What I Am Reading - June, What I Finished - April and May 2026

 I failed to write this "column" in April and May.  If you have kids in K-12, you know why. 

Currently Reading 

So Old, So Young, by Grant Grinder: I am about halfway through this book on my Kindle.  Elin Hilderbrand blurbed this book, "I will never forget these characters."  Well, I will probably forget them, because Grinder describes every Ivy League graduate's friend group in the early 2000's.  Personally, I would rather forget them. While I never attended an Ivy League school, these characters were all over the city, in droves, and all of them making the same bad decisions. Wedding season is particularly well described - not that I wanted to re-live it.  But, it will be interesting to see where Grinder takes these characters as they reach 42.  

Moby Dick, by Herman Melville: Will try and make some head way this summer. I got stuck on the whale descriptions. I might skim (is that heresy?). 

Land, by Maggie O'Farrell:  Try as I might, I cannot get into this book. O'Farrell's Must be the Place, and I Am, I Am, I Am are two of my favorites. I was truly looking forward to this one, and I find myself skimming through descriptions of maps, wells, and the landscaping of early Ireland.  There is little character development.  Will I put it down?  

Loved

This is Not About Us, by Allegra Goodman:  This is a contender for the Best Books list.  Exquisite short stories based on family and faith.  Not a word out of place. 

London Falling, Patrick Madden Keefe: This will be on the Best Books list. Keefe writes nonfiction like no other. This story will stay with you.

Boomerang, Robert Bailey:  Unusual for me to read a "mainstream thriller" type book, but it was phenomenal.  Finished it over spring break and then my husband read it and enjoyed it.  Plot driven books are great on planes.

Life & Death & Giants, by Ron Riondo: Family Saga.  Fleshed out characters and setting.  

Lake Effect, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: Love this author. About as good as Good Company.  

More Than Enough, Anna Quindlen: Always love a NYC, family based, female-driven novel, especially when written by Anna Quindlen. 

Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke: The hot book of the summer. Hot for a reason!

Thoroughly Enjoyed

American Fantasy, Emma Straub:  Emma delivers again.  I probably won't book a celebrity cruise anytime soon, but I felt like I was on one.    

The Marriage Bed, Tommy Hays:  Asheville author delivers with a family tragedy with multiple points of view.  

What Keeps Us, Jeanine Boulay: My former colleague and friend wrote these short stories about Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.  Learned history I should have known.  

Enjoyed too

The Connelly's of County Down, Tracey Lange: Lange's best. Always enjoy her Westchester County settings.

Saoirse, Charleen Hurtubise: Irish artist, family drama, International incident. 

The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: Was not sure if this was a re-read for me. I was trying to read all of Sweeney's books after finishing Lake Effect. 

The Land in Winter, Andrew Miller:  Finalist for this year's Booker Prize (says it all, really).  

A Family Matter, Claire Lynch: Wish the characters had been fleshed out more.

This Book Made Me Think of You, Libby Page: Delivers on quaint.

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt: Long-winded, and correctly described as "Dickinsonion". Read it to say I did.

Meh

Meet the Newmans, Jennifer Niven: Spent most of the book trying to decide whether or not to put it down. A few surprises at the end, otherwise, the plot derails.   

The Heart of Winter, Jonathan Evison:  The description of a long marriage between members of the Silent Generation.  It is set in present day, so the couple is in their nineties, and have lived all of their lives in Washington state.  Long winded, but accurate. 

Put Down - DNF

Into the Blue, Emma Brodie: Could not get into a voice. 

The Shock of Light, Lori Inglis Hall:  Too glaringly feminist for this feminist.   

 

  

What I am Reading - March

 Currently Reading

Kin - Tayari Jones.  Oprah Club selection.  One chapter in, and enjoying immensely. Already like the characters.  Jones' first book, American Marriage, was a skim for me.  Hopefully this one will be different.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver.  This is quite an old one - published in 2000.  Shriver recently published another book, and I heard her (yes, "her") interviewed, and was intrigued.  I am going to watch the movie when I am finished. So far, the narrator is very long winded.  I wonder if this was more common in books circa 2000.  

Moby Dick, Herman Melville.  Truckin' along.  Probably on chapter 22.  Extremely good observations. 

What Keeps Us: a novel in stories. Jeanine Boulay.  This is written by more former co-worker, and a friend.  The stories take place in NYC, and all touch upon Greenwood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, which center all the stories.  The book spans 150 years.  Boulay writes historical details proficiently, and I have learned many new facts about NYC history.  

Completed in March

Enjoyed

It's a Love Story, Annabel Monaghan, 4* Monaghan seems to complete a new romance for middle-age women every year.  This is her best since Nora Goes off Script.  But, I can't remember what it is about.

The Color of Water, James MacBride, 5*. Read this (re-read, but from 25 years ago) to help a friend select books for her students.  I remembered why it is a classic, and it is how MacBride made his name as a "major author".   

