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
‘Shelter’ a Harrowing Story You Won’t Soon Forget
If you don't have Shelter by Jung Yun on your reading list yet, add it now because it's going to be big (plus she's a #30Authors contributor!). I'd like to say you heard it here first, but Sarah at Sarah's Bookshelves and the New York Times beat me to it. It's a harrowing novel that explores the difficulties in escaping a heartbreaking past, the hidden resentments lurking beneath the surface of a complicated family, and what desperation can drive … Keep Reading
Landweber’s Debut ‘We’ is Magnificent
Which are better: the memories you have or the memories you want? That's the core question in Michael Landweber's stunning debut, We. Choosing to read this book will take you on a journey into the mind of a young boy. But rather than being told the story by a child, it's told by his adult counterpart. You see, Binky is seven but his mind is occupied by a a 40-something version of himself. As a result of a freak accident, adult Binky (Benedict) is … Keep Reading
‘Winter of the World’ Hits Close to Home
Every time I pick up a Ken Follett novel, particularly one of his trilogies, I know I'm going to love it. I first discovered him with Pillars of the Earth, which is a stunning historical fiction series about the building of a cathedral, and was such a hit it was turned into a mini-series. His latest trilogy, The Century Trilogy, is just as stunning but takes place in more "recent" times. The books span from the beginning of World War I to … Keep Reading