Elizabeth Berg is a prolific American author that I have enjoyed reading for many years. I recently made a sweep through my Goodreads author list to see what books of theirs I hadn’t read yet, and I found several of Berg’s to add to my TBR. In the last few months, I have read four of them.
Earth’s the Right Place for Love (2023) is the story of two young people growing up in Mason, Missouri. One of those people is Arthur Moses, who is the main character in The Story of Arthur Truluv, published in 2017. It focuses on love and grief and is an insightful, compelling story.
Tapestry of Fortunes (2013) is the enjoyable story of four women who live in a house together. They decide to take a road trip together, each of them looking for a specific outcome. It is great for anyone who enjoys feel-good books celebrating women’s friendships.
Once Upon a Time, There Was You (2011) follows Irene and John, divorced parents who are forced to come together when their daughter Sadie faces a tragedy. There were some details that felt a bit contrived, but I still liked the book.
Open House (2000) is about a woman finding her way after divorce. Samantha’s husband has left her and, in order to keep the house she and her son Travis live in, she takes in roommates and begins working temp jobs. Along the way, she makes new friends and discovers the self she lost a long time ago. It seemed a bit slow at first, but as I relaxed into the pace of the story, I found myself drawn into it. The style of this book reminds me a bit of Jamie Langston Turner, who is one of my favorite writers.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is the first novel from Korean author Hwang Bo-Reum and was translated by Shanna Tan. I was interested in the book first because I love reading books about books and bookshops. The story centers on Yeongju, who used to be married and have a demanding career in Seoul, but abandons her husband and her job to move to a small residential neighborhood and open a bookshop.
As Yeongju runs her new shop, she explores different ways to bring in new customers and keep the shop open. She makes several new friends along the way, and the bookshop becomes a place for people to gather together. Throughout the novel, we are taken on a journey of self-exploration as each of the characters grows and develops in new ways.
This novel is part of a genre called “healing fiction” that has become a trend in Korean literature. It does not have an action-filled plot, but instead focuses on comfort, empathy, courage, and solidarity. I found it to be both contemplative and encouraging. I am looking forward to reading more of this genre.
I recently posted books about books that were on my TBR, and this time I wanted to post books about books that I have read and enjoyed. I just love reading books that have something to do with books, whether it be a book club, a bookshop, a library, or even the publishing world.
This intriguing novel by Rebecca Serle is the story of Daphne Bell and her lovelife. Each time she meets a man, she receives a slip of paper with the man’s name and a number which represents the amount of time she will spend with him. The number varies from person to person, but it is always right. After twenty years of this, she finally meets someone and the paper she finds has only his name. She is elated at first but soon begins to question her fate.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The touch of magical realism adds a unique twist to the common story of a woman looking for love. Having read so many of these stories over my life, I appreciate when a book offers something unusual to the mix. When the book opens, Daphne seems almost resigned to the way life is for her, always knowing what will happen each time she meets a new love interest. But then she meets Jake and starts hoping for a more permanent future, which sounds great until she starts to realize the reality of their relationship doesn’t match the dreams she had of what true love would look like.
I have read two other books by Serle, both of which include aspects of magical realism as well: In Five Years and One Italian Summer. I highly recommend giving this author a chance.
Passions in Death by J.D. Robb – This is book #59 of her In Death series about Eve Dallas, a homicide detective in futuristic New York City. I always love these!
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – I have enjoyed several books by this author. This one is middling for me so far.
Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had put this book down a few months ago and recently picked it up again. I have read some other nonfiction in the meantime that I liked, so I’m hoping this will be easier for me to read this time.
What I Recently Finished
Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg – Berg never disappoints. I raced through this enjoyable novel about a woman who makes major changes in her life after the death of her best friend.
The Fifth Avenue Apartment by Pamela M. Kelley – This was a fun, lighthearted read about a woman who has been searching for what she wants to do with her life and how she finds a career that seems right for her. It was enjoyable. The author also released a bonus short story that set the stage for a possible second book.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum – This book was recommended by someone on Instagram, and I am so glad I took a chance on it. It was very thoughtful and warm. I appreciated both the story and the lessons shared as the characters grow.
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon – Very well-written book that is part memoir and part informational discourse on the issues that arise for people who don’t fit or start to question the church. I really liked this book.
Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand – Nice short story about a woman in love who has things turned upside down on what is supposed to be a romantic trip to an exotic location.
Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins – A fake relationship romance with a twist. Cute book.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – Loved this magical realism novel about a woman whose life changes in an instant and how she copes with her new reality. I wrote a longer review of this a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommend!
What I’ve Added to my TBR List
I added a lot of books again this month. A lot of them are my standard fare, but I’m also trying to expand my horizons a bit:
The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster
When We Were Friends by Jane Green (short story)
Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman
Nantucket Summer House by Pamela M. Kelley
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
More of Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick
The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Summer Island by Natalie Normann
The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman
Lethal Prey by John Sandford
Gryphon’s Valor by Mercedes Lackey
Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman
Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman
UnClobber by Colby Martin
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
I recently added a post to Instagram featuring books that I have on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf that are about books or bookstores. I have come across quite a few of this type recently and am looking forward to reading them as I usually enjoy them.
Here is the list of books pictured:
The Library by Bella Osborne
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Welcome to the Huyanam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
I actually just started reading the last one on the list and am finding it very enjoyable so far.
