Catherine Newman’s We All Want Impossible Things was one of my favorite books of 2023, and just as soon as I saw Sandwich hit @goodreads, with its earCatherine Newman’s We All Want Impossible Things was one of my favorite books of 2023, and just as soon as I saw Sandwich hit @goodreads, with its early blank cover, I added it to my TBR and began stalking its release, and here it is!
How does Catherine Newman pack so much into this slim story? The emotion… the HUMOR… I read this one in a couple of quick sittings and shared many anecdotes with my mom that had her chuckling, too. Life is so much easier when you can find the humor in the mundane, especially when you can laugh at yourself, which Newman conveys so well though the insights of her characters.
Rocky is the star of the novel, and she’s perfectly imperfect. If you’ve ever had a single hot flash, you can understand some of her emotions, and if you’ve ever made a hard choice you may have second guessed for years, you will feel seen by Rocky’s story, too.
The story takes place during a week spent at the beach together, following a family tradition held for years. The same house, the same family members with an addition or two, the same big love, and also the secrets lingering just below the surface.
I’m most grateful for a story of someone meandering through midlife the best she can, with real struggles, lots of emotion, and shifting dynamics; all balanced with characters who have good hearts, who feel like real people, and who make it through, with the help of each other, even when it’s very, very hard.
Sandwich is what I call the perfect read. It has everything I want in a story and delivered every ounce of what I hoped it would be. I sent Catherine Newman a DM while reading and asked if she could please write all the books. ...more
Everyone is absolutely right about The Wedding People. I could not have loved this book more.
Phoebe, a recently divorced adjunct college professor, haEveryone is absolutely right about The Wedding People. I could not have loved this book more.
Phoebe, a recently divorced adjunct college professor, has arrived at the Cornwall Hotel, a place she’s dreamt of visiting for years. Leaving her entire past life behind, literally walking away, she is struggling hard with her mental health. Upon arriving at the hotel, she discovers it’s been almost entirely booked for a wedding party… She is the lone person not a member. She meets the bride, Lila, and from there forms a friendship and so much more than that.
In The Wedding People, the darkness of mental health struggles is not the focus. Instead, it’s connection. Humor. Growth. Understanding. Love. So much love. There’s so much to love about these characters. This story will make you feel good, but it’s not in a high (only one) note, easy story way, though it’s highly readable and perfectly written. This is a carefully, tenderly drawn story with substance out the wazoo. I’m on a reading roll right now, and this was another favorite for me this year. Phoebe’s insights into marriage and separation made me feel seen, and this story of opening her new chapter gave me a lot of hope for my own.
Oh my goodness. Where to start. When I read Stella Fortuna near its release, I knew I would read anything Juliet Grames writes, and I started countingOh my goodness. Where to start. When I read Stella Fortuna near its release, I knew I would read anything Juliet Grames writes, and I started counting down until her next book. Everyone should be talking about this book, and it will definitely be a favorite of mine this year.
Years ago I visited Italy and Sicily, and I learned more about the history of Calabria. The beautiful towns built right into the sides of mountains, it was easy to imagine picturesque Santa Chionia among the towns I was able to see. The sunsets, too. She painted those clearly as well.
Speaking of clear, Juliet Grames’ writing style is clear and offers full immersion in the captivating story. Human remains are found in the small town, just as Francesca has arrived to open a nursery school there. Ultimately, she is tasked with solving the mystery of those bones, which is, at times, quite harrowing.
The town and entire region of Italy springs to life in so many ways. Its history of brigands, the poverty, the roles of women and their mistreatment, and the unbreakable paesa values. Francesca is a strong and solid main character. She’s sharing this story decades after it happened. Some of the townspeople are sketchy, maybe even dangerous, while others are charming and fully complex. You never know exactly who Francesca, typically referred to as “Maestra/teacher,” can trust.
The story involves an entire town, so there are, indeed, lots of character names (in Italian because it’s set in Italy). You’ll notice the author typically clarifies after the name, “Tito, the Wolf,” the priest, the bricklayer, the bar owner, etc. I had no issues keeping everyone straight.
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia is a story that made me put aside all my other books, so I had no distractions from its multiple layers and captivating plot. Grames is a wordsmith, and I appreciated the vocabulary challenge. A favorite of mine this year, I’m immensely grateful Juliet Grames is on my list of favorite authors.
