You know those books that have such great characters that they crawl into your heart and settle there? The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is one of them. Spanning years and distance and set against the backdrop of British colonization, it tells the stories of three women on the receiving end of that brutality.Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna are memorable for their stories, but they tug on your heartstrings even more so because they are based on real people. There’s Evangeline, a governess sentenced to prison after her pregnancy is discovered; Hazel, a young midwife also sentenced for a minor infraction; and Mathinna, an orphan ripped from her home as an experiment in “taming the natives” by the wife of the new … Keep Reading
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‘Midnight Library’ and the Power of Regrets
Do you ever think about where you’d be if you did that ONE thing differently? If you, say, changed your major to match your passions, rather than your expectations? Or if you’d taken that leap of faith and moved to that far off city where you knew no one? The possibilities for how your life could have unfolded are endless, and it's hard not to think about them, sometimes. That's the premise of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and it's a good … Keep Reading
‘The First Day of Spring’ is a Powerful Debut Novel
When Chrissie was 8, she killed a little boy. Twenty years later, she’s a mom trying to do what’s best for her daughter. But how do you forgive yourself for something so awful? Or are some acts so terrible that there’s no coming back? Do the standards for redemption change if you killed someone as a child, rather than adult?Equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking, The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is told through alternating points … Keep Reading
‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Infuses Freshness Into the Familiar
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. My last few books have been duds so I was nervous about continuing my “losing streak”, but this one hit the spot. On its face, the story is tried-and-true: girl meets boy, boy has secrets, girl seeks truth and surprises abound; but Dave infuses freshness into it by going in an unexpected direction. Her approach strikes a balance between the familiar and the … Keep Reading
From the Archives
The Reality of ‘When Science Goes Wrong’
When I first picked up this book I immediately went to Goodreads to see what other people thought. One of the biggest complaints is that it was too "sciency" or technical, which baffled me because it's about science going wrong. That's right - science. Of course it is going to have some scientific jargon! A chapter about hurricanes would be incomplete without a mention of the Coriolis effect, so I didn't factor these complaints into my decision … Keep Reading
Happy Winter Solstice! Why Not Warm Up With These Books?
Happy Winter Solstice! Today is the first day of Winter and Summer is long gone, but you can always curl up with these great summer reads! Here's a collection of some of my favorite beach reads.Tigers in Red Weather by Liza KlaussmannSometimes you pick up a book and know from the first few pages that you are going to love it. This is one of those books. Tigers in Red Weather is a story about family, marriage and obligations. It takes … Keep Reading
‘The House of Tides’ Explores Human Tragedy
Originally released in the UK last summer, The House of Tides by Hanna Richell (interview below) tells the story of a family's decade-long recovery after a tragic event leaves them reeling from unanswered questions. Told through the alternating views of Dora, her sister Cassie, and their mother, Helen, The House of Tides weaves a story of sadness, betrayal, and redemption.The main focus of the book is on Pandora "Dora" Tide, the younger of … Keep Reading