This is a beautiful story of All The Things. Being 12. Having a best best best friend. Realizing that she’s actually more than that. Coping with loss.This is a beautiful story of All The Things. Being 12. Having a best best best friend. Realizing that she’s actually more than that. Coping with loss. Being 16. Being in love. With another girl. Who betrays you. Leaving home to get fixed at anti-gay camp. Coming to terms. Growing up.
What makes this book special is the attention to detail. You smell the popcorn at the movie theater, feel the cold of the water, see the new green of tree buds, remember the era of mix tapes.
The author captures a particular world and all the people in it with an elegant precision. Yes, it’s a gay coming of age story.
This book was a kind of a fairy tale. Penn and Rosie fall in love before they even meet. Five kids and 20 years later they are still so in love that hThis book was a kind of a fairy tale. Penn and Rosie fall in love before they even meet. Five kids and 20 years later they are still so in love that he cannot keep his hand off her ass when they chaperone the middle school dance of their youngest child.
Penn himself is a spinner of fairy tales, and the story of Prince Grumwald and Night Fairy Princess Stephanie runs through the chapters. Only it isn’t really a fairy tale. It’s really the story of youngest child Claude, who is also Poppy who is also a girl but is also a boy.
There are elements of this book that I loved. Some passages were so true that I just nodded along. But ultimately, I miss the edge that comes with good stories about life.
Roo is class president, first chair flute, on the football team, important in school. Ben is so smart he has to skip a grade. Rigel and Orion are delightfully weird and wonderful. Claude is independently baking cakes before he’s in kindergarten. The five of them, aged 5 through 13, happily pile onto the bed to listen to their father’s masterfully spun tales.
It’s sweet and warm. Hot chocolate and goodness.
It provides a counterbalance to the story of a beautiful child who simply needs to wear dresses and be accepted as a girl with a penis.
As a fairly “woke” person, I found the transgender storyline interesting. I liked the East Asian acceptance that anyone can be both boy and girl. After all, we live many lives. I rooted for Claude/Poppy and worried along with the rest of the family about her future. I liked the central question: why does what you wear and what gender you express even matter?
But also - I didn’t quite believe any of it. Not the perfect love story that started their family, or the delightful oddities of each family member, or the grandmother who bought Poppy’s first wardrobe of girl clothes. Not the Buddhist acceptance they found in Thailand. Not even Claude/Poppy, who just feels like she isn’t really a boy.
It was a wishful thinking book. A well-written wishful thinking book. But a wishful thinking book all the same.
The long passage below about why easy isn’t the goal feels true to me:
“It just seems like such a hard road” - she took deep breaths until she felt herself inflated to the brink of bursting - “such a tough life. This is not the easy way.” “No,” Penn agreed, “but I’m not sure easy is what I want for the kids anyway.” She looked up at him. “Why the hell not?” “I mean, if we could have everything, sure. If we can have it all, yeah, I wish them easy, successful, fun-filled lives, crowned with good friends, attentive lovers, heaps of money, intellectual stimulation, and good views out the window. I wish them eternal beauty, international travel, and smart things to watch on TV. But if I can’t have everything, if I only get a few, I’m not sure easy makes my wish list. “Really?” “Easy is nice, but I wonder how often it leads to fulfilling work or partnership or being.” “Easy probably rules out having children,” Rosie admitted. “Having children, helping people, making art, inventing anything, leading the way, tackling the World’s problems, overcoming your own. I don’t know. Not much about what I value in our lives is easy. But there’s not much of it I’d trade for easy either, I don’t think.” “But it’s terrifying,” she whispered. “If it were the right thing to do, wouldn’t we know it?” “When was the last time something was bothering one of the kids or he was acting strange or he wasn’t sleeping or doing well in math or sharing nicely during free choice time, and we knew why?” “Knew why?”Rosie said “Knew why. Absolutely knew what was wrong and what should be done to fix it and how to make that happen?” “As a parent?” “As a parent.” “Never?” “Never,” Penn agreed. “Not ever. Not once. You never know. You only guess. This is how it always is. You have to make these huge decisions on behalf of your kid, this tiny human whose fate and future is entirely in your hands, who trusts you to know what’s good and right and then be able to make that happen. You never have enough information. You don’t get to see the future. And if you screw up, if with your incomplete, contradictory information you make the wrong call, we’ll, nothing less than child’s entire future and happiness is at stake. It’s impossible. It’s heartbreaking. It’s maddening. But there’s no alternative.”...more
The final installment in the Rosie/Don story. Their baby is now a 6th grader, navigating the confusion of middle school with the help of his bumbling The final installment in the Rosie/Don story. Their baby is now a 6th grader, navigating the confusion of middle school with the help of his bumbling but committed father.
