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Published on Leave a comment on Whistler
Whistler Book Cover Whistler
Ann Patchett
Fiction
Harper
June 2, 2026
Hardcover/Audio
304
Purchased/Libro-fm

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

My review:

There is not a lot to be said for this book that is not covered in the synopsis. Talking about the fateful event that changed Daphne and her stepfather's lives would be considered a spoiler, but is definitely a part of what then transpires to shape them into who they are when they meet some forty years later. This is a very quiet book, not a lot goes on plot wise, but if you like characters driven stories, you will cherish every moment with this one. Of course I could talk about the beautiful writing, or the fully fleshed out characters, but those are a given with this author. What I came away from this novel with was the importance that someone can make in your life, no matter how short of a period of time they might be there for. You may think this is a book about a horse because of the cover, and you would not be wrong, but it's a very small part of the book (although a huge part symbolically with what the story of Whistler represents). This is a book that drew me in from the start, and I wish it could have gone on for a much longer time. I listened on audio and Ann does the narration herself, which I always find adds to the way a story is presented.

A book that makes you think about those people in your life who may have only been around for a small part of it, but leave a lasting impression and shape who you grow up to be. Also that it is never too late to reconnect with people from your past. Definitely worthy of all the praise it's been receiving.

Published on Leave a comment on Good Joy, Bad Joy
Good Joy, Bad Joy Book Cover Good Joy, Bad Joy
Mikki Brammer
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
May 5, 2026
Hardcover/Audio
304
Purchased/Libby

For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.

My review:

4.5 stars

This was a delight, while also being sad. I say that, but Hazel would most certainly not want us to be sad! I'm definitely in my elderly woman character era (now rivaling my obsession with little old men in books), see my previous review of Mad Mabel. Joy and Hazel need to make the most of the time they have left, and Joy decides that maybe she has not lived a life enough like Hazel's, she may just need to find that adventurous spirit before it's too late. These ladies friendship was like a breath of fresh air in book form. I just loved them both. While the underlying theme is grief over losing your best friend, the author handles it in such a way that ultimately you feel joy (no pun intended) over the bond they have that has lasted eight decades. There are even some flashbacks that help us to understand their deep connection. The only reason I did not give this the full five stars is that I thought Joy's little acts of trouble to be a bit over the top (as in the illegal ones). Most of them were laugh out loud funny, but i felt it crossed the line just a bit. Otherwise this was a perfect read, with lovely characters and such a testament to the power of a best friend.

A book about elderly women taking stock of their lives, and deciding if they have had a life well lived. Are there things they would like to do to fulfill that, and taking charge of doing them. Mostly though, a book about friendship through the years. Just a lovely read!

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Calamity Club
The Calamity Club Book Cover The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett
Fiction
Spiegel & Grau
May 5, 2026
Hardcover/Audio
656
Purchased/Libby

In 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, Prohibition is on the wane, and the Great Depression is tightening its grip. Poor and rich folks alike have fallen on hard times, even as the old social order remains. For women on the margins, the options are few and the price of dignity and self-determination is unbearably high.

Eleven-year-old Meg, one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford on a mission to ask her social-climbing sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. And Charlie is a woman with a past, running low on luck but driven by fire, fury, and grit. When their fates converge, they come up with an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. Together, they form an unlikely sisterhood—but in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, women’s freedom is fragile, and making an enemy can have dire consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?

My review:

I had been waiting so long (17 years to be exact) since reading The Help, for another book by this author. I was rewarded over a year ago when I stumbled upon a listing, without even a cover, announcing publication in May of 2026. This is that book, and it did not disappoint. Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous over its length (29 hours on audio!), but I honestly don't feel that any part of this should have been cut out. These characters were so well crafted that you felt you could be in the room with them. Meg was just such a sassy little girl, but her ability to always persevere was the major theme of each of the women in this story. Each of them had to overcome great obstacles, and we follow them as they do just that. While Meg was clearly my favorite character (I wish that I had kept track of all her witty statements), I was clearly invested in them all. There were so many instances where I was giggling with laughter, but then just as many where I was saddened by the plight of the women (you are granted full access to just how bad women were treated back then). The writing was immersive and lovely, and there are many themes explored within the many pages, many of them I won't mention because of spoilers.

Don't be daunted by its length, this book will give you all the emotional feels. With an unforgettable cast, it will make a lasting impression, and leave you thinking about these characters long after closing the cover. It would make an incredible book club discussion if your club doesn't shy away from long books.

Published on Leave a comment on Mad Mabel
Mad Mabel Book Cover Mad Mabel
Sally Hepworth
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
April 21, 2026
Audiobook
352
Publisher via NetGalley

There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies. Meet Mad Mabel. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end. When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose? Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

My review:

My favorite of Hepworth’s books thus far (and I’ve read them all)!

