Tracy A.
I devoured We All Want Impossible Things over the course of one day. It's beautifully written and filled with small gems and observations about life that I found myself underlining and reading aloud to anyone who was nearby. It's funny and sad in the best possible funny-sad way as it explores the intricacies and unfathomable nature of grief.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a brilliant, page-turning novel. At face value, it is a book about gaming, and since I'm not into video games, I didn't think this one was for me. However, this book dives deep into friendship and love and the messiness of real life contrasted with the backdrop of meticulously created digital worlds. Tomorrow spans 30 years and takes the reader to both coasts of the United States. It touches on contemporary issues such as gun control, environmentalism, and gender equality. There are plenty of fun call-backs for readers of a certain age (Oregon Trail, Donkey Kong, etc.). You won't be able to stop thinking about this book!
I loved this story of the lifelong friendship between two very different women, now in their eighties. Secrets, lies, hurt feelings, and a cast of interesting peripheral characters kept me turning the pages. The backdrop of a beautiful, coastal Maine summer colony and bird sanctuary made me want to hop in my car and take a road trip to fictional Fellowship Point. I was initially a bit intimidated by this book's length, but I am so glad I read it.
Current and former waitstaff will find themselves nodding knowingly and/or rolling their eyes throughout this beauty of a book, which takes place largely in a family-owned Chicago restaurant. The story is told through multiple family members' perspectives in the months following the 2016 presidential election, the Cubs winning the World Series, and the patriarch of the family suddenly dying. Each character is honest, funny, and grappling with his or her own version of mid-life malaise and uncertainty. While my own family circumstances are vastly different than the Sullivans, I recognized so many family dynamics in this heartfelt story.
So much love for this little gem of a book set in an independent bookstore in 2017! Sophie, the owner of the store, has grown weary of the day-to-day workings of her bookstore and lacks the enthusiasm needed to do her job well. An author event scheduled with a controversial author who has recently been cancelled only adds to her desire to want to sell the store and retreat quietly from her life as a small business owner. A wide and mostly lovable cast of characters supports Sophie: her events coordinator Clemi, her aspiring yoga teacher son Michael, and a handful of booksellers with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. The book is set shortly after the Charlottesville car attack and the author nimbly weaves in references to those horrific events to give the reader a sense of how fraught the energy is during the week the story takes place. Bonus points for the end of day reports issued by the bookstore manager and filled with largely useless information such as, "We briefly lost internet." This book will you make you smile, giggle, nod, and shake your head. Booksellers and non-booksellers alike will enjoy this one equally.
I'm so glad I picked up this book. The main character, Mika, is in her mid-thirties and struggling with what her life looks like when she is unexpectedly reconnected with the daughter she gave up for adoption 16 years earlier. As the story unfolds, we meet a host of (mostly) lovable peripheral characters who support Mika despite some of her questionable decisions. Mika in Real Life is ultimately a heartwarming novel, but that sentiment is hard-fought after dealing with loss, silence, and the weight of secrets.
This memoir drew me in from the opening pages. It's written by the owner of the wildly popular restaurant The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine. Honest, heartfelt writing about the devastating losses French has faced along the way to current successes. A beautiful reminder of the importance of abiding hope. Also, delicious food descriptions!
The Shore takes place over the course of one summer in the beach town of Seaside, New Jersey. It's a quick, heartfelt book that will make you laugh, cringe, and cry. A mother and her two teenage daughters spend the bulk of the summer struggling with heartbreak, young love, and the weight of family secrets. The story occasionally flashes to the future, providing the reader with a glimpse of how the characters will live side by side with the grief of this summer in the years to come. Anyone who grew up visiting beach towns in the summer or working multiple seaside jobs during tourist season to make ends meet will appreciate this story.
Big fan of Linda Holmes and Maine here! Flying Solo is a light summer read filled with the perfect combination of mystery, romance, nostalgia, and friendship. Anyone who has ever agonized about whether or not to get married or move in with a significant other or move cross-country to be with a partner will connect with the main character's dilemma(s). As will people who fiercely guard their independence and alone time. Bonus: readers of the author's previous novel Evvie Drake Starts Over will appreciate the references to a few popular characters from that novel. I flew through this book!
Keefe does a remarkable job researching the Sackler family's role in the oioid crisis. At times this book reads like a novel. It is equal parts enthralling and infuriating. Pure greed at its worst. You will come away with a new perspective on the FDA and Big Pharma.