2025 Reading

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Title: Magpie Murders
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins / 477 pp

Published: October 2016

Genre: mystery, thriller, books about books
Book Group:  Library

Finished: 1/4
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 This is a re-read for my library book group.  Here are my thoughts at the first reading (and they're the same this time, even though I knew what was happening).

A mystery within a mystery, a book within a book!  A clever setup for an homage to the golden age of detective fiction.  I loved the pacing, the setting, and the characters, especially Susan Ryeland.  I loved how the action shifts and the whole story pivots just when the story is unfolding.  And then another entire mystery begins.  The audio is fantastic!

From the publisher:

Alan Conway is a bestselling crime writer. His editor, Susan Ryeland, has worked with him for years, and she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. Alan's traditional formula pays homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. It's proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

When Susan receives Alan's latest manuscript, in which Atticus Pünd investigates a murder at Pye Hall, an English manor house, she has no reason to think it will be any different from the others. There will be dead bodies, a cast of intriguing suspects, and plenty of red herrings and clues. But the more Susan reads, the more she realizes that there's another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript—one of ambition, jealousy, and greed—and that soon it will lead to murder.

Masterful, clever, and ruthlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage crime fiction.

#52BookClub prompt 3: Title starts with letter "M"

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Title: Bear
Author: Julia Phillips
Length:: 7 hrs and 51 mins / 304 pp

Published: June 2024

Genre: literary fiction, contemporary fiction, family
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/5
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a beautifully written depressing as hell novel.  Poverty, grief, and sisterhood are major themes explored.  The bond between the sisters is tightly woven by poverty and caring for their dying mother.  Elana becomes mesmerized by a bear that shows up on their tiny island off the coast of Washington, and Sam is more cautious.  

From the publisher:

A mesmerizing novel of two sisters on a Pacific Northwest island whose lives are upended by an unexpected visitor — a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woods, by the celebrated, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth.

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the plan to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us — and within us — Bear is a propulsive, mythical, rich novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.

#52BookClub prompt 42: Non-human antagonist

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Title: Undercover Bromance
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Length:: 9 hrs and 8 mins / 348 pp

Published: March 2020

Genre: contemporary romance, rom-com, adult fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 1/7
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is the second installment in the Bromance series, turning some traditional tropes upside down.  The enemies-to-lovers trope works well.  And the way that a romantic hero is developed and portrayed is also interesting.  My only complaint is that the #MeToo aspects of the book were repetitive.  Having it as the major plotline was unexpected and perhaps too ambitious.  And the epilogue was a major letdown.

The audio narration is great.

From the publisher:

Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction. 

Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a pastry chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.

Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.

Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assists Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart... even though she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned.

#52BookClub prompt 41: Cover font is in a primary color

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Title: The Queen of Poisons
Author: Robert Thorogood
Length:: 9 hrs and 10 mins / 272 pp

Published: January 2024

Genre: mystery, cozy mystery, British literature
Book Group: no

Finished: 1/10
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is the third installment of the Marlow Murder Club and is my favorite yet.  I loved the dynamics between Judith, Suzie, and Becks.  And the subplot of Becks' mother-in-law had me exasperated on Becks' behalf.  There were moments when I thought I had it figured out, alas, I didn't.  The audio narration is fantastic.

From the publisher:

The Marlow Murder Club is on the hunt for a killer... Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite―also known as the queen of poisons―are found in his coffee cup, the police realize he was murdered. But who did it? And why?

The police bring Judith, Suzie, and Becks in to investigate the murder as civilian advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart's content… which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. But this case has the Marlow Murder Club stumped. Who would want to kill the affable mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? The Marlow Murder Club is about to face their most difficult case yet...

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Title: Here One Moment
Author: Liane Moriarty
Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins / 512 pp

Published: September 2024

Genre: contemporary fiction, mystery thriller, Australia
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/13
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This novel is about grief, free will, and destiny.  Would you want to know your death date and cause?  In the opening part of the book, the detailed descriptions are a bit tedious--until the action unfolds and the rest of the novel explores the six major characters and the aftermath of Cherry's predictions. Fortunately, the short chapters kept the story moving, even with many characters.  And the characters had well-developed backstories, I felt like I knew them.  The audio narration is very good.

From the publisher:

If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.

#52BookClub prompt 39: Has an epigraph

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Title: Camp Zero
Author: Michelle Min Sterling
Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins / 304 pp

Published: April 2023

Genre: speculative fiction, dystopia, climate fiction
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/19
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This premise piqued my interest: a contemporary speculative dystopian story set in the permafrost tundra in Canada. Unfortunately, the stereotypes and tropes explored are too clichéd for me. Sex workers, entitled male characters (really, not one of the male characters is multi-dimensional), and commercial exploitation by capitalists. The narrative threads were all over the place, with flashbacks and backstories in weird sections of the book. As critical as I sound, the premise and the world-building absolutely held my interest.

From the publisher:

In the far north of Canada sits Camp Zero, an American building project hiding many secrets.

Desperate to help her climate-displaced Korean immigrant mother, Rose agrees to travel to Camp Zero and spy on its architect in exchange for housing. She arrives at the same time as another newcomer, a college professor named Grant who is determined to flee his wealthy family’s dark legacy. Gradually, they realize that there is more to the architect than previously thought, and a disturbing mystery lurks beneath the surface of the camp. At the same time, rumors abound of an elite group of women soldiers living and working at a nearby Cold War-era climate research station. What are they doing there? And who is leading them?

An electrifying page-turner where nothing is as it seems, Camp Zero cleverly explores how the intersection of gender, class, and migration will impact who and what will survive in a warming world.

