The Road to Tender Hearts

 

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

Fiction

2025

Narrated by Mark Bramhall

Finished on May 13, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death—from the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals.

At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already.

But when PJ reads an obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.

Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also figures he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter, adrift in her 20s, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home.

This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a second shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.

My first thought as I read the publisher’s blurb was that 63 is not old. I’m 64, and I certainly don’t think of myself as an old lady. PJ may be middle-aged, but he is not an old man.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, here’s my review:

I started listening to this audiobook after hearing so many great things about the book. But about ten minutes in, I was ready to stop. At first, I didn’t like PJ; he came across as very annoying and needy. I also wasn’t sure about the narrator’s voice. The next day, I decided to give it another chance, and I was hooked. I laughed out loud and fell in love with the characters, especially Luna and Otto. Those two kids reminded me of Bessie and Roland in Kevin Wilson’s dark comedy Nothing to See Here. Then there’s Pancakes the cat, who brought to mind Marcellus the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures. Not only is Pancakes able to predict death, (and Marcellus is dying, of course, so there's that additional connection between the two animals), but both animals are highly intelligent with an uncanny ability to observe and understand the humans around them, acting as a sort of observant, wise "Greek chorus."  

I’m not sure how the humor comes across in the print edition, but the audiobook is excellent and anything but predictable. Fans of quirky, chaotic stories like Nothing to See Here and So Far Gone by Jess Walter are sure to enjoy this book. And who doesn’t love a good road trip tale?

Wreck

 

Wreck by Catherine Newman

Fiction

2025

Finished on May 12, 2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

The acclaimed bestselling author of Sandwich is back with a wonderful novel, full of laughter and heart, about marriage, family, and what happens when life doesn’t go as planned.

If you loved Rocky and her family on vacation on Cape Cod, wait until you join them at home two years later. And if this is your first meeting with this crew, get ready to laugh and cry--and relate.

Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts with her husband, Nick, and their daughter, Willa, who's back home after college. Their son, Jamie, has taken a new job in New York, and Mort, Rocky's widowed father, has moved in.

It all couldn't be more ridiculously normal... until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects their family--and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won't affect them at all.

With her signature wit and wisdom, Catherine Newman explores the hidden rules of family, the heavy weight of uncertainty, and the gnarly fact that people--no matter how much you love them--are not always exactly who you want them to be.

Wreck marks the third book that I've read by Catherine Newman. I loved her debut novel We All Want Impossible Things, as well as Sandwich, both of which earned perfect 5-star ratings from me. Newman's stories are so relatable, and I love her humor, laughing out loud on several occasions as I read Wreck. It was fun revisiting Rocky and her family (from Sandwich), but the book wasn't quite as good as her previous novels. I look forward to re-reading her earlier works, and I have a copy of Waiting for Birdy, which I plan to read for Nonfiction November. I also subscribe to her Substack, which is both informative and funny. She's one of those authors that I'd love to be friends with!

A few favorite passages:

When kids willingly re-create parts of their childhood, it feels like such a vote of confidence: cotton sheets, thrift shopping, the good organic olive oil we've always gotten. And then you have to not be offended when they get the other brand of butter or their toilet paper unrolls from the wrong direction or they make smoothies with juice instead of coconut milk.

and

Have you ever taken an elderly parent to a juice bar? No? Don't start now.

The line is long, and my dad squints at the menu behind the counter. "Is pitaya just a different spelling of papaya?" he asks. It's not. "So what's pitaya, then?" I don't actually know. What is collagen? Ashwagandha? Wheatgrass? "Are maca and matcha the same thing?" I say I don't think so. "Is cacko just cocoa?" Cuh-COW. And yes. "Why do they spell it like that?" He's seen it in the crossword puzzle before, but not in real life. "Are cuh-COW nibs like chocolate chips?" Not as much as you might hope. What is goji? What is spirulina? Because he doesn't hear well, we're shouting at at him, and I can hear how abusive it sounds--like we're bullying an old man with a verbal catalogue of superfoods.

and 

The intake person asks a trillion questions to make sure I don't have secret metal in my body that will shoot up into my brain and kill me as soon as the magnet's on....She runs through her list: 'Artificial limbs or joints? Pacemaker? Defibrillator? Insulin pump? Shrapnel?...Do you have an older IUD?' she asks, and I think, Do I? God, did I ever get my IUD removed? A relic from a different time, like the expired ketchup in the back of the fridge from when the kids were eight. 'Oh,' I say remembering, 'I think it fell out on its own at some point.'

and

His personality is very cross that bridge when you come to it. Mine is very apply to engineering school in case there's a bridge that might need crossing but it hasn't been designed yet.

and

Remember the world from back when you couldn't even find out if you had strep throat without a doctor calling the wall phone in your kitchen? Now you just click into your computer and discover that you have cancer - or that you have - I'm seeing this now - a white-blood-cell disorder called leukopenia - or that they've scheduled your autopsy.

