The Bog Wife was a mystical book that shows that we are all connected to one another and to the earth in special ways. The story was very slow to start, but ended well. Each of the five members of the Haddesley family by the end understands their own place in not only the family, but in relation to the world around them and to the earth itself. The mysticism is used to convey those connections. The five protagonists, who evidently look alike, have very different temperaments and needs. The book slowly reveals the desires of each individual.

While an unusual book, and at times a bit slow, I would definitely recommend The Bog Wife to readers of literary mysticism.

This book fascinated me. Usually I am repelled by violence, but the message behind the violence in this book made it non gratuitous. In some reviews, folks felt there were too many characters, but I felt the many characters were instrumental in providing the desired meaning to the book.

The book is a good story, but with a serious message about the rate of incarceration in our nation and the danger of for profit prison systems. The book also has a message about the goodness that is found in almost everyone, regardless of what they may have done in the past.

I finished this book a few days ago, but it is still at the forefront of my mind.

I really enjoyed the new things I learned about the world before and during WWII in this book. The details about the negotiations between the 3 leaders of the Allies were fascinating. The writing was excellent, and the story kept my interest. However, it was a disappointment to get to the end and find out no one even knows if the assassination or kidnapping was ever even plotted. I would have appreciated it if I had known this up front and the data was then presented in a manner to let me know the story and the authors thoughts as I read.

Still a book I will pass on.

Once We Were Home deals with issues of family and belonging, set in Europe during WWII and then in the early years of Israel's formation. The book is well written, telling the stories of multiple children who have lost their first homes and families and how they find home in new places and the difficulties of being displaced with no agency of their own. The reader is reminded of what home truly means and the people that make it. Excellent story.

I enjoyed reading The Empire of Dirt. It took a while to get the timeline of events, but once I did I enjoyed the three generations of women.

The book tells of events that reflect the same plagues as described in the book of Exodus. However, only the grandmother sees these as a plague from a god. The mother and daughter each feel they are guilty of causing the plagues that befall the family home for a single summer.

I believe most women today experience constant guilt over things they have done, and the author uses this common guilt to tell her story. However, as we learn, the guilt we feel is unwarranted and is not the usually the cause of terrible events that occur in our lives.

The book reached a satisfying conclusion.

I would recommend the book to women you enjoy literary fiction about the emotions of women's life.

Klara and the Sun was a struggle for me. It moved slowly and I am just freaked out by AI and the fear it may take over the world. The human characters were basically unlikable, revealing the weaknesses of humanity. Maybe the future for the earth to survive with any living creatures (other than humans) is AI.