I love a book with an older protagonist, and Elsie (Mabel) was perfect. One minute I was chortling with laughter and a few pages later I wanted to cry for her. The sense of found family after a childless and difficult upbringing was such a delight. All of the side characters were well constructed and filled out, especially darling Persephone. I really liked how the story was constructed, alternating between Mabel’s childhood and her present life. I never saw the ending coming (especially one part), and I may have gasped when I read it!

Such a well rounded read and one that I couldn’t put down! I listened to the audio and the narrators did a great job voicing Elsie/Mabel.

Published on Leave a comment on Summer State of Mind
Summer State of Mind Book Cover Summer State of Mind
Kristy Woodson Harvey
Fiction
Gallery Books
May 5, 2026
Advanced reader copy
384
Publisher

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. They will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.

My review:

4.5 stars

In case you think all I read is depressing books or those with sadness (from my last two reviews), fear not, I'm also drawn to feel good "beach reads". This is one that I would classify as that, but with a caveat. Sometimes when I think of a beach read, I think it's something that is kind of fluff, that you don't really have to pay attention to know where it's going. That is not this book. This book has the small town, everybody knows everyone, feel to it. However, there is a lot going on with these characters. Lots of former heartache (and not just from romantic breakups) and many secrets being kept. This author does a great job of making you feel like you are part of the town and friends with the characters. Of course this lends itself to rooting for them and wanting the best for them. While I was not a fan of one part of the ending (as an adoption mom you'll know when you read it), I did like the resolution for the characters. I could have done without the typical third act conflict (often found in romances), but that is a me thing and most readers won't have any issue with it. If you are a reader of this author's books, you'll love the Easter egg of the main character's brother 🙂

If you want to feel immersed in small town life in coastal Carolina, this would be a perfect choice. Despite the cover and title, this actually takes place mostly in the spring, so now is a great time to pick it up. This is my favorite (so far) of this author's stand-a-lone books, her Peachtree Bluff series is still tops for me (with a new book coming in the fall, so yay!).

Published on Leave a comment on A Guardian and a Thief
A Guardian and a Thief: Oprah's Book Club Book Cover A Guardian and a Thief: Oprah's Book Club
Megha Majumdar
Fiction
Random House
October 14, 2025
Hardcover/Audiobook
225
Purchased/Library

In a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma’s purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen.

Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two the story of Ma’s frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom. With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children’s future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe.

My review:

This book is compact at only a little over 200 pages, but it definitely packs a punch! Word of warning that this book is SAD (it's a good thing it's short, I'm not sure my heart could have taken anything longer)! Taking place in future India during a famine caused by climate change, both of our main characters just want what is best for their family, and will do anything to achieve that. The title is very interesting, because depending on where you are in the story, you need to determine who is the guardian and who is the thief. The characters are so well developed, I found myself aching over their circumstances. The ending was nothing like what I thought it would be (have tissues in hand).

This was an Oprah book club pick, and sometimes I find her choices to be a bit too highbrow (as I call it) for me, but this one was very easy to follow, and of course the writing was stellar (what Oprah's books are always about). I have read a previous book from this author called A Burning, which is also very good, I will certainly be picking up her next novel.

Published on Leave a comment on Theo of Golden
Theo of Golden Book Cover Theo of Golden
Allen Levi
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
October 3, 2025
Paperback/Audiobook
400
Purchased/Library

One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…

His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers.

Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their “rightful owners.” With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.

My review:

This story resonated with me and I'm a bit surprised by that. This is definitely not a plot heavy story, so you should know that going in. As Theo is distributing drawings from the coffee shop, we learn the stories of the people they depict. We also get many descriptions of Theo just going about his life in this small town. Why he gravitated here will eventually become clear, but you have to wade through all the character studies and Theo as a person to get there. I of course love nothing more than a good character driven story, especially when it involves an older man (A Man Called Ove and The Secret Life of Frederick Fife are two that come to mind). I really enjoyed the slower pacing, and the talk about art and music. The reason I'm surprised I liked it is because I was afraid it was going to be a bit too "preachy" for me. I'm not big on having religious topics pushed on me, it generally turns me off from a book. I had heard that Theo was a very religious man, which he was, but I didn't feel that he ever tried to push his views on those he met. Rather, his acts of kindness showed through much more than his religion. The ending had me crying, but it was done really well, and tied up so many stories from the characters we met along the way. I listened to this on audio, and I highly recommend if you consume books in this format. The narrator does the perfect voice for Theo, and it connected me to his character even more.

The reviews on this are mixed. For the most part it is well loved, but those who don't like it, really didn't. Most sight problems with all the characters who share their stories with Theo. This was not a problem for me, but as I said, you must like character driven stories. The number one thing that I got from this book is that we should all have a little bit of Theo in us, and maybe the world would be a better place right now.

