Summer Reading Reviews 2023Unpublished

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4 STARS

Anthony Doer's is a Pulitzer Prize winning story and it does not disappoint. All the Light We Cannot See is an wonderfully written, poignant, and powerful novel that deserves every bit of praise it has received. It explores themes of love, loss, sacrifice, and the power of hope. It is a timeless tale that will stay with you long after you turn the final page, and it is a must-read for anyone who appreciates masterful storytelling and richly drawn characters.

2 STARS

Summer travel took me to Prince Edward Island, a destination known for one claim to fame: Anne of Green Gables. I never read the book as a child so I bought a copy to read on the way. The book is half made up of lush descriptions of the island's countryside and farmland found (and the descriptions truly do justice to the gorgeous scenery), and half made up of monologues of young Anne's musings. Much to my dismay, I did not find myself enjoying Anne as a character. She's long-winded and overdramatic, childlike traits that I guess make her appeal to many other readers. In my case, I was happy to have read it to recognize the landmarks on my trip, but I would never recommend it to someone generally.

-Lauren L.

4 STARS

Bruni, an acclaimed New York Times journalist writes his non fiction account of losing considerable vision in his right eye, with the threat his left eye might also one day be affected.. The optical nerve damage he sustains during a rare stroke, severely impacts his personal and professional life. Typing, observing, and being able to report accurately leave him devastatingly at a loss. He writes with honesty about his medical care, some of his physicians leave a lot to be desired, but others are compassionate and able to guide him accurately. In his personal journey to accepting a life changing condition, he recounts the stories of others who have faced even more threatening conditions. He learns what makes life bearable , for life cannot always be controlled and bend to our will. This is honest writing, assuring the reader that while all problems cannot be solved, Bruni takes comfort in the paths and opportunities that can be accessed to allow him to live a wonderful life. He gives us lessons in what is important for fulfillment. His family and many friends are his support system, and he writes with great affection for them, including a heartwarming segment about his dog, who is indeed an inspiration. Bruni's story is optimism combined with a dose of realism, worthy of reading.

-Edie S.

5 STARS

The author, Christian Cooper, is the “Central Park Birder” who had an encounter with an ”entitled” White woman, who falsely accused him of harassing her, after he asked her to leash her dog in an area of the Park where this is mandatory. This well-written and interesting book goes way beyond this episode and is the memoir of a Black, gay kid who was essentially saved thanks to his hobby of watching birds. This hobby validated his existence and gave him an outlet from the otherwise secret life he had to lead to conceal his sexuality from his friends and family.

Beyond his passion for birds, Cooper talks of his travels, his activism for Black and LGBTQ rights and his family life. He describes his difficult relationship with his volatile father, and then their shared interests for Black activism and nature.

He was the first in his family, not only to go to college, but to Harvard. He then worked as a creator at Marvel Comics, where he introduced the first openly female lesbian character, Victoria Montes. He also introduced the first openly gay male character (Yoshi Mishima) in Star Trek, the Starfleet Academy series.

Interestingly enough, his encounter in Central Park occurred the same day that George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police (May 25, 2020). His experience in the Park actually provided a platform for his birding experience to be recognized, and he now hosts a show on National Geographic about birding.

-Vivian H.

5 STARS

4 STARS

4 STARS

4 STARS

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a time-sprawling journey that tells the story of one book's meaning across generations. The novel is set in various eras - from hundreds of years ago to decades into the future, you are transported into the lives of those closest to the titular novel.

While not the type of novel you pack with you on your way to the beach, it was a different story that felt fresh, and is a good complement to Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. The way he weaves the narratives together reinforces his great writing, though the story itself lacks in the major twists and turns that I gravitate towards in fiction.

-Ian M.

5 STARS

One of my favorite books of the summer. Starts off light enough that you can enjoy it as a beach read, but ends in such a wholesome and emotional way that I found myself crying on my sofa at the conclusion.