What I love about this series:
1. The characters. I LIKE Don. He strives for decency and fairness and values problem solving over winning. He tries hard to be a good friend, husband, and father. He really listens to people, and he is willing to admit when he is wrong. We could all learn a lot from Don!
2. The growth mindset perspective that permeates all three books. You don’t fit in and don’t understand social rules? You want to know how to mix the perfect cocktail, throw a ball passably well, when to cheer at football, how to dress for the occasion? These things can be learned! It’s not that you can’t do it. You just can’t do it YET!
3. The idea that random skill-building is worthwhile. It is easy to resist learning new things - riding a bike, using tools, playing a musical instrument. But all skills have intrinsic value. We don’t think about incorporating skill development into our lives. Maybe we should. Maybe it’s worth the time and trouble.
4. Their child’s name: Hudson. HUD = Human Under Development (evolved from womb-name BUD: Baby Under Development). SON - well obviously. HUD-Son. Also Hudson, like the iconic river.
5. These books are just good writing. They are funny and surprising and, yes, heartwarming. And those qualities in combination are so very very rare. ...more
“The Rosie Effect” continues the story of Rosie and Don, now married and living in New York City. Book 2 takes them through pregnancy and childbirth, “The Rosie Effect” continues the story of Rosie and Don, now married and living in New York City. Book 2 takes them through pregnancy and childbirth, with the attendant changes in lifestyle and mind set - all of which become more challenging and just ridiculous enough when filtered through Don’s quirks and idiosyncrasies. What a delight to discover a WHOLE SERIES of books that are both well-written and lighthearted - and that stay grounded in the complexity of life as we know it to be. ...more
The Rosie Project was a delightful light read! I generally find rom com plots unpleasant, driven by wishful thinking and cultural pretenses about whatThe Rosie Project was a delightful light read! I generally find rom com plots unpleasant, driven by wishful thinking and cultural pretenses about what love looks like. This one was so smart and funny and surprising that I forgot it was a rom com!
**spoiler alert** This was an enjoyable and engrossing read. No particular insights, but a couple of spicy scenes that were fun and a story that kept **spoiler alert** This was an enjoyable and engrossing read. No particular insights, but a couple of spicy scenes that were fun and a story that kept me guessing. What is the mental disturbance that runs through the generations of women in the Farrow family? What happened to June’s mother? Why do shadowy visions keep clouding June’s mind and what do they mean? And why does the 1950 murder of Nathaniel Rutherford keep coming up?
I like stories that feature family dynamics, and I get a kick out of time travel. This book has both!...more
“The War I Finally Won” continues the story that began in the book “The War that Saved My Life.” Ada and Jamie, war refugees from London, are better o“The War I Finally Won” continues the story that began in the book “The War that Saved My Life.” Ada and Jamie, war refugees from London, are better off without their “incapacitated” mother, who spent her days in a terrible fury at everything and nothing, and especially at Ada. The backdrop of the war is ever present. Rationing. Casualties. Shortages. Rubble. Doing your part. And a refugee, German and Jewish, who has come to stay with them.
At its heart, the story is about love. Not unlike Mary Lennox from “The Secret Garden,” Ada has a lot to learn about letting go of the past and experiencing beautiful things. So there are horses and new chosen family and Susan who loves Ada and Jamie and Lady Thornton, steely Lady Thornton, who needs some reminders about letting go herself.
All in all this was a lovely story, realistic but hopeful....more
I loved the energetic writing style of this book. And Hope, the main character, waitress extraordinaire, full of energy and wisdom and, yes, hope.
FatI loved the energetic writing style of this book. And Hope, the main character, waitress extraordinaire, full of energy and wisdom and, yes, hope.
Fatherless and abandoned by her mother while still connected to tubes in the NICU, Hope is raised by her mother’s sister, Addie. They move from place to place before finally settling in small town Wisconsin, where All the Things happen - love, politics, and connection. And home.
