Stephanie @that_bookish_life

Book Review: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

*The Covenant of Water* // Abraham Verghese

Three generations of a South Indian family beset by a curse involving water across much of the 20th century.

I didn’t find The Covenant of Water to be a page turner exactly, and at 700+ pages this may be a problem for some readers, though I did find it beautifully written and conceived and as someone who enjoys family sagas I was happy to float along with this family of richly developed characters as their story unfolded.

I also listened to parts of the story on audio, which the author narrates, and enjoyed that format.

Book Review: Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

{Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.}

A queer coming of age love story set against the backdrop of the Satanic Panic.

Need I say more?

I myself was all in at this point!

Just in case…

Lacey Bond is the younger of two sisters raised on a small New Hampshire farm by hippie parents who run a daycare out of their converted barn. In 1990, when Lacey is 13-years-old, their relatively normal existence is upended when her parents are arrested, accused of ritualistic abuse, and become embroiled in a high profile legal case.

Rainbow Black is first and foremost a deranged (and I mean this in the most loving way), queer, coming of age story spanning decades, but there’s really a lot going on here and much to appreciate: murder, mystery, love, trauma, resilience and reinvention. It takes a close look at freedom, justice, and systems that do more harm than good. The narrative is dual timeline told in hindsight until the last of three parts when we reconnect with Lacey as an adult. Unique and weird, though not so out there most readers will be unable to connect. I found this an irresistible page turner full of idiosyncratic characters.

Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

Daphne, like many women in their early 30s, is looking for love. Unlike many (all?) other women who might look to the Universe for a sign to help direct their love life, Daphne receives mysterious notes every time she begins a new relationship telling her just how long it will last. 3 days, 5 weeks, 1 night, 2 years, from the onset Daphne knows what to expect. But the night of a blind date she receives a blank note for the first time. This note will change everything for Daphne.

Expiration Dates is a solid and somewhat unexpected romance. Just when you think you know where the story is going everything changes. And Daphne’s journey is not just one of romance, it’s also about self-love and self-determination. I really appreciated the touch of magical realism and the tour of LA; I suspect people who know the area will recognize many of the places and locations mentioned.

Pub Date: 3/19

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

This is the book everyone was most looking forward to from my March releases post . I just finished reading this morning and had to share my thoughts right away so you all know to prioritize this one!

After her husband detonates their life and marriage 41-year-old Soledad is blindsided, left to pick up the pieces and rebuild a life for herself and their 3 daughters. This Could Be Us is a story of healing, resilience, and love in many forms, including romance.

A satisfying story, Soledad is an admirable heroine to cheer for, but Kennedy Ryan adds a few meaty pieces that really add up to something great:

Complex family dynamics. Not only is Soledad navigating crisis with an eye toward helping her daughters stay whole and heal, she herself comes from not uncomplicated origins. Soledad’s love interest, Judah, has a beautiful, functional, blended family showing divorce doesn’t always mean the end of love and care for one another.

Autism representation. Judah is a parent to twin teen boys with Autism. It appears Ryan, herself a parent of a child with Autism per her Author’s Note, has provided an accurate and nuanced representation of a family navigating Autism.

Domestic labor. Soledad did not work outside the home, her family was her work, so when her husband upends their lives he left his family reeling with no income. Part of Soledad’s journey of self-discovery is learning to use her skills and expertise to earn an income to support her family. I thought this was well done and appreciated the focus on the typically overlooked value of domestic labor.

This Could Be Us is something of a slow burn if you’re expecting a traditional romance, though once that spark ignites the wait is well worth it, but there’s really so much to appreciate with Soledad’s journey.

Though this is the second book in the Skyland series (beginning with Before I Let Go) both books can be enjoyed as stand alone novels with overlapping characters. I’ve read both and Kennedy Ryan is now an official auto-read author!

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

March 2024 New Book Releases

14 March Books on my TBR

March 2024 truly is shaping up to be an exceptional month of new book releases. Here are the 14 titles I’ve added to my TBR.

March 5

Bye, Baby // Carola Lovering (St Martin’s Press)

From the author of the Hulu sensation Tell Me Lies comes an obsessive, addictive novel about female friendship, a missing baby, and the toxic, secret history between two women.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Expiration Dates // Rebecca Serle (Atria) {Read My Review}

Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all. A gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves.

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

The Fruit of the Dead // Rachel Lyon (Scribner)

An electric contemporary reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private island, about addiction and sex, family and independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

The Great Divide // Cristina Henriquez (Ecco)

A powerful novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Help Wanted // Adelle Waldman (Norton)

A humane and darkly comic workplace caper that shines a light on the odds low-wage workers are up against in today’s economy, Help Wanted is a funny, moving tale of ordinary people trying to make a living.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

This Could Be Us // Kennedy Ryan (Forever) {Read My Review}

An unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?

Book 2 in the Skyland series that begins with Before I Let Go though both books can be enjoyed as stand alones.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

March 12

Victim // Andrew Boryga (Doubleday)

There’s a fine line between bending the truth and telling bold-faced lies, and Javier Perez is willing to cross it. Victim is a fearless satire about a hustler from the Bronx who sees through the veneer of diversity initiatives and decides to cash in on the odd currency of identity.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom // Grace Blakeley (Atria)

In the vein of The Shock Doctrine and Evil Geniuses, this timely manifesto from an acclaimed journalist illustrates how corporate and political power brokers have used planned capitalism to advance their own interests at the expense of the rest of us—and how we can take back our economy for all.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

March 19

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church // Sarah McCammon (St Martin’s Press)

An intimate window into the world of American evangelicalism. Fellow exvangelicals will find McCammon’s story both startlingly familiar and immensely clarifying, while those looking in from the outside can find no better introduction to the subculture that has shaped the hopes and fears of millions of Americans.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

James // Percival Everett (Doubleday)

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Memory Piece // Lisa Ko (Riverhead)

The award-winning author of The Leavers offers a visionary novel of friendship, art, and ambition that asks: What is the value of a meaningful life?

