There's a reason people share their personal journeys about depression with John Moe, whether it's after he gives a speech or in his podcast. I frankly never heard of the eponymous podcast, nor of John Moe. I read a description of the book and saw it looked popular and grabbed the audible version to start … Continue reading The Hilarious World of Depression – John Moe →

Nadia and Simone live with their parents in Alexandria Egypt, spending their days at the beach and avoiding too much interaction with their obnoxious cousin Victor. Cooper weaves a dreamlike picture of their family and the extended community of "outsiders" who emigrated from Syria over 100 years ago. Their family is Greek Orthodox in a … Continue reading The Girls from Alexandria -Carol Cooper →

I really enjoyed this mystery about a group of strangers stranded in a small inn during a snowstorm. It is fair to say this pays homage to Agatha Christie's "And then there were None." I started reading Christie in high school and pretty much had read all of her books by the time I finished … Continue reading An Unwanted Guest – Shari Lapena →

If you want to love this book, live this prose poetry, deepen your understanding of a profoundly sad yet moving mother/son relationship, dripping with loss and caring and snapshot after snapshot (or quilt piece after quilt piece) of reservation life in the seventies and eighties… If you want to learn more about a deeply imperfect … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Sherman Alexie →

Here's what I personally love about Jenny Lawson: She is unafraid to write about the darkest side of anxiety, ADD without the H, depression, chronic diseases, and the absolutely horrifyingly CRAPPY health care system that denies people the care they need, with absurd rules and denials. She illustrates this in ways anyone can understand and … Continue reading Broken (in the best possible way) – Jenny Lawson →

Eliza is 12 in 1791 London. She is in service to Mrs. Amwell, who dispatches Eliza on an errand to a hidden shop -- an apothecary-- where Nella, aging and sick, compounds death for men who betray women. Caroline flew alone to London for what was supposed to be her tenth-anniversary trip. She's left James … Continue reading The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner →

This is the single best coming-of-age memoir I have ever read. I have read and enjoyed many. It is 1961, and eighteen-year-old Charles Person needs his parents'' permission to become the youngest of the original Freedom Riders of 1961. James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) led up the plan to test the … Continue reading Buses are a Comin’: Memoir of a Freedom Rider – Charles Person with Richard Rooker →

It is a supreme compliment from me to say this book reminded me of Jane Smiley's work. Cassandra "Cassie" McDowell and her older sister Persephone "Sephie" are 12 and about 14 when we meet them, living on a farm and going to school in Lilydale, MN. Cassie is the narrator and her character is why … Continue reading Unspeakable Things – Jess Lourey →

I enjoyed Cole's writing style, characters, and concept, as well as the engaging historical information about Black-owned real estate in Brooklyn with a nice little nod to Weeksville, a place HIGH on my list of NY destinations when travel starts again. Sydney's neighborhood is gentrifying a little TOO fast, in ways that seem explicitly sinister. … Continue reading When No One is Watching – Alyssa Cole →

I am so glad I selected the audiobook because hearing this book spoken by the talented cast was unforgettable. (I did then research the table of contents to make sure I remember the writers and their topics since I have no print copy.) This brainchild of Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blaine, editors, is a … Continue reading Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 – Edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blaine →