#52BookClub prompt 14: Climate fiction

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Title: The Little Village of Book Lovers
Author: Nina George
Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins / 272 pp

Published: July 2023

Genre: historical fiction, magical realism, fantasy, France, romance
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/20
My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Although this whimsical book was fun, it was initially confusing.  There are loopy narrative threads that were hard to follow, and lots of asides and characters. I loved the thread about spreading a love of reading through the community and the clever way books are delivered.  I am unsure if the slow pace, the multitude of characters, or the translation prevented me from loving this novel.

From the publisher:

A young woman with the extraordinary power to bring soulmates together searches for her own true love in this tender, lyrical standalone novel inspired by the “bona fide international hit” ( The New York Times Book Review ) The Little Paris Bookshop

In Nina George’s New York Times bestseller The Little Paris Bookshop, beloved literary apothecary Jean Perdu is inspired to create a floating bookstore after reading a seminal pseudonymous novel about a young woman with a remarkable gift. The Little Village of Book Lovers is that novel.

“Everyone knows me, but none can see me. I’m that thing you call love.”

In a little town in the south of France in the 1960s, a dazzling encounter with Love itself changes the life of infant orphan Marie-Jeanne forever.

As a girl, Marie-Jeanne realizes that she can see the marks Love has left on the people around her—tiny glowing lights on the faces and hands that shimmer more brightly when the one meant for them is near. Before long, Marie-Jeanne is playing matchmaker, bringing true loves together in her village.

As she grows up, Marie-Jeanne helps her foster father, Francis, begin a mobile library that travels throughout the many small mountain towns in the region of Nyons. She finds herself bringing soulmates together every place they go—and there are always books that play a pivotal role in that quest. However, the only person that Marie-Jeanne can’t seem to find a soulmate for is herself. She has no glow of her own, though she waits and waits for it to appear. Everyone must have a soulmate, surely—but will Marie-Jeanne be able to recognize hers when Love finally comes her way?

#52BookClub prompt 10: Author's last name is also a first name

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Title: Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting
Author: Clare Pooley
Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins / 342 pp

Published: May 2022

Genre: contemporary fiction, LGBT, found family, humor, romance
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/23
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book fits me.  When I see the same people routinely in a non-social venue (say, commuting or going to the same places often enough to recognize them) I give them nicknames.  So does Iona Iverson as she commutes on her way to a once glamorous job in her once glamorous life.  A chance encounter that brings Iona and regular commuters on her train together, they form an awkward bond--that turns into a delightful found family. Lulu is my favorite character!

I liked that the short chapters focused on different characters because each diverse character is facing unique struggles.  I really fell in love with all of them. The author compassionately explores sensitive topics.

From the publisher:

Every day Iona Iverson, a stylish, opinionated, larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, rides the train to work with her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Mr-Too-Good-to-Be-True. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do.

Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He’d have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver.

This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people discovers that talking to strangers can teach you quite a bit about the world around you—and even more about yourself.

#52BookClub prompt 21: Character's name in the title

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Title: Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies
Author: Catherine Mack
Length:9 hrs and 34 mins / 342 pp

Published: April 2024

Genre: cozy mystery, Italy, humor
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/25
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I liked that the narration broke the fourth wall--and the audio version included the footnotes where they were referenced instead of in the physical book at the end of the chapter.  It made a seamless listening experience, although there is something cheeky about footnotes in this chatty format.

I loved the premise of Eleanor wanting to kill off the male protagonist of her blockbuster book series and the slapstick-esque series of events that ensue.  I can't wait for more in the series!

From the publisher:

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

#52BookClub prompt 24: Title is a spoiler

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Title: Orbital
Author: Samantha Harvey
Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins / 207 pp

Published: December 2023

Genre: science fiction
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/25
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I'll say up front that this is not my typical genre.  The few science fiction novels I've read have had an element of religious-leaning philosophical questions.  During the 24-hours of the space station's orbit of earth, the characters receive word that one of the crew members' mothers has died, leading all of the characters to reflect and reminisce.  I was especially fascinated by the space station's missions and their observations of the typhoon that hit Earth. It is a lovely, lyrical book.

From the publisher:

Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. They are there to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?

#52BookClub prompt 13: Title is ten letters or less

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Title: The Glass Hotel
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Length:: 10 hrs and 28 mins / 307 pp

Published: March 2020

Genre: literary fiction
Book Group:  no

Finished: 1/27
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Huh.  I loved the beautiful writing.  I liked the characters who weave their way through the non-linear narrative.  But ultimately I'm left wondering what I just read.  Of course, all I can think of is those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I found the Ponzi scheme and its rippling effect throughout the book fascinating.  This book takes characters from the luxurious life to the shattered dreams of the nearly homeless.  

From the publisher:

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby's glass wall: Why don’t you swallow broken glass. High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis's billion-dollar business is really nothing more than a game of smoke and mirrors. When his scheme collapses, it obliterates countless fortunes and devastates lives. Vincent, who had been posing as Jonathan’s wife, walks away into the night. Years later, a victim of the fraud is hired to investigate a strange occurrence: a woman has seemingly vanished from the deck of a container ship between ports of call.In this captivating story of crisis and survival, Emily St. John Mandel takes readers through often hidden landscapes: campgrounds for the near-homeless, underground electronica clubs, service in luxury hotels, and life in a federal prison. Rife with unexpected beauty, The Glass Hotel is a captivating portrait of greed and guilt, love and delusion, ghosts and unintended consequences, and the infinite ways we search for meaning in our lives.

