Even though something kept me reading, I found Oakley’s fantasy to be implausible. Jane, the main character, is intelligent, likeable and funny. She seems to have good reasons for her fading love for her husband, Dan. Then, a band of ridiculous teenagers with an equally ridiculous leader has Jane slowly and inexplicably fading back to her needy, weak and dependent self. The ending is predictable and unsatisfying, despite a sprinkling of strained surprises. Still, who am I to judge any author who has found her way to being published? Oakley is a good writer, but this story is not for senior citizens, especially if they are not tech-savvy or into kinky sex. A believable story would make her a great writer.

You’ll want to be sure to have a box of tissues handy for this one. Peters is a master in the art of weaving humor and heartbreak into one story, one character, one chapter. Prepare for a roller coaster of emotions and a late night of reading. If, as Ruthie says, “Some people are meant to read great works and others are meant to write them,” by the end of “The Berry Pickers” readers know to which category Peters belongs. Enviable debut!

I know from experience that grief delayed is grief unresolved. Sarah and Anna are kindred spirits in their quest to find peace following heart wrenching personal loss. Thankfully, there are angels, saints or fairies to help us on our journeys. Effortlessly, Woods transports her readers from the glitz and glamour of New York art museums to the farmhouses and mansions of the Irish countryside and back again. With a cast of talented characters that range from sorrowful, conflicted, mysterious, comical, brave and romantic “The Story Collector” captures our imaginations as well as our senses. Apologetically, I find the ending confusing regarding Sarah and Oran.

Enlightening, shocking and profound. Jones rivets the reader’s attention to her "New Origin Story" and sheds light on America's darkest hours, her early struggles for independence and the shameful hypocrisy of her politicians and citizens relative to the enslaved. Furthermore, readers are forced to face America’s slow, lumbering march toward equality for all, while carrying its burdens of prejudice and blindness. This tome will undoubtedly become a powerful educational tool in the arsenal of black / white history and culture where readers can broaden their knowledge and understanding of enslavement beyond what they have gleaned from Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and even George Floyd. The poems and prose at the beginning of the chapters are heart wrenching and poignant, and the essays that follow seem to be well-researched and factual. The lingering question is not whether reparation is warranted, but whether it is possible. Kudos to the New York Times for recognizing the importance and potential impact of this exceptional collaborative enterprise, its creator and contributors.

Secrets, lies, shame and guilt prevent three generations from enjoying their family home and each other, until four gritty siblings join forces to change their future. While we watch each one of them reach inside themselves and come to their collective “David and Goliath” moment, the buried tragedies of the deep south are once again brought into the light of day. Harris brilliantly weaves in a lesson about The Torrens Act (aka The Real Property Act of 1900), its original purpose of “helping to clear titles for black landowners” and its ultimate “scheme by the rich to seize the land of the poor.” Suspenseful and startling with a fair measure of romance. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Secrets, lies, shame and guilt prevent three generations from enjoying their family home and each other, until four gritty siblings join forces to change their future. While we watch each one of them reach inside themselves and come to their collective “David and Goliath” moment, the buried tragedies of the deep south are once again brought into the light of day. Harris brilliantly weaves in a lesson about The Torrens Act (aka The Real Property Act of 1900), its original purpose of “helping to clear titles for black landowners” and its ultimate “scheme by the rich to seize the land of the poor.” Suspenseful and startling with a fair measure of romance. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Meissner’s searing chronicle of the lives of Rosie and Helen is the most enlightening I have read since reading “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” when I was fifteen years old. I am now seventy-five. I learned three new words within the first few chapters: Eugenics, Salpingectomy and Synesthesia. It is also the first time I have ever read the “Acknowledgements” section at the end of any book and was astonished at its revelations. Fellow readers, this one is hard to put down and the kernels of truth informing its plot and characters harder to dismiss when you finally turn the reading lamp off at bedtime. As Meissner reminds us, "Let us not forget our past, lest we repeat it."

Office workers, from the CEO to the nightshift security guard, may enjoy this tragicomedy. Wells decided that her heroine should remain nameless, the “every-cleaner” in the “every office.” As an intelligent, imaginative, under-appreciated mother hen who harbors a generally low opinion of office workers, she is nevertheless dedicated to her job and to her sense of self-esteem. She is obsessive about her duties and responsibilities for “cleaning” up the workplace and its workforce. Her fantastical nightly escapades lead to surprising conclusions for her employer, her co-workers, and herself. Laugh out-loud reading plus an opportunity for introspection! I can envision this as a weekly tv series (with a few tweaks).

Parallel tales of romance, bankruptcy and murder in the 1920s and 1940s keep readers in suspense while Cleeton exposes the greed and ambition of the Miami of yesteryear. If you enjoy a good mystery with historical undertones, this book is for you. If you don't know much about South Florida and are interested in how Miami evolved into the mecca that it is today, you will be enlightened. The setting between post-World War I and pre-World War II will have you counting the years between the characters, making it more intriguing. This is a thrilling, quick read.

I've never heard the "Vietnam War" called the "American War," but I imagine if you lived in Vietnam in the late 60s and early 70s, you would understand the twist. This is the first book I've read about this era, and I am enlightened at last. The tale is rich in tradition and family bonding that galvanizes three generations of women who turn the fragments of their unrealized dreams, broken promises, and immeasurable grief into a tapestry of reconciliation and love. This is not a forgotten story but one that has never been told – a story about people who gave up everything, suffered everything and scraped their way to independence for themselves and their progeny, and we never even noticed. Hope to see more from Thai.

Carolyn Phillips shows us how it's important to be "friends" before "lovers." It is interesting to watch her evolve into almost a "native" versus a "foreigner." I've tried so many of the delicious recipes and I had to run out and get a wok! This book is a fun and tasty treat!

