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Author: ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

About ondbookshelf

Blogging my way through my extensive to be read pile of books.

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Published on 1 Comment on Writers and Lovers
Writers & Lovers Book Cover Writers & Lovers
Lily King
Fiction
2020
Grove Press
320
Purchased

Blindsided by her mother's sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she's been writing for six years. At thirty-one, Casey is still clutching onto something nearly all her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life. When she falls for two very different men at the same time, her world fractures even more. Casey's fight to fulfill her creative ambitions and balance the conflicting demands of art and life is challenged in ways that push her to the brink.

Writers & Lovers follows Casey--a smart and achingly vulnerable protagonist--in the last days of a long youth, a time when every element of her life comes to a crisis. Written with King's trademark humor, heart, and intelligence, Writers & Lovers is a transfixing novel that explores the terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another.

My review:

I admit that I did not read this author's highly acclaimed novel Euphoria. For some reason the plot of that one didn't grab me like this one did. A book about a struggling writer choosing between two men in her life sounded pretty interesting. And it was! I really enjoyed the character of Casey, even though she made a lot of choices that maybe I would not have. I liked reading about her days. The trials and tribulations of working at a restaurant, trying to write despite having writer's block, her lingering grief over losing her mother, her estranged father, and the two men who enter her life forcing her to look closely at where she wants her life to go? Despite all that sounding like a depressing read, there were lots of uplifting moments to this novel. The two little boys of one of her lovers, the process of selling a manuscript, the sights and smells of her everyday existence, all of these combine to really immerse you into Casey's world. Despite most of her friends moving on to humdrum lives, Casey is clinging to her artistic side and hoping to break the mold. This novel is definitely more character driven than plot driven, and the writing is lovely, both things I gravitate toward when picking up a book. The ending was quite satisfying, not necessarily the way I might have chosen, but I'm not Casey, and was still rooting for her however her life played out.

I really enjoyed this literary fiction book about a down on her luck woman and her rise above the set pattern of her life. I may even go back and take another look at Euphoria 🙂

Published on Leave a comment on If I Never Met You
If I Never Met You Book Cover If I Never Met You
Mhairi McFarlane
William Morrow Paperbacks
March 24, 2020
Paperback
400
Free from publisher

When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.

Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend.

My review:

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that rom-coms are not really my go to genre. Especially those with the girl meets guy, hates on sight, then falls for him in the end.....ugh! However, that's not to say that I don't read them (especially after consuming books with heavy hitting themes), and occasionally find one that I like. Not love mind you, I haven't completely lost my mojo 🙂 This was one of those that I liked. Why you may ask? I felt awful for the main character and could see how she stumbled into the situation she found herself in. She was enjoyable, the office drama was fun, the writing was light and the pace moved along, and there was definitely growth of the characters. I loved that Laurie found a new independence and love for herself that she needed in order to fully move on from her failed relationship. The characters felt a bit more real to me than what I sometimes find in this genre. I wasn't a huge fan of the rushed ending, but the ending in these type of books is what always leaves me annoyed anyway, so don't mind my cynicism.

I recommend this as a light read to get your mind off all the heavy topics in our world today. This is pure escapism, but we all need a little dose of that once in a while right?

Published on Leave a comment on A Good Neighborhood
A Good Neighborhood Book Cover A Good Neighborhood
Therese Anne Fowler
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
February 4, 2020
Advanced Reader Copy
304
Publisher via BookExpo

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son. Xavier is headed to college in the fall, and after years of single parenting, Valerie is facing the prospect of an empty nest. All is well until the Whitmans move in next door―an apparently traditional family with new money, ambition, and a secretly troubled teenaged daughter.

Thanks to his thriving local business, Brad Whitman is something of a celebrity around town, and he's made a small fortune on his customer service and charm, while his wife, Julia, escaped her trailer park upbringing for the security of marriage and homemaking. Their new house is more than she ever imagined for herself, and who wouldn't want to live in Oak Knoll? With little in common except a property line, these two very different families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.

