Category: What I’m Reading

November 2025

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1. When Breath Becomes Air

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SUMMARY

Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

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MY REVIEW

This book had been on my “must reads” list for quite some time. Perhaps it was an overdose of too much fiction (is that even a thing?); maybe the firework explosion of colors on the trees reminded me that in the Midwest we are in the season where leaves die before winter.

Within this short memoir, Kalanithi packs a poignant punch of what it means to walk the line between living and dying. As a neurosurgeon, he experienced that almost daily as he navigated his way around fragile spinal columns and complicated brains. He thought he understood the reality of death and our own finite timelines…until he himself was given a terminal cancer diagnosis.

I loved how this memoir was written in two sections: one of his life pre-cancer and one after it. In the first part, we empathize with his fast-paced, goal-oriented life. How much can he get done in a day? How can he advance his career? He celebrates crawling into bed at night, beyond exhausted, from having accomplished more than was humanly possible. He thought he was living life to the fullest.

And then. Life came to a screeching halt with his cancer diagnosis. Not just early stages either–stage 4. Kalanithi writes about how time changed, from a clock-driven, calendar-based concept to something more arbitrary. Instead of “what time is dinner?” or “what day should I get that done?” he asks himself, “what should I do with the rest of my life?”

Despite his father’s relentless positivity, Kalanithi’s story does not end happily. Or maybe it does. As his wife writes in the epilogue, Paul lived his life with an authenticity as he “griev[ed] the loss of the future he planned and forge[d] a new one” (219).

Maybe that’s all we should strive for in our own lives.

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2. Challenger Deep

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SUMMARY

Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behaviour.

Caden Bosch is designated the ship’s artist in residence to document the journey with images.

Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.

Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.

Caden Bosch is torn.

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MY REVIEW

Neal Shusterman is coming to a writing festival a local university holds in my area, and this was a recommended read. I am always looking for a middle grade-to-young adult novel; there’s something for me in the way authors of this genre are willing to tackle seemingly “adult-only” topics and bring them down to the middle school and high school level. I feel we have always underestimated this age group, and my years teaching middle school and high school confirmed this. They are clearly aware of what is going on in the world and what is happening to people; they just need it brought to them on a level they can understand. Since the onset of the internet and mobile devices, I believe this is even more true today. We shouldn’t shelter this age group from reality; instead, we should carefully choose how to present it to them.

Shusterman accepts this challenge and presents a world where Caden Bosch lives in a deep dark place of mental illness. “Unable to function in everyday society” mental illness. “We have no choice but to hospitalize you” mental illness. It’s a fascinating journey into Caden’s head, to experience med changes and hallucinations and friendships and reconfiguring life. But the world of mental illness is not an easy one for those who live it, or for those who love someone with it.

Shusterman’s ability to write so poignantly comes from–as I feared while reading this novel–his own pain and heartbreak as he watched his son battle mental illness. The drawings in the book come from his son. Not all stories end well, but Brendan Shusterman “found his piece of sky and escaped gloriously from the deep” (Author’s Note).

I appreciated Shusterman’s final thoughts that he hopes Challenger Deep will help others “to empathize, and to understand what it’s like to sail the dark, unpredictable waters of mental illness” (Author’s Note).

This was a difficult, but worthwhile read. And I would gladly put it in the hands of someone of a younger age who is able to handle the depth and struggle of this topic.

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3. What Happened to Rachel Riley?

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SUMMARY

An eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school in this #metoo story.

Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why. As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her. What happened to Rachel Riley? With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain about, if you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.

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MY REVIEW

When a beloved middle school teacher “highly” recommends a book, I read it. In fact, in this particular case, I walked to the library that very afternoon and picked up a copy. She was spot on that this was a great read, and I had it finished within 48 hours.

I loved how this book was told through different elements in addition to narrative writing. There were emails and announcements and text strands, completely immersing itself in contemporary Middle Grade fiction. Because the story was told in reverse order (we don’t actually know what happened to Rachel Riley until the end of the book, although the “what happened” occurred before the book was written), many of the emails and announcements don’t entirely make sense as we untangle the massive plot knot that is teenage relationships.

More importantly, this is a novel about what constitutes as bullying and teasing. Yes, there is a gendered aspect to this particular tale and it is an important one. However, what is critical for this age group in our social media filled society is understanding what qualifies as bullying, “soft” as it may be. People may laugh it off or say it was “just for fun” and that “no one was really hurt,” but until we can teach this next generation to protect themselves physically, mentally and emotionally and to place their own safety first, we have to keep preaching loudly. Personally, I find a MG novel is the perfect way to do that.

