Your basic disaster story. A plane goes down in the ocean, trapping some survivors 200 feet under water. A rescue plan gets underway. Plenty of cliches and dramatic moments. Would probably be good as a movie. Entertaining enough.

I saw that this was on the Booker Prize list and just grabbed it without really knowing anything about it, which turned out to be a great thing. This took a minute to get rolling, but then I could not put it down. There‘s so much tension that drives the story - I was just really invested to see where it was headed. The relationships are complex and interesting and the novel takes a few surprising turns. A marvelous debut.

Not realizing this was a series, I read the third one recently and liked it enough to go back and read this one to start at the beginning. But it‘s just a lot of shallow, icky characters. Getting in the mind of a murderer kind of thing. And so I didn‘t feel very invested and I don‘t think I want to read any more of these.

A couple buys a creepy old house with a seemingly eternal basement and lots of unanswered questions about its past. A family shows up unannounced on the doorstep and a snowstorm keeps them around. It‘s an eerie psychological thriller that drags its feet a bit too much. Not quite my thing. But if you like a dread-inducing, twisty, creepy book, you‘ll probably enjoy it.

A delightful, charming book about a man who has an accident that upends his life, which compels Virgil to forge a new and circuitous path to a changed existence. It all takes place in a small dying midwestern town with several endearing quirky characters. It‘s funny and hopeful. Engaging, entertaining, old fashioned storytelling.

Most of this wasn‘t earth shattering news to me, but it was a good reminder that we all need to be intentional in cultivating better communication skills. Skills that allow us to actively listen to others, encourage deeper conversations, and let others know that they are valued and seen. It‘s a positive message and an easy read.

This thoughtful, erudite memoir has two parts: the grief she felt in losing her beloved father, and falling in love with her future wife. Schultz shares vulnerable, personal moments from both experiences, but then goes a step further to explore the more universal vicissitudes of love and grief. A bit academic even, but so insightful. Since these two experiences overlapped, she discusses finding a greater appreciation in the dualities of life.

There was a lot I liked, but then one particular plot point really dampened my enthusiasm. Got “the ick” as the young people say.

An enjoyable thriller. I did not realize it was third in a series. There was clearly some history between two private detectives, but Swanson clues the reader in on bits of the past, and it holds up fine as a standalone. I liked it enough that I‘ll go read the first one, The Kind Worth Killing.

Set in Ireland in 1994, The Coast Road follows two women coping with their unhappy marriages at a time when divorce is still illegal. Collette left her husband, but returned, and now her husband won‘t allow her access to her children and she lives in poverty. Izzy is frustrated and miserable, struggling to find autonomy within the confines of a marriage she cannot escape. Both are considering the high cost of personal freedom. An excellent debut.

A 54 year old woman, Rocky, returns with her husband and adult children to the same vacation spot they have visited for over 25 years. While at the beach, Rocky wanders through a series of old memories, family traditions, ponderings of the past, and questions about the future. She tackles all aspects of womanhood—menopause, parenting, misogyny, childbirth, marriage, miscarriage, aging parents, sex. A lovely book with honesty, warmth, and humor.

A story about love and family in all its forms. I really liked these characters and their unusual family dynamics. Patchett always creates such vivid, specific, interesting characters and relationships.

A new series by Richard Osman? Sign me up! This first book starts strong and definitely makes me want to read the next one. Great characters thrown together under unique circumstances. Funny and clever with an interesting trio of personalities at the core. Looking forward to more.

This has an Eleanor Oliphant vibe with a bit of millennial snark, but set in The Office. After years of near invisibility in her cubicle pod, twenty-something Jolene finds herself at the center of an office incident that results in unexpected changes for everyone. It‘s so funny, but the workplace humor eventually morphs into a more poignant tale as Jolene digs deeper into the lives of her coworkers and her own past. A great debut.

I was SO EXCITED to get another Jackson Brodie book! I like pretty much anything Atkinson writes but this one was a welcome return to my favorite stuff—snarky dry British humor, entangled ridiculous plot lines, darkly comic morbidity, and a visit with Brodie. I giggled a lot through the last few chapters. This had a Clue whodunnit vibe that was extra fun. Just a good time.

I‘ve been in a healthy relationship for decades and never did online dating, so I was pretty dismissive because Ethan seemed a jackass from the start. Red flags were there. But if you‘re online dating, vulnerable and looking for love, I‘m sure there are folks that would take advantage of that. The “courtship” details went on too long. Point made. Most interesting was how the victims sleuthed it out to expose the creep and prevent further harm.

Cyrus is a young man who was born in Iran but grew up in the United States. He is a poet, an orphan, a recovering addict, and has a consuming fascination with death and martyrdom. And while that seems a potentially depressing read, it is surprisingly freeing to see how Akbar addresses so many heavy issues in engaging and enlightening ways. Akbar‘s prose is just exquisite; so many passages just left me dazzled. Such unique, affecting storytelling.

