Delicate, fragile, human book. I can‘t get some of these letters out of my mind. Now I‘m eager to read the longer collection of the original (non-graphic Bintel Brief from the original papers).

Fantastic. Brilliant book. It has been so many years since I felt a glimmer of optimism about our environment. I really appreciate the ideas and resources suggested in the book. This is one of the few books I‘ve read in the last three years that has actually changed my life.

What an astonishing talent! Evaristo‘s study in Other-ing is engaging, grim, hilarious, and beautiful. The ending was elegant and perfect.

Well-told, heartbreaking portrait of the relationship between a boy and his mother. This is a tough one to settle into, because the backdrop is so gritty and debased (both the place and the people), but a reader finds it unbearable to have the story end. The story is visceral and engaging.

Engrossing survival story of a 5-person crew on a small sailboat originally intending to sail from Connecticut to the Bahamas before the boat hit an intense and long storm. Most of the crew were relatively novice sailors. This story really draws a person in! Now I know what true heroes rescue swimmers are. Nonfiction.

What a gorgeous novel. Heartbreaking and beautifully told. This struck me as a redemptive, more hopeful Beloved. Even knowing how strong Coates‘s nonfiction is, this is one impressive debut novel.

This is the best book I‘ve read in two years.

The story really picked up as it went along. Great characters and dialogue (of course, it‘s James McBride!) after a slowish start. The ending is a tiny bit too pat for my taste, but the story as a whole and the experience of reading it was thoroughly enjoyable.

So interesting.

Beartown was fine. Backman tripled down on hockey as a metaphor for life (and it really might be a fine one!), but the author is so heavy-handed (repeating phrases at the end of a chapter to make sure the reader gets it) that it feels less like reading and more like a lecture. He doesn‘t trust his readers to come to the conclusions he wants them to have. The contrarian in me is irritated by Beartown (and Ove) because of that.

Well-told story, unusual setting and characters. I found it really difficult to get past the grossness of the romantic relationship between the child and the adult, though. I‘m looking forward to reading more from this author; she‘s talented and is a great story teller.

I adore Drago Jancar. I adore him. I can only read him once every few years, though, because his stories send me into a tailspin. This one is really powerful, and I had no idea which way was up when I finished it. The story is set in Slovenia during WWII. It is told from the perspectives of five different narrators. I do not have an explanation for how Jancar makes the story feel so specific and universal simultaneously.

Wow. Great account by the two journalists who covered the Weinstein story.

Murder mysteries are not usually my cup of tea, but this gentle mystery was a pleasant diversion and a fast read. I didn‘t love the fraught relationship between the established detective and the young rookie detective, still a bit puzzled by it.

The narrative was a little bit cliched in places, but it was fine overall.

Nonfiction, but hardly reads that way! Peculiar story of the con man who called himself Clark Rockefeller. Well researched.

Understated novel, engrossing and well-told.

Wonderful graphic novel about a Somali child growing up in a refugee camp in Kenya. V Jamison‘s illustrations are spot-on.

Started out better than it ended, but still it was a worthwhile read. Contains great anecdotes and a good framework.

Engaging and well-told story.

Horrific story.

So interesting to read about Ambassador Powers‘s childhood in Dublin and her career path.

Cute story, fast read.

Just finished Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers, set in 1980s Chicago and modern-day Paris. It was a real page-turner, a sad story with some surprising turns and a slightly hopeful ending.

Fourth and final novel in Ferrante's excellent series. The story is tied up so elegantly; no false notes the whole way through. I just finished it, and I'm so sorry that it's over.

Heartbreaking and hilarious, and a super-fast read.