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Reading Wednesday

    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter

    May 6, 2026
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    If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt I think you would enjoy meeting a unique and thoughtful Tortoise who reflects on her long life and the humans she encounters. Here is my Book Review The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter

    Through the Eyes of a Giant Tortoise

    Coulter gives us a thoughtful and imaginative exploration of perspective, patience, and resilience. Centering on a tortoise who reflects on its own experiences moving slowly through a fast-paced world. Readers will be pulled into a meaningful critique of how speed and productivity are often overvalued among humans. Through calm narrative tone, Coulter invites readers to reconsider what it means to live well, suggesting that observation, persistence, and quiet determination can be just as powerful as quick action.

    Long Life Well Lived

    Our tortoise friend lives a very long life, as giant tortoises will, and we follow her story from her capture in her homeland to her new life on a Southern California estate. Slowly and daily she observes the animals, birds, flowers and humans who come and go over a century. Beyond its surface as a simple tale, the book carries deeper philosophical undertones about time, self-worth, and the natural world. Coulter uses the tortoise as a symbolic figure to challenge societal norms, encouraging readers to appreciate different rhythms of life and to find value in slowing down.

    Book Review The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter

    I found this novel a pleasant surprise. **** Four stars for The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter. Thank you for reading my book review The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter. See last week’s book review Served Him Right by Lisa Unger.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

    April 29, 2026
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    Once again I am working with MB Communications, who have provided this book to me gratis in exchange for my honest review.  This novel was released March 10, 2026.

    Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

    This novel suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a murder mystery? Or fantasy magical genre? Or something right out of the Real Housewives? I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either and I had trouble following the plot at times.

    Vengeance

    At the core of the story is vengeance. When an innocent brunch with the girls turns into a whodunit. Ana Blacksmith starts her day with girlfriends, celebrating her recent breakup with boyfriend Paul. But when the police come knocking, Ana, well known for her bad girl traits, finds herself the key suspect in Paul’s unexpected demise.

    Secrets and Lies

    As the story unfolds we learn that others at the brunch and beyond may have held grudges against Paul. And through out the story weaves a secret network of ancient magical methods used to obtain justice. A family trait of the Blacksmith family puts Ana and her sister Vera in the middle of knowing too much and wanting to know who really killed Paul and why.

    Whodunnit

    Unger’s latest novel I am sure will be on the best seller list like much of her work. But it’s not my style unfortunately. That said, there are many readers who would not be able to put it down…the plot can be a page turner, for the right reader.

    ***Three stars for Served Him Right by Lisa Unger. Thanks for reading my book review Served Him Right by Lisa Unger. See last week’s book review The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony

    April 22, 2026
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    This is one of my upcoming books for book club. I hadn’t heard of it, so I am glad it was chosen for BC or I might have missed it. Loosely based on a true story in Dublin 1969, I found it fascinating and educational. Here is my book review The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony.

    Ireland 1969

    While much of the developed world was legally able to access contraception by 1969, Ireland remained stuck firmly in the laws of the Catholic Church. Despite the desperate situation for some couples trying to feed as much as eleven children on a small single salary, contraception remained illegal. Despite the chastised unwed mothers, cast out of family and home even if they had been raped, contraception remained illegal. This is where we find ourselves in the story The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony.

    Present Day

    Saoirse flees her apartment when she and her boyfriend again argue over having a child. Saoirse isn’t ready. Wandering the streets of Dublin she finds herself at the train station. She notices an older woman boarding the train, but she has dropped something….a photo. Saoirse picks up the photo and understand immediately the value this image has. She chases the woman onto the train, even though she doesn’t have a ticket. When Saoirse finds Maura, she sits with her as Maura weaves a tale of fifty years ago on this very date and train.

    True Story

    A small group of brave women will change the course of history in Ireland and help to bring rights and freedom of choice to Irish women. Based on a true story, though Anthony fabricates much for the novel, The Women on Platform Two brings to light a little known piece of history. Inspired to stand up for change, the women of Ireland banded together and quietly blazed a path for Ireland’s future.

