You know those books that have such great characters that they crawl into your heart and settle there? The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is one of them. Spanning years and distance and set against the backdrop of British colonization, it tells the stories of three women on the receiving end of that brutality.Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna are memorable for their stories, but they tug on your heartstrings even more so because they are based on real people. There’s Evangeline, a governess sentenced to prison after her pregnancy is discovered; Hazel, a young midwife also sentenced for a minor infraction; and Mathinna, an orphan ripped from her home as an experiment in “taming the natives” by the wife of the new … Keep Reading
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‘Midnight Library’ and the Power of Regrets
Do you ever think about where you’d be if you did that ONE thing differently? If you, say, changed your major to match your passions, rather than your expectations? Or if you’d taken that leap of faith and moved to that far off city where you knew no one? The possibilities for how your life could have unfolded are endless, and it's hard not to think about them, sometimes. That's the premise of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and it's a good … Keep Reading
‘The First Day of Spring’ is a Powerful Debut Novel
When Chrissie was 8, she killed a little boy. Twenty years later, she’s a mom trying to do what’s best for her daughter. But how do you forgive yourself for something so awful? Or are some acts so terrible that there’s no coming back? Do the standards for redemption change if you killed someone as a child, rather than adult?Equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking, The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is told through alternating points … Keep Reading
‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Infuses Freshness Into the Familiar
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. My last few books have been duds so I was nervous about continuing my “losing streak”, but this one hit the spot. On its face, the story is tried-and-true: girl meets boy, boy has secrets, girl seeks truth and surprises abound; but Dave infuses freshness into it by going in an unexpected direction. Her approach strikes a balance between the familiar and the … Keep Reading
From the Archives
‘American Rust’ a Remarkable Debut
Raw and gritty are the two words that come to mind when I think about American Rust, the debut novel by Phillip Meyer that came out in 2009. Taking place in Buell, Pennsylvania, a steel town that saw its mills shut down and its workers fleeing, it is not a happy story. It is an important one, though, for it highlights the plight of mill workers in small town America who saw their way of life derailed by shifting economic conditions. … Keep Reading
Brain on Fire a Fascinating Story of Madness
Imagine knowing that you are embarking on a downward spiral but being powerless to stop it. Sounds horrifying, right? It is, and it's exactly what happened to Susannah Cahalan, a 24-year-old New York Post reporter. What began as a bite mark and a few overreactions quickly led to seizures, physical and mental deterioration, and to a troubling diagnosis. Was it because she drinking too much? Having a nervous breakdown? A psychotic break? … Keep Reading
‘Vinegar Hill’ Visits the Hushed Side of Marriage
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay tells the story of Ellen, a young woman who is forced to move in with her in-laws after her husband loses his job. Chastised for wanting a college education and never quite good enough in the eyes of her mother-in-law, Ellen chooses to support her husband by silently accepting the decisions he has made for their family. Set in the early 1960's, when leaving a marriage was nearly unthinkable, the reader is able to … Keep Reading