I did a thing – I started a Bookstagram. My handle for that account is jumbledbookshelf, and I just have one post so far. I’m not sure what all I am going to post on there, but I thought it would be nice to have an outlet to share the books I am reading.
I used Canva (the free version) to create the graphic. Here’s what I came up with:
And here’s my review:
This debut novel by Holly Gramazio is the captivating story of Lauren, a single woman who returns home from a night out with friends to find that her reality has shifted and she has a husband, Michael. As she is trying to figure out what is going on, Michael goes to the attic to replace a lightbulb and disappears, only to be replaced by a different husband and a slightly different reality. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?
I was drawn in from the beginning and was fascinated by how Lauren’s thinking changes and grows throughout the course of the book. I have read several reviews where people lamented the slower pace of the middle of the story, but I didn’t mind that – I simply enjoyed the journey she was on.
This book spoke to the part of me that regularly wants to reinvent my life or get a do-over when I make a mistake. As Lauren moves through husband after husband, changing her reality each time, she finds a lot of freedom because she can do what she wants and avoid the repercussions by just sending the current husband up to the attic. As this continued, I started to wonder what the point was and where it was headed, but I don’t see this as a flaw in the story, I see it as reflective of the emotional journey Lauren is on herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looking forward to more from this author!
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – This is Holly’s debut novel, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The main character, Lauren, returns home one night to find that reality has somehow shifted and she is married. As she tries to figure out what is going on, her husband goes to the attic to change a light bulb and disappears and a different husband comes down the ladder. So fun!
What I Recently Finished
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes DuMez – This was a fascinating account of the development and evolution of white evangelicalism in America written by a historian. I found it very easy to read and extremely educational.
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins – This novel is about a man whose wife wrote him letters before she died and had them delivered to him every month for the first year after she passed. It was reminiscent of P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern – in a good way!
The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore – I love books about books, and this novel features a librarian who discovers a 60-year old love story written in the margins of books. It was a charming book!
Earth’s the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg – This is a another great installment from a writer I have admired for many years. It is a coming of age story which provides the backstory for the Arthur Moses, the main character in The Story of Arthur Truluv.
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg – This is the story of John and Irene, who are divorced but are still connected by their 18-year old daughter Sadie. It is beautifully written, as are all of her books.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – This is Book 1 of the Infernal Devices series, which is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. Both of these series are part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. It was a recommendation from my friend Kim, who is a big fan of young adult romance and fantasy books. I don’t always love her selections, but I really enjoyed this one and am going to continue reading the series.
What I’ve Added to my TBR List
I added quite a few books to my list this month:
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman (short story)
The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman (short story)
The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman (short story)
Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver
Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand (short story)
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
Close Knit by Jenny Colgan
The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes DuMez – I am just a few chapters in and I am totally engrossed in this book.
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins – I just got this one on my Libby app; haven’t started it yet.
What I Recently Finished:
The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery – I gave this one five stars. It was so well-done.
The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton – I gave this one two stars, which is pretty rare for me. I did finish it, but it just wasn’t my favorite style of writing.
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center – This was an enjoyable book about two writers writing and falling in love. Very good.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle – Another five star book. I loved the premise and I didn’t guess the twist, which doesn’t happen very often.
The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery – This was a good read.
Toxic Prey by John Sandford – Yet another five star rating – I have hardly given any this year and now I have three in one month! This is listed as #34 in the Lucas Davenport series. Goodreads also has it filed as #3 in the Letty Davenport series since it includes her as well (she is Lucas’s daughter.) I flew through this one.
What I’ve Added to my TBR List:
Miss Amelia’s List by Mercedes Lackey – This is #17 in the Elemental Masters series
Nashville Dreams by Pamela M. Kelley
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery – This novel centers around two sisters and their troubled relationship, but it also has a strong supporting cast and shows a lot of soul searching and personal growth. I am enjoying it.
What I Recently Finished:
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – This was a fascinating novel about a woman who experiences face blindness after a surgery. I enjoyed it and I did not see the twist coming.
Summer Ever After by Jane Crittenden – I think this was my Amazon First Read for the month. It was pretty good. I had to really pay attention to the chapter titles to see which character’s POV it was and whether it was in the past or the present.
The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – This is #39 in the Alex Delaware series. It hit all the right places for one of his books. Highly enjoyed!
After Annie by Anna Quindlen – This is the story of how the family and friends cope with a woman’s death in the year after her passing. I appreciated the depth of the characters and the way Quindlen handles the different situations that arise.
Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgans – This could have been very formulaic, as it was about a woman whose husband leaves her for another woman just as their son graduates from high school. But it goes deeper than that and shows how life can go on and families can evolve.
Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren – I appreciated this book and it’s call to observe God in the everyday things of our lives. The chapter on sleep spoke to me especially as I tend to stay up way too late oftentimes. Even though I enjoy sleeping, I have trouble forcing myself to put down what I am doing to turn in for the night. This is something I want to work on.
Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I actually had to add this one to my DNF list. I got through a chunk of it but found it too esoteric for my liking. I skimmed the rest and filed it away.
What I’ve Added to my TBR list:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – This is another book in the Hunger Games series. It takes place 40 years after the events in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Publication isn’t expected until March 2025, but I went ahead and added it to my list now.
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
In So Many Words 