This is a book I’ve been recommending lately, and it’s one you may not have heard of (I discovered it through Modern Mrs. Darcy’s summer reading list. This debut novel is a story about a dysfunctional family in small town Texas, and it’s based on the stories and themes of classical mythology. I thought it was fantastic.…
You’ll have heard of this book because of the awards it won in 2020, including the Booker Prize. This story of a young boy growing up with an alcoholic mother in 1980s Glasgow is worth the read. It’s dark, but once I finished it, I missed the characters. By the time you finish it, Shuggie…
I love reading about Australia, ever since I traveled there in 2013. I was struck by the similarities in the history of Australia and the United States, though I felt Australia was much more open about its troubling treatment of Aboriginal populations. Too Much Lip tells the story of Kerry Salter, a young woman who…
I enjoyed and appreciated this character-driven family drama by Claire Lombardo. I read it for my book club, which didn’t end up happening last month, and that was actually good because I never would have finished in time. It’s a long one — but for those who like complicated family dramas that cover many years,…
It seems fitting to discuss a book about therapy the day after Thanksgiving, a holiday that raises so many complicated family issues — though hopefully yours was lovely! This book has plenty of buzz already without my review, but I loved it. It’s unlike most books I’ve read, in that it’s an inside look at…
I liked this book though it didn’t resonate emotionally as much as I expected it to. It’s a story of man in India who is recalling when his mother abandoned him as a child. Gayatri was a free-spirited artist who clearly felt constrained by her marriage and societal expectations. She leaves her family for a…
This was my first introduction to Ann Patchett; I think I started Bel Canto some years ago and didn’t get very far, which is probably not the fault of the author. Commonwealth was widely regarded as one of the best novels of 2016, and I wasn’t disappointed a bit. I like big family sagas, and…
The Nest is a story of four adult siblings in a dysfunctional family. They will come into a large inheritance (“the Nest”) when the youngest turns 40, which is in a few months. The problem is the oldest sibling, Leo, got into a car accident and the money for medical expenses, rehab, and liability came out…
Maggie O’Farrell is one of my favorite writers, and this book may be one of her best. It’s about a very dysfunctional family suffering through a heatwave in 1976 London. Robert, the father, goes out one morning for a paper and doesn’t come back. He’s recently retired, and the police don’t suspect foul play. He’s…
The Book Stop 