Clover, a woman who experienced more than her usual amount of loss and grieving in her formative years, lives an introverted lifestyle. Her work requires her to develop some deep relationships, which transform her life significantly. This is a coming-of-age novel in some ways, as well as a romance novel, and wraps up in an unexpected way that delighted me.

-Lauren L.

3 STARS

I have always been a Daniel Silva groupie, devouring his novels and becoming enmeshed in his characters' lives.: Gabriel Allon, Eli Lavon, Mikhail Abramov, and the entire crew of the renowned Israeli intelligence office. Not to mention America's CIA and foreign diplomats. In addition, his personal story of his wife Chiara and twins Irene and Rafael become your family as well. I am devastated to say this novel falls short of what I have come to expect. I, who read his first 19 novels non stop (binge reading), found this latest story more like reading a newspaper than a page turning novel. It is the Russian-Ukraine crisis that fills the pages, and an in depth scrutiny of Vladimir Putin. Granted there is some intrigue with a beautiful thief, there is the ongoing restoration of paintings by Allon, the search for a stolen Vermeer, worth 250 million dollars, actually based on fact, but something was missing for me, this time. There were snatches of excitement, but not enough for me to give this a rave review. Sorry Mr. Silva, but I admit I will wait for your next book, which will come out next July, and hope the fire has not been doused. Someone of your stature certainly deserves another chance, from the likes of me.

-Edie S.

5 STARS

Alex Cross is injured so his friend, John Sampson, takes over to find out why he and Alex were targets. He proceeds to uncover who is trying to take over the United States government and why. This is another thriller in the Alex Cross mysteries.

4 STARS

Useful book for anyone who is thinking of becoming pregnant.

-Anonymous

5 STARS

This is a fantasy novel, about two rival journalists, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, who cross paths in more ways than one. It's a story about love, war, and hope. To say that I loved this book would be an understatement! I've thought about it every day since I finished it. I will warn- it's marketed as YA, but personally, I felt that it didn't read as such- besides the main characters being 18 and 19 years old. Highly recommend, to anyone in the need of a beautiful love story.

-Anastasia S.

3 STARS

-Anonymous

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5 STARS

The Door to door bookstore is a heartwarming, easy-to-read tale of a bookstore employee and an unlikely new friend. For those who have read A Man Called Ove, imagine a quicker read, with a bit less beauty in the writing, but with a generally more upbeat feel.

I found this to be the type of light reading I needed for the summer, but for those who like a drama with higher stakes, this likely falls short. What the book sacrifices in character development it makes up for in succinctness.

-Ian M.

5 STARS

Tara Westover writes a memoir about her life as part of an ultra conservative family. Her parents do not trust the government. Their children are born at home and do not have a birth certificate. The parents do not believe in sending their children to school but have them work in the family’s junkyard instead. Tara wants to be educated and is admitted to BYU without a high school diploma. Her education then takes her Cambridge. This memoir shows how a person can persevere and achieve their dreams against all odds.

5 STARS

Inspiring true story about a veteran who was blinded by an IED, but overcame challenges and became a Paralympic Gold Medalist. Highly recommend reading this book.

3 STARS

Brain surgery leaves a portrait artist with a condition called "face blindness," which complicates both her professional and romantic lives. This is a Hallmark movie of a book-- light, enjoyable "chick lit."

-Lauren L.

3 STARS

Somewhat interesting plot but was fairly easy to guess what was going to happen. A lot of the story lines seem left open.

-Anonymous

5 STARS

Found it hard to put down this fast moving complicated murder mystery. Piece by piece the Memory Man & his new partner work their magic.

-Anonymous

4 STARS

This was the sweetest middle grade book. I saw it in my children's school library and was interested in picking it up. This book is about a little girl and her mother who travel to a very small town to spend the summer with her grandparents because her grandpa is ill. I loved it and I'll be reading it to my kids soon!

-Anastasia S.

4 STARS

4 STARS

4 STARS

I find the Michael Bennett mysteries very entertaining, fast moving & heart warming with aspects of his family life with wife, 10 children & priest grandfather. I marvel how he can manage his sharp detective skills while being a great family man.