#52BookClub prompt 43: Explores social class

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Title: How to Solve Your Own Murder
Author: Kristen Perrin
Length: 10  hrs and 51 mins / 358 pp

Published: March 2024

Genre: cozy mystery
Book Group no

Finished: 2/1
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is a solid debut adult novel and mystery.  The premise is just different enough that I was hooked immediately.  In 1965, Frances receives an enigmatic fortune that shapes her future through her obsession with it.  In the present, her great-niece is unraveling Frances' death, trying to discover the murderer.

There are stock secondary characters: the broody detective, the busybody neighbor, the recalcitrant vicar, the best friend, and the unpleasant (obnoxious) cousins.  With the red herrings and misdirections, Annie makes a few convenient mental leaps, but the mystery's solution is straightforward.  

From the publisher:

For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

 

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

 

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

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Title: Apprentice to the Villain
Author:Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins/ 368 pp

Published: August 2024

Genre: fantasy, romantasy, magic, romance, dragons, young adult
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/3
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is the second installment of the series and it's as fun as the first one!  I like how Evie is growing in her job, advancing from assistant to The Villain to apprentice to The Villain.  They have some clever dialogue.  More backstory on the secondary characters was fun, too.  I'm looking forward to the next book.

From the publisher:

NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. ―Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies...including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

#52BookClub prompt 22: Found family trope

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Title: Crazy Stupid Bromance
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Length: 9  hrs and 50 mins / 345 pp

Published: October 2020

Genre: contemporary romance, rom-com
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/7
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I keep thinking that "back in the day" my friends and I were like this:  circle the wagons, reality checking, and truly there for each other.  Over time, we've drifted but this series makes me fondly reminiscent.  Of course, the Bros in my friend group were not actively trying to tamp down toxic masculinity in overt ways, but they did challenge it.  And I would call them feminists.  Anyhow, enough nostalgiac ramblings.  

This installment of the Bromance Bookclub series tackled serious issues and had the humor to off-balance the heavy themes.  The secondary characters were featured in previous books and felt like old friends.  I wasn't sure I would like the friends-to-lovers trope but I liked the characters of Alexis and Noah so much that I was rooting for them the whole time.  And Beefcake made my day!

From the publisher:

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance.

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.

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Title: The Faculty Lounge
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Length: 8  hrs and 31 mins / 304 pp

Published: July 2024

Genre: contemporary fiction, education, adult fiction, and realistic fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/8
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is an interesting look at one year at a Texas high school.  How the dramas unfold, the parents demand, the administration is pulled in a zillion directions, and the personal lives of teachers and staff connect.  I especially enjoyed the multiple perspectives: each chapter is told from a different point of view.  I saw glimpses of myself in several characters.  It's certainly a realistic glimpse of school life.

From the publisher:

At once an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today’s pressing school issues, and a tender character study, following a sprawling cast of teachers, administrators, and staff at a Texas high school.

With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once.

In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.

As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. Ultimately, at the heart of this unconventional workplace novel is a story of the power of human connection and of the joy of finding purpose in what it is we do every day.

#52BookClub prompt 33: A standalone novel

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Title: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Author: Samuel Burr
Length: 11  hrs and 52 mins / 362 pp

Published: April 2024

Genre: contemporary fiction, puzzles, cozy, and LGBT
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/10
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This coming-of-age story is about puzzles and solutions, about thinking outside of the box.  And outside of the box fits the found family trope of this charming novel.  With a dual narrative between the present and twenty-five years ago, it's the story of how the pieces fit together to create a life.  I liked the main characters of Pippa and Clayton, a mother-son duo.  But all of the secondary characters are quirky and interesting.

From the publisher:

An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us.

Clayton Stumper might be in his twenties, but he dresses like your grandpa and fusses like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton’s life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. 

So begins Clay’s quest to uncover the secrets surrounding his birth, secrets that will change Clay—and the Fellowship—forever.The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is pure joy, a story about love and family and what it means to find your people—no matter what age you are.

#52BookClub prompt 33: Related to the word "Puzzle"

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Title: Martyr!
Author: Kaveh Akbar
Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins / 331 pp

Published: January 2024

Genre: literary fiction, LGBT+, family saga, poetry, coming of age, philosophical fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/13
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I don't know what to say about this book.  It's gritty, dysthymic, and beautiful.  Maybe it's poignant.  I am not 100% sure I even know how it ended--it's ambiguous.  It's a character study like nothing I've ever read before; tackling topics of addiction and sobriety, grief, art and poetry, martyrdom, LGBT+, American immigrant experiences, parenthood, and abandonment.  Definitely not light-hearted reading.  The narrative thread has several points of view, although most is Cyrus Shams': dreams, poems, and stream-of-conscious.  

I'll be honest, this was almost a Did Not Finish.

From the publisher:

Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.

Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.

#52BookClub prompt 40: Stream of consciousness narrative

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Title: Within Arm's Reach
Author: Ann Napolitano
Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins / 352 pp

Published: January 2004

Genre: literary fiction, family saga
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/14
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a beautiful exploration of a multi-generational American-Irish family. It is interesting to look at generational shifts, and how family dynamics have changed over time: the size of families and what binds families together, secrets and what happens when they are revealed, and how everyday actions can drive a wedge in a relationship or create tighter bonds.

The story is told from the perspectives of six different characters: Catherine, the matriarch of the family; her eldest daughter, Kelly; Kelly's husband, Louis; their two daughters, Gracie and Lila; and Noreen Ballen, a nurse who is hired to care for Catherine after she has a fall. As the story unfolds, we learn about the secrets and lies that have been passed down through the generations, and how they have affected the relationships between the family members. We also see how each character is struggling with their own personal demons, and how they are all trying to find their place in the world.

From the publisher:

No one in my mother’s family ever talks about anything that can be categorized as unpleasant or as having to do with emotions. . . .

