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Tana French's writing reflects care and insight into humanity. Her heroes and antiheroes are depicted as humans that nevertheless commit unthinkable deeds in their own ways. This particular novel is unlike the others French has crafted in that the detective works through her personal difficulties alongside the investigation of the murderer. Refusing to follow the most likely suspect, the detective digs deeper until much is uncovered and laid out on the table next to the victim. If as a reader, you want a mystery that offers many avenues to contemplate and follow, want a story that is not simple in its development, and want a character who has foibles as we all do, set aside a weekend, pick up this novel, and jump in with your choice of noshes and beverage/s at hand. You'll want to finish it before doing anything else. Thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks, Ms French!

What an incredibly well written, thrilling account of the horrific experiences of those on the Lusitania, of some of those in the submarine, and of those along the coast and on ships/boats who tried to assist (spoiler alert) the sinking ship. The way Larson wrote it was not to point fingers at the usual suspects, but rather to show ways that could have prevented it all based on the words of the passengers et al., but for way too many prideful folks on all sides.

As a follow up to another book I read (The 36 Hour Day), I've been seeking to learn more ways to understand and help my mom as she ages. Sharing his personal perspectives based on his own cases, even focusing later on his father's mortal trajectory, Gawande has helped me look closer at my mom's living situation as well as her health choices and has, as a bonus, put me more in mind and control of my own future health care and living situation. I cannot offer enough positive comments about this read and this physician-writer. Everyone will benefit from a read of this important book with its simple, self-effacing perceptions about what to think about, indeed act on, when faced with an illness or disease, especially one that may prove fatal. After all, we will all eventually face a time to die. Being able to have several conversations, prior to that time, concerning how we want to live and what we want to do about our life even as we are in the process of dying, as well as about posing questions involving treatment options in consort with doctors'/specialists' offerings is incredibly crucial. Gawande invites us to engage with his research, with his experiences with patients, and his ensuing conclusions in a most readable way that leaves the reader feeling empowered by his clarity. The reader is offered a gift of knowledge to understand, decide, and deliver communication to loved ones about choices as we each live and die. Gawande's empathic and informative efforts to suggest alternative ways to think about living in dying would have made his father even more proud than he most likely was.

I don't usually choose to read historical fiction, but I was drawn to this book from its author's writing successes, from its cover as well as from the era and topic of the story. I am so grateful that I went beyond my comfort zone of sticking to mystery and fantasy books. In a way, this novel was both fantastical and mysterious when considering the characters and their behaviors, the development of their interpersonal connections with each other and with their cultures. It kept me engrossed in each of their interconnected stories and perspectives, in a way I'd not experienced with other historical fiction books I'd read. Uncovering each character's development and perspective, seeing the palpable reality of their choices based on those perspectives, in the developement of their interpersonal relationships, along with the reality of age-specific tendencies were but a part of fulfilling the mystery of what happens to each character. It's a good thing Boyden doesn't seem caught up with the sequel that sadly seems pervasive. I recommend this book to everyone. It became a jewel that I wanted to savor longer. Thanks, Mr. Boyden, for a memorable read!

After I finished "Wonder," I wondered if anyone else found it as profoundly moving as I did. Spoiler alert abounds here along with the number of times the title occurs in different forms: I uncharacteristically welled up in two parts when reading the book. The first time was when Daisy needed to be put down. I thought of our beloved, 17-year-old Noodles, one of three puppies born on our bed, to a champion Golden and a smiling black dog. The way we all took the loss was as keen as losing another member of the family. It was like Auggie and his family were ably described by Palacio. The second tearful experience in Palacio's wonderful book occurred, when everyone started coming to Auggie’s aid on several occasions. It begins, as does life with outsiders, in small spurts and starts, until it becomes a wave. As the main character develops, Palacio was able to capture each supporting character's humanity, give each a unique voice, stay true to that voice of each character throughout the telling of the story in a way that a human and not a character would react in each situation she described. She is, quite simply, an able and fun story-teller. My daughter "taught" the book to her 7th graders and let me borrow it from her library. It was absolutely brilliant that her principal had the entire school read it and discuss its unique and yet recognizable characters and all the challenging situations that many middle school students face in and out of school and community. Each reader knows at least one, or maybe a composite of the characters. Even more super is that Palacio chose to write it, giving such clear, age-appropriate voices to each of her characters as she developed her story about this little boy who ought not to have lived from the day he was born, who struggled, as did his marvelously supportive parents, his older sister, and his emerging friends with his development and his ultimate acceptance on a number of levels: "The only reason I'm not ordinary. is that other people don't see me that way." Did I say I loved this book?

Mo Willems has a way of capturing kids' predicaments--young and old. I laughed aloud at the Willems' creative, fun way to place a message straight on the target. I also smiled at my own behavior towards my kids. The illustrations are also contextually creative in depicting the story. Thanks, Mo. You've created a tale for us all once again. Good job, all y'all.

I was unfamiliar with Murakami's writing, til it became this year's beach read. After engaging with Tsukuru's story, it seemed that this little jewel of a telling reflected and revealed a type of Everyman, mirroring the outsider role that we've all unwittingly played from time to time. Murakami offers us a glimpse of Tsukuru's struggle to understand the perception of his identity, and, as an additional feature, his perception of his relationship with others--all prompted by a specific situation that thrust him into this unchosen outsider role, which he willingly played. During the course of the novel's unfolding, Tsukuru learns more about his identity, about the identity of his former close group of friends, about his unfinished business, emerging from it as a stronger person, ready to make a commitment. The reader just might uncover myriad ways that one's own choices and perceptions lead out or into a seemingly outsider existence.

I love her cookbooks and the fun way she approaches food without any reliance on electrical gadgetry. Her books offer a consistent view of French cooking that essentially tells the reader/cook in a playful and instructive way that not only are the ingredients available for everyone, the recipes accessible, enjoyable, and healthy, but also assuming the cook can read, and likes being almost intimate with the ingredients, then cooking French can be achieved no matter where one lives.