Book Review – That Bookish Life

Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Ali is a professional organizer whose life is a mess. 2 years ago she lost her mother to illness, a year ago she lost her husband when he walked out on her while she was still under the haze of grief, and much longer ago she lost herself to the chaos and upheaval of mothering three children.

Just about the time Ali decides she must do something to get her life in order – beginning with wearing hard pants again – she has a meet cute of sorts with a hunky man at the dog park. While he may not be Mr. Right, he’s Mr. Alright-For-Now and Ali is willing to add a little mess to her life in the form of a fun summer fling because she deserves a little fun!But Ali might just be in for more than she bargained for.

For the last 3 years I have had the pleasure of ushering in summer with an Annabel Monaghan book and in my opinion Summer Romance is her best yet! Ali is a heroine to cheer for with a relatable arc of struggling to find herself amidst the chaos of raising kids and managing a household. I always appreciate that Monaghan’s stories feature more mature MCs; middle aged moms deserve a little romance too!

I loved Ali and Ethan together and adored the coastal New England small town setting. This story has romance, redemption, cute dogs, a quaint setting, descriptions of highly organized pantries, and grown up skater boys – truly what more can one ask for in a beach read?!

Book Review: Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Alexa, play “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas.

Now that we’ve set the tone…

New York City, summer 1999. Sawyer, a lowly publishing assistant and recent NYC transplant is staring down the barrel of a summer filled with long, lonely weekends as office buildings empty early on Fridays allowing white collar workers to escape the heat of the city by decamping to beachier destinations. While her fiance works nights and weekends with his too-close-for-comfort co-worker Kendra, Sawyer spends a lot of time alone in their apartment waiting for life to begin. A chance encounter with Kendra’s boyfriend, Nick, leads Sawyer to unexpected summer adventures and an opportunity to reexamine her choices and future.

Summer Fridays is a nostalgic romance that captures NYC at the turn of the millennium. Sawyer and Nick correspond a lot over email and AIM and, as someone who spent much time during formative years chatting online I can assure, the dialog is pitch perfect. The chats beg for a You’ve Got Mail comparison and I don’t think that’s far off, Summer Fridays definitely lives in the same universe as your favorite Nora Ephron rom-com.

Messy and gray and a little angsty this story won’t be for every reader, but I found a lot to appreciate and I expect this book will find its way to many a reader’s tote or beach bag this summer!

Recommended for fans of Renee Carlino.

Book Review: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

Violet is a young adult serving time for vehicular manslaughter.

Harriet is a retired teacher facilitating a book club for female inmates.

Frank is a widower turned unlikely handyman at an independent bookstore in Portland, Maine.

After Violet’s release from prison their paths will unexpectedly cross transforming all their futures.

How to Read a Book is a heartwarming story about unlikely friendships, fresh starts, and forgiveness centered around the transformative power of books. A cozy story with broad appeal that would make for a good book club selection.

Recommended for fans of Ethan Joella.

Book Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

*The Ministry of Time* // Kaliane Bradley

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.

In a near future our unnamed narrator, a British-Cambodian translator with the British Ministry of Defence, is selected for a lucrative position with a new secretive agency aiding high-value refugees assimilate to society. What she doesn’t realize is just how far away these refugees have traveled; not merely from across the globe, but across time.

The “expat” she is assigned is Victorian polar explorer Lt. Graham Gore a real life historical figure who died in the ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition, here plucked by the British government via time travel technology just before meeting his doomed fate and installed in our narrator’s modern day home where she is to be part roommate, part case worker, and most importantly a guide to modern living. As intimacy and romantic feelings begin to develop her loyalty becomes divided between her well-mannered and handsome Victorian ward and her increasingly sinister government employers.

The Ministry of Time is a fresh, genre-bending romp; something along the lines of speculative fiction meets spy thriller meets historical adventure meets rom-com. I liked the broad strokes of the story and appreciated the deeper themes it teases at such as historical narrative shaping our reality, imperial/colonial critique, and the displacement felt by those impacted by empire.

