THE MIDNIGHT BOOK CLUB by EMILY W. ANDERSON

 THE MIDNIGHT BOOK CLUB by EMILY W. ANDERSON (Pgs 371)

Goodreads: 

If you could rewrite the story of your own life, would you be brave enough to take a chance at true love?

When writer Aurelia Lyndham inherits a London bookshop from her beloved aunt, she assumes the whispers she hears late at night are nothing more than her imagination-or a talkative burglar. She never expected that the shop was home to characters who could step straight out of the pages of classic novels and into her life.

Spending every night with the cast of Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, and Anna Karenina may not ignite her personal life, but it certainly unlocks her long-standing writer's block. As she sets out to rewrite a character's tragic ending, Aurelia discovers that she just might be on the path to crafting her own happy ending, too.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series.

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

Dear Debbie - 336 pages

Freida McFadden

Summary (From Goodreads)

Sometimes, enough is enough…

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.

Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.

And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

Review

This is only my second time reading a book by Freida McFadden (after reading The Tenant for the Anything Goes Book Club), and I'm glad I did.  I liked this one significantly more.  Although some of the plot points are rather convenient, if you like suspense and you're looking for a good revenge fantasy, this is a solid choice.  

A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot

A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot, 246 pages

In 2020, as the world ground to a halt because of the pandemic, Gisele Pelicot's life similarly began to unravel as she discovered her husband had been drugging her, raping her, and inviting over 50 other men into their home to similarly abuse her. Despite the overwhelming sense of shame and turmoil, Pelicot opted to have an open trial to give courage and embolden other survivors. 

This book was simultaneously an easy read and an extrodinairely difficult one. Easy because Pelicot's way of speaking and navigating her past, present, and future is honest, searching, and open. Difficult because of the subject matter. Sexual violence is inherently abhorrent, but it seems especially unfathomable when it comes from someone you thought you'd spent decades building a life with. 

I can't imagine, even after reading this book, how much strength it must have taken for Gisele Pelicot to have withstood this tempestuous path, but as a woman, I am grateful she has let her story be heard loudly, publically, and without shame.

 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen, 259 pages

Persuasion is Jane Austen's last finished novel and follows the long suffering, roundabout romance between Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth.

My personal reading goal this year was to read classics I hadn't read before, and this novel was at the top of the list. Pride and Prejudice has been a great favorite of mine for many years, but Persuasion has come close in esteem. Anne's inner analysis of her family's ridiculousity provides a port of respite for the reader in the novel's rocky shoals of family, society, and love. Like all the best books, I can't wait to read it again. 

 

The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu

The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu, 193 pages

From the publisher: "In this charming, fable-like book from Japan, a fox spirit sells magical confections to troubled humans, only for them to get a little more than they bargained." 

Fable-like is an apt description. This novel weaves several threads of stories into a glorious tapestry. Unlike some other books in this genre, we get to spend some time with the spirit itself, and not just the affected humans. A delightful read and a credit to its genre. 

 

Youth Group by Jordan Morris and Bowen McCurdy

Youth Group by Jordan Morris and Bowen McCurdy

256 pages

⭐⭐⭐.25/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When Kay reluctantly agreed to join the youth group at Stone Mission Church in Orange County California, she expected the Jesus talk and the dorky singalongs and the colorful posters about dodging temptation. What she didn’t expect was to stumble on her youth group leaders, Meg and Cortland, in the middle of a read-deal exorcism. Turns out they’re both soldiers in a secret organization of demon hunters in a war that’s heating up, and even if Kay wanted to stay on the sidelines, she doesn’t have a choice – she’s a “Blight,” a human who demons can’t possess, and apparently that’s made her a target.

Will Kay find her place in a world that’s so much more God-fearing and monster-fighting than what she’s used to? Will the Stone Mission youth group find common cause with their badass peers of other faiths? Or will a pack of small-time demons use Blights like Kay as the key to starting some real big trouble?

The Girl from the Sea by Lee Knox Ostertag

The Girl from the Sea by Lee Knox Ostertag

256 pages

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.

Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore.

But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.