Good Reads & Views

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry
Fiction

About the author:  Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times bestselling author. Her work has been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs. Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her graduate degree. The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband.

Reviewers say: "It's a novel. And it's a very good one. . . extraordinarily accurate. . . more accurate than most biographical essays that have been written about my mother" - Douglas Gresham, son of Joy Davidman, wife of C.S. Lewis (Read Aloud Revival).

You might also like: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin or Love and Ruin by Paula McLain.

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Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke
Nonfiction

About the author: Darcey Steinke is the author of the memoir Easter Everywhere and the novels Milk, Jesus Saves, Suicide Blonde, Up Through the Water, and Sister Golden Hair. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Boston Review, Vogue, Spin, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and The Guardian.

What it’s about: Menopause hit Darcey Steinke hard and she longed to understand menopause in a more complex, spiritual, and intellectually engaged way. In Flash Count Diary, Steinke writes frankly about aspects of Menopause that have rarely been written about before.

What the reviewers say: “A keen exploration of menopause . . . Provocative ideas and illuminating personal stories centered on the idea that ‘it is not menopause itself that is the problem but menopause as it’s experienced under patriarchy.’” ―Kirkus

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The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close
Fiction

About the author: Jennifer Close is the bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses and The Smart One. Born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago, she is a graduate of Boston College and received her MFA in fiction writing from The New School in 2005. She now lives in Washington, D.C., and teaches creative writing at George Washington University.

Reviewers say: “Hilarious…A pleasure to read…[Close] has a light, precise touch about the way a young marriage works when the partners are caught between old ideals and new realities.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post 

You might also like: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin or Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen

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The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction

About the author: Elin Hilderbrand first discovered the magic of Nantucket in July 1993. She has lived there for 25 years, has written 20 novels, and is the mother of three teenagers. Her latest, Summer of ’69, is her first historical novel.

What the reviewers say: “Hilderbrand keeps things moving briskly in between sumptuous descriptions of food, drink, and tableware, throwing in an in-depth lesson on the restaurant business for good measure. Fun, stylish, and absorbing vacation reading.” Joanne Wilkinson―Booklist

You might also like: The Little French Bistro by Nina George or The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elizabeth Adler

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The Distancers: An American Memoir by Lee Sandlin
Nonfiction

About the author: Lee Sandlin is the author of Wicked River, Storm Kings, and The Distancers. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal. Born in Wildwood, Illinois, he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He died in 2014.

What it’s about: Follows seven generations of the author's Midwestern family through The Great Depression, World War Two, and the dust bowl years, where he learned the value of family and the art of keeping one's distance.

Reviewers say: “A bit of general Americana and the ghosts of one family that settled comfortably for a while in a place between Chicago and the Mississippi provide an amalgam that now and again buttresses important matters known to all of us.” (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2013)

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Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Fiction

About the author: Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of seven internationally best-selling novels. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and read by more than 14 million people worldwide.

What the reviewers say: “…Nine Perfect Strangers is a darkly comical novel that defies classification. It manages to be wildly funny and richly emotional at the same time, proving that the Big Little Lies author still has a lot to offer her readers.” ―Bustle

You might also like: The Last Cruise by Kate Christensen or A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

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Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Fiction

About the author: Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer. She is best known in the United States for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey. Something in the Water is her first novel.

For fans of: Motive by Jonathan Kellerman and Heartsick by Chelsea Cain.

Reviewers say: “With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. . . . A darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch.”— Kirkus Reviews (starred review).

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Rise: How a House Built a Family by Cara Brookins
Nonfiction

What it’s about: An inspiring true story of a family’s healing after the author escapes an abusive relationship but has nowhere to live. She does the unthinkable and builds a house from the ground up with her four children.

What the reviewers say: “An inspiring memoir of absolute determination.” --Kirkus Reviews

You might also like: Wild by Cheryl Strayed or Educated by Tara Westover.

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Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
Fiction

About the authors: Clare Mackintosh is an award-winning New York Times and international bestselling author. She spent twelve years on the police force in England and has written for the Guardian, Good Housekeeping, and other publications.

For fans of: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins and Liar Liar by Lisa Jackson.

Reviewers say: “[A] deliciously creepy tale of urban paranoia.”—Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.

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Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks
Fiction

What the reviewers say: "Two by Two is a deeply moving tale not only about the love between a father and a daughter but also about the power of family and the courage we must find within ourselves as we face the unknown."―Booklist, starred review

About the Author: Nicholas Sparks has sold over 100 million copies of his New York Times and international bestsellers worldwide. His novels have been translated into more than fifty languages.

You might also like: We are Water by Wally Lamb, Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston and The Whole World Over by Julia Glass.

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