The Briar Club - Kate Quinn

September's Book Club choice was .... OK. I have gotten to the point where I am not sure if it some faulty perception on my part, or if the writing in these "bestseller" type books really is this meh. Is it me???? I also feel like this book could have just been a drama and didn't need to be a "mystery" if that makes sense. I did like some of the characters. Sometimes with books like this I like to check out the Amazon reviews and I was stunned to discover that something in this book that I really liked was something that a lot of readers hated. LOL LOL LOL I guess I am just far out of step with most people but what else is new. 

Reread: The Giver - Lois Lowry

Reality is more and more dystopian by the minute, so why not kick off autumn/fall (I know it's technically still summer, but as far as I'm concerned, Sept 1 = the first day of autumn/fall) with a classic of the genre. I actually first read this book ~25 years ago, long before this blog, when I was reading a bunch of Newbery Medal award winning books. My local library had its annual book sale a few months ago, so of course I could not help myself and added a bunch of books to the ever-growing and never-shrinking TBR Pile, including this book. Another reason of course is because if I recall correctly, this is a frequently banned or challenged book, and frankly I would like to have copies of some of these books ... just in case. 

This book is a deceptively fast read but I am still thinking about it. My lousy memory meant that I remembered next to nothing about it, except that I had liked it, so it was as if I were reading it for the first time. And I am pleased to report that I liked it again. I am still thinking about the story and how I feel about it. Without getting spoiler-y at all, I am not sure how exactly I would want to live. I think the me that existed in, say, 2019 would make a different choice than the me that exists today. But who knows. 

The Trackers - Charles Frazier (Spoilers?)

What a terrific choice for this month's Book Club! I loved this book. It's basically a film noir in book form (I guess that would make it a livre noir?), so much so that I mentally cast Barbara Stanwyck as Eve and pictured that character as looking like Phyllis Dietrichson from Double Indemnity, one of my favorite movies. The writing is great, the setting is fascinating, I liked the characters even when they were rather unlikable - this was just a great read. Highly recommended. 

The Deerfield Massacre - James L. Swanson

This book's subtitle draws us in and gives us more context: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America. I was not familiar with this event in history, and the author has clearly researched it in great detail and used a wide-ranging compilation of sources to paint a picture of colonial America that I don't think we hear or see much about these days. I would love to read more about Eunice Williams (the daughter) - that is a fascinating story in itself. 

Family Lore - Elizabeth Acevedo

July's Book Club choice grabbed me and would not let me go. I was compelled to keep reading and I resented any time I had to stop. OK, there was a bit more "adult content" than I would like, but this book was worth it. I am really looking forward to the discussion! Recommended. 

Reread: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume

Saw this book at Dollar Tree, of all places, and thought I'd grab it for $1.25 before their prices keep getting higher and higher, both out of nostalgia for a book I remember reading as a kid, and also to have a copy of a book that is frequently banned and challenged by people who don't think other people deserve to know actual medical information. The funniest thing about that is that this book isn't some explicit description of anything, it's just a story about maturing and etc. But whatever! 

So of course I had to reread it, and it was entertaining as an adult. At my ripe age, part of me thinks anyone WANTING menstruation has something drastically wrong with them, ha ha. But of course I understand that it was (is? I don't know anymore) a sign of "maturity" and etc. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Margaret's grandmother, even if she is kind of a pain in the neck from time to time. I think there were some interesting lessons in this book. 

Now I am kind of wondering if I should have picked up copies of other Judy Blume books they had.... 

(Starring Sally J. Friedman As Herself, Blubber, Deenie, and maybe 1 other?)

The Curse of Penryth Hall - Jess Armstrong

June's book club choice was... underwhelming. I wanted to like this book but the story was all over the place. And if one more character "wet [his/her] lips" I would have screamed. What does that even mean????? I can't recommend this one. 

