Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

 genre: historical fiction

When Maisie Dobbs' arrives in London to begin her own private investigation service, she has far more will and ambition than she does cases to solve.  But soon, she has an opportunity to use her wit and her keen eye to start solving problems.  And when Maisie starts pulling a string, she fill follow it wherever it leads.  In the aftermath of World War I, so many are suffering - both physically and mentally - that digging deep requires a patience and true empathy.  And Maisie's got both.

My mother in law recommended this to me almost 15 years ago.  Maybe more?  So it's been sitting on my TBR for so very long.  But once I picked it up, I could see what she enjoyed.  The historical setting, Maisie's puckishness, it does have appeal.  The narrative structure is interesting, with a big chunk of backstory plunked into the middle - but it worked for me.  Are the characters all a bit characters?  Yeah, but again, if I just leaned into my love of Downton Abbey, I just went ahead and enjoyed the ride.   It didn't ever grip me in a mystery way but three stars for me never considering giving it up

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie (audiobook)

 genre: contemporary romance

From the beginning, we know that Noah is somehow a part of A.J.'s life.  What we don't know is how the journey will upend not only the path her life is going to take but also the person she becomes.  A.J. doesn't just love sketch comedy, she is mildly obsessed with an eclectic retro comedy show in which an elderly woman in her town starred.  Her connection to this fandom and her own untapped creativity will lead to the opportunity of a lifetime - if she can be brave enough to take it.

This was a super fast listen for me, I was all in from the beginning.  But I do love pop culture obsessions and the interplay between celebrity and the rest of us.  This is a STEAMY romance but it is also a slow burn.  For me, it bordered on the verge of too slow but I actually really liked the arc, when it was finished.  Life is messy and complicated and both of our lead characters had a lot to learn.  A few little things made me suspend my disbelief (I'm sorry, my kid was AT West Point, so I know stuff) but it didn't spoil it.  Trigger warning - there is some terminal illness grief and processing - which for me made the plot even more complex.

If you like a steamy romance with celebrity and entertainment world tangents, this was great.

Solito by Javier Zamora (audiobook)

 genre: memoir

Javier's life in El Salvador is familiar and full of the love and drama of his extended family. But, as a nine year old, it's missing one crucial thing: his parents. His mother and father have already made the journey to the United States and Javier LONGS to be with them. When his time finally comes to join up with the coyote, there are a thousand unknowns and only one certain thing: he is going alone. Of course, there is a group of people traveling together and technically the coyote is in "charge" of him but Javier will be without any of his trusted people. Just him and his backpack and the knowledge his grandfather helped him to memorize.

This story. MY HEART. I cannot imagine sending my child on such a trek, I know his parents must've been so desperate to be reunited with him. Our author is a poet, and it shows - it SHINES. It's so raw and vulnerable, you just want to take this nine year old out of this harrowing experience and make him feel safe and cared for. What makes it all okay is the family he creates around him as he travels north by car/van/boat/foot. It's exhausting just reading about how challenging it was, physically and emotionally. No one is doing this for fun. I felt so much compassion for EVERYONE migrating but most especially those who took Javier under their wing despite all their own trauma and hardships. People can be horrible, yes. We see that. But also, people can do exactly the right thing at the right time and it can mean EVERYTHING.

I am so glad I did the audio. I loved listening to the Spanish - and there is a LOT. He doesn't always translate it for us and so we use context and sometimes just feel a tiny bit lost. Like Javier did. But it's worth it. Sometimes I struggle with memoirs with a lot of dialogue, but this flowed so well as a story. Highly recommended reading.

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell

genre: memoir

Having genuinely enjoyed both Hamnet and Land, I decided to look into O'Farrell's backlist to try some of her earlier work.  This memoir seemed a good place to start and I was NOT mistaken.  These stories are all, in ways huge and small, experiences that made the line between HERE and NOT HERE feel slim indeed.  As a person who has twice been in an ambulance - the first time knowing I’d just cheated death and the second unaware that I was actively dying, these stories struck some very tender chords.  Her writing IS lyrical.  She is a storyteller and isn’t rushing to the point.  She is giving us a visceral look at what it is to stare death in the face and then manage to still be here.  I found it completely compelling and I’m even more sure that her writing is exactly what I enjoy and appreciate.

Let There Be Thought by Eira Quinn

genre: poetry, deconstruction

This thin book of poetry perfectly captures so much of the grief and lived experience from one who has deconstructed a high demand religion.  If you have scaffolded your life around the religion you were taught as a child and then had it crash around you, these words are for you.  While it is such a deeply personal kind of trauma to unpick the threads of your brain that tell you not to trust your own mind and heart, it is so wonderful to be reminded that this path has been walked before.  Let Their Be Thought is like a little light in the darkness reminding you that you are not alone.

