The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler
386 pages
 
What’s it about?
This novel spans three generations in Northern Wisconsin between 1962 and 2022.  The book is told in four separate parts and centers around a Boy Scout camp named “Camp Chippewa”.  The book begins as 13-year-old Nelson tries to find a place among the other boys and men at camp. 
 
What did it make me think about?
This was a coming-of-age story about fathers, sons, bullies, war, and ultimately about honor and integrity.   Although the novel focuses on the father-son connection, Butler never downplays the role that mothers play in the lives of their sons.
 
Should I read it?
 As many of you know I am a sucker for a good coming-of-age story.  As this novel says, “We all start out as little kids.”- and maybe that is why we can all relate to parts of any story that begins in childhood.  This book had one of the strongest characters I have read in a while.  Nelson was the heart of this book and I personally felt that the stories were strongest when Nelson was most present.  This novel has a lot to say, and although I thought the last half of the book was not as strong as the beginning, I would still recommend it.
 
Quote-
“He can’t pinpoint it, the one thing about his personality, his being that, if changed, might win him more friends.”
 
If you like this try-
 Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
​The Bartenders Tale by Ivan Doig
​The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

​8 stars
​

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
369 pages
 
What’s it about?
 Tom Barren is living in 2016- but this 2016 is different.  It is a time when all the technological dreams of the 1950’s have come true and left the world in a utopian state.  Life is ideal- so why is Tom so miserable?   Heartbroken and alone, he uses a time machine and travels back to 1965 and accidentally alters the world.  Can he fix it? 
 
What did it make me think about?
Well, isn’t the idea of parallel universes always interesting?  Unexpected consequences are also explored in these pages.  This book just makes you think about possibilities….
 
Should I read it?
 What is not to like about a book with a writer who talks directly to his readers, travels through time, and maybe can change the world?  This one was just a hoot.  It might have gotten a little long towards the end- but I still thought it was an awfully good book. 
 
Quote-
“She’s particularly taken by a French philosopher named Paul Virilio, who writes about the accident- the idea that every time you introduce a new technology, you also introduce the accident of that technology, so you have a responsibility to anticipate not just the good it can do but also the bad it can wreak, not just the glory but also the ruin.”
 
If you like this try-
The Circle by Dave Eggers
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Martian by Andy Weir

8 stars
 

​The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
285 pages
 
What’s it about?
 This coming of age story takes place in New Jersey in the 1980’s.  Billy Marvin lives with his single mom and enjoys hanging out with his buddies, watching T.V., and programming the Commodore 64 computer he keeps in his room.  When the new Playboy with Vanna White arrives on the shelves of the local store it causes a chain of events to occur that will change Billy forever.
 
What did it make me think about?
 It made me think- “I am so glad I am not 14 anymore!”.  It also brought back lots of memories of the 1980’s.  The author really captures that time period.
 
Should I read it?
 This is a good (not great- but good) story that will keep you entertained.  It is especially appealing if you remember the 1980’s- think Dallas, Magnum P.I., Rocky,  Saturday morning cartoons, Atari, Pac-Man etc.
 
Quote-
“There are plenty of things a teenage boy doesn’t tell his mother.  As we get older, there are more and more things we hold back. Things too hard to say or too embarrassing to explain.  We do this to protect our mothers as much as ourselves, because let’s face it- most of our thoughts are truly unthinkable.”

If you like this try-
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

​7 1/2 stars