Books Marked

One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall My rating: 3 of 5 stars So many points of view including some that seemed far fetched. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. So many important issues brought into the mix. Overall a fairly predictable outcome. View all my reviews

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns My rating: 4 of 5 stars I seem to have read several family dramas lately and this was by far the most complex and interesting. Complex family dynamics made this a great story. View all my reviews

Redwood Court: Fiction by DeLana R.A. Dameron My rating: 4 of 5 stars A family saga growing up in a Black neighborhood in the 90's. Family relationships as witnessed by the family's youngest child make this a compelling read. View all my reviews

Go as a River by Shelley Read My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a backyard bird watcher myself I so enjoyed Ann Tan's r observations and drawings of the birds see saw in her yard. Lots of useful information and stories about bird behavior. Very enjoyable read. View all my reviews

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl My rating: 4 of 5 stars The story was great but the descriptions of cooking and the food eaten was outstanding. Obviously Ruth Reichl knows food and this first novel shows that she can translate food into words that make the reader almost taste what she is describing. View all my reviews

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood My rating: 2 of 5 stars Lost interest quickly. View all my reviews

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fun read View all my reviews

Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland by Scott Shane My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am embarrassed to say that I had never heard of Thomas Smallwood, a Black man who helped hundreds of enslaved people flee north bu after reading his story in Flee North: A Forgotton Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland I will nevr forget his story. This is thought provoking and easily read book. View all my reviews

A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home: Housekeeping Hacks You Can't Live Without by Melissa Dilkes Pateras My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was familiar with Melissa Pateras as I follow her on TikTok. This book give excellent information on how to clean, iron, maintain and even fold a fitted sheet. Simple, easy to follow directions with illustrations guide us through the process of maintaining and keeping our cleaning equipment in top condition. View all my reviews

Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s by B. Dylan Hollis My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Girls and Their Monsters: The Genain Quadruplets and the Making of Madness in America by Audrey Clare Farley My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I Can Make That!: Fantastic Crafts for Kids by Mary Wallace My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

After Annie: A Novel by Anna Quindlen My rating: 4 of 5 stars A story of the a family struggling with grief after their young wife and mother dies unexpectedly. Over the course of one year we see how love and loss affects not only her husband and children but also her best friend. View all my reviews

The Women by Kristin Hannah My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am giving this book ALL the stars. The Vietnam war was taking place during my formative years so the story struck home for me. This is a riveting story of navigating and surviving not only the war, but it's aftermath and all that it entails. Brought back so many memories of the turmoil of the times for me both good and bad. Highly recommend. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Highly recommend. View all my reviews

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger My rating: 5 of 5 stars William Kent Krueger is an exceptional storyteller. His characters are complex and yet believeble. This is a masterfully written mystery that I hard a difficult time putting down. "Our lives and the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from out beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about our past." Thank you to NetGalley, William Kent Krueger, and Atria Books for a free advanced copy for an honest review. View all my reviews

Never Meant to Meet You by Alli Frank My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The People We Keep by Allison Larkin My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb My rating: 5 of 5 stars Couldn't put it down. View all my reviews

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook My rating: 3 of 5 stars So many characters! For a character driven story I found I couldn't connect with any of them. View all my reviews

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was a huge fan of the author's previous book "Cutting for Stone" and eager anticipated reading this book. "The Covenant of Water" is an epic family saga that didn't grab me the way his first book did. I really enjoyed the characters but the story sometimes dragged. Even though I loved this book less than "Cutting for Stone" it is still well worth the time invested in reading it. View all my reviews

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls My rating: 3 of 5 stars Felt like more character development was needed. View all my reviews

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash My rating: 4 of 5 stars A lovely story of love and loss spanning 30+ years. Beginning with World War II, touching on the Kennedy"camelot" 1960's and ending with the civil rights era of the 1970's this historical novel follows of lives of two families forever intertwined. View all my reviews

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Haidt My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Hush-A-Bye Night: Goodnight Lake Superior by Thelma Lynne Godin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Since I live just a stone's throw away from Gitche Gumee, aka Big-Sea-Water, aka Lake Superior, I was immediately drawn to this lovely read aloud book. The story is lyrical, calming and charming. The illustrations are out of this world amazing. Lots of details, stories within stories. This is a beautiful tribute to the "Mother" Lake of Michigan and the wonders that can be found around it. View all my reviews

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal My rating: 4 of 5 stars There is something about multi-generational storylines that draw me in and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club is no exception. This story about navigating family relationships while being true to yourself makes for good reading. View all my reviews

The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook by Erin French My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook by Deb Perelman My rating: 4 of 5 stars As much fun to read as it is to cook from. View all my reviews

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future by Mya-Rose Craig My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is not just a book about bird watching. It is a travelogue, autobiography, conservation and climate change chronicoler, a mental health case file and so much more. Mya has not only a passion for birds but also for conservation. She is a voice we need in this world and look forward to seeing the continued work see does for the betterment of us all. View all my reviews

A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase My rating: 4 of 5 stars What starts off as a "fun" road trip with an aging parent turns into a story of relationships, healing and love. A very worthwhile read. View all my reviews

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a MUST read. I can't give it enough stars! View all my reviews

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin My rating: 3 of 5 stars Big Swiss is weird, quirky, witty story that in reality I struggled to finish. I did find myself laughing out loud at some parts and scratching my head asking what just happened after others. View all my reviews

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews