The Bog Wife is a story of family. Of parents and siblings and the burden of generational trauma. It is also a story about the stewardship of nature and the necessity of reviewing and renewing our relationship to and with the very land that sustains us. Kay Chronister's prose is excellent and the story thought provoking. Worth the read.

For fans of Oona Out of Order and Cassandra in Reverse, The Day Tripper is a worthy addition to the "person out of time" oeuvre. I will say that I struggled a bit at the beginning to care about Alex Dean and his newly bloomed romance or, frankly, to like him at all. Credit to the author, however, for slowly building an empathetic character whom I couldn't help but root for in the end. I liked the conceit of how Alex found himself living his life atemporally, even if it left me slightly unsatisfied (no spoilers) with the ending. Overall, enjoyable especially if you enjoy this type of narrative.

Call me a sucker for a reimagining or retelling of a classic tale, but I enjoyed this homage to Moby Dick. Told in five parts by the matrilineal descendants of the famous narrator, Ishmael, the story almost feels like four individual novellas that are satisfyingly woven together at the end. The magical realism is an essential part of the narrative propulsion and is not distracting in its use throughout the novel. Overall, a bright debut that leaves me ready to read Tara Karr Robert's next novel.

Chelsea Iversen has created a captivating world in which sisters deal with a traumatic childhood and the ways it continues to impact their adulthoods. Her world was so compelling that at times I forgot I was reading, as the images and moods she was able to create put my mind in a cinematic space. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Iversen's work. 4.5 stars