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. 

A Month in Summary - March 2026

Little Whale Cove

Depoe Bay, Oregon

Hooray for spring! I love this time of year. Longer days and more sunshine always makes me happy. Other than various medical appointments (for me, my husband, and my mom), it was a fairly quiet month, as my reading reflects. Looking back at last March, I see that I read two more books this month than in 2025. I also see that I learned how to play American Mah Jong in March 2025. The 2026 cards were recently mailed out and I'm enjoying the challenge of learning the new hands. What a great way to exercise your brain! No trips in April, but we're excited about a two-week RV trip in late May. 

My reading was pretty good in March. I had one re-read, which was very entertaining. I finished the Dalton series, and am eager to see what Shannon Bowring comes up with next. Only one of the four new releases was a winner, so it's back to my backlist TBR stacks. I am determined to read the books that were on my fall reading list. (I'm looking at you The Lacuna!)

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

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (3/5)

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

In a Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring (4/5)

Heartwood by Amity Gaige (3/5)

The Likeness by Tana French (4.5/5)

Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen (3/5)

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (4/5)

Gave Up On:

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Flesh by David Szalay

Movies & TV Series:

The Bear (Season Four) - Gloomy. Morose. 

The Pitt (Season Two) - Love this show! Great cast and writing.

Shrinking (Season Three) - I probably wouldn't continue with this show if it weren't for Harrison Ford. The tender moments are very good, but the humor falls short.

Miracle: The Boys of '80 - We enjoyed watching this documentary after the 2026 Olympics. I always thought the U.S. team beat the Russians for the gold, but it was Finland they beat in the final game. 

Puzzlemania:

Family News:

Mom came home after almost two weeks in rehab after hip replacement surgery (due to a broken hip). We are so happy to have her back home with us!

Ladder:

I joined Ladder at the beginning of the year and am so pleased with Team Elevate. Coach Elise keeps me motivated, and I've been getting in 4-6 workouts every week. I especially love that I can workout from home with my own equipment (weights, bench, Peloton, and yoga mat). Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you a link for a free week.

A Family Matter

 

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch

Fiction

2025

Finished on 3/25/2026

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught in the middle. Forty years later, a family secret changes everything.

1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter.

2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He’s an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child—the person around whom his life has revolved—seems impossible. Heron can’t tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can’t reveal all the other secrets he’s been keeping from her for so many years.

A Family Matter is an exploration of love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care, and whether it is possible to heal from the wounds of the past in the changed world of today.

Last year there was a lot of buzz about A Family Matter, so I ordered a copy, eager to give it a try. As usual, I went in cold, knowing nothing about this debut work. Told in alternating timelines, and with a relatively short list of characters, Claire Lynch's spare novel was easy to get into. If one allowed, it could easily be read in one sitting.

I felt sympathetic toward Heron (nicknamed by his brother who couldn't pronounce Henry as a child), Dawn, and Maggie. Each carries the pain of the past. Dawn, at the young age of twenty-three comes to the realization that she has fallen in love with someone other than her husband. Heron, Dawn's husband, seeks legal advice for a divorce and chooses to fight for full custody of his daughter. Maggie, Dawn and Heron's three-year-old daughter, is never told why her mother had to leave her until forty years later when she herself is married and a mother of two. Such a sad tale. 

When my husband and I were living in San Diego, we got to know a woman with whom I worked with at a biotech company. She introduced us to her "roommate" and over the months, as we became closer friends, they finally came out to us. We weren't shocked, and of course it really didn't matter to us, we were just sad that it took so long for them to trust us. What upset me even more was that they had to hide their relationship, and live many miles from where one of them worked as an elementary school teacher, fearful that a student or student's parent would see them in public, perhaps holding hands or displaying some sort of physical affection. While neither of them had been married, or had children, the risk of losing a teaching job was certainly a possibility. This was 1990. Twenty-five years before same-sex marriage was legalized nationally.

From the author's note:

In the 1980s in the United Kingdom, around 90 percent of lesbian mothers involved in divorce cases like Dawn and Heron's lost legal custody of their children. Exact numbers are almost impossible to trace since most, knowing the outcome, chose not to go to court. 

While homophobia still exists, we have seen improvements in society over the past forty years. Celebrities, sports figures, and politicians are no longer forced to hide their personal lives from public view. We've since lost touch with our teacher friend in San Diego, but I hope if she's still teaching, she's doing it openly as a gay woman.  

I enjoyed this quiet story, but would have been just as happy to borrow the book from the library rather than use my Christmas gift card toward its purchase. It's not one that I'll read again, but I am happy I read it. It gave me a lot to think about, and would make a good choice for a book club discussion. Readers of Claire Keegan's novels (Small Things Like These and Foster) will enjoy Lynch's thought-provoking debut. 

Update: I've been thinking a lot about this novel since drafting this blog post, and I've decided it's one that I want to keep to re-read in the future. In a word, powerful.

Before I Forget

 

Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen

Fiction

2025

Finished on 3/22/2026

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back—and in moving us forward

Call it inertia. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Whatever you call it, Cricket Campbell is stuck. Despite working at a zeitgeist-y wellness company, the twenty-six-year-old feels anything but well. Still adrift after a tragedy that upended her world a decade ago, she has entered early adulthood under the weight of a new burden: her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

When Cricket’s older sister Nina announces it is time to move Arthur from his beloved Adirondack lake house into a memory-care facility, Cricket has a better idea. In returning home to become her father’s caretaker, she hopes to repair their strained relationship and shake herself out of her perma-funk. But even deeply familiar places can hold surprises.

As Cricket settles back into the family house at Catwood Pond―a place she once loved, but hasn’t visited since she was a teenager―she discovers that her father possesses a rare gift: as he loses his grasp of the past, he is increasingly able to predict the future. Before long, Arthur cements his reputation as an unlikely oracle, but for Cricket, believing in her father’s prophecies might also mean facing the most painful parts of her history. As she begins to remember who she once was, she uncovers a vital truth: the path forward often starts by going back.

I spotted a copy of Before I Forget on the new release shelf at my library and decided to give it a try. Other than the Alzheimer's premise, I went into the novel cold. Had I read the blurb, I might have thought twice about borrowing the book.

Before I Forget is no Still Alice. Hoen's novel deals with young love and loss, finding oneself, caregiving of an aging parent, and a new romance. Alzheimer's is a backdrop to Cricket's story, rather than being placed front and center. The specifics of her duties as her father's caregiver are simplistic: fixing a glass of lemonade; walking down to the lake with her father; driving him to restaurants or grocery shopping. The only indication of his dementia is his inability to recognize his daughters, and toward the end, climbing into a stranger's car. 

Before I Forget lacks the depth and nuance of Lisa Genova's brilliant novel about early-onset Alzheimer's. Genova's book informs her readers, evoking compassion and understanding of what it means to be afflicted with the disease, as well as how it affects family and loved ones. Hoen's novel, while dealing with the loss of a high school sweetheart, and a twenty-something-year-old floundering to find herself, is a lighter take on the family demands of Alzheimer's. Arthur's disease provides a backdrop to Cricket's return to the family home in the Adirondacks, which gives her a sense of purpose. 

Hoen's characterization and setting save the book from feeling trite and overtly simplistic. I had no trouble envisioning the cabin set nestled in the trees, overlooking the lake, the loons calling to one another at dusk. However, not one to believe in divination, I felt the subplot of Arthur's new found ability to predict the future, casting him in the role of a local oracle, more than ridiculous.

When I began reading this novel, I was hoping for a more meaningful, literary work, but despite its flaws, I was entertained enough to finish the book.