This spellbinding debut by bestselling author Ann Napolitano is a poignant reminder of how connected we are to those we love, even when we cannot find the words to say it. The unforgettable story of three generations of a large Irish Catholic family, Within Arms Reach is another rich and deeply satisfying novel from the author who captured the many dimensions of grief in Dear Edward and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood in Hello Beautiful.

#52BookClub prompt 30: Audiobook has multiple narrators

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Title: Icebreaker
Author: Hannah Grace
Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins / 447 pp

Published: August 20222

Genre: contemporary romance, sports, enemies to lovers, new adult
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/17
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

A friend recommended this to me otherwise I would not have picked it up.  I liked that both main characters are passionate about their sports and serious about becoming professional athletes.  I liked learning about the dedication and hours it takes to compete at that level.  I liked the college setting and the stereotypical behaviors of college kids.  And there are some serious topics carefully dealt with.  Having said all of that, the book made me feel old.  I'm definitely NOT the intended audience.  I almost feel prudish about the open-door sex scenes.  

From the publisher:

Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.

Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him.

But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried…because she could never like a hockey player, right?

#52BookClub prompt 25: Breaks the fourth wall

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Title: Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
Author: Ilyon Woo
Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins / 416 pp

Published: January 2023

Genre: biography, non-fiction, American history
Book Group: School

Finished: 2/19
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This powerful biography is told in a narrative style, making it accessible and alive. As a history teacher, I knew about the Fugitive Slave Act and how different regions of the country responded to it--but this book made it feel palpable and I felt tense through much of the book.  The research is well-documented and the author has a note explaining how sources are interpreted and how language is used, for instance using the term enslaved person--and even how the choice of title was made.  The audio narration is very well-done.

From the publisher:

The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave.

In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North.

Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles criss-crossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day—among them Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown.

But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery. Then yet another adventure began, as slave hunters came up from Georgia, forcing the Crafts to flee once again—this time from the United States, their lives and thousands more on the line and the stakes never higher.

With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story—one that would challenge the nation’s core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all—one that challenges us even now.

#52BookClub prompt 37: Genre chosen for you by someone else

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Title: The Night We Lost Him
Author: Laura Dave
Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins / 298 pp

Published: May 2024

Genre: mystery, thriller, adult, contemporary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/22
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

This book disappointed me.  I wanted to love it.  I didn't connect to the characters or the situation.  The convoluted relationships just didn't work for me and the ending was a major let-down after the "drama" and "tension" of the story.

From the publisher:

Nora Noone’s father, Liam, was many things to many people. To the public he was a self-made hotel magnate, whose luxury boutique hotels were among the most coveted destinations in the world. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving yet distant family man who managed to keep his finances—and his families—separate. But to Nora, her father was always a mystery—especially after his suspicious death at his cliffside home.

Though the authorities rule Liam's death accidental, Nora and her estranged brother, Sam, believe otherwise. As they form an uneasy alliance to unpack the mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father’s past and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

#52BookClub prompt 4: Title starts with the letter "N"

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Title: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Author: Janice Hallett
Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins / 416 pp

Published: September 2023

Genre: mystery, thriller, adult, contemporary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/23
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I loved the format of this book:  transcripts of email, snail mail, podcasts, text messages, WhatsApp messages, a YA book, and so forth.  Guessing who is reliable and who is leaving a trail of lies was also fun.  Ultimately, it's a book about book writing and researching.  The main character is true-crime writer, Amanda Bailey who is investigating a cult led by charismatic Gabriel Angelis.  But because nothing is ever as easy as it could be, Amanda's nemesis Oliver Menzies is also writing a book about the cult.  What follows is an intricate race to research and craft the best story and how charm and manipulation can interfere with rational thinking.  Both Amanda and Oliver's obsession with the story created an intensity that kept me listening.

I've always been a fan of epistolatory books and this was well done in audio format.  I was never bored and never rolled my eyes.

From the publisher:

A new novel from the “clever and inventive” (The Washington Post) internationally bestselling author of The Twyford Code and The Appeal about a true crime journalist who revives a long-buried case about a cult—and finds herself too close to the story.

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared.

Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the true-crime scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it.

#52BookClub prompt 47: "I think it was blue"

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Title: The Lion Women of Tehran
Author: Marjan Kamali
Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins / 327 pp

Published: July 2024

Genre: historical fiction, coming of age, feminism, literary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 2/28
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I knew the basic historical background of this novel set in Tehran.  I liked this book but didn't love it.  I think a book group discussion would push me into the loved it camp, though.

From the publisher:

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

#52BookClub prompt 51: 300-400 pages long

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Title: Isn't It Bromantic?
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins / 350 pp

Published: July 2021

Genre: contemporary romance, sports, friends to lovers, chick lit
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/2
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So this is definitely my favorite of the Bromance series.  Vlad is a comedic secondary character in the other books in the series, and one of the running gags is that no one has met or seen his wife.  In this installment, the mysterious Elana is a fiercely independent journalist.  The Bros in the Bromance Book Club come together to support Vlad's second-chance-at-love story, and the book featured in the book club is none other than Vlad's debut!  Vlad's a complex character and his backstory is sweetly romantic.

From the publisher:

With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.

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Title: By Any Other Name
Author: Jodi Picoult
Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins / 544 pp

Published: August 2024

Genre: historical fiction, feminism, romance
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/4
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a fascinating premise.  And it's well-crafted.  The historical sections were my favorite parts.  I was moved to tears.

From the publisher:

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten. 

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Title: For Your Own Good
Author: Samantha Downing
Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins / 373 pp

Published: July 2021

Genre: mystery, thriller, suspense, contemporary
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/8
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Oh, what a twisted read! The setting is a prestigious private school, where Teddy Crutcher received the Teacher of the Year award. This book explores Teddy's unorthodox methods for helping his students become their best selves. Teddy's interactions with other teachers at the school are typical—some colleagues you befriend, and some annoy the snot out of you.  The narration shifts among the different characters, which I enjoyed because it showed Teddy from multiple perspectives.

