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.
All in Fiction
THE BERRY PICKERS
I had seen The Berry Pickers recommended a few times, but it hadn’t yet made it to my stack of books when my mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. Books are always a good bet as a gift for me, but this one was such a wonderful choice that I gave it back to her as soon as I finished it so she could read it too!
IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT
In the Unlikely Event takes place in Elizabeth, New Jersey in the 1950s. Blume creates three generations of endearing characters, all of whom connect to 15-year-old Miri Ammerman and her mother Rusty.
are you there god? it's me, margaret.
are you there god? it’s me, margaret. is the iconic story of a young girl on the brink of adolescence who moves from New York City to the suburbs.
AFTER YOU'D GONE
I know I’ve mentioned before how once I fall for an author based on an amazing book or two that she has written, I can’t wait to read other titles by her. Honestly, I often find these books to be fine, but not as powerful as the “breakthrough book,” or the one that propelled the author to fame. This is not the case with Maggie O’Farrell.
THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS
Novels set in another time and place that are so realistically drawn as to cause me to have a visceral response are rare and wonderful. For me, they make the storyline feel like an extension of the setting. Or is it the other way around? Does the story feel compelling because the author portrays the setting with such authenticity? Whatever the explanation, Pip Williams has mastered the balance of both factors in The Dictionary of Lost Words.
THE MIGHTY RED
I firmly believe that Louise Erdrich should be on every reader’s “go to” reading list. Just when I think she can’t possibly write a better book than her last, she does. Not only does she always tell a compelling story filled with memorable characters, but she unfailingly writes masterful prose.
THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE NIGHT
This month’s selection for The Book Bus Book Club is The House at the Edge of Night. Banner has written a gorgeous novel with an incredible sense of place. Set on a small island off the east coast of Sicily, Banner tells the family saga of the Esposito family over four generations. Amadeo first comes to the island of Castellamare to practice as a doctor before the First World War.
HERE ONE MOMENT
Liane Moriarty is one of my “must read” authors. As soon as she publishes a new book, I’m on it. I enjoy her writing not only because she comes up with relevant and compelling storylines, but also because she consistently develops multi-faceted, interesting characters. In Here One Moment, Moriarty’s skill at observing and describing believable human behaviors shines through masterfully.
THE WILD ROBOT
In early October, I heard a bit of buzz about a new animated movie called The Wild Robot. Specifically, I heard that it was not scary or overstimulating, but a wonderful story for kids and adults. We were heading north for Canadian Thanksgiving and I decided that in addition to seeing the movie over the holiday weekend, we could listen to the audiobook on our four-hour drive.
SUMMER SISTERS
During her interview with Jenna, Blume discussed how her novel Summer Sisters had been reissued in a special 25th anniversary edition to coincide with Jenna’s selection of the book for her August 2023 “Read With Jenna Book Club.” Hager chose a 25-year-old book because she viewed it as the quintessential novel about female friendship. How was it possible I’d never heard of this book? Next trip to the bookstore, you can bet it was in my stack of books to buy. And I couldn’t wait to dive right in.
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
When a friend asked me recently for a recommendation for her book club, “something somewhat new that probably most people won’t have read yet,” I couldn’t text her this title fast enough. I was riveted from the first page and raced through it at top speed, anxious and eager to see where Zhang would take her story next.
THE CLIFFS
In thinking about the two novels I’ve chosen to review this issue, it occurs to me that they have significant similarities. Both are written by women and have strong female protagonists. Both deal with issues of ownership and/or usurping the rights of others. And both are absolutely “must-reads.”
THE SILENT PATIENT
I recently added this book to my reading list based on several recommendations and then I spotted it in a Little Free Library in my neighborhood. So, after slogging my way through Donna Tart’s The Secret History, I wanted a book I could fly through and The Silent Patient definitely delivered.
BY ANY OTHER NAME
First off, I want to point out that Jodi Picoult’s latest book is very different from any of her previous books. And, even though Picoult figures as one of my automatic “must read” authors every time she writes another book, By Any Other Name rocked me in a way only a very few of her other books have.
NIGHT WATCH
I’m not sure if Night Watch flew under the radar for everyone, or if it was just my 2023 baby fog, but I completely missed this Pulitzer Prize winner last year. And I’m thrilled I managed to snag it from the library because it was a truly stunning, unique and heartbreaking novel.
THE MINISTRY OF TIME
I might not have found this clever debut novel about time travel if my friend Jane hadn’t recommended it. Then after I’d finished reading it, I saw that it was on Barack Obama’s summer reading list!
ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST
I dont always love every pick in the Reece Witherspoon book club. I often find that the stories are exciting, but the actual execution lacks skill, or the authors choose the easy way out with a topic that could have been so much more. Anita de Monte Laughs Last surpassed all expectations and Gonzalez has written a truly skillful, intelligent and emotionally fascinating book.
BEAR
Julia Phillips has written her second novel and it is every bit as wonderful as her debut novel, Disappearing Earth (read review here). To have Ann Patchett provide a promotional blurb on the cover of the book and call the author a “brilliant writer,” pretty much says it all. (I believe that Ann Patchett is one of the best authors writing today.)
JAMES
To undertake the retelling of Mark Twain’s classic book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn could seem an incredible act of hubris. But to rewrite the iconic story from the perspective of Jim, the Black slave who is as crucial to the story as Huck himself, was absolute genius. In James, Percival Everett has forever changed how readers will view the story of Huckleberry Finn.