All ages should read this book. And, if you’re a parent of a teenager, read this book and talk about it together.

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4. Wreck

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SUMMARY

Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts with her husband Nick and their daughter Willa, who’s back home after college. Their son, Jamie, has taken a new job in New York, and Mort, Rocky’s widowed father, has moved in.

It all couldn’t be more ridiculously normal . . . until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects them—and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won’t affect them at all.

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MY REVIEW

After reading and loving Sandwich earlier this year, I highly anticipated Newman’s sequel. I had considered purchasing it as my special Winter Break vacation book, but when my hold request became available at the library, I decided to read it early.

When people ask me what Newman’s books are about, I usually respond with a shoulder shrug and the word “nothing.” Because Newman’s books aren’t about driving plots or action over the course of a certain period of time. Both have been about a middle-age woman living with all the thoughts and feelings that come with the age and learning to unpublished rule book that comes with having adult kids.

In a way that Sandwich was lovely to me, Wreck felt a little bit too much like its own title. Perhaps it’s because this book was not set in the nostalgic beach home with her family on vacation. Perhaps it’s because both wrecks in the novel, an external event and her own internal one, posed a much darker view on life. For me, whereas Rocky was pleasantly emotional in the first book, she became unpleasantly mental in this novel. A friend saw this coming with the first book and told me that Rocky just thinks everything and every situation is about her.

Ultimately, I am glad I did not spend my money on purchasing this rather expensive, shortish-length hardcover book. It did continue to offer provoking thoughts and perspectives on middle age and what “wrecks” us (or, maybe more astutely, what we allow to wreck us), but overall it felt like a country song where the same, sad tune was sung, just different lyrics in the second verse.

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October 2025

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1. My Friends

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SUMMARY

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

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MY REVIEW

I have always been a fan of Frederik Backman. He captured me first with A Man Called Ove and had never let me go. My friend Kim (yes, I’m actually referring to another person) gifted me with her hardcover copy to read and enjoy on my own time with no library due date. I

didn’t know it, but I would need all the time to slowly and carefully read this deep and moving story of four friends and a painting that would change all their lives. I have confessed before that I can be a skim reader, but this book required a detailed read of every chapter, every page, every sentence. I felt like every third or fourth sentence was profound enough to be a poster on someone’s wall. Backman’s writing is witty and heartfelt and deep…and then he makes some reference to a fart (endearing and funny a few times, mostly weird and redundant in my opinion).

This is a story about a painting. But it’s so much more. If you were given a checklist of thematic options, my guess is most readers would check almost all of them: love, pain, grief, sacrifice, friendship, death. So I guess that makes this novel the single most handbook on “how to live life.”

Readers, this one is worth it. Find your copy, whether it be at the library, the bookstore or your good friend Kim (side note: everyone should have a good friend Kim in their lives). Read it, enjoy it, savor it. Let it take up rent in your head long after you’ve finished it. And then pray to the gods in Hollywood they never try to mess it up by making it into a movie.

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2. The Keeper of Lost Things

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SUMMARY

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidentally left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

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MY REVIEW

I believe I saw a recommendation for this book on social media, and not by any person I knew. But their review said that reading this book was “like getting a hug,” and I thought I could use a bookhug right now.

I wanted to like this book more. Perhaps it’s Backman’s fault for exposing me to the highest level of literature for my previous read. I believe the plot is worthwhile; the synopsis reminded me a bit of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper (Patrick) which I thoroughly enjoyed. And the running themes of lost love and found love and friendship and holding out hope when all seems bleak–these are all themes I appreciate in a good novel.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find myself caring about the characters, and as a result, I could not connect to the plot. This might have been a book I would have abandoned halfway through had it not been the feeling of responsibility to finish and report on it to you, my dear readers. Perhaps it moved too slow for my fast-paced brain; perhaps I’m not someone who can appreciate “charming” books the way others can.

Goodreads claims this is a book for readers who loved The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Bender). Now that is a book that I loved and would highly recommend to any reader.

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3. How to Read a Book

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SUMMARY

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

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MY REVIEW

At this point, how this book got on my “to read” list is insignificant; the fact that it got into my hands and I got to devour it in a few short days is all that matters. The title gives nothing away, so I had no idea what to expect. Imagine my shock and surprise when the novel opens in a prison ward.