As someone who adores magical realism in novels, there just aren’t enough of these on the market, and when they are this special, it makes me want to As someone who adores magical realism in novels, there just aren’t enough of these on the market, and when they are this special, it makes me want to shout from the rooftops! I already knew I loved Heather Webber’s books, having read several of her past books. A Certain Kind of Starlight is just as magical.
The story is narrated by half sisters Addie and Tessa Jane and features their beloved Aunt Beans who owns a bakery in a small southern town. Ok, the sweetness of the bakery setting got me good, with all its smells and sights. I LOVED it. Also, it’s easy to love Addie, Tessa Jane, Aunt Bean, and almost all the side characters, except the ones who are super unlikable villains, like Tessa Jane’s grandfather.
As one might predict from the title, the magic involves starlight, but I won’t give it away. It’s way too fun to explore in the story, and I loved how it was all executed. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen should definitely check this one out, as well as all of Heather Webber’s novels. The characters are endearing, and the magic blends seamlessly into the story. The town is charming. I gobbled this up. It was the perfect escape read for me and exactly what I needed to add brightness to my summer reading. All the stars and a favorite. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a Kristy Woodson Harvey super fan. I adore everything she writes, and every one of my summers since 2015 has been kicked off with her books, beginI’m a Kristy Woodson Harvey super fan. I adore everything she writes, and every one of my summers since 2015 has been kicked off with her books, beginning with her debut, Dear Carolina. Every story is as good as her last, but my favorites are the ones set in locations I know best, full of nostalgia for the summers of my childhood spent at the beach. The location for her newest, Beaufort, NC, just happens to be a place I know well, and A Happier Life is a loving tribute to the town.
Also, let’s talk about the messaging- it’s never too late to start over?! If that hasn’t been my last year, I don’t know what has. Secondly, the story involves Keaton, the main character, “returning home” and moving into a house that belonged to her late grandparents who passed away before she was born; she comes to know them through this house and their journals. I returned “home” in a different way, and to a house with special ties to my late loved ones (my dad and brother).
Kristy also explores serious illness and end-of-life, often taboo, in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Also examined is the guilt and blame often felt by family members after loss. This was especially powerful for me as I reflected on some instances of the blame I’ve assigned myself.
I have to mention Keaton, Bowen, and Anderson are absolutely fabulous characters you can’t help but love. Shoutout to Salt and the Dockside Dames, too. Also, all the pirate references meant the world to my inner child who is still obsessed with Blackbeard decades later (if you are from NC, especially coastal NC, you know ...more
This book. I never expected to love these characters as much as I did. Margo truly shines. She’s so insightful and smart, and with the growth she makeThis book. I never expected to love these characters as much as I did. Margo truly shines. She’s so insightful and smart, and with the growth she makes throughout the book, she finds her voice and is not afraid to say the hard things, and at a relatively young age. I also loved how the author spotlighted good, healthy communication amongst the characters. What a way to model self-advocacy.
The characters and the story are rather unconventional. I’ve been talking nonstop about the book, while reading it, and finding it hard to describe, but that’s the joy in it. It’s completely novel and original. I’ve not been a fan of pro wrestling before, but now I wish I could watch a match on the couch with Jinx and Margo. And that Jinx, Margo’s dad… He could not have been more different from my own dad, but at the same time, made me miss him. He grows into such a strong figure in Margo’s life, and healing happens. It’s stunning to watch it unfold.
There’s so much nuance and complexity and many important issues addressed in ways that don’t hit you over the head, but still slam dunk them. Mark wearing a certain school sweatshirt - well, I knew the author must have some kind of ACC tie. That sweatshirt choice is perfect. ...more
When I moved at the end of the summer, this book everyone was talking about was waiting here at my new house when I arrived. Opening the package and fWhen I moved at the end of the summer, this book everyone was talking about was waiting here at my new house when I arrived. Opening the package and finding the signed book plate and matching tote, along with the beautiful book, brought immense joy after some really tough weeks and an extremely arduous (hot!) day.
I’m already a fan of Patchett’s work, and Tom Lake is absolutely my favorite of all the ones I’ve read. Lara, her husband, and three grown daughters live on a cherry farm in Michigan. Lara’s daughters beg her to share the story of the summer she dated a man who became a famous movie star. Thankfully Lara tells the reader the whole story, even if she does hold a little back from her daughters.
