The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The sea is better than a mother. You can love your mother, and she still might leave you. You can love or hate the sea, but it will always be there. Forever. The sea has been the center of her life. It has nurtured her and stolen from her, but it has never left. We took a vacation to South Korea and our first stop was Jeju for a 4-day thru-hike. This is the perfect book to read on an airplane to Jeju. Mi-ja and […]
The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian’s The Amateur is a novel centered around a golf course tragedy. While practicing on the driving range at her local country club one day in 1978, teenage golf prodigy Mira Winston hits a ball through an unseen hole in the net just as one of the caddies, her high school classmate Kevin Foster, is walking by. Struck in the head by the projectile, Kevin, who was working to save up money to pay for college, is pronounced dead at the scene. Mira, who had […]
Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross
CBR18 Bingo: Refuge – Iris and Roman find refuge in their correspondence. The days to come will only grow darker. And when you find something good? You hold on to it. You don’t waste time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for that light. ― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals Let us make our names exactly what we want them to be. ― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are the same age and […]
The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan
CBR18 Bingo – Summer: I read this in the summer, which is when peaches are ready. The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan is very short, but it packs in a lot. I might have preferred something longer or more comic book. But it’s not hard to find Chinese fairy tales and the cover artist (Jenn So) not illustrating the entire book isn’t a real issue. So I have no actual complaints. Mei is Chinese-American, but wasn’t raised by her white adoptive mother […]
Carrots Make Me Suspicious by Robin Mitchell Cranfield
Carrots Make Me Suspicious by Robin Mitchell Cranfield is about how the picky eater of the rabbit family finally finds a way to like carrots. Our picky eater is probably autistic, due to how sounds and textures affect them, but honestly it can be about anyone who is a bit worried about trying new foods or is in general, a cautious, or picky, eater. There was not a “wow” factor, so I never really fell wildly love or anything, but I enjoyed it. Things are […]
When the Cranes Fly South: A Novel by Lisa Ridzen
Cbr18bingo Season This book hits hard right in the gut. If you have experience with a loved one who suffers from dementia and/or is near the end of life, much of what is here will be achingly familiar. Lisa Ridzen was inspired to write this novel after seeing her grandfather’s caretakers’ notes after his death. When the Cranes Fly South is set up as a series of such caretaker entries followed by the main character’s reflections on his life. Main character Bo is an elderly […]
