The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
366 pages

What’s it about?
 Adunni is just fourteen years-old and living in a small town in Nigeria.  All she has ever wanted was to go to school and become a teacher. Her dreams of school end when her mother suddenly dies.  Her father decides to marry her off as the third wife to an old man in exchange for food and rent money.  The old man  has hopes of Adunni bearing him a son.  When a sudden tragedy strikes, Adunni runs away to the big city of Lagos. She feels lucky to get work as a domestic servant until she realizes she is not getting paid, and as always her voice is being silenced by those in power.

What did it make me think about?
I loved that this story showed not only the cruelty , but also the kindness in Nigerian culture.

Should I read it?
This was an interesting story about Nigeria.  It has a cast of bigger than life characters.   Some you will hate and some you will love.  Adunni is a great narrator- don't miss meeting her!

Quote-
"She cough a little, shift herself on the floor mat, keep talking.  'In this village, if you go to school, no one will be forcing you to marry any man.  But if you didn't go to school, they will marry you to any man once you are reaching fifteen years old.  Your schooling is your voice, child.  It will be speaking for you even if you didn't open your mouth to talk.  It will be speaking till the day God is calling you to come.'  
     That day, I tell myself that even if I am not getting anything in this life, I will go to school.  I will finish my primary and secondary and university schooling and become a teacher because I don't just want to be having any kind of voice...
​       I want a louding voice."

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8 1/2 stars

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
208 pages

What’s it about?
 This story is narrated by a social media superstar.  She makes her living traveling the world to speak to the many fans who view her observations on "the portal". The post that brought her to notoriety was ("Can a dog be twins?").  This novel is split into Part 1 and Part 2.  The first section of the book seems to be the narrator sharing her glib, wry observations about humanity while living in "the portal".  In Part 2 real life interrupts. The narrator's sharp observations are written in short paragraphs that hit us like a barrage of her thoughts.

What did it make me think about?
This is SO much a novel of 2020.  It almost seems like it should be date-stamped and put into a time capsule.  I could not help but think that Patricia Lockwood is incredibly talented, and at the same time her talent is so distinctly of her generation.  A talent that has come of age on the internet.  Her writing is comprised of quick staccato observations that are made for a quick post.
 
Should I read it?
Someone that I actually know (and can sit in a room with) needs to read this book so we can talk about it!  I won't give too much away but I thought the two parts of the novel were distinct for a reason. The first part of the book was funny- but almost in a harsh, irreverent, trying too hard way- maybe like much of social media itself.  "Our mothers could not stop using horny emojis.  They used the winking one with its tongue out on our birthdays, they sent us long rows of the spurting three droplets when it rained.  We had told them a thousand times, but they never listened- as long as they lived and loved us, as long as they split themselves open to have us, they would send us the peach in peach season.
NEVER SEND ME THE EGGPLANT AGAIN, MOM!  she texted.  I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'RE COOKING FOR DINNER."
So I couldn't help but laugh, but at the same time it seems kind of condescending....  Perhaps Patricia Lockwood is highlighting what can happen to the way you view the world when you spend a considerable amount of your life online and posting for the reaction of others (Part 1).   It takes a big event to push her towards real relationships and off "the portal",  "He looks like he's doing a good job, she decided finally.  I bet his mom is proud of him, which is what she thought about most people she encountered these days.".   It's the juxtaposition of these two lives that makes the novel worth reading- and worth talking about.  

Quote-
"What did we have a right to expect from this life?  What were the terms of the contract? What had the politician promised us?  The realtor, walking us through being's beautiful house?  Could we sue?  We would sue! Could we blow it all open?  We would blow it all open.!  Could we...... could we post about it?"

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9 stars

 This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
305 pages

What’s it about?
 When Tallie Clark sees a man standing on the edge of a bridge she cannot stop herself from pulling over.  She convinces the man to come for a cup of coffee with her.  Over the course of the weekend they will make a difference in each other's lives.