This book was an absolute delight to read in so many ways. It captured a small glimpse into prison life and what it means for those women to live on the Ins. It enforces the importance of literature and reading and education, and how that is the one universal freedom we all are given. Yes, it’s about friendship and romance, but I loved how it viewed those idyllic aspects of life through broken humans who repeatedly screw up.

I think I adored this book so much because above all, it is a story of forgiveness and offering grace. I believe those are what we need today, in this world, above all else.

Do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book. Even better if you buy it and share it around. This one deserves circulation.

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September 2025

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1. Middlesex

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SUMMARY

The astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl.

In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls’ school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry blond classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them–along with Callie’s failure to develop–leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.

The explanation for this shocking state of affairs takes us out of suburbia- back before the Detroit race riots of 1967, before the rise of the Motor City and Prohibition, to 1922, when the Turks sacked Smyrna and Callie’s grandparents fled for their lives. Back to a tiny village in Asia Minor where two lovers, and one rare genetic mutation, set in motion the metamorphosis that will turn Callie into a being both mythical and perfectly a hermaphrodite.

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MY REVIEW

I decided to read this book because my husband nagged me to read it recommended it to me. My error was choosing to read a 500+ page book in the end of August, when all of life gets busy and I have little to no reading time. I found myself reading this book in five and ten minute increments.

This novel is a stew in your LeCrueset dutch oven. It requires many ingredients that are carefully, painstakingly prepared, and then it is set on a low heat for hours, if not days. This story moves slowly, taking almost 400 pages to get to the primary story of the narrator. Eugenides, through the voice of the narrator, is unapologetic. Less than halfway through the novel the narrator speaks to you, the reader, directly. “Shall I get right to it? No, slowly, leisurely, that’s the way” (232).

But do not think the backstory is boring or unimportant. At times I felt the story had a little Forrest Gump feel to it, with the characters living out important aspects of history. Add in that much of the story is based in Detroit, and we Michiganders feel some fondness toward this Mitten State story.

At the heart of the story is a hermaphrodite, so the reader must hold comfort with gender fluidity and confusion. But it’s also about so much more, as it weaves a beautiful tale of three generations of one family, about immigration and living the American dream. It’s about relationships, both love and friendship. Ultimately it’s a book about understanding one’s own personal identity.

If you have the time to commit to this, I promise you a thought-provoking read.

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2. Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America

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SUMMARY

Think you know what rural America is like? Discover a plurality of perspectives in this enlightening anthology of stories that turns preconceptions on their head.

Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a “white trash”-themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel’s Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he’s ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . .

For most of America’s history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors – diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status – explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you’ll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed – and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own.

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MY REVIEW

I stumbled upon this book as I was researching a potential literary agent. After working my way through some longer, slower reads in August, I was ready for something I could quickly pick up and digest. In addition, the topic very much interested me. For years, I used a different short story series entitled “Voices from the Rust Belt” by Anne Trubek in my community college EN101 class. I loved the gritty stories with tough characters in communities like Flint, Buffalo, Cleveland.

To my (pleasant) surprise, all of the stories told were about teenagers trying to find their identity in relation to the small town in which they live. Some are trying to space themselves from their zip code; others struggle with being viewed as outsiders. All want to be true to themselves and find balance in their lives.

This is the kind of book I would love to teach in a high school (or my community college) classroom. I find the stories to be authentic to teenagers’ lives, and I would love to hold discussions and assign projects and hear their perspective on these stories.

If you are someone who loves short stories, or someone who appreciates the value in a collection of short stories (the ability to read one at a time instead of cover to cover), I recommend this book to you.

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3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

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SUMMARY

Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

Honest and heartfelt, self-deprecating and ironic, Caitlin’s engaging style makes this otherwise taboo topic both approachable and engrossing. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Caitlin argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead).

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MY REVIEW

f you have come to know me in the past few months, you will know that I have an interest in death and dying. Caitlin Doughty’s book “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find a Good Death” was a cornerstone source of information for my MFA Master’s thesis about why we must write about death and dying in fiction. In that book, Doughty explores different death rituals practiced around the world and explores how we deal with death impacts how we live life. It bordered on uncomfortable at times, but for me she always ended the chapter with a beautiful understanding.

