This book was ambitious in many ways-plot, setting and characters. Beautifully written and despite a dire situation this traumatized family and the stranger that washed on shore discovered by loving all living things you can learn how to better love your own family. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought this was a great plot driven story with mostly great characters with tough lives. I couldn‘t put this down.

This is a tremendous story about a through hiker lost toward the end of her AT adventure in Maine. But it is also about relationships of women and women who are different, in unexpected roles and the sisterhood that can be formed between strangers. It‘s also about healing family. A five star read for me!!!

It was interesting enough but the characters were kind of “yuck.”

Such a great HG installment but all so very sad. This book tied everything up with Haymitch‘s back story. Loved the glimpses of familiar characters 25 years earlier!

And you think your family has issues! Loved this slow reveal of this family‘s dark history and future. A quick read!

Great twisty, twisty thriller. Didn‘t quite figure it out which made it even better.

Another great Finlay installment. Tied up some loose ends and unraveled a few more. Enjoy!

I thought Hendrix did a great job with the characters and nailed the time, space and place. The book deals with all kinds of issues while keeping it fun with the witch story.

This debut novel was beautifully written about the quieter wrongs that took place in Holland affecting Jews during WWII and how long after those wrongs could not wholly be corrected.

I thought this was entertaining if implausible and the character building was good but seemed a little unrealistic in the time it was set.

My last book of the year and very much a favorite. Beautifully written, the structure is clever and I loved the stories of the girls. I did not find the boxing too much. I loved that it gave them a commonality and focus. Highly recommend!!!

Loved this inside look of a year in Stanley Tucci‘s life wrapped around food but it is really about love, family, work, creativity and then food. I want to go to a dinner party at his house! Great on audio!!!

Loved this National Book Award Longlist novel set in the early sixties. A marriage on the verge of a breakdown, all while a wife remains in the pool all day. Flashbacks when they met and how we got to that pool. So much in this short novel. Vibes of Revolutionary Road, Cheever‘s The Swimmer and even The Awakening. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read this in anticipation of seeing Waters do his standup tonight. Liked this and yes some of this is clearly made up but all the more fun.

This small book was amazing. It felt a little like auto fiction to start. Florida with all its quirks and its major weather events, COVID, grief and family all play into this and then it gets slightly fever dream, sci fi but it really works. So well written!

Loved this family deep dive. Lots going on here but it was a quick read considering its length. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good quick thriller mystery. Very sad story. Maybe a little reminiscent of Gabby Pettit but not a retelling. Just the premise. Well done with lots of secrets here. Read it in a couple of days. The cover is all wrong for this book.

This one is between a so so and a pan. The good- loved the subject matter and the section set in Vietnam was strong. The feminine perspective was good. I just think it was unrealistic the laundry list of horrible war and post war atrocities plagued Frankie. It was lazy to have it all be her. Give some troubles to a friend- it made it tedious and manipulative lessening what was good. I had hopes but it became too soap opera-y for me.

This is such a well written piece of fiction focused on a camper, the daughter of the camp owner, who disappears at camp many years after her brother disappeared in the same location. It is a bit of a mystery and family history but with lots of incredible complex characters, particularly all the women and locals. Liz Moore must know 1-camps and 2-the Adirondacks because it is all incredibly described. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a beautiful novel of a week at the summer cottage this family has visited for many years. It centers around Rocky and her husband, parents and adult children. It is a novel of all the feels of family life, raising kids, aging and watching parents as they decline. So well done.

I liked this story about a 19 year old who must grow up to deal with a newborn, drug addicted dad and a system rigged to terrify the poor and vulnerable. I thought Margot was a great character. Loved this one and the audiobook was good too.

I love a list and the list of best 100 in 21st century is fabulous. It‘s interactive so you can “mark up” their list and it has what you might also like and you can delve into literary greats top lists. I credit my book club and my kids fabulous AP Lit teacher for a lot of the ones I read. I loved them all!

I am so glad I listened to this one! The podcast chapters popped because of that. Took a bit to figure it but most of the characters kind of sucked for Lucy!

Really enjoyed this book. Thought the premise allowed pure and unadulterated observations of growing up and living life. Just a great book!

Loved the crazy premise of this book. Clever and ultimately sweet despite some good and bad husbands. Highly recommend!