This was a breezy, well-done, fun read. I think maybe it needed a little bit more of an edge. But it was a lovely comfort read: no saccharine in sight, just good writing and characters you can root for. Not unlike the delicious comfort food scattered throughout the book....more
Iona Iverson commutes to work on the train every day. She brings her dog Lulu with her, along with the appropriate beverage (green tea) and the appropIona Iverson commutes to work on the train every day. She brings her dog Lulu with her, along with the appropriate beverage (green tea) and the appropriate dishes (bone china). She dresses with panache and keeps to herself. After all, Rule 2 involves ignoring other passengers. She has names for her fellow travelers: Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader, Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm, Mr.-Too-Good-To-Be True. But they don’t interact.
Until the day Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape and cannot breathe.
Over the course of the book, as Ioana makes friends on the train, we get to know them all. Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader grew up poor. Ioana has a surprising past. And we remember: people are always more than they seem.
Ioana Iverson’s Rules for Commuting falls into what seems to me to be a new genre. I’m calling it “Eleanor Rigby” (This is for all the lonely people..”). These are books about the people we forget to notice. Old folks. Odd ducks. The unkempt, underemployed, unfashionable ones. Not Cinderella, not her stepsisters, but the milkmaid with the stutter and the bad hair, who didn’t make it into the story.
I have read several in that category recently: “The Story of Arthur Truluv,” “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine,” “The Lonely Hearts Bookclub,” and “The Last List of Mabel Beaumont” all follow that trajectory. In these novels, we have the fun of living the story of unlikely heroes and heroines. We see them make friends, recover from disappointment, move closer to becoming the person they were born to be.
I may tire of this genre at some point. But for now, it gives me great joy to be present for awkward nobodies (and I use that word with great affection) to come into the light....more
**spoiler alert** This is a story in two voices about 2 teenage girls living very different lives. Avery is a soccer star with many friends, a dad who**spoiler alert** This is a story in two voices about 2 teenage girls living very different lives. Avery is a soccer star with many friends, a dad who makes a lot of money, and a mom who is an interior decorator. She is furious about being dragged to Spain with her dad for the summer when she’d so much rather go to soccer camp with her friends!
Kayla has the unfortunate last name “Butts” and is known as “Butt-girl” at school. Her closest friends are over the age of 70 and live in the nursing home where her mother scraps out a living. Her dad lives there too. He was in a serious car accident when Kayla was barely two and is unable to care for himself or communicate. Kayla is thrilled to have been invited to spend the summer in Spain with a slightly younger girl she knew when they were both little kids.
But why was she invited? Both girls wonder.
Over the course of the summer Avery learns to be less of a princess, and Kayla learns to be less of a mouse. They learn to appreciate one another. They both learn a little Spanish. And they learn that there is a real connection between them: Avery’s mom was unable to carry a child to term. Kayla’s mom was the surrogate. Biologically, Avery and Kayla are not related. But they were carried by the same woman.
This news is devastating to both girls. As they process the information and come to terms with other difficult realities (Avery’s parents are on the brink of divorce), they grow up.
This was a quick, fun read. But OMG. Avery was such a brat, and both girls were so over the top about the surrogacy!
Maybe that’s what happens when you read a book at the age of 64 that is targeted to an audience of age 13. ...more
**spoiler alert** Yellow Star is a Holocaust story written from the perspective of a child who survived. Syvia and her family were living in the Polis**spoiler alert** Yellow Star is a Holocaust story written from the perspective of a child who survived. Syvia and her family were living in the Polish city of Lodz when the Germans invaded In 1939. The Jews of the city were confined to a small section and given crushing work duties and tiny food rations. Many died of overcrowding, overwork, starvation, and disease. Deportations to Chelmno extermination camp began in 1941, with roundups of children as the first victims.
Syvia’s family managed to keep her hidden during the raids for children, and her parents and older sister stayed healthy and strong enough to escape deportation. Of an original population of about 230,000, they were among the final 800 or so remaining in Lodz as the war in Poland was ending. Their job was to clean up.
On January 18, 1945 the the cleanup job was done. Large pits were at the ready, dug into the frozen ground. Nazi staff, which had shrunk to a few men, had expanded again, with new motorbike arrivals all day long. Enough for a firing squad to take care of those 800 or so remaining Jews.