I’ll confess that Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was a bit creepy and overly morbid, even for me. She approaches death and morbidity with a bluntness, a matter-of-fact approach, and she doesn’t shy away from details or soften explanations in this book. There are moments in this book when you are standing right next to her at the door of the crematorium, ready to open it and slide a body in. Doughty is real and raw and descriptive in a way that will make most readers squeamish. Which is too bad, because she has beautiful, important thoughts about death and dying that would make any reader think. Her chapter about embalming made me look at it from a completely different angle and I’m perhaps less horrified about the concept of cremation than I was before I read this.

If you are someone who can stomach her all-too-real descriptions of the funeral industry, or if you have a “morbid curiosity” as I do, than I recommend this enlightening book.

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4. The Thursday Murder Club

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SUMMARY

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

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MY REVIEW

This book came to me through a recommendation, although for the life of me I cannot remember exactly who or where (that’s what I get at my age for writing things down).

After finishing a nonfiction memoir about working at a crematorium, I was ready for something a little more lighthearted and fun. This definitely fit the bill. It reminded me of How to Age “(Dis)Gracefully which I read a few weeks ago; both use a group of older people who refuse to age and as a result are generally up to shenanigans.

As far as murder mysteries go, this one wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t find it to be a page turner as the mystery of multiple murders unraveled, and when the plot was finally revealed, I didn’t feel the same sense of satisfaction that I had with Two Nights in Lisbon.

But as far as a fiction novel, I did find that I appreciated the characters, their quirks and idiosyncrasies, and the friendship formed amongst them as they used their combined wit and wisdom to solve murders.

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5. The Hotel Avocado

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SUMMARY

Gary Thorn is struggling with a big decision. Should he stay in London, wallowing in the safety of his legal job in Peckham and eating pies with his next door neighbour, Grace and her dog Lassoo, or should he move to Brighton, where his girlfriend Emily is about to open The Hotel Avocado? Either way, he’d be letting someone down.

But sinister forces are gathering in a cloud of launderette scented-vape smoke, and the arrival of the mysterious Mr Sequence puts Gary in an even worse [situation]; soon he might be dead.

All Gary wants is a happy life. But he also wants to be alive to enjoy it…

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MY REVIEW

After reading The Clementine Complex earlier this year, I eagerly awaited the arrival of its sequel for the continued saga of Gary and Emily. Alas, I could not find it in any local library district, and so I was forced to purchase it.

It was well worth the money. Mortimer is British, which makes the writing and dialogue even more lovely. Some of the characters are a bit crass, so the reader needs to be willing to have a few cuss words and general fowl language thrown their way. But the plot of this sequel is simply enjoyable, possibly even more so than the first. In this story we are already friends with the main characters; we could sit down on the couch with them and enjoy a “cuppa” tea and perhaps a slice of Battenberg cake.

Gary and Emily find themselves individually neck deep in troubles and issues, and living apart has brought other people and relationship temptations in their lives. The talking squirrel, perhaps one of my favorite aspects of the original novel, returns in this story and even has an additional friend to provide conversation and insight for Gary.

If you read The Clementine Complex and enjoyed it, I highly recommend the sequel. If you have not read the original, I suggest you place it on hold at your local library right now. It is worth the read.

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1. We Were Liars

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SUMMARY

A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.

The truth.

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MY REVIEW

I’m not even sure why I put this book on hold at the library. I think somewhere I read an article on “must reads for the summer.” Considering it was middle grade/young adult, I had high hopes for this novel. In addition, in the first few days I carried it around, multiple people mentioned they had heard good things about the book, and did I know it was turned into a miniseries as well? (I did not).

The plot does make for a fascinating read. Four friends continue to meet each summer on a tiny island just off the east coast. But something happens to one of the four in which she loses her memory and no one is willing to tell her why.

Ultimately, the depth wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I read one review that used the word “cringy,” which I thought was a perfect description for a novel geared toward the very generations that would use that word. It felt a bit to “soap opera” with deep dark secrets and family feuding; when I finished reading it I was not surprised at all that this had been turned into a show. It has all the drama elements necessary for good watching.

If you are someone who needs lots of drama to keep you turning the pages of a book, then I would recommend this to you.

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2. How to Age Disgracefully

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SUMMARY

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

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MY REVIEW

My husband recommended this book to me, as he knows my penchant for older, curmudgeony narrators (I’ll give you a rundown of my favorites sometime in a 2026 newsletter). The first chapter is fantastic. In literary terms we use the phrase “in media res” meaning to start a story in the beginning. But actually, the first chapter happens chronologically at the end of the novel. The author throws the reader into the middle of chaos, ends the chapter, and requires the reader to slowly work their way through the plot in order to watch the issues build.

