You know that I am an avid reader (you do know that by now, don’t you?). Like  lot of readers, I need to have the next few books waiting in the wings (or piled on an end table or stashed on a shelf). And right now, I have an abundance of good reads lined up.

I picked up Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng because I was just seeing/hearing a lot of buzz about it. My instinct paid off because this book just blew me away. Ng is a wonderful writer with a real gift for deftly setting a scene (in this case the well-planned Shaker Heights community in Cleveland, Ohio), but it was her carefully drawn characters who really captivated my attention. The story revolves around a handful of otherwise disparate families eventually drawn into one compelling story. Ng was able to carefully step back from the developing story to recount the lives of these characters, almost like a short story or a novel within a novel. She does this effortlessly, without jarring the reader. On the other hand, their stories are not always pretty or fun, in fact Ng grapples here with some tough social issues.

Ng offers a lot to think about. A few other friends have also read it; we agree it would be a meaty selection for discussion. You or your book club may have already discovered Little Fires Everywhere, but if not, add it to your list. You won’t be disappointed.

One of my favorite reader friends shared the first three Louise Penny mysteries with me. (Apparently, you have to read them in order.) So I read the first, Still Life, and now I’m well into A Fatal Grace. There’s a lot to like here, starting with the charming Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, and the small town setting of Three Pines just outside Montreal, and its colorful residents, even if they do have an uncanny homicidal bent. And, there’s more than a dozen more titles waiting.

My lit group read One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This book features an ensemble cast of nine characters who find themselves trapped together after a massive earthquake. To pass the time and manage their fears, they agree to each share one amazing thing about their life. This is a very disparate group in age, education and life experience. You can imagine how their stories must vary. One Amazing Thing is about the power of story telling, about what we are willing to share with strangers that we may never share with family, and how we often make sudden decisions that shape our lives forever. It was a good read and a great conversation.

Up next, There There by Tommy Orange, follows the lives of twelve Native Americans as they are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. I’m sure there are some parallels to draw between this and One Amazing Thing, but There, There also promises to shed light on the plight of urban Native Americans. I’m looking forward to reading this.

I finally read Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, the story of a group of international hostages hostages held by rebel forces in South America. (And yes, without thinking I seem to have noted three books here with a similar premise.) I have to admit that this book moved waaaayyy too slow for me in parts, but I kept going and I’m glad I did. Here’s my question if you have read this book: did Patchett purposely slow down the pace of this book to demonstrate how time crept by for the hostages? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

After reading a review of Patchett’s latest book, The Dutch House, I’ve added it to my to-be-read list.

What about you? Any good recommendations?

Hope you’re having a great day! Thanks for stopping by. See you again next time?