The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery couldn’t be more different than her book The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and if you loved one, you most likely will not like the other. The Life of Elves is a highly lyrical, often esoteric fable about two young girls Maria and Clara, one living in a small village in France, the other in Italy, united by their strange otherworldly powers and ancient magic. Everything depends on them as a battle between dark…
The Second Chance Store by Lauren Bravo is a novel set in England. Gwen, 38, single, recently let go from her job finds her second chance volunteering at a charity shop. Although somewhat predictable, this novel is full of a lot of heart. As each item in the charity shop finds its second chance, so too does Gwen. An easy, enjoyable, non-demanding read; a perfect escape.
This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes is a surprisingly funny, heartfelt novel set in L.A. Richard, middle-aged, successful, living in a fabulous house in a wealthy L.A. neighborhood appears to have everything; but his life has become sterile and boring and completely shut off from the rest of the world until a few events that he can’t avoid pull him out of his isolation. In this book you will find sinkholes, horses, famous actors, helicopters, kidnapping, donuts…
Glaciers is a slim little novel by Alexis M. Smith. It takes place in Portland, OR over the course of one day in the life of twenty-something Isabel. This is a book about longing. Longing for a past that is gone, longing for a future she imagines and longing in the present for a relationship with a soldier who is about to be shipped off to war. Isabel remembers her past growing up in Alaska and watching the glaciers already…
Lisa See is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is her latest book. Set during the Ming Dynasty it tells the story of Tan Yunxian, a female doctor whose remedies are still used today. Xunxian and Meiling come from very different backgrounds, one is raised by her grandmother who is a doctor and the other by her mother who is a midwife. Despite their different circumstances, they form a deep friendship that…
The Covenant of Water is the new novel by Abraham Verghese author of Cutting for Stone. Set in Kerala, Southern India and spanning almost eight decades starting at the turn of the 20th century, this is part family saga, part history of India and wholly a masterfully written book. When a twelve year old girl is sent to marry a 40 year old man, it is hard to imagine that one day she will be the strong matriarch of the…
A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, is such a beautiful, lyrical little novel I couldn’t put it down. Quiet, guarded Rose, who has just turned 40 travels to Kyoto after her father’s death, a father she never knew. As per her late father’s wishes, she embarks on a tour of the temples of Kyoto guided by her fathers assistant. Along the way she meets some of her fathers friends including a poet, a…
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson has been described as The Night Circus meets the X-Men and I found that to be mostly accurate. As a huge fan of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern this was enough to get me to read it. One has to suspend their disbelief as they would do when they enter a circus big top in order for the magic to flow. Rin, the Ringmaster along with the rest of Windy Van Hooten’s…
Barbara Kingsolver has long been one of my favorite writers, and her newest book, Demon Copperhead, doesn’t disappoint. Spending time in the room where Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield inspired Kingsolver to write a modern day version of the story, highlighting institutional poverty and the damages it does to children. She set her novel in the area where she lives in Appalachia and added in the the harrowing affects of the opioid crisis there. Told through Demon’s own voice, this…
Arribada by Estela Gonzales is a novel set in Mexico. Mariana, a world class pianist, grew up in a small coastal town full of beautiful beaches and sea turtles. When she returns home to help find her missing Uncle, she finds a place she no longer recognizes. She joins Fernanda, an indigenous local woman, in working on conservation projects. As the love between them grows, hidden family secrets emerge which threaten to change everything. This lyrical and poetic novel is…