Pooley creates a lively and loveable cast of senior citizens for her story. While the plot does have its twists and turns, the overall arc is fairly predictable and the reader has confidence in how the novel is going to end before the author actually gets us there.

This is a pleasant, light-hearted, straight-forward read. If you enjoy (or even appreciate) older, curmudgeonly readers as I do, than I recommend this book as worth your time.

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3. SUMMER ON LILAC ISLAND

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SUMMARY

Broke and newly unemployed, Gigi Jenkins is heading home to the horse-and-buggy Mackinac Island that she once couldn’t wait to leave behind. She’s going to be spending the summer with her mother, and she’s not sure what that close proximity will do to their already fraught relationship. Almost immediately, they find themselves in a battle of wills, and they agree to play matchmaker for each other. Both women are certain that the other couldn’t possibly understand them, so surely these potential connections will fizzle out before they even begin.

Misunderstandings, interference, and near-misses are skillfully wielded. Gigi and James circle each other through the curse of small-town encounters–cornhole tournaments, church fundraisers, and lakeside run-ins–and a fresh nemesis-to-lovers plot plays out. Meanwhile, Eloise feels sparks for the resident-for-the-summer Scottish author that she never thought she’d feel again.

But the greatest love story of the summer is the one between Gigi and her mother, Eloise. As they navigate the world as two single women, staying up late to wait for each other to get home from dates and helping each other pick out outfits and draft texts to their respective suitors, their strained relationship starts to heal as they transition from mother-daughter to confidantes and friends.

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MY REVIEW

I believe I first became interested in this novel through an online “summer reads” recommendation by Schulers Book employees. I do love a good seasonal fiction story; I’ve been known to fall prey to more than one Christmas novel in December (hoping it will soften my otherwise Scroogish spirit). And summer reads should be read…well…in the summer. Add in that the novel takes place on Mackinac Island, a charming place I have visited a handful of times, and I was all in for this novel. I placed my holds early and was pleasantly surprised that my name came up in the queue well before the end of summer.

Overall, it is a lovely novel with enjoyable characters and a plot that keeps the pages turning. But if I had to flavor the novel as if it were an ice cream cone (perhaps sold at Sadie’s on the island), it would be vanilla. The characters were quite predictable, and the plot was fairly straight forward with a few minor twists and turns thrown in. And while I love Mackinac Island, there was just too much of it. Too much description, too much history; the main character continues to explain how she feels claustrophobic on the island, and after reading the novel, I did a bit as well.

I’m so glad I got the chance to read this summer novel in the summer. And I hope it enlightens more people to visit this island set back in time, with all of its charm and grandeur.

For those of you looking for a sweet, simple summer romance novel, I highly recommend this for you.

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4. The Patron Saint of Liars

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SUMMARY

St. Elizabeth’s, a home for unwed mothers in Habit, Kentucky, usually harbors its residents for only a little while. Not so Rose Clinton, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed, and stays. She plans to give up her child, thinking she cannot be the mother it needs. But when Cecilia is born, Rose makes a place for herself and her daughter amid St. Elizabeth’s extended family of nuns and an ever-changing collection of pregnant teenage girls. Rose’s past won’t be kept away, though, even by St. Elizabeth’s; she cannot remain untouched by what she has left behind, even as she cannot change who she has become in the leaving.

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MY REVIEW

I’m not even sure why I reserved this particular book at this particular time from the library. I have wanted to read Ann Patchett for some time (ssshhh–don’t tell others I hadn’t read any Ann Patchett up until this point). I will join her throng of followers in confirming she is a talented writer. Her characters are deep and complex and well-thought out. I loved how the novel changed in point-of-view to three different characters.

The novel left me thinking about the definition of villain. Rose is not meant to be liked, although there are aspects of her we can empathize with. While she’s not a good person, she’s not evil. And given the time stamp of the story (1960s) and the location (rural Kentucky), I wonder how much agency Rose had in her own story. Did she truly have the ability to choose what she wanted to do in life, or was she limited by her gender, level of education and socioeconomic status?

This novel is a slow read for sure. Patchett puts this fiction stew in a Dutch oven and sets it on simmer for quite some time. The reader will need to commit to continuing to read even when the plot offers nothing new or exciting on the horizon. But it is worth the read at the end. And I’m excited to read another Ann Patchett–perhaps The Dutch House will be my next one down the road.