    Book Review The Women on Platform Two

    It’s easy to forget how recently it was that women did not have the rights to contraception. And in this current world where women’s rights are constantly under attack, we should be reminded of how far we have come. Protecting freedom of choice, reproductive rights and equal rights for women is paramount, and The Women on Platform Two helps remind us of how precarious it really is.

    ****Four stars for The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony. Thank you for reading my book review The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony. See last week’s book review The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Nelson.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Nelson

    April 15, 2026
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    Post knee surgery my reading brain seemed to have disappeared. Until I found Lincoln Moon. I really loved the easy dialogue of this beautiful story. A perfect read during my recovery, and I am sure you would enjoy it too. Here is my book review The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Nelson.

    Illinois 1857

    Told from the view of a nine year old boy, Truman “Scrump” Armstrong. Lincoln Moon places us in an bucolic farm family of Jack and Hannah Armstrong. From the start you believe these are good, moral folks with strong family and community ties. Scrump, idolizes his older brother Duff, and also understands the value of his contribution on the family farm.

    When local Quaker neighbor approaches Jack and Hannah about helping hide runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad, life shifts. Jack and Hannah believe everyone should be free, but they are fearful their participation could cause trouble for the family. After much thought and discussion they concede to allow their barn as a hiding place for slaves being led to freedom through Illinois.

    Murder

    But when Duff is accused of the murder of Preston Metzker, son of the wealthiest land baron in the county, things become complicated. Duff is adamant that he is not guilty but the sheriff is holding him until a trial. Even though the only supposed eye-witnesses are two of the towns most unreliable men.

    Duff’s family had no money for an attorney and so they write a letter to an old family friend from twenty years hence. A man names Abe Lincoln currently practicing law in Illinois.

    Famous 1858 Trial

    Loosely based on a historical and famous 1858 trail where Lincoln persuades a judge to take into evidence an almanac to contradict eye-witness testimony. Though not historically accurate in detail, Nelson brings the reader into the story through wonderful characters the reader sees and understands…from a bright and perceptive nine year old to Abraham Lincoln himself.

    Book Review The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Nelson

    I really enjoyed the writing of this book, told in first person from Scrump’s point of view. Easy and quick to read, it should be on your TBR this spring. Thank you for reading my Book Review The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Neson. See last week’s book review Invasive Species by Ellery Adams.

    *****Five stars for The Lincoln Moon by Michael Price Nelson.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Invasive Species by Ellery Adams

    April 8, 2026
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    Once again I am working with MB Communications, who have provided this book to me gratis in exchange for my honest review. This novel will be released on April 14th, 2026.

    Monsters Among Us

    Ellery Adams is not an author I am familiar with, but I found Invasive Species a real page turner. If you are a fan of Madeline Miller ( Circe, The Song of Achilles) or V.E. Schwabb (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil) you will likely find Adams latest work a good read. Here is my book review Invasive Species by Ellery Adams.

    Long Island New York

    Invasive Species is set in the small, tightly knit community of Cold Harbor in Long Island NY. A town on a bay, where everyone is trying to live an idyllic life. Four female friends are close but also in constant competition with each other.

    Also in the community is an ancient and falling apart mansion, home to Mrs. Smith. But no one ever sees Mrs. Smith. In fact most people can’t remember the last time she showed her face. Who is the mysterious woman living shut up in this creepy old house?

    Mrs. Smith

    Of course Mrs. Smith is not who or what people think she is. Living next door, 12 year old Jill and her Nanny Una both fear and wonder about the house and the woman. When one day Mrs. Smith finally re-emergizes into the community, Jill and Una know something bad is about to happen. The community, however embraces Mrs. Smith, including inviting her to a Bar Mitzvah where every child in town will be in attendance. Something mysterious and gruesome is about to happen and Jill and Una must use every ounce of courage they can to try and save the people of Cold Harbor.

    Book Review Invasive Species by Ellery Adams

    If you like mythical and magical stories Invasive Species will have you glued to the page. The novel launches April 14, 2026.

