Four Treasures of the Sky

 

“Four Treasures of the Sky” by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Published by Flatiron Books
Finished 6/2/23 – 4/5 stars
 
This book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction last year, which is how I found it.  I’m honestly not sure why I haven’t heard more about it or why it hasn’t received more attention.  It may be a debut novel, but it doesn’t read as one.  You will fall in love with the main character and want to protect her through all the situations she encounters while trying to find her way back home to China where she had been kidnapped from as a child. The story is heartwarming at times and heartbreaking at others.  I definitely recommend it.
 
Side note – this book does have a pet peeve of mine……no quotation marks!  Drives me crazy but I was still able to fully enjoy it.
 
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The Seed Keeper

 

“The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson

Published by Milkweed Editions

Finished 5/29 – 4/5 stars

 

I truly enjoyed this historical fiction surrounding Native American heritage and culture, spanning multiple generations. Due to our different upbringings and surroundings, occasionally I had to remind myself that the main character, Rosie, was only about 10 years older than me because it felt like it was taking place much earlier in time.  The book was very well written with the only real negative being that it was a little too political at times.  They were brief instances and necessary for the storyline though, so it didn’t take too much away from the overall feel of the book.  I highly recommend it.

 

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The New Mother

 “The New Mother” by Nora Murphy

Published by Minotaur Books

 

Finished 5/24 – 4/5 stars

 

This book is almost like 2 books in one.  The first half is very focused on the main character’s undiagnosed post-partum depression after having her first baby.  As a reader (and mother), I could see through her thoughts, feelings, and actions to assume she probably had it. Those closest to her didn’t see it though and just thought she was overtired from having a fussy baby.  I fear that happens too often in real life.  The second half turns into a page turning thriller.  It’s not a mystery because the reader knows exactly what is happening before it even happens, but the suspense is with regards to whether or not the truth will come out before the lies are set in stone.  I thought it was very well done and definitely recommend it.

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for gifting me with an advanced copy to read and review (Publication date – 5/30/23).  And thank you to the author for shining a light on post-partum depression.  Too many women suffer in silence, afraid to ask for help.

 

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The Winter Guest

 

“The Winter Guest” by Pam Jenoff
Published by Park Row Books
Finished 5/21/23 – 3.5/5 stars
 
I definitely enjoyed this one but found it a little too predictable and the ending seemed rushed.  When you see you only have about 40 pages left to read but a lot of storyline still to wrap up….there will either be a sequel or a rushed ending.  This has the rushed ending.  It’s still a good story, I just wish Ruth’s storyline continued further before jumping ahead to 2013.
 
This obviously won’t be the same for everyone but with my Polish background, there were a few words that would just warm my heart when I read them.  It’s not often you find Polish words in a book written by an American, but it was nice to find Babcia, pieogi, Wigilia, Oplatek, and the mention of waiting for the 1^st star to arrive before eating Christmas Eve. My family will understand.
 
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Not a Happy Family

 

“Not a Happy Family” by Shari Lapena

Published by Penguin Books

 

Finished 5/15/23 – 4/5 stars

 

Not only is this family not happy, they are extremely dysfunctional.  The book opens with the murder of a couple in their home within a rich community.  It then becomes a quirky “who done it” involving many family members with probable cause and none with a solid alibi.  There is no love or trust in one another but there is a lot of finger-pointing as their relationships seem to just unravel over the next couple weeks.  There aren’t a lot of twists and turns but you’ll probably change your mind a few times as to who you think the murderer is and if you are like me, you’ll be wrong when the killer is revealed.

 

The book is a very quick read with short chapters, making it easy to find good stopping points.  It does bounce around a lot between many unlikable characters but it’s not hard to follow.  And even though I guessed the wrong killer, I still recommend it.

 

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The Book of Lost Names

 “The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel
Published by Gallery Books

Finished 5/9 – 4.5/5 stars

 

I thought this was going to be a 5 star read until I reached the end.  The story itself was great, the character development was really good, and it was overall well written.  There were plenty of horrific aspects of the holocaust but this story focuses more on shining a light on some of the good people were able to do for one another to try to survive it. I truly loved reading it but there were 2 aspects of the storyline in which I didn’t like the closure given – 1 would have been ok, but 2 was too much (you’ll understand once you read it). I also felt that the storyline of the book itself needed to be drawn out a little more to come full circle, showing the benefits of it being found.  Those are more personal preferences but they’re the reason it’s not quite a 5 star read for me.  I highly recommend it though.    

 

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Since We Fell

 “Since We Fell” by Dennis Lehane
Published by HarperCollins

 Finished 5/5/23 – 4/5 stars

 

What a roller coaster ride!!  It starts out a little slow but then there are so many ups and downs and twists and turns, you truly never know what is going to happen next.  Definitely my kind of book.  Even with that said, I just couldn’t give it 5 stars.  At times I felt like it was a little too far-fetched plus there were some holes that needed filling but overall, great story.  I just wish it had one more chapter, although that might have led to a sappy ending and nobody wants that.  I’ll just finish it my head and give it the ending I want it to have. 

 

Although I’ve watched (and LOVED) Mystic River, I had never read any of Dennis Lehane’s books prior.  Now I think I’ll have to go in and add some to my TBR list.

 

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