The narrative has the feel of an old British classic—restrained, atmospheric, and quietly devastating. The story follows young Tristan from the expulsion from his home as a teen into the trenches of France during WW1. Before he even reaches twenty, he has experienced monumental desire, betrayal, and despair, leading him to a moment of shame that will haunt him the rest of his life.

A helpful, informative, straightforward book about menopause—what‘s happening to a woman‘s body during this time, what the various symptoms are, and treatments available. All backed by facts, research, and anecdotal information from Gunter‘s own life and experiences as a gynecologist. The best part though, it was presented through an empowering, feminist lens. Left me with a positive view of womanhood in general, and of the changes in menopause.

Read this with a group at church. Prompted some good discussions and generated ideas for ways we might be able to move our congregation towards more racial justice awareness and action.

Just a sweet, life affirming book about five different people who find their way to a community library and find new ways to see themselves and others. It shows importance of making connections and approaching life with an open heart.

The author shares about his childhood in a small town, feeling different from his brothers, and fearful about his growing realization that he is gay. As a young adult, he starts to face his internalized homophobia and has a rocky couple of years before he finally starts to heal. Then he meets his future husband, Pete, finds his footing as a teacher, and shares about his unexpected role as the partner of a politician, and what that means for him.

I‘m in the minority here, but I gave up on this. It‘s not sharp or clever enough to really be a satire. It‘s mostly a very exaggerated conflict lacking any nuance. The characters are ridiculously one-dimensional. I love books, and I hate censorship, but this book just reinforces all of the terrible conservative stereotypes and pits people against each other. It doesn‘t seem like a helpful book or a funny book. It just seems not very well written.

I‘m more Emily Henry than Hallmark, so this was a good romance pick for me. Not too sappy, not too sweet. It‘s a story about missed opportunities and second chances. Sometimes life doesn‘t go as planned and the detour eventually puts you where you need to be. I‘ll read another one by Carley Fortune.

Phoebe Stone is at a breaking point. She bails on her life, leaves town, and checks into the seaside Cornwall Inn. At the hotel she is an outsider, the lone stranger in the midst of a huge wedding party. She finds herself pulled into the lives of these strangers, and discovers a freedom in her anonymity. Over the course of a week, she begins to see a new way of being. The book is introspective and surprising, with a darkly comic edge. Good audio.

Brendan O‘Hea conducted a series of interviews with Judi Dench, which were then edited down into this book. A fellow thespian and old friend, O‘Hea asks Dench about the many Shakespearean roles she has played in her over 70 years as an actress. She is opinionated, insightful, and snarky. And oh how she adores Shakespeare. This is for a very specific audience—theatre nerds and lovers of The Bard will find it delightful. Excellent audiobook.

This is a good Menopause 101. She lists the myriad symptoms you might be having, along with possible treatments, both pharmacological and not. Several symptoms that I did not know might be associated with menopause. Each section begins with a woman briefly describing her own symptoms and feelings, which made me feel like I wasn‘t alone and I wasn‘t crazy. Good starting point.

I‘m in the minority here, but I found this book very underwhelming after reading so many great reviews. It was too long and a tad boring. Just an average mystery.

A very unusual and poignant book about love, change, and loss. And about how the gifts of love linger on after the loved one is gone. If you like an unconventional story, this strange and moving book might be right up your alley.

A poignant adult romance from Rainbow Rowell. I loved her other adult book Attatchments, and this has similar traits—fleshed out characters, realistic life moments, deep friendships. Shiloh and Cary are high school best friends that have fallen out of touch over the years. They reconnect at a friend‘s wedding and the underlying longing they have for each other is reignited as they consider the possibility of taking that step beyond friendship.

The premise was better than the execution. The time travel didn‘t quite make sense, the romance wasn‘t that romantic, and the spy stuff was not particularly thrilling. I found the lead character too dull and gullible to be believable at the center of the drama. Interesting elements - race, sexuality, the change of social norms - were winked at but left mostly unexplored. The writing was beautiful at times, but the book bored me a bit.

After a truly challenging childhood and adolescence, plagued with symptoms and struggles that go undiagnosed and misdiagnosed, Brady is finally diagnosed with autism as an adult. She endured years of frustrating and painful experiences for lack of appropriate care. Autism can present differently in women; help is hard to find and often delayed. Brady shares her own journey so candidly. It‘s hard, intense, but good.

I loved Whelan‘s Thanks for Listening and looked forward to listening to this one too. The narration was, of course, just fantastic. I was definitely entertained, but My Oxford Year really paled in comparison. The main character has a backstory that is a bit too much of a stretch to hold up well, and she just wasn‘t sympathetic enough to get too invested in. Enjoyable, but not stellar.