I wholeheartedly agree with Kirkus Reviews:

​"Newman excels at showing how sorrow and joy coexist in everyday life. She masterfully balances a modern exploration of grief with truly laugh-out-loud lines . . . . A heartbreaking, laugh-provoking, and absolutely Ephron-esque look at the beauty and fragility of everyday life." 

Recommend.

Kate & Frida

 

Kate & Frida by Kim Fay

Fiction

2025

Finished on May 7, 2026

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A companion to the instant national bestseller Love & Saffron, this bright and comforting novel follows the surprising friendship between two young women in 1990s Seattle and Paris, illuminating the power of books to change our lives.

Sometimes a book can change your life...

Twenty-something Frida Rodriguez, daughter of Love & Saffron’s own Joan Bergstrom, comes to Paris in 1991, relishing the city’s butter-soaked cuisine and seeking her future as a war correspondent. But when she writes to a bookshop in Seattle, she receives more than just the book she requests. A friendship begins that will redefine the person she thought she wanted to become.

Seattle bookseller Kate Fair is transformed by Frida’s free spirit, spurred to kiss her handsome coworker, to believe in herself as a writer, and to find beauty even in loss. Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives—personally and globally—Kate and Frida’s friendship sustains and nourishes them as they show each other how to overcome self-doubt and the necessity of embracing joy even through our darkest hours.

A buoyant, mouth-watering oasis of a novel, Kate & Frida is a love letter to bookshops and booksellers, to the way stories shape how we perceive ourselves, to the passion we bring to life in our twenties, and to the last precious years before the internet changed everything. 

I loved Kim Fay's previous novel, Love & Saffron, so I was particularly excited to read Kate & Frida, which is also an epistolary work. I wrote about my favorite epistolary books that I've read over the years in my review of The Correspondent, hoping to add Fay's latest release to that list. Sadly, Kate & Frida missed the mark. Maybe this novel was a bit too light, coming so soon after I finished The Lacuna, which is a marvelous work of literary fiction by Barbara Kingsolver.

As I read the opening letter to Kate (living in Seattle) from Frida (living in Paris), I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Frida requests a book (Martha Gellhorn's The Face of War) from The Puget Sound Book Company, and Kate sends the book along with a chatty reply. And so begins a three-year-long exchange of letters, very much like those in 84, Charing Cross Road, one of my all-time favorite epistolaries. And yet I struggled to stay engaged with Fay's novel, growing impatient to be finished and moving on to something with more depth. Having grown up in Seattle, and working at the Elliott Bay Book Company, the author is very familiar with the location, as well as life as a bookseller. I enjoyed those aspects of the story. I also learned about the Bosnian War, about which I knew very little. But despite the setting and book-related topics, the novel felt trite. The pop culture references were initially fun to see, but grew tiresome as the story progressed. I felt like the author had a laundry list of memories she wanted to include, but didn't know when enough was enough. Traveler's checks, evening rates for long-distance phone calls, Walkmans, L'eggs pantyhose, Disneyland E tickets, phone books, pay phones, mixtapes, and Smurfs brought back memories of the early 1990s, although at times I thought maybe they were more from the 80s than the 90s. In any case, I really didn't need to have a constant reminder of the time period. 

Recommend with reservations.

The Lacuna

 

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Fiction

2009

Finished on May 1, 2026

Rating: 4.5/5 (Excellent)

Publisher's Blurb:

In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs in the streets, and one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and meets the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

Meanwhile, to the north, the United States will soon be caught up in the internationalist goodwill of World War II. There in the land of his birth, Shepherd believes he might remake himself in America's hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. Through darkening years, political winds continue to toss him between north and south in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach—the lacuna—between truth and public presumption.

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

Wow. Why did I wait so long to read this remarkable story by one of my favorite authors? I was quickly pulled into Barabara Kingsolver's gorgeously written novel, filling my copy with dozens of Post-It flags. The first half of the book is quite a page-turner, and I enjoyed learning about Rivera and Kahlo's art, paintings with which I'm familiar from my art history studies. From journal entries to correspondences (to Frida), we have an intimate view of Harrison Shepherd's life from start to end. This immersive tale is filled with vivid settings, as well as realistic characters. One of the things I love about historical fiction is learning about a specific time period. Kingsolver touches on numerous points in our history from the 1930s to 1950s. This would have been a perfect 5-star read, but as I reached the three-quarter mark, it lost momentum and I struggled to stay awake for more than a few pages each night. The story regained my interest toward the end, and the finale was very satisfying.

