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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Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Deacon King Kong by James McBride

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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Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
​The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey
​These Women by Ivy Pochoda
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

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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The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Varina by Charles Frazier
Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

7 stars

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
318 pages

What’s it about?
 Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  He is raising his 14 year-old nephew, Nathan, and dealing out justice for those on the reservation who are denied it by the system.  It becomes personal for Virgil when Nathan begins to get involved with drugs and the legal system.  Not only must Virgil must come to terms with his conflicted feelings about his Native identity, but he needs to find out who is bringing drugs onto the reservation.  

What did it make me think about?
 This book highlights aspects of local and federal law that affect Native Americans on reservations.  

Should I read it?
 So I picked this book up thinking it was simple crime fiction.  I was ready for a plot driven book without a heavy message- so I may not have been in the mood to appreciate this book as it should be appreciated.  Although this book is based on solving a crime- it is really a Native American story.   Let's face it- the Native American story is tragic. The book is compelling and the mystery is solid so I would recommend this to anyone looking for a literary crime story.

Quote-
"Back in the time before Columbus, there were only Indians here, no skyscrapers, no automobiles, no streets.  Of course, we didn't use the words Indian or Native American then;  we we're just people.  We didn't  know we were supposedly drunks or lazy or savages.  I wondered what it was like to live without that weight on your shoulders, the weight of murdered ancestors, the stolen land, the abused children, the burden every Native person carries." 

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Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
There There by Tommy Orange
​The Round House by Louise Erdich

​8 stars

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
191 pages

What’s it about?
 "It was her idea to tie up the nun".  And so begins the novel, Infinite Country.  Talia is 15 years-old and serving her time in an all girls correctional facility when she decides to break out and make a run for it.  Time is of the essence if she is to make it back to Bogota in time for her flight to the United States.  It is her chance to reunite with her mother and siblings in the land of her birth, but it will mean leaving behind her life in Columbia and her father.  

What did it make me think about?
"​He wanted to convey to his daughter the price of leaving, though he had difficulty finding the words.  What he wanted to say was that something is always lost; even when we are the ones migrating, we end up being occupied."

Should I read it?
 This was a beautiful book.  It is a story of immigration, but it is also a story of family.  I highly recommend this book.  It would be a great book club selection.  

Quote-
​"He didn't want his daughter to see her grandmother's condition as a death sentence.  He didn't want her to fear the body's natural process as it was shutting down, preparing for its exit from life.  He wanted her to see that as long as Perla took breaths and had a heartbeat, even if her own home and family felt unfamiliar to her, she was loved and valued and still so alive, and though they could no longer reach or understand her, and her expression became a blank, secretive mask, she would know through their touch and voices that she was safe and belonged there."

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Dominicana by Angie Cruz
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

9 1/2 stars

Outlawed by Anna North
261 pages

What’s it about?
 This slim novel takes us back to 1894 and a different Wild West.  The flu has killed a large percentage of the population and a woman's worth is tied up in having babies.  Ada is seventeen when she marries, and excited to become a wife and a mother.  When she doesn't become pregnant right away she begins to fear she will be branded a witch, and sent to prison or killed.  Her mother sends her away before that can happen.  She joins up with the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang and an interesting story begins.

What did it make me think about?
 This was just a fun gender-bending adventure story.

Should I read it?
 I highly recommend this one.  It has been said that it is A Handmaid's Tale meets Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and I can't think of a better way to describe this book.  This book is for anyone who likes a quick adventure story- with a twist.  

Quote-
"I tried to picture what it would be like to leave home because you wanted to- to be able to simply choose a different life.  It was beyond my imagining."

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Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

9 stars

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
311 pages

What’s it about?
 Reuben Land is an asthmatic 11 year-old boy living in the Midwest.  When Reuben's older brother Davy kills two intruders the whole family must come to terms with it.     

What did it make me think about?
 Faith, family, miracles, and who we choose to rely on.