The writing is exquisite, easy to read, alluring, and consuming. I could not rush the experience because it was just too good. The cherry farming facts were almost as fascinating as Lara’s time spent acting. It was all extraordinary. I cherished every ounce of this story.
I know not everyone read Our Town before reading this book, but I highly suggest you do. Thank you, @debbielynnwells, for this recommendation. I saw the play years ago, but reading the play really left a mark and added insight to the story I would have missed otherwise. I wish I could watch the play again and then read the book for the first time all over again. I’ll definitely be listening to the audio with Meryl Streep narrating in the future. There aren’t enough words to gush about this one. Definitely a favorite for me this year.
We All Want Impossible Things: this slim book with the most perfect cover has both drawn me to it, and honestly, scared me a little since its release.We All Want Impossible Things: this slim book with the most perfect cover has both drawn me to it, and honestly, scared me a little since its release. Now available in paperback, and just after the one year mark of Dad passing away, the feelings drawing me in won, and they were the ones I should have listened to all along.
Ash and Edi are lifelong best friends, and Edi has terminal ovarian cancer. The story begins with Edi and her family, including Ash, deciding her next steps in care when there are no more treatment options, and hospice is the recommended next step. What commences feels like a few short weeks of Ash navigating caring for her dearest friend in the most meaningful of ways while also mourning the eventual loss of her, bit by bit.
I’ll admit I was scared of the sadness in this book. Having been the main caretaker for Dad, I was worried it would be too hard at times, but then I hadn’t met the narrator, Ash, and Catherine Newman’s sense of humor. I was in careful hands, the story was tenderly, yet wittily, narrated by Ash, and while I cried a couple times near the end of the story, I was brought right back in by the hope and goodness of everyone who surrounded Edi in her last days.
I learned before I read that Catherine Newman experienced a similar loss. While this is fiction, the grain of truth, the authenticity, never wanes, and it feels like a deeply personal memoir. We should all have a friend like Edi. We should all have one like Ash. We should all continue to want Impossible Things. I loved this book. All the stars. I only wish I’d read it sooner.
My dear friend, Pat, recommended A Grief Observed as the one year anniversary of Dad’s death approached. I listened to it on audio and took my time wiMy dear friend, Pat, recommended A Grief Observed as the one year anniversary of Dad’s death approached. I listened to it on audio and took my time with it; almost three months, actually. Just as with the experience I had with Notes on Grief, I was astounded and grateful for the words, the sharp eloquence. It’s a quick read, a small investment, that felt epic. Highly recommended for anyone and everyone.
Five years from now, I’m going to remember that it was this book that saw me through one of the most challenging times; a season of change and growth.Five years from now, I’m going to remember that it was this book that saw me through one of the most challenging times; a season of change and growth. It took me almost all summer to listen to it, well spaced out. Often times I was packing. Sometimes it was hard to focus, but I always came back to Dr. McGarey and her wisdom.
I chose to read and listen to this one. I’m grateful I’ll have a copy to reference on my forever shelf, and I’m also grateful to have heard Dr. McGarey narrate some passages. I could feel the joy in her voice, and I think that says it all. Sometimes these types of books are hard to pin down and truly apply to real life, but this one felt practical and just what I needed. The timing was perfect.⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I received a gifted copy, but I also purchased the audiobook.
Swoon. Friends to lovers. A travel rom com. A sequel to another road trip romance. I’ve been looking forward to A Cross-Country Wedding all summer, anSwoon. Friends to lovers. A travel rom com. A sequel to another road trip romance. I’ve been looking forward to A Cross-Country Wedding all summer, and it’s fitting on one of its last days (summer, please don’t go!), I read this joyful book.
A little background:
“A fun-loving free spirit. Her buttoned-up best friend. And a cross-country wedding that could drive their platonic relationship toward something else entirely.”
Simon and Maddie. Maddie and Simon. And Lauren and Will are there, too. ...more
Thank you, @atriabooks and @librofm, for the gifted book and ALC.
During the pandemic, I was fortunate to have been made aware of Maggie Smith’s poetryThank you, @atriabooks and @librofm, for the gifted book and ALC.