Some favorite passages:

“Mr. Shepherd, ye cannot stop a bad thought from coming into your head. But ye need not pull up a chair and bide it sit down."

I should like to write my books only for the dear person who lies awake reading in bed until page last, then lets the open book fall gently on her face, to touch her smile or drink her tears.

The jacaranda in the courtyard has put on its bloom. This purple can't be ignored, it's like a tree singing. The walk down Londres Street to the market is a concert: the small jacaranda on the the corner hums the tuning note, then all others in the lane join in.

When Cortés’s men first arrived here, they asked in Spanish, “What is the name of this place?” From the native Mayans they received the same answer every time: “Yucatán!” In their language that word means: “I do not understand you.”

His mother had let him carry two valises: one for books, one for clothes. The clothes were a waste, outgrown instantly. He should have filled both with books. 

Algebra, a language spoken on the moon. For a boy with no plans to go there. 

If you're a Kingsolver fan and you haven't read The Lacuna, don't wait another moment. This one's a gem, and one that I will read again.

Highly recommend.

A Month in Summary - April 2026

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

April 2026

April was a busy month with all sorts of appointments and socializing. With the longer days, I'm getting out to catch the sunset, which is now occurring around 8:30. By early July, it will set around 9:00, which is so great. I love this time of year so much!

I had a pretty nice month of reading with all five books earning four stars. Three of the authors were new to me, and I look forward to reading more by each of them. I also continued with my reading of The Winds of War, which is quite long. And, I spent three weeks reading The Lacuna! I finally finished that door stopper today, so it will go on May's summary.

Books Read (click on the title for my review):

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (4/5)

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (4/5)

Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin (4/5)

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (4/5)

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (4/5)

Movies & TV Series:

The Pitt (Season 2) - This is such an outstanding series. The writing and acting are terrific. I'm tempted to watch the first season again before the third drops.

Maigret (Seasons 1 & 2) - We watched the original series (starring Rowan Atkinson) in early 2025. This updated version is just as good!

Person of Interest (Season 2) - We watched 9 episodes of this second season and called it quits.

Adolescence - 4 part series. Very disturbing, but excellent acting. Can't say I'd recommend it, though.

Shrinking (Season Three) - I keep coming back to this show in order to watch Harrison Ford, who is very good in his role. Without him, I doubt I'd bother to watch anymore.

The Morning Show (Season Four) - Not sure why I keep watching this one either. Brain candy.

Young Wallander (Season 1 & 2) - I've never watched the original Wallander series, but now I'd like to. I enjoyed the mysteries of this updated series, but didn't care for Adam Palsson as Wallander.

Puzzlemania:

Sparks Joy:

I loved watching the return of Artemis II on April 10th. There are lots of great photos here on NASA's website.

Spring Colors in My Neighborhood:

Happy reading!

Raising Hare: A Memoir

 

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton

Nonfiction

2025

Narrated by Louise Brealey

Finished on 4/29/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman’s unlikely friendship with a wild hare.

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end and gave birth to leverets in your study. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.

In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how impossible it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, stoats, feral cats, raptors, and even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together, while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness first-hand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

I did not expect to enjoy Raising Hare was well as I did! When I first learned about Dalton's memoir, I associated it with H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, which I read in 2017. (Does anyone else look back on a review with astonishment that it was written almost a decade ago rather than two or three years??) While I liked Macdonald's book, it's not one that moved me with the same tenderness as Raising Hare. 

Dalton educates her readers on the differences between hares and rabbits, as well as other details about the life and history of the hare. I have deep respect for the author who rescued the leveret, but did not cage or attempt to adopt it as a pet. She did not name the small creature, nor did she confine it to her home. I thought it was remarkable that once old enough to leave the safety of Dalton's home, it returned day after day, joining Dalton in the house, eating the oats provided for nourishment, as well as giving birth to its own leverets behind the curtains in Chloe's study. Each time the hare disappeared for a few weeks, I felt a sense of foreboding, worried that it had been attacked by a fox or raptor (or run over by a car or tractor), and breathed a sigh of relief when it returned from its adventures. 

Part memoir, part natural science, Raising Hare is both entertaining and informative. It's a beautiful story that I won't soon forget. The audiobook is read by Louise Brealey, whose lovely narration added to my enjoyment. 

Highly recommend!

Note: I understand the print edition includes illustrations. All the more reason to order a gift copy in order to take a peek before wrapping!