Told from multiple points of view, A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today―What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?―as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending star-crossed love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

My review:

Reading this book was like watching a car wreck. You knew it was going to break you, but you just couldn't look away! You know from the beginning of the book that something bad is going to happen in the fictional town of Oak Knoll NC, but that something will not be revealed until the end (may I suggest tissues). In a nutshell this book explores what happens to a good neighborhood when a pompous white guy destroys one of the houses to raise a McMansion. The destruction of a tree on his neighbor's property is just the tip of the iceberg for the problems that ensue. From racial and justice inequality, to purity vows, young love, and rags to riches complacency, this book packs a punch! Little by little pieces are revealed until the shattering conclusion that was predicted. The writing was skillful, the pacing was perfect, and the characters were very well formed. So well formed that I wanted to reach into the book and shake several of them and say "what are you doing?" I'm very thankful that there is an epilogue in this one, I don't know that my heart could have taken it if there wasn't.

Don't miss this one, it will most definitely be one of my top books of 2020!

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Published on 1 Comment on You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone Book Cover You Are Not Alone
Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen,
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
March 3, 2020
Hardcover
352
Purchased

You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.

You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.

Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.

My review:

Another twisty thriller from this great writing duo! Interestingly I've read both of these authors solo works, and while they are good reads, the combo of them together takes their books to the next level. I will say that their second book, An Anonymous Girl remains my favorite, but this one was still a page turner. I loved that the main character Shay was into statistics, and kept a notebook of random facts, some of which appear at the beginning of chapters. Some were really mind boggling! There were lots of women to keep track of in this one, which made it a bit confusing, but it all comes together in the end so don't get too mired in keeping them all straight. This is one of those books that I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, but it took me for quite the ride, and I had no idea what was happening (or why) throughout the whole thing! The only slight negative I will inject is that I thought Shay was a bit too naive and trusting to suddenly turn into a super sleuth. You know the saying "if it seems too good to be true?"......yeah, that was me yelling at Shay throughout the book!

If you are looking for a fast paced thriller that has so many twists you shouldn't even bother trying to figure out what is going on, this one is for you. Can't wait to see what these two think up next!

Published on Leave a comment on The Red Lotus
The Red Lotus Book Cover The Red Lotus
Chris Bohjalian
Fiction
Doubleday
2020
E-book
400
Publisher via NetGalley

The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin's arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. The only clue he leaves behind is a bright yellow energy gel dropped on the road.

As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, and deals with the FBI, Austin's prickly family, and her colleagues at the hospital, Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?

Set amidst the adrenaline-fueled world of the emergency room, The Red Lotus is a global thriller about those who dedicate their lives to saving people, and those who peddle death to the highest bidder.

My review:

I have been reading this author's work ever since one of his first novels (Midwives) was chosen by Oprah for her book club. Bohjalian lives in Vermont (where I was born and lived for 35 years), and this was a very big deal for our tiny state! I may have missed a couple of his 21 novels, but I've devoured most of them. The Red Lotus was no exception. What worked for me in this thriller? First of all, I used to work in a hospital lab, so he had me at the protagonist being an ER doctor. Second, without giving too much away, suffice it to say that today's pandemic has an eerie connection. Third, the creepy facts I learned about rats.....yes, rats! Lets just say I like them even less than I already did! As always, Bohjalian has a way with words and every story is very different from the ones before (pretty hard to do when on your 21st book!). I will say that you had to pay close attention in this one as there were a lot of characters to keep track of (especially who was on whose side). Despite this, I had a much easier time following this one than last year's book The Flight Attendant (I was so lost with the spy stuff I'm still not sure I ever figured it out by the end). Despite the fact that the ending may have been a bit rushed, I did feel it delivered a good conclusion. While I love that this author can write in many different genres, his last few books have been of the thriller type. I can only hope that at some point he will slip in a book like Midwives and Close Your Eyes Hold Hands, which are my two absolute favorite Bohjalian books!

An excellent thriller with a large cast of characters, set partially in Vietnam, with lots of medical stuff thrown in for junkies like me. Definitely put it on your spring reading list.

Published on Leave a comment on The Girl with the Louding Voice
The Girl with the Louding Voice Book Cover The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Daré
Fiction
Dutton
February 4, 2020
Hardcover/Audio
384
Purchased

A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to fight for her dreams and choose her own future.

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a “louding voice”—the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.

When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.

But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can—in a whisper, in song, in broken English—until she is heard.

My review:

What an extraordinary book! Adunni is a character who I will never forget! I don't feel the need to go into a lot of the plot, it's well documented in the book synopsis above. The characters were so well formed (especially Adunni). I will admit that if I had read this one instead of listening on audio, it might have taken a bit of time to get over the vernacular (told in Adunni's voice), but the audio narration was superb! Even though a lot of this book is depressing, there is always a current of hope running through it, and you find yourself cheering for Adunni like she was your own daughter! I also can't write this review and not give a shout out to Tia, who we all need in our lives.

