listen to the mothers

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

Rating: 4.25 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: If Jodi Picoult is the only author I would have trusted to write about the COVID-19 pandemic when we were still coming out of it (and she is), then I also trust her to write about the September 11 attacks with care and sensitivity (and she does).  But this book is about much more than September 11, and in some ways isn't actually about that day at all, although it provides a necessary backdrop for the story.  This book is really about motherhood, friendship, and postpartum psychosis, and perhaps, by putting all of that together, Picoult has taken on a bit too much.  If this were a book by anyone else, I would say that it was definitely too much.  So the book drags a bit in the middle and towards the end, and one character is perhaps dragged off the stage too abruptly, but this is still Picoult, if not at her finest.  You will learn something from this book (probably lots of things), find yourself thinking about something in a different light (probably lots of different lights), and have all the feels (probably at once).

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

done and dusted

Denim and Dust by Harper Dale

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: Laurel never wanted to leave her small Texas hometown, and she knew she'd never really get over Calder, her first love, but she didn't feel as though she had any choice -- at the time.  Ten years later, having put up with her husband's cheating for the last time, she leaves Nashville with Bowie, her young son, to return home and start her life over again.  Inevitably, she and Calder can't avoid each other, and the sparks are definitely still there.  Readers will root for Laurel and Calder from the beginning, and will absolutely fall in love with Bowie.  Secondary characters come to life as well, as Laurel's parents thrill to be grandparents, and Laurel and Calder's best friends try to decide what their feelings are for each other (and set us up for a sequel).  The "denim and dust" metaphor is a little strained, a couple of minor characters are more like charicatures, and the author seems to have a vendetta against wind turbines, but this is still a western romance worth reading.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

along for the journey

Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: It took me a while to figure out why Korn name-drops so many brands and bands and trends in this book, but I finally realized that it's because this book is very intentionally grounded in the times and places it portrays, spanning the 20 years from 2005 to 2025, and the country, from Long Island to California.  Frankly, as someone who's not into indie music and doesn't pay much attention to brands, it put a barrier between me and the story.  Once I figured out that the names were just signals to orient us in time, space, and socioeconomic status (and that there were other signals that a brand-oblivious person like me could use), and not meant to convey any superficiality on the part of the characters, I was able to get on board.  And once I was on board, I enjoyed joining Susan in her journey to discover who she's meant to be.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

2/3 worth it

The Last Page by Katie Holt

Rating: 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: I was about 1/3 of the way through this book before I started to feel comfortable with the main characters.  Prior to that, it seemed like they were acting in ways to deliberately set up conflict, even though they were, ostensibly, on the same side.  I get that some tension needed to be established, but it felt excessively clunky to me.

Once Ella and Henry got over themselves a little bit and agreed to work together, the story smoothed out.  There was still plenty of narrative tension (will the bookstore survive? will Henry really go back to Tennessee?) but their actions and motivations made a lot more sense.  Getting to that point is well worth it, though, so the remainder of the book is a sweet love story, with some excellent secondary characters.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

meaningful, but not heavy

Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Rating: 4.5 stars (out 5)

Genre: romance

Review: At 26, Ramona Wilder is done with the spotlight.  A child star who transitioned to being a pop star at the urging of her manipulative mother/manager, she's had enough.  But what is she going to do with the rest of her life?  She'll go to college, she decides, to try to make up for some of the "normal" experiences she missed growing up.  From her first day on campus, Ramona and her psychology professor, recently divorced Nick Navarro, feel undeniably drawn to each other.  Solomon doesn't shy away from the many issues inherent in this scenario: the professor/student relationship, the age gap, and the sexualization of young stars, as seen in the way that Ramona struggles to figure out a way to relate to Nick in anything other than a sexual way.  This is a lot of weight to put on a romance novel, but Solomon is more than up to the task of exploring those issues and also giving us relatable characters and a believable love story.  You'll be rooting for Nick and Ramona's happy ever after all the way through.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

a picture is worth...

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiigari, translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: healing fiction

Review: The Lantern of Lost Memories is, at the same time, a cohesive novel, and a collection of three short stories that seem only loosely connected until the end, when the connection becomes much clearer.

Each story begins with a delivery,  The deliveryman, Yama, brings a box to Mr. Hirasaki and they have a cheerful exchange, as they always do.  Yama comments on the size of the box, and makes a prediction about Mr. Hirasaki's next visitor based on the size and heft of the box.  Each box contains photographs - precisely one photograph for every day of the life of the next to visit Mr. Hirasaki's photo studio.

The photo studio is a waystation between life and the afterlife.  The recently deceased must sift through their individual boxes of photos and choose one for each year of their life.  The photos will then be placed on a spinning lantern to give them a last chance to relive their favorite memories.  Additionally, each person has the opportunity to go back to one day in their life to retake a photograph of a special memory.

Mr. Hirasaka is on hand for every state of the journey from death to afterlife, but doesn't know why he's stuck in the liminal space of the photo studio.  Unlike his guests, he has no memories of his life or death, and only a single photograph of himself to go by.  As the last story wraps up, and the threads begin to tie together, we get hints of why this is so, but no clear picture (pun intended) emergese.  Perhaps a sequel is in the works in which Mr. Hirasaka will help more people make the transition from life to death and will also learn more about himself.

Overall, a thoughtful and reflective addition to the healing fiction genre.

on repeat, but lovely

Love in Plane Sight by Lauren Connolly

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: Lauren Connolly knows how to write a romance that a reader can root for.  Watching Beth and George fall in love and overcome obstacles was absolutely lovely.  Though Beth's is slightly fuller, both have well-drawn backstories that make the road they're on together very real.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Connolly would agree that she's given us excellent backstories, because she feels the need to repeat Beth's several times.  We get it.  We understand why Beth accepts George's offer of free flying lessons but is afraid to act on her attraction to him.  We get that she's worried about money but doesn't want to cause her mother any stress.  We get it.  Let's move on.

I have to say, though, that my favorite parts of this book involve Beth's book club with her brother, especially the scene where she tries to win an argument by standing on his coffee table and shouting.  Except they really resolve their literary disputes over a deck of cards and shots of tequila.  It's absolutely marvelously written.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.