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The books are all over the place this month. Hopefully every one of them will be for someone, and everyone will find at least one.
I am late to the party with this book. I’m sure many of you have already read “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi. I had started it previously, but it wasn’t its time. It’s okay to stop a book and pick it up again later, when you can devote your attention to it. Allen Levi is so entertaining; I had high hopes for his book, and while it was resting in my TBR (to be read) stack, “Theo of Golden” was earning high praise. It is a lovely, picturesque book, populated with charming characters. This is a book that makes me want to be a kinder, gentler, more present person. Thank you, Allen Levi.
The 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner, “Trust” by Hernan Diaz, also sat in my TBR stack for a while. It just blew me away. It’s one story told in three different ways. My takeaway from this book is to consider who you trust to give you information. Consider the presenter’s bias and do your own research. While it is set primarily in the early part of the 20th century, it’s especially applicable in this era of social media.
Another book that had languished in my TBR stack was “The Maid’s Secret” by Nita Prose. Just as the other books in the Molly Maid series, this was a charming, cozy mystery. This time Molly wasn’t accused of anything. In this book we learn more about Molly’s beloved Gran. Check out this series, if you haven’t already.
I’ve been meaning to read J. Ryan Stradal for a while. I have repeatedly heard good things about his 2019 “The Lager Queen of Minnesota,” so that seemed like a good start. It was a good choice - full of family, second chances, non-traditional roles for women, midwestern work ethic, love, and forgiveness. I will read more of his books. Youbetcha (spoken in a terrible attempt at a Minnesotan accent).
In 2025, a laugh-out-loud funny book that I read years ago was produced as an audiobook. I couldn’t resist listening to “Owls in the Family” by Farley Mowat. It’s a lovely, autobiographical story about an animal-loving kid. If you are one of those people who enjoy the nostalgia of “A Christmas Story” each year, you will enjoy this book. If you have younger readers, especially animal-lovers, recommend it to them. It’s short. The audiobook is less than two hours, and the book is only 91 pages.
Last month I shared how much I enjoyed “The Correspondent.” Its epistolary style was inspired by a 1970 memoir by Helene Hanff entitled “84 Charring Cross Road.” If you told me this is one of your favorite books, I would immediately judge you. I would believe you to be one of the loveliest people on the planet, because this is the loveliest book I have ever read.
From these really enjoyable titles, I’ll move to one that I found to be so-so. I’ve never read David Baldacci so I’m not sure if “Strangers in Time” is typical of his writing or a one-off. While this World War II fiction isn’t bad, it often felt something like trauma-dumping; as though the author was trying to throw in every conceivable trauma that could have possibly occurred during the war, or ever. I’m not discouraging readers of historical fiction or Baldacci fans from reading it; just know that if feels like the reader is being bombarded along with the characters. Along the way it does explore family bonds and who constitutes family.
Happy Reading!
I am late to the party with this book. I’m sure many of you have already read “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi. I had started it previously, but it wasn’t its time. It’s okay to stop a book and pick it up again later, when you can devote your attention to it. Allen Levi is so entertaining; I had high hopes for his book, and while it was resting in my TBR (to be read) stack, “Theo of Golden” was earning high praise. It is a lovely, picturesque book, populated with charming characters. This is a book that makes me want to be a kinder, gentler, more present person. Thank you, Allen Levi.
The 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner, “Trust” by Hernan Diaz, also sat in my TBR stack for a while. It just blew me away. It’s one story told in three different ways. My takeaway from this book is to consider who you trust to give you information. Consider the presenter’s bias and do your own research. While it is set primarily in the early part of the 20th century, it’s especially applicable in this era of social media.
Another book that had languished in my TBR stack was “The Maid’s Secret” by Nita Prose. Just as the other books in the Molly Maid series, this was a charming, cozy mystery. This time Molly wasn’t accused of anything. In this book we learn more about Molly’s beloved Gran. Check out this series, if you haven’t already.
I’ve been meaning to read J. Ryan Stradal for a while. I have repeatedly heard good things about his 2019 “The Lager Queen of Minnesota,” so that seemed like a good start. It was a good choice - full of family, second chances, non-traditional roles for women, midwestern work ethic, love, and forgiveness. I will read more of his books. Youbetcha (spoken in a terrible attempt at a Minnesotan accent).
In 2025, a laugh-out-loud funny book that I read years ago was produced as an audiobook. I couldn’t resist listening to “Owls in the Family” by Farley Mowat. It’s a lovely, autobiographical story about an animal-loving kid. If you are one of those people who enjoy the nostalgia of “A Christmas Story” each year, you will enjoy this book. If you have younger readers, especially animal-lovers, recommend it to them. It’s short. The audiobook is less than two hours, and the book is only 91 pages.
Last month I shared how much I enjoyed “The Correspondent.” Its epistolary style was inspired by a 1970 memoir by Helene Hanff entitled “84 Charring Cross Road.” If you told me this is one of your favorite books, I would immediately judge you. I would believe you to be one of the loveliest people on the planet, because this is the loveliest book I have ever read.
From these really enjoyable titles, I’ll move to one that I found to be so-so. I’ve never read David Baldacci so I’m not sure if “Strangers in Time” is typical of his writing or a one-off. While this World War II fiction isn’t bad, it often felt something like trauma-dumping; as though the author was trying to throw in every conceivable trauma that could have possibly occurred during the war, or ever. I’m not discouraging readers of historical fiction or Baldacci fans from reading it; just know that if feels like the reader is being bombarded along with the characters. Along the way it does explore family bonds and who constitutes family.
Happy Reading!
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