From the publisher:

Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.

He says his wife couldn't be more proud—though no one has seen her in a while.

Teddy really can’t be bothered with the death of a school parent that’s looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is on pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way.

It's really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.

USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson…

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Title: The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
Author: Sharon McMahon
Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins / 320 pp

Published: September 2024

Genre: nonfiction, biography, history, politics, social justice
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/9
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I want my students to read this book!  The unsung, everyday people who shaped America are as important as the big names.  I don't usually enjoy books narrated by the author but this was an exception.  Her conversational tone made it feel like a good friend geeking out about historical biographies instead of a stuffy tome.

From the publisher:

America’s favorite government teacher offers thrilling, heartfelt stories of ordinary American heroes. Most pundits and historians sell a dangerously naïve version of the American story—either praising its most consequential figures uncritically or criticizing them unfairly. Sharon McMahon believes the truth is more human. In her debut book The Small and the Mighty, she tells the inspiring stories of twelve Americans--regular people with human foibles--whose extraordinary heroism in the face of mounting trials created the character of our country. With the same clarity and candor that's earned her millions of fans, McMahon follows the daughter of formerly enslaved parents who sparked a reformation in Black education, a Japanese immigrant who nearly died in combat and became a consequential Senator, and even the electrician who saved her husband’s life. Her unforgettable prose and meticulous research tell the story of America from the perspective of the unsung heroes whose devotion to their country will restore your faith in the American dream. The portraits of our nation’s most improbable champions, innovators, and rebels in this book celebrate the United States and reveal our common humanity. The Small and the Mighty is the encouragement we all need in an age of doomscrolling and division.

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Title: The Kitchen Front
Author: Jennifer Ryan
Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins / 408 pp

Published: February 2021

Genre: historical fiction, WWII, British literature, food
Book Group: school

Finished: 3/14
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The setting is during World War II, where food rationing has become a stark reality in Britain. The novel centers on a BBC-sponsored cooking competition, "The Kitchen Front," which offers the grand prize of co-hosting the popular radio program. Four diverse women, each with their own compelling reasons, enter the contest: a widowed mother struggling to survive, a kitchen maid yearning for freedom, a lady of the manor seeking escape from an abusive marriage, and a trained chef determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated field. As they navigate the challenges of wartime cooking and personal obstacles, their lives intertwine, revealing secrets, rivalries, and ultimately, the strength of female solidarity.

The audio is very well done, not overly sentimental in tone.

From the publisher:

In a new World War II-set story from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?

#52BookClub prompt 50: Set in the 1940s

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Title: She Doesn't Have A Clue
Author: Jenny Elder Moke
Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins / 336 pp

Published: January 2025

Genre: rom-com, cozy mystery, contemporary romance
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/17
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is a rom-com and cozy mystery mash-up.  It's got plenty of quirky characters and a great setting.  My one complaint is that the spicy romantic scenes didn't jive with the overall vibe of the book.  Other than that, there were lots of red herrings, lots of suspects, lots of shenanigans, lots of mishaps, and lots of fun banter.

From the publisher:

A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.

Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift. But when the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hostralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.

As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate doesn’t have a clue.

#52BookClub prompt 52: Published in 2025

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Title: Love At First Book
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins / 330 pp

Published: May 2024

Genre: enemies to lovers, contemporary romance, books about books, Ireland, contemporary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/22
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The premise of this book would be my dream come true--to travel to Ireland on a work visa in order to assist my favorite author through their writing slump and work at a bookstore.  That's Emily Allen.  She is awkward, shy, and adorable.  And Kieran as her Irish bookstore owning boss is a great character, not at all what I expected.  The bookish banter was a lot of fun.  

I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, it seemed like a standalone.  I'll go back and read the first book.

From the publisher:

When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author’s prickly son… until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading .

Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan’s novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.

Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series—after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer’s block—is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn’t have to deal with Siobhan’s son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan’s bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn’t want Em around.

When Siobhan’s health takes a bad turn, she’s more determined than ever to finish her novel, while Kieran tries every trick in the book to get his mother to rest. Thrown into the role of peacemaker, Emily begins to see that Kieran's heart is in the right place. Torn between helping Siobhan find closure with her series and her own growing feelings for the mercurial Irishman, Emily will have to decide if she’s truly ready to turn a new page and figure out what lies in the next chapter.

#52BookClub prompt 2: A character with red hair

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Title: Three Days In June
Author: Anne Tyler
Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins / 156 pp

Published: February 2025

Genre: contemporary fiction, family, literary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/22
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I loved this book; the writing is sublime. But I didn't love the main character, Gail—and I wonder if I was supposed to. The story takes place over the wedding weekend of Gail's daughter, and it explores marriage, family, and foibles.  

I was invested in every character and every situation.  I read it in one sitting.  I also add that I've only heard the phrase "Three Days In June" about D-Day.

From the publisher:

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers.

#52BookClub prompt 7: Genre two: set in summer

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Title: Five-Star Stranger
Author: Kat Tang
Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins / 240 pp

Published: August 2024

Genre: contemporary fiction, coming of age, Asian literature
Book Group: no

Finished: 3/23
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The nameless main character explores his past and deals with grief in this debut novel.  The premise is intriguing--hiring, or rather, renting strangers for events and what happens when the relationships develop beyond the job. The book is more serious than I expected.  The audio narration is outstanding.

From the publisher:

Would you hire someone to be the best man at your wedding? Your stand-in brother? Your husband?