A group of friends gathers for the funeral of one of their college crew who died way too young. They make a pact to continue holding “funerals” for each other to honor those friendships while they are still alive and able to hear how they are loved. This was just so-so for me. Read it for book club and found more to appreciate as we discussed, but the characters didn‘t really grab me and the dialogue and humor felt a bit too contrived and clunky.

This was interesting, but not surprising. Maybe I‘m just more skeptical than your typical American, but so much of this information seemed pretty obvious to me. The book focuses on the power cults and cultish groups have over others in the language they choose.

Oh I adored this book - the glorious writing, the lovable characters, the evocative descriptions of Italy and art and love. The book spans about 30 years in the lives of a chosen family of delightful, unconventional characters (and a parrot!), slipping back and forth from London to Florence. Hard to describe really, but it is such a satisfying, enjoyable story, focusing on the primacy of friendship and the celebration of living authentically.

This is an explosion of a novel involving illegal immigrants, a racist cop, a dead body, and a family upended by grief and a longing for justice. Lustgarten unleashes a harsh commentary on the darker side of modern day Britain with sharp, brutal observations of current policy and stabs of bleak, surprising humor. If Thelma and Louise hit the road in London, it might have looked something like this.

A solid follow-up to Rowley‘s first Guncle book. We drop in five years later as Patrick takes the kids on a European tour before their father‘s wedding. They‘re all older and are covering some new emotional territory as they struggle to accept the life transitions ahead. Gup has more life lessons for the kids, the European destinations are fun, and a there‘s a heartwarming, satisfying ending.

Just a fun little romance. The interesting bit is that the main character has face blindness, which was super interesting to learn about. Great narration on audio.

It took me a minute to get into this book, but once I did it was great. It is a story about Adina, a girl who always struggles to fit in. And that is because she is an alien from another planet. Literally. If you‘ve ever felt like an outsider, this book will truly resonate with you. It was unusual and surprisingly poignant as you get to know this delightfully strange young woman. The book is really about what it means to be fully human.

This brief novel is a lovely story about the ways that people connect, discover, and communicate. It is 1840 and a minister is sent by a landowner to an island off Scotland to evict the last remaining resident. The minister and the islander meet in a surprising way and a unique bond is formed, despite language and cultural barriers.

A pretty wild ride! I listened to this one and highly recommend the audiobook. The main character is a podcaster and there are several podcast interviews and news reels that are really well produced with multiple voices. There‘s lots of dialogue and conversation, so it made it easier to define the characters. A compelling, twisty thriller.

I simply ADORED Khong‘s first book, so maybe I just had unreasonably high expectations. I did enjoy this and the story was compelling, but it just didn‘t bowl me over. The story is told through three related characters who have vastly different life experiences. It seemed like three coming-of-age stories with an additional science/ethics thread tying them together. It didn‘t feel as cohesive as I wanted. But it was good and worth a read.

This one strange book. And I'm not sure exactly what I think of it. Allison is a young woman who suffers a traumatic brain injury. Dermansky shows us the aftermath of that incident through Allison's now altered perspective. It is a weird ride with an even weirder ending.

This book is about Martha, her lifelong struggles with mental illness, and the decades-long process it takes to finally be diagnosed. It‘s a hard sell. I know. But it is worth the sometimes disheartening journey to see her through to her diagnosis. It is such a realistic and honest depiction of life with the vicissitudes of mental illness, illustrated through Martha‘s experiences and the challenges it creates for her, her family, and her marriage.

About to turn 30, Darcy‘s life has imploded. She returns to her small hometown in Massachusetts to isolate and lick her wounds. Initially she decides that humanity is awful and she wants nothing to do with anyone. But she slowly but surely finds her way back into community and friendship with several colorful and engaging residents of the town. This is a funny, quirky, odd little book that goes from weird to charming to inspiring. I just loved it.

A beautiful story about forgiveness, second chances, and the transformative power of human connection. The characters (including a parrot!) are lovingly rendered and beautifully flawed. Just a wonderfully heartwarming, redemptive book.

I totally get this.

We follow the displaced Joad family as they make the trek west in search of work and a new home during the Great Depression. Published in 1939, the book feels eerily familiar today - roiling social divisions, vast gaps in wealth/opportunity between rich and poor, the anger hurled at the migrants. Heartbreaking, yes. But the Joads are rendered with such dignity and tenderness that you want to see them through all the hardships you know are coming.

A family drama/mystery that is focused on the family relationships. It is told from various points of view as the book jumps from the past to the present, filling in crucial moments in those relationships. First book I‘ve read by this author and I will try another sometime.