READING UNDER A PALM

My favorite activity when on vacation, besides fabulous meals, enjoying tropical splendors, (no not booze!...although maybe a little...) being with friends and family... is reading.  I try to catch up on the books I haven't read and usually finish about 8-10 depending on the length of the trip. I tend not to read on the plane as I hate flying and zone out..... Always a smooth trip......

So here's two books I recommend so far and one not so much..

FAITHFUL by Alice Hoffman

A lovely book especially for Alice Hoffman fans. It's a wonderful portrait of loss and rebirth....deeply moving and engaging.

THE RED CAR by Marcy Dermansky

A definite road trip...witty, adventurous and bold. Written with humor in a sparse powerful style. Loved it.

HOME by Harlan Coben

Skip this ...So disappointing...I've read all Coben's books and this is not up to his normal fare. 

Very slow moving and predictable. 

THE WONDER by Emma Donoghue

The thriller "Room" made Donoghue famous but I loved this new gripping tale. It  possesses many of the alluring qualities of  "Room"  but with lots of history and a riveting storyline.

GOODBYE 2016

As 2017 approaches it's worth noting that many familiar authors left their mark on the 2016 fiction lists. Ian McEwan, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Strout, Don DeLilo, are some of my favorites...along with several bold debuts by new authors. Imbolo Mbue's BEHOLD THE DREAMERS is an example of a debut novel that illuminates the Immigrant experience in America written with warmth, confidence and empathy...a must-read.(Scroll down to earlier post)

I'm anticipating many more exciting releases for 2017 which I'll happily share with you. In the meantime I'm off to sunny climes with a kindle full of 'to be read' books!

Have a great holiday season!

LUCKY BOY (WINTER 2017)

Coming early January critics call this book "a lush and emotionally wrenching novel." It's described as an ambitious, character-driven novel that ends as it should. Well that's an intriguing description...downloading for sure!

Lucky Boy

Crossing borders

Kavya and Soli’s lives converge in this novel from Shanthi Sekaran. Soli has immigrated to the United Streets from Mexico, and dreams of making a better life for herself. Kavya lives in Berkeley, California, where she is very aware of being a disappointment to her family. Kavya is unable to get pregnant, and Soli discovers she is pregnant after arriving in the U.S. Soon, the two women’s lives will touch, and neither one will ever be the same again. Soli’s son, Ignacio (nicknamed Nacho), will also be deeply affected. This book delves into the question of illegal immigration, and readers just might emerge from its pages seeing the issue a little differently than before.