In an age where online ratings are all-powerful, Five-Star Stranger follows the adventures of a top-rated man on the Rental Stranger app—a place where users can hire a pretend fiancé, a wingman, or an extra mourner for a funeral. Referred to only as Stranger, the narrator navigates New York City under the guise of characters he plays, always maintaining a professional distance from his clients.

But, when a nosy patron threatens to upend his long-term role as father to a young girl, Stranger begins to reckon with his attachment to his pretend daughter, her mother, and his own fraught past. Now, he must confront the boundaries he has drawn and explore the legacy of abandonment that shaped his life.

Five-Star Stranger is a strikingly vivid novel about the commodification of relationships in a gig economy, isolation in a hyperconnected world, and the risk of asking for what we want from those who cannot give. This is the story of a man who finds out who he is by being anyone but himself.

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Title: The Ministry of Time
Author: Kiliane Bradley
Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins / 352 pp

Published: May 2023

Genre: speculative fiction, science fiction, time travel, fantasy, historical fiction, romance
Book Group: library

Finished: 3/28
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Experiencing this book for the second time was a trippy experience.  I knew what and how, but had forgotten a lot of details.  It's going to be a fantastic book group discussion! 

My original recap:

What a rollicking debut novel.  It's a time travel, spy thriller, and romance, wrapped in a workplace farce.  Truly a genre-bending book.  The unnamed narrator adds a quirky element to the story.  The British government hires the main character to be a "bridge" for time travelers who have been rescued from various periods.  She is to assist Commander Graham Gore as he acclimates from Victorian England to the present (or near present).  I loved other travelers or ex-pats: Arthur and Margaret--but we don't get many of their stories or interactions with their "bridges."  As the ex-pats learn to live in our modern world, they explore themes of racism, sexuality, colonialism, duty, and a heavy exploration of how some historical events could possibly have happened.  There are a few twisty parts that I won't spoil.  And a few steamy parts that I won't spoil. 

There's an awful lot going on.  Plus, in the background is the question of what is actually going on within The Ministry.  Why were these ex-pats brought through time?

The audio version is excellent.

From the publisher:

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

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Title: Tartufo
Author: Kira Jane Buxton
Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins / 352 pp

Published: January 2025

Genre: fiction, Italy, humor
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/2
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I don't remember how I found out about this little gem.  It's filled with lots of funny characters that are typical of any small town.  It's farfetched but charming and I neeeeeeed to visit Tuscany!

From the publisher:

A fantastical and endlessly funny story featuring a cast of colorful characters in a dying Italian village and a giant truffle that changes their fate forever.

After nearly losing the election to a geriatric but wildly popular donkey named Maurizio, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci can’t help but feel like the sun has finally set on the rural Italian village of Lazzarini Boscarino. Tourists only stop by to ask for directions, Nonna Amara’s cherished ristorante is long shuttered, and the town hall is disgustingly overrun with glis glis poo—even Postman Duccio has been disgraced. All that’s left is Bar Celebrità, a rustic establishment where weary locals gather to quibble over decades-long disputes, submit their poor stomachs to bartender Giuseppina’s volcanic espresso, and wonder what will become of the place where together they’ve spent their entire lives.

Little do the villagers know that, mere miles away in the forest, local truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza has just happened upon something that could change everything. Swollen to massive proportions, soaking the atmosphere in its pungent fumes, potentially worth six figures in certain international circles, a truffle—un tartufo, that is—sits beneath the soil with the power to either be the greatest gift or the foulest curse the village has ever seen—they’re not completely sure which since Giuseppina’s psychic was a bit unclear on the matter.

Tartufo is much more than a charming romp through the foothills of Tuscany. Written in the same enchanting style and raucous humor that defines Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures, Buxton’s newest story is a reflection on the interconnectedness of life in all its manifestations—and how holding on to harmony in the face of hardship can grow something beautiful and rare beneath the surface.

*************************************************
Title: We All Live Here
Author: Jojo Moyes
Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins / 450 pp

Published: February 2025

Genre: fiction, chick lit, family, romance
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/4
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I struggled a bit with the beginning of this book; it took longer than usual for me to connect with the characters and the situations.  I'm so glad I kept reading because I thoroughly enjoyed it!  

The book is all about Lila Kennedy, a recently divorced mom of two daughters: sixteen-year-old Celie and eight-year-old Violet. Life’s already a bit of a mess for Lila, with her house falling apart and her career in trouble after her marriage to Dan ended, especially since she’d just published a bestselling book on how to save a marriage. To make things even more complicated, Lila’s kind but grieving stepdad, Bill, has moved in after her mom passed away. And just when she thinks things can’t get any crazier, her biological dad, Gene – a Hollywood actor she hasn’t seen in 35 years – shows up out of the blue, needing a place to crash.

As Lila tries to balance single motherhood, money problems, and writer’s block, her unconventional household pushes her to face her past and rethink what family really means. The story follows her as she manages her rebellious daughters, her well-meaning but sometimes too involved stepfather, and her flashy father. Along the way, she meets Jensen, the charming gardener Bill hires, who turns into a supportive friend, and she navigates the ups and downs of her ex-husband Dan’s new life. With a mix of humor and heartfelt moments, Lila learns about forgiveness, the surprising connections within her family, and how to find love and happiness in the messiness of life.

From the publisher:

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family.

*************************************************
Title: White Ivy
Author: Susie Yang
Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins / 354 pp

Published: November 2020

Genre: fiction, coming of age
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/7
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The opening line hooked me: "Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her."  Isn't that intriguing?  Unfortunately, that was the most intriguing part of the book.  I didn't connect with any of the characters and couldn't understand why they would cultivate the relationships they did.  It is categorized as a mystery or thriller, but it was neither.  I kept with it, waiting for the plot to pick up the pace.  It didn't.

