I made the mistake of starting it late in the day. I got very little sleep that night! This covers the Bird family over a 30 year period; it includes, hoarding, mental illness, betrayal, lesbianism, incest, and extra-marital affairs. I first thought maybe the author was trying to include too much. But I must say that the book just got better and better. A really satisfying read. It would be a great book club pick.

I received a copy from Picador, and was looking forward to reading it. The story had great potential; Celia was a recent widow and owner and landlord of a 4 unit brownstone. I was looking forward to this nice complicated story with all sorts of plot lines...and yes, I guess maybe they were there, but I just didn't care much. I thought the characters were flat, and just really didn't care about Celia either. Some of her writing was beautiful though, and I would read her next book.

I received and ARC of this book; and found that it was 'loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox story". I was skeptical, as I had tired of the whole drama; and ignored mention of it when I could.

I found this book to be a compelling character study; and devoured the book. I especially enjoyed the way the book switched between different points of view. Just really a well written book.

This is a tender compelling book about an abandoned boy and his Chinese American mother. It also is about prejudice and discrimination during the early 1930's. A book that you won't want to put down!

A boy of 11 who was missing for 3 years is returned to his family. This book is tangled and disturbing; Caleb himself trying to figure out who he really is, after the horrors that he witnessed; and his parents and younger sister trying to piece the family back together; with a boy who is profoundly changed. Deeply moving.

The book starts out with a horrible, unthinkable thing happening- to Max, an intersex teenager. I was a little concerned that it was going to be a 'sensational' book. Rather, it was very well written, very believable, and thoughtful. Oh, the secrets we keep.......and the damage they do. Read this book; I think it's going to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

This books takes place in Viet Nam at the end of the war; Percival is the headmaster of an elite school teaching English to students so they can be translators for the Americans. Percival turns a blind eye to events around him until it is too late. All the characters are flawed, but that is what makes the book so real. I loved this book, and it kept me reading late at night. I was thoroughly entertained, but also came away with a better sense of that time in history; our role in Vietnam, and also how we were perceived by the Vietnamese people. Not a moment wasted; he's an incredible writer, can't wait for more!

This book will stick with you; I loved it, and it's a book that I won't soon forget. Julia is a normal 6th grader, but nothing in the world is normal. Not only does she have the daily life issues - first love, friend that dumps her - but the Earths rotation is slowing down and days are growing longer every minute. The world's crisis is told from her point of view; this is not a scientific book that explains what and why in a scientific manner. Rather, it shows the catastrophic 'slowing' from a personal level from real people; a young girl and her parents. Get this book; you will not be sorry.

This insightful book of life's lessons, is really a series of essays in book form. That is not a bad thing; rather makes it easier to pick a chapter that may touch you on any given day. She writes with such understanding of our feelings in this late middle life, that this may be a generational book. It may be a little dry, but the thoughts and feelings that she puts on paper will amaze you.