I started this quarter with some nice sized books and loved them. What’s the longest book you’ve ever read? (Photo is only a few.)

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

It’s no wonder it took 17 years after her first bestseller for Stockett to see this one published. Clearly written after a ton of research into the realities and hardships of the early 1930’s. Realities like how women and Black people were diminished, Black people the most. The heart of the novel is Meg, a young girl seemingly abandoned as a small child by her mother. Birdie is a young woman seeking help for her own destitute mother from the sister who married into money, when she crosses paths with Meg. But no one’s story is quite what it seems on the surface. These 634 pages are moving, filled with both generosity and hard-heartedness. What a journey for Birdie, Meg, and Charlie. It also points out how damaging today’s slings and arrows against equal rights for all can be.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I rather hate that it took me so long to get to this novel. I loved it for lots of reasons. Good writing and compelling narrative, of course. But the story is based in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s – terrible times for working women. Elizabeth Zott is no ordinary worker, either; she’s a chemistry savant, who meets the love of her life in a chemistry lab, but that’s just part of Elizabeth’s story. The daily diminishment of women, and downright misogyny, are ever-present themes, but we also see the tragedy of unwed pregnancies in those days. The book is at times heartbreaking but can also make you cheer. The role of the dog didn’t resonate with me but wasn’t a turn off either. Again, I loved it, but it was a clear reminder of how easily women’s rights can be lost.

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

I had high hopes when I started this 642-page book, based on reviews I had read. But alas, after about 100-pages, it went in the DNF bin. I found the teen girls who were the focus in the beginning to be tiresome and repetitive. Bottom line, 100 pages in, I didn’t care.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

What a lovely novel this is! It’s all about the power of books, finding your strength, knowing your people, and more. When Tilly’s husband Joe is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he meets with the local bookshop to order a book a month for his widow after he passes. Each book helps her work through her grief journey. Through it all, Tilly learns everyone is walking a path others may not know about. I loved the references to books I have enjoyed and maybe added a few to my list. Thank you for this beautiful gift, Joan!

*Side note: hard to believe this author (with 6 books published) is only 34 years old and has this much wisdom.

Nash Falls by David Baldacci

I’ve long been a Baldacci fan, but this introduces a new character unlike most. Walter Nash is a wealthy businessman contacted by the FBI to bring down his boss for fraud. And then it gets quite convoluted, with a lot of mysterious bad guys and risks to Nash and his family. It’s not my favorite, but it’s a reasonably good thriller; however, I prefer these novels to tie up a bit more neatly, while leading into the next book.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

I’ve read a couple of Semple’s earlier books that were quirky but fun reads. Go Gentle is quirky but covers philosophy (the main character is a Stoic philosopher), art history, sexual assault, a love story, and parenting within a mystery. It seemed a bit disjointed at times and the “who’s who” was tricky. Not a bad book but not my favorite of hers.

The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor

Full disclosure: this is a young adult version of the author’s memoir. I picked it up at a used bookstore thinking it would be “enough.” It was. The memoir focused a lot on Sotomayor’s family and Puerto Rican background, as well as her academic prowess and dreams. She shares how various mentors and friends led her to the Supreme Court. Worth reading.

Mending the Grieving Heart by Erica Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, and FT

I was so excited for my friend Erica on the release of her first book for adults that I read it immediately. It addresses an issue we will all face sometime: grief and supporting loved ones in times of grief. Dr. Sirrine has worked with death and dying and provides personal anecdotes along with this guide for caring for ourselves and others in times of all types of grief. It’s not an academic read.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne

This is another “commitment” novel of nearly 600 pages, but it was worth it. It’s a multi-generational and family-linking story, revolving around one man, Cyril. From birth and adoption to old age, Cyril traverses an Ireland of gay-hate to a more progressive time. There’s a lot of forgiveness that draws Cyril’s family together, which makes for an emotional journey. Not a book for everyone, and trigger-warning for gay sex. But I loved it.

The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr

While this book starts with a woman discovering her husband of 20+ years has cheated on her repeatedly and then leaving to discover herself, it’s about so much more. It’s about friendship and betrayal, mothers and grown daughters, forgiveness and moving on, art, sexuality, being true to oneself, and more. I liked it.

Both/And A Life in Many Worlds by Huma Abedin

I’m glad I invested my time in this wide-ranging memoir. Abedin was a college student when she first interned in the office of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (referred to as HRC), then moved on to the US Senate, then State Department with her. She was a valuable member of enormous teams and shares fascinating insider perspectives. The book carries through HRC’s historic Presidential nomination and race, and my heart dropped yet again just reading about election night. Abedin also married and had a child during these years. Her husband created a scandal in his/their life, and Abedin details the impact on her and their son, families, and friends. Throughout, we read about her family and career world travels and the challenges of being an American-born Muslim.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I originally read this novel when it was first published (2004) and became a fan for…as long as Picoult keeps writing. It has stuck with me but learning that Picoult’s upcoming novel features a minor character from this one, I had to reread it. The novel deals with tough, emotional situations between parents and children that, fortunately, few of us have faced. The chapters alternate perspectives, so tension is high and it delivers a masterful plot twist. It was worth rereading, so I remember Jesse’s past when I read the new novel.

The Widow by John Grisham

I burned out on Grisham quite a while back but decided to read this after Pete said it was better. It was okay but not great. I found the first half tedious, as the real plot wasn’t revealed til nearly halfway through, when it became a race to solve a murder. I didn’t like the main character’s regular observances and descriptions of women’s appearances. Not cool or relevant to anything. The big murder reveal was unexpected, so credit for that.

One Split Second by Robert Dugoni

Book 12 in the Detective Tracy Crosswhite series, and I still love them. In addition to the mysteries and compelling detective work, I enjoy the way Tracy has grown and the involvement of her husband and daughter as the series has progressed. It can be read as a stand-alone, but the series is worth it. As a bonus, one reference was especially amusing but likely wouldn’t be recognized by anyone other than 50: a character was described as looking like he wore “Telly Savalas glasses.” Who remembers Kojak?

Good Company by Cynthis D’Aprix Sweeney

I gave it 70 pages and just didn’t care about any of the characters. DNF.

Uncommon Type short stories by Tom Hanks

Surprisingly good stories, some better than others. The common point is that they all reference a typewriter (see title), but they stand alone. All lean toward sweet and reflective.

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

This may be her best book yet, which is saying a lot since I’ve liked nearly all her novels. Take the anniversary of 9/11, a young woman who lost her mother at that time, and the fire-loving son from Jodi’s earlier novel My Sister’s Keeper, and you get a loving, heartbreaking, forgiving, complicated family. The book also does a deep-dive into post-partum psychosis. You don’t have to have read My Sister’s Keeper, but it’s also an excellent novel and gives even more depth to this one.