End of Winter Reads

We’ve turned the corner from February into March, and the days are starting to feel lighter, the daffodils Dad planted for me bloomed on the anniversary of his passing, and books continue to march through my mind apace! Here’s what I’ve been reading lately…

–Marissa

A Good Animal by Sara Maurer caught my eye since it takes place in the UP of Michigan (my happy place!) and was billed as a romance and coming-of-age story, but this was… NOT for me. Suuuuuper slow paced, and way, way too many details about tending sheep (and a particularly upsetting chapter about a sleep slaughtered by a coyote, which I did NOT need). This just made me feel ugh, NOT for me.

Kin by Tayari Jones has been hotly anticipated since her amazing “An American Marriage”. This time, we’re traveling to the South in the 1950s were “cradle friends” Vernice and Annie are growing up, both motherless, and taking wildly divergent paths as the mature and move away. This has everything… class lines, affluence and poverty, the meaning of family, female friendship across years, reproductive rights, LGBTQ issues, and all taking place in the segregated South. The ending broke my heart, a testament to the story Jones wrote. You’ll be seeing this one everywhere!

A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert was, honestly? A letdown. I’ve loved Hibbert’s previous romance novels, but this one just didn’t land for me, and is the beginning of a new series. We’ve got the obligatory nice hot white guy, the ostracized on-the-spectrum black girl, who of course fall in love… but I didn’t get the gooey feelings, the connection to the characters, this just felt kinda wooden and cookie cutter and rushed along. As it turns out, I was reading a “new edition” – this was written in 2018, prior to her breakout “The Brown Sisters” series (which I *do* recommend). Eh at best on this one.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is our upcoming book discussion book, and we’re gonna have a LOT to talk about! I absolutely loved this family drama/thriller (I listened on audio, which was great). During a family outing, the 5 Shaws are in a fatal accident when their self-driving car collides with another. Reeling from this, they retreat to a cabin on the Chesapeake where secrets and hidden truths slowly come to light, especially when things are complicated by the arrival of a tech mogul. This one is super hard to summarize, but did such a great job of telling a story while raising questions of ethics and responsibility (not in a preachy way!) and how far we will go to protect those we love. I really loved this novel, and highly recommend it!

Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney was a super fast read. Set in 1977’s Rochester, we have two couples (Nina and Sam and Finn and Honey). Deep in midlife and raising kids, two of them embark on an affair that ripples and ripples through their families for the next 20 years. If you love a good family drama, a messy story, and a period piece (if you will), this one is a winner!

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum was a fast-paced thriller that kept me interested throughout. Set in LA, we have two best friend podcasters (Benny and Joy) right on the cusp of huge success (being stage managed by Joy’s husband Xander), but then… Joy disappears. We have multiple timelines, multiple chapter POVs as the search for Joy intensifies and relationships built on trust are tested. This also blends in some romance, and I saw someone say it was a “mash up of Emily Henry and Lisa Jewell”, which feels apt. I really enjoyed this one – highly recommended!