During the pandemic, I was fortunate to have been made aware of Maggie Smith’s poetry, in the form of Keep Moving and the Keep Moving journal. I think the title says it all perfectly. Since then, I want to scoop up all her books, and I could not wait to read/listen to You Could Make This Place Beautiful, a memoir about Smith’s past marriage. She narrates audiobook.
Maggie Smith hooked me from the start when she said that the book would not be the story of a bad man and a perfect woman (I’m paraphrasing). It absolutely wasn’t. She was open and vulnerable while still protecting the privacy of her ex husband, and especially, her children. Another thing she said that grabbed me was that this is obviously her deeply personal story, and she wasn’t sure if it would help anyone. I found many universal truths, and you may have seen my story shares of some of the passages. The title comes from a poem Smith wrote about motherhood that is filled with openings and universal truths many can relate to.
Highly recommend the book and audio. Highly recommend anything by Maggie Smith. This will be a re-read many times over.
A couple months back, Penguin (#partner) reached out to me about Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) when Life is Not Okay. I already love this type A couple months back, Penguin (#partner) reached out to me about Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) when Life is Not Okay. I already love this type of inspirational book anyway, especially when it’s framed in the positive about joy and happiness, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was kismet, with the very recent, in the same month, devastating loss of my beloved dad.
About Microjoys: “Bighearted and hopeful. Unflinchingly honest and healing. A profound compendium of intimate, inspiring essays and thoughtful prompts that will keep you afloat in difficult times and sustain you in the everyday.
Microjoys are a practice of uncovering joy and finding hope at any moment. They are accessible to everyone, despite all else. When we hone the ability to look for them, they are always available. Microjoys are the hidden wisdom, long-ago memories, subtle treasures, and ordinary delights that surround us: A polka-dot glass on a thrift store shelf. A dear friend's kindness at just the right time. The neighborhood spice shop. A beloved family tradition. The simple quietude of being in love. A cherished chai recipe.”
Cyndie Spiegel experienced a year of tremendous losses and devastating news, and that’s when she began to find small moments of presence where she could recognize microjoys. She shares with the reader many of her own through short essays, and these are helpful because sometimes I don’t slow down enough to stop and look around at what is a moment of joy. One of my favorite things to do is sit on my sunporch any season with the cats and a book and watch the birds. In a special moment, I might have a visit from a cardinal, which many think is a visit of a lost loved one. I have always believed that, too.
Since reading about microjoys, I find even more connection to my dad through dance and singing. I love the connection, I mean, I really, really love it, but I also have to mention the microjoys can also be purely about me finding joy in the moment. They don’t have to be anyone else. If you are familiar with mindfulness and positive mindsets, this will fit right and reinforce those things.
I’m so grateful Microjoys was put into my hands during this time. It’s one I will keep nearby and I also bought on Kindle so I can have it with me all the time. It’s a loving way to find joy in presence no matter how hard life can be. And I think it’s those small moments of joy that often carry us through the darkest of moments.
This is book I’ve had on and off my nightstand since it came out. I love that it’s a smaller size and doesn’t have a dust jacket because I feel like tThis is book I’ve had on and off my nightstand since it came out. I love that it’s a smaller size and doesn’t have a dust jacket because I feel like that makes it sturdier for all the love and use it receives. The Comfort Book is ideal to reach for when you are tired but can’t sleep because the short and thoughtful passages can be read quickly, and just as the title says, each and every one provide nothing short of the comfort promised.
Emotional intelligence is a construct we talked about more often as a society. Matt Haig is exceptionally introspective and in tune with his own emotions, while also having a gift in the way he expresses, such that I feel seen and understood. I can’t think of another book that’s similar. It is absolutely not a self-help book in the traditional way we think about them. I’ve still not read it from front to back, though I know I’ve read some passages, especially those on which I’ve placed a dart, many times over. It’s hard not to mark them all for later.
I absolutely love this little book, so much so, I ordered a second copy in the form of the UK edition. Now I can’t decide on a thoughtful place to put it. ...more
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted physical copy. I also purchased my own copy of the audiobook from Libro.fm.
You know how sometimes you avoid ceThank you, Random House, for the gifted physical copy. I also purchased my own copy of the audiobook from Libro.fm.