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4 STARS

-Abby P.

5 STARS

Tana French, a respected award winning mystery writer, tells of a retired Chicago police officer who moves to a small beautiful village in Ireland. Her characters are warm and likeable, from the pub drinkers with their pints to the tea drinkers with their mugs. The dialogue (in Irish dialect) is warm, humorous, and easy to understand. This reader would move to that village immediately. But slowly, without fanfare, the climate changes. A young man goes missing, his younger sibling enlists the aid of Cal, the retired policeman. The movement in the search is without crisis, there are no dramatic moments. The plot is all about finding the older brother. With a steady pace, the close community slowly reveals an unexpected underside. The ending is startling, a surprise of major proportions. The seeming humanity of the villagers belies the truth. Tana French is a master of leading the reader down paths one never expects.

Edie S.

5 STARS

4 STARS

Kept me guessing right until the end. Great twists & turns. Characters are so human & believable...good, bad & ugly!

5 STARS

Wow! This book had me hooked right from the beginning & only got better right up to the end. It tells the hard luck stories of 2 very different women & how their meeting under extremely antagonist circumstances enriches their lives & those around them.

5 STARS

Once I started reading this book, I could hardly put it down. This is a story about the lives of four families and their secrets. I would highly recommend reading The Whispers.

Helen S.

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5 STARS

Another reader reviewed this book earlier in the summer, and their review intrigued me. Count this as another five-star review for The Whispers! The character development is on point. You'll be shocked by characters' actions, yet never find them to be out-of-character or unbelievable. The strong character development, coupled with some well-timed plot twists, function in tandem to create such a riveting story.

-Lauren L.

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4 STARS

-Abbie P.

1 STAR

Ugh, this book falls so short. It's trying to be sort of like The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, but it doesn't come anywhere close! I worked as a middle school English teacher for a long time and when I first started this book, I thought to myself, "This seems like it's more of a young adult book than an adult novel." By the middle of the book, I thought to myself, "This book is written more poorly than my students' writing pieces..." The character development and pacing of the plot are both quite weak. Even worse, the crux of the story involves the main character competing in a contest to solve highly complex riddles. Yet, the author used some of the most common riddles that we've all likely heard time and time again in classrooms, from elder relatives, etc. It's laughable; I have no idea how this got published, LOL. Just go read the House in the Cerulean Sea instead.

-Lauren L.

3 STARS

I don't think I've ever read satire for my own enjoyment before. I've read works of satire, but it was because they were on high school's or college's required reading lists. I checked out Yellowface by R. F. Kuang because I saw it garnering positive reviews on bestseller lists, not because I knew the premise. I was shocked when I realized by the third chapter that the story was satirical.

A criticism of the publishing industry, Yellowface features a narrator whose internal dialogue and decision-making will make you cringe from start to finish. Seemingly every sentence from the narrator's perspective induces secondhand embarrassment. As someone who works in the field of online content development, though, many of the plot points felt uncomfortably reflective of my own workplace encounters. I highly recommend this for anyone working in HR, media, or content/curriculum development.

4 STARS

There is a review printed on the back cover of this book that compares it to the HBO TV series, White Lotus, but as if it were retold from the points of view of characters Lucia and Mia. I don't think I can review the book any better than that.

If you haven't seen White Lotus, You Can Trust Me is a suspenseful thriller that follows two nomadic female friends in their escape from what I can only call a sort of "Epstein island." The best thing about this book is that author Wendy Heard is able to place her characters in such vulnerable settings without reducing them to the "damsel in distress" archetype. Her protagonists are quick-thinking, loyal, and self-sufficient. While reading, you'll not only be rooting for their successes. You'll also absorb quite a bit of street-smarts as they describe the ways in which they read people/situations and respond in moments of crisis.

-Anonymous

5 STARS

A great read about the Aston family. Stephen Aston is a renowned, 60 year old heart surgeon who is getting married to a much younger woman while his wife is still alive and suffering from dementia. This book has many twists and turns as two sisters react to their father’s impending marriage.