Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Jesse Q. Sutanto

Genre: Murder Mystery

I love Vera Wong. There. I said it. I would so enjoy meeting her in person, drinking her tree, hearing her unsolicited advice about, well, anything. Jesse Q. Sutanto has created a gem in Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Vera wakes one morning to discover a dead body in her “famous” tea shop. Vera is widowed, and Tilly her son has little to do with her, so she is a bit bored. She is certain of her abilities to solve the murder of Marshall. She pays close attention to who stops by the shop in the wake of the murder and begins to try and solve the case. In doing so, she builds a family, loving in her way, each suspect whom she encounters. 

Vera is a force. She texts her son every day with important advice - even if he just seems irritated by her.  She is painfully honest with all who cross her path. She delightfully ignores everyone who gets in her way - the police, her son…she is on a mission, yes to solve a mystery, but also to feel relevant and add something different to the life that is beginning to bore her. I laughed out loud at her multiple times throughout my reading, and honestly such behavior is not entirely typical for me. Her surrounding cast of characters are well developed and multidimensional. From the murder victim’s wife and toddler to his brother, the programmer he cheated, and the artist he stole from, the cast of characters all come to know and love Vera. Each and every one of these folks have a reason to have ended Marshall’s life. They all have a difficult story to tell. They are all keeping secrets. They are hurting. But somehow, Vera reaches into their hearts and earns their trust in spite of her prickly nature. Slowly she finds ways to bring each one of them back from the brink of their hurt and see hope in a difficult world. Sutanto has me rooting for each and every one of them. I couldn’t for the life of me see how she was going to end this novel and resolve the murder without hurting my heart a bit. And while my heart did hurt, it was for Vera - no spoilers. (No fear, it ends like a good cozy mystery should). Eunice Wong does a lovely job of bringing each character to life with her narration, and of course most especially Vera, herself. She also helps to enhance the insights that Sutanto offers into Vera’s Chinese American culture.

I’m not kidding when I say that as different as this book is,  reading it evoked feelings of Fredrick Backman’s A Man Called Ove - which I loved also. At an older age, when folks can’t keep up with the latest technological lingo and seem too old fashioned for words, Vera and Ove end up showing up in a big way for the people around them. They experience love in new ways as well. The mystery here is almost - almost - ancillary. I am always glad to be reminded that change can be good, friends can be made, new hobbies can be developed, and helping others can ease one’s own sadness. Aging isn’t always a simple proposition. Some days I feel like crawling into bed and staying there. Vera is only a couple of years ahead of me and gives me hope. I hope we get more of Vera. Jesse Q. Sutanto?

The Connellys of County Down - Tracey Lange

Genre: Contemporary Adult

I have always wanted to be Irish…who knows why? I have a Katelyn and a Kerry, and I love a good St. Patrick’s day moment, but I am, I think mostly English with some Scottish thrown in (having a tartan is not awful lol). Any how, I couldn’t help but be drawn to Tracey Lange’s The Connellys of County Down. Always, I am drawn to the power of change and possibility. Retirement has been both lovely and difficult for me. While I know it was time for me to exit full time education for a variety of reasons, I worry that I still have a lot of years and hope to use them contributing to the world. I haven’t completely figured out the hows yet. I could be convinced some days that my current ruts are permanent and that the die is cast for much of my life; Lange shows the power of simple changes leading to a new hope. 

When Tara Connelly is released from 18 months in prison, she is stunned to find neither one of her siblings waiting to pick her up and that she is forced to accept a ride from Ryan, the police officer instrumental in her jailing. The release foreshadows nicely the difficulties that she will find in returning home. Her brother Eddie, who struggles with stress and seizures while happy to find her at home carries a big secret. So too do her sister Geraldine and even the oddly attentive  Ryan. Tracey Lange crafts a lovely novel of coming home, of family love and loyalty, of resolving conflict in The Connellys of County Down. 

