That Bookish Life

Elsewhere tells the story of Vera, a young girl, then woman, living in an insular and isolated mountain village, a place both familiar and strange, idyllic and foreboding, where mothers suffer an “affliction” which causes some of them to disappear.

No one knows exactly where or how they go, they just disappear seemingly into the misty clouds of their mountaintops leaving behind husbands and children and friends, never to be spoken of again. This unique affliction causes mothers of the village to be both revered and scrutinized for who will be the next mother to disappear?

Elsewhere is a meditation on both motherhood and childhood, two halves of a whole. This timeless speculative fiction is reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale not in content exactly, but in that it offers a very narrow scope of view with sort of peripheral peeks at broader context. And similarly to Handmaid not all questions will be resolved, but Elsewhere does tie up enough loose ends to be a wholly satisfying read.

A unique take on well trodden ground. I dug the themes and world building and dreamy almost fairytale quality. The writing is excellent with plenty of provoking, quotable lines.

Elsewhere would make an excellent book for group discussion and at little more than 200 pages your book club might actually read it 😉

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced review copy.

Traumatic brain injury. Ashley Judd. College hookup turned brain surgeon. A hurricane.

Thirty-two year old Allison is having a rough time. Fleeing LA and her movie producer boyfriend Allison has scraped enough money together to buy herself the perfect little fixer-upper beach bungalow on the shore of North Carolina just in time for it to be literally swept away by a hurricane. Allison’s story continues to spiral and we end up spending the majority of the story inside her head as she recovers from a traumatic brain injury.

Hurricane Girl is kind of a #weirdlittlebook and we know I appreciate me one of those!

The narrative is fuzzy and disorienting because we’re seeing events unfold from Allison’s perspective. This makes for a very immersive story. It also makes Allison somewhat of an unreliable narrator.

The publisher promised a story on the “knife’s edge of comedy and horror” and Hurricane Girl manages to balance that narrow space. There are elements of horror, mystery, and even humor as Allison finds her agency.

A page turner with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advanced review copy.

Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo

Dysfuntional. Disordered. Yearning. Alive. As with Lisa Taddeo’s previous offerings Ghost Lover explores the complexities of womanhood in all its messy glory. I enjoyed this collection of 9 short stories and remain in awe of Taddeo’s distinctive knack for characterization.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

A domestic drama with a thriller-y twist. Can’t Look Away alternates between present day and a decade previous exploring past relationships, old wounds, buried secrets, and toxic love that threatens to upend everything.

I’ve enjoyed author Carola Lovering in the past, but found this book to be readable but overall bland.

Vacationland By Meg Mitchell Moore

A multi-generational family saga with drama, love, both old and new, and a hint of mystery set in a well loved coastal cottage in a small town in Maine populated by well drawn characters. Members of each generation are facing their own challenges and the shifting point of view really keeps the pages turning.

Pitch perfect summer reading which begs to be read on a beach somewhere.

Out of all of these books Vacationland was actually my favorite! Definitely one to add to your summer reading stack!

Thanks to Netgalley, Avid Reader Press, St. Martin’s Press, and William Morrow Books for the advanced review copies.

Nora, a formulaic Hallmark-esque movie writer, takes her story to the big screen after her good-for-nothing husband abandons her and their two school-aged children.

Filming brings Hollywood heartthrob Leo to her doorstep and rather than leaving with the crew after shooting wraps Leo asks to stay the week at her picturesque historic home, offering $1000 per day in rent. Nora needs the money so agrees. They strike up a romance that winds up in jeopardy due to miscommunication.

Nora Goes Off Script is an easy breezy, plot forward romance meant to be enjoyed quickly at fewer than 300 pages. I’ve seen it compared to Evvie Drake Starts Over which I can see, there’s also a whiff of The Bridges of Madison County about it, which is actually mentioned in the book. You’ll definitely want to pick up Nora if you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask.

Prime summer reading as long as you’re willing to just roll with the story, that is yes, pretty outlandish, but entertaining nonetheless – much like those romance movies Nora herself pens!

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam Books for an advanced reading copy.

An old woman, a young man, and an aging octopus walk into an aquarium… stop me if you’ve heard this one!

