Goodnight June by Sarah Jio is a novel that imagines how the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon came to be. June is a successful banker in NYC when her Aunt Ruby, who raised her, dies and leaves June her Seattle bookstore, Bluebird Books. While going through her late Aunt’s papers, June finds a series of letters between her Aunt Ruby, and Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon. This discovery alters the course of June’s life in more ways than…
The Silver Star is the new novel by Jeanette Walls, author of The Glass Castle. I wasn’t sure how Walls’ novel would compare to her memoirs, and although it doesn’t pack the emotional punch of her earlier books, it doesn’t disappoint. It is the story of 12 year old Bean, her 15 year old sister Liz and their flaky musician Mom, in 1970’s California. When their Mom takes off and leaves the girls, they make their way alone across country…
Fools is a collection of short stories by Joan Silber. I’m not generally a fan of short stories, as they always leave me wanting more and I find it is the rare writer who is accomplished at writing in this format. Silber is one of them. This is a great collection of seemingly simple stories about ordinary people going about their lives. There is the daughter of missionaries who grows up to be an anarchist, and in later stories we…
The House of Impossible Loves by Cristina Lopez Barrio is a saga about the Laguna family. A family of women cursed to have only girl children and to be unlucky in love. When Santiago is born, it seems the curse has been lifted, but not entirely. Lopez Barrio is a good storyteller, and although it is reminiscent of Isabelle Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, she is not really in their league. Although it was well written, it was hard to…
The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway is a time travel novel starting in present day New England and travelling back to 19th century London. There is a mysterious society called The Guild that is able to move back and forth through time. I love time travel novels, and this one did not disappoint; full of romance, mystery and adventure. I loved it all the way until the end when it left me hanging with many unanswered questions. Hoping…