Louise Erdrich is an exquisite writer. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2021. The fictional story of The Night Watchman is based on her grandfather, who in addition to working as a night watchman in a jewel bearing plant, becomes an ardent activist, seeking to prevent Congress from taking recognition from his … Continue reading The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (audio narrated by Louise Erdrich)
The Incredible Winston Brown – Sean Dietrich (Audio read by author)
This is a book anyone would describe as heartwarming. Winston Browne is the Sheriff in Moab, a small town in the Florida panhandle. He has never married. It is the mid-1950s. We learn immediately that Winston is dying, but along the way we learn more, including that he is not telling anyone about this. … Continue reading The Incredible Winston Brown – Sean Dietrich (Audio read by author)
What We Can Know – Ian McEwan
What We Can Know is so rewarding a dystopian novel that it is hard to review. In 2119 and beyond, the earth is essentially made up of many islands. Physical infrastructure and documents and artifacts have been lost to the tsunamis that tore through the world. Most of what is left from a historical perspective … Continue reading What We Can Know – Ian McEwan
Virgil Wander – Leif Enger (Narrator Macleod Andrews)
It is impossible not to use huge mental exclamation points when reading a Leif Enger novel, because his prose is so elegant yet he paints everything that is ordinary with authenticity appropriate to each character, each setting, each story. In 2024, when I read an advanced reader copy of the novel, "I Cheerfully Refuse," Leif … Continue reading Virgil Wander – Leif Enger (Narrator Macleod Andrews)
Deeper than the Ocean – Mirta Ojito (Narrator – Kim Ramirez)
This is one of the best books I've read this year. 10 Stars!! In the early 20th Century, Catalina, lovely young woman/girl lives in the Canary Islands where her family cultivates olive trees. Things are going poorly and her father is ill. Catalina is forced to marry a man who is a good match financially. … Continue reading Deeper than the Ocean – Mirta Ojito (Narrator – Kim Ramirez)
The Land in Winter – Andrew Miller (narrated by author)
The Land in Winter wasn't what I expected…. it was way better than what I expected. Some would call it a domestic drama, which I would have run from and then I would have missed this beautifully written story. It is 1962. The setting is rural Great Britain and the players are ut two couples/four … Continue reading The Land in Winter – Andrew Miller (narrated by author)
George Falls Through Time – Ryan Collett (narrator – Samuel Barnett)
This book was both touching and a hoot. George, a young gay man who was recently fired and who recently went through a break up is presently earning less than a living as a dog walker when two of the dogs he is walking escape. As he dashes into a nearby park to look for … Continue reading George Falls Through Time – Ryan Collett (narrator – Samuel Barnett)
Berlin Shuffle – Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (narrator – Neil Hellegers)
I'm really annoyed! Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz wrote this amazing novel in 1937 and died 5 years later after publishing only one other novel and I feel like I've been cheated. I want more, more, more of his unique style, his choice of characters and his storytelling. We have in Berlin Shuffle the stories of a … Continue reading Berlin Shuffle – Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (narrator – Neil Hellegers)
The Forget-me-Not Library – Heather Webber (narrators Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis)
The Forget-Me-Not Library is a sweet and hopeful novel, part coming of age, part magical- realism-light and generally a story about a small town with a lot to give when a person arrives there in need of some special healing. Juliet, a young woman from Michigan, was struck by lightening. She has physically recovered, but … Continue reading The Forget-me-Not Library – Heather Webber (narrators Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis)
Sisters in the Wind – Angeline Boulley (Audio Book Narration by Isabella Star LaBlanc)
Sisters in the Wind is a lovely book, part coming of age, partly about incredible resilience and a lot about trauma. Lucy's very close to her father. He is very socially conservative and rigid but loving in her upbringing. Her mother died when she was very young. But then, her father starts dating for the … Continue reading Sisters in the Wind – Angeline Boulley (Audio Book Narration by Isabella Star LaBlanc)
They Called me Bookworm 