Mangan's depiction of the unraveling of a mind is brilliant. The reader craves to the see the sunshine. but the flood waters keep rising, in Venice, in Rome, in London – and in the protagonist's (or is it the antagonist's) psyche. Readers are forced to remeasure how independence, perseverance, and self-control can be detriments to our well being and that of others. Is it possible to drown in our delusions about ourselves and those who love us? Gilly, Jack and Leonard are Frankie's gondolas of refuge, but she trudges along, ignoring even her own security whistle.

Intriguing storyline progressing along two tracks, one during WWI and the Russian Civil War in Petrograd and the other after WWII in New York. Readers who enjoy historical fiction mixed in with mystery, romance and a touch of class will thoroughly enjoy this novel. We learn a great deal about the Romanovs and the Bolshevik Revolution, as well as what it must have been like to be an émigré to America during that time or, perhaps, because of that time. The climax reminds me of a Dan Brown novel, fast-paced and full of surprising detours across continents and into underground lairs. This story is also reminiscent of "Dr. Zhivago" in its depiction of Russia and its citizenry's trauma and heart ache. Lots of intrigue to keep us turning the pages and a fascinating ending.

From Saturday morning's first cup of java to Sunday evening's last glass of wine, this compact, riveting story is mesmerizing. The engaging pace, believable characters and heart-warming, sometimes melancholy narrative is the first "weekend read" I have enjoyed in a long time. It is rare to find one novel pondering dichotomies relative to so many subjects: family, friendship, politics, and self-discovery; love, longing, and lust; faith, fear and forgiveness, particularly self-forgiveness. Tarkington illuminated one of my long-held personal truths: "Sometimes, one has no choice but to follow reckless urges." This is my first Tarkington novel, but it will not be my last.

Perhaps I am not “smart” or “sophisticated” enough because this read is not “suspenseful” for me, it is annoying. Mahmoud has been at the “location” in Paris for fifty-two pages and nothing has happened. Kate clearly plays an important role but all she has done so far is drop her daughter off at school, shop and drink coffee in a café while complaining about “Hashtag Mom” which is curious because, so far, she is everything that woman is, minus the hashtag. Collette is clickety-clacking on the hardwood floors with her stilettos in Hunter’s Penthouse Office while he awaits his “big chance.” Just when one thinks the story might really begin to unfold, enter another character in Venice who spends four pages ignoring her gurgling baby and getting ready to hit the all-important “send” key on her PC. Lastly, there is Dexter, Kate’s castigated husband, maybe her foil? Lots and lots of sirens and police cars racing around which is intriguing for a while, but not fifty-two pages. The impression is that the reader is expected to follow these characters operating independently until, at some point painfully far down the road, they converge in some great confluence of revelation. Maybe other readers will have the patience.

While the analogies between whales and humans are interesting, Van Meter fails to fully connect the dots, for me. I struggled through this story as it seems disjointed while also being depressing. The "heroine" seems conflicted long after she actually finds answers, as though she needs an excuse to keep telling us about her drinking, smoking J and having irresponsible sex. It appears she resolves her mother and father issues well before she marries Liam, yet her marriage is a mess for many years. Confusing and mostly sad story of what it's like to be born into a family of addicts. Recovery is heartbreaking and endless.

The objects on Judith Kratt's last list seem to come to life, telling us stories of love and hate, guilt and shame, sibling rivalry and loyalty, old age and regret. Oh, and let us not forget, bigotry. But the dual bonds holding the characters, scenes and plot together are ancestry and heritage. One is left wondering if it is 1929 or 2019?

The writing is imaginative and clever: "The constellation of hats I saw below was impressive. Every shape and size of hat imaginable was represented. Hats molded snugly to mannequin heads, and others perched lightly as if anticipating the cranial sensitivities of their future owners."

Andrea Bobotis is masterful at conveying feelings that grant the reader entry: "Sometimes, I felt I was two people in one body, the first reaching out for others, and the second holding back because I was no good at sustaining whatever I managed to establish, all my effort spent trying not to offend with my words, which on their way from my mind to my mouth always became sharper."

As the women in this tale evolve, so too their treasures. Suspenseful. Thought-provoking at every turn of the page. Remarkable.

Imagine! There are still those today who think that women have no place in the armed services. They are among those who call the escapades and heroism of the D-Day Girls "twaddle." The British government could not even acknowledge their existence after the war and continued to keep their identities and contributions a secret for more than fifty years! Sarah Rose illuminates not only the ugly underbelly of Special Military Operations and their masterminds, but also exposes a side of Winston Churchill that is little discussed, much less admitted. Once again, we are reminded that "All is fair in love and war." Intriguing read, even for men, if they can open their minds.

Of course, everyone has heard of Coco Chanel but Elsa Schiaparelli, not so much, right? One can imagine that there is so much more to the rivalry than what is expressed by Mackin in this novel. If one lacks knowledge of color and art, it is amusing to consider the longing and loneliness in "blue," the passion for life and bravery in "red" and the preciousness and immortality in "yellow." To think that the richness and vibrancy of these primary colors, colors that cannot be "forced or faked," along with the intense political persuasions and drama surrounding pre and post WWII informed the fashion designs created by Coco Chanel and her arch rival Elsa Schiaparelli in the 30s, 40s and 50s is intriguing. Women of the day clearly lived what their couturiers and vendeuses told them, "...dressing well was resistance, revenge, pride, a form of control over the forces that try to control us." Jeanne Mackin has created a believable (undoubtedly well-researched) world where art, politics and fashion collide in a collage of love, heartache, luxury, envy and loyalty. I am left wanting to learn more about Coco and Elsa, not to mention Paris before and after World War II. Ah, to have been at the Durst Ball!