Meh

The Infamous Gilberts, Angela Tomaski, 3.5*.  Once I settled into the second person POV, I ended up enjoying this.  It would be hard to recommend to a non-Anglophile.  It was compared in many reviews to The Royal Tennenbaums.  The only similarity seems to be the quirkiness of the sibling groups, otherwise, everyone is completely difference.  

Isola, Allegra Goodman, 3*. This was an interesting story told in a very long winded fashion.  Having just completed a book about a solitary life (The Autobiography of Sven ....), I know that plot can be mored along, even in a sparse setting.  This did not achieve that.  

What am I Reading - February

My Friends - Fredrik Backman:  Readers raved over this book in 2025. It made many "Best of" lists.  There are still around 400 readers ahead of me in the library hold line, which is one of the highest hold lines I have ever seen.  Yet, YET, I could not sit down and pay attention to this book.  I knew nothing about the book's premise, yet I was familiar with Backman's style through Anxious People.  Anxious People was a social commentary told through the comedy and tragedy of real estate.  So, I expected SOME social commentary in My Friends. Well, readers get heavy social commentary.  Starting in the first chapter, broad statements about class are made. I dislike social statements in books, even if I agree with them.  That is one of the reasons I crawled through the first 30% of this book, and subsequently had to read other books as this one sat on my Kindle App.  So, when I finally started getting into My Friends, the library snatched it back. Now, I am back to being 400th on the list. But, each time I go to the bookstore, I have squeezed in another chapter. I only have about 50 pages to go. The plot is quick, unpredictable, and tragic.  It took awhile for me to become fond of the characters, and that is probably because I didn't relate to them at all (immigrant teens in Sweden).  That was another reason I could not finish this book in time.  BUT, I will finish it.    

Moby Dick - Hermand Melville.  It has always been a dream of mine to complete this book. I bought a copy three years ago, and my husband read it. I am finally doing a year-long guided read through the Church Blogmatics Substack, and I am not on Chapter 10.  Around 175 more chapters to go!  I am currently enjoying the description of old New Bedford.  

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania - Erik Larson.  My first Erik Larson book. This is surprising to me. This book has also been on our shelves for over five years. I asked my husband if he enjoyed the book, and he said he had not read it. Now I truly don't know how we got it. Anyway,I read it on a trip to Colorado. It is interesting, and riveting enough to have kept me reading the entire flight home.  I look forward to picking it back up for next month's trip to Utah. 

Recently Completed 

Books I Loved

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage - Belle Burden.  I read this in one day. Unputdownable.   

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven-  Nathaniel Ian.  This book has the "Molly Trifecta of Good Reads"  Likable characters, fabulous (to me) location, and realistic plot.  It is truly fascinating how people create community in the middle of no where, and Sven truly creates a home in the Arctic Circle.  

Books I Enjoyed

The World Below - Sue Miller.  Love Miller's New England settings. Trying to "compete" the works of this author. Loved Monogomy and that still is the epitome for me. Her prose is addictive. 

Unscripted - Cheryl Hines.   Very quick, very fun read.  

Family of Spies - Christine Keuhn.  Interesting history from a descendant of German spies about her formerly unknown family origins.   

The Ten Year Affair - Erin Somers. Fiction that explores modern marriage and parenting. Made me a bit afraid for our future.  

Dominion - Addie E. Citchens.  This was dark, but still thinking about it weeks after finishing.  Unpredictable and moving plot.  

Books I Didn't Love

The Bright Years, Sarah Damoff. Short plot: Alcoholism destroys a family. The title and cover had me expecting another plot. Disappointed and skim city.   

What Happened to the McCrays, by Tracey Lange.  This is probably the weak book in Lange's work.  Predictable.  I dislike books that start at the end and give a back story, especially when they are predictable.  Skim city.  

Spectacular Things - another unsuccessful Reese Book.  Can't even remember what it was about. 

What Kind of Paradise, Janelle Brown. Easy read. Social commentary is high school level. Plot is good. The main character is likable and you pull for her. Skim City.  

Penitence, Kristin Kovel.  Can't remember what this was about. 

What I am Reading.

 Currently, I am reading Precipice, a novel by Robert Harris.  It is a true story that takes place on the eve of World War I, and it highlights the romance between the Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith, and his much younger love interest, Venetia.  The letters and telegrams from the PM to Venetia, contain the actual text communication between them, and Harris uses those to create a story about the beginning of WWI from Asquith's and Venetia's POVs.  The minutia of the PM's daily days, and how Britain landed itself at war, seems to be never ending. But, Venetia's side of the story has kept me reading.  

What Kind of Paradise, by Janelle Brown.  I am reading this on my Kindle.  This was on many "Best of 2025" lists last year. I don't know what kept me away, but I am enjoying it so far.  I am enjoying the pace and the Montana setting.  

