Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman is the prequel to Practical Magic and the Rules of Magic. Hoffman takes us back to 1600’s Salem Massachusetts; to Maria Owens, the matriarch of the Owen’s clan and to the origins of the Owen’s family curse. Part magic, part historical-fiction, I loved all three of these books, but you need to start with Practical Magic, or at least see the 1998 movie with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
Jack is the new book by Marilynne Robinson, author of Gilead and one of my favorite writers. Jack tells the story of drifter, drinker, sometimes bum and prodigal son of the Presbyterian minister in Gilead. When Jack falls in love with Della, a beautiful, black, well respected high school teacher and also the daughter of a minister, he tries to pull himself together. I have heard many people complain that Robinson’s writing is too slow, almost boring, not enough happens….
World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil is a truly beautiful little book. Part personal memoir, part poetry, each chapter highlights another of natures astonishments; together with gorgeous illustrations they form this wonderous book. It is an important reminder that nature is always there to teach and guide us if we can just find the time to slow down and listen and the eyes to see. From the smallest creature to the greatest, Nezhukumatathil unpacks some of natures greatest mysteries in…
Imagine you could get a do-over of your life, rolling back time and fixing any regrets you had, making a different choice, changing the direction your life went in. Now imagine thousands of parallel lives, thousands of do-overs. That is the premise of the new book by Matt Haig, The Midnight Library. I think we’ve all wished this at one time or another, so it was a fun fantasy to escape into. However, as much as I was enjoying Nora’s…
Untamed by Glennon Doyle is one of the most popular books of the year. It is part memoir, part inspirational self-help book; personally, I enjoyed the part that was memoir the best. Doyle tells of her life-long struggles with addiction, eating disorders and mental health issues; of marrying the wrong person and always fitting into society, but of losing herself. Then she meets soccer star Abby Wambach and falls instantly in love and her whole life changes from that moment…
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab is a wonderful fantasy novel about a girl in 18th century France, desperate to escape an arranged marriage, running for her freedom, when she finds herself making a deal with the Devil that will change everything. Completely addictive, this book was impossible to put down, and I found myself rooting for Addie the whole way through. Schwab has put an original twist on the story, so it didn’t feel like something…
Transcendent Kingdom is the new novel by Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing. Gifty, a PhD student at Stanford, is a brilliant scientist who mostly keeps to herself in her lab, trying to understand the parts of the brain that cause addiction, reward seeking and depression, among other things. Gifty is part of an immigrant family from Ghana, whose Father returned there when she was little, leaving her mother to raise her and her older brother, a gifted athlete who becomes…
Miss Iceland by Audur Ava Olafsdottir is a poetic, atmospheric book set in Iceland in the 1960’s. It follows Hekla, a young female writer and Jon, her gay best friend who longs to work in the theater. Both are out of place in Iceland at that time. Although the tone is often melancholic, I loved every second of this book. Olafsdottir completely captured the mood and the feeling of that particular time and place and what it would have been…
The Break by UK author Marian Keyes is a big juicy novel that’s absolute fun to get lost in. Hugh, wonderful husband and father of teenage daughters, goes through something of a mid-life crisis after the death of his parents and a good friend. Unable to pull himself out of grief, he decides he needs a six month complete break from his life and his marriage and he takes off to Thailand. This means Amy, his heartbroken wife, is also…
Where the Line Bleeds is the debut novel by Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing. Set in rural Mississippi, the book follows twin brothers Joshua and Christophe the Summer after they graduate from high school. They live with their blind grandmother and both spend their days applying for any jobs they can find. The reappearance of their absent Mother and their addict Father bring challenges to the boys lives, which have for the first time ever, veered off in…