    ****Four stars for Invasive Species by Ellery Adams. Thanks for reading my book review Invasive Species by Ellery Adams. See last week’s book review Isola by Allegra Goodman.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Isola by Allegra Goodman

    April 1, 2026
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    Isola by Allegra Goodman is a luminous and contemplative novel that explores exile, identity, and the fragile threads that bind people to one another. Here is my book review Isola by Allegra Goodman

    Survival

    Set against the stark beauty of an isolated island, the story follows a young woman cast out from the structures that once defined her life. Goodman’s prose is restrained yet evocative. It captures both the physical austerity of the landscape and the emotional turbulence of her protagonist. The island setting becomes more than a backdrop. It functions as a crucible in which questions of faith, survival, and selfhood are stripped to their essence. This poses a psychological story of human endurance through hunger, heartache, loneliness, and resilience.

    Isolation

    There are quiet and terrifying rhythms of isolation. Goodman’s story builds and places readers clearly in the visual and painful story. The story inhabits the slow passage of time alongside her characters.

    Based on a Real Woman

    Like many of my favorite books, Isola is a fictional tale based on a real woman. Marguerite de La Rocque was an orphaned French noblewoman from the 16th century who endured abandonment.

    Ultimately, Isola is a meditation on what it means to endure—physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Goodman resists easy resolutions, instead offering a nuanced portrait of transformation shaped by hardship. The novel explores themes of friendship, love, abandonment, death, faith and a women’s strength against all odds.

    Book Review Isola by Allegra Goodman

    Thank you for reading my book review Isola by Allegra Goodman. ****Four stars for Isola by Allegra Goodman. See last week’s book review Pick a Color.

    We are always grateful when you pin, share and comment on our book reviews. Thank you.

    Isola by Allegra Goodman
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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

    March 25, 2026
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    If you have ever been to a nail salon where the staff speaks another language, you will identify with Pick a Color. This short, easy to read, but profoundly intimate novel surprised the heck out of me. Here is my book review Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa.

    The Susan’s

    Ning owns a nail salon, but her clients think her name is Susan. In fact, every manicurist in the salon goes by the name Susan. It’s easy for the girls in the salon to be anonymous to the clients who come to be buffed and polished. Ning and the other Susan’s listen and agree to what the clients say, even when talking about the clients to each other in their own language.

    Just Another Day

    Pick a Color takes place over one day in the salon. Where we get to know Ning and her intellect and insecurities. A former boxer, Ning likes the rhythm of the salon, and spends her time shuffling memories and fears through her mind as she manages both her own clients and the rest of the Susans. Each of the other girls also managing their fears and trials of life as an immigrant.

    The Immigrant Experience

    Ning’s story, like so many others, is a daily grind of regret and hope, as she manages her expectations for her future, and processes the events of her past. Written in a fast-paced and intense dialogue, it’s an unusual setting with great characters who toll to the privileged clients who don’t even know their names.

    ****Four stars for Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa.

    Thank you for reading my Book Review Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa. See last week Book Review Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.

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    Pick a Color
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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

    March 18, 2026
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    Pulitizer Prize winning novelist Elizabeth Strout is known for her novels with shared characters expertly developed and engaging. Although she has many more books, this is the fourth novel I have read of hers. And per usual Tell Me Everything reintroduces the reader to several of her most loved characters. Here is my book review Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.

    Unrecorded Lives

    A theme in this book revolves around storytelling, and recognizing “unrecorded lives”. In the small Maine town where everybody knows your name, prominent and aging Olive Kitteridge begins a friendship with writer Lucy Barton. The two get together regularly to talk and Lucy tells Olive stories of people. Exceptional stories of unrecorded lives. Olive, a bit of crumudgion and nosy octogenarian of the town, sees a loneliness in Lucy.