I'm purposefully being vague in this review, but please know that it's because I think this is a book that you need to go into rather blind, it will definitely enhance your experience! I'm so impressed that this is a debut novel, I can't wait to see what else comes from this talented author!

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Published on 2 Comments on The Operator
The Operator Book Cover The Operator
Gretchen Berg
Fiction
HarperCollins
March 10, 2020
Hardcover
352
Free from publisher

Nobody knows the people of Wooster, Ohio, better than switchboard operator Vivian Dalton, and she’d be the first to tell you that. She calls it intuition. Her teenage daughter, Charlotte, calls it eavesdropping.

Vivian and the other women who work at Bell on East Liberty Street connect lines and lives. They aren’t supposed to listen in on conversations, but they do, and they all have opinions on what they hear... especially Vivian. She knows that Mrs. Butler’s ungrateful daughter, Maxine, still hasn’t thanked her mother for the quilt she made, and that Ginny Frazier turned down yet another invitation to go to the A&W with Clyde Walsh.

Then, one cold December night, Vivian listens in on a call between that snob Betty Miller and someone whose voice she can’t quite place and hears something shocking. Betty Miller’s mystery friend has news that, if true, will shatter Vivian’s tidy life in Wooster, humiliating her and making her the laughingstock of the town.

Vivian may be mortified, but she isn’t going to take this lying down. She’s going to get to the bottom of that rumor—get into it, get under it, poke around in the corners. Find every last bit. Vivian wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be.

But as Vivian is about to be reminded, in a small town like Wooster, one secret usually leads to another.

My review:

4.5 stars

What a delightful read, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent with this book! I'm not going to rave about any gorgeous literary prose, but I am going to rave about the way the author sucks you into the lives of the people in this small town in the 1950's.

Small aside......This was one of my most anticipated books of the spring. My aunt worked as a telephone operator during the same time period of this book (and for her whole career!). I remember as a kid when she would talk about how they weren't supposed to listen in to conversations, but occasionally would hear the beginnings of some interesting stuff!

And so we have Vivian, who overhears something devastating to her and her family! She grapples not only with whether to cover it up, but also who was the bearer of the information and how did they get it? What I loved about the book was not only did we follow Vivian on her quest for the truth, but there were several other stories about the townspeople going on at the same time. This made the pacing of the story perfect as it weaves in and out of people's lives. As serious as some of the subject matter was, there was also humor interjected (I will never forget the "four flushers"!)

Packed with small town life in the 50's, with great characters, and ultimately a story of forgiveness, I got everything I was looking for. Don't miss this one!

Published on Leave a comment on The Body Politic
The Body Politic Book Cover The Body Politic
Brian Platzer
Fiction
Atria Books
March 3, 2020
Hardcover
320
Free from publisher

New York City is still regaining its balance in the years following 9/11, when four twenty-somethings—Tess, Tazio, David, and Angelica—meet in a bar, each yearning for something: connection, recognition, a place in the world, a cause to believe in. Nearly fifteen years later, as their city recalibrates in the wake of the 2016 election, their bond has endured—but almost everything else has changed.

As freshmen at Cooper Union, Tess and Tazio were the ambitious, talented future of the art world—but by thirty-six, Tess is married to David, the mother of two young boys, and working as an understudy on Broadway. Kind and steady, David is everything Tess lacked in her own childhood—but a recent freak accident has left him with befuddling symptoms, and she’s still adjusting to her new role as caretaker.

Meanwhile, Tazio—who once had a knack for earning the kind of attention that Cooper Union students long for—has left the art world for a career in creative branding and politics. But in December 2016, fresh off the astonishing loss of his candidate, Tazio is adrift, and not even his gorgeous and accomplished fiancée, Angelica, seems able to get through to him. With tensions rising on the national stage, the four friends are forced to face the reality of their shared histories, especially a long-ago betrayal that has shaped every aspect of their friendship.

Elegant and perceptive, The Body Politic explores the meaning of commitment, the nature of forgiveness, the way that buried secrets will always find their way to the surface, and how all of it can shift—and eventually erupt—over the course of a life.