 What I enjoyed most about Tracely Lange’s The Connellys of County Down is the strength of the family. She creates complex and realistic characters. We can both admire and dislike them-just like folks in real life. Even with all of the struggles and flaws, Tara, Eddie, Geraldine, and Conner love each other. They share the kind of love that survives serious disagreements and fights. Lange shows them warts and all. The kind of relationships that can transcend such conflict is to be admired. I also appreciated that a mental health counselor also makes an appearance. Through her, much of the healing is rooted. I cheer for the normalization of good counseling and the balance of her help and the persistence of the family in working for positive change.  I also very much enjoyed Lange’s earlier novel We Are the Brennans. I love these families, even as an English Scot. 

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

Genre: Mystery

What a delightful read! I’m not sure that’s exactly right for a book that features multiple murders and a mysterious set of bones in the cemetery, but gosh, it is! The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and narrated by Lesley Manville is a great read! Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron residents of the upscale Cooper’s Chase retirement village meet on Thursdays to look over unsolved murder cases. Imagine their surprise (maybe not?) when their intellectual pursuit becomes very real with an unsolved murder (or two) in their very own community. While they “befriend” the local police, they fully intend to get to the bottom of things in their very own way. 

This book was recommended to me as I was actively mourning my completion of the Louise Penny Three Pines Series. For a very long time, when I finished one, I had another to start. Catching up to publication was a bitter pill. As  in the way of Three Pines, these folks in Cooper’s Chase took a chapter or six to lure me into their world. Once there, though, I sure did enjoy it. Elizabeth has a mysterious past, which opens up all sorts of resourceful avenues for their investigations. Joyce is a bit silly, but her narration of the events through her journal entries are insightful and a bit funny. Ron and Ibrahim are polar opposites who combine together to accomplish much. Ron’s son and Joyce’s daughter figure prominently in the book as well, and Osman develops those relationships in realistic and poignant ways. Chris and Donna, the police officers and a slightly younger crowd round out the main cast nicely. Osman develops each character major and minor with an ear for detail that creates distinctive personalities that I enjoy so much. The mystery is well crafted as well in such a way that I was  intrigued and surprised by the twists and turns. Further, like in Three Pines we are asked to think about issues beyond the mystery at hand. What do we value in relationships? What does love require? Are some secrets all right to keep? Thought provoking stuff. Lesley Manville brings all of the characters alive with her expert narration. I definitely enjoyed the audio version very much.

As I explore what life means to me in these new steps as I’ve retired from full time work. I am not ready for the retirement village yet, but Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron make it feel a little inviting. This book is a lovely reminder of how much life remains to be lived - to find people and explore interests and passions. I am reading and trying to write and exploring many of the interests that I haven’t recently had time for. Dare I say even look for ways to help the people around me and I am. Simultaneously  the obvious endings - Penny and John, Elizabeth’s husband - are daunting. If I focus there, I can certainly become unnerved. But I can also be reminded that life can change very, very quickly and to value time with the people I love.  If you love a good murder mystery that is lively and thought provoking, please consider Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. I am surely headed to book two!

The Christmas Checklist - Lisa Hepner

Genre: Romance

If you love a Hallmark Christmas movie, then Lisa Hepner’s, The Christmas Checklist is for you. Hepner, a Christmas movie screenwriter, taps into her own personal experience to craft this novel. Emily had moved home temporarily to care for her dying mother and is mourning her loss while dreading the approach of Christmas at the novel’s beginning. She finds a checklist that her mom has created of 12 items that she should complete before the holiday’s arrival. She is not at all thrilled at the prospect but out of love and grief, she feels she must try. Cue the meet cute with local journalist Noah. He becomes quite involved in her quest and the ripples her actions are making in their community and would love to write about it for the local paper. Let the Christmas season work its magic.

I do love Hallmark movies, and I really enjoyed  this book. (Which has, in fact, been made into a movie for this holiday season - see Amazon Prime. I’ll be streaming it soon!) I could relate to Emily’s grief having lost my mom very close to the Christmas holiday. The author’s own experience with this is clear, and the book is sincere and lovely. While Christmas movies can be somewhat…predictable, Hepner does an excellent job of providing some twists and turns, maintaining my interest while capturing so many of the traditional Christmas experiences that the reader wants in a novel like this. 