    The Kindness of Bob

    While Olive is considered a little difficult, Bob Burgess is the local good guy. Bob has he lived his life taking the blame for an accident he did not cause, and yet he is always ready to help others. He is also is Lucy Barton’s close friend. The two seem to be headed to a romantic relationship out of shared stories and loneliness. Bob brings groceries every week to a shut- in, helps anyone and everyone who asks, and sits in the pew every week listening to his wife’s sermons in the local church. And yet something is missing in his life.

    A Murder

    Bob is an attorney and he agrees to take on a client who has been accused of murder. Here the novel continues to explore themes of empathy and loneliness, family secrets and love. Strout has a particular way of bringing to light the hidden stories of people in the community. She explores how tragedy and regret from childhood and young adulthood can define lives. She does this in a simple storytelling style through meaningful characters we can identify with.

    Book Review Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

    I think I was in the right frame of mind for this book, and I enjoyed the most of the books I have read by Elizabeth Strout.

    *****Five stars for Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

    Thank you for reading my Book Review Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. Please see last week’s Book Review Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni

    March 11, 2026
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    Once again I am working with MB Communications, who have provided this book to me gratis in exchange for my honest review. This novel was released on January 27, 2026.

    This is my third novel I have read by Seattle author Robert Dugoni. However, this is my first one of his legal thriller series featuring Keera Dugan. Here is my book review Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni.

    Robert Dugoni

    I absolutely loved Dugoni’s The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell and his fascinating novel Hold Strong which he co-authored with Jeff Langholz. Both made my top 15 list for last year! But Dugoni is more well known for his police series and legal thriller series. And this new novel is my first foray into his work in this genre.

    Injustice and the Courtroom

    Dugani, a self-proclaimed “recovering lawyer” knows his stuff when he writes about injustice and the courtroom. In Her Cold Justice, the third in a series, we meet attorney Keera Duggan. Following and living in the shadow of her famous attorney father, Keera is determined to prove herself. She is given the opportunity when she takes on a case of a young man accused of smuggling drugs, and also of murder.

    It’s a huge case for the young attorney and she uses every bit of savy and wit to fight her way despite circumstantial evidence. Keera faces ruthless prosecutor Ann Tran, herself a victim of childhood violence, who is known for winning on much less evidence. Kerra is not deterred.

    Keera Duggan

    Throughout the novel you root for Keera, despite the difficulty of the case, the shadow of her father and her own personal demons. Will she save her client from life in prison?

    Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni

    Thank you for reading my book review Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni. See last week’s book review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine.

    ****Four stars for Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni. We are always grateful when you comment, pin and share our book reviews. Thank you.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine

    March 4, 2026
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    Humorous and poignant, and told in a very funny voice of the protagonist, this unexpected book was one of my favorite reads on a recent travel trip. Here is my book review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine.

    Sixty Years of Gullible

    Raja tells the story of his life. At 63 he is living with his mother, in a tiny apartment with a dining room table that takes up most of the space. Raja, a philosophy teacher and the “neighborhood homosexual” just wants to live in peace in his sixties. But his 80 year old mother will have none of it. Raja has spent his whole life not really seeing who his mother really is, only that she meddles in his life.

    Family

    Raja despises his greedy brother who takes advantage of their mother. When Raja’s mother is left without a place to live due to his brother’s greedy tendencies, she moves in with Raja. And bring’s her family heirloom gigantic dining room table. Raja’s mother becomes active in neighborhood and Lebanese activism and Raja sees no peace in his future and needs to get away from his mother.

    Unexpected

    When Raja receives an invitation to attend a writing conferecne in the USA he jumps at the chance. But on arrival it doesn’t take long to see something is fishy. Ghosts from Raja’s past appear and he has to flee. Returning to Beirut thanks to his mother enlisting the help of her wealthy activist friend. Only after the death of Raja’s mother will he understand more clearly who she really was.

    Book Review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine

    Laugh out loud funny, Raja takes us through his sixty years of a life of trauma, drama and his mama, with humor and humility.

    ****Four stars for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible of Rabih Alameddine.

    Thank you for reading my book review The Tue True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine. See last week’s book review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

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    Book Review The True True Story of Raja the Gullible
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