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Author Highlight:

Cindy DeBoer

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SUMMARY:

What happens when you’ve reached all your earthly goals and you’re only twenty-eight years old?

What if you’ve realized the American Dream, and although you’re pretty confident it’s all a big blessing from Jesus, you still feel miserably lacking in purpose and fulfillment?

What makes a reasonably well-off American Christian family walk away from their perfectly scripted life—prestigious careers, dream home, lake house, nice cars, kids’ sports, frequent travel, perfect church, tons of family and friends—and follow God to the ends of the earth? How would any young family have the courage to leave all the things the world tells us to strive for and instead choose a life of intentional simplifying, serial downsizing, and two major moves overseas?

Cindy’s memoir chronicles their family’s unorthodox Christian journey that began as a result of praying in earnest: “Lord, help us to live what we say we believe.” Follow along as the DeBoers, a typical average suburban family, finds the courage to subvert a safe and comfortable life for a risky and riotous ride that led them to far, far better things.

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MY REVIEW:

I met Cindy for coffee back in late fall of 2024 when I was trying to figure out how to launch my life as an author. Someone I had been working with in the writing/publishing world connected us two, believing we had quite a bit in common. What an understatement. Cindy and I only planned on having coffee and meeting each other for an hour, but our conversation lasted far longer and extended to the point where we both apologized that we had to leave.

Cindy has an amazing story that most of us only dream of; she and her husband sold everything and moved their entire family to Morocco, believing they were called to do more in this life than simply live the American dream of amassing wealth and status. (Side note: I won’t even change peanut butter brands in my home because I’m afraid of rocking my kids’ world too much. So there’s that.)

Fair warning to all of you readers: this book makes you think. Cindy writes about things that haunt all of us, such as “elusive perfection–always reaching for something that’s just outside my reach.” You’ll empathize with her tiredness. “So very tired of trying to get everything right. I just wish I knew how to let it go.” While most of us can’t imagine actually acting upon that feeling, she does, and–spoiler alerts–finds it’s the best, most rewarding, life-changing decision she’s ever made.

Multiple agents told Cindy that she has a beautiful story that must be told…but it is rare that agents take risks on memoirs written by little known authors. Hollywood stars can have their life story written by a ghost writer and will publish millions of copies (I’m looking at you, Savannah Guthrie). But a religious woman from the midwest who has 1,000 Facebook friends? They passed on her, every time. So she did the brave thing and self-published.

If you enjoy her memoir, help her out and pass the good word far and wide. Or, even better, buy a few extra copies to distribute and help launch this midwestern mom and her important story.

PURCHASE:

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1. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

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SUMMARY:

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on a mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need.

But Beverly’s daughter Lindsay sneaks in by night and secretly fills Lula Dean’s little free library with banned books wrapped in “wholesome” dust jackets. The Girl’s Guide to the Revolution is wrapped in the cover of The Southern Belle’s Guide to Etiquette. A jacket that belongs to Our Confederate Heroes ends up on Beloved. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor.

That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. It’s a diverse and surprising bunch—including the local postman, the prom queen, housewives, a farmer, and the former DA—all of whom have been changed by what they’ve read. When Lindsay is forced to own up to what she’s done, the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town…and change it forever.

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MY REVIEW:

Wow. Talk about life imitating fiction. I had just posted my own short story about a community banning books–which was based on a library in my community facing a similar situation–when I received an email from my library letting me know this book was on hold. Honestly, I don’t even remember placing it on hold or where I saw the book in the first place.

This story is an all-true tale of the war we are currently waging against those who are afraid and want to ban open-mindedness and discussion, and those who believe it is the very definition of freedom. It’s a story of fitting in, feeling left out, of those who want power they will do just about anything to get it, and those who live in fear each and every day.

If you side with Lula Dean, then this book is most likely not for you. But if you find yourself snickering with Lindsay when she swaps the books under the book covers, and you find yourself cheering for Beverly and all those who allow their mindsets to be changed (and freed) by what they read, then go ahead and place this book on hold. Or better yet, buy a copy and pass it on to other friends when you are done.

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2. Three Days in June

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SUMMARY:

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

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MY REVIEW:

I ended up purchasing this book because I wasn’t going to get a library copy before I left on vacation, and as library books make me unnaturally nervous (losing one goes on your permanent record, you know), I felt much more comfortable taking a book I own on a two-week vacation to Europe.

