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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.

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    Isola by Allegra Goodman
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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 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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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

    February 25, 2026
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    This novel I listened to, a 2024 Booker shortlist, on Audible. I loved it for it’s quiet prose and lovely voice. I wonder if I would have loved it as much if I had read the physical book? But for me it was a much needed book of meaning and empathy during this crazy time in our world. Here is my book review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

    Reflection

    This quiet, contemplative novel is written and read in a direct style. At times it feels like you are intruding on someone’s private journal. The narrator, whose name we never know, has left her life and job in Sydney Australia. She has retreated to a rural religious community. Despite her agnostic beliefs, she finds a new home in the community as she faces her past and her personal grief and despair.

    Stillness

    Throughout the book we meet and begin to understand the Sisters of the commune, and members of the community. We are introduced to one visiting Nun whose presence brings back a flood of regret for our narrator. Though stillness and reflection is a major part of life of the community, daily trials persist. The trials include COVID, a mouse plague, lack of resources, and the sudden reappearance of a murdered and missing nun. This creates meaningful and thoughtful introspection for each resident to deal with grief, faith, forgiveness and the reality of the world we occupy.

    Book Review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

    I thought this was a beautiful book and the reader of the Audible version was perfect. It opens a thoughtful narrative of how the difficulties of the world can bring us to our knees. And how stillness can calm the chaos.

    *****Five stars for Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

    Thank you for reading my book review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. See last week’s book review The Names by Florence Knapp.

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    Book Review Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Names by Florence Knapp

    February 18, 2026
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    Unique plot and storyline, I enjoyed this book very much. Here is my book review The Names by Florence Knapp.

    What’s In a Name?

    Knapp’s debut novel creates a unique and intriguing plot, that explores how the choice of a child’s given name may change the course of his and his family’s life. Spanning 35 years in 7 year increments, The Names will keep your turning the page.

    Bear

    Mother Cora and her 9 year old daughter take the baby to register his name. Abusive father Gordon expects and assumes Cora will name the child Gordon…there really has been no other name considered. But Cora is hesitant. Nine year old Maia suggests the name Bear. She says it’s warm and cuddly but also brave and strong. That night, when Gordon finds out Cora has named the child Bear…someone will die, leaving the survivors behind to deal with the results of that one decision.

    Julian

    In another scenario mother Cora registers her choice of name, Julian, instead of Gordon. She reasons that since the name means Father Sky, Gordon will accept her choice. Julian, born to be an artist, can’t possibly know how this decision will affect the future of the family. And not just the immediate family of four but his grandmother in Ireland as well. But mostly it will affect Cora’s future.

    Gordon

    After years of physical and mental abuse, mother Cora does not go against her husband’s choice of naming their son Gordon. But Cora finds it hard to love this child who carries the name of the man she despises. She is distant and Gordon grows up thinking abuse is normal…despite a nagging feeling something isn’t right.

    Choices

    Each of these stories is told in parallel timelines, following the results of the choice made. The novel explores themes of abuse, decisions, free-will, alcohol, family, sexual persuasion and love. I enjoyed this well done novel. Thanks for reading my book review The Names by Florence Knapp.

    See last week’s book review Heartwood by Amity Gaige.

    ****Four stars for The Names by Florence Knapp.

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