There’s a lot going on here and I wouldn’t say it all fits together seamlessly, but I sort of enjoyed the chaos of it all and I loved learning this book began as pandemic era Graham Gore fanfiction for Kaliane Bradley’s friends!

This book ended up being something different than I had anticipated, though I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting. The vibe is not unimportant to the success of the story and it’s a little hard to pin down. I think Lindsay Lynch of Parnassus books comes closest that I have seen describing it as: like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure had a baby with a spy thriller and that baby was raised by Emily St. John Mandel.

Tell me: if you could time travel to a different time in the past or future when would it be?

Book Review: James by Percival Everett

I gluttonously inhaled James in a single day through both print and audio formats. I was completely lost in a story offering such an exceptional reading experience that when it ended I immediately began to worry how I could possibly do it justice through a review. I won’t be able to, but let’s try to organize my thoughts into something at least marginally coherent anyway.

James is Percival Everett’s reimagining of the American classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a story about, Huck, a boy and, Jim, an enslaved man who happen to become travel companions as they run away by floating down the antebellum Mississippi River on a raft. Told entirely from 13-year-old Huck’s point of view the story is, on its surface at least, a straightforward coming-of-age adventure novel, but lurking barely beneath is a satire on racism and slavery and the morals of America, quite subversive for 1885 when it originally published.

In its nearly century and a half of existence Huckleberry Finn has often been the focus of book challenges, in fact, it was first removed from a library the same year it published, and controversy, most recently regarding its relevance in the modern classroom and whether Twain is the best voice to center on the topic of slavery. I’d say a novel approaching 150 years old that still has scholars arguing is doing its job very well.

Percival Everett certainly has something to say on the issue, though I don’t think he’s necessarily interested in answering many of these outstanding questions, I think he’s more interested in telling an outstanding story. In James Everett reimagines this early American story through the eyes of Jim, now revealed to be James. Everett’s James is no longer just Huck’s foil, he is instead, fully realized, richly developed, and intentionally humanized in a way that is incredibly impactful and subversive in a way The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can’t touch.

I think Huckleberry Finn and James can and should be compared and contrasted, they’re very much in conversation, but for purposes of this review I’ll keep it brief and say Percival Everett is once again brilliant with James. The story is smart and entertaining and challenging and absurd and profound and somehow seemingly effortlessly crafted all at the same time. It has the pacing of a plotty page turner, but the depth of a literary novel. James can absolutely be enjoyed as a stand alone, though I do think it’s worth it to at least have a basic understanding of Huck Finn, searching for a brief summary should be sufficient.

I loved this in both print and audio and I’m thrilled to see Percival Everett receiving just attention with his latest release.

Book Review: Northwoods by Amy Pease

Eli North’s life is in shambles when he takes a pity job offer from his mom, sheriff of their resort town in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. A former elite federal investigator, Eli now bears physical and emotional wounds from his army tour in Afghanistan that has led to substance abuse and the dissolution of his once happy family. As he struggles to gain his bearings in his new role as a small town deputy, Eli responds to a call for a noise complaint at one of the town’s resorts only to discover the dead body of one teen and reports of another who is missing, both from some of the town’s affluent summer families. Eli and the town’s small, resource strapped police department are soon over their heads embroiled in a complicated murder investigation.

Northwoods is a well plotted, well paced debut thriller. There are a lot of moving pieces to this story and I personally would have appreciated further development in some areas, but as is there’s a good balance of character and plot that will appeal to many readers. I appreciated the well rendered Northwoods setting and overall found the story very engaging and right in the zone of what I’m looking for in a thriller.

Northwoods would be perfect for your beach/travel/pool bag or backyard reading stack with its summer resort town setting.

Also recommended for fans of True Detective: Night Country. I couldn’t help but picture Jodie Foster as the sheriff in this story!

Tell me: what type of books do you prefer this time of year?

I read a mix, as always, but warm weather reading often has me reaching for more plottier thrillers and romances than usual!