Looking Back - Stargirl

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Fiction

2000

Finished on 6/28/2002

Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)

Publisher's Blurb:

A celebration of nonconformity; a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love. 

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl's arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

In a celebration of nonconformity, Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

This is a fantastic YA novel. Almost as good as Lois Lowry's gem, The Giver. Beautiful passages. Couldn't put it down. Borrowed a copy, but need to buy my own.

My Current Thoughts:

Not my usual genre, but I remember enjoying this book quite well. I think I recommended it to a lot of parents while working at Barnes & Noble.

The Bletchley Riddle

 

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Fiction

2024

Narrated by Georgina Jane and Louis Hill

Finished on 4/21/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

This middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s death.

Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…

Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.

The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?

Having recently read The Eights (Joanna Miller) and The Rose Code (Kate Quinn), I decided to give The Bletchley Riddle a try after hearing good things about the book from others who have enjoyed novels about Bletchley Park. The narration of the audio edition is very well done, alternating readers between each of the two main characters. In spite of the fact that this is a YA novel, the storyline is neither childish or simplistic, and I was entertained from start to finish. I've read a couple of Sepetys books (Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray) and this one doesn't disappoint.

Celestial Lights

 

Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin

Fiction

2026

Finished on 4/9/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A beautiful, heartbreaking novel about ambition, love, and space from the award-winning author of the Women’s Prize longlisted Wandering Souls.

January 28, 1986: Soon after launch, the Challenger shuttle falls out of the sky and into the sea. At the same time, Oliver Ines is born. Celestial Lights is his story.

Ollie spends his childhood in an English village where his bedroom is covered in glow-in-the-dark wallpaper bearing the planets and stars. Decades later, he has become one of the most renowned astronauts of his time. When an enterprising billionaire taps him to lead a landmark mission to the distant moon Europa, Ollie makes a choice that will send his whole world spinning.

As the mission advances deeper into unchartered territory, Ollie finds himself retreating into the past: his university days in London and years in the navy, relationships found and lost, becoming a husband and father. But will the world he remembers still be waiting for him when he returns?

Cecile Pin’s novel is a portrait of a complicated man whose unparalleled understanding of the universe doesn’t always translate into stellar relationships on Earth. A breathtaking tale of memory, personal choices, and the relationships that define us, Celestial Lights is an unforgettable story of fate, love, and sacrifice that questions what we owe ourselves and our loved ones when our ambitions and loyalties collide.

I was gifted Celestial Lights by Tina (Turn the Page) a few months ago. I'd not read anything by Cecile Pin, but after reading the blurb for her latest book, I was eager to give it a try. Pin is a consummate storyteller, and her writing is lyrical and informative. The narrative is interspersed with Ollie's personal flight log, which gives the reader insight into the mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. I started off liking Ollie, but toward the end of the novel, I had begun feeling that he was selfish and egotistical.  I read this book at the same time as the Artemis II mission, which made it fun to think about that crew's experience, albeit much shorter than Ollie's Phoenix mission, which lasted 3,650 days.

Earth is now a pale blue smudge. Morale is good so far, but I worry what'll happen when it's no longer visible. We've had no contact with Earth for almost a year now, so having it within our sights feels like our only anchor. I often catch Shane and Lucia looking out through the round windows, as if willing it to stay, to accompany us on our ten-year journey.

The novel is divided into three parts, and the final section begins almost 2,000 days after Ollie's last journal entry. Basically, the journey home to Earth is omitted from the plot, which felt somewhat abrupt. Years have passed and relationships have altered in Ollie's absence. It's hard to imagine a mission that would take ten years, especially for those left behind.

Sometimes, when I've done my tasks for the day and Talos is quiet, I try and imagine my life had I followed her path. But then, I look out of the viewing port. I see the crescent moon and the faint shimmers of Venus and Mars. I see the deepest dark that surrounds us infinitely, awash with stars and the misty hues of nebulas, their rich purples, their vibrant reds. I see the Milky Way in all its glory, untainted by city lights, and the sun rising over Earth's atmosphere. I see them all, those celestial lights, and I know that no other path would have shown them to me.

Celestial Lights is the third space story I've read in less than a year. I didn't love it as much as Project Hail Mary, but I thought it was better than Orbital. I look forward to reading more by Cecile Pin.