The checklist is very inspirational to anyone experiencing a change from grief to job changes. The list includes donating jackets and clothes, decorating, sending handwritten cards, getting to know your neighbors, and much more. (A complete list is available at The Christmas Checklist) The completion of any of these items clearly will create a ripple effect. I love how Emily grew and changed and found hope and in doing so created hope for others. I love the illustration of a mother’s wisdom. I think we all wish to leave our kids with a hope that outlasts us. If you need a bit of joyfilled hope this season - Check out The Christmas Checklist by Lisa Hepner - and maybe fulfill some items on the list yourself. 

View fullsize

Amazing Grace Adams - Fran Littlewood

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Audiobook

I love a quirky heroine - one who is not perfect and who struggles just a bit with the world around her. The Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood checked those boxes for me with a flourish. The throughline is 40 something year old Grace is desperately attempting to get a special cake to her daughter’s 16th birthday party.  She deserts her failing car, fights with a pharmacist, steals a golf club, and uses it to assault the headlight of a car. She is exhausted and injured and yet…determined somehow to reach out to the daughter who wants nothing to do with her. 

So of course - as her day advances, Littlewood gives us the flashbacks and weaves together the back stories that have led to this tumultuous day. She does so masterfully - I am surprised more than once. Quite honestly, when I think I’m done with Grace - like she’s a little too perimenopausal or self involved, then boom, I’m back and cheering her on and admiring her focus. The book balances a kind of humor with powerful and poignant moments that will take your breath away. I was unprepared for the emotion, but it was that emotion that kept me coming back and rooting for her. The narration was delightful. Claire Skinner adds dimension and insight to Littlewoods words.

As we age, it is easy to feel unheard and discounted. I often feel like I am losing control of everything - my internal thermometer, my weight, the structure of my hair, my ability to think clearly. I guess that’s why I could relate to Grace so quickly. I enjoyed seeing her find her voice. While I doubt I would ever embark on a journey with quite so much aggression, a part of me admired her refusal to stand down; the community service was likely well worth it. And while you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover - this book’s does a perfect job of capturing her spirit. If you need a little boost, some humor, and to see someone coming back from the brink, take some time to get to know Grace. 

Tom Lake - Ann Patchett

Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
Genre: Literary Fiction Historical (?) ( I can’t wrap my head around the 80s being historical) 

Tom Lake is written by Ann Patchett and performed by Meryl Streep. She brings this book to life in a truly perfect way.I feel like I can just stop now, and most of you would find the book to read. I loved every minute. I will see if I can effectively articulate why. 

The novel begins with auditions for the play Our Town in a small New Hampshire town. After listening to a series of just awful Emilys, Laura puts her name on the audition list and gets that part that launches her career in acting as Lara. I love the play; I have read it, seen it, and taught it. Through a series of events, an older Lara finds herself doing summer theater at Tom Lake in Michigan, playing the part of Emily again. She has been “discovered” by this time, has made a movie in Hollywood, and is waiting for it to be released. Here she meets and is swept off her feet by Peter Duke who goes on to become a Hollywood legend. We learn of her summer through her own narration. In another timeline, as a fifty something year old woman, Lara is experiencing the Covid pandemic on a cherry farm in Michigan scrambling to harvest with her three grown daughters who have come home to weather the pandemic. Her eldest daughter Emily (of course!) was convinced as a belligerent, stubborn tween  that Duke was father when she learns that Lara had dated him in her youth. They spend much of the time of the pandemic with her mother sharing out in bits and pieces the story of her summer at Tom Lake.

Her story is fascinating and poignant. We experience the highs of “first” love (passion), acting success, and summer and friendship. We experience the lows of betrayal, realization of limits, and, of course, friendship lost. All of these experiences are set against the idyllically rendered Michigan summer by the lake. These vignettes punctuate Lara’s pandemic experience with her daughters as she reflects on their childhoods and comes to know them better. We see here a family that truly cares for one another in spite of differences and misunderstanding. Her husband Joe and she clearly have a relationship that is strong and loving - that has weathered difficult crops and three small girls and settled into a life that brings both joy. Joe’s involvement in the summer at Tom Lake is introduced gradually and provides a nice layer to the story. 

