As I try to catch up on classics I never read, Shirley Jackson came to mind. Like many people, I read The Lottery in school and it stuck with me so that when I reread it, it was just as I remembered it almost fifty years ago. So when We have Always Lived in the … Continue reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson (Audio Narrator – Bernadette Dunne)
Category: Book Reviews
What Will People Think? – Sara Hamdan (Audio Narrator – Reem Edan)
I am so glad I requested this audio book from NetGalley! Mia is first generation Palestinian American, raised by her grandparents since the death of her father. Her mother died when she was born and that side of the family had no interest in Mia, born of a marriage they disapproved of. Mia and her … Continue reading What Will People Think? – Sara Hamdan (Audio Narrator – Reem Edan)
A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run – Gwen Fiorio
There is something very special about being old enough to remember political activists of the 1970s who turned to violent forms of protest. Reading this novel, stories of the Weathermen and Patti Hearst came to mind. A Senior's Guide to Life on the Run is so delightful an ensemble of characters and such an engaging … Continue reading A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run – Gwen Fiorio
Where the Rivers Merge – Mary Alice Monroe
Where the Rivers Merge bookends and then fills in the life of Eliza Rivers, born in 1900 in a country home/rice plantation. Her father lost his fortune but he married her wealthy mother who initially agreed to raise the family at Mayfield Hall, rebuilt after it was burned during the Civil War. Eliza is the … Continue reading Where the Rivers Merge – Mary Alice Monroe
Malcolm Lives – Ibram X Kendi (Audio Narrated by Ibram X Kendi)
Full disclosure. I am a white reader. I have read and enjoyed two books by Kendi and one book where he was an editor. I was raised by a 1960s civil rights activist. I went to a high school that had serious race riots in the late sixties. I remember when a Black friend suddenly … Continue reading Malcolm Lives – Ibram X Kendi (Audio Narrated by Ibram X Kendi)
Park Avenue – Renee Ahdieh (Audio Narrator Michelle H. Lee)
There is just something about this novel that sticks with me. I read an audio version that was extremely well narrated by Michelle H. Lee. Park has a double meaning. It's the name of the ritzy street in Manhattan and the name of the obscenely wealthy and, if possible, the more obscenely dysfunctional family that … Continue reading Park Avenue – Renee Ahdieh (Audio Narrator Michelle H. Lee)
My Friends – Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is a stunning writer. I rarely highlight what I am reading, even when I love the writing and even though, because they are e-books, I am not damaging a paperback or hardcover version of a novel. There is something about the way Backman thinks as he creates, once again, unforgettable characters that makes … Continue reading My Friends – Fredrik Backman
The Red House – Mary Morris (Audio Narrator – Alyssa Bresnahan)
The Red House is a story about trauma and a child's search to learn about her mother's experiences during WWII in Mussolini's Italy. Laura was born in post-WWII Italy to Viola, an Italian woman and her American father. The family eventually moved to New Jersey. Viola was an artist, who frequently painted a red house … Continue reading The Red House – Mary Morris (Audio Narrator – Alyssa Bresnahan)
The Mantis – Kotoro Isaka (Audio narrated by Brian Nishii and Pun Bandhu)
I am so sad to read the last of the Assassin series by Kotaro Isaka. I came upon them on Audible and each was original, funny, gruesome but not graphic, and found a way to both make us appreciate good versus bad assassins, We ansi learn about the way they become "stuck" in this career. … Continue reading The Mantis – Kotoro Isaka (Audio narrated by Brian Nishii and Pun Bandhu)
Didn’t You Used to be Queenie Bee? – Terri-Lynne DeFino (Audio Narrator – Eva Kaminsky)
Didn't You Used to Be Queenie B. exceeded my expectations! I liked the concept, but how Terri-Lynne DeFino writes this story kept me engaged in listening to the audio version in the car in front of the house. Eva Kaminsky did a nice job with the narration. Gale Carmichael lives with his childhood friend, Kyle … Continue reading Didn’t You Used to be Queenie Bee? – Terri-Lynne DeFino (Audio Narrator – Eva Kaminsky)
They Called me Bookworm 