Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
Raising Hare (12/26/2024)
This is a touching memoir of Dalton's relationship with a leveret – a baby hare – that she finds not far from her home in the English countryside. With no mother in sight, she fears it may not survive on its own. She decides to take it home for one night, taking care to not leave her scent on the leveret so it can be released back into the wild.
What follows is a multi-year relationship with the leveret as it develops into a full grown hare, lives in both her house and garden while venturing out into the wild. Throughout, Dalton struggles with providing the hare with a safe space while not confining it or turning it into a pet. The "relationship" that develops between the two is heartwarming.
She also covers how we treat nature around us, particularly as it affects wild animals. But there was too much and felt like filler to me. While the line drawings of hares to start each chapter are nice, I would have liked some photographs to reference as she made observations about physical characteristics and colors.
Leaving: A Novel
by Roxana Robinson
Leaving (12/12/2023)
Who doesn't think about running into an old flame years later and wonder "what if"? I was hooked from the first line. As Sarah and Warren got to know each other again, I followed along, sometimes pulling for them to re-unite, other times wanting to tell Sarah to run for the hills. Robinson does a nice job of describing the dilemmas of the choices we make, both in our youth and later in life. I liked her premise but had trouble getting through the book – it just went on and on, making me want to "leave" on more than one occasion. While I stayed until the end, it was disappointing…Warren's decision just didn't seem in character. That being said, this would be a great read for a book club. Plenty of issues to discuss.
The Roaring Days of Zora Lily: A Novel
by Noelle Salazar
Zora Lily (8/30/2023)
The story opens in 2023, when Sylvia, a costume conservator with the Smithsonian Museum of American History, finds a hidden tag on one of the dresses to be displayed, and asks “Who the hell is Zora Lily?”
The author then takes us on a wonderful journey through the 1920s in Seattle. Zora’s life is not easy, helping her mother earn money through sewing and mending, and watching after her younger siblings. But she has dreams, and despite setbacks, she won’t give up realizing them. With her best friend Rose encouraging her, Zora begins going to the clubs downtown, seeing a world foreign to her, one that eventually opens doors and opportunities.
This was a book I couldn’t stop reading. I’ve read other books set in the 1920s but Salazar painted a vivid picture of the times....the speakeasys, prohibition, poverty and wealth. And her characters were real. I particularly liked that she told Zora’s story and then came back to 2023 and finished Sylvia’s story. The ending was perfect. Highly recommend.
Margot: A Novel
by Wendell Steavenson
Margot (12/12/2022)
It's been 24 hours since I finished Margot and I'm still not sure what I think about the book. The beginning was difficult to read as her mother was increasingly harsh and cruel. Her experiences in a prep school seemed "normal" as did her mother's desire to see Margot find a husband and settle down. I liked that despite a financial setback, she didn't give up on going to college. I could relate to the time period. But I was constantly distracted by the author's writing style of incomplete sentences and words strung together. The editor in me kept looking for verbs. And it didn't add anything to the story line. It was an okay read but doubt that I would recommend to anyone.
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
The Lies I Tell (4/18/2022)
After reading Clark's "The Last Flight," I became a fan and looked forward to her next book. "The Lies I Tell" was just as good, maybe better. I found Meg (Maggie? Melody?) and Kat to be more believable than the two women in "The Last Flight." I was pulled into the story line from the beginning. It alternates between the two women, although I found Meg's character more fleshed out than Kat. The story is suspenseful with plenty of twists and turns. And towards the end, when you think you've got it figured out, you're wrong! Highly recommend.
Stories from Suffragette City
by M.J. Rose, Fiona Davis
Stories from Suffragette City (11/8/2020)
Although I don't read many short story collections, this one sounded interesting, particularly because several were written by authors I know and like. Stories from Suffragette City includes 13 stories, each one standing on its own, yet several linked by the same characters. The story lines were good. Some of the fictional accounts I recognized from other reading I've done on the suffragette movement but I enjoyed learning about some who were unfamiliar. If you want to learn more about this topic, Suffragists in Washington, DC: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote by Rebecca Boggs Roberts, provides an excellent historical look at this same subject.
The Big Finish
by Brooke Fossey
The Big Finish (10/8/2019)
Having read Berg's The Story of Arthur Truluv, I looked forward to The Big Finish. While I didn't find the writing as good, it's a fun read. The story opens in a small assisting living facility where Duffy and Carl are roommates. I didn't particularly like Duffy in the beginning but he grew on me as the story progressed. The plot did not go as I expected, which kept me reading to the end. And like the title says, there is a big finish.
Listen to the Marriage
by John Jay Osborn
Listen to the Marriage (6/13/2018)
When I started reading Listen to the Marriage, I didn't plan to finish it in one sitting. But I found myself wanting to find out what happened. Would the couple repair their marriage or would they end up in divorce court? Told through the perspective of Sandy, their counselor, the book only deals with what happens during the sessions between Steve and Gretchen. Neither has much insight into their behaviors and contributions to the difficulties in their marriage. It's an interesting look into the dynamics of marriage counseling.
Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney
Sometimes I lie (11/27/2017)
Amber, the narrator of this book, wasn't kidding when she starts off saying "sometimes I lie." The author takes you on a roller coaster ride of twists and turns, leaving you to wonder what will happen next. The book held my attention but towards the end, I felt the author introduced one too many twists, leaving me annoyed. Definitely a story you need to read in one weekend, otherwise it's too confusing to keep everyone's lies straight.
The Garden of Small Beginnings
by Abbi Waxman
The Garden of Small Beginnings (4/5/2017)
Abbi Waxman has written a funny yet insightful book into being a widow. Using the garden as a metaphor, she takes you through the highs and lows of Lilian's life. Widowed at 34, Lilian is raising two daughters as she tries to move on with her life. As I widow myself, I could relate to Lilian's emotional roller coaster. I loved the way Waxman introduced each new chapter with a tip on growing a vegetable, her way of imparting a little wisdom about life. This book will make you laugh and cry, sometimes in the same sentence.
The Things We Keep
by Sally Hepworth
Great read (9/23/2015)
It's been a while since I've read something that I don't want to end. The Things We Keep, like Still Alice, is about early onset Alzheimer's. But I found this book more heartwarming than Still Alice. The residents and staff at Rosalind House felt real and familiar, and I wanted their stories to continue.
The story centers on Anna, who is in her 30s when she is diagnosed and has chosen to live at a small assisted living house. Hepworth has captured with compassion and humor the issues Anna and her family must deal with as her disease progresses. Anna's relationship with Luke, also in his 30s and dealing with dementia issues, is tender, funny and heartbreaking. When Eve, the cook, was introduced, I found myself wondering why this storyline was necessary but it became clear. Great story about love, grief, and what we are willing to risk for others.
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