Should I read it?
 I revisited this book after 10 years and enjoyed it again a second time.  

Quote-
"Fair is whatever God wants to do."

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
​The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
​Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig

8 1/2 stars

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
241 pages

What’s it about?
Clay and Amanda drive away from Brooklyn with their two teenage children looking forward to a summer vacation on Long Island.  They have rented a nice house with a pool out in the countryside and envision barbecues and day trips to the beach.  On their second evening there is a knock at the door and their vacation changes. New York City is experiencing a blackout and the homeowners have returned to the country.  But is it safe?

What did it make me think about?
 I could not help but to think of the beginning of the pandemic when I read this book.  Are we ever really prepared for our world to change?

Should I read it?
 I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.  The story was suspenseful, but in a different way than I expected.  Mr. Alam's observations on race, class, and even parenting are thoughtful, "Her distrust was not of her parents but of the world that they had made, and maybe she was right."

Quote-
"They had asked themselves questions when they decided to have children- do we have the money, do we have the space, do we have what it takes- but they didn't ask what the world would be when their children grew."

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A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Exit West by Moshin Hamid

8 stars

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
378 pages

What’s it about?
 Samuel and Isaiah are slaves living on a plantation in Mississippi called Empty.  As young men they are tasked with keeping the animals and the barn- a job that requires brawn and strong backs.  As they grow into the job, they also grow into a romantic relationship.  This relationship goes unremarked upon until another slave, Amos, decides to start preaching the white man's God on Sundays.  Once Amos begins preaching, the other slaves realize that this relationship puts them all at risk.  

What did it make me think about?
How our behaviors are shaped by our circumstances.

Should I read it?
Robert Jones Jr. is a beautiful storyteller. This book is told in many different voices- from slaves to slaveowners. It is heart wrenching and affirming at the same time. I was apprehensive about this book.  I had heard it was a story of two gay lovers living in slavery in the South.  I couldn't imagine it and I am amazed at what Robert Jones Jr. made me feel about this subject.  To me- this novel was about having the courage to love, no matter your circumstances, rather than who you choose to love.

Quote-
​"This is why Isiah and Samuel didn't care, why they clung to each other even when it was offensive to the people who had once shown them a kindness: it had to be know.  And why would this be offensive? How could they hate the tiny bursts of light that shot through Isaiah's body every time he saw Samuel?  Didn't everybody want somebody to glow like that?  Even if it only last for never, it had to be known. That way, it could be mourned by somebody, thus remembered- and maybe, someday, repeated."

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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Memorial by Bryan Washington
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

9 stars

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alex E. Harrow
371 pages

What’s it about?
 January Scaller is often left alone at Locke House while her father journeys the world looking for treasures.  Mr. Locke (her father's employer) treats January kindly, but she finds herself restless and she misses her father.   She longs for a more adventurous life.  January is expected to "behave" and she finds her escape in books.  When a special book appears that tells the story of secret doors and hidden worlds, she wants to know more.
  
What did it make me think about?
This is a story about words- more succinctly it is a story about the power of words.  The stories we read are doors into other worlds, often worlds we are unfamiliar with.  "Words and their meanings have weight in the world of matter, shaping and reshaping realities through a most ancient alchemy."

Should I read it?
 Even though I found this book really inconsistent- there is still so much to like about it.  It is a fantasy story written for readers.  The book kept me engrossed at times, and uninterested at other times.  All in all, there is way more to like than dislike in this book. I think this story would lend itself to a good discussion.

Quote-
"Doors, he told her, are change, and change is a dangerous necessity.  Doors are revolutions and upheavals, uncertainties and mysteries, axis points around which entire worlds can be turned. They are the beginnings and endings of every true story, the passages between that lead to adventures and madness and -here he smiled- even love.  Without doors the worlds would grow stagnant, calcified, story less."

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeymii
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Buried Giant by Kazoo Ishiguro

7  stars