I’m not usually a big biography gal, probably because I have read more than a few boring ones, often of playwrights I admire. So this book sat on my shelf for a while, despite my dad’s hearty recommendation. Lesson learned: listen to dad.
AFTERLIFE
Afterlife is a beautifully written, sensitive and realistic exploration of one woman’s struggle to come to terms with her husband’s sudden and unexpected death. The novel begins one year after Sam’s death and Antonia is still fixated on her final days with her husband. She has conversations with him in her mind as a means of keeping him alive. Antonia is grappling as well with how and when she’ll feel able to interact with her three sisters again. They have always been very close, but she’s found them barely tolerable since becoming a widow.
THE ALIENIST
As our first book, we decided to read The Alienist by Caleb Carr, a whodunit set in New York City at the end of the 19th century when both psychological analyses of criminals and forensics were in their infancy.
TRICK MIRROR
In Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino offers nine ori-ginal essays about the current state of the world we live in – as seen through the eyes of a whip-smart millennial with a feminist perspective. Tolentino is a staff writer at The New Yorker who before working in the Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan, grew up in Houston in a family very dedicated to their evangelical mega-church. Through her essays we learn of her transformation from devout Christian and obedient daughter to independent thinker and commentator on her generation.
THE NIGHT CIRCUS
If magic, love stories and dramaturgy (the theory and practice of dramatic composition) excite you as much as they do me, this is the book for you. I had no idea what I was in for with this one, and I really loved it—a perfect escape book!
THERE THERE
I’ve been reading a lot of books since the COVID-19 quarantine began and There There is by far the most memorable. Orange artfully constructs the book around 12 characters, each of whom has different feelings about his or her Native American roots. The setting is modern day Oakland, California. The characters are at once exotic in their differences and empathetic in their humanity.
CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS
I know I am late to the Sally Rooney party, but I am thrilled to have finally joined. (And I will read Normal People as soon as it comes off the library wait list!). Conversations with Friends is witty, sexy and intelligent without any heavy-handedness. I enjoyed reading it, but it did not feel fluffy or light.
EXPECTING BETTER
It may seem unusual for a 60+ woman to be reading a book about pregnancy, right? Well, my daughter Maddie was so fascinated by this book and talked to me about it so frequently, that I told her I wanted to borrow the book when she was done.
DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD
What an absolutely lovely surprise I had reading this book! Although it had been recommended to me by one of my all-time favorite people (thank you, Diana), when I read the flap copy, I was skeptical. Set in a remote Polish mountain village, Drive Your Plow tells the story of recluse Janina Duszejko, part-time caretaker of houses, translator of William Blake, devoted astrologer and animal lover extraordinaire. Described as a thriller and a whodunit, I couldn’t imagine how it could possibly live up to its hype.
THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN
The musical Come From Away is easily one of my favorite shows of the last ten years. It tells the story of the days after 9/11 when 36 planes were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland rather than their U.S. destinations. The Day The World Came To Town follows the same events, with many of the same characters, although the two are not related in anything other than subject matter. Each has its own authors who conducted their own interviews.
THE STARLESS SEA
In recommending The Starless Sea, I struggled to name the genre of the book. I’ve decided it is fantasy – along the lines of Harry Potter but written for adults. The Starless Sea tells the story of Zachary Ezra Rollins who attends a small Vermont college, majors in Computer Games and keeps mostly to himself. One day, Ezra happens upon an old book in the library which, upon reading, he realizes tells the story of his life exactly up to that moment.
A COLUMN OF FIRE
There is nothing small about a Ken Follett book, and the intimidating weight of A Column of Firekept me from picking it up for almost two years after purchasing it. But once again (like The Pillars of the Earth) the book flies by with characters and plot lines you’ll remember for years.
NORMAL PEOPLE
Normal People is the most poignant coming-of-age novel that I’ve read in years. Rooney’s beautiful, spare writing style and her ability to bring to life very real characters who interact in believable ways makes this story one I’ll remember for a very long time.
DAISY JONES & THE SIX
I’m going to come clean and admit that I did not know this book was fiction until two days into reading it. I decided I should listen to the music of the band I was reading about, but all I could find was a Spotify playlist made by Random House with music of other artists that they thought were similar to Daisy Jones & The Six.
THE STORYTELLER
I’m always up for a good Jodi Picoult book when I need something easy to read on vacation, or after reading something challenging. (This time it was Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow). Although this one fit the bill in terms of a gripping story told with her trademark flair, the subject matter made it much harder to digest than Picoult’s usual fare. (Which, by the way, is called “child peril lit.”)
THE TESTAMENTS
Thirty-five years after writing her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood has given us the ultimate gift of an absolutely fabulous sequel in The Testaments. Although I read The Handmaid’s Tale many years ago, I was able to jump right into The Testaments because I’ve been following the Hulu television series of The Handmaid’s Tale.
THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR
Every once in a while you begin a book and right away you know you are in for something special. Ice Cream Star is one of those books and delivers on its early promise right through the entire, epic story.
CATCH AND KILL
n recommending this book, which I do highly, I had to reflect on the many different aspects of a book that I believe make it a “must read.” Catch and Kill will punch you in the stomach and leave you breathless with the story Farrow tells. I knew the book was about Harvey Weinstein – his predatory behavior and how he got away with it for so long because he was a rich and powerful influence in the film industry. What I hadn’t anticipated was Farrow’s strong evidence that for years, many other powerful men knew of Weinstein's behavior.
SIMPLICITY PARENTING
The subtitle for Simplicity Parenting is “Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Nurture Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids,” and that is exactly what it delivers. Payne provides a toolbox of ideas, anecdotes and observations about why so many kids today are experiencing such high stress and anxiety, and how we might go about fixing it.
THE DUTCH HOUSE
Ann Patchett has done it again – written a fabulous novel from beginning to end. I am amazed at how reliably she produces books that I absolutely love. The Dutch House tells the story of a brother and sister, Danny and Maeve, who were abandoned by their mother at a young age. When their father remarries and soon thereafter dies, their stepmother throws them out of their magnificent family home in the Philadelphia suburbs.