Reconcilable Differences

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff is full of familial and romantic ups and downs.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints (April, her husband Leo and April’s mom Deb) spanning events following a house fire.

Leo and April’s home catches on fire later the same night that Leo asks for a divorce. They manage to get out unharmed with their two young children, Sadie and Otto.

They temporarily move in with April’s parents, Deb and Billy. April’s younger sister Josie and brother Cameron are often in and out of the house too. It’s during this time that Billy is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.

Some spoilers- Each character navigates pain and loss within their chapters. April and Leo’s chapters reveal how they met, and their extended rough patch following their children’s births, including April’s infidelity with a coworker. I was rooting for their reconciliation the whole way through! Deb’s chapters also show the progression of her relationship with Billy.

Leo was abandoned to an aunt and uncle by his parents when he was young. He never saw them again, and spent most of his life feeling unwanted and unloved. April unexpectedly comes into contact with his dad which begins the healing process.

This book has a thoughtful approach to family dynamics amidst tough situations. One of my favorite lines which also sums up a main premise of the book is, “Life is a series of wild unknowns, and the past will always leave marks” (195).

Audience is Watching

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is spurring a lot of dialogue in social media book groups at the moment.

It follows Natalie’s life through college and her marriage to the rich and youngest son of a political family. Natalie is pretty unlikable and unreliable as a character: she hates everyone while also wanting their attention and envy.

Her decision to become a homesteading family for social media happens almost accidentally as a way to give her husband some purpose. She embraces the role so extensively (and under false pretenses) that it consumes her existence. Her off-camera personality is actually very socially awkward and spiteful. When a major event occurs that brings this side of herself to light, she snaps.

Spoilers- Natalie wakes up in 1855 in her home, but her husband seems different. Her five children and pregnancy are different too, as in this past time she is no longer pregnant and has four different children.

Natalie struggles day to day with this difficult existence without any technology, electricity or other comforts until finally reaching some clarity as to what’s really happening (years later).

A lot of the themes in this book (traditional wife roles compared to that of a working woman) as well as Natalie’s holier than thou attitude can be uncomfortable. She doesn’t get along with anyone. For me, it definitely shed a light on how social media has the potential to be very contrived and all-consuming to its creator and those involved as bystanders. Mental illness is also portrayed in the story, although it may be a bit of a stretch in how it exhibited itself for Natalie.

Money Problems

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett is a lengthy book with parallel storylines that connect.

Birdie is a single, twenty-three(ish) year old woman living with her mother and grandmother in Footely, Mississippi during the Depression era. Hard times have forced Birdie to visit her sister Frances in Oxford. Frances married a wealthy banker, Rory, and Birdie is tasked with asking him for some money.

Frances and Rory live with his socialite mom, Mrs. Tartt. Frances volunteers at the local orphanage and has been trying to get in the good graces of the chairwoman, Mrs. Garnett. The second narrator, Meg, is an orphan here.

Meg (eleven years old) recounts how she ended up at the orphanage about two years earlier when her mother never came back from the store. Garnett treats the older girls terribly, but Meg is treated the worst. She is forced to sit in a moldy office all day instead of school with the other girls. She also is often verbally and physically abused by Garnett.

Eventually, Birdie spends some time at the orphanage to help them balance their books. This is how she meets Meg and finds out about her treatment. Time passes. Only a few days after Meg is adopted, Birdie also meets Meg’s mom, Charlie. She was hospitalized and in jail. There is a lot more to her story, which is shared when she stays with them.

Spoilers- Rory lost all of his family’s money and never paid house taxes before stealing everything else of value from the family home and running away. Frances and Mrs. Tart go to find him. Meanwhile, Birdie and Charlie plan to get some boarders and run a dance club to make the money everyone needs to get their lives back on track. However, the dance club is a front for a brothel.

Meanwhile, Meg is doing everything to make her adoption placement work with Tom and Lucille. Tom is the son of a very wealthy family. Lucille is a money grubbing alcoholic and Tom’s parents can’t stand her. This creates a pretty volatile situation for Meg.

While the plot took a turn I didn’t expect (brothel situation), I really enjoyed so much of the story. It is well written with so many great characters. I really enjoyed Birdie’s character, and found myself invested all the way until its satisfying conclusion.

Colony

The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang is a magical mystery.

Jo Ness has been grieving the loss of Aldo; he was her best friend and coauthor of their book about jellyfish. His death occurred during a dive together, and Jo has been haunted by his loss since.

Her college friend and love interest, Nadia, reaches out to her after eleven years without communication. There is a giant jellyfish in the water off the tiny Maine island where Nadia lives. She hopes Jo can bring her jellyfish expertise to help the island residents.

The jellyfish, called Clementine, has an invisible hold over everyone who has seen it. This hold prevents them from leaving the island or destroying her, and its boundary appears to be narrowing.

Jo faces visions of Aldo’s ghost and the interesting collection of island residents (including a potential love interest) to figure out how to release Clementine’s hold.

There are interesting snippets from Jo and Aldo’s book throughout the story which enhance the tale.

Real Love

Fever Dream by Elsie Silver is a spicy, slow burn romance taking place during filming a reality show called “Romance Ranch” in Canada.