The Witch by Marie Ndiaye

Lucie DOES have powers. Even if they aren’t as strong as other women in her family, she absolutely has the ability to see into the future or into the past, at least a little bit. In her tiny French town, she is trying to make a life with her husband and twin daughters and while teaching her daughters how to use this gift is rewarding, it also brings consequences she never could have expected.

When I was in Brussels, I went shopping at the famous Tropismes bookshop and purchased this English translation of the original French novel, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year. Unfortunately, this book is in some ways like some kind of opaque fever dream. Lucie was frustrating, I felt rage on her behalf that she seemed unable to feel for herself. I wanted so much more depth from her as a character. Over and over, being a witch does her really no good at all and the people she is surrounded by offer her nothing that is emotionally satisfying. The method to her "gift" is interesting and I went much faster through the last fourth of the book then the rest of it, but even for a short book, it really was not particularly satisfying.

Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein

genre: historical fiction

Told in two timelines, this novel is about women who understand the power of words.  Two women in the 1500s in Europe are living in a time of religious upheaval where anything heretical is punishable by death.  And in the 1950s, a British ex-pat in America is caught up in the Red Scare where any whiff of Communism can result in very real consequences.  Two periods of time - the same problem.  Fear.  Brutality.  Women's voices being silenced.

I didn't go through this as fast as I'd thought I would.  I didn't necessarily like one plotline more than the others, but for some reason I was never super gripped by what was happening.  But I liked the IDEA of it, the special book that connects the the past and the present as well as the actual contents of the book whose revolutionary ideas caused such trouble.  I liked that feminist take and honestly, the Red Scare part was upsetting to imagine.  It is hard to think about how much our country has messed up again and again.  But then on the other hand - it has pulled itself out before.  I really hope we can do it again.

The Antiquarian's Object of Desire by India Holton (audiobook)

genre: historical fantasy

In a world where magic can be found everywhere, SOME academics choose to study average household objects that happen to be infused with their own powers.  Amelia's professorship at Oxford is the result of years of study of antiques and a lot of practical know how - no thanks to her friend and fellow professor Caleb.  Caleb who can't seem to really take anything seriously but does keep Amelia on her toes.  When a house in the country has rooms full of objects that need to be catalogued, both Amelia and Caleb must leave their beloved Oxford and travel to the backwoods, for the work must go on!

Okay, these books are just a whimsical romp.  The secondary characters are hilariously quirky and our main characters are a dream.  Yes it's a romance but it's clever and so tongue in cheek.  They always go on a BIT too long for me but I always listen to whatever India Holton writes because I know that she will definitely entertain me.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

 genre: contemporary fiction

In backcountry of Kentucky, there are the lucky few who live on land that borders a wild forest.  The woman who watches over this forest and the farmers who live and work nearby are about as imbedded in nature as one can be.  But the balance of live and death is precarious here, just like it is everywhere else, and to tug on one string or to eliminate one species is to upend a delicate system that everyone relies on.  This novel has three general storylines which do, in all of my favorite kinds of stories, eventually intersect in ways you can't expect.  And the underlying theme here is the natural world and our place in it.

Kingsolver doesn't mince words about ecology.  She can be pedantic sometimes about pesticides and species eradication but for myself, I LOVE IT.  I want to learn about these things and see the interplay of humans and animals in a real world environment.  I like to learn about moths and coyotes, chestnut trees and goats - all within the context of a story about people living and grieving and futzing about their lives just like all of us.  If you don't want those kinds of ideas (maybe some people would call them agendas?) in your face, then this isn't the book for you. But if your heart is a wild and nature-loving thing that likes stories where humans aren't the only players, I'd be surprised if this one didn't at least make you think. It took a bit too long for me to get into for me to give it 5 stars but 4.5 for sure.

Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer (audiobook)

genre: historical fiction (eeek!  In the 90s!!)

When our narrator arrives in Tuscany, he knows no Italian and is aware that he's taking a huge leap.  He's taken on a temporary position for an elderly baroness named Coco who needs her goods cataloged.  And since our narrator is an archivist, he feels prepared enough for the job. Except the job is...so much more than archiving.  With our sometimes sparkling and sometimes crotchety baroness, you never know WHAT exactly you're going to be asked to do or who you'll need to do it with. 

I didn't know I needed a charming story about an eccentric Italian woman but I DID!  I don't know how the paper book would be because the audio made Coco such a delight, sometimes making me actually laugh out loud.  I loved being soaked in not just Italy itself but also its foods and customs, its traditions and quirks.  Our narrator has a steep learning curve but soon all the people who are in and out of Coco's life because our narrator's people too in ways both surprising and beautiful.  The arc of this story worked so well for me and while I was surprised by the capery nature sometimes and the sentiments aren't life-changing, those sentiments ARE beautiful and worth taking to heart.  May I live such a life as Coco.