From the publisher:

Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.

Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.

Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate.

Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.

Filled with surprising twists and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story, as well as a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.

*************************************************
Title: The Booklover's Library
Author: Madeline Martin
Length: 10 hrs and 1 mins / 354 pp

Published: September 2024

Genre: historical fiction, books about books, WWII
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/11
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Booklover's Library was a sweet enough read. The whole wartime England setting and the focus on a lending library were definitely charming, and I enjoyed following Emma's journey as she navigated life during the Blitz and her new job. There were some really heartwarming moments, especially with the library regulars, and the book definitely celebrates the power of stories, which is always a plus for me. However, I felt like the plot was a bit predictable at times, and while the characters were likable, they didn't always feel super deep. Overall, it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, but it wasn't the most memorable book I've read recently.

From the publisher:

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job to provide for herself and her beloved daughter, Olivia. But with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her.

When the threat of war becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In her daughter’s absence, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, as well as the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing, and her work forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

*************************************************
Title: Someone We Know
Author: Shari Lapena
Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins / 292 pp

Published: July 2019

Genre: mystery, thriller, fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/12
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This suspenseful mystery is a thrill ride! Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a reason to dislike Amanda Pierce—she's young, beautiful, and glamorous, living in the suburbs with her handsome husband. The neighborhood is almost claustrophobic because gossip travels fast, and everybody knows their neighbor's business.  Secrets, lies, and keeping up appearances are the heart of this tale.

From the publisher:

Maybe you don't know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . .

"This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out."

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses--and into the owners' computers as well--learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it's not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .

You never really know what people are capable of.

*************************************************
Title: Let the Great World Spin
Author: Colum McCann
Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins / 351 pp

Published: June 2009

Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/19
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is a book about connections: how one event is woven through the lives of multiple people.  I had a hard time getting into the era, but once I understood how the tightrope walker's stunt affected different people, I got into it.  It's a gritty look at life and is beautifully written.

From the publisher:

In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile above the ground. In the streets below, a slew of ordinary lives become extraordinary in bestselling novelist Colum McCann’s stunningly intricate portrait of a city and its people.

Let the Great World Spin is the critically acclaimed author’s most ambitious novel yet: a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s.

Corrigan, a radical young Irish monk, struggles with his own demons as he lives among the prostitutes in the middle of the burning Bronx. A group of mothers gather in a Park Avenue apartment to mourn their sons who died in Vietnam, only to discover just how much divides them even in grief. A young artist finds herself at the scene of a hit-and-run that sends her own life careening sideways. Tillie, a thirty-eight-year-old grandmother, turns tricks alongside her teenage daughter, determined not only to take care of her family but to prove her own worth.

Elegantly weaving together these and other seemingly disparate lives, McCann’s powerful allegory comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city’s people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the “artistic crime of the century.” A sweeping and radical social novel, Let the Great World Spin captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence. Hailed as a “fiercely original talent” (San Francisco Chronicle), award-winning novelist McCann has delivered a triumphantly American masterpiece that awakens in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and even heal.

*************************************************
Title: The Sequel
Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Length: 10 hrs and 1 mins / 304 pp

Published: October 2024

Genre: mystery, thriller, books about books
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/22
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Sequel is the sequel to The Plot, which was a slow-burning thriller.  I had a love-hate relationship with that book because I figured out the twist.  This sequel was equally slow-burning, but I didn't see the twist coming!  I disliked the main character, yet couldn't wait to see what she did next.  This was a good one!  And one of my favorite voice actors narrates it.

From the publisher:

Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business—that is to say, she has taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. Now she is living the contented life of a literary widow, enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity, but for the second time in her life, a work of fiction intercedes, and this time it is her debut novel, The Afterword. After all, how hard can it really be to write a universally lauded bestseller?

But when Anna publishes her book and indulges in her own literary acclaim, she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. Something has gone wrong, and someone out there knows far too much about her late brother, her late husband, and possibly about Anna herself. What does this person want, and what are they prepared to do? She has come too far and worked too hard to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story—and she is, by any standard, a master storyteller.

*************************************************
Title: Nosy Neighbors
Author: Freya Sampson
Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins / 384 pp

Published: April 2024

Genre: mystery, cozy mystery, found family
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/22
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This author knows how to build a community of quirky characters. The shifting narration helps flesh out the action and develop the characters.  Kat and Dorothy create an unlikely duo to try to save their crumbling apartment house from demolition.  Kat and Dorothy each face their pasts as they uncover truths about their neighbors.  It's found family at its best.

From the publisher:

Two neighbors-at-war band together to stop a dangerous criminal in their midst in this enthralling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Ticket.

Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, and especially not in crumbling Shelley House. According to her neighbors, she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past.

Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling is Shelley House’s longest resident, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Except there’s a good reason Dorothy spends her days spying on her neighbors—a closely guarded secret that no else knows and the reason Dorothy barely leaves her beloved home.

When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home. But when someone starts to play dirty and viciously targets one of the residents, Dorothy and Kat suspect foul play in their community. After the police close the investigation, it's up to this improbable pair to bring a criminal to justice.

*************************************************
Title: The King's Messenger
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins / 384 pp

Published: August 2024

Genre: historical fiction, romance, fantasy
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/24
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This historical fiction piece certainly brought the intrigue of King James's court in 1613 to life! The depiction of the King's Messenger, whose role evolved from royal courier carrying correspondence and orders to, in this instance, delivering an arrest warrant, was particularly well-researched.