Emmett is the star bachelor on the show. He’s a famous bull rider known for his womanizing ways. Julia is the set designer. She also happens to be the younger sister of Emmett’s bull riding rival.

Their relationship with each other starts off on the wrong foot due to some uncomfortable history between them (which is shared early on in the book).

The author does a good job building a fun flirtation between them which eventually leads to much more. As they get to know each other, Julia understands why Emmett hasn’t let anyone get too close to him.

On top of their budding relationship is the drama of creating a reality show. The show producer makes everyone miserable with threats and pushing his seedy agenda that Emmett wants no part of. Emmett and Julia are forbidden from seeing each other as it would be a contract breach.

The book includes some cute touches such as a few pictures, text exchanges and memos to the producer. I’m not typically a romance fan, but this book was a fun summer read.

Bad Neighbors

Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua is a random pickup from the public Library’s new releases shelf.

It tells the story of multiple families living in a wealthy California suburb named El Nido.

Jin’s family includes his wife and two daughters, Jane and Lily. They’re new to the area. Jin is hoping to flip the house with borrowed money from his childhood friend. There are multiple issues: the house has structural flaws, he’s jobless and a nearby housing development may drive down the cost of the home. He decides to start a petition against the development using fake names.

This creates a problem for his neighbors, Blair and Sam. Sam is in charge of the development and they have a lot of their own money riding on its success. Blair works for a startup company called Orb, which creates security cameras. Their children are Quinn, Jordan and Liam. Their nanny is an immigrant named Ana and her daughter Sofia. Ana ran from her abusive boyfriend and is fearful that he’ll find her new residence.

The Washington family includes mother Minerva, a single mother and doctor, and her children Tasha and Marcus.

The book takes place just following the initial Covid shutdown. People are still masking, but trying to get back to normal.

The book exposes lies between family, friends and neighbors along with systemic racism in a predominantly white, affluent neighborhood. Jane and Tasha team up to try to expose it, and things go crazy.

Another major conflict is over competitive swim teams in town. A neighborhood mom, Nic, tried to stop Jordan from competing due to her age. This brings more drama into the story. AND, there’s a rogue coyote running rampant in the neighborhood.

This story has a lot of storyline and characters to follow which made it a little confusing at first. But overall, it kept my attention with its series of crazy events.

Be Well

Heal Faster Unlock Your Body’s Rapid Recovery Reflex by Victoria Maizes, MD includes a thorough overview of many common ailments along with ways to treat them. Treatments include everything from prescription medications including their effects to supplements, diet/nutrition and alternate forms of healing (acupuncture, meditation, spirituality).

I really enjoyed the thoughtful and informative writing in this book and took lots of notes!

Hive Life

The Bees by Laline Paull may be one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read.

It’s told completely from the perspective of a sanitation bee, Flora 717. She narrates her life from her emergence to her death. During this time she experiences multiple levels: working in the nursery, meeting their Queen, being a forager and an egg layer.

Her story explains how their community works- bee dance, different stations/kin, enemies, hive mind, drones, allegiance to their queen and more.

Flora is unlike other bees of her kin because she speaks and is thoughtful and brave. She stands up against enemies such as wasps and spiders and also survives a night outside the hive and a winter flight.

It was an odd story but it kept my attention throughout for its uniqueness and my interest in bees.

Twin Tales

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is a beautiful story of fate, family, relationships and overcoming loss.

It’s told from twin brother Noah and twin sister Jude’s points of view during different ages. Noah’s story is from their past between the ages of thirteen and fourteen outlining events leading up to their mother’s fatal car accident. His chapters refer to how he sees various scenes in his life as a painting. Jude’s chapters are present time three years later and depict the aftermath of their mother’s death including the destruction of their relationship with one another. Her chapters reference her grandmother’s “bible” of superstitions.

Both characters experience relationship turmoil during both time periods. Noah is in love with Brian, the athletic and intelligent neighbor living nearby while on a break from his prep school. At the younger age, Jude is wrapped up in the older, bully (of her brother) and fellow surfer, Zephyr. Once older, she is captivated by Oscar. He is the ward of the sculptor artist she is training under. Oscar has unknown ties to her brother as well. In fact, the sculptor does too. These connections become clear through Noah’s chapters along with the explanation of their mother’s destination on the day of her accident.

I found myself both loving and hating many of the characters for their horrible behavior to each other. But in a sense, it’s also a realistic depiction of how sometimes we struggle with those closest to us. This is a well-written and thoughtful book.

Overcoming

Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia Cole is a 2027 Nutmeg nominee, and is my first read from the list.

This book is a novel in verse telling Ariel’s turmoil with violent thoughts and her obsessive coping mechanisms.

The book takes place during summer break. Ariel works at Wildwood, and it’s the first summer her best friend Leah won’t be with her. Her sister moved away for college the year before. Without these pivotal people nearby, Ariel is forced to navigate through her spiraling psyche.

New friends, Ruth and Rex, help Ariel face her illness along with faraway support from her sister. She realizes that she is experiencing OCD and that it can be controlled.

This book may resonate with anyone experiencing OCD symptoms and feelings of not belonging. Ariel struggled with this (on top of her OCD) as a large-sized gay female.

For me, this book rates a 1.