A story of two women living in different time periods of the same geographical area of the South trying to connect others with family lost along the way.
The story line set in 1875 is much more cohesive than the modern day story. The ending for both feels hurried.

Set in the 1930's during the Dust Bowl and migration to California, a mother and daughter learn about themselves, each other, fellow humans and society during a natural crisis. A very depressing book with despair at every turn.

Story of a Young Japanese girl who was born out of wedlock and must navigate an uncertain world. Well written until the final 3rd where the story leaves so many things unresolved. Really a depressing story

Waited and waited for something that would bring excitement or pull the fragments together or go deeper but for me none appeared.
Just a sad story of several people who crash and burn at various ages for various reasons.
Station Eleven was great! This one-not so much.

A story of a family where each member chooses to leave a piece of themselves behind each for different reasons. But what happens when a different generation finds those pieces and starts sharing. Do you choose not to look back or do you acknowledge your past and mend relationships?

American Dirt chronicles the journey of a mother with a young son escaping the anger of a leader of a powerful Mexican drug cartel. The two join other migrants from Middle America on the trek to the United States encountering humanitarian crises along the way. I wish the writer had kept the gritty intensity in the first portion throughout the book.

A well written story set in the 1920's of 3 Southern mothers from various social economic backgrounds whose lives become intertwined. A story of marriage, motherhood, and betrayal, Call Your Daughter home does not disappoint.

Told from the perspective of a psychoanalyst trying to assist a patient who hasn't spoken since a traumatic death. A quick seductive read with a few twisty turns to keep one's interest.

A widowed father and his son move into the local "scary" house and find out why. An interesting and at times disturbing read that has a few surprising twists.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, Peter knew. Courage requires fear."

City of Girls has a page turning first half that will keep you entranced then turns a corner leaving you wondering where the story you were reading went. Set in the 40's, a privileged young woman moves to New York to live with her aunt and falls in with the "fast set" and makes disastrous choices that effect her relationships for the remainder of her long life.

A wonderfully written story of a high school senior who has an inherent culinary talent trying to figure out how to navigate her world of raising a daughter, finishing high school, and relationships with family, friends, and others.

A fast read of a true story about two people who find love in of all places Auschwitz. The writing is short, choppy and never really comes together with deep meaning. The author is a screenwriter therefore, to me it reads like a movie that has a time constraint and no time to develop a great story or ending.

A fast paced thriller that will keep your attention. A New York apartment sitter moves into an intriguing building and becomes entangled with the buildings residents. This book has a unique twist that I didn't see coming.

Nine people from different backgrounds and experiences plan a stay at a health resort for a variety reasons and put their well being in the hands of a woman who has some unique ideas on how to help them reach their goals.

A well written family saga about four children who raise themselves during their mother's depression and how this effects their adult relationships amongst themselves and others.

Oh how the times are a changing! A quick read about a family's summer on Nantucket Island. Each character shows one facet of the generational and social issues of the late 60's. The best part was each chapter title was a popular song of the time.

I had high hope's for this book and so wanted it to be good, but I just couldn't get into the story as it seemed I had read this same format just a different setting and characters by the same author before.

More like a Rockumentary than a fictional novel, Daisy Jones and the Six uses interviews to tell the story of the rise and fall of an iconic rock band. I recommend this book based on the format. Writing each character in a consistent voice throughout a novel must have been quite a challenge.

Set in the 70's a Vietnam vet with PTSD brings his family to Alaska to live off the grid. This coming of age story is told through the eyes of a young girl who is caught between love, what she knows is the right thing to do and danger all around even from those she loves.

This well written story is told from the perspective of a young girl living in Bogota in the dangerous 80's. She is enamored with her 15 year old maid, Petrona, who makes some dangerous choices which has consequences for the family.

The Adults was a fun quick read. A divorced couple want to make the best Christmas for their child and what could go wrong when you both bring your current significant other plus one imaginary rabbit? Family holidays are so joyful!

A well written disconcerting story with complex characters looking for love whose lives are entwined together over several years. This is a story that will need to be chewed over in my mind for a few days as I sort out if the characters have closure or if the situation they were all in ever brings closure. It is an interesting read.