What did it make me think about?
 This was such a hopeful book!  This book is about the importance of connecting with other people (even strangers), and the ability to move forward no matter what.

Should I read it?
This story hit that sweet spot for me this week.  I was ready for a book with functional people who are willing to help each other.  What a nice change of pace this was!
​
Quote-
"Tallie saw him drop his backpack and climb over the metal railing, the bridge. "

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8 stars

Girl A by Abigail Dean
342 pages

What’s it about?
Girl A escaped from a "house of horrors" (of her parents making) when she was fifteen and subsequently all of her siblings were found and released as well.  Years later Girl A is a successful attorney still grappling with her past.  When her mother dies in prison and names her as the executor to her will she must interact with her siblings once again.

What did it make me think about?
 Mental illness.

Should I read it?
It was easy to turn the pages of this book- but often hard to read.  I would recommend this book to anyone that loved "Room" by Emma Donoghue.  Different writers and different stories, but the same level of intensity.

Quote-
"But my past wasn't something that could be left behind us on a footpath or in a cluttered house in a distant city."

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​
​8 stars

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
245 pages

What’s it about?
This story takes place in Nigeria.  Ahunna and Chika hear a noise on their porch one afternoon and assume someone has come to visit.  When they open the door they find their son Vivek's body.  He is dead and has been wrapped in a colorful fabric and left on the front porch.  The family struggles to come to terms with Vivek's life, as well as his death.

What did it make me think about?
Akwaeke Emezi has a gift.  Her plot keeps you interested, but it is her well-drawn characters that make her a special writer.   

Should I read it?
 This was one of my favorite books so far this year.  I knew nothing about the plot ahead of time- and I think that was why I enjoyed this story so much.  The characters are vivid and interesting and the plot keeps you reading.  Book clubs everywhere will be choosing this next year.  This is a good one!

Quote-
​"I am not what anyone thinks I am.  I never was.  I didn't have the mouth to put into words, to say what was wrong, to change the things I felt I needed to change.  And every day it was difficult, walking around and knowing that people saw me one way, knowing that they were wrong, so completely wrong, that the real me was invisible to them.  It didn't even exist to them.  
    So: If nobody sees you, are you still there?"

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9 1/2 stars

Luster by Raven Leilani
227 pages

What’s it about?
 Edie is a twenty something woman living in Bushwick and working at an administrative job that doesn't really interest her.  As she tries to put her dreams of being an artist behind her, she finds herself making lots of inappropriate choices.  One of these choices leads her to Eric, a middle aged   married man who is in an open marriage.  When she suddenly loses her job she finds herself living in Eric's home- by invitation of his wife.  

What did it make me think about?
 Race and the complexities of relationships- all relationships. "I think of my parents, not because I miss them, but because sometimes you see a black person walking down the street, and you just know they have seen some shit."
​
Should I read it?
 Well I must say this novel was interesting.  Edie was a character unlike any other I have read.  Did I always get her?  NO!  But a glimpse into her world was illuminating.  This novel has won high praise and I understand that.  The writing is fresh and different.  Having said that, this novel wasn't one of my favorites- it was however worth reading...  My rating is based on respect- not necessarily love.

Quote-
      " 'Because I have to be honest, I'm having trouble reading you, and I'm usually great at that kind of thing.'  I finish my beer and try not to show how overjoyed I am that none of my need and loathing have come across. 'You're kind of aloof', he says, and all the kids stacked underneath my trench coat rejoice.  Aloof is a casual lean, a choice.  It is not a girl from Bushwick, licking clean a can of tuna."  

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8 stars

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
352 pages

What’s it about?
 Nine former college friends make a point to have an annual reunion on New Year's Eve every year.  This year they choose get together at a small, remote Scottish hunting lodge.  During their stay one of the people at the lodge goes missing.  The story centers around a cast of characters that all may be harboring their own secrets....
  
