Wow! Huge thanks to my friend Pam who gave me The Frozen River as a gift.  It is one of the best historical novels I have ever read.  I had never heard of Ariel Lawhon until now, but am already on the hunt for all of her previous books.

Dirtbag, Massachusetts is the most stunning memoir I have read in a long time—maybe ever.  I had never heard of the book or the author until recently when they were both praised on a podcast.  Of course the title intrigued me, being a proud resident of Massachusetts for most of my life.  But when I opened the book, it was Fitzgerald’s writing that grabbed me in the very first sentence. 

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent was a perfect recommendation that I received from a long-time subscriber to L&L! Listening to the audiobook not only got me through packing up our house to move, it also made my heart extremely happy.

I picked up Galore from my shelf with some trepidation because the only other book by Michael Crummey I had read, Sweetland, was excellent but bleak and depressing. But Crummey is my father-in-law’s favorite author, so I wanted to give him another try. I’m so glad I did because this book is a wonder.

Jacqueline Woodson is the master of the tiny book that packs a big emotional punch. She writes brilliantly for young adults as well as adults, and this book felt like a perfect bridge between two genres.

In one of the most beautifully written memoirs I’ve ever read, Ketanji Brown Jackson invites the reader into her life and describes her journey from being a young girl living in a segregated Miami neighborhood to becoming the first Black woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.