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

This was a quick read - I basically finished it in 1 day. I enjoyed the story, although some of it was unpleasant, but I am left with a lot of unanswered questions too. Ultimately, I think it's about the power or suggestion, but I don't have a lot of thoughts to back that up. I really wanted to love this one, but I didn't. Not sure what exactly to make of it. 

The Husbands - Holly Gramazio

This was an enjoyable and entertaining Book Club choice.  It was a good "beach read" type of book. It did make me think about how we choose a "partner" to go through life with. 

The Secret War of Julia Child - Diana R. Chambers

April's Book Club choice left me completely cold. The writing was awful, just amateurish and poorly done. It read like something written by a person who has never read a book in their life. The story itself is heavily fictionalized and full of over the top "action scenes" and silly romance nonsense that I imagine is supposed to build some kind of "will they/won't they" tension but is just tiresome. I suspect everyone else in the Book Club will love it though (I hope I'm wrong). I can't recommend this one. 

The Case of the Missing Maid - Rob Osler

What an utterly charming mystery! I really enjoyed this book, coincidentally a mystery set in the 1890s. This time our plucky detective is Harriet Morrow, a character I definitely want to read more about. The book cover says "Harriet Morrow Investigates" so I am hoping this is the beginning of a series, and if so I will happily read all the books. Highly recommended. 

HOWEVER, I do wish the authors of books set in this time period would learn a little more about phonographs, gramophones, cylinders, 78 rpm records, etc. (The previous Book Box book was guilty of this too, I'm not picking on this author). For one thing, volume control was not a thing in this era. In fact, the origin of the expression "put a sock in it" is dampening the sound on a gramophone by cramming something (possibly a sock) into the horn to make the sound softer. Also, recordings in this era were short, and records were generally 1 song long - there were no such things as "albums" where a recording would play for more than, say, about 3 minutes. SOURCE: I own a gramophone from the early 20th century :) Again, I am not picking on this author at all, I loved the book, it's just some extra detail for accuracy :) 

This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This sci-fi book was deceptively short but it has left me thinking. At first I wasn't sure what to make of the premise, but it didn't take me long to get into the story and I was turning pages at quite a clip to see how things turned out. Looking forward to the Book Club discussion on this one. 

Misery Hates Company - Elizabeth Hobbs

This was a charming mystery story. The story is set in 1894, a time period I enjoy learning and reading about, and I think there were a few things that were anachronisms, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment or anything. I liked the main character, who I think embodies the term "plucky." I will say that I thought it took a little bit longer than it needed to to solve the mystery, but on the other hand maybe I was just impatient to see the solution. This book was published in 2025, and the cover states "A Marigold Manners Mystery" so I imagine this will become a series, and I would definitely read the other books in this series. 

Kantika -- Elizabeth Graver

How have I lived this long without ever hearing about the Ladino language? I really enjoyed this well written, semi-biographical family story. The author has a way of letting us in on the characters' motivations without falling back on "telling" as so many books do these days. Recommended. 

A Great Country - Shilpi Somaya Gowda

A good choice for February's Book Club book. I enjoyed this novel despite its frustrating elements - to be clear, they were frustrating because in the year 2025 we are still dealing with childish ignorance and bigotry and etc. It's funny because as an Official Old TM, I identified with the parents and understood their actions and reactions better, although I am not an immigrant, while at the same time I felt for the younger generation as their struggles and challenges (and how they dealt with them) was relatable. 

This Strange Eventful History - Claire Messud

This book would be accurately described as a "sprawling family saga" and I enjoyed it. At times it got a bit wordy and it could have been shorter, but I loved the structure of the book and enjoyed seeing how things played out. 

The Dance Tree - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I enjoyed this book, a work of historical fiction based on true events - which of course makes me want to research them, as they are fascinating! I really liked the main characters, even when they were frustrating - and disliked the villain(s), of course. Will we ever stop bigotry and hate? I don't know but I know I will keep reading and keep hoping.