You know how sometimes you avoid certain emotional book topics at times in your life because you worry they will overwhelm you and hit too hard? I knew I had to read In Love, but I wasn’t sure if the time would ever be right. Three years of caring for my ailing, beloved dad; we’ve been pinged back and forth from one setback to the next.
Much like I remember a song I heard at a certain time in my life, I can remember the books I read, when and why, and most importantly, how they made me feel, and especially how they shaped my life.
One such book was When All Is Said. Anne Griffin’s gorgeous, heartfelt, emotional book changed a major dynamic in my relationship with my dad and both of my aging parents. When my brother passed away, and my parents began to need me more, at first, I felt like I had to “parent” them. I thought they should just listen to me because I know better.
Through the struggles of the main character in the book, I discovered I absolutely don’t know better, and my parents should be in charge of the course of their own lives. It’s their journeys, after all. Allowing them to guide gives me much more peace. Could I have learned that lesson from another book, or even without the book? Maybe? But I hadn’t until then, and the timing was important.
Timing was everything. I just saw I read When All Is Said less than a month before my dad fell, resulting in a hospital stay, then physical rehab, and later with injuries of which he would never fully recover, and a three year stay in long term care. I don’t think the timing of reading the book was a coincidence.
Which leads me to In Love. I seek out books on grief. I know that it’s is a journey with no end. I know we grow around our grief. Losing my brother was a terrible loss, which left me an “only” child, but also not an only child. I continue to process my life without him present, especially as it comes to guiding my parents. I added In Love to my shelf because of that need to relate to and process grief, but also because I read that it addresses assisted or accompanied suicide.
I both read and listened to In Love. The audio is over-the-top exceptional. Amy Bloom sharing her own story with her beloved Brian, it’s remarkable. This is a slim memoir. The audio and book fly by quickly. The writing is precise, as with all of Bloom’s books. I’m already a huge fan of Amy Bloom’s work, and now I’m a fan of her. The love she and Brian had for each other is awe-inspiring. The gist of the book is that Brian has been diagnosed with earlier onset Alzheimer’s, and he has choices to make as he begins to decline rapidly. And Amy Bloom is there for him every step of the way.
My beloved dad passed away yesterday, less than 12 hours after I finished In Love, covered in tears. Just like with Anne Griffin’s book, I don’t think it’s a coincidence I was reading this so close to Dad’s passing.
This is why I read. Books give me insight I may never have had. They help me feel seen. They help me understand others, especially those I love, and even more than that, they help me understand myself.
My Goodreads family has been a big part of my life these last years, and where in the past, I have kept many things close and private, this is a tremendous loss. One legacy Dad left me with was his love for books and reading. His local town had a decent-sized library, and he read every book of interest and had begun re-reading them in short order. His favorites were anything set out west, including Louis L’Amour, owning all of his books and re-reading each of them more times than I could count.
Dad could always be found with a well-worn book in his hand because he loved on them, breaking the spines, turning the covers back and wrapping them around. I am the opposite; keeping my books in pristine, unread-looking condition, playing it a little “safe” with my books. Dad lived large and loved big. He dared to dream and kept dreaming until his last days even when he could no longer focus enough to enjoy reading. A writer and trained vocalist, he gifted his family with memories of long road trips filled with his storytelling and all the songs he loved most. He was loved as he lived - big, and he will be infinitely missed.
“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. Never let it fade away.”
(I edited this a little, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it).
Lynda Cohen Loigman has now written three novels. I won a copy of The Two-Family House in 2016 when I was a baby bookstagrammer and blogger. I went onLynda Cohen Loigman has now written three novels. I won a copy of The Two-Family House in 2016 when I was a baby bookstagrammer and blogger. I went on to recommend that book to everyone, and everyone who read it came back to tell me and ask for more recommendations. I also loved The Wartime Sisters, and now The Matchmaker’s Gift is my new favorite. I will be recommending it far and wide.
Sara and her family immigrate to the Lower East Side of NYC in the early 1900s. She finds her calling in the form of matchmaking. The problem is, in her community, Jewish matchmakers are typically male and since they earn their living this way they are not happy to have a someone new making successful matches in the neighborhood, much less a young, unmarried woman.
In the second timeline, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is working as a newly vetted matrimonial attorney handling divorces and prenuptial agreements. It’s interesting she’s in this precise spot because it’s in working with these clients that she also finds her calling.