Very creative murder mystery with twists and sci fi bits. Like nothing I‘ve read but just loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely rich people book where they grow more likeable and kinder as they should. Great dialogue and setting! Highly recommend!

Well deserving Pulitzer Prize winner. This short novel is not a quick read as the language is dense and circumstances of the inhabitants on this island off Casco Bay in Maine is a sad story. This novel fictionalizes the mixed race island community of Malaga Island, an existence that was too much for the early 20th century to let alone.

Kevin Wilson is brilliant. He makes very personal stories seem easy to tell successfully. This one is about teen friendships, being awkward, finding comfort in art and that friendship and the challenge to let that go as an adult! Glad to read this one.

O‘Connell‘s account of Malcolm Macarthur‘s crime spree is Dublin in the 80s that left two people viciously murdered is very compelling. The author has ties to the location and kind of stalked him to see if he would submit to interviews to tell his story after his release from prison. But it is also a story of privilege, unengaged parents and it actually led to the demise of the Irish government at the time. So well done. Literary true crime!

Read this on Reese and Jordy‘s recommendation. Great twisty con story- well played and compelling page turning plot. Fun book!

Sigrid Nunez pandemic book throws together unlikely apartment mates and a parrot to explore what being alive in such a strange reality means and how togetherness affects everything.

My top ten for this year. I moved to opposite ends of the country, started a new house, sold and bought a new house so my reading was not near as much as the last few years. I have lots queued up for this coming year. I love the re-set of the New Year. Happy 2024 Everybody!

My last read of 2023 has been on my list all year. My favorite part was about the gaming and I am not a gamer but I identify with the creative process and Zevin gets that really well in this book. I think she was heavy handed with the plot in spots and maybe tried to do too much but overall I was glad to spend time with these characters.

Happy to find a new fantasy world. Story and characters well drawn. Highly entertaining. Hoping the next one will be as good.

Entertaining story of frenemies in the writing world and their experiences publishing. Some stolen content, who should tell stories, and how we are haunted by such decisions. Kind of hateful characters but great plot to address publishing in general.

From the Spy Coast…loved this book. It sets up a great group of ex-spooks for more past meets the present quiet lives in the future. Really fun book.

This protagonist couldn‘t make a good decision to save her life. No one in the Hamptons or friends from the past know her story only minimal pieces. I understand the disappointment in the ending but I think it‘s masterful. All the pieces, all her threats and the results of her decisions come to a head and the ending didn‘t really matter as any one of them could have happened.

This book got better as it went along. Surprisingly nuanced tale of motherhood and its sacrifices. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Great retelling of the havoc of the crimes surrounding Ted Bundy‘s killing spree but it is told from the strength of the women that got to the truth victims and cut through the subjectivity of the press.

Loved the premise of this novel of interlinked tales of a Western Mass property. Each section was representative of the time depicted and were different from each other. Reminded me of the film Ted Violin. Very clever and well written.

I have spent many hours contemplating the authors subject of this book. What do you do with the artist who is brilliant and who makes meaningful art to you but they have done awful, monstrous things? We have so many examples of this- some cases hard, some much easier. I don‘t agree with some points but she is thorough, persuasive and these chapters seem important and current. I will be thinking about this one for a while!

Another great thriller mystery by Cosby. It‘s a bit graphic of course but the characters are well developed. The crimes are heinous but they address the hate around us.

I just loved this story of a family learning the story of their mom and dad during a magical time and place of youth and acting- the magic of Our Town and The Cherry Orchard. Beautifully paced and written by Patchett! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved this SNL romance. I loved all the details of the week with a guest host and it was a sweet character driven romance! 100% enjoyable!

This was a nice light romance. Well written and likeable characters. A little sweet home Alabama in its premise but no complaints there.

Finished this on another rainy Maine day. I enjoyed it despite the characters being difficult. I think it is well written and captured some of the anxiety and pressures Covid put on people and their relationships.

This was such a clever set up for a story about a movie from the real life inspiration through to the aftermath of the movie. I learned a lot and enjoyed these cast and crew members. Sort of a sweet story. Tom Hanks writes beautifully.

Love the format and twists of this story of a con artist. Great summer read! Rigetti makes a great story teller.