Only that didn’t happen. Instead came the noise of a hasty evacuation. Then bombs. Finally, the cleanup crew director (Jewish) walked in with with four simple words: “I have a key.”
The 800 rushed to the open courtyard and lay face down in the snow, praying that the bombs would miss them. And they did. Their Russian liberators arrived on horseback. They had stopped bombing because the squadron leader, a Jew, had seen the yellow stars sewn to the backs of their clothing. Syvia was one of 12 child survivors from Lodz.
She turned 10 the next day, January 19.
The story is true and is based on the experiences of the author’s aunt. Syvia and her immediate family all survived. At the time this book was published (2006), Syvia was doing volunteer work at the Holocaust museum in Washington DC.
This is a Holocaust experience that I did not know about and the first I’ve come across that did not include either being hidden or being in a concentration camp. Like all holocaust stories, It is harrowing and horrifying to read. But here it is, in beautiful, spare prose, right there in the juvenile section of the library.
At what age do we want our beloved, vulnerable children to learn about this kind of brutality?
Sivia herself was barely out of toddlerhood. “I was four and a half years old…” the book begins....more
This was my first book by Danielle Steele, who, according to Wikipedia, has written more than 141 novels (plus some nonfiction). It’s a friends-becomeThis was my first book by Danielle Steele, who, according to Wikipedia, has written more than 141 novels (plus some nonfiction). It’s a friends-become-more story (think “When Harry Met Sally”) in which we watch our couple choose badly for a number of pages before recognizing what is in front of their eyes.
Steele’s writing style, with its narrator-driven plot line, put a distance between the characters and me. I was interested but not thoroughly invested in the outcome, and I found it a bit too predictable. Even so, I enjoyed the book. The relationship mistakes the characters make are believable. When the happy ending came, I gave a sigh of satisfaction and felt pleased. I think it would make a wonderful limited series for streaming.
And lest we forget - 141 novels alone! Thousands and thousands of pages. More words that most people will read in a lifetime.
A comment on the back of this book reads, “Will you cry and rejoice and hold your breath? Absolutely.”
This is the story of a child brutalized by her A comment on the back of this book reads, “Will you cry and rejoice and hold your breath? Absolutely.”
This is the story of a child brutalized by her mother. When the Battle of Britain prompts the evacuation of children from London, Ada finds family and acceptance in the country.
The book is beautifully written. I cheered for Ada from beginning to end.
When middle schooler Anna Hunt moves to a new town, it is clear that one student, Rachel Riley, has been squeezed out of the school hierarchy. But whyWhen middle schooler Anna Hunt moves to a new town, it is clear that one student, Rachel Riley, has been squeezed out of the school hierarchy. But why? Social media posts from 6 months ago show a pretty girl with lots of friends. Why do they ostracize her now?
Anna makes it her project to find out.
This is a story about sexual harassment among children who are barely teenagers. Even as adults, it is easier to minimize the impact of inappropriate behaviors than to insist that boys (and men) be better. This book shows us why fighting that battle matters.
This is a story that weaves together multiple themes in unexpected ways: family and race and alcoholism and relationship and growing up and faith and This is a story that weaves together multiple themes in unexpected ways: family and race and alcoholism and relationship and growing up and faith and and the terrible cost of despair.
The plot follows a child whose family literally fell from the sky - Danish mother grieving a lost son and trying to build a new life; Robbie, beloved brother with a stutter; and baby Ariel. And Rachel. Rachel, who alone survives the fall.
What happened on the roof? We’re they pushed?
Rachel is visited in the hospital by her father, who sips his flask and plays harmonica while Rachel sleeps. We see her father’s pain and confusion and the explosive anger that frightens the nurses. We witness the poignant visit with the neighbor kid, to whom her father entrusts his harmonica and a story, a terrible story - and then her father is gone.
Rachel, with her bright blue eyes, is taken in by her Black grandmother to be raised in a Black neighborhood and go to the boisterous AME church. And to learn that she is Black.
It is rare for a book that is ultimately about race to truly explore its complexities and nuance. This one does. And it does it in the context of a rich stand-alone story. ...more
Memoir of a young woman who succeeds in overcoming her addictions. The story is gritty and compelling. There is jail time and terrible behavior and muMemoir of a young woman who succeeds in overcoming her addictions. The story is gritty and compelling. There is jail time and terrible behavior and multiple betrayals. Relapses and rehab. And finally marriage and family and a life that is no longer out of control.
