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Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
I just finished Happiness Falls (2023) by Angie Kim. The plot centers around a boy who has Angelman Syndrome, which is the same genetic disorder my daughter has. That level of representation was not something I ever expected to see in a mainstream fiction book.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
The Feather Thief (2018) is a fascinating combination of true crime and natural history which reads like a novel. Its author, Kirk Wallace Johnson, was on a fishing trip when his guide told him an anecdote about an unusual heist: the 2009 theft of hundreds of dead birds from a British natural history museum.
A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
Get yourself a cup of coffee, a pastry, and get cozy while reading A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss. For fans of romance who like a cozy setting and delicious descriptions of food and drink, this book has all that and then some.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Looking for a sweet, cozy story? Check out this heartwarming novel from perennial bestseller Mary Kay Andrews. In Bright Lights, Big Christmas (2023), Kerry Tolliver is between jobs and helping out her family’s business by living in a tiny trailer selling Christmas trees in New York City.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
How would a twelve-year old boy survive losing his entire family of origin, mother, father, and older brother, in plane crash? How would he cope with being the only survivor of the crash, which took, in addition to his family, nearly two hundred passengers and crew? How could anyone survive this?
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
A Burning (2020), Megha Majumdar's debut novel, follows three characters in the wake of a firebomb attack at a railroad station in a Kolkata slum.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient (2019) is an amazing psychological thriller that takes you into the mind of, not only the title patient Alicia, but also into that of a psychotherapist.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
I absolutely loved The Rachel Incident (2023) by Caroline O'Donoghue, set in Ireland during the aftermath of the global economic crisis of 2008. As an elder Millennial, I really identified with the main character Rachel, and her struggles as a college student during that economically depressing time.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
It’s impossible to do justice to The Water Dancer (2019) in a book review. The story is powerful and haunting, the characters are expertly and thoughtfully portrayed throughout, and the time period and settings are drawn such that I felt that I was viewing the horrors of slavery on a Virginia plantation and experiencing the terrifying dangers of the flight to freedom.
Tom Lake by Anne Patchett
She did it again: with her latest novel, Tom Lake (2023), Ann Patchett has created a story that is accessible, believable, meaningful, and moving, a down-to-earth tale about a family of five, trying to keep their cherry farm in northern Michigan afloat during the global pandemic, the horrors of which are kept at a relatively safe remove.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Lone Women (2023) by Victor LaValle is a historical slow burn horror set in 1915 Montana. After losing her parents, Adelaide Henry travels alone from California to settle a claim of land in Montana supplied with very little - namely the heavy burden she has carried all her life.
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay
One morning an elevator in a New York skyscraper plunges to the ground, killing four people. The next morning, in a different building, another person dies in an elevator incident. By the third day, when another elevator crashes in a different building, it's clear that these are not accidents. Are these attacks targeted or random? Who is behind these attacks and why and how are they happening? With so much of the city only accessible by elevator, New York City comes to a standstill.