When I first read about this book, it seemed like an interesting read. It is a story of four strangers who are finding it difficult to move past a traumatic event in their lives. As the author weaves the tale of the four who have been put into an experimental group therapy program, the reader becomes invested in the lives of the strangers. There is Mischa who is a young woman recently off being a caretaker to her mom. Freya, is a 30-something year old who finds it impossible to get on with her life and is still very much grieving. Victoria, imperious and cold, in the denial of her own grief. Finally, the reader meets Callum, a rockstar battling addiction and sorrow.

Over the stages of grief teased out by Genevieve, the counselor, the reader gets to know the people, the stories, and how they help each other out of the stasis which each character is in.

The book has two unexpected turns at the end which make the story that much richer and more interesting. For a debut author, Amelia Ireland has captivated this reader with her story, the novel construct, and the quality of the writing. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

If you think, by the publisher's description, that this book is just a coming-of-age story in South Korea, you would be mistaken. It is so much more. The Stone Home tells the story of Eunju Oh and her mother who were picked up off the streets in Gunsan and transported to a reform/rehabilitation facility. There they find hard work, impossible demands, discrimination, imprisonment, and ultimately hope and family within a community suffering the same fate. The story of Eunju and her mother becomes intertwined with that of two brothers who have also been brought to the institution.

The novel details this difficult period in South Korea's history through different perspectives and lenses. The beautiful, raw, and often violent prose doesn't tell the complete story but gives a strong voice to the real citizens who suffered the same fate.

While I would strongly recommend The Stone Home to anyone who wants to learn about this tragic time, I would also suggest that this is not a book for sensitive readers.

In trying to formulate my thoughts to give a fair and accurate review I can only say there are a lot of themes to unpack here and one very big author agenda.

Delicate Condition is about an actor who is trying her best to get pregnant through fertility treatments. Anna Victoria Alcott who is in her late 30's is regretful that she has skipped her prime fertility years chasing her career. As she and her husband go through multiple bouts of IVF, the possibility of having a baby becomes more dear to her and yet more elusive. Anna learns that her husband Dex left his first wife because she didn't want children, something she didn't share with him until after they were married. When Anna finally becomes pregnant, she has to deal with a stalker who is threatening her life.

Interspersed with Anna's story are chapters about other women from the past who have gone through childbirth and have delivered monsters. There is a very non sequitur chapter about a young med student at Columbia University who spits gum on a statue of a doctor who led the way in obstetrics by experimenting on slave women.

The author then introduces themes of Satanism and witchcraft to add a little more confusion or tension to the story.

To tell more about this book would be to introduce spoilers and I don't want to do that. As a psychological thriller the book is good, not great. The author's agenda (not theme) of poor women's health care is unmistakable and at the forefront throughout the book. It seems as if she has a real ax to grind about American health care in general and about doctors specifically. If you can get past the agenda and the multiple themes, you may enjoy the book.

In The Gifts, Liz Hyder has swirled together themes of feminism, religion, and ambition in this historical, magical realism novel. Told in the voices of multiple characters, their stories interweave into a knotted tale. A woman with wings is found dead in the Thames in 1840, another woman has sprouted wings and is being held prisoner by a surgeon, and yet a third is sprouting wings at the start of the book. Presumably metaphors for the growth of feminism during the same time period, the book doesn't quite deliver the bewitching, addictive promise of the blurbs.

Due to the short chapters and multiple voices, the book needs close focus by the reader. It seems to this reader that the author has tried to incorporate too many genres into what could have been an interesting read. Instead it was a messy attempt albeit with beautiful writing.

Having read Free by Lea Ypi, a story of the collapse of Communist Albania and its effect on its citizens, I was excited to receive Iron Curtain for review. This is the story of a "red princess", a young woman whose father was vice president of her communist country. Milena grew up with great privilege because of her father and his role in the revolution. It was a privilege that few of her countrymen would ever know. In acting as a translator for an English poet, she falls in love with him and is determined to flee to England to be with him. A series of events allows her to act on her desires and so the story goes. To give any more of a summary would be to spoil the ending.

My struggles with the book included grandiose verbiage by the author as well as inconsequential events in the book which did nothing to further the plot or even character development.

Was the book terrible? No. Was it great? No. Would this reviewer recommend it to others? Sadly, no.

The God of Endings is Jacqueline Holland's debut novel but it reads as if she has been writing bestsellers for years. The story is told through the eyes of her protagonist Anna, who goes by many names throughout her decades, and who is saved from death by her grandfather in the 1830's. Living her eternal life as a vampire-like creature, Anna is uncomfortable with this life. As time goes on Anna is torn between the need for companionship and both the transient yet often cruel nature of human company. Into this mix, Holland throws the Slavic legend of Czernobog, the God of Endings, an essence who may be stalking her. The story is a combination of historical fiction, horror along with a bit of philosophy, but is ultimately a tribute to life.

Jacqueline Holland's writing is absolutely beautiful. She has developed her characters so finely that the reader seems to know them intimately. I am only sorry that the publication timing is scheduled for March as this would be a wonderful read during the waning months of October through December.

What if England just gave up when Hitler's troops took over Czechoslovakia, Poland, France and other countries? What if Neville Chamberlain and Lord Halifax formed an alliance with Germany and England became a Protectorate of Germany? That is the world reality in Widowland.

The year is 1953, the British Royal Family is "missing". England is awaiting the crowning of King Edward VIII and Queen Wallis. Women have been relegated to second class citizens and are being slotted into castes. History and literature are being changed to reflect Nazi ideology. Living in this dystopian mix is Rose Ransom, a member of the privileged class, who has a job in the Cultural Ministry rewriting classic works of literature.