While it packed light (even for being a hardcover), I was a bit disappointed to find it was only 178 pages long. What? It should be clearly labeled as a novella and not a full-fledged novel. Due to its short length and my world’s longest layover (7.5 hours!), I was able to read the entire story in one day. My initial concern is that I would have nothing to read in Europe, but as it turned out, I read exactly zero pages in Europe. Between the busyness of the days and the difference in time zones, my brain did not have the energy to read the entire time I was there. (The other book I brought about Lisbon I began reading on my marathon layover–8.5 hours–on the way home).

While it was short, Anne Tyler wrote a lovely story. The plot is nothing complicated–her daughter is getting married and her ex-husband unexpectedly has to stay at her house–but Tyler doesn’t drive up the drama or make it anything it shouldn’t be. There are many emotions involved with weddings, but at no point does Tyler make it into a soap opera. The entire novel is read in a quiet to medium voice.

If you are looking for a quick, simple read, this is an absolute thumbs-up from me.

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3. Two Nights in Lisbon

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SUMMARY:

You think you know a person . . .

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone―no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new―much younger―husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

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MY REVIEW:

I purchased this book earlier in the summer as I planned on reading it while my family vacationed in Portugal. However, our jam-packed days and my exhausted brain in the evening led me to read exactly zero pages while I was there. I was disappointed, as I love to read novels based in my location when I travel, but I was excited to begin reading it when I arrived home. (I did see this book when I visited Livraria Bertrand, the oldest bookstore in the world which just so happened to be located in Lisbon. So fun!)

It took me longer than I anticipated to finish this book, especially since it was an engaging mystery. Jet lag and the immediacy of duties and responsibilities once I arrived home post-vacation left me little time to read. So I was glad the plot was engaging; I picked it up and read a few chapters with every free moment I had.

As I have mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of mysteries, often because I am so critical of them (which is probably why I will never write one myself). This one paced well and left me hanging until the end of the book. Skim readers beware: there are a number of names of different individuals involved in attempting to solve this mystery, so a cheat sheet of names and roles might be helpful. If I had one criticism of the novel, it was that the epilogue was too full of information and explanation that I wished had been scattered a little more through the plot so that we could have sown the benefits ourselves instead of having all of it simply handed to us.

This mystery gave me the vibes of John Grisham or James Patterson, but I would recommend this novel to anyone. AND if you’ve been to Lisbon (like I now have), there are a few great references to localities that you might be able to place in your mind. Even better.

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4. Sandwich

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SUMMARY:

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.

This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.

It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.

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MY REVIEW:

Good news: this might go into my top-10 favorite read of all times.

Bad news: this book is geared toward a very narrow crowd. I’m specifically looking at you, middle-aged women. Those of us who might be raising late-teen to early-adult children, who simultaneously love them at their current age and desperately want a tiny body to snuggle.

Sandwich is a simple story told in Cape Cod, Massachusetts at the same weekly rental cottage where this family has vacationed for decades. It holds all the memories, the traditions. And the narrator, a 54-year-old woman, is caught in complexities of her own age and her family’s stage of life.

The first paragraphs of the first chapter captivated me and never let up. There’s an overflowing toilet in the rental cottage, adult kids calling from outside the door, “I can smell it! It stinks!” and a quick moment to note how his biceps look sexy in his t-shirt as he plunges.

I empathized with Rocky for almost the entire book. The dynamics of raising adult children, of loving their independence and wanting to smother sunscreen on them. Waking up every day puzzled by changes to her body and why no one explained those things might happen. Of finding that decisions she made earlier in her life only dig a deeper groove of regret into her brain.

It’s a story of family, of making sandwiches for the beach, of trying to understand your kids as adults, of becoming comfortable with your body and your age and who you were and who you want to be. Of daily recommitting to love your spouse, even though neither of you are anywhere close to the naive kids who pledge to love each other eternally.

This book is about the messiness of life, but it particularly resonates with the mid-40s to mid-50s female. As one character summed it up perfectly, “It’s so crushingly beautiful, being human.”

I will offer a fair “heads up” to those who choose to read this book: Newman is real and honest in her portrayal of Rocky, the matriarch and narrator of this story. She uses language and raw, vivid physical descriptions. If you are a squeamish reader when it comes to either of those, I might steer you clear of this book.

But for all my midlife friends out there who need a deep self-reflection into their soul, this one’s for you.

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