The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a really good book. The romance is very much a subplot and written very well. I liked the perspective of the main character, Jaya a young journalist. She has a difficult relationship with her mother and so goes back to India in an attempt to understand her Heritage and her family story.


View all my reviews

Where We Come From by Oscar Cásares
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good book for discussion group and not a long one. We paired this with the a podcast “Outliers” from This American Life. The podcast is very educational about what is happening to people at our southern border. It made me cry and also get very angry. “Where We Come From” is about a woman making many sacrifices to serve her family. She gave up her job and her independence to be her mother’s care giver which is not easy. Her preteen godson is spending summer vacation with her, and of all things her home on the Texas border with Mexico inadvertently gets used by coyotes smuggling people into the U.S. It puts a human face on some of the issues people must face. I liked it very much and recommend it.


https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...


View all my reviews

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First I must say I very much liked parts of it, I liked the style, and I would recommend it to certain people. Also, it’s been on my TBR list for several decades. So, why only three stars? Because of all the verbosity and the rambling on of detail particularly in Part 1. This 1925 tome is based on a true crime and trial in the early 1920s. The unfortunate Clyde Griffiths, raised basically on the streets of various cities by hyper-religious parents claws his way out of poverty into an exciting life of serving oriented jobs and is introduced to alcohol, sex, and dangerous escapades. A Chance meeting with a wealthy family member serves to transplant Clyde to New York and introduces him to the lifestyle of the rich and influential. Things don’t go well for Clyde.
Discussion is Thursday. For the members who know they can’t finish it I recommended getting summaries for Parts One & Two and reading the “tragedy” in Part Three. Hope it goes well.


View all my reviews

The Whisper Man by Alex North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quick read. I liked it a lot except for one thing. As soon as the serial killer in prison told the detective, Pete that the recent murder ends at the beginning, I thought I knew who the murderer was and I was right! I hate it when that happens but still the creepy-ness of a man who whispers to children and can make them do his bidding was presented so well. If you are in the mood for a hair raising murder mystery this won’t disappoint.


View all my reviews

Unlovable: Broken Pieces of Songs and Memories by Harmony Nicole Nixon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this little treasure because I saw an advertisement saying the author was doing a book signing near me. Now I have spent an hour of soul searching, meditating on my life raising my children, and crying with no one to cry to. I don’t remember a book of poetry affecting me so much before. I am looking forward to seeing her.
Update:
Harmony is a friend of my niece and I have met her before but seeing her again in Indy was so nice. What a lovely soul. She signed my book and talked a long time. While I shopped and talked with my niece I noticed Harmony had a nice crowd. Perfect morning.


View all my reviews

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“We are all stardust and stories.” There exists a strange world deep under the earth’s crust. Selected humans are presented with mysterious doors appearing where they should not be. A person walking through a door has a choice to enter. The underworld is like a virtual reality with stories within stories, where time can warp, there is an ancient library, the sea is made of letters and words, bees flourish along with books, exotic food and cocktails like a sidecar or a bees knees. Mysteries abound, and cats. Portents must be noted, a sword, keys, dice, honey, and clocks. How could anyone not want to go? I didn’t want to do anything else once I started reading. It isn’t written linearly or chronologically. There are flashbacks and fast forwards which can get confusing but I loved every minute of it. I must say I wasn’t satisfied with the end until I went back to the chapter called “Interlude” which is the real ending.
The book itself is a piece of art. Even the dust jacket is special. The mat black compliments the raised and glossy keys, ribbons, and beads. Without the jacket the hard copy book is still lovely. Printed like an antique with gold letters and pictures of the sword, a bee, and a key. The end papers are not plain either. Printed with all kinds of antique looking keys. The title page is classy, there are special pages throughout and the chapters have great titles. This is by far one of the best books I have read, held in my hands, and smelled. I so want to budget time to read it again. One of my book groups read it and we started discussion at 6:30 forcing ourselves to stop and go home at 10!


View all my reviews

The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity by Axton Betz-Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once I started it I couldn’t do anything else. This feisty young woman is from my hometown. I am aware that her portrayal of our area, Jay County, IN has angered some people but I guess when I read it I didn’t take it personally because I knew she was seeing her world as indoctrinated by her mother. I do hate it that her childhood was so dysfunctional. This is a fascinating memoir but also a good view at the lives of a family torn apart by mental illness and deceit. How terrible to find out that one whom you have trusted and adored your whole life has hurt you to your very core with no sign of remorse. Ms Betz-Hamilton has taken identity theft to heart and made it her occupation to help victims.
UPDATE
I went with friends to her presentation at Arts Place in Portland, IN which is where she graduated from high school. She is a pretty, articulate young woman. It was an excellent presentation both about her life and about identity theft happens. I had a nice little chat with her after and I hope she enjoyed her visit as much as I did.

View all my reviews,