Ultimately of course, we reflect on the “awfulness” of life - that those who are living it don’t realize it properly. Lara has clearly gained wisdom over the course of her life, and I love that in spite of some very difficult mistakes and a series of losses, she holds no bitterness from this period in her youth, but rather finds the lessons learned, and connects them to the life that she finds beautiful - even in this rather horrific time in history. She notes that she should not necessarily feel joy at this time with her daughters, but she unapologetically does. She is treasuring moments much in the way Our Town suggests we should. 

Tom Lake kind of makes me want to revisit the big moments in my life or perhaps I mean the small ones - those I overlooked and didn’t appropriately appreciate. I long a bit for the certainty that my life was lived fully, and rather than being mistakes, all of my experiences combined to bring me to a present joy. I like very much what Lara chooses to keep and what she chooses to let go.

The Dead Romantics - Ashley Poston

The Dead Romantics - Ashley Poston
Genre - Supernatural & Contemporary Romance

I like to think that Florence Day of Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics and I could be friends. She experiences a number of changes in the novel, but I enjoy her throughout. Listen, if you are a cynic about things of a romantic nature - challenge yourself and give this one a shot anyway. Florence agrees with you. In spite of being a successful ghostwriter for romantic phenomenon author Ann Nichols, finds that she has run out of happy endings. After her long term boyfriend unapologetically steals the precious stories of her child and distorts them in a novel, Florence finds that her tolerance for all things romance is gone. She finds herself unable to complete her final contracted novel in spite of a mandate to do so from her new editor Benji Andor. Her Dad dies unexpectedly, so she returns home to the family funeral home for the first time in a very long time. Some battles with her family, detailed funeral plans to fulfill, and the unexpected ghost of Benji Andor challenge Florence in ways she never thought possible.

I come and go with romance. And I suppose a love affair with a ghost could really send me screaming in another direction, but boy did I enjoy this one. Florence is a delight. I found her to be funny. I can be annoyed by self deprecation and self pity, but Poston explores Florence’s struggle in an unflinching yet amusing way. She strikes a lovely balance. Part of this is the exploration of her relationship with her family. The conflict is real, but the family love and support remain strong. The supernatural aspect is very naturally included. Of course a little girl who grows up in a funeral home has a sensitivity to unhappy ghosts. Of course. Could it be weird for her to fall in love with a ghost? Maybe. But again, Poston makes it work. She continued to surprise me long after I thought I had the book “all figured out.”  

I love that Florence learns the lessons that the universe is offering her. Like me, she takes her time - I often find it easier to rest in my sadness than reach for change. Perhaps a solid visit from a ghost might inspire me? Or, most likely I should keep reading and learning and finding new friends like Florence. 

Famous for a Living - Melissa Ferguson

Famous for a Living - Melissa Ferguson
Genre: Contemporary Romance

The notion of fame in our digital age is fascinating to this 50 something. I recently had supper with some ladies that date the whole way back to elementary school for me and while talking about an influencer (I don’t remember who - doesn’t matter) one of them said - she needs to stop blogging and work for a living. And while I had some understanding of the work involved, this book by Ferguson absolutely put the tremendous amount of work into perspective as well as the mental toll that such work takes.

Cat’s life undergoes an abrupt change when her influencer life is canceled because of a business partner’s financial crimes. Her uncle - a national park ranger- offers her a job, a place to stay, and a soft place to land. Naturally life in the forest is much different from the life she knows in the city. She has reduced resources for her social media “job” and has to share a rustic cabin with a roommate - a young and eager park ranger. And, of course, a man intrudes into her world in a lovely and romantic way.

Ferguson transforms Cat gently and believably. Through the transformation she illustrates the importance of being true to ourselves and knowing ourselves. She doesn’t denigrate influencer culture, but rather focuses on influencing in a way that brings joy and not just stress and strain. I appreciate that message very much for readers. The relationship evolves naturally as well. I love that neither character had to be a completely different person in order to be a couple. I love that message as well. The supporting cast of characters are fully developed and contribute to the development of our romantic leads. The national park and surrounding area  serve almost as a character themselves. I love to visit such parks and value their importance; Ferguson does an excellent job of illustrating their worth. I’ve been thinking a great deal of what matters - what we keep and what we don’t. Keeping our parks matter. I love that Cat retains her love of fashion and makeup but learns to value experience and travel even more. Well done!