Rose is tasked to go into Widowland, a desolate place where widows who are deemed worthless to society live. She is sent to gather information on a potential rebellion. As she delves into the lives of the widows she meets, Rose uncovers truths about her work colleagues and her German lover.

This book is a very engaging read and a wonderful speculation on what life in England might have been if history had turned out differently. More importantly it sheds light on the topic of rewriting history to support current ideologies as well as the concept of caste systems in society. The world depicted in Widowland would be an oppressive reality.

Widowland is a must read for any student of history, current events, or dystopian fiction.

As Americans we are happy when a former Communist/Socialist country shrugs off its shackles and moves towards what we consider a free democracy-based state. What we never consider perhaps is what happens to the people and institutions in that country when that occurs. Free by Lea Ypi is a recounting of exactly that in Albania in 1991.

Ypi writes about what happened to her family when this momentous event occurred. Having grown up with the indoctrination inherent in a communist state, as a child Ypi doesn't consider herself not free to follow her dreams. Her parents know differently. They know her life is already plotted and there will be little she can do to change the course.

Free gives the reader lots of things to think about not the least of which is what freedom means to different people. Ultimately Ypi's idea of freedom is decidedly different than that of her parents.

Her story details Albania's transition and her own ongoing journey to reconcile her political beliefs with her parents'. There is irony in her struggle but the reader can be sympathetic to her while not agreeing with her conclusion.

This is a worthy read to learn about the real difficulty of a political system in transition and its effect on its citizens.

Thrity Umrigar is an author whose work I've admired for a while and her latest book, Honor, once again proves her talent.

Smita Argawal, an Indian-American journalist is called to Mumbai in support of her colleague who has broken a hip. When Smita and her family left India, she vowed to never go back but feels she has a duty to her friend. She is asked to take on the story of Meena and Abdul which her colleague has been working on.

Meena and Abdul are a young couple, she a Hindu, he a Muslim who have fallen in love and gotten married. Meena's brothers feel that Meena has insulted their honor with her choice and set fire to them in their home. Abdul dies, Meena lives and decides to sue her brothers in court.

As Smita gets deeper into the story she is outraged by the misogyny of the Indian men she meets and their treatment of women. Helping her in the investigation is a young Indian man, Mohan, who does not fully realize the privilege he has as a male in this society. As the story develops and Smita shares her own story, the two learn that the truth of India lies somewhere in between the two stories.

This is a captivating book. There is love, heartbreak, sadness and finally hope in the future of India at the end.

If you enjoy memoirs and love food, this is the book for you. Carolyn Phillips, author of the cookbook All Under Heaven, has given us another wonderful book, this one about her time, travel, love and life in Taiwan. Phillips, a white American, initially went to Taiwan as a student on a one year Chinese language immersion program in the late 1970's. One year became many more and soon she was truly immersed in family, food, and friends.

Each chapter depicts her lessons learned and wisdom gained from the experience described. In addition each chapter ends with recipes related to the food mentioned. From geography to family dynamics Carolyn Phillips covers these topics as if she is a friend telling the reader about her many adventures. She peels away the layers of her culinary memories of her 8 years in Taiwan as if she were stripping an onion or sloughing the skin of a garlic clove. Phillips' words are as tantalizing as her recipes.

Measurements in the recipes are in both metric and American standard. A glossary in the back clarifies some of the ingredients, making the recipes very approachable. Carolyn Phillips also identifies substitutions for Chinese ingredients if required.

With illustrations by the author, this is definitely a memoir to be kept in the kitchen and used often as well as one to be read aloud with your favorite culinary friend.

If you've ever wondered about David, King Edward VIII prior to Wallis Warfield Simpson, this is the book for you. In The Woman Before Wallis, Bryn Turnbull places you in 1930's England and introduces you to Thelma, Lady Furness.

Thelma, the twin sister of Gloria Vanderbilt, was a Morgan by birth. She eloped at age 17 and had a difficult marriage for 3 years when she was finally divorced. Thelma then went to California where she became involved in motion pictures, albeit not successfully.

Visiting her sister in Paris, she met and fell in love with Duke Furness. She had a comfortable, mostly happy life until she became aware of her husbands many affairs. While she was advised to ignore them, she also found herself being pursued by David, the Prince of Wales.

Turnbull puts you there for every joy, sorrow, passion, and betrayal of Thelma's life. Her history is mostly accurate, the storytelling extremely compelling.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants an inside look at this pre-Wallis time period.

I admit I am a big fan of Erik Larson and have read most of his books. When I got the chance to read and review his latest, The Splendid and the Vile, I was extremely happy.

The Splendid and the Vile starts with Churchill's appointment as Prime Minister of England in May, 1940. Unhappy with the way Neville Chamberlain's government was conducting the war and looking for a more aggressive approach, Parliament held a confidence vote and Chamberlain's government was toppled. Although George VI was not impressed with Chamberlain's suggestion of Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, as Prime Minister, he asked Churchill to accept the position and form his own government.

Almost immediately Adolf Hitler gave directions to step up bombing attacks on England, at first focusing on London and then strategic industrial targets throughout the country. In reply Churchill, using his intelligence, resources, contacts, and amazing oratory skills, taught England to fight back.

In Larson's story the reader can see, hear, and smell the London of 1940. His rich descriptions of Churchill, his family, and contacts as well of those of the German leadership, create vivid pictures of the characters.

Erik Larson brings history to life. His books are entertaining and always well researched. Even as a student of history, especially that of World War II, I learned so much from this book. The only fault I had with the book (and this is a personal thing for me) is that I enjoy pictures. I found I kept looking up the people Larson describes so I could see them more clearly.

If you are a history fan or even if you just want to learn more about Winston Churchill and his first year in office, this book is for you.