Story of an alternate ending of post civil war times which is overrun by zombies and who is sent to fight them. Strong female characters who get caught up in a difficult situation. I really wanted to like this book but felt some things did not come together cohesively.

Behind Closed Doors is an intriguing book. The author has you anxiously waiting to read how the main character will get out of her frightening situation unfortunately the description of her predicament last about 50-75 pages too long.

A story about a young boy and his mother who left him behind and told from each other's perspective. I enjoyed the mother's story very much. The son's story was not as strongly written. I have been on an immigrant story kick lately and there are much better stories than this out there.

A strong friendship between 4 high school girls with creative imaginations make a pact that comes back to haunt them later. This book is a super easy read that is approximately 100 pages too long.

I've tried to read this book 3 times as I wanted to finish the series. I keep waiting for something to happen and not much really does.

Choices. Each of these characters make interesting choices in their marriage, carreers, friendship, child rearing and their interactions with each other. Is it because of fear, necessity, appearances, culture or economic status or citizenship?

A quick read that weaves Mississippi's past with today. Well written, disturbing at times, speckled with complicated relationships yet filled with love. A haunting story that will leave you thinking about the characters once read.

A WWII novel about Polish women being experimented on by Nazi doctors and the aftermath of their lives. Written from the female perspective of a Polish, a German Nazi and an American socialite. Thought writing from the German perspective was clever, the Polish typical sad story and the American was the most boring. Started strong, but then lost interest. Never finshed the book.

A book selection from our book club. A quick read in which the lives of 3 families are on a collision course. Interesting ethical dilemmas arise.

Downloaded this book because it was free. Saw it a few times but never opened it; so I was surprised to see it was all poetry. It was one of the most moving books I have ever read. The author has a talent of infusing emotion in very few yet powerful words. A must read.

This multi-character book weaves together a story situated around a river and troublesome women who lived in a nearby town. This book, at times, was hard to follow, a little shallow andseemed to have characters who were tossed in randomly that didn't add to the story.

A story of a high school senior who becones obsessed with a missing person fron her small town. I enjoyed the voice the author gave the main character but had a difficult time that a Senior in high school would believe, say, do and feel the way the author imagined. A middle schooler, yes, but then the author couldn't include some of the situations in which she places the main character. Interesting choice for a Big Library Read

The storyline is a good one. Just can't seem to get past the writing. Sometimes it reads like a screen play other times like a novel. 2/3rds through the book and waiting for some character development.

I had high hopes for this book. I was so excited to read about a strong woman who was making her way successfully in a male dominated society, only to be disappointed in the choices she made. But that is life. Well written until about half way through but still worth the time.

Have read several books based in the south during slavery. Cora's story was a page turner. Couldn't wait to find out what would happen at each "station" or how she was able to get out of a few precarious situations.

Well writen book with strong characters whose emotions and experiences keep you entertained.

I love long books but I had such a difficult time with this book. Like many people, I was engrossed during the first third of the book, then was weighed down by the second third and had a hard time getting through it. I bailed which is a rarity for me.

I enjoyed Maria Semple's new book which was a pretty quick read. The main character, Eleanor, knows her flaws and would like to be a better person. The story revolves around one rather challenging day in which she is confronted with her past, her marriage, her social life and her child. Written in Maria Semple's witty style, it is a good read for a wintery weekend.

I read this based on the recomendation of a review and was disappointed by the writing, the characters who I felt were flat, and even the story line. It was a rather despressing story. Spend your time with better family sagas.

Like antiheros? The characters in Six of Crows will not disappoint. Leigh Bardugo has created six intriguing characters that you will root for as they enbark on a seemingly impossible task.

It was interesting to read this book during the height of election season. It clarified to me who the disenfranchised may have been and why they may have embraced an unlikely candidate. Not a difficult read or particularly a social science text but still worth reading.

This book was a page turner for me. I kept turning the page waiting for something to happen. This was a very likable book, but needed a little something more from the diverse set of characters.

Eagerly awaited this book from my library only to be sadly disappointed. Felt like I fell prey to a "Bait and Switch" tactic.