Lucy Barton (2022) - My first book about covid and I was ready for it. It struck painful chords as i deal with parents dementia and my own divorce and my husband's adultery. and i needed this; a quick enjoyable read that gives you a lot to think about.
the Man who dies twice by Richard Osman - a great installation in this series that touches on dementia and alzheimers (the dying twice of the title) and the far reaching affects of petty theft and murder. by Sarah Taylor -- book 4 in Sarah's great series
Give unto others by donna leon (2022) - great installment in the series -- dealt tangentally with covid but not the main plot - the main p;lot being what do we owe people in our lives? and how corruption affects us all.
The Maid by Nita Prose (2021) - did not live up to to the hype for me as it was hard to find a character I liked and yet I kept listening.
Bruno's Challenge by Marton WLajer - collection of short stories about Bruno; enjoy if you enjoy Bruno.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Hanson
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConoghy - took me awhile to get to this one but I am glad I did. a look at what we owe the environment what the environment owes us and how to heal. The Scottish countryside is a character as well, which was especially fun.
I am not your perfect Mexican daughter by Erika L Sanchez - A YA novel by an important voice in literature. Julia's sister Olga dies in tragic accident and the secrets she was keeping affect everyone as they try to manage this loss. Turns out Olga was not as perfect as people suspected and this leaves Julia with an identity crisis - who is she if the perfect sister was less than perfect and is now dead?
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
President of the Whole Fifth grade by Sherri Wilson
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad - A powerful memoir about cancer and living and love and travel and multiracial identities. Forward March by Skye Quinlan - A YA novel about partisan politics and identity and love and high school and social media fiascos. Truly entertaining and educational for thos of us not in high school. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Broken by Jenny Lawson
Please Don't Sit on my bed in your outside clothes by Phoebe Robinson
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Stacey's Extarordinary words by Stacey Abrams (2022) - a kids book for kids who need some insiration or permission to be fully who they are.
KLet's pretend this never happended by Jenny Lawson
Firekeeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020). I avoided this book for years because too many people raved about it. I just assumed there was no way it could be as good as people stated. Luckily a good friend dropped it off for me when my long awaited trip to London was aborted due to the inconvenient fact I contracted covid two days before departure. I couldn't read it then as my disappointment and symptoms made concentrating difficult, However another severe personal set back had me reeling this year a few weeks later and this book saved my sanity (for the moment as it has been a very challenging 2022. My friend, the author KJ Dell'Antonia - look for her latest book, In Her Boots on July 5th - has joked I appear to be living under very very messy misaligned stars since December). Anyway, this book and its foursome of retied folks living in what must be the best retirement village ever charmed the socks right off me. TheThursday Murder Club of the title started out with a group working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder and former police officer Penny who's currently comatose. The four remaining members include Elizabeth holder of an unspecified job, possibly as a spy; Joyce, a former nurse; Psychiatrist Ibrahim, and former politician Ron. When the cold cases are replaced by a double murder right outside their village, the club springs into action, charming to local police officers into assisting them - or at least into appreciating their meddlesome ways. Mr. Osman is an English Television personality and comedian and nows how to craft a tale that pulls you in and keeps you there for the duration. Enjoy this from any lounge cahir you happen to find yourself in this summer. You will not regret it.
The Missing Piece by John Lescroart (2022) The 19th book in this series does not disappoint. I read these as much for the opportunity to live in San Francisco again for awhile as I turn the pages as I do for the time spemt with the fabulous characters Mr. Lescroart has created -Dismas Hardy - lawyer with a heart of gold and a complicated past, former SF head of homicide Abe Glitsky, Hardy's law partner Wes Farrell and their respective romantic partners. In this one the aging protagonists are a bit more cynical and questioning their career choices as they face a case from their past lives and questions of guilt and innocence and appropriate punishment abound. Enjoy and for anyone who has ever loved San Francisco just buy it for the tour.
This is How Your Marriage Ends by Matthew Fray (2022). This perhaps should be a primer given to all newlyweds in the USA as they embark on their lives together. Mr. Fray famous because of his blog - Must Be This Tall To Ride, and his highly shared column about dirty dishes near the sink - expands his own experience as a divorced dad and his husband coaching business into a series of stories and thoughts and advice for anyone wanting to stay married. His raw emotion and honest look at the mistakes he made is refreshing and perhaps helping many not lose the one thing they say matters the most - their relationship with their partner.
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (2022). I read this during my bout with covid. It was perfect; it entertained with a lot of Dolly thrown in. And it got me out of my doldrums.The plot is simple - Rose is running towards a future as a country music star and with the help from a glittery established star with fake lashes nails and hair (sound familiar?) she just might make it before her complicated past catches up to her. Read is to escape - nothing more and nothing less. Learn a bit about how music is made in Nashville, especially the role the important role studio musicians play - the ones who will never be big stars but whose skills are essential to the success of every star in town.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (2022). Jess is broke and broken and needs a new chance at life. She turns to her half brother Ben who didn't really say yes to her suggestion she crash with him for a bit, but he didn't say no. So she arrives to his stellar Paris apartment from England only to find him missing. His neighbors are by turn helpful and suspects; and each day bring less clarity about what happened to Ben and what Jess needs to do with her life. Enjoy the eccentric characters in this building, the time in Paris, and the unexpected aspects of the plot. As Library Journal said in their review - "Another well-paced, suspenseful locked-room mystery with shifting points of view.”
The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor (2022). Luckily for mystery fans, Maggie D'Arcy is back - this time, unemployed and in Ireland to figure out whether her renewed romance with a beau from decades earlier can withstand close contact, trying to help her daughter Lilly deal with the trauma of Lilly's father's recent death, and trying to figure out what is next for her own career. Happily for us readers, she's in West Cork as she ponders all these items. It's gorgeous, and a vacation, and life is good until a body or two washes ashore. The development of an old manor home and migrant laborers from the European mainland, and old versus new money clashes seem to be at the center of the deaths and other things Maggie can't resist investigating. Think of this novel as a chance to spend quality time in an amazing Irish village with characters you'd love to have as neighbors or who at least would make your life more interesting. This is a perfect book for a comfy chair and some tea, or a porch, or a beach, or a plane, or to keep you company while waiting for an appointment, or when needing some travel inspiration or ...
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams call us what we carry by amanda gorman (2021)
A strange loop: a musical by Michael R Jackson (2020)
How the Word is passed by Clint Smith (2021)
greenlight by matthew mccaughay (2021)
black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia
Snow by John Banville #1
just Like That by Gary D Schmidt Mary Lee is sent to a boarding school in Maine after her nest friend dies. Matt is on the run from a criminal gang. Their lives intersect as a teacher from the school takes interest in them both. Another great book by one of my favorite authors of books for kids. Fans of OK for Now and Wednesday Wars will recognize some of the characters.
Great circle by Shipstead
2022 Kids and YA
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee (2022) - Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota. she has only seen her grandparents once that she can remember and it was so brief it basically did not happen. Suddenly, she is back there for a summer as her Opa is very sick and her Oma needs her mother's help running the Golden Palace. Last Chance is completely different from her home in LA. Her mother is completely different in Last Chance fighting with her Oma, concerned about her Opa and flirting with Last Chance's principal. Basically Maizy has no idea how she will survive a whole summer there. Then she discovers her Opa has amazing stories to share, and many paper sons - Chinese immigrants from the 19th century, traveled through and were helped by the Golden Palace on their way to other locations.
Inheritance a visual poem by Elizabeth Acevedo (2022). a beautifully illustrated poem about hair and race and so much more