Ok, I loved it all. Both timelines. Sara. Abby. All the lovely people they encounter and help. The love in their family. The healthy love in relationships. The goodness in everyone’s hearts. The hope, the emotion, the cultural backdrop, the history, the power. Silky smooth writing without a spare word to keep you fully immersed in the story. It’s an uplifting story, and the very last line left me with an audible gasp filled with hope! Love love love. A must read for all!
I’m circling back to this one as we approach year’s end. This is still my book of 2023.
I find it most challenAll the stars. Every star is not enough.
I’m circling back to this one as we approach year’s end. This is still my book of 2023.
I find it most challenging to write the first sentence of a review for a book I adored as much as I loved On the Savage Side. Another reviewer on Goodreads said that Tiffany McDaniel may well be the most gifted storyteller alive today. I can’t shake it. That’s how I feel, too.
With two, and now soon-to-be-three, books published, she has a trademark style of storytelling, one that has me hanging on her every lyrical, descriptive, imaginative word. On top of that, her characterization, the vulnerability and heart in her characters, the creativity in their imaginations, reflective of her own endless creativity; I never want to leave their stories behind, and in the case of On the Savage Side, I dreaded having some idea of their ultimate fates due to what happened to the “Chillicothe Six.”
Inspired by six women in Chillicothe, Ohio, who disappeared around the same time and their cases remained unsolved years later, these women lived and loved in McDaniel’s home state, and the part of Ohio she showcases in her books, an area left behind in some ways.
Arcade (“Arc”) Doggs is the narrator. She begins as far back as her memory takes her, as the twin sister to Daffodil (“Daffy”). Her father is in the military for a time and returns home a different man. He uses drugs to cope, and eventually that use spills over to Addie, the twins’ mom. The girls are young when this happens. Their saving grace is beloved Mamaw Milkweed. She provides a respite from the chaos and is their normal. Time with and lessons learned from her are cherished. Life changes for the twins again when Mamaw is no longer part of their lives.
Time and tragedy chip away at Arc and Daffy’s dreams. Their armor slowly falls away, as they aren’t protected from the ugliness and dark underbelly, until eventually they find themselves on the same path as their mom and Aunt Clover. With drugs they lose their hopes but never their friendships and closeness with each other. During this time they become friends with other women in the community who use drugs to dull life’s immense hardships. As with their mom and aunt, they also turn to sex work to keep money in their pockets and to buy more drugs.
The women are hopeful as they try to get clean, but they return to the same environment and stressors, and life has a way of resetting back to what it knows. One by one, the women disappear and are found in the river. Arc narrates until the very end. Even though I knew the direction the book would take, I never lost hope that someone would escape to a better life, one would overcome addiction, no matter how steep the mountain was to climb. McDaniel goes deep into the darkest, most painful places, but she always leaves some hope to hang onto in the goodness of the hearts of her fallible characters.
The way the story gets its name is derived by a lesson taught by Mamaw Milkweed. That gem is literally threaded throughout the book in a subtle way, and while I have to mention it, I will not spoil it for the reader.
On the Savage Side is a marketed as a literary thriller, and I agree with that classification, though thriller fans should be prepared for the finest, deep dive characterization there is, which keeps the story at a deliciously even pace. There’s an unease from the very first page, and there are twists I did not foresee, including the final twist. I don’t think the twists are in the front seat of the story; the characters, their friendships, and life struggles are.
As with all of McDaniel’s books, I hang on every word. I read, re-read, reflect, ponder, and more than anything I feel. The Chillicothe Six deserved a voice. All women who were once little girls with hopes, dreams, aspirations, and open hearts, who were sisters, mothers, and daughters, deserve a voice, to know love and be loved, and to find justice when a life is taken.
I received a gifted copy of this book; however, I also have it on preorder. Preordering books by our favorite authors is one of the best ways we can support them, and with more than twenty books in her arsenal, and only three published, I want to hear from Tiffany McDaniel again and again for a lifetime.
Reading The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees was a privilege and an honor. In 20All five stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Reading The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees was a privilege and an honor. In 2021, I read The Road from Raqqa, a journalistic narrative nonfiction about two Syrian brothers and their journey to safety. I could not have loved that story more. If you haven’t read it, please check it out.
