How the Light Gets in

 

How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard. New York: Harper Collins, 2024. 432 pages. ***** Publication Date June 25, 2024. 

Maynard's follow-up novel to Count The Ways. Amazon provides an excellent synopsis of the story. This book spans 15 years of fifty-four-year-old Eleanor, her family, and their life experiences. Written against the backdrop of daily life and cultural events, the reader is drawn into a story that spans three generations. 

This story spoke to me on many different levels. Maynard skillfully draws us into Eleanor's family and shows each member with flaws and all. Life may not be perfect or how you expected it to be, but it is beautiful.  Eleanor's life has been difficult and certainly not the experience that she expected, Divorced, estranged from her daughter, and taking care of her son who has some limitations,  since almost drowning, Eleanor takes care of everyone before herself. Finding love in an unexpected place and trying to keep that aspect of her life private brings a new set of challenges and excitement. 

I highly recommend you read Count the Ways before this novel. Both books may be read as stand-alones, however, your experience will be richer reading them both. This is the best book I have read in a long time. Maynard's descriptive style held me captive throughout the book. I experienced every emotion through Eleanor; her love of family at the top of the list. Maynard provides insight into how society perceives those less than perfect and how greed can cause heartache in unexpected ways. An excellent choice for Book Clubs looking for a novel about current issues and how they affect a family. 

Reference

Kintsugi -  Japanese art form, which means joining cracks with gold

Other books by Joyce Maynard:

Count The Ways

The Bird Hotel

From Amazon

Joyce Maynard is the author of twelve previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs.” Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. Maynard divides her time between homes in California, New Hampshire, and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

The mother of three grown children, Maynard runs workshops in memoir at her home in Lafayette California. In 2002 she founded The Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala, where she hosts a weeklong workshop in personal storytelling every winter.

She is a fellow of The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo.

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The World We Found

January 10, 2024

The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar. New York: Harper, 2012. 305 pages. ****

Armaiti, Laleh, Kavita, and Nishta were inseparable as university students in the late 1970s in Bombay. As best friends, they fought for justice, the underdog, and those oppressed. As life happens, the friends have grown apart and are facing a new challenge. Armaiti is sick and wants to see her friends at least one more time and the women work together to overcome personal challenges to make that happen. 

I chose this book from a list suggested by the Book Girl's Guide for the month of January. The "In Case You Missed It Backlist Reading Challenge" this month is to read a book published in 2012 and I am so glad that I did. 

I love this book! The characterization of the four women and the challenges each faces in life are clearly represented. Dreams unfulfilled, love unspoken, loyalties tested, all contribute to the angst of being together again. Well-written, suspenseful, and heart-wrenching. Some women are friends forever, no matter the distance and cultural norms. I kept reading to find out what happens next and rooting them on, and at the same time, I didn't want it to end. 

from the book cover...

Thrity Umigar, a journalist for nearly twenty years, is the winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard and the 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize, and a 2006 finalist for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award. She is a professor of English at Case Western Reserve University and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. 

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One Word 2024 - Flourish

 

Flourish

My motto this year borrowed from Created from the Hart is "The best way to get things done is to simply begin."  I haven't been very productive in my sewing, reading, or reviewing. 2023 has not been my friend. A series of small setbacks and losses balanced the past year with many wonderful, good people, and experiences. I am very grateful for all of my blessings, and I know that it is up to me to make 2024 outstanding. I want my One Word to reflect and support my focus. 

Choosing my word is easy some years and challenging others. I kept thinking of and seeing the word "choose" until someone suggested "Flourish". It took me a while, I wasn't completely sold, however, flourish started appearing in the last two weeks. 

I looked up the definition of flourish and this is what I found:

From the Cambridge Dictionary - to grow or develop successfully:

What is flourishing in Positive Psychology? https://positivepsychology.com/flourishing/

My goals this year are:

• To complete tasks - books, quilts, projects started
• To embrace new techniques, experiences, people
• To think before speaking; stand up for myself!

Past Words:

2023- Reflect

2022- Pause

2021 - Grateful

2020 - Joy  

2019 - Opportunity

2018- Clarity

2017 - Balance  

2016 -  Promise

2015 - Abundance

2014 - Believe

2013 - Simplify 

Information about "One Word"

http://myoneword.org

https://oneword365.com/find-your-tribe/?searchword=pause

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#oneword2024  #flourish

If you have chosen your "one word" for the year, comment and tell us what it is. 

We All Want Impossible Things

 

We All Want Impossible Things: A Novel  by Catherine Newman. New York: 2022, 209 pages. ****

Edi and Ash have been friends for over forty-two years through everything that life has thrown at them. This is their biggest hurdle; Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and is in hospice care near where Ash lives. Edi has chosen to die near Ash rather than close to her husband and seven-year-old son. She doesn't want to take Dash out of school and away from his friends, not knowing what this next stage will bring.   Ash and Edi have always been there for each other --weddings, childbirth, heartbreak, concerts, and the sharing of their secrets. Ash cannot envision life without Edi, "Edi's memory is like the back up hard drive for mine, and have that same crashing, crushing feeling you have when the beach ball on your computer starts spinning. “Ash’s response to Edi's dying is to search for meaning in her own life and to have sex with anyone willing to help her feel alive. The touching story of their friendship is told with humor, sorrow, and compassion. 

