Finally an author takes on Agamemnon's "vengeful" wife and her life story in this modern feminist retelling of the Greek stories of Troy. I was late jumping on board with the retellings but Casati's contribution here is fantastic and presents dimension, intelligence and understanding to this character and the brave woman that she was. I am lucky to have had an opportunity to read this early and highly recommend. This is not a quick read but is beautifully written. Enjoy!

Celeste Ang's Our Missing Hearts is a near dystopian novel that seems not far from our own current reality. In this case Asian but more specifically those with Chinese heritage are blamed for all troubles. The book though is about the power of words that are intended, misinterpreted or manipulated and the affects of the world on those not wishing to be part of it. The mom Margaret and 12 year old son, Bird are the voices through this frighteningly realistic tale. Nag delivers an important cautionary tale.

B.A. Shapiro has crafted a clever story of lives that have converged because of a storage facility in Cambridge, MA. We have good lawyers and bad, an artist, immigration and domestic violence trauma, people trying to make the best of their lives and protect their family and a sinister plot to harm everyone in its path. Had a bit in common with the Paris Apartment which I read at the same time and was equally compelling. I recommend this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this family saga set in coastal Maine. It reminded me of Louise Erdrich's Live Medicine in its scope and the interweaving of various families over many years. It also beautifully written and evokes a sense of place that makes this book even more exceptional. The chapters move about in time and they are tied together but it is better to consider them as short stories than to figure who is who. Finally, the stories lean toward dark and bleak but beautiful at the same time.

Small Days and Nights is a gorgeously written novel of a part Indian part Italian young woman who finds she has inherited an older sibling she did not know existed who has Down's Syndrome. Gracia does struggle with her return to India, off kilter as an outsider surrounded by others outside of belonging themselves. The language by this poet author is gorgeous while the story is slow paced at times but with some deeply tragic moments highlighting her vulnerability in her setting. Ultimately a tale of survival in creating a home and family against the odds.

I am so happy to have read Kevin Wilson's most recent novel, Nothing to See Here. As you can imagine, a book with children who spontaneously combust will have some excitement for sure but mostly this story is about parental live, good and bad. It's also about class and fear that we have to fit in and be normal. Such a happy, sweet and well-written book. My favorite this year.

Like Wes Anderson's Royal Tennenbaums, this novel is filled with quirky, privileged eccentrics that may have a layer of dust on their old shimmering life. Likeable and detestable at the same time, the story is compelling.

Wendy Walker's psychological thriller is very compelling with its various narrators, characters and their baggage. Since memory loss, intentional and otherwise, is a major issue in the plot, the reader is left with some questions about what is true and what is being manipulated. The psychiatrist narrator is a particularly interesting voice who seems thoughtful until maybe you are not sure but none of the answers are simple. I thought the story built well but this really isn't a "page turner". The ending was satisfying and not really anticipated. This book will be well received and popular among fans of Girl on A Train and Big Little Lies.

This book was entertaining and reminded me of Bonfire of the Vanities in a less satirical way. While I know these old money ways exist things are changing and I found the characters a bit like caricatures then people you would want to join. They seemed a little "dated." I kept thinking Evelyn would know when to say "I can't afford this" or figure out these people weren't nice but despite her education she never did. I think her mom was her greatest influence but maybe not for the best. I was hoping for maybe a different conclusion or some wrap up with her "friends" after her fall. I recommend this book but hoped for more from Evelyn.

Olen Steinhauer's All the Old Knives turns a spy thriller into a study of the characters of two spies, one active and one now retired. They are also former lovers and purportedly are getting together to catch up and rehash theories regarding a terrorist incident in Vienna. But spy motives are never as they seem and over the course of their get-together dinner we wonder who is playing who as we learn the circumstances surrounding their relationship and the terrorist event. Not a traditional spy thriller, this book kept me on edge and made me uncomfortable observing their dinner, not unlike Herman Koch's The Dinner. The framework of the evening worked well to tell this whodunit and the tension built throughout the evening to its sad conclusion. I recommend reading it in a sitting or two but it is compelling enough to make this easy. Recommend highly!

Lauren Owen's The Quick is a well written and carefully plotted novel that pushes the edge of a couple of genres-historical fiction and supernatural. It starts out as almost a coming of age story of a poet/playwright and takes a sudden about face and leads you on an exploration of London and various groups at odds with one another, with some memorable characters. It jumped around a bit more than I like but in all I became very vested in Miss Norbury and her quest and those who try to help. It was a fun read and would be appreciated by Anglophiles, YA readers, and gothic fiction fans alike.

Linda Lafferty's The Drowning Guard offers a interesting perspective of the struggles of power in Istanbul in 1826. This historical novel gave insight into the history of the Ottoman Empire and particularly that of the rule in Turkey, the relationship with the Janissaries and the bloody times during shifts of power. The book was very readable and centers around the internal struggle with good and evil that the Sultaness and her Christian drowning guard experience related to the power and control of the Sultan. The retelling of tales sometimes dragged a bit but about half way through the book its plot became much more compelling. I loved reading about the Sultaness and her harem and her ability to protect women in a harsh society for them.