Good Reads & Views

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Fiction

Reviewers say: “Picoult’s fans will be more than ready for this puzzle of a novel. . . [They] will find heady themes to consider” (Booklist).

What’s it about: Dawn, a graduate student in Egyptology, is abruptly called back to Boston from a dig in Egypt due to a family emergency. For the next 15 years she lives a very different life than she had planned, taking care of her 13-year-old brother and working as a “death doula”, helping her clients tie up loose ends before their death. Her most recent client reminds Dawn of her longing for a lost love, Wyatt, an English earl she left behind in Egypt.   

You might also like: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub or Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

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The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Fiction

About the Author: “Clare Pooley graduated from Cambridge University and then spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut novel, The Authenticity Project, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been translated into 29 languages. Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting is her second novel; her third novel, How to Age Disgracefully, is forthcoming. Pooley lives in Fulham, London, with her husband, three children, and two border terriers” (Amazon).

Reviewers say: “An enjoyable, cozy novel that touches on tough topics” (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: Two from the Heart by James Patterson or My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman. 

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Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
Fiction

What it’s about: This historical novel, spanning World War II from D-day to the liberation of Buchenwald, is based in part on the experiences of Urrea's mother, revealing the little-told story of the women of the American Red Cross Clubmobile Corps service. It’s a loving portrait of two of the “Donut Dollies” (but don’t call them that!) —Irene Woodward, a city girl escaping an abusive fiancée and Dorothy Dunford, a farm girl who lost her family and home—supporting the men on the battlefront, serving coffee, donuts, smiles, and a last word of encouragement before they enter the fray. Irene and Dorothy go where they are most needed, and that can land them in harrowing and dangerous situations—in the middle of a village bombing, running from foxhole to foxhole delivering mail, being chased by a German with a bayonet. There are also moments of quiet as the women’s friendship deepens, and as they develop friendships with the servicemen who flit in and out of the story. Powerful, uplifting, and heartfelt.

Reviewers say: “WWII fiction fans, who have an abundance of options, should embrace Urrea's vivid, hard-hitting novel about the valiant achievements of these unsung wartime heroines” (Booklist); “there’s plenty of grit, detail, and twists that make for both a fine page-turner and an evocation of war’s often cruel randomness. Top-shelf historical fiction delivered with wit and compassion” (Kirkus).

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Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Fiction  

Reviewers say: “Evident in all [Backman] novels is an apparent ability to state a truth about humanity with breathtaking elegance” (Kirkus).

Series alert: This is the second book in the Beartown series.    

You might also like: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid or The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.

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The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction

What’s it about:  “The Five-Star Weekend [is] a story of friendship, self-discovery, and forgiveness—all set against an idyllic Nantucket background and bursting with glorious food descriptions. Hollis Shaw is the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis—think Ina Garten, but online. After her husband dies in a car accident, Hollis’ (alleged) domestic perfection crumbles, and she plans a girls-only weekend at her Nantucket beach house. Cue the chardonnay, secrets, and Lilly Pulitzer. While this book could easily fall into the predictable, this fresh and diverse cast of characters keeps the reader on their toes until the very end. Bring on all the five-star puns, because Hilderbrand’s latest delivers” (Sarah Gelman, Amazon Editor).

Reviewers say: "A dreamy Nantucket house party given by a meticulous hostess goes off the rails....The people in her books may screw up, but Hilderbrand always gets it right...Amazing" (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery or Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

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Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
Fiction 

Why this book: A perfect read for those who daydreamed about vacationing in the Catskills (Dirty Dancing anyone??). For sixty years the Golden Hotel has been owned by the Goldman and Weingold families. With the older generation getting older, the hotel and its legacy is up in the air. The younger generation isn’t into all the hard work that goes into preserving and running the hotel and buyers have come a knocking with plans to tear it down and build luxury resorts. Will the two families do everything in their power to save the hotel, or will they let the legacy of the hotel live in the past? 

Reviewers say: “Friedland brings laughs and nuance to the family foibles and demonstrates a wide range in her convincing narration from the many points of view. Breezy and charming, this is great fun” (Publishers Weekly).

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Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Fiction 

What’s it about: “In the tiny forest community of Beartown, the possibility that the amateur hockey team might win a junior championship, bringing the hope of revitalization to the fading town, is shattered by the aftermath of a violent act that leaves a young girl traumatized” (Novelist).

About the Author: Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Us Against You, and The Winners, book 2 and 3 in the Beartown series.  His books have been published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.  

You might also like:  Faith by Jennifer Haigh or All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

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True Biz by Sara Novic
Fiction 

What’s it about: Three students at the River Valley School for the Deaf have gone missing. Told through multiply points of view, the reader starts in the present day and travels back to go through the days and events that lead to the students going missing. A coming-of-age story of teenagers who are struggling to find themselves and learn about what it means to be deaf and the culture that surrounds it.  

Why this book: This is a great book to read if you are interested in learning more about the Deaf community. Sara Novic does an excellent job of exploring Deaf Culture and showing the struggles the Deaf community faces in a hearing world. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction 2022. 

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The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Fiction

What’s it about: “Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who
could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is,
she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect
superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker” (Amazon).

Reviewers say: Katherine Center's The Bodyguard is “My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and
sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center’s signature heart-tugging depth. I
wish I could erase it from my mind just to read it again for the first time. A shot of pure joy” (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers).

You might also like: The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall or Not the Girl You Marry by
Andie J. Christopher.

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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Fiction

What it’s about: Frank Drum looks back on the summer of 1961, when he was twelve. Events during this fateful summer greatly affected his family and other denizens of the small community of New Bremen, Minnesota.

Reviewers say: “The small-town milieu is rendered in picturesque detail, accurate down to period-appropriate TV programs, for what becomes a resonant tale of fury, guilt, and redemption” (Publishers Weekly); “A novel that transforms narrator and reader alike” (Kirkus Review)

Good to know: This coming-of-age novel is also excellent on audio. For more from this award-winning author, try his Cork O’Connor mystery series, which is highly recommended.

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