My review:

I'll admit to being nervous going into this book. I'm not usually a fan of books about "twenty somethings", I hated The Interestings which it is compared to in the blurb. Luckily, other than flashbacks to their time in college, most of the book focuses on the friends once they've hit their mid thirties. This was a well written book in that it had my emotions going all over the place! At some points I was so disgusted with the characters actions I wanted to reach through the book and slap them, while in the next few pages I was feeling sorry for what they were dealing with. This pacing of my emotions kept me engaged all the way to its conclusion. I'm not going to say that I particularly liked any of the characters other than Angelica (who is not one of the initial trio), but they each had their moments. I thought the nod to politics was very interesting, especially since John Edwards was from my state of NC (so his campaign news was everywhere!). There were even a few references to the current administration thrown in that had me laughing out loud. I liked the resolution at the end for the most part, although the last chapter had me scratching my head wondering what I was supposed to get that I obviously didn't.

An engaging story that will have you switching loyalties right and left. I can definitely see the comparison to The Interestings, although I enjoyed this one much more.

Published on Leave a comment on The Sea of Lost Girls
The Sea of Lost Girls Book Cover The Sea of Lost Girls
Carol Goodman
Fiction
William Morrow Paperbacks
March 3, 2020
Paperback
336
Free from publisher

Tess has worked hard to keep her past buried, where it belongs. Now she’s the wife to a respected professor at an elite boarding school, where she also teaches. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, whose dark moods and complicated behavior she’s long worried about, seems to be thriving: he has a lead role in the school play and a smart and ambitious girlfriend. Tess tries not to think about the mistakes she made eighteen years ago, and mostly, she succeeds.

And then one more morning she gets a text at 2:50 AM: it’s Rudy, asking for help. When Tess picks him up she finds him drenched and shivering, with a dark stain on his sweatshirt. Four hours later, Tess gets a phone call from the Haywood school headmistress: Lila Zeller, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach, not far from where Tess found Rudy just hours before.

As the investigation into Lila’s death escalates, Tess finds her family attacked on all sides. What first seemed like a tragic accidental death is turning into something far more sinister, and not only is Tess’s son a suspect but her husband is a person of interest too. But Lila’s death isn’t the first blemish on Haywood’s record, and the more Tess learns about Haywood’s fabled history, the more she realizes that not all skeletons will stay safely locked in the closet.

My review:

This is my second book by this author (here is my review for The Night Visitors), and I'm a fan of her writing style and mysterious plots. She does a great job creating a setting that is ominous and creepy. In this case the story takes place on the campus of a boarding school on the coast of Maine, where several girls have been "lost" over several decades. One woman with a secretive past has returned to teach at the school, and when her son's girlfriend turns up dead , both he and her husband (a fellow professor) are suspects. The writing flows well so that the story moves at a fast pace with clues thrown in constantly that will probably help a good sleuth reader, but just kept me clueless until the final few chapters.

A fast paced who dunnit with a great cast of characters in a foreboding setting should resonate well with most readers who like a good mystery.

Published on Leave a comment on This Won’t End Well
This Won't End Well Book Cover This Won't End Well
Camille Pagán
Fiction
Lake Union Publishing
February 25, 2020
E-book
300
Publisher via NetGalley

No new people: that’s Annie Mercer’s vow. It’s bad enough that her boss sabotaged her chemistry career and her best friend tried to cure her with crystals. But after her fiancé, Jon, asks for space while he’s gallivanting around Paris, Annie decides she needs space too—from everyone.

Yet when Harper moves in next door, Annie can’t help but train a watchful eye on the glamorous but fragile young woman. And if keeping Harper safe requires teaming up with Mo, a maddeningly optimistic amateur detective, who is she to mind her own business?

Soon Annie has let not one but two new people into her life. Then Jon reappears—and he wants her to join him in France. She’s pretty sure letting anyone get close won’t end well. So she must decide: Is another shot at happiness worth the risk?

My review:

I've read a few novels by this author and have really enjoyed myself with her characters! I'm not going to tell you that the writing is a work of art, but it is succinct, and the story flows at a good pace without a lot of unnecessary details. I particularly liked that this book was formatted in journal entries, emails and some really funny listserve posts from the neighborhood. I loved the main character Annie, who is trying to live her life while not getting in anyone's way or calling attention to herself. Having said that, you may think she is someone to be walked all over, but you would be mistaken! Underneath she is a fiery force to be reckoned with who just wants to make the right decisions regarding friendship, work, and relationships. Lots of secondary characters to like in this one, and several laugh out loud moments as well as serious life choices.

This one is highly engaging! It's funny in parts, but also thought provoking while we follow Annie as she makes life altering decisions. Worth the read.