The reviews are mixed for Newman's first adult novel. A friend died a year ago, so I felt a connection with Edi and Ash.  There is always some humor in sorrow and those moments seem insignificant yet are so poignant in a person's story. While some may question the validity of Edi moving closer to Ash, it makes sense when hospice beds are in short supply and Edi doesn't want her son to experience her death. "Sicilian lemon polenta pound cake is Edi's holy grail." Ash makes it her mission to find a recipe for that same cake to be included in a recipe book for Dash. 

I was captivated by this story of love and friendship. At the age I am now, my life seems to be one of friend's illnesses and funerals. Saying goodbye is never easy, however, Newman shows us that it can be beautiful. 

From Amazon

Catherine Newman is the author of the kids' how-to books How to Be a Person and What Can I Say?, the memoirs Catastrophic Happiness and Waiting for Birdy, the middle-grade novel One Mixed-Up Night, and the grown-up novels We All Want Impossible Things (Harper 2022) and Sandwich (Harper 2024). She edits the non-profit kids' cooking magazine ChopChop and is a regular contributor to the New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cup of Jo, and many other publications. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her family.

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#bookstagram #friendship #death 

After Annie

 

After Annie: A Novel  by Anna Quindlen. New York:Random House, 2024. 304 pages. Publication Date March 12, 2024. *****

Annie Brown dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm, leaving her husband, her four young children and her closest friend left to struggle without her. Bill Brown finds himself overwhelmed with advice from his mother, support from an old girlfriend and the needs of the children. Bill didn't realize how much Annie did in their lives and how much her planning made each day run smoothly. Annie’s best friend Annemarie is lost without Annie’s support to keep her from her addiction. It falls to Annie's daughter, Ali, to take on her mother's duties and to seek help for her and her brothers while struggling to understand what is happening to her best friend. 

I received a copy from Netgalley to review. 

Anna Quindlen has written a poignant story about love, grief, acceptance, and family. Annie as a person is developed through the eyes of those who loved and knew her. Far from perfect, her message and beliefs are strong and filled with love. At times I wanted to know Annie and at others to be Annie. There are so many discussion points that I highly recommend this book for a Book Club book. Quindlen reminds us of the unpredictability of our lives and the importance of female friendships. 

From Amazon:

Anna Quindlen is the author of the bestselling novels Blessings and Rise and Shine, amongst others, and of the non-fiction titles Living Out Loud, Thinking Out Loud and A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Her New York Times column 'Public and Private' won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. She is currently a columnist for Newsweek and lives with her husband and children in New York.

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Exiles

Exiles by Jane Harper.(book 3 of 3: Aaron Falk)  New York: Flatiron Books, 2022. 354 pages. ****

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is honored to be asked to be the Godfather for the Baptism of his old friend's baby.  Staying with friends in a Southern Australian vineyard proves not to be the relaxing vacation that he expects it to be. This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. At a busy town festival, Kim safely tucks her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanishes into the crowd. Kim's teenage daughter, Zara, hands out flyers with the hope that someone will remember her mother and recall when they last saw her. Aaron gets drawn into the mystery and decides to investigate Kim and her friend's actions on that fateful night. Who abandons her baby instead of asking a friend to watch her? Did they even know Kim, was she suffering from postpartum depression?

The third book in the series, can be read as a stand-alone. I found the beginning of the book confusing, however, once I settled in, I couldn't wait to find Kim. Several scenarios presented themselves and Harper creates an evil web meant to deceive. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, add Exiles to your TBR list. 

From Amazon,

Jane Harper is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man. Jane previously worked as a print journalist in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter, and son. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

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#bookstagram #missingpersonmystery

The Guest

 

The Guest by B.A. Paris. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2024. 305 pages. ****

Iris and Gabriel are shocked to discover their friend Laure has left her husband Pierre and is in their house. They were on vacation and Laure walked out on Pierre and walked into their lives. With no departure date in sight Laure inveigles herself into their lives by rearranging the kitchen, wearing Iris' clothes, and critiquing Iris design decisions. Her reasons for leaving sound outlandish and Pierre won't answer the phone to defend or explain himself. Gabriel is going through his own crisis of conscience when he lies about a dying man's last words. Taking a leave of absence as a GP only gives him more time to brood about his situation and Pierre. 

I won a paperback copy from Goodreads to review.

Paris never disappoints. She is a master at building a story and developing her characters and wham! when you least expect it - there it is! You get hints along the way that not everything is at it seems and all the characters are likable until they're not. No one can be trusted, and they are all lying, which one is the murderer? Is there more than one? 

From Amazon:

B.A. PARIS is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back, The Dilemma, and The Therapist. Having lived in France for many years, she and her husband now live in the UK. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher, and she has five daughters.

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#psychologicalthriller #theGuest #Goodreads #bookstagram