Strange Families

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë was recently made into a movie, so I thought it would be a good time to read it.

It took a bit to acclimate to the old-fashioned writing style, but once I got going it was fine. Mr. Lockwood is a visitor intending to lodge at Thrushcross Range. He accidentally gets snowed in at the neighboring Wuthering Heights. He meets the odd collection of people living there, including Heathcliff, Catherine Linton, Hareton and some of the help. He experiences strange occurrences in the room he stays in. Upon returning to Thrushcross, he asks the housekeeper, Nelly, to fill him in on the people of Wuthering Heights.

From here she takes over telling the story of the Earnshaws and Linton families who lived in the two homes. She grew up with the Earnshaws and recounts their upbringing and dynamics once Heathcliff was brought home to live with them.

Heathcliff and the late Catherine developed an intense relationship that was never to be due to his station. She married Linton and moved to Thrushcross, leaving her brother and Heathcliff behind. Her brother’s child, Hareton, is born of a sickly mother who passes away. Heathcliff marries her sister in law. The story details all the drama across the two households leading up to and beyond Catherine’s death and the turmoil that follows.

It’s a convoluted love story with intense emotions.

Unexpected Love

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham is a 2026 Nutmeg nominee.

This graphic novel is a very sweet love story. It is about Valentina. As a young girl she loves Valentine’s Day. But finding out the truth about her mom’s absence turns her away from love. She feels that her family is cursed in love.

Once she’s in high school, her interactions with her imaginary friend, St. Valentine, have her trying to find love within a year or giving up on it for good.

She gets involved with the very handsome ladies’ man, Les. He seems very interested in her, but she realizes he acts that way with other girls too. Is she different for him, or could there be something more real with his cousin Jae?

This book offers a love triangle, along with family and friendship drama and interesting cultural components – lion dancing!

Small Town

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan is a slow, steady read delving into different family relationships.

I finished this book a couple weeks ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy! Here goes-

Multiple character perspectives are explored as their lives eventually intertwine in unexpected ways.

There is the beautiful orphan Margaret who eventually finds love with the very dependable and handsome Felix. Their relationship lacks passion which readers discover is due to Felix being gay. He discovers love and loss while at war. He returns a shell of himself which creates further tension in his marriage. They conceive a son, Tom, shortly after his return, but Margaret knows he has another potential father, Cal. Cal works in the local hardware store.

Cal’s wife Becky is the local medium. She is able to communicate with spirits and offers her services for free. They have a son named Skip. Eventually, their families crash together when Felix begins visiting her hoping to connect with his deceased love. The truth finds its way out and Margaret ends up leaving Felix and her son.

As mentioned, this is a complex story with many characters and rich detail. It is a story of love, loss, betrayal, family and war.

March Sisters

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet is a young adult murder mystery that provides a modern twist on the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

The story is laid out from each girl’s perspective alternating between past and present. Beth, Meg, Jo and Amy, are celebrities following the publication of their dad’s book, “Little Women.” Readers hate him for killing Beth in his book. Each daughter handles fame differently.

Of course, the main plot revolves around Beth’s actual death following a New Year’s Eve party. Each sister explores her own relationship with Beth, with some feeling more guilty than others. There are other suspects among the girls’ male friends too.

Eventually, the truth reveals itself with a shocking additional murder taking place.

Never Forget

The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons is another teen Nutmeg nominee.

Jamison has been struggling since his mom’s death from cancer. She was the only one who really understood his way of thinking as a synesthetic among being a confidante.

He uses photography as a way to commemorate her. Each night, he takes a photo at her time of death, 9:09.

Jamison decides to use his 9:09 photos and others he’s taken of classmates to build a website which begins getting attention.

Through this is a budding relationship with a seemingly surly classmate. He also navigates having his little sister at high school with him for the first time, overcoming his childhood crush with the hottest girl in school, a new friendship and supporting his dad.

Photography is a key element to the story. Each chapter begins with a quote from Dorothea Lange and there is a plentiful amount of photo editing details.

The author’s note explains how personal this story is as he was caring for his mother while writing this book, highlighting the need to celebrate our loved ones through our own talents and memories.

Back in Time

Throwback by Maurene Goo is a 2026 Nutmeg nominee (high school).

