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
Herman Koch Tackles Taboo Topics in ‘Summer House’
I've read a lot of reviews of Summer House with Swimming Pool and the general consensus seems to be that those who read the author's previous book, The Dinner, enjoyed this one less. I am not one of those people. Maybe it's because I have a penchant for books that tackle difficult topics in a frank manner or because I'm just an oddity, but I enjoyed this book much more than Koch's previous book (see my review of The Dinner here).Set in the … Keep Reading
SheReads Pick: Orphan Train
SheReads blogger network, thanks to Traveling With T, who I'm fairly certain secured my invitation after the last Bloggiesta. After reading my first book for the club, I am even more excited than I was going into it!May's pick was Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, which weaves the stories of a troubled 17 year old foster kid, Molly, and Vivian, an elderly woman with a troubled past. The book hits with the ground running, and once I … Keep Reading
‘The Senator’s Wife’ Stumbles
When I first heard about The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, I was so excited. As a news and politics junkie, I was delighted at the prospect of reading a political book written from the other side, especially one that focused on the family of a politician rather than the politician himself. It is my own fault for not doing enough research about this book before adding to my 2013 TBR Challenge list because, as it turns out, it isn't about a senator … Keep Reading