What did it make me think about?
 This was just a really good page turner.

Should I read it?
 For anyone who is looking for a book that will suspend any thoughts but "What is going to happen next?"- this book is for you!  

Quote-
"But I was struck by the thought that they did not seem completely comfortable in one another's company.  Which was odd, as they'd told me right at the beginning that they were very old friends.  But that's the thing about old friends, isn't it?  Sometimes they don't even realize that they no longer have anything in common."

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8 1/2 stars

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
368 pages

What’s it about?
 In this book a colorful cast of characters looks back to the 1970's to describe the trajectory of a rock duo that goes by the name of Opal & Nev.  What brought these two people together, and then what has kept them apart for the last thirty years.  Sunny Shelton is the newly promoted editor of a large rock magazine and she wants to write about a proposed reunion between the two. She has her own reasons for being interested in the duo so she goes back to he beginning. She interviews an interesting cast of characters to better understand their partnership.  And so begins this fictional oral history of the rock duo Opal & Nev.

What did it make me think about?
 As it has been said this book shares the same basic framework as "Daisy Jones and the Six", which is true, but the cast of characters could not be more different.  

Should I read it?
 This book was an interesting look back at rock music, the 1970's, female empowerment, racism, sexism, and individualism.   There is a lot packed into these pages and Dawnie Wilton writes beautiful passages.  I enjoyed the book but think I would get even more out of it if I discussed it with someone.  It would be easy to read this one and be entertained- but I think there is more to this book.  

Quote-
 “That’s what the South was like for me. Sweet on the first taste, but something gone sour underneath. It’ll try to trick you, now - the sugar berries and the quiet and those lovely spread out houses. But after that day with Auntie Rose, I could smell the rotten, too.”

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8 stars

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
581 pages

What’s it about?
 This is your basic murder mystery with a twist.  Mr. Horowitz has deftly weaved a story within in a story in this book.  We have two different murder mysteries that are linked together with common elements.  Who did it twice?

What did it make me think about?
 I just love a good whodunit!  What's to think about except who committed the murder?  This was a nice break from lots of books with heavy agendas.

Should I read it?
I have enjoyed everything I have read or watched by Anthony Horowitz.  Great characters, complicated plots, and lots of guessing right to the end.   This book was ambitious in that writing a story within a story may tax some readers memory.  It did mine, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  I would highly recommend this one.

Quote-
​"It never occurred to Samantha that she might, in fact, be in possession of too much knowledge- for her own good and everyone else's. "

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9 stars

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
580 pages

What’s it about?
 Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter Patsy had a front row seat to American history.  She witnesses the birth of a New Democratic America, and not long after travels to Paris with her father where she sees another revolution unfolding.  Patsy Jefferson would have much to tell if she were here today.  The authors of this story blend history with supposition to create an interesting version of Patsy Jefferson's life. 

What did it make me think about?
 Where is the truth in history?   "History consists of a series of accumulated imaginative inventions." Voltaire

Should I read it?
 I enjoyed learning more about the history of this time period.  However I can't say I came away from this book with a better feeling for who Patsy or Thomas Jefferson really were.  The book certainly kept my attention and I was curious about what would transpire, but the formal language put me off at times.  I am certain the authors were going for a certain tone and authenticity, but the formality tended to keep me at arm's length from the story. Patsy Jefferson certainly was portrayed as a woman that kept her own counsel, and was not forthcoming about what she truly thought or felt.  This includes one of the more interesting storylines- what she felt about Sally Hemmings and her father.  Also, what she truly felt about slavery.  At times I felt that the point of view that the writers were promoting did not transcribe to actual historical events.  But that is the beauty and downside to historical fiction isn't it?

Quote-
​"I couldn't have abandoned my father.  Neither for William Short nor for God could I have ever chosen a life away from Papa.  The country he's founded- the land he loved- needed him, and he needed me."

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7 stars