While the four narrative threads—Phoebe Westaway, Andrew Logan, Sir David Moray, and Queen Anne—initially felt disparate, I can see how they contribute to the overall story. Phoebe and Andrew appear to be the central figures, their relationship developing against the backdrop of the messenger's journey. Sir David's perspective seems crucial for unraveling the mystery and providing backstory, offering an outsider's view of the main characters. Although Queen Anne's thread felt less impactful, her determination to uncover the truth about her son's death does serve as a significant driving force for the plot.

The audio is very well done--it kept me interested and intrigued!

From the publisher:

1613:  King James – sixth of Scotland, first of England, son of Mary, Queen of Scots - has unified both countries under one crown. But the death of his eldest son, Henry, has plunged the nation into mourning, as the rumours rise the prince was poisoned.

 

Andrew Logan’s heard the rumours, but he’s paid them little heed. As one of the King’s Messengers he has enough secrets to guard, including his own. In these perilous times, when the merest suggestion of witchcraft can see someone tortured and hanged, men like Andrew must hide well the fact they were born with the Sight.

 

He’ll need all his gifts, though, when the king sends Andrew north to find and arrest Sir David Murray, once Prince Henry’s trusted courtier, and bring him a prisoner to London to stand trial before the dreaded Star Chamber.

 

A story of treachery, betrayal and love…

*************************************************
Title: The Self Care Prescription: Powerful Solutions to Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety & Increase Wellbeing
Author: Robyn L. Gobin
Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins / 154 pp

Published: July 2019

Genre: personal development, psychology, self-help
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/26 (but I'm still working on it)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is the right book at the right time for me. It's self-care on a deeper level than manicures and massages. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of life, delving into how to practice self-care, but the psychology behind it.  My therapist introduced me to the book (and journal), and we've been working on a chapter at a time.  

Beginning with a chapter that defines self-care and its importance, it then creates plans dedicated to: Social, Physical, Intellectual, Vocational, Emotional, and Spiritual Self-Care; not just offering practical strategies but exploring and explaining why these areas are crucial for overall health. The book empowered me to craft my own self-care plan through thoughtful exercises, making it a valuable tool that isn't cookie-cutter advice for the masses.

I have been gifting copies of the book and journal to my friends.  It's having a profound impact on me.

From the publisher:

Real self care practices to enrich every part of your life

Picture your best life: Where would you work? What would your social calendar look like? What personal interests would you be exploring? This book is your prescription to turn those visions into a reality—with proven self care strategies for every area of your life.

The Self Care Prescription empowers you to find balance and purpose in your relationships, work, and life. From creating a plan to spend more time with family and friends, to zeroing-in on a career that you can feel good about, the book will help you create a personalized self care plan. You’ll also learn actionable techniques to fight anxiety, demotivation, or whatever else is holding you back from building the life you want to live.

The Self Care Prescription includes:

Self care 101—Learn what “self care” really means, and how you can start practicing it every day. A full-spectrum plan—Bring self care to the physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, vocational, and social areas of your life. Best-life strategies—Unwind with mindfulness breathing practices or start eating right with healthy meal planning—you’ll find tons of actionable self care techniques to help you reach your goals.

Be the friend you want to be to yourself and others. Be engaged with what you do. Whatever self care means to you, you’ll find your own personal practice in this book.

*************************************************
Title: The Self-Care Prescription Journal: Powerful Prompts to Manage Emotions, Cultivate Well-Being, and Achieve Your Goals
Author: Robyn L. Gobin
Length: no audio / 176 pp

Published: April 2021

Genre: personal development, psychology, self-help
Book Group: no

Finished: 4/26 (but I'm still working on it)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm pairing Robyn Gobin's insightful book with its companion journal, The Self-Care Prescription Journal: Powerful Prompts to Manage Emotions, Cultivate Well-Being, and Achieve Your Goals. This journal is thoughtfully designed to deepen the concepts presented in the book. By providing "powerful prompts," it moves beyond simple reflection, actively guiding exploration of emotions, nurturing well-being, and connecting self-care practices to broader goals. Working through the journal alongside the book, especially at a deliberate pace of a chapter every couple of weeks, is a highly effective way to internalize the lessons and translate them into tangible actions and lasting positive change in life. This combined approach is transforming self-care from an abstract idea into a lived experience.

From the publisher:

Nurture your body, mind, and spirit with action-oriented journaling prompts for self-care

With the right tools, you can make self care a daily habit rather than an occasional luxury. The perfect companion to The Self-Care Prescription , this journal is filled with reflective writing prompts that empower you to attend to your needs, create space to slow down and breathe, and take inspired actions to improve your life.

Journal your way to improved well-being with these practical self-care writing prompts.

*************************************************
Title: Cher: The Mrmoir, part one
Author: Cher
Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins / 432 pp

Published: November 2024

Genre: memoir, autobiography
Book Group: Library

Finished: 4/27
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I grew up on Sonny and Cher.  Cher has always been part of my pop culture life. I remember wearing a hula skirt wrapped around my head to mimic her long, straight hair.  I adore Cher.

There is an incredible amount of detail in the stories Cher tells.  I wondered about the vivid recall of mundane life moments until I realized she has an eidetic memory.  At one point in the memoir, she mentioned learning a script after one reading, which clicked for me.

Cher introduces each chapter and then hands it off to Stephanie Block, who won a Tony award portraying Cher on Broadway.  The audio version is captivating. I can't wait for part two!

From the publisher:

The extraordinary life of Cher can be told by only one person . . . Cher herself.

After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir.

Her remarkable career is unique and unparalleled. The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, she is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center.

She is a lifelong activist and philanthropist.

As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship.

With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono—and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart.

Cher: The Memoir reveals the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar.

It is a life too immense for only one book.

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Internet Freedom and Innovation at Risk