Published on Leave a comment on Best of 2025

It's that time of year! I'm usually a bit more prompt, my excuse being I was not in the same location as where I keep my finished books when the first of the year rolled around. I read/listened to a total of 270 books last year. As in previous years, my ratio of five star books to that total remains almost exactly the same at about 5%. Some would say that I am either very picky about giving out accolades, or I don't read very good books, if I can only have that few that were rated highly. My criteria for rating a book 5 stars is that it had to be all consuming (I couldn't wait to get back to it if I put it down) and have no flaws that I could assign it (or if there were slight flaws the rest of the book was so overwhelmingly good that it overrode them). *It also does sometimes bump up the rating if a book made me cry*

All that aside, here are my 14 five star books of 2025.

Now let's break it down to my top 5:

#5 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid I've been a space junky from the moon landing back in 1969, so a book about a woman in the space program was one I could get on board with. Although this was more of a love story, I still loved the women in STEM aspect and the characters were ones I couldn't forget.

#4 Too Old For This by Samantha Downing This one might be a bit macabre for some (a retired serial killer comes out of retirement), but the way Lottie describes the process of trying to accomplish things at an older age had me cackling with laughter throughout the book!

#3 The Mad Wife by Meagan Church Considering I was born when this book takes place (making my Mom a wife and mother during this time), I found this look at women in that time so sad. The lack of mental health resources is a main theme and so appalling.

#2 My Friends by Fredrik Backman If you've followed my blog for any length of time, this one will come as no surprise. I absolutely adore this man's writing! The only thing keeping this from the top spot was that I wasn't quite as interested in the subject matter as some of his other books. Also, this book has the best last line I've ever read!

#1 The Favorites by Layne Fargo Another one of my interests (other than space) is figure skating. This fictional book, complete with excerpts from made up people in the profession and media, read like an actual biography of this ice dancing couple. With all the drama that went on both on and off the ice throughout their quest for a gold medal, I couldn't devour this one fast enough! Pick this up during the Olympics!

And there you have it, my best of 2025. On to this year............

Published on Leave a comment on Atmosphere
Atmosphere Book Cover Atmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fiction
Random House
June 3, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
353
Purchased/Library

In the summer of 1980, astrophysics professor Joan Goodwin begins training to be an astronaut at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilots Hank Redmond and John Griffin; mission specialist Lydia Danes; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer. As the new astronauts prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined and begins to question everything she believes about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

My review:

If the idea of a book about space travel is not appealing to you, do not be put off by that. While this book does have some of those elements, it's really a book about the people chosen from one class to travel in space. Having said that, I am a huge space junkie. I still remember my obsession with the moon landing back in 1969 (yes, I'm that old, I was 11 years old that summer). I devoured the book The Martian (highly recommend if you like fictional books about space). I could have used more about space in this one, but that is why I don't think you have to love that subject to be caught up in the characters in this one. The book starts in the present with a heart pounding disaster in the making, and then the story goes back seven years leading up to the present timeline. I loved watching Joan grow through the years. The few glimpses we get into life in the 80's was much appreciated as well. Even as we follow her love story, the book has a sense of foreboding about it since we all remember the past space disasters that happened during most of our lifetimes. The last few pages will have you riveted to find out what happens, and while predictable, I still enjoyed getting to the ending.

Go into this one expecting a sapphic love story, with a bit of astronaut thrown in. Even though I would have loved more space, I think it was the perfect amount to appeal to a broader audience.

Published on Leave a comment on My Friends
My Friends Book Cover My Friends
Fredrik Backman
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
May 6, 2025
Hardcover/Audio
448
Purchased/Library

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.

My review:

Oh Fredrik Backman, how I love your books! If you've never read a book of his before, you don't know what you are missing. He has such a unique writing style. I'm not sure that I can describe it, and I don't think I've seen anyone else do it either (other than to say it's unique, and if you've read him, you know). He has such a way of writing characters that you feel that they are real, and could walk out of the pages of the book. He can make you laugh in one paragraph and cry in the next. His books definitely have a message, but it's subtle and woven into the story, not hitting you over the head. In this book we follow a young girl who has been given a famous painting that she has a special affinity for. She then meets a man who has familiarity with the subjects in the painting, and he recounts a year in their life. There is a lot of messiness in their lives so be sure to check trigger warnings if you need to. I'm not usually one to enjoy stories of teenagers but this one worked for me, because as I've said, it's Backman. The last line of this book is probably my favorite last line ever (it made me tear up, and it's not even anything sad)! It brings the whole book together!

Ultimately this is a book about friendship, overcoming childhood trauma, about found family, and art and love. I suggest if you read and love this one, that you grab all his other titles (Beartown and A Man Called Ove are my personal favs), you will be hooked on his characters and writing!