Book Review: Sociopath by Patric Gagne

AUDIOBOOK REC

{Gifted, thanks @librofm!}

“I’m a liar. I’m a thief. I’m emotionally shallow. I’m mostly immune to remorse and guilt. I’m highly manipulative. I don’t care what other people think. I’m not interested in morals. I’m not interested, period. Rules do not factor into my decision making. I’m capable of almost anything.”

In Sociopath, Patric Gage, a former therapist with a doctorate in clinical psychology, recounts in detail her life as a sociopath. From her discordant childhood punctuated by petty theft, college years stealing cars and credit cards, to navigating a bumpy relationship with her long term boyfriend, her story is salacious and enlightening.

Gagne’s deep understanding of psychology, both normal and abnormal, allows her to expertly convey what sociopathy is and how she experiences the world differently offering hope for those affected by this often misunderstood and misdiagnosed disorder.

Recommended for fans of Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died. Both books are can’t stop listening experiences!

IHO Independent Bookstore Day Libro.FM has audiobook sales all week AND they’re currently offering 3 audiobooks for the price of one when you start a new membership. That’s 3 audiobooks for $14.99! PLUS a portion of your membership/purchases goes toward the indie of your choice, win-win. If you’re thinking of joining Libro.FM now is the time!

Book Review: The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

*The Devil and Mrs. Davenport* // Paulette Kennedy

Hi, hello. I just finished reading this book and I had such a great experience I had to immediately run to a color coordinated backdrop to tell you all about it, as one does.

Loretta is a typical 27-year-old housewife and mother of two in 1955 suburban Missouri until, after a brief flu-like illness, she begins hearing voices and seeing visions. Initially Loretta is scared by these experiences, but eventually she considers them a divine gift of a sorts through which she blossoms and finds purpose assisting with criminal investigations, including that of a local teen who recently went missing. But Loretta’s controlling husband, an assistant professor at a Pentecostal bible college, will stop at nothing to keep Loretta right where he wants her.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is a delicious blend of mystery, gothic and paranormal horror, feminist empowerment, and even a hint of romance, all dressed with vintage flair. To my delightful surprise there is very clear Shirley Jackson influence at play here with the blend of paranormal meeting the very real and insidious nature of female oppression at midcentury, an unfortunately prescient reminder as we see our modern rights being stripped away as men work to put us back where they want us – we thought this was somewhere mid-20th century, but apparently it’s more like mid-19th century! Egads! What will these hornswogglers get up to next?!

I could nitpick a bit about some of the pacing and plot, but overall I had a great time reading and more people need to read this book!

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop

Book Review: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone

It’s rare that I rave about a romance book but here I am about to do just that!

After an anomalous one night hookup with Brooklyn bar owner, Ethan, Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and though far from the adultiest of adults she wants to keep the pregnancy. This choice will have far reaching consequences for Eve and Ethan, obviously, but also the chosen family within Eve’s sphere, namely, siblings Willa and Shep who have been her chosen family for much of her life.

Ready or Not is a messy love story, but it is that, a love story, one brimming with love in many forms, including romance. With snappy dialog, perfectly imperfect characters, nuance, and so much warmth, Ready or Not shows what is possible when you open yourself to possibility.

I could not get enough of this book! Totally huggable and recommended for fans of Emily Henry.

I’ve heard Bastone’s backlist is also worthwhile so I’m going to have to check that out next!

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.FM

Book Review: The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams

*The House of Broken Bricks* // Fiona Williams

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

A mixed raced family in the English countryside in crisis. Tess, who is Black, grew up in a Jamaican neighborhood in London, feels very out of place as the only person with dark skin in their rural agricultural community, disconnected from her culture and family in the city. Her marriage with Richard is on the rocks, an insider in his native community, he spends much of his time in his gardens and helping neighbors with odd jobs. And their two unique twins who present very differently to the world: Max, with his father’s light skin, and Sonny, who looks like his mother.

Separated into four seasons mirroring the family’s turmoil The House of Broken Bricks is a beautifully crafted, quiet, and touching emotional family drama. A fresh take on the English pastoral novel rich with symbolism, metaphor, and nature descriptions.

Shop: Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.FM