This was a fun story about Samantha (Sam) and relationships with her mom Priscilla and her grandmother. Sam is very close with her grandmother but is constantly at odds with her mom, much as her mom doesn’t get along with her own mom. This comes to a head after her grandmother ends up in the hospital. They have a huge fight about shopping for a homecoming dress.

Sam ends up being transported back to her mom’s senior year of high school in 1995. She must help her mom and grandmother avoid the massive fight they have homecoming night or risk being stuck back in time. She thinks the solution is making sure her mom wins homecoming queen.

Sam’s ideas of how to campaign don’t work as expected in the past. The result is an entertaining quest for the crown. Sam gains a better understanding of her mom through the process, and also gets time to visit her grandmother (while seeing a different side of her). She also meets a potential love interest.

Overall, this is a fun read about teens, time and learning to understand other’s struggles.

Forever Friends

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marian Kamali is an impactful, well-written book.

It spans the course of decades (1950-2022) and settings, including Iran, NYC and Massachusetts.

Ellie meets Homa in 1950 after moving to a poor neighborhood with her mother following her father’s death. They become best friends. Their friendship is beautifully developed.

To reclaim status, Ellie’s mom decides to marry her husband’s brother. This allows them to move back to an elite neighborhood. Ellie eventually adapts and becomes popular in the new, prestigious school she attends. Homa is a distant memory, until she becomes a new student at Ellie’s school during their senior year.

Their friendship eventually reignites and continues as they go to University (along with Ellie’s fiancé). Through it, Homa continues her tireless desire to fight for freedom and women’s rights through the changing of regimes in Iran. Her rebellious nature and Ellie’s misguided jealousy end up terminating their friendship.

Ellie moves to NYC with her husband. She unsuccessfully attempts to reconcile with Homa before leaving. Homa has become a mother following her time in prison.

Their paths reconnect when Homa reaches out for help. She is worried for her daughter’s safety and hopes to send her to NYC with Ellie. It’s at this point that their lives become entwined again.

My brief summary and review can’t begin to capture the depth of this story and its characters. There are so many important lines and moments; it’s a story I want to remember.

Multiple Suspects

I Don’t Like Mondays by Maria Frankland is about Cathy’s recovery after being pushed in front of an oncoming train.

She survives the incident with multiple injuries but doesn’t remember the last ten years of her life.

As her memories slowly begin coming together, there seems no end to the possible suspects in her attempted murder. Her competition at work, her husband’s current fiancée, her husband and her brother are all on the list. In the aftermath, she also finds out that her stepsister and closest friend is actually her half sister. A half sister with extreme jealousy over Cathy’s relationship with their dad.

While this book was entertaining, it is not a favorite. The first person narration got on my nerves and the plot’s constant attempts at suspense grew tiresome to me.

Bestowals

Theo of Golden by Levi Allen was highly recommended on social media.

Theo is an older man who decides to move to the small town of Golden, Georgia. The neighborhood coffee shop is filed with portraits drawn by a local artist. Theo makes it his mission to gift each portrait to its subject. With each gift, Theo builds deeper relationships with many people in the community. We learn more about certain residents through their interactions with Theo. Some notable friends are: Tony the bookseller, Asher the portrait artist, Simone the cello player, Ellen the homeless woman, Kendrick and his daughter, Shep the coffee shop owner and others. He is a skilled conversationalist; however, he reveals very little about himself when conversing with others.

Theo’s backstory and purpose for residing in Golden are slowly revealed, with a shocking turn at the end.

This was a slow, steady read for me. I enjoyed the writing and feelings of kindness, friendship and appreciation for life expressed throughout the book.

Bold Beauty

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh is a young adult novel set in historic New Orleans.

Celine and a number of other young women from various parts of Europe are sent to live in a convent. They will be supervised until arranged in a suitable marriage.

Celine is different. There is a spark in her unlike the others which immediately is noticed by the very handsome Sebastien, as well as by his deadly enemy.

She is swept up in a tale of revenge as a string of violent murders begin adding up.

This is a hate to love story with elements of magic and monsters. It evokes the feeling of Twilight and similar vampire-type novels. For me, it was a bit slow and predictable.