Tova is a 70-year-old widow who also mysteriously and tragically lost her 18-year-old son decades ago when his boat vanished. Alone and aging her circle is growing smaller and smaller as those close to her continue to die or relocate. She spends her nights cleaning an aquarium where Marcellus, an also aging, giant Pacific octopus resides when he’s not trying to break free of his enclosure. Into the picture enters listless Cameron who was raised by his aunt and spent his whole life wondering why his parents didn’t want him. He’s in town trying to track down his father with little evidence to go on.

You know that saying, never judge a book by its cover? Well, I totally did in this case and it very much worked in my favor. That gorgeously bright cover just begged me to crack it open and I’m glad I did.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is an incredibly charming story. Marcellus the octopus is beyond endearing and his character totally works. Marcellus is a sentient being who narrates parts of the story, but he never directly speaks with the humans or anything like that. The story arc is engaging and satisfying, there’s mystery, love, friendship, and second chances; really, this is just the heartwarming story we all need right now.

Thanks so much to Ecco Books for the review copy!

Lola is in her late 30s and poised to marry her current boyfriend when she begins running into her exes in the streets of New York like she’s some sort of modern day Ebenezer Scrooge. Eventually she finds out her old boss, now the leader of a cult-like, New Agey startup is behind these encounters of exes past, which force her to confront her past relationships while contemplating her current one.

Funny and acerbic and very NYC, Cult Classic is easy, entertaining reading exploring Millennial relationships even if I didn’t fully connect with it in quite the way I’d hoped.

Thanks to Netgalley and Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for the advanced reading copy.

This may not be a pity memoir, but it is captivating.

One day author Abi Morgan’s partner and father of their teenaged children collapsed due to a rare medical condition. After months in a medically induced coma where survival was often touch and go, he awakens only to believe Morgan an imposter posing as his partner. It’s not just that he didn’t recognize her, he knew who she was supposed to be, he recognized and accepted the rest of their family and friends, but actively disbelieved she was who she said. Who even knew that could happen?!

In This is Not a Pity Memoir play and screenwriter Abi Morgan chronicles with touching strength, honesty, and intimacy, her and her family’s experience with rare medical tragedy turning their lives upside down. It’s beautifully written and definitely one you should pick up if you appreciate this kind of memoir.

Thanks to Mariner Books for the advanced reading copy!

Life, death, love, and hope in small town Connecticut depicted through a series of interconnected character vignettes a la Love Actually.  Some characters get more time on page than others, but a range of messy human experiences are shared.

A Little Hope is an engaging and comfortable read despite challenging topics.

Content note: death in many forms including stillbirth, substance abuse, illness/cancer, adultery

Set primarily in 1968 Scarlet in Blue follows 15-year-old Blue and her artist mother Scarlet who have recently moved to a small lakefront town in Michigan after years on the run from “HIM”.

Blue has never seen the man her mother fears but has spent her entire life living in his shadow.  Scarlet has brought them to this new town specifically to connect with a psychoanalyst named Henry in hopes of curing her trauma.

The story is told from the perspectives of Blue, Scarlet and Henry. It becomes clear pretty quickly Scarlet has sought out Henry for more that just psychoanalysis, though her motives aren’t transparent, nor is her mental state, though this isn’t what I’d consider a typical unreliable narrator story.

Author Jennifer Murphy has a background in art which she uses to add a really interesting layer to this story. I think the plot could have been tightened up a little bit, at close to 400 pages I felt the story ran a little long, but overall a solid psychological suspense thriller.

I’m surprised I’m not hearing more about this one. Though Scarlet in Blue is a very different book, and it should not be directly compared, the vibe reminded me quite a bit of The Silent Patient.

Three adult sisters grapple with drama in their own lives while sorting out the estate of their recently deceased mother who has specified they sell their beloved vacation home in Maine.

I was really looking forward to reading It All Comes Down to This because I’ve enjoyed author Therese Anne Fowler in the past. I found this book to be quite a departure from her previous novels even though each one is unique in its own right. Fowler suggested she just wanted to write something fun and entertaining and I think she’s done that.

It All Comes Down to This is a serviceable family drama though I didn’t find it to be a stand out among similar stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reading copy.