her voice!
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida
Heartwarming (11/6/2024)
I’m firmly on “team dog” but I love any story that proclaims the importance of animals in our life and the positive changes they can bring. The book involves a clinic for mental health that can only be found by people struggling and in need of help. Folks hear of it through the grapevine and who up when they are desperate. In each case, the prescription is a cat for a set number of days.
As the story goes on, there is a greater thread of magical realism that runs through it. I have mixed feelings about magic realism, but it works here. Each part involves a different person and their prescription cat. They are more like interconnected short stories than a straightforward plot. I can’t say I was equally enthralled with each individual story. But each is sweet and heartwarming.
I listened to this and struggled a little with the names. But the two narrators both did lovely jobs.
The History of Sound: Stories
by Ben Shattuck
Demands your full attention (10/29/2024)
Interconnected stories live in that middle ground between novels and short stories. I'm not a fan of short stories so I was curious where I’d come down on The History of Sound. Luckily for my taste, there is enough connection between the stories to keep me intrigued. And the majority of the stories felt fully fleshed out.
Despite the stories traversing across three centuries, Shattuck does a good job of anchoring the reader firmly in time and place for each one. I listened to this and it helped that there was a whole cast to narrate the stories, which also helped to differentiate them. I found them mostly engaging. Knowing there were interconnecting threads, I was keen to discover them all. I was particularly drawn to August in the Forest and The Journal of Thomas Thurber.
The writing is beautiful, often with a poetic feel. Shattuck explores the full range of emotions - regret, love, fear, hope.
I will warn those that tend to listen while performing other tasks, that probably won’t work with this book. It demands your full attention.
The Life Impossible: A Novel
by Matt Haig
Too much woo-woo for me (10/29/2024)
I’m not a big fan of magical realism, but I had enjoyed The Midnight Library. So, I was willing to give The Life Impossible a chance. But the issues I had with The Midnight Library, philosophical ideas that were too simplistic and obvious, are magnified here. Haig tries to cover it all up with a lot of over complicated magical nonsense and mathematical equations.
Grace Williams is a 72 year old retired teacher who inherits a house in Ibiza from a woman she barely knew. The woman had died under mysterious circumstances. Grace can’t help but try to investigate what happened to this woman. But the book isn’t primarily a mystery. It veers from magical realism into the realms of fantasy. The longer it went on, the less I liked it. You have to have a real tolerance for the woowoo aspect to enjoy this. I don’t.
The story is told in the form of an email she sends to a former student, who is depressed over the loss of his mother. I struggled with the format as it came across as disjointed and lacking a sense of focus.
There’s also a decided lack of tension or energy to the book. It just sort of plods along until the very end. I was listening to this and I found myself speeding it up just to get it over with.
I can’t fault Joanna Lumley, she does an admirable job as the narrator.
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza
Didn’t live up to its potential (10/29/2024)
3.5 stars, rounded down
I was so excited to read We Are Not Like Them and had hoped my book club would pick it to discuss. I loved the premise - two best friends, one black and one white, are on opposite sides of two cops shooting an unarmed black youth. Jen, the white woman, happens to be the wife of one of the cops. Riley, the black woman, is a news anchor of a local tv channel. My book club opted not to pick it, but I’m glad I took the time to read it, despite the fact that the book didn’t quite reach its potential.
The book flips back and forth between each woman’s POV. The book is not afraid to tackle the serious issues - unconscious bias, systemic prejudice, popular opinion, family vs. friends. And I will admit to highlighting numerous points. But it often felt like I was being told, not shown. As you would expect, the book is heavily weighted towards Riley. But I wanted to hear more from Jen, other than the emphasis on her pregnancy. It bothered me that she was such a milquetoast when it came to dealing with Kevin’s family.
The authors share an interview at the very end of the book (after the discussion questions) which is very worthwhile. Don’t miss it. They say that “it was important to us that each character earned and deserved both sympathy and frustration in equal measures.” They almost succeed in that regard. Where they did succeed was that I truly was rooting for the friendship to survive.
The book would make a great book club discussion and I give it points for bringing so many important points to the table. I just wish it could have also been a better story.
Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
Not for me (10/13/2024)
I should have known. I really don't do well with the avant garde. I want a plot, I want a story. I want character development. This offers none of the above. I felt lost. Vague memories of Ionesco and Beckett kept cropping up as I tried to plough through this. The book alternates between reading like a thesis, full of quotes from “other” sources and then almost more like a play. Ghosts come and ghosts go. They each have their own little mini-story but there is little continuity. Some ghosts appear more often; Blevins and Vollman act as narrators, moving the meager story forward. The Rev. Thomas provides a glimpse of a sort of Revelations style individual reckoning. There are sections that are enticing or interesting. But they are small glimpses of jewels.
I am clearly in the minority here. All the wonderful reviews had me doubting myself. But in the long run, reading is all about pleasure. And this book brought me very little of that.
Loot: A Novel
by Tania James
Packs a punch (10/6/2024)
I will admit to initially being drawn to Loot because of its beautiful cover. But overall, its interesting premise was what made me decide to actually read the book. In the 1790s, a young Indian woodcarver came to the attention of Tipu Sultan. He, along with a French clockmaker, created an automaton of a tiger eating an English soldier. A few years later, the English defeated the Sultan and took control of Mysore. An English colonel claimed the automaton as his prize and sent it home to his wife.
The tiger in the book truly exists and resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Its creators have been fashioned by James. I was amazed that this is James’ first historical fiction because it is so smooth, so seamless. She weaves in the necessary details to allow the reader to envision each and every scene. I especially appreciated the part on the boat, bringing Abbas to Europe.
The two main characters, Abbas and Jehanne, are richly drawn. But even the secondary characters come though, especially Rum.
I adore historical fiction that teaches me something new and this totally fits the bill. While the story is made up, the history of the English vanquishing the Sultan is accurate, as is the French sending artisans to India. There’s plenty to keep all sorts of readers entertained - romance, war, inventions. A short book but I packs a big punch.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.
The God of the Woods: A Novel
by Liz Moore
One of my favorites of the year (10/6/2024)
One of my favorites of 2024
Liz Moore has once again crafted a dark, character rich mystery. A teenage girl goes missing from her summer camp in 1975. Fourteen years ago, her brother disappeared in these same woods. Barbara Van Laar is the daughter of the rich family that owns the camp. It’s a family that adheres to a strict set of social expectations and mores.
The story explores the class distinctions and misogyny of the day. Rich men called the shots, women and the lower classes are just meant to obey. The book goes back in time to the original disappearance of young Bear in 1961. Told mostly from the viewpoints of Alice, the mother, Louise, the blue collar camp counselor, Tracy, the bunkmate and friend of Barbara and Judyta, the criminal investigator. All were finely nuanced. But having started my career in a male dominated field in the 1970s, I especially engaged with Judyta.
Moore’s writing is richly detailed. The scenes of the camp, the woods, the Van Lear’s compound; they all were easy to envision. Short chapters kept the tension high. There were numerous times I shuddered over the way things played out. I was totally engrossed. Nothing else got done.
I thought I knew how this would play out but I was woefully wrong.
Saskia Maarleveld was excellent as the narrator.
The Last One at the Wedding: A Novel
by Jason Rekulak
Didn’t quite work for me (10/6/2024)
The Last One at the Wedding is a weirdly unsatisfying mystery.
Frank has been estranged from his daughter for three years when she calls to announce her engagement and invite him to the wedding. But she’s not just marrying any old average guy. Her fiancé, Aidan, is the son of a billionaire. But things just aren’t adding up. Aidan seems just a little off. And then, Frank gets a disturbing photo in the mail which implies Aidan has something to do with a woman who has gone missing.
The book was filled with unlikeable characters. Now, that’s ok, if they manage to be at least interesting. This group failed that test. Even Frank, whose POV directs the entire story, was a bit of an ahole. His interactions with his sister’s foster child totally turned me off to him. And his unwillingness to ask for any help on basic issues (like getting an exterminator for the cabin) just made him seem stupid and bullheaded. His daughter came across as two dimensional and I wanted a better feel for what made her tick. His sister veers between being Susie Sunshine and a woman with no redeemable social values. The Gardners and their staff tended to be cliches. And we are meant to believe that out of 300 people at a wedding, everyone is happy to overlook a major incident.
The big problem with the story is that for long swatches, it’s just boring. There was a decent twist at about the 50 mark which I didn’t see coming. And what was the whole point with the Daddy Long Legs?
The story covers parental love and the decisions we make to protect our children.
John Pirhalla was a good narrator and captured Frank’s character.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.
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