2026 1st Quarter Favorites

 

Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly (4.5/5)

The Likeness by Tana French (4.5/5)

Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring (4.5/5)

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (4.5/5)

In the Woods by Tana French (4.75/5)

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (4.5/5)

Looking Back - Flight Lessons

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney

Fiction

2002

Finished on 6/26/2002

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Though Anna once adored her aunt Rose, that ended when she betrayed Anna and her mother - Rose's terminally ill sister - and Anna can't forgive or forget. Years later, her own heart broken, Anna returns home to Rose, and to the family restaurant, the Bella Sorella, now grown shabby with age. Anna is still reluctant to forgive Rose, insisting that her stay is temporary. But the intimacy of working with Rose to put the Bella Sorella back on its feet, and an unexpected chance at true love, bring about a change of heart. Patricia Gaffney once again delivers a story told with grace and warmth, reminding us that there's no place like home.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

Took me a while to get interested in the characters, but eventually I did. Enjoyed the emails between Anna and new friend, Mason. Touching passages put a lump in my throat several times. Nice follow-up to The Saving Graces. "Funny, moving, and insightful about love, life, and family..."

My Current Thoughts (2026):

I suspect this spoke to my younger self, but I have a feeling it would be to boring at this point in my life.

Culpability

 

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Fiction

2025

Narrated by Stacy Carolan and January LaVoy

Finished on 4/5/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Set at a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay, a riveting family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence, from the bestselling author of the “wise and addictive” (New York Times) The Gifted School.

When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.

During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.

Technology, and more specifically A.I., is becoming increasingly ingrained in our daily lives. I don't know anyone who doesn't use Siri, Google, or Alexa. We have Alexa set up to turn on lights with a simple command. I ask Google questions throughout the day with my phone. I've also started using ChatGPT for random medical queries. 

Oh, and just last year we bought a new Subaru Outback. This is our second Subaru, but the two models are nothing alike. Our 2025 model has all the bells & whistles you could ever imagine: Touchscreen information display. Android Auto. EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology (rear-vision camera, pre-collision braking, automatic emergency steering, front view monitor, blind-spot detection, reverse automatic braking, high beam assist, lane departure prevention, etc.). Voice recognition to control navigation, entertainment, phone calls, and climate control. The car recognizes me when I'm in the driver's seat, knows when I depart from a lane without signaling, alerts me if I take my eyes off of the road for too long, lets me know when the car in front of me as moved, dims my high beams (I love this feature), etc., Our first Subaru didn't even have a back-up camera! I'll admit that I don't enjoy lane assist "feature" while using cruise control. My family jokes about my need to be in control (I always prefer to be the driver rather than a passenger), and this was most apparent when my car took over the steering when I tested the cruise control. I can honestly say that I will never ride in an autonomous vehicle. And yet, I can appreciate the safety advantages of driverless cars.

"Every accident in a self-driving vehicle is huge news, because it's covered as if a malevolent robot has killed a human. Meanwhile some random truck driver falls asleep at the wheel and kills a young couple, yet we never once consider taking all eighteen-wheelers off the road."

She turns and looks out over the inlet. "I want to believe in humans. I want to believe that even at the last second, an AI can and should be over-ridden by a knowing, human conscience. By a moral mind with a soul. Now I'm not so sure. There's a place for algorithms, a bigger and bigger place. But people have to be better, too. They have to not drink and drive. They have to not text behind the wheel. We shouldn't make these machines because we want them to be good for us, or good instead of us. We should make them because they can help us be better ourselves."

Culpability, Bruce Holsinger's relevant and timely novel, takes a deep dive into the moral issues of A.I., whether used in personal vehicles, chatbot friends (or therapists), or autonomous warfare systems. It's a compelling book, and I enjoyed the audio narration, which kept me entertained on my afternoon walks. Holsinger teases out information, revealing each family member's secret regarding the accident. It was easy to assign blame as I read the early chapters, but as the story progressed, what I was sure was a black and white case became muddy and gray.

 

I love it when I come across a book that I can recommend to my book group. With ethical questions about artificial intelligence, Culpability will appeal to a broad range of readers, and is sure to prompt lively discussions.

The Song of Achilles

 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Fiction

2012

Finished on 4/5/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

It seems like it was just a year or two ago that I read Circe, but it's been five years since my book group read and discussed this second novel by Madeline Miller. I enjoyed the book so well, I promptly bought a copy of The Song of Achilles. I've had this debut novel on my summer and fall reading lists for far too long, and decided it was finally time to read it. 

My knowledge of Greek mythology is pretty slim, so I enjoyed learning about the various heroes involved in the war to rescue Helen of Sparta. I was immediately drawn into the early lives of Achilles and Patroclus, and as they headed off to war, the suspense kept the pages turning. The ten-year war, though, became a bit of a slog and I grew impatient, eager to see how Achilles would fare in the battle. I was rewarded with the final chapters of the novel, and as I mentioned after reading Circe, I'm very much interested in reading The Iliad and The Odyssey.

I've not watched the film Troy, but it's now on my list.