Congratulations to the author. She is part of the elite club of recovery. My hat is off to her.
I was put off by the style of her writing. It was like an ad with too many exclamation points or the irresistible click bait we are in inundated with. Shocking! And then! You’ll never believe!
High Achiever is not literature. But maybe it is a beacon of hope for those struggling with addiction.
I did not expect to love this book. I thought I would find a saccharin hero in a feel-good, sentimental story about being cute and old and wise.
It’s I did not expect to love this book. I thought I would find a saccharin hero in a feel-good, sentimental story about being cute and old and wise.
It’s hard to articulate what makes Arthur Truluv something better.
I liked the well-drawn characters, Arthur with his grief and his loneliness. Young Maddie, looking for love and some one to sit with her at lunch. And Lucille, sadly past it, creating amazing desserts that mostly go unappreciated.
I love that these ordinary lost souls find their light.
The world can be a cruel place, and this story does not shy away from that truth. But there is also cake. And a lovely cat. And connection....more
**spoiler alert** This book looks at our taboos regarding sexuality and information. A high schooler writes an anonymous sex education blog, respondin**spoiler alert** This book looks at our taboos regarding sexuality and information. A high schooler writes an anonymous sex education blog, responding to questions with accurate, well-researched information. Should you be vaccinated against HPV? How do gay people have sex? Is it normal to fart during sex?
Pom answers them all.
Conservative adults, led by local right-leaning politicians and churches, work hard to uncover her identity and shut her down.
Phoebe, Pom’s unassuming, rule-abiding alter ego, straddles the difficult space between being the good student and respectable daughter that everyone knows and being the mysterious and controversial media sensation with a target on her back.
On the Subject of Unmentionable Things does well what YA fiction was designed to do. It explores through young eyes the boundaries and choices that we continue to navigate throughout our lives. How do we do the right thing in the face of resistance? Where is the line between pleasing people we care about and making our own choices? How do we manage the scary results of our bravest, most foolish actions? Which secrets do we keep?
I really loved this book. It’s an orphan story and not the most original thing ever. And yet.
I was taken up into the world of 1908 in Vienna, where AI really loved this book. It’s an orphan story and not the most original thing ever. And yet.
I was taken up into the world of 1908 in Vienna, where Annika is raised by Ellie and Sigrid, who found her, and by the eccentric professors Ellie and Sigrid work for. There are wonderful friends and the Lippizaner stallions and trials and heartbreak and rescue. There is goodness without sentimentalism.
And there is love
So much love.
When I closed the book, it felt like the world could be an ok place.
Back in the early ‘60s, most Americans haven’t heard of Vietnam. But there was an American presence. Tricia’s husband was stationed in Saigon in 1962 Back in the early ‘60s, most Americans haven’t heard of Vietnam. But there was an American presence. Tricia’s husband was stationed in Saigon in 1962 as an engineer. He believes in America. And Catholicism. He believes that God means for the Catholic American president and the Catholic Vietnamese prime minister to work together for the greater good. End communism. Bring God back.
So Tricia believes that too. Mostly.
At her first garden party in Saigon Tricia meets Charlene, beautiful, brilliant, charismatic, manipulative Charlene, a cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other, and a plan to raise charitable funds percolating in her mind. Toys for sick children. Silk ao dais (traditional Vietnamese clothing) for a leper colony. American parents for overworked families with too many children.
The story is written as an exchange of letters between Tricia, now an old woman, and Charlene’s daughter Rainey, now in her 60s.
I enjoyed the structure of the story and the peek into life in Vietnam at a particular crisis point in history. I was somewhat put off by characterization that seemed slapdash and a little too stereotypical - the commanding presence of the confident rich girl, the shy, glad to-be-included (but also a little snarky) sidekick, the busy, handsome husbands and their benevolent tyranny.
It felt to me like elderly Tricia still held a grudge against Charlene for being lucky, rich Charlene. Me? I liked Charlene. I liked that her small rebellions were always based in altruism. I liked the way she cared for Tricia after a miscarriage. Full respect for taking the time and care to charm people with ruined faces, dying from leprosy. Give me more Charlenes.
And may we be open-hearted enough to appreciate them....more
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