A side note I just reviewed Do Tell over on the new books page. As I was reading this, I was surprised that two such different eras, 1940s to 2020s, could have such similar looks at how we treat famous people as a culture. Even though we have much more information about our “stars” now than we were allowed in the 40s, we still seem to want to elevate them, give them a pass based on their popularity as entertainers or influencers. Seems we simultaneously question the value of their work and want to give them a free pass for bad behavior as a culture. We sure can learn from what we read. 

Demon Copperhead

Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver; read by Charlie Thurston

I’m not here to “review” Demon Copperhead  by Barbara Kingsolver. This title has been reviewed by many finer and more well trained minds than mine. Further, I’m a little late to the discussion because I was on the waiting list at my library for sooooo looonnggg. (I’m not complaining, I’m a fan of the Libby app, but rarely can I be cutting edge with my thoughts.) But yet, I feel compelled to talk about how I felt while reading the audio version of this book. 

 I will be seeking this book in print. I don’t often take the time to reread a book, but this one requires another look from me. In part because I hear these gems that I want to highlight and write down somewhere. I haven’t found a good way to do that with an audiobook often because I’m driving. I last did this for Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land. 

Why? Honestly at first I was underwhelmed by Demon. I’m not sure why. He was funny and honest and heartbreaking. I also was overwhelmed by the circumstances of his life - unreliable though loving mom, abusive stepfather, horrendous experiences in foster care, opioids, crime, racism, poverty. I can remember whining in my head too much - Kingsolver has just taken on too much. I wanted things to magically improve for Demon. I wanted him to find a way with zero consistent examples to make better decisions to walk himself out of the life that he was in. This, I think, was partially my teacher brain at work. We see kids for 42 minutes a day and want to inspire them to want to study, to make good choices, to plan for the future. And certainly we have some understanding of the rest of their lives. I can remember berating a student for incomplete homework only to find out later that he had been his mom’s chauffeur for a night of bar hopping. He couldn’t get the work done in the car (before cell phones and constant connectivity). Demon recalled to me my helplessness to decide what was important in those moments. 

So what happened? I started seeing the patterns and the characters started educating me (cue Aunt June, Mr. Armstrong and Stacy) about the life that Demon was in. Demon himself talked about the connections and the losses and the beauty and the sadness that he found in difficult place after difficult place. He talked honestly about his mistakes - genuinely working to reflect placing blame when necessary and accepting blame as appropriate. Did he still drive me nuts sometimes? He did. However, I found myself rooting for him more and more - needing this one kid to make it to a better life as many around him fell. For the first time I felt like I had the tiniest sense of the complexity of the students I had been dealing with for years. I had, of course, studied their issues academically. I attended the trainings, and I read the books. But getting to know Demon taught me more than all of that.

Getting to know Demon was largely a result of Charlie Thurston’s first person performance of Kingsolver’s excellently crafted work. She weaves together humor, heartache, hope, and anger in a way that feels impossible and Thurston delivers these emotions impeccably. Demon’s voice is…well…Demon’s voice. I am roughly from the area of the country that Demon is, and his voice created by Thurston was just right. I could know him. She works in humor in a way that feels impossible and Thurston delivers it impeccably. I know that I will hear Thurston’s voice when I finally get the print copy to review. I often pick audio books based on who is the reader/performer, and I will look for Thurston to be sure. 

While I am no longer in the full time teaching game, I need also to work toward educating myself more clearly about the issues raised in Demon Copperhead. Early in the book I felt like Kingsolver was being heavy handed, and now I’m thinking maybe she is heavy handed because as a culture we just aren’t getting what is happening in Appalachia and to the kids who are growing up there (or maybe I just felt it was heavy handed because I didn’t know) . We need more Junes and Mr. Armstrongs and Stacys. We need to find ways to do education differently. I’ve known that for a bit and am not sure what the answer is, but I do think all educators should get to know Demon. If I were doing teacher prep courses Demon Copperhead would be required reading. And although these are not my areas of expertise, perhaps doctors, case workers, and politicians should read it too. Policy - imagine taking the time to create actual policy to support communities.