Moving from the predigital 1980s to the art and tech subcultures of the 1990s to a strikingly imagined portrait of the 2040s, Memory Piece is an innovative and audacious story of three lifelong friends as they strive to build satisfying lives in a world that turns out to be radically different from the one they were promised.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Rainbow Black // Maggie Thrash (Harper Perennial) {Read my review}

For readers of Donna Tartt and Ottessa Moshfegh comes a brilliant, deliriously entertaining novel from the acclaimed author of Honor Girl. Rainbow Black is part murder mystery, part gay international fugitive love story—set against the ’90s Satanic Panic and spanning 20 years in the life of a young woman pulled into its undertow.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

march 26

A Great Country // Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Mariner) {Read my review}

From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel in the tradition of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, exploring the ties and fractures of a close-knit Indian-American family in the aftermath of a violent encounter with the police.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Worry // Alexandra Tanner (Scribner) {Read my review}

Frances Ha meets No One Is Talking About This in a debut that follows two siblings-turned-roommates navigating an absurd world on the verge of calamity—a Seinfeldian novel of existentialism and sisterhood.

Full Synopsis | Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

24-year old Australian, Hera, begins her first job and first love all at once. After Hera starts work as an online comment moderator for a news outlet she begins a relationship with her older, married co-worker, Arthur.

Green Dot is a darkly comic, ennui laden, Gen Z coming of age story. The writing is sharp, funny, and relatable. Hera is well rendered and compelling. Though the story is told in first person, it’s told in hindsight offering a really intriguing balance of naivety and self awareness. The plot is addictive as you become all wrapped up in how this relationship is going to play out, but Green Dot really has a good bit to say about power dynamics, norms, and young adults navigating modern life and love.

Sort of Bridget Jones meets Sally Rooney meets Fleabag and perfect reading for fans of any and all of the above.

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

Book Review: After Annie by Anna Quindlen

After Annie follows a family the year after the sudden and unexpected death of their 30-something wife and mother. The narrative focuses in on three people: Annie’s husband, Bill, best friend, Annemarie, and oldest of 3 siblings, 13-year-old daughter, Ali.

I’ve seen Anna Quindlen described as a “domestic anthropologist” and it’s so perfectly fitting. After Annie is a quiet story yet rich and brimming with the everyday crumbs of family life, which here take on a touching significance. A well rendered, poignant story of love, life, grief, and hope.

This is not the first Anna Quindlen I’ve read though it’s been a while and I haven’t read much of her backlist. After Annie reminded me quite a bit of what I love about the style of Anne Tyler’s writing.

Complimentary review copy provided by publisher.

Book Review: Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

Review copy provided by publisher.

Enid is a lesbian in her mid-20s obsessed with interesting facts about space and true crime, is convinced a bald man is stalking her, and has a complicated relationship with her deceased father’s second family. These elements of her identity aren’t unusual, but Enid becomes increasingly lost in a prison of her own making eventually seeking professional help to find her way out.

Interesting Facts about Space is a complex and quirky character study of a woman’s fears, phobias, and traumas coming to a head. I loved Emily Austin’s Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. In both books Austin has such an incredible ability to mix humor and absurdity with profundity.

Enid is awkward, relatable, and repellant. It’s uncomfortable being in her head, it’s also an uncomfortably recognizable place at times. In another’s hands a story like this could end up untenably bleak or too wacky; in Austin’s it somehow manages to be empathetic, hopeful, and even inspirational.

Book Review: Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Review copy provided by publisher.

35-year-old comedian, Andy Dawson, grapples with his girlfriend of 4 years dumping him. As Andy navigates middle-aged singledom and his stalled career we are treated to comedic self-destruction and curious choices (I mean, who among us hasn’t found themselves renting out a houseboat after a breakup, right?!) as he struggles to find equilibrium.

Good Material is a good read showcasing Dolly Alderton’s impressive ability to capture the nuance of emotions and relationships on the page. I’ve seen this compared to High Fidelity, which I agree with. It also reminds me a bit of Fleishman is in Trouble as we later hear Andy’s ex’s perspective, though I don’t think that change in perspective has quite the impact here as Fleishman, nor does it appear to intend to.

In the acknowledgements Alderton thanks her male friends who helped her to craft Andy’s character and voice as inspired by Nora Ephron’s methods with When Harry Met Sally. I appreciated this insight into Alderton’s process as I think she was very successful in writing the male voice.

Book Review: In Memoriam by Alice Winn

“I know you’re fine, but are you all right?”

The world was profoundly changed by the Great War, also known as the war to end all wars, later revised as merely the first in a series. The world was changed, but especially an entire generation of men, part of the so called Lost Generation, were deeply impacted by violence and loss in many forms if they were lucky enough to survive.

Two men of this lost generation are Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood teenaged students at an elite British boarding school when the global conflict breaks out. Like so many of their cohort they end up at the front, soldiers fighting for Great Britain in the trenches. But this isn’t just a war story, it’s also a love story.

In Memoriam is riveting, gorgeous, and brutal. I fell in love with Gaunt and Ellwood as they fell in love with each other. Told with sensitivity and compassion, their tender love story is interrupted by the brutality of war, society forever changing alongside them.

Unforgettable, impactful, an all time favorite. I loved this book.