The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a parallel journey, as Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Matthieu Akins, travels alongside his Afghan friend, Omar, as he embarks on the smuggler’s road from Kabul, Afghanistan to (hopefully) freedom and safety. The journey takes most of 2016 for different reasons starts and stops due to closed doors, denied paperwork, and terrifying danger.
Aikins shared in the author’s note that it took him five years to write this epic story. Not only is it filled with the harrowing adventure he and Omar took down the smuggler’s road, from Kabul, to Turkey, and Greece, but it’s also filled with a wealth of research related to immigration, the refugee crisis, war, imperialism, activism, social justice, nationalism, I could go on and on. It took me a while to read this narrative nonfiction (my absolute favorite type of nonfiction) because I was learning and absorbing what I read. The writing is precise, smooth, and easy-to-read, but I had some personal work to do in digesting it.
My list of favorite books has been quite short for 2022, but you can bet The Naked Don’t Fear is on that list. There’s so much more I could say, but I need to remember: less is more. If this interests you, please read it.
Float Plan is easily one of my favorite rom coms, ever, and the follow-up Beck Sisters books have not disappointed me. At all. In fact, Off the Map isFloat Plan is easily one of my favorite rom coms, ever, and the follow-up Beck Sisters books have not disappointed me. At all. In fact, Off the Map is now my favorite. Sometimes it’s those personal connections that make for an over-the-top reading experience, and that is what I had here.
Off the Map is Carla’s story. She is the best friend of Anna from Float Plan, and she finds love with Eamon, Anna’s fiancé’s brother, when they meet in Dublin for Anna’s wedding. Maybe it was a quick attraction, but I’m sure Carla felt like she knew Eamon through Anna and Keane’s relationship, even before she met him in person. Also, it was Carla’s relationship with her dad, as well as his illness and how she handled it, that further connected me to her story. I may write more about that later. As someone who solely cared for my dad while he declined over several years, often isolating myself, I had all the feels when it came to Carla and her dad. There were so many little details I could relate to, which enriched the story and made everything even more authentic.
Carla’s dad sometimes called her by her mother’s name, and my dad did this, too, especially when we were on the phone. In that moment, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t lucid, but his memory would take over. One of his nurses asked me if I sounded like my mom, and I do. There were many other commonalities. While my dad was not primarily affected by dementia, he had some memory loss and other cognitive challenges from Parkinson’s Disease. Another thing I loved in their relationship was how her dad could do just about anything because mine could, too. Just yesterday, while listening to Dad’s favorite Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on vinyl, I asked my mom if there was anything Dad couldn’t do. Last, I loved the travels the two took together and how close they were.
Trish Doller so easily writes the kind of rom coms I most want to read. They are smart, immediately immersive, with no fluff or filler, and have strong characters who are complex and innately human. Just as with the other books, upon finishing, I frantically checked to make sure a new book is on the way. I don’t know how I’ll wait until 2024! ...more
There’s so much to love in The Sign for Home. Arlo Dilly is DeafBlind and a Jehovah’s Witness, and he needs a new interpreter when his path crosses wiThere’s so much to love in The Sign for Home. Arlo Dilly is DeafBlind and a Jehovah’s Witness, and he needs a new interpreter when his path crosses with Cyril. Thank goodness their paths cross because Arlo is living quite the sheltered and even manipulated life by those who communicate with him, including his uncle/guardian and his other interpreter, Molly. Cyril better understands the roles and functions of an interpreter and also how to advocate appropriately for his clients in this role. Arlo only knows what is shared with him by a limited number of people and through that they control him and his every move.
With Cyril at his side, as well as Molly, he begins to take college courses. Eventually, he lets his guard down and shares more about a traumatic experience from when he lived in a residential school, a story that involves his first (and now) love, Shri.
I learned so much about the DeafBlind community from Arlo’s story. I also better learned about interpreter roles and advocacy. The story pulled on every single emotion as I was angry with how Arlo was hurt and manipulated, but then when he was given a second chance at finding his voice, and at love, I rejoiced. The author is an interpreter, and I am so grateful he shared his insights, as well as this heartwarming journey of a story.
By the way, The Sign for Home is the most perfect title for this book. ♥️
Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader
>
Books:
huggable-books
(72)
Loading...