Books I have finished this month - January 2026 -  that I have enjoyed:

Show Don't Tell, by Curtis Sittenfeld.  I always enjoy her books. I pushed this off for awhile until it became available at the library.  4*

Some Bright Nowhere, Ann Packer. 4.25*. Amazing writing.  Elin Hilderbrand described her as a "writer's writer." Every sentence works.  But, it is depressing and nothing much happens.  It describes a marriage in its final days, as the wife succumbs to cancer. 

Here After, Amy Lin, 4.25* More death, this time a young widow writes about her grief in the aftermath of losing her young husband very suddenly.  I compulsively read this, yet it was incredibly depressing. 

Lion, Sonya Walger, 5*. First 5* read of the year.  Almost flawless.  Can't believe most of it is true. It is classified as fiction because the author did not trust her memory and wanted to create stories.  The author and her father have lives mesmerizing lives, and every sentence displays them. 

Books Read - February 2025

The Time of the Child, Niall Williams, 4.25* Beautiful prose about people living in a rural Irish village in the early 1960s.  Social atmosphere and attitudes weaved through the villagers observations.  Quiet plot.

The Wedding People, Allison Espoch, 4.5* Jenna Book Club pick that I read quickly and and enjoyed.  Lost points for being somewhat unrealistic, but won points for overcoming that obstacle for me.

In France Profound, TD Allman, 4* First completed non-fiction of the year.  War correspondent Allman describes the history of his house and its surrounding French village, which he owned for thirty-four years until his death.  Great descriptions of history, LOTS of minute detail.  

The Frozen River, Ariel Lawson, 5* Best book of the year, so far.  Checked off many of my boxes: Realistic history, plot-driven, interesting, acknowledged back stories. Thank you to sister Sarah for recommending!

Three Days in June, Anne Tyler, 4.5* Read in one day. Love reading her prose. 

Beautyland, Marie-Helene Berlin, 4* Getting a lot of press.  I still enjoyed this, despite the main character being an alien.  The main character was exactly my age and lived in NYC.  Still didn't "get it".  

The Most, Jessica Anthony, 5* Devoured it. @elinhilderbrand recommendation. A novella, I read it in an afternoon.  Marriage drama.  

January 2025 Reading

 A Spool of Blue Thread, Anne Tyler, 4* - Kindle

This started as a 5, and ended on a 3. Thus, my 4 star rating. Tyler writes perfect prose and dialogue.  Her description of memory loss in the main character was stunning, in my unexperienced opinion. The end was depressing and maybe too realistic.   

From Here Til the Great Unknown, Riley Keogh, 4.25*

Bestseller. Interesting insight into a topic (Elvis) that I know nothing about. Lisa Marie Presley still seems like an enigma.  

The End of the Hour, A Therapist's Memoir, Meghan Riordon Jarvis, 3.5*

Well written. More description of her family might have given me a better perspective of the situation.  There seemed to be some added trauma she didn't touch on. She should have gone there. 

Peggy, Rebecca Godfrey, 4.25* - Kindle

Really interesting piece of fiction and history. Rebecca Godfrey sadly passed away before she finished this fictional take on Peggy Guggenheim's life.  It was finished by her friend and fellow author Leslie Jamison. I enjoyed the second author's prose better. Though Jamison buttoned up Peggy's life, she also left out some years I would have been interested in hearing about.  

All the Broken Places, John Boyne, 4.5* 

Exceptional Holocaust book from a different point of view.  I have read so many Holocaust books, that I thought I had had my fill.  Glad I took a chance on this one. Adding Boyne to my "Authors to Read" list.  

Wine Review: Spring in a Bottle - Wolffer Estate

 The boyfriend and I drove from vineyard to vineyard one hot August Saturday in our friend's cigarette reeking car.  It was 2009, and Long Island's North Shore wineries had jumpstarted as the Hamptons continued to grow, and the internet spread the word.  While all of these wineries had beauty and tasting rooms, one of the wineries we pulled into that afternoon seemed organized, clean, and smelled tobacco-free. It also had good wine. It was Wolffer Estates.  We left with two bottles of their signature $30 sauvignon blanc, which was no small sum in your twenties.  

Wolffer Estates hit the national scene in 2013 with their "Summer in a Bottle" Rose.  Now living in North Carolina with the husband, it was warming to see Wolffer Estate bottles on shelves, remembering our stop there years before.  

Now, moving with the times, Wolffer Estate is offering a non-alcoholic "Spring in a Bottle" Rose. While not partaking in Dry January myself, I decided to "spring" for the bottle and review. And $20 for non-alcoholic wine is quite a spring!   

The wine proved to be a lively pairing with meatball subs.  While it had lower acidity than wine with alcohol, it was more than made up for with the perfect bubbles.  "Spring" suggests floral notes, but there were none to be found, merely perfectly balanced slight red berry with grass.  It elicited the notes of the warm February Carolina day we were experiencing, and allowed our children to taste with us.  And at 36 calories a glass, allowed me to treat myself to dessert.  

While we had initially thought we would have to open another bottle, the husband and I declared this wine a